CH 27

‘Insane…The mountain is actually perpetually covered in snow…’ Ayra thought, shrinking back into himself.

Recently, Solar’s temperature had been near zero; the last dregs of summer had passed and it was now well into autumn. Ayra, who shivered at autumn’s chill, was completely shocked; the middle of Dallum Gorge was so cold that it felt like midwinter. As they moved and gained altitude, the air gradually grew colder; at some point, snow had started to thickly cover the ground.

Half a day of travel coupled with the lack of rest, had leeched Ayra of all his body temperature. He couldn’t help but tremble. His companion asked “Are you cold?” in a worried voice. The young lord quickly turned his head at that question; Janus stared back, at ease. “This land’s climate always direct cold wind through this area. So, the gorge snows for the entire year, save one single week in the middle of summer. The southerly winds are trapped by the tall mountain range, so the clouds, stuck midway through their migration, release their load as snow.”

“Honestly, aren’t you cold…?”

Janus shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘not particularly.’ Ayra could not believe the other man felt comfortable in this blowing snow. His companion only had slightly icy ears that were turning red; there were no signs of trembling in his body nor any signs of blue in his lips. The mercenary simply looked pleased, as if he were enjoying a cool autumn breeze.

Come to think of it, in his past life, Ayra had watched a variety show where someone wore only short sleeves in the middle of winter and looked as if they weren’t affected by the cold. Perhaps Janus was like that person. On the other hand, the young lord was so cold that his stomach muscles were wholeheartedly trembling even underneath multiple layers.

He had definitely lived in Solar until he was five years old; how could he still be so vulnerable to the cold? However, now that he thought about it, how often would a precious young lord be allowed to run around in the snow-filled courtyard of a castle? Ayra simply did not have the opportunity to develop a resistance to cold.

The chill of the cold wind permeated through the folds of his clothes, but Janus was indifferent. He moved swiftly and energetically, jumping down from the horse he was riding. Ayra, who had dragged his robe up to right beneath his eyes, looked at the mercenary in confusion. “Why did you suddenly dismount?”

“My body is feeling itchy and restless. I’ll be back after a quick run.”

Before the young lord could ask, ‘What?’  Janus began to run through the snow with light strides. He was so fast that he became a red dot on the horizon in the blink of an eye. Janus’s horse looked at Ayra with soulful black eyes, as if to ask what it should do after it lost its owner.

“He must be crazy…” After a moment’s absentmindedness, Ayra reached out an arm and grabbed the reins of the mercenary’s horse. Did the man want to have all his fingers and toes amputated because of frostbite? Looking at him running around joyfully in the snow reminded the young lord of something.

‘He’s a dog…a dog…’

Unlike Janus, Ayra was sound of mind, so he continued to travel on horseback. The person that was supposed to be his guide suddenly disappeared, so there was little he could do apart from staring at the ground. The snow disguised the road.

After about 20 minutes of riding like that, Ayra began to worry about his missing companion and himself. However, Janus returned at that moment. The man must have ran around with all his might; his warm forehead was damp from either melted snow or sweat. He shook his wet hair, half-frozen and slightly brittle, and said, “You can’t get above the gorge by just walking.”

“What? Why?”

“The road is blocked.”

This piece of news was like a bolt from the blue. However, the situation did not permit Ayra to turn back simply because of a small setback like a blocked road. So, he quickly urged on his horse.

Janus only took 20 minutes to return to him, but the two took longer by horse. As they moved, the canyon became increasingly narrow and more dangerous. It took about an hour to get to the blocked portion of the road.

Ayra’s face darkened, “This…Was there an avalanche?”

There was an enormous pile of snow on the road. Judging by its mountainous shape, it wasn’t caused by ordinary snowfall. Ayra’s first thought was that the earthquake had caused an avalanche, but then he furrowed his brows.

‘According to Ginas, the trader couldn’t return even before the earthquake. Either an avalanche occurred before the earthquake had ever happened…Or the problem with the merchant is unrelated to this snow block… Anyway, I won’t be able to know anything right now.’

Ayra dismounted his horse, hoping his former theory was correct. Looking at the scene before him, the accumulated snow far exceeded his height; its summit looked to reach around 20 or 30 meters. It would be far too much to clean up on his own.

When Ayra began to pace nervously, back and forth, before the accumulated snow, Janus asked if he wanted help passing through. Then, he raised his arms and mimicked a throwing motion. Ayra, who remembered being thrown by this man once before, reflexively replied, “Don’t.”

“You probably won’t get hurt–there’s piles of snow on the other side.”

“I can pass through something like this on my own.”

He was a mage. He had crossed over the castle walls several times; it would be ridiculous for a mage from the Labyrinth to falter before a pile of snow this size.

However, the problem was the merchant. The magic one could channel through their own body was different from the magic one could channel through others. After making contact with the trader, he had to safely guide him through this road, take him back to the estate’s trading post, and receive the 300 cells for interest repayment.

‘Let’s at least get to the village and get a lay of the situation… I’m wasting time waffling about.’ After thinking, Ayra idly rolled his cold toes over the solidly frozen snow. Pebble, who had been hiding on Ayra’s body to avoid both the cold and Janus, popped out. The round spirit flapped its small hands anxiously.

Janus, who had been standing aside in an aloof manner, showed great interest as soon as the spirit appeared. While sneakily blocking Janus’s gaze with his hand, Ayra asked Pebble, “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

<Emergency Warning!>

There will soon be a landslide.

What? Landslide?

As Ayra looked at Pebble’s alert window, Janus quickly turned his head upward. A roaring sound echoed from somewhere–like a giant stomping its feet. The startled horses reared back with loud neighs.

Clicking his tongue softly, Janus pulled Ayra’s body into his embrace. At the same time, Ayra hurriedly raised the ground with magic and erected a protective shield. Huge boulders and snow poured out as the earth started rumbling. He could feel a small stream of mana leaving him quickly. Even in such an urgent situation, Ayra could feel Janus’s firm arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Amid the deafening roar of the landslide, the young lord tried to maintain the protective shield that was on the verge of collapse. However, he eventually lost consciousness at some point in time…

*******************************

He’s waited for too long…

Anxiety and resentment welled up from within. He had waited for a long while…and searched around for too long as well. He was sick of everything he saw. He wanted to rage and turn everything on its head.

So much time had passed, and yet what he’s been searching for had yet to rear ‘its’ head.

Why wouldn’t ‘it’ appear? The surrounding trash 1 all worshiped him. ‘That‘ should worship him as well.

…Or perhaps…did someone hide ‘it?’

Again: Frustration, resentment, contempt.

He thought he’d waited long enough. Perhaps ‘it’ was worth the anticipation of his wait.

Even more Irritation, resentment, contempt, and greed welled up within him.

Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to cleanse this land and start from scratch. His sizzling gaze turned towards the freezing land. He could clearly see the collapsing castle and city before his eyes. Maybe it would be enjoyable to watch those beings–no different from insects or beasts–burn and scream.

Perhaps it would be worth the wait and effort to start all over again.

“I’ll kill them…” Ayra mumbled, as he rubbed his cheek against a warm, soft wall. His pillow was so pleasantly warm; such a contrast against his clammy body.

The wall shook with laughter and asked in an amused tone, “What are you going to kill?”

“Beasts; humans…” While murmuring, Ayra woke up. As he forced his heavy eyelids to open, his eyes saw a flesh-colored wall and light-brown bumps. A brief moment later, the young lord realized that the bumps were nipples and the flesh-colored wall was a firm chest. Any lingering drowsiness vanished instantly.

“Do you hope to be a serial killer in the future? Or are you perhaps already a murderer?” asked the man Ayra strongly suspected was a psychopath.

Ayra immediately sprang up. Janus had been embracing the young lord to his naked torso. Belatedly, Ayra noticed that he was also naked as well.

“W-What’s going on?” Flustered, Ayra struggled away. When the cape that had been covering him fell to the ground, the young lord trembled at the sudden chill.

Janus pulled Ayra’s leg back towards him again and bundled him up in the cape. “Don’t move around so much. I’ll get excited.”

At those words, Ayra completely froze. His heart beat fast–he could almost hear its pounding. Janus, hugging Ayra quietly, could feel those heartbeats with every fiber of his body. He laughed joyfully, “It sounds like your heart will thump right out of your chest.”

“I-It’s because I’m surprised…” Ayra mumbled, barely moving his lips. He rolled his eyes around to try and gain the lay of the situation.

TL: One more week until I’m done from this thesis! One more week! T_T