The battle was over.
Not only did they defeat the wicked mid-ranking demonic human Zarakul, who tried to contaminate the dragon vein, but they also defeated all of the Angry Bull’s corrupted warriors that Zarakul led.
After receiving some medical treatment, Cordelia said with a beautiful smile.
“You can be at ease now. They were punished for destroying the sanctuary.”
“You’re the ones who destroyed the sanctuary! You two!”
“Sheesh.”
It didn’t work.
Cordelia clicked her tongue and pouted her lips, and Jude spoke with a business smile.
“Violent Avalanche, the situation was so urgent that we couldn’t help it. Although the sanctuary was partially damaged, we defeated the enemy and protected the dragon vein.”
“Partially? Is this partially?!”
“The mountain has not completely collapsed.”
Cordelia lightly said, and Violent Avalanche held the back of his neck and then staggered.
It was a dainty bear cub, so even though it had that reaction, it still looked cute.
“Uh…uh…my blood pressure…fortunately, it’s a rocky mountain.”
If it had been an ordinary mountain, countless animals would have died when the mountain collapsed.
Jude then approached such a Violent Avalanche and said in a friendly manner.
“Regardless, we defeated those guys.”
“That’s right, we defeated them and saved Violent Avalanche and the sanctuary.”
Jude and Cordelia said in succession, and Violent Avalanche knit its brows. Because it couldn’t somehow understand their suggestive words.
“We defeated not only the mid-ranking demonic human, but also the fallen barbarian warriors.”
“Jude is right. If not for us, the dragon vein would have been polluted. And you would have been corrupted too. Ah…just imagine it, wouldn’t it have been terrible if that happened?”
They were silently pressuring Violent Avalanche.
No, they were pressuring Violent Avalanche with ‘gentle words.’
Violent Avalanche involuntarily stepped back as the good-looking couple came closer, or rather, it finally realized what the two were asking for.
“Are you…asking for a reward?”
“Reward…rather than that…isn’t it reasonable for us to be compensated?”
“Give and take!”
“Great Storm was a wild god who properly compensated us.”
“That’s right, that’s right. He gave us this and that.”
Cordelia gently tapped the Wind’s Wing Arrow, and then pointed to the tattoo on her left arm.
Then Violent Avalanche grumbled as it tried to resist.
“The mountain…collapsed.”
“The mountain has not completely collapsed.”
“It was a necessary sacrifice. Everyone will remember this noble sacrifice.”
The ‘everyone’ that they referred to were Jude, Cordelia, and Violent Avalanche who were present here, but Violent Avalanche had a feeling that perhaps it was only referring to Violent Avalanche itself.
“Haa…I can’t help it.”
In any case, it was true that without Jude and Cordelia, the dragon veins would have been contaminated, and Violent Avalanche itself would have been corrupted.
It was natural to give them a reward, since they were Violent Avalanche’s benefactors who saved more than its life.
“But children, I lost my main body, and the sanctuary has been destroyed. The dragon vein had indeed avoided contamination, but I greatly suffered.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Cordelia said as if she sympathized with him, and Violent Avalanche clicked his tongue this time.
And Jude thought.
‘As expected, the divine items remained safe.’
Just as how Great Storm had the Wind’s Wing Arrow, Violent Avalanche also possessed some divine items.
As Jude had expected, Violent Avalanche plopped down on the ground, and began to talk as it looked at Cordelia.
“Because I do not have a tribe that I look after, I do not have any divine items that are good for human use like that Great Storm brat. I don’t have items like weapons or armor.”
“I understand.”
The reason why Great Storm created a divine item like the Wind’s Wing Arrow was to give it to the Great Storm tribe, and not to use it for himself.
So it would be strange if Violent Avalanche, who did not care for any tribe, had weapons or armor that were suitable for human use.
“So I’ll give you this.”
The sitting Violent Avalanche dug a little on the ground, and a large blue gem suddenly appeared.
“This is…”
“Freezing stone!”
“Wow! That came from here?”
Freezing Stone.
It was a beautiful gem made by combining mana and the cold Yin energy.
But it wasn’t just beautiful.
Because the freezing stone stored ‘Frozen Time’ inside it.
‘In other words, it is one of the main ingredients for the Ancestral Regression technique.’
It was an ingredient that could only be obtained after a lot of hard work, so they were really lucky to obtain it here.
“You’re lucky.”
Jude nodded his head, while Cordelia giggled and hugged to her chest the freezing stone that Violent Avalanche gave them.
“It’s pretty. Thank you, Violent Avalanche.”
“Well…I’m glad that you like it.”
After all, Cordelia was really pretty.
Although she didn’t wear make-up because they had slept outside and traveled for several days, Cordelia’s cheerful smile still resembled that of a goddess.
Of course, since Violent Avalanche was a bear, its aesthetic perception was somehow different from humans, but Violent Avalanche was the kind of being that would marvel at the sunset that heralds the night and be captivated by the glorious dawn in the morning.
Violent Avalanche warmly smiled and shrugged its shoulders, and Jude smiled too, before he stepped forward and said.
“I think we should discuss about the next thing now. You said that they were trying to pollute the dragon vein, but could you please elaborate about that a little more?”
“Of course. It’s a really big crisis. It’s a problem that all wild gods…no, all living beings in the wild land must deal with together!”
Violent Avalanche strongly shouted as it jumped from its spot, and Jude nodded. He then faced Violent Avalanche with a serious expression and said.
“The Angry Bull tribe is believed to have been corrupted. It seems that a demonic human from a group of demon followers called Devil’s Eye was behind it.”
“Wait, how did you know that?”
Violent Avalanche roughly knew about demon followers, but it didn’t know about which tribe or group they belonged to, so it widely opened its eyes and asked. Jude then briefly introduced their history.
“We came to the wild lands at the request of the Guardians of the Holy Cross. Because they received information that the Devil’s Eye were showing signs of disturbing movements. Furthermore, the witch’s soul and the Fairy Queen warned us about the threat in the north.”
“Ohhh…”
In reality, Violent Avalanche did not know much about the Guardians of the Holy Cross. It also knew very little about the witch’s soul and the Fairy Queen.
But that was also why Violent Avalanche felt reassured. Just as an unknown threat came, an unknown help also came.
And Cordelia thought.
‘Wow…as expected of a scammer.’
When they were inside the border, he eagerly used the wild god’s name, and as soon as they crossed the border, he used the name of the witch’s soul and the southern organizations this time.
‘I think he’ll succeed even if he tried to sell umbrellas in the desert.’
Cordelia really thought that it would be possible if it was Jude, so she unconsciously let out a laugh.
‘Because he’s my Jude.’
She felt that he was reliable.
And at that same time.
When Cordelia was smiling while watching Jude having a serious conversation with Violent Avalanche.
A similar situation was occurring near the border.
***
“The Great Wall is, as its name implies, a great wall. It is so huge that it cannot be fully monitored.”
Furthermore, the Great Wall wasn’t built in a straight line on a flat ground, as if one was drawing a line on a map.
In reality, the terrain was complicated.
There were mountains and valleys everywhere, and even in places where there were no rivers and forests, the ground was rugged.
Thus, the Great Wall was built in a form that conformed with the natural terrain, so it was natural that the wall had several blind spots.
“In the end, people are needed to guard the wall. That way, they can easily notice a massive invasion before it reaches the wall. However, watching over the entire wall is almost impossible in the first place because only a few people are guarding it.”
It wasn’t just the words of anyone else, but were the words of Count Bayer’s successor, whose family held the margrave position in the past for many years.
‘He is…reliable!’
It was not just because of his family’s origins.
The moment he found out that Jude and Cordelia had crossed the border, Gaël’s attitude regarding this matter changed.
It wasn’t because he was not serious about this matter before.
He was already serious about it, but up until now, Gaël had been following Adelia rather than taking the lead.
But it was different now. He was taking the initiative and trying to resolve the situation.
‘He looks like an expert.’
Gaël’s explanation about the Great Wall and the Jackdaws made him look like an expert.
Perhaps that’s the reason why Gaël appeared to be more strikingly handsome than before.
‘He was handsome in the first place though.’
She didn’t like Jude’s personality or any other side of his, but Adelia at least admitted that he had a beautiful face.
‘He looks too weak though.’
Nevertheless, the expression of ‘good-looking’ perfectly suited Jude.
Gaël was Jude’s older brother, and the brothers were similar in appearance.
However, Gaël was the very picture of health itself. Moreover, he was a master of the sword, and was regarded by everyone to have inherited the title of Great Swordmaster from Count Bayer, one of the ten great swordmasters.
In addition to having a strong physique, he had an appearance that resembled Jude but minus the weakness, so it was unavoidable for him not to look handsome.
‘No, this isn’t the time for this.’
This wasn’t the time for her to evaluate Gaël’s appearance.
After all, Gaël was now explaining how to cross the border with a very serious face.
“I apologize, but we have to abandon our horses.”
“It can’t be helped.”
If someone else had said it, Adelia would have argued about finding another way instead of abandoning the horses, but now, she unconsciously nodded her head.
Because Gaël’s words were reliable!
‘If this man said so, it must be true then.’
At Adelia’s reply, Gaël was somehow a little surprised, but he soon had a small smile and said.
“It’s going to be quite a difficult journey.”
“The journey has been tough even up to now. You do know how many days we’ve been running on horseback, right?”
“I do know.”
Ever since they left home, they had been running on horseback every day until they had reached this place.
Running on horseback was a lot harder than most people think.
It was severely physically exhausting, and it was seriously painful on the buttocks and thighs.
But the two had run every day for more than 10 days.
It was a forced march of such difficulty that it would make most ordinary knights cry.
‘However…’
Gaël unconsciously looked at Adelia.
They had come this far but she had never once said that it was difficult.
It wasn’t because it was easy.
It was hard.
Gaël himself found it difficult, so it would be more serious for Adelia who’s a wizard and a woman too.
But she never once said that it was hard.
She had a strong will.
She endured the hardships in order to fulfill their mission.
‘It’s the first time.’
It was the first time that he met a noble lady like her.
Of course, he had met a few knights with a similar disposition, but Adelia was first and foremost a wizard.
There was a difference from those who had trained to become knights since their childhood.
‘Beautiful.’
He had first thought that she was fierce, but she somehow looked different now.
She was like a sparkling gem who held a strong will.
Even though she was always frowning, Adelia was still a very beautiful woman.
Just as Gaël was Jude’s brother, Adelia was Cordelia’s older sister.
“Gaël?”
Adelia asked Gaël at that moment as she looked up at him. It was natural for her to do so, since the height difference between the two was close to 20 centimeters.
But in that instant, Gaël unconsciously averted his gaze. Because his heart was beating a little fast.
‘How long has it been?’
The reason why Gaël himself had not been married even when he was in his late twenties.
He had lied to others, saying that he had a lady in his heart, but in fact, there was a real reason.
Count Bayer also knew of the reason, so he didn’t pressure Gaël into getting married.
“Gaël? Are you sick?”
“No, it’s not. It’s just a little fever.”
Gaël lightly answered, as he shook his head and got rid of his thoughts.
What was important now was to catch up to Jude and Cordelia. He only had to think about that for now.
“I don’t know much about the land of the barbarians. So I will trust in Lady Adelia’s decision in the future.”
He was referring to the tracking magic in Count Chase’s ring.
Adelia nodded her head and said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get the job done. And…”
“And?”
“If it’s the sword of Lord Gaël, I’m sure it would be reliable even in the land of the barbarians.”
Adelia quickly spoke, and at that moment, the two were simultaneously a little embarrassed.
Gaël was surprised when he heard Adelia’s words.
He would, of course, since his heart had always been pounding ever since he met Adelia.
“It’s an honor for me to receive your trust. I shall do my utmost best to protect Lady Adelia.”
“Let’s go quickly.”
Adelia hurriedly turned her eyes, as she somehow found it difficult to gaze at Gaël’s bright smile, and Gaël stepped forward full of confidence as he had always been.
And at that same time, in a place that was far down in the south…
“Uh…what? Didn’t it go well at first?”
Inside Count Chase’s study.
A handsome young man with long platinum hair stood in front of his father after a long time. He was Edward Chase, Count Chase’s eldest son and heir. After Edward said that, Count Chase knit his brows.
“Isn’t that good for her?”
“No…I must meet them first if it’s Adelia.”
Adelia was the best among the three siblings when it came to their talent for magic.
But maybe because of that, or maybe because she resembled her father the most among the three, she has never had a relationship with the opposite sex since her childhood.
Such a thing as eloping was something that Adelia wouldn’t likely do, but if she had indeed done that, shouldn’t they welcome it with open arms then?
‘There’s no problem if the other person is Gaël.’
He was handsome and competent, he came from a good family, and he also had a nice personality.
He was certainly perfect. In Edward’s personal opinion, he honestly found Gaël to be too good when compared to Adelia.
‘Of course, that is if the two really eloped.’
Contrary to the concerns of Count Chase and Count Bayer, Edward perceived Gaël and Adelia’s loss of contact to be different in nature compared to their youngest siblings.
‘There must be a reason.’
Although she was bold, or rather, even aggressive, he thought that Adelia wasn’t a child who would do things without thinking.
Moreover, she was even with the prudent Gaël, so if they had cut off their contact, there must have been a reason that they did that, and not because it was an elopement or something similar.
“Whatever it is, we can’t just leave it as is.”
Gaël and Adelia had gone missing after Jude and Cordelia.
The rumors in high society was only a secondary problem.
The most important thing was to secure the safety of the two ‘couples.’
“Gaël and Adelia should be all right. The problem would be Jude and Cordelia.”
Some people have already evaluated Gaël’s sword skills as close to the level of the ten great swordmasters.
In addition, Adelia was one of the heads of the Royal Guard Magic Corps, so it was highly unlikely that the two would be in danger.
But Jude and Cordelia’s situation was different.
They had to secure the safety of the two as soon as possible.
“Should I set off too? Count Bayer doesn’t have a daughter, so you won’t lose contact with me.”
At Edward’s joking words, Count Chase shook his head.
“I’ve already prepared for the chase. You focus on training. I’ve said that it’s very important, but it’s also important for you to reach the next circle.”
“I understand.”
Edward obediently accepted his words and bowed before he tried to go out.
But it was at that moment.
“By the way, Edward.”
“Yes, father.”
“Did you not get along with that Gaël fellow when you were a kid?”
“We’re still relatively close these days.”
Edward had few people whom he could call as friends, and Gaël was one of the first among them, whom he could count as a friend.
“I see. Then do you know what Gaël likes?”
“Eh?”
“I’m saying this just in case. So that we’ll be prepared for any situation.”
Edward quietly stared at his father speaking with a stern face, and then frowned. However, he didn’t think of this situation too deeply as he always did.
At Count Chase’s request, Edward began talking about the things that Gaël preferred.
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