OPDSP 43

Once the first knight vanished and the Snow Woman had calmed down, the second knight burst out. Like the first, he made a loud ruckus and then ran off in the opposite direction.

This was the Grand Duke’s strategy. Anyone under mind control was of no help to their side—if anything, they became a burden. So instead of fighting alongside him, the knights were tasked with luring the Snow Woman’s monsters away. Using various tactics, they would distract the monsters and weaken her defenses.

When the third knight, Mason, disappeared with a swarm of monsters in tow, only a handful remained around the Snow Woman. She gathered those few and arranged them like a barricade in front of herself.

Screeeeeak.

Still seemingly dissatisfied, the Snow Woman let out a strange, eerie cry and began trembling side to side. She must have sensed something—danger, perhaps. Just then, it was the Grand Duke’s turn.

Poised to spring forward, the Grand Duke turned to look at Aeryl. His face was plainly filled with worry.

Now, the outcome rested solely on the Grand Duke’s shoulders. He would have to face the Snow Woman and the monsters alone. Aeryl knew the Grand Duke was powerful, but after seeing him wounded earlier, he couldn’t shake the unease.

‘What if he goes on again about efficiency and gets hurt worse?’

He couldn’t fight in his place, so all he could do was stare helplessly. The Grand Duke stared right back.

What?

Aeryl mouthed the word silently. Instead of replying, the Grand Duke suddenly raised his hand and gave Aeryl’s hair a firm, rough tousle.

‘Huh? Wha—?’

Caught off guard by the unexpected gesture, Aeryl froze in place. In that moment, the Grand Duke leapt toward the Snow Woman.

‘Did he just touch my head? Was that a pat? No way. Maybe I had a bug on me?’

While Aeryl tried to rationalize the Grand Duke’s odd behavior, the man landed in front of the monsters and swung his sword. With one slash, the legs of the monsters in front were severed. In the blink of an eye, he took down three or four of them.

Wow…

Aeryl blinked in awe. The head-pat was quickly forgotten.

‘He’s so fast. Seriously, wow.’

The Grand Duke cut through the monsters and reached the Snow Woman. She quickly grabbed a goblin and hurled it in front of herself.

SQUELCH!

The goblin took the blow in her place and died instantly. She then threw the goblin’s corpse at the Grand Duke.

He dodged smoothly and continued his assault. The fight played out similarly to the first battle.

‘He’s really pulling it off.’

When the Grand Duke had said they’d handle it like the first time, Aeryl had thought it impossible. But it was unfolding exactly as before. It was all to guide the Snow Woman into repeating predictable patterns.

And she was gradually being cornered.

She’s going to use her ability soon.

That meant it was almost Aeryl’s turn. He readied himself. The Snow Woman expanded the snowstorm cloaking her and forced the Grand Duke back. Then she raised her arms and let out a cry. Her blood-red eyes began to glow.

Screeeeeeeeeeeech!

In that instant, everything stopped—the monsters, the Snow Woman, even the Grand Duke. As if time itself had paused. The Snow Woman was devouring the minds of everything around her—but Aeryl alone remained free.

Now!

He opened his mouth and shouted:

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

He screamed with all his might. Thanks to his classical chant training, his voice echoed through the forest like a thunderclap. It might not seem like much of a plan, but Aeryl’s entire role was to scream at just the right moment.

In the first battle, Aeryl had resisted the Snow Woman’s mind control—though he hadn’t known why. So they’d recreated that situation to provoke her into using the same ability.

Aeryl knew now that he was immune in any situation, but since the truth needed to remain hidden, he followed the Grand Duke’s plan without objection.

Just as planned, the Snow Woman used her ability—and Aeryl’s shout snapped the Grand Duke out of it.

At the same time, the Snow Woman also stopped using her ability and turned toward Aeryl. This time, she clearly saw him—and sprang at him immediately. In a flash, she was right in front of him.

“Waaah!”

Faced with her glowing red eyes, Aeryl screamed.

‘This wasn’t in the plan!’

His mind went blank with terror, but his body moved on instinct. He swung his palm like a slap.

Thanks to past experience being slapped by his mother, the form was convincing—but it was pure reflex. And somehow, miraculously, the Snow Woman’s head connected with his palm and went flying to the ground.

Thunk.

It was absurdly easy.

‘What… just happened?’

Aeryl glanced around and spotted the Grand Duke standing with his sword. At his feet lay the Snow Woman’s body.

‘Ah. Just the head came flying.’

The Grand Duke, once awakened, had immediately sliced off her head. The moment she saw Aeryl, she had leapt—already separated from her body. Only her head had flown, and Aeryl had smacked it away with his hand.

He hadn’t thought about it at all. It was pure dumb luck.

“W-Wow… Wow…!”

Aeryl clutched his pounding chest and let out a gasp of amazement. The Grand Duke finished off the remaining monsters around the Snow Woman and approached Aeryl.

“You did end up ambushing her, just as you wanted.”

What he meant was, Aeryl had initially suggested attacking the Snow Woman during the moment when everything froze. The Grand Duke had refused, saying it was too dangerous for someone like Aeryl who’d never held a sword.

“Uh, well… it kind of just turned out that way?”

By pure chance, Aeryl had landed the final blow on the Snow Woman. Still in disbelief, he stared blankly at her severed head.

“Ahh!”

Her head turned to white snow and scattered into the wind.

“What?! Why did it disappear?”

“Some monsters leave no corpse behind. But they usually leave something else instead.”

“Like what?”

“Come down and see.”

“I can’t get down by myself.”

This time he’d been lifted to an even higher spot and couldn’t climb down alone.

“Can you jump?”

“Will you catch me?”

Instead of replying, the Grand Duke set down what he was holding and opened his arms. Since he’d helped him up earlier, Aeryl didn’t hesitate to leap down.

“Ugh!”

The Grand Duke caught him perfectly, but gravity did its job, and Aeryl ended up in his arms again. He’d found himself in close contact with the Grand Duke often enough by now that it no longer surprised him—but this time felt different.

Their eyes met. Aeryl stared at him as if entranced.

‘Wow, his eyelashes are so long.’

As the Grand Duke lowered his gaze, his blue eyes disappeared beneath thick lashes and then reappeared. Aeryl had always thought those eyes, cold and gloomy like the winter sky, held only chill—but now he saw a spectrum of colors in them.

‘I want to keep looking at them.’

He felt a sudden urge to study him more closely. To see more of him. He recalled the night the Grand Duke had manifested, when his blue eyes had blazed with heat. They’d been beautiful.

And of all times, he remembered the Grand Duke teasing him—asking how he could still have dirty thoughts even in situations like that.

“Aeryl.”

“Ah.”

The Grand Duke’s voice snapped him back to reality. Aeryl quickly pushed away and took a step back.

‘I just completely zoned out!’

He felt he had to say something to lessen the awkwardness. Luckily, there was something he could bring up.

“So… what was that special thing?”

He asked calmly, as if nothing had happened.

“Here.”

The Grand Duke picked something up from the ground and showed it to him. It was a snowflake-shaped crystal, about the size of a child’s fist. Sparkling like carved crystal, it was beautiful.

“What is it?”

“We name it after the monster. So, this would be the Snow Woman’s crystal.”

“Wow…”

“Here.”

“For me?”

The Grand Duke handed him the Snow Woman’s crystal. Aeryl took it without much thought and examined it closely. Strangely, it didn’t feel cold in his hands.

“Keep it.”

“Huh? You’re giving this to me?”

Aeryl’s eyes widened. The Grand Duke nodded.

‘Am I really allowed to accept this?’

As he hesitated, Mason returned.

“Your Highness. Mason, reporting back.”

They’d agreed the knights would return once Aeryl gave the signal. Soon the other two knights followed. Though they’d left dragging monsters behind, they were now alone.

“As expected, when the Snow Woman died, her mind control was broken. The monsters began fighting each other.”

“As Your Highness instructed, we gathered them in one area. At this rate, they’ll wipe each other out.”

The knights finished their brief report. Now, all that remained was to wait for the monsters to destroy each other, and then clean up the survivors. Time would take care of the rest.

There was no more reason for them to stay.

“Let’s return to the camp.”

Aeryl and the others descended from the cliff. Unlike when they came, they headed back with light steps.

The long night was finally coming to an end.