Chapter 124
“Here’s how it works. You lay stones on the ice, pile wood on top, and light a fire. Since the heat doesn’t touch the ice directly, and the cold wind keeps cooling the stones, the fire can burn much longer than you’d think.”
Reina watched in amazement as the fires burned on the ice. But not all the fires were working perfectly. A sudden splash and commotion broke out at one spot.
“Some stones must have been stacked wrong. Sometimes inexperienced knights drop the fire into the sea like that,” Calhail said, calm as if this were normal.
From a distance, Tommy scratched his head awkwardly.
“So… we really are walking on ice.”
‘Feels like I’m a polar bear,’ Reina thought.
Sleeping, making fires, and traveling on ice—it was an incredible experience. While Reina was excited, Calhail looked worried as he stared beyond the mountains.
“What’s wrong? Are you worried about something?”
Reina asked. Calhail shook his head.
“The beasts’ movements are unusual. If their alliance is real… this has never happened before.”
Reina patted Calhail’s arm under her cloak.
“Let’s not worry yet. We don’t know anything for sure.”
Calhail glanced at her and smiled faintly.
“You’re right. There’s no need to worry just yet.”
They watched the night sky as stars began to appear, talking quietly about Lautzen—about Bayen, Amy, Daniel and his family, even Madeline having three children now.
They avoided talking about dangerous things like monsters or war, hoping this peaceful moment together would last as long as possible.
Calhail’s shortcut across the frozen sea proved effective, and the army reached their destination in just a few days.
During the journey, they encountered a few monsters, leading to small battles. But compared to earlier fights with the new species of monsters, these skirmishes were minor. The experienced knights and Locke’s improved magical tools handled everything well, especially since no dangerous new monsters appeared.
Still, Calhail’s expression grew more troubled.
“This is strange.”
“Yes? What is?” Bayen asked.
“There are too few monsters.”
According to a young man who barely escaped a shelter and reported to the fortress, there should have been many monsters attacking the village. Yet they had only encountered low-level scouting monsters along the way.
“That’s true… I expected at least five or six times more.”
“…Where are they hiding?”
Calhail’s eyes scanned the map on the table.
“Here, here, and here. Contact the scouting teams to narrow down the area. The monsters must be hiding somewhere in this range.”
Following Calhail’s orders, the knights set out to investigate. A few trained hawks were released to deliver messages—they were tough against the cold, ideal for winter.
“How far to Fort Barantium?”
“Not much farther. We should arrive soon.”
How so many monsters had entered Lautzen without the watchtower signals going off was still a mystery.
“Let’s hurry. We need to check Fort Barantium ourselves.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Riding without pause, the army reached the fortress by late afternoon. The fortress looked massive and rough, like a crouching golem, with tall walls blocking the valley entrance. A soldier sounded the horn to announce their arrival. Recognizing the Lautzen flag, the fortress guards opened the gates.
As they waited for the gates to open, Bayen whispered to Calhail,
“This is strange. It seems too peaceful, Your Grace.”
Despite expecting tension, the fortress looked normal. Calhail watched carefully.
“We’ll know once we enter,” he said, riding through the open gates. Knights followed. Inside, Hendricks, a veteran Lautzen knight, greeted them warmly.
“Welcome, Your Grace,” he said.
Calhail shook hands with the middle-aged man, whose curly hair had streaks of white. Hendricks had guarded Fort Barantium for decades, even though most avoided it.
Reina noticed his rough, monster-scarred cloak and armor, but the most striking was a long scar on his right cheek, likely from a monster’s claw—a mark of his harsh life.
“I was expecting your arrival. And… this must be the Duchess?”
Calhail stepped aside to introduce Reina.
“You must be meeting for the first time. This is Duchess Reina.”
“Oh… so you are the famous Duchess! You truly are beautiful,” Hendricks said, bowing like a knight. Reina gave a polite nod.
“I am Hendricks, Your Grace. I apologize for not visiting sooner,” he added, winking with one eye. Reina glanced away, feeling a little embarrassed.
“How have you been, Hendricks?”
“Always vigilant, Your Grace,” he replied.
Calhail inspected the fortress. On the surface, nothing seemed changed from last year—the same barren atmosphere and calm tension remained. But there were no signs of monster attacks anywhere, which surprised Calhail.
“Nothing… has happened?” he muttered.
“If the fortress hasn’t been breached, how could so many monsters have entered? There must be traces somewhere. At least someone should know,” he added.
Impatient, Bayen asked Hendricks directly,
“Sir Hendricks, really nothing happened? If something did, please don’t hide it from us.”
Although polite, Hendricks felt Bayen was questioning him unfairly.
“Bayen, what are you saying? Did I lie to Your Grace about what happened here?”
“Sir Hendricks, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to confirm some inconsistencies,” Bayen said, bowing slightly.
“I have guarded this place for over ten years! Nothing like what you describe has ever happened!” Hendricks snapped.
“Could it have happened somewhere else? There are other fortresses along the way to Lautzen,” he suggested, calmer now.
Calhail shook his head.
“The monsters’ flight paths and witnesses match this location. We can’t consider other places.”
But the situation contradicted Hendricks’ words.
“Then is the villager who reported the attack lying?” Hendricks asked.
Calhail looked at Daniel and Bayen, asking their opinion.
“What do you think? Could the young villager have lied?”
Daniel and Bayen exchanged uneasy looks.
