Chapter 1017 — Book 2: Chapter 216: The lone flame in the ice (4)
13 min read ·
* * *
Chief Enski tightly wrapped his clothes as he saw the snow starting to get rough again. He peeked to the side.
He saw the red-haired man looking at him with a gentle smile on his face.
‘Cale Henituse.’
That was this man's name.
That gaze made the Chief subconsciously start speaking.
“Sir, I will be back before sunset even if I am delayed.”
“Yes sir. Please don’t feel rushed.”
The Chief bowed after hearing Cale's comment and looked back up to see the person who will remain in the castle. All three others who came with the Chief were going to stay here.
The Chief felt relieved after seeing that response and headed out of the castle.
Swoooooooosh-
The wind started to roar.
However, he was not alone.
Choi Han and Choi Jung Soo were walking with the Chief between them, as if they were guarding him.
“Mila-nim, please take care of them.”
“Please don’t worry.”
Furthermore, Dodori's mom, Mila, was going with them as well.
‘One sword master, one wanderer, and a Dragon should not face danger in most places.’
Cale had gathered quite a powerful team to go with the Chief to a small village. Of course, the Chief just thought Mila was a healer. He did not know that she was a Dragon.
However, the Chief implicitly understood that the three individuals by his side were far from normal.
‘Let’s hurry.’
The Chief quickened his steps.
The reason he left the castle like this was because he needed to give an explanation to the villagers who might be curious or scared about this black castle that suddenly appeared.
It was also to bring the records of the outsiders who have visited.
He turned around.
“Mm.”
A Bone Dragon made of black bones was still curled up on top of the black castle.
‘I'll need to give an explanation about that Dragon as well.’
Dragons.
They were the symbol of praise and worship for some, but…
At least here in Winx Village, the place that used to be the center of the Snow Archduchy in the past, people saw Dragons as a symbol of fear and loathing.
‘For something like this to happen before the subjugation squad shows up-’
Chief Enski should be feeling weak by now, but his body was full of strength.
The subjugation squad that the Holy Empire was sending this time…
“Umm, Sir Swordsman?”
“Yes sir. Please just call me Jung Soo, Senior.”
Choi Jung Soo spoke in a good-natured manner to the Chief.
“Umm, I was unable to say this earlier because I was so frazzled, but…”
“Yes, yes sir.”
The Chief could not see Choi Jung Soo's face very well because of the snow.
However, his gentle and good-natured voice as well as the smile he managed to see every so often made him subconsciously relax.
“I heard that the goal of the subjugation squad this time was to massacre all of the Beast people in the Erghe Mountain Range.”
“…Really?”
“Yes sir. That is why half of the Holy Empire’s First Knights Brigade is scheduled to come. That Knights Brigade can be called the strongest on the continent.”
The Chief shared information he did not manage to say earlier.
“The entire First Knights Brigade consists of Dragon half-bloods. That is why they are all strong. Each member has reached a high level in either aura or magic……”
His voice trailed off.
He still heard a gentle voice back. It was a tone that subtly made him feel relaxed.
"Senior, please don’t worry! We will take care of everything. We are pretty strong!”
Yes.
The Chief thought about the Bone Dragon and the other Dragon.
Since there were two Dragons, shouldn't they be able to handle the First Knights Brigade, especially since it was going to be only half of the Brigade?
The Chief had never seen a Dragon half-blood.
Even if his ancestor was the butler for the House of the Archduke, two hundred years had passed. He was now just an old man from a poor village who barely learned about things from the records that his ancestors had passed down.
‘I would be even more worthless if it wasn’t for my friends who go out of the village and put their lives on the line for the information.’
That was the reason he had not been able to sleep after hearing about the subjugation squad and its composition.
He had that dream about the Archduke returning to the village when he finally managed to fall asleep.
The sight he faced after that was the current situation.
‘…It’s fine.’
It was fine. They will be able to take care of things one way or another.
The Chief calmed himself and quickened his steps toward the village.
Mila followed behind him while Choi Han walked up to Choi Jung Soo, who had stopped walking, and tapped his arm.
Choi Jung Soo's face was clear once Choi Han walked through the falling snow to get closer.
His mouth was smiling but his eyes were extremely cold and sunken.
"Ah, let's go.”
Choi Jung Soo snapped back to his senses at Choi Han’s touch and smiled. It was a gentle smile but it quickly disappeared.
“Uncle, you and I look similar like this. Don’t you think so?”
Choi Jung Soo saw that Choi Han’s gaze was similar to his own that was visible in Choi Han’s eyes.
Choi Han was silent for a moment before walking as if nothing had happened as he said something.
“Isn't that to be expected?”
Choi Jung Gun.
Finding the whereabouts of that person was one of the things that Choi Jung Soo and Choi Han must do in Aipotu.
Step.
Choi Han walked through the snowstorm and observed the group that was walking in front of him.
‘Cale-nim purposely left this Choi Jung Gun related issue to us.’
Searching the village and gathering information usually suited Ron more. However, Cale gave them this task instead.
Choi Han knew the reason Cale did so and would work just as hard for that reason.
That was why he closed his eyes and continued to walk.
Ooooooooo—
There was a small fluctuation on the surface.
He was currently unable to use even half of his aura’s normal capabilities. But he would not be Choi Han if he just sat still and did nothing.
As he has always done, Choi Han was someone who never stops to look for ways to resolve his issues.
He focused on his other power.
‘Try to grow that aura of yours.’
Eruhaben's comments from last time echoed in his mind.
Oooooo– oooooo–
When Choi Han realized that he was walking down his own path, that the route his life had taken was complete, he realized that there was a change inside of him. No, that his certainty had become a power of its own.
It was a power that held his desire to never bend, his will to never be bent.
This new power he realized while fighting against the Blood Demon in the Central Plains…
No. It was not new. It already existed but it was only now that he recognized it.
Oooooo– oooooo–
The fluctuation was growing wilder inside of him.
He could feel it.
He could feel that this vast world beyond the snowstorm was being suppressed.
And that it was trying to suppress his power as well.
‘Then I just have to destroy it.’
Oooooo-
Choi Han’s aura slowly started to grow within him.
His sword aura inside his body reacted to it.
‘I knew this was right.’
A smile appeared on Choi Han's face.
He opened his eyes.
White snow was swirling in the wind.
‘Even if it feels like there are locks and chains on the world-’
As long as there weren’t any such locks and chains on him…
“It doesn't matter.”
Even if there were such bindings on him, he just had to destroy them.
Aura.
His own path.
This was how Choi Han defined this.
‘Domain.’
Choi Han, who now had his own domain, slowly released his power from inside to outside.
As Choi Han figured out how to earn freedom in this world…
“Mm.”
He stopped walking.
“…This, maybe-”
Choi Han's eyes clouded over.
‘Is Dragon Fear the reason the Purple Bloods have been able to use their powers without being influenced by the world?’
Choi Han’s aura was similar to Dragon Fear.
‘Maybe Dragon Fear is not just a power to scare other creatures and pressure them.’
An invisible and intangible aura.
Maybe the reason that creatures were scared of Dragon Fear was because it had a power to dominate its surroundings or something.
‘Although I've never seen a Dragon fighting while using Dragon Fear.’
Although this was just a hypothesis, Choi Han thought that it was plausible.
“Ah.”
Choi Han then thought of an aura that gave him even more chills than Dragon Fear.
It was the power he felt in the basement of the Sichuan Castle Lord's study.
The red crown that was created from the combination of three different powers…
The aura that released out of Cale once he put the crown on…
The aura disappeared the moment Cale took off the red crown, but Choi Han had never seen anything give him the chills as that aura had done.
‘Mm.’
Cale had released his unique Dominating Aura until now.
However, he had never used that power with the crown on.
‘If Cale-nim uses that power properly-’
If he uses it to dominate space…
“…I see a path.”
He felt as if he saw a way to fight against the enemies in this restrained world.
‘Yeah, Cale-nim’s power may be more useful than Dragon Fear when facing against the Dragons.’
Cale had told Choi Han the three things that mixed to create the red crown.
One was the Dragon blood swallowing crown.
Another was the crown of the Emperor who was the first to hunt a Dragon.
The last item was the cintamani of the imugi who gave up becoming a Dragon and died saving humans.
“Ha.”
Choi Han couldn't help but laugh.
‘All of them are fitting to fight against Dragons.’
Choi Han’s steps were much lighter as he started walking again. He heard Choi Jung Soo and the Chief's conversation.
“You know that the House of the Archduke has perished, so why did you call Cale the descendant of the House of the Archduke?”
“…The first Archduke of the House of Snow is a hero who appeared when the Haru Empire was in danger. Although the house has perished, there are some people whose bodies we never managed to find. I simply thought that the hero had returned to save our Winx Village and the Empire.”
“His blood-red hair was quite clear even through the snowstorm as the records indicated.”
Choi Han had a feeling.
Just like that story…
A new story would be created in this place.
Just as things had happened wherever they went until now.
Choi Han was happy to be with Cale in that story, which was why he had no intentions of stopping.
Furthermore, he had to find an answer in order to keep doing that.
He walked up to Mila.
“Mila-nim.”
“What is it?”
“May I make a request?”
Choi Han was about to share his hypothesis with Mila.
‘Ah.’
He then recalled something.
‘Then what is Raon?’
His gaze turned toward the black castle behind them.
Raon, who should be there…
Raon, at least to Choi Han’s knowledge, had never released any sort of aura.
‘Is it related to his attribute?’
The present.
Choi Han became curious about how that attribute works.
“Mr. Choi Han?”
“Ah, I'm sorry.”
Choi Han stealthily shared his thoughts with Mila as they followed Choi Jung Soo and the old man to Winx Village.
Aipotu.
A story that might be extremely helpful for them until they restored this world to normal as they fought against the enemies, came out of his mouth.
* * *
“A Wolf Beast person……?”
Koukan looked at the person Cale introduced to him.
“Hello.”
This young boy bowed toward him with a slightly immature appearance.
To be more accurate, his physique was more like a young man than a boy. However, his appearance and his actions made him look young.
The young boy with the shaggy ash-colored hair warily looked at Koukan as he spoke.
“My name is Lock. I am also a Wolf.”
He then extended his hand out.
Koukan cautiously shook that hand.
‘Hmm?’
He then flinched.
The moment he made eye contact with Lock…
‘What is going on?’
He received an odd form of pressure.
However, that pressure disappeared as if he had mistaken it. The timid and shy eyes were simply looking at him.
‘…Something is odd.’
He definitely saw something cold within those blue eyes.
Koukan thought that he must have been mistaken but he still got goosebumps on his arms.
“Umm, my hand-”
“Ah, I'm sorry.”
Koukan quickly let Lock's hand go.
Lock smiled awkwardly. Gashan walked over to him.
“What do you think, Lock? Even you can see that he is bursting with the scent of a Wolf, right?”
Cale reacted to that question.
“Scent? What are you talking about? I don't smell anything.”
They were currently in the training ground at the basement of the Black Castle.
"I smell it, nya!”
Hong brightly answered.
“He smells like an animal, nya! Don’t you agree, noona?”
“Yeah. He does.”
On calmly nodded her head next to him.
Cale became even more confused when Witira calmly answered, as if to explain to him.
“Currently, Mr. Koukan’s state is not a full humanification. Mr. Koukan, could you please remove your hat?”
Koukan flinched after hearing that.
He was wearing a thick coat, scarf, and a fur hat. He hesitated before taking off his hat.
‘Oh.’
Cale saw his wolf ears.
“Mr. Koukan. Are the rest of the Wolves in the same state as you?”
Koukan tightly clenched the hat in both hands and nodded his head at Witira's question.
“Yes ma’am. In fact, my humanification is better than most. That is why I am able to come down to the village like this.”
He held back a sigh as he spoke.
“The newer generations seem to have worse and worse instability when it comes to humanification.”
“Why is that?”
Koukan scowled at her question.
He looked angry.
“They cannot properly go berserk. This is probably an issue not just for our tribe but for all Beast people.”
Gashan looked confused after hearing that.
“How very weird.”
He looked as if he could not understand.
"Beast people going berserk has no relation to the aura of nature at all. Going berserk is a form of talent or potential within an individual waking up. That is power that already belongs to us.”
That was why even Cale, who originally thought that the Dragons had messed with it, had to agree.
They all looked at Koukan with questioning gazes and he answered.
“…The existence that serves as a pillar during the first berserk ritual-”
‘First berserk ritual? Pillar?’
Cale had never heard about this. He wanted to ask but held back as he listened to Koukan's explanation.
He spoke in a weak voice.
“Our god. An existence that had been another central figure for us disappeared, turning us like this.”
"A god?”
“Yes sir. We have lost our wild powers since the Blue Wolf disappeared.”
‘Blue Wolf?’
As Cale’s eyes clouded over…
Hong tilted his head and opened his mouth. His red and furry small front paw pointed next to him.
“There’s a Blue Wolf right here, nya!”
Hong looked at Lock and everybody else looked at Lock as well. Hong confidently shouted.
“Lock hyung is a Blue Wolf, nya! He’s a very cool Wolf, nya!”
He then smiled brightly.
Lock received everyone's gazes and smiled awkwardly.
—
Translator's Comments
Just spill the beans why don't you, Hong?
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