Early the next morning, the day after our application for the continental expedition was approved.
We immediately packed our things and left the academy.
Compared to the other students, our departure was excessively rushed, but it couldn’t be helped.
‘According to Miss Eleonore, the cultists’ range of activity wasn’t very far from the dungeon.’
There was no reason for those bastards to be holed up in the snowy mountains of the north without cause.
If so, it was safe to assume the cultists were also after the dungeon.
What if they had yet to find it—or what if they had already found it and even begun clearing it?
‘Generally, clearing a dungeon takes anywhere from two weeks to two months.’
Considering the time it would take to reach the north, there was no room for optimism.
That was why I urged the group on, minimizing our rests as we headed north.
Fortunately, everyone followed my opinion without complaint.
I’d thought Senior Lena and Theodora would be fine since they were both warriors, and I’d expected Brandon to endure to some extent as well, since he came from the countryside.
‘But I didn’t expect Cecilia to hold out like it was nothing.’
I’d assumed she’d lack stamina, being a noble and a mage.
When I asked her about it one day, she answered with fighting spirit blazing in her eyes.
“Miss Lena is holding up just fine, so there’s no way I can lose!”
Since hardship couldn’t be avoided, she would fall asleep every night the moment she lay down, but even that much was truly impressive.
Even so, there was no preventing fatigue from accumulating in everyone’s bodies, but the one who unexpectedly shone here was Brandon.
“Everyone, wait just a moment. I’ll handle the cooking.”
On the first day of travel, Brandon grabbed the pot before anyone else could move.
Honestly, none of us expected anything.
No matter how excellent Brandon’s cooking skills were, our ingredients were nothing but preserved rations.
We thought there was no way anything special could come out of them.
Brandon betrayed our expectations in the best possible way.
“How on earth did you do this? You can make this while camping?”
Senior Lena stared at the bowl of stew with her eyes round.
The ingredients that had gone in were clearly nothing but preserved rations, yet simply by adjusting the amounts and timing a little, an entirely new flavor had emerged.
Unlike usual, Cecilia even forgot her manners and ate Brandon’s stew as if drinking it.
Then, perhaps embarrassed, she cleared her throat and looked at Brandon.
“Mr. Brandon. This is only in the event that it ever happens, but if you ever find yourself with nowhere to go, please come to my family. I’ll give you the position of head chef.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I am always serious.”
Brandon looked slightly flustered by Cecilia’s words.
Perhaps burdened by her gaze, he turned his head toward Theodora.
“Theodora, what do you think? It’s far below what you usually ate at parties, but is it still all right?”
“No, it isn’t lacking.”
Theodora gave a faint smile as she scooped up a bowl of stew.
“The food there was delicious, but in the end, even while eating it, I felt as if my throat were tightening. The food I eat here feels like something I could enjoy even if it didn’t taste good.”
“Uh, did it taste bad?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Hah, I phrased that poorly.”
Theodora spoke with her face reddening in embarrassment.
Seeing her like that, I smiled warmly.
‘I really was right to bring everyone.’
It was exhausting, but simply being together with everyone made it feel as though my fatigue eased considerably.
Before long, a week passed.
At some point, the blue sky had vanished, and snow-white flakes were scattering through the air.
When I raised my head, a pure white plain larger than most territories and the massive mountain range marking its end revealed their presence.
Only when we saw that sight did we finally feel it.
The fact that we had already arrived in the north.
“We really got here in a week.”
Brandon’s voice sounded slightly appalled at our arrival, which was faster than expected.
Well, we had shortened a journey that usually took at least two weeks, so it was understandable that he was surprised.
“We should be able to reach our destination in about another day.”
I turned my head and looked at the group.
Unlike when we had first set out, what entered my eyes was a group so worn out that they could have been mistaken for a band of beggars rather than academy students.
Cecilia, in particular, had her legs trembling so badly that it wouldn’t have been strange if she collapsed on the spot.
‘We’d better rest today.’
When I immediately scanned our surroundings, I found a cave of fairly decent size amid the snowfield.
“Let’s rest properly there today and head to the village tomorrow.”
At my words, a welcome look appeared in everyone’s eyes.
“That cave, huh. Not bad. It’s the perfect place to camp.”
Senior Lena surveyed the surroundings with her sunset-colored eyes.
“At last, a rest.”
Cecilia let out a small sigh and rubbed her legs.
Theodora didn’t say anything, but judging by the way her eyes sparkled, she must have been glad for the rest as well.
“Good choice, Ashen.”
Brandon’s expression also brightened, so it seemed everyone really was quite exhausted.
‘Did I push them a little too hard after all?’
Seeing the group head toward the cave with bright faces made me feel slightly guilty.
‘If possible, I should let them rest today.’
Tomorrow, we would be stepping into the cultists’ area of activity.
Considering that, the group needed to conserve at least a little of their strength.
After arriving at the cave, I unpacked and smiled as I watched the others fall asleep.
It seemed I would be better off standing watch alone today.
**
Around three in the morning.
As I stood watch alone, I suddenly sensed someone approaching me from within the cave.
‘Judging by the sound of the footsteps, is it Brandon?’
Was he going to the bathroom?
When I turned my head, I saw him hesitating behind me with an awkward expression.
“What is it, Brandon?”
“Well… can I sit for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Clearing the snow beside me so he could sit, I offered Brandon a place.
Brandon plopped down next to me and looked outside the cave.
“We’re a little way from the entrance, but it’s still cold. Are you all right, Ashen?”
Seeing Brandon’s breath constantly puff out in white clouds, I nodded.
“Really? That’s amazing.”
“I’m the type who doesn’t get cold easily.”
On top of that, the farther north we came, the more active the Red Blood became.
As if it had met an old friend it had been separated from for a long time.
‘It’s probably not just my imagination.’
Was something in the dungeon sending a signal to the Red Blood after all?
As I was thinking, Brandon spoke to me in a slightly hesitant tone.
“Ashen, sorry, but can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“How long are you going to hide it from me?”
“Hm?”
“Ashen, I’m not an idiot.”
At his firm tone, unlike usual, my expression stiffened.
Had Brandon also noticed that there was something about me, even though I had tried to hide it as much as possible?
He looked straight into my eyes and continued.
“I’ll be honest. I realized a long time ago that you were hiding something from me.”
“……”
“I didn’t mind being pushed behind the others. Lena was with you from the beginning. Cecilia had her life saved by you, and Theodora regained her freedom. So I could understand not knowing the secrets they knew.”
“…Brandon.”
“But I’m starting to find it hard to endure. Ashen, I’m your comrade too. I want to fight alongside you. But every time something happens, you leave only me out. As if I’m baggage.”
“That’s…”
“So I want to know, Ashen. This isn’t simply because I’m curious. I’m asking so I can trust you as your comrade.”
“……”
There was no way I could dodge this.
I let out a small sigh and fell into thought.
I had known a time like this would come someday.
As Brandon said, he was not an idiot. If I kept hiding something, it was only natural that he would find it strange.
‘This might actually be for the best.’
If we clashed with the cultists this time, I might have no choice but to show the Red Blood.
It would be better to tell him now than explain it then.
‘The problem is how much I should tell him…’
After thinking it over, I held out my hand in front of Brandon.
“Watch carefully. This is what I’ve been hiding.”
Shrrrrk—
The Red Blood burst through my blood vessels and instantly covered my arm.
What appeared at the same time was a hand twisted like that of a blood-red beast.
“What on earth is this…”
Brandon held his breath and brought his hand to my arm.
His expression distorted, as if the sensation was not pleasant.
Before long, Brandon let out a small sigh.
“So… this was it.”
As he spoke, Brandon’s gaze could not leave my arm at all.
“What is this, exactly?”
“I have a somewhat special power. This is what I use when I activate that power.”
“…Is it like hereditary magic?”
“It isn’t hereditary, but you could say it’s similar.”
I withdrew the Red Blood again and looked at Brandon.
“To be honest, this ability is difficult to reveal to others. It’s grotesque, but there are also many people who would regard this power with suspicion.”
“If the Church saw it, they certainly wouldn’t stay quiet.”
“Right. That’s why I’m hiding it as much as possible.”
“I see.”
“So, Brandon, can you keep this a secret?”
At my words, Brandon frowned and hesitated for a moment.
Hiding a power the Church would see as a threat must have bothered him a little.
But before long, he slowly opened his mouth.
“To be honest, it was scary. That arm. I feel like it’s going to show up in my dreams.”
After saying that, Brandon sighed and opened his mouth again.
“But you’re my friend, and you showed it to me. So I should do my best to trust you. That’s what being friends means.”
“Brandon.”
“Don’t worry, Ashen. I’ll never tell the Church.”
I gave Brandon a small smile and turned my gaze back toward the snowy plain.
“You should go in and sleep now. You need to rest more.”
“Will you be all right?”
“I’ll be fine. So rest.”
“Thanks, Ashen. And…”
“?”
“Thanks for telling me.”
“It’s only natural between friends.”
Listening as Brandon’s footsteps slowly receded, I quietly continued my watch.
**
When we woke in the morning, we immediately hurried our steps toward the dungeon once more.
It had only been a single day’s rest, but everyone seemed to have recovered a certain amount of composure.
If I had my way, I would have liked to head straight for the dungeon, but…
“The snowstorm isn’t letting up.”
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the blizzard, so thickly whirling that we could barely see ahead.
There had been a fairly strong snowstorm yesterday as well, but today, the blizzard was strangely fierce.
It was hard to even take a step because of the wind.
On top of that, we couldn’t see our surroundings, making it a truly frustrating situation.
‘Something’s strange.’
It had definitely been fine until morning, but after we entered this area, the snowstorm had grown oddly intense.
As if it were trying to stop us.
‘Does this mean we’ve started entering the cultists’ territory?’
“For now, let’s hold hands. That way, I think we can keep from getting lost.”
“Got it.”
Holding hands in a long line with the group, I slowly moved forward.
How many staggering steps had we taken?
A small light entered my field of vision.
“Is that a village?”
I murmured softly as I looked at the smoke rising above the light.
A village in mountains like this.
It was strange, but not impossible.
But for such an intact village to remain within the cultists’ territory.
‘Suspicious.’
Even so, we couldn’t just pass it by.
If we kept advancing like this, we might become lost in the snow before even reaching the dungeon.
‘No choice, then.’
I raised my senses as much as possible and slowly moved toward the village.
Sure enough, as we walked toward it, I felt the snowstorm gradually clearing.
It was blatantly trying to lead us to the village.
And yet the nasty part was that we couldn’t avoid it.
Just as we approached the vicinity of the village…
Thump.
The Red Blood inside me began to react.
‘What is this?’
Why was it reacting to this village?
I frowned and listened to the resonance within my body.
The Red Blood, which had usually remained silent ever since I succeeded in controlling it, was moving with abnormal speed.
That alone was eerie, but what was even more eerie was the emotion I felt from the Red Blood.
‘Joy?’
Toward what?
Soon, the blizzard stopped completely, and the village revealed itself before our eyes.
From the outside, the village looked happy.
A village where lights shone from every house, the smell of baking bread overflowed, and the warmth of stoves rose through chimneys.
It was truly like the very standard of a happy village.
At the same time, it was a village that felt terribly out of place.
It looked far too beautiful and affluent.
“There’s no sign of people at all.”
Senior Lena whispered to me in a low voice.
She drew the bow from her back as quickly as she could and nocked an arrow.
So she could be on guard no matter what appeared.
In response, Theodora drew her sword, while Cecilia and Brandon took out their staffs.
I also took my stance with my spear in hand, ready to draw out the Red Blood at any moment.
How much time passed?
What broke the silence, which could have been long or short, was the enormous house in the center of the village.
Creak.
With the sound of an old door, someone emerged from within.
The moment we saw it, we had no choice but to open our eyes wide.
The thing inside was human, yet could not be called human.
Peeled skin, exposed muscles, empty sockets where eyes should have been, and joints throughout its body twisted grotesquely.
And yet it was alive.
Alive and breathing as it welcomed us.
“What guests we have.”
It smiled as it looked at us.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, guests. Welcome to our village. And welcome, new residents.”
The moment the creature finished speaking.
Every door in the village opened.