#131. Letter (2)
War was hard.
Maybe it was a relief that the enemy wasn’t human.
It was still disturbing to kill living things, but if the enemy had been human, it would have been even harder to endure.
But knowing the enemy wasn’t human did not bring much comfort.
War destroys humanity.
It breaks the mind and causes pain.
The new recruits, who were experiencing war for the first time, were all exhausted and empty inside.
Even the veterans were no different.
Normally, they would have laughed at the weak youngsters, but this time, the situation was different.
“Their numbers keep growing.”
“I’ve fought monsters for nearly twenty years, but I’ve never seen a battlefield like this.”
Even those who had survived many battles felt afraid now.
This was the battlefield where even Dmitri Volkov had died.
Like water leaking from an open faucet, monsters never stopped attacking.
No matter how many they killed, their numbers only grew.
The never-ending battle pushed everyone to their physical and mental limits.
Would this ever end?
Just as despair was growing in people’s hearts, Pavel brought hope.
“This way.”
Pavel touched the ground and read the memories left behind, finding the path the monsters had taken.
“At the end of this path, there is a broken sealing stone. If we deal with that, this area will be finished.”
Pavel’s new power, gained at the cliff, was useful.
He used to only read the memories of living things, but now he could read memories left in objects too.
He didn’t know exactly how this new power appeared, but he had a guess.
Sasha once thought that Pavel’s ability to read minds was a leftover blessing from mana.
Maybe, as Pavel grew older and his mana increased, his ability changed and became stronger.
Thanks to his new power, Pavel changed the course of the battle.
He could track the monsters’ movements, so they could prepare in advance and plan good strategies.
Because of that, their chances of winning went up quickly.
Pavel could also find safe places where soldiers could rest for a few hours without fear.
And he had another helpful ability.
Fwoosh!
Fire appeared in Pavel’s hand.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Thanks to you, we can have a warm night!”
Since Pavel’s mana core had fire attributes, he could make fire whenever he wanted.
This was helpful in battle and in daily life.
At the end of each day, when soldiers struggled to make fire in the frozen land, Pavel would help by making sparks.
After finishing his duties and meetings with Igor and other commanders, Pavel finally had time alone.
Instead of going to sleep right away, Pavel sat under the small light and read a letter.
In a fierce war like this, everyone needed something to hold onto, to keep from falling apart.
Some people used alcohol, others talked, some cried, and others tried to sleep deeply for a short time.
For Pavel, it was reading the letters he received whenever he had time.
Because it was hard to travel and monsters were everywhere, sending and receiving letters was difficult.
If they were lucky, they got a letter every two weeks. Usually, it was once a month.
Sasha and Pavel had to wait a long time for each other’s letters.
Pavel missed Sasha deeply, especially on days when he wanted to see her but could only think of her.
Before leaving, Sasha had given Pavel a pendant, a magical item for communication. But it could only be used a few times.
He used it only twice:
-
The day he saw and heard his father’s memories at the cliff.
-
The first day he killed with his own hands in battle.
When he opened the pendant, he could see Sasha’s face, but the image was blurry.
Still, her gentle voice and lullabies comforted him.
He wished he could hear her voice every day and talk in real time.
‘Now, I have only one use left.’
With only one chance to use the pendant, Pavel tried to be satisfied with letters.
But he didn’t dislike letters. In fact, he liked them.
He could feel Sasha’s love and care in every line.
Thanks to his new power, Pavel could even read the memories left in Sasha’s letters.
He could see and hear her in his mind.
[Hmm, what should I write?]
[I hope reading my letter makes him happy. Is there a funny story I can share?]
Sasha worried and thought hard about what to write to make Pavel happy.
Pavel smiled at these memories.
He could feel how much Sasha loved, worried, and missed him—everything.
Pavel warmed his cold hands, took out paper and special ink that wouldn’t freeze, and began to write.
To my beloved Sasha,
When the terrible cold and sharp wind cut my skin, I regret not giving you a warm coat.
(…omitted…)
Please be careful when you go outside. You’re always worried about how weak I am, but honestly, you’re more delicate than me.
(…omitted…)
Waiting until the day I can meet you again,
Your husband, Pavel.
After folding his letter, Pavel took out a new sheet and drew the inside of his tent, copying the scene before his eyes.
He always tried to draw things to help Sasha feel at ease, since she worried so much about him.
Sometimes, Pavel drew pictures he never sent to Sasha.
Those were only for himself, and the subject was always the same: Sasha.
Sasha eating with puffed cheeks,
Sasha sleeping and snoring,
Sasha resting her chin,
Sasha smiling at him—these were all the Sasha he remembered.
If Sasha saw these drawings, she might say, “This doesn’t look like me! Did you make me look too beautiful?”
But Pavel would insist he just drew what he saw.
To Pavel, Sasha was always beautiful—so much that he couldn’t express it all in his drawings.
Looking at Sasha’s face in the pendant, Pavel felt peace.
At least until the sharp noises from outside disturbed him.
“My lord!”
Igor called urgently, so Pavel put his letters away and went outside.
“There are some suspicious people.”
Pavel and Igor walked over and saw two strangers surrounded by knights.
The two people were wrapped in thick furs, and didn’t look very dangerous at first, but no one lowered their guard.
‘Civilians appearing here, of all places?’
There were no villages nearby, and monsters were everywhere.
Any normal person would have died long ago. So just being here was already suspicious.
“Greetings. My name is Chernomor Volkov.”
“…Volkov?”
The suspicious man introduced himself confidently as a member of the Volkov family.
Pavel frowned, but Igor shouted first.
“Who dares lie about our family! Your name is not in the Volkov records!”
“It’s not a lie. I’m an illegitimate child, so my name isn’t in the official family tree. But my father gave me the family name before he died.”
The man took out a letter, as if he expected this question.
The letter said exactly what he claimed.
But on the signature line…
“That’s our family seal.”
It was the Volkov family’s official seal—something only the family head could use.
Pavel looked back and forth between the seal and “Chernomor Volkov.”
If the story was true, Chernomor was a relative—not close, but not a stranger either.
Chernomor had the same black hair and red eyes as Pavel, but his plain features and faint impression made it hard to believe they were related.
Igor, staring at Chernomor, pointed to the small person next to him.
“And who’s that?”
“Ah, my daughter. Say hello, dear.”
The girl, wearing a robe, pulled back her hood as her father told her.
Her long hair blew in the northern wind, showing her small face.
“……!”
Pavel stared at the girl’s familiar face, shocked.
