Chapter 61
Captivity and Escape
As expected, the Winter Queen was a monster of formidable power.
With a single gesture of her hand, a blizzard would rage, and with a stomp, sharp ice pillars would sprout from the ground.
The moment Martin, who had climbed the cliffs and infiltrated the castle safely, spotted the Winter Queen, he unleashed flames—but she was far from easy to defeat.
The Queen erected an ice barrier that blocked his flames and, seemingly unharmed, began to draw more power.
Even merely channeling her magical energy caused the surrounding temperature to plummet to a deadly level.
Sensing the danger, Maximilian wrapped himself up to preserve his body heat and shouted,
“Commander! I have a bad feeling about this! We should distract the monster with items and retreat somehow! I don’t think my abilities can counter her power, and we’ll freeze to death if we stay here!”
Even the usually oblivious Maximilian could easily sense that the Queen’s magic was truly transcendent.
Though she appeared as a frail woman, she was a creature entirely different from ordinary monsters.
Despite his advice to retreat, Martin did not respond for some reason.
As Maximilian was about to call out to Martin again, who remained still in the middle of the blizzard summoned by the Queen, Martin muttered softly,
“Still, it’s lukewarm compared to actual snow and ice.”
He gripped his halberd tightly.
Frost had formed along the blade, and in his mind, one person appeared—the one as clear and cool as frost itself.
Thinking of Yulia, Martin infused his halberd with his abilities.
Once it had absorbed enough heat, he swung it.
The blade blazed like the sun, cutting through the snow and ice, rushing toward the Queen.
The Queen tried to block the attack with an ice barrier, as she had with Martin’s flames before—but this time, she could not.
Crack!
With the sound of ice breaking, the Queen’s severed head rolled to the ground.
Seeing the situation resolved in an instant, Maximilian rushed to Martin’s side.
“Commander! Incredible! To handle a monster this strong so easily—!”
He stopped mid-sentence, however, stunned by the flames still raging fiercely around Martin.
Even Martin had trouble controlling his magic more than usual.
It wasn’t just that his nerves were on edge from facing the Winter Queen—the deeper reason was that the intense desire for the one in his thoughts had shattered his composure, making his magic surge wildly.
Maximilian cautiously called out to him from a safe distance.
“Commander…?”
“Don’t come closer until the flames subside. I’ll be cooling off the heat here. You go out and inform the team that we successfully hunted the Queen. And—”
Exhaling heavily, Martin continued,
“Prepare to go to the royal palace immediately to rescue Yulia.”
Night fell.
Naturally, I did not sleep.
I couldn’t lie down leisurely to rest while Ernant was swiftly making his way here.
I had to escape.
The question was how.
I couldn’t leave through the doors or windows. Soldiers would be stationed around the clock expecting my attempt.
The moment I stepped out, whether through the door or window, I would be caught.
Without the use of my abilities, I would be helpless if detected—maybe even lose limbs.
Should I break through the wall, then?
I lightly knocked on the wall and let out a long sigh.
The sound proved that the wall couldn’t be breached without tools.
Then maybe I could go through the fireplace chimney…?
No, unless someone was foolish, the chimney would be blocked.
The bathroom window was far too small to pass through. So where could I escape?
Sigh.
I exhaled helplessly.
I had considered every escape method, but none were suitable.
As I paced the room anxiously, my steps suddenly halted.
Could there be “that device” in this villa too?
When I stayed at the Schneestern Marquis, my room had a secret passage.
It was a passage unknown even to the household staff.
Designed for the marquis’s family to escape if intruders broke in, most noble houses had at least one such secret passage.
Since this villa was built for royalty, there had to be one here as well.
The question was where it was hidden.
Hmm.
I tore down a landscape painting on the wall first.
Usually, pulling a hidden handle behind such paintings would open a passage.
But there was nothing behind this painting.
I then inspected the fireplace, pushed the vanity, even shifted the bed to check nearby—but found nothing.
Ugh… what am I doing at this hour…
It was supposed to be the time for sleep, yet I was moving furniture, drenched in sweat.
Even my shirt was soaked. Irritated, I tossed it aside and grabbed a fresh one from the wardrobe.
Just as I slammed the wardrobe door…
…?
Something seemed off.
After putting on the new shirt, I examined the inside and outside of the wardrobe.
It was strange.
On the outside, it looked large enough to fit dresses. But the inside was cramped, even with only shirts hanging.
A wardrobe with a deceptive exterior.
Immediately, I knocked on the inner wall.
Thunk, thunk.
It sounded hollow.
I pried off the inner panel, and indeed, a passage large enough for someone to crawl through was hidden behind it.
The sound of waves crashing against the bow was unusually pleasant tonight.
Ernant gazed at the night sky through the cabin window, humming softly.
The ship was gliding smoothly with a fair wind, and they would reach the island in two or three days.
Once there, he would finally reclaim what he had lost—his loyal sword, Yulia.
Of course, in the past, he didn’t even need to make an effort—Yulia’s heart had naturally belonged to him.
Because he didn’t need to try, Yulia had offered her loyalty and love freely.
For a long time, he had trusted that only he could possess Yulia’s heart.
But it had been a mistake.
Perhaps through battles and growing attachment, Yulia’s gaze had turned to Martin.
It was just a momentary whim, he thought; she would return to him eventually. But Yulia did not.
No matter the gifts or care he gave, he could not reclaim her heart.
Now, that defiance would end.
Unable to win her heart with gifts or kindness, Ernant would resort to his final measure.
Yes, he should have acted sooner. He had been too lenient. Too lenient, allowing Martin to steal her glance.
Justifying his actions, he quietly called to mind the name of the one he would soon reclaim.
Yulia.
A name that rolled smoothly off the tongue.
The owner of that name, Yulia, had equally smooth, silvery hair.
He vividly remembered her, training with the sun glinting off her translucent silver hair.
At the time, he hadn’t realized how beautiful it was.
He had thought it foolish, sweating unnecessarily during training, even though she was an awakened one.
After Martin stole that sparkle, he realized just how much beauty he had lost.
“Your Majesty, are you asleep? Urgent news.”
The urgent voice of his aide reached him as he was lost in thoughts of Yulia.
Annoyed, he opened his eyes.
“What is it? If it’s not urgent enough to disturb my personal time, I’ll throw it into the sea.”
“I apologize, but this concerns Duke Havicht.”
…Martin?
Muttering the name of the brother he hated, Ernant sneered coldly.
“Has he finally died while hunting monsters? I’d like that news.”
“No, he’s alive. He killed the entire royal guard dispatched to the north and… is heading for the palace.”
