MTWW 25

CHAPTER 25…………………………..

025. New Recruits

Norgil.

A trade city in the south-central part of the continent.

There was always work hauling and carrying goods.

For Hogg, it was the perfect environment to work in.

“I was… l-lucky. For an orphan… abandoned by my p-parents like me…”

He worked as a porter for a merchant guild caravan.

It didn’t matter that he couldn’t read, or that he stuttered when he spoke.

Hogg was simply happy to know he was useful.

That simple-hearted Hogg…

“They said… they’d engrave… an imprint for me…”

The caravan men only wanted to exploit him.

They coaxed him with the promise of an imprint, lending him money.

But the imprint carved into him was a mess, and the interest on the loan ballooned like a snowball.

From then on, Hogg was treated worse than an animal.

“Th-there was no time to s-sleep… I just kept hauling, l-loading goods…”

He wanted to escape, but he had nowhere to go.

Exhaustion, hunger, and fear crushed him. He lived day to day just barely surviving.

Then one day—

“While I was h-hauling, I g-got into a fight with m-men from another caravan…”

The caravans, who’d always had bad blood between them, clashed.

If it were just a brawl, it might have been trivial—but something went wrong.

The caravan master’s son, losing his temper, killed a man from the rival caravan.

To cover up the incident, they abandoned Hogg.

“They all s-said it was m-me… that I was the one who k-killed him.”

Hogg’s tightly clenched fists trembled violently.

“N-no one… no one believed me…”

He was thrown in prison, and then transferred here to Icerock.

“But now… everyone here calls me by m-my name.”

Hogg smiled brightly again.

“So… you don’t have to feel s-sorry for me, Captain.”

“…Why does it feel like everyone here’s been wronged in some way?”

I muttered with a sigh, and Hogg chuckled and nodded.

“But I don’t plan to leave it like that.”

“…S-sir?”

When I poked him lightly in the chest, Hogg blinked in confusion.

With the effect of Mighty Strength, Hogg’s power would keep growing, and so would the danger.

Even knowing that, the reason I carved Mighty Strength into him was…

“To engrave the next imprint.”

Because then, I could build a safety mechanism.

Seven months passed.

In the snowy mountains, October was when the first snowflakes began to fall.

And it was also the time when new recruits were dragged into Icerock.

Carriages rolled slowly along the snow-covered road in a line.

“Damn it… cold as hell…”

In one carriage, a brown-haired boy crouched in the corner.

“Damn it… damn it all…”

Barent pulled a musty-smelling hide—some beast skin, thrown at him by the driver—tight around himself.

The stench under his nose was revolting, but he had no luxury to complain.

His fingers, toes, even the tip of his nose felt like they were about to freeze and fall off.

Thud.

With a jolt, the carriage came to a stop.

“Out. Out, you brats. Hurry.”

The driver banged on the wagon door, urging Barent and the other children out.

Shivering, they clambered down into the snow.

Smoke hung heavy in the air, and the bitter stench of burning filled their throats, making some of them cough.

“Hey, you.”

The driver grabbed Barent.

“When you get to the Guard, hand this to the captain of the Mage Unit.”

“…?”

Before Barent could respond, the driver shoved a wad of papers into his chest.

His hands were tied—he couldn’t even pull them out—and he scowled.

“How do you know I’ll be with the Guard? I might end up in the Watch instead.”

“You’ve got no imprint. That means it’s guaranteed.”

“And if not?”

“Just keep it safe. Show it to them and they’ll take care of you.”

With that, the driver shoved him toward the Guard’s gate.

Ridiculous.

Barent thought bitterly.

Out of sheer spite, he resolved to stay with the Watch… but—

“Rejects. That way.”

Just like the driver said, Barent was classified as a reject and sent to the Guard.

He never even got the chance to resist.

When soldiers at the Watch fortress pointed spears and drove him away, what choice did he have?

Barent and about a hundred other rejects had no choice but to march toward the Guard.

Crunch, crunch.

Every step sank deep into the snow.

With each breath, white mist billowed from their mouths.

The sun set in an instant, and night fell even faster.

Someone struck a flint, lighting torches, and a line of fire snaked forward.

Through the swirling snow, the rejects trudged on.

“Damn it! How much farther?”

“I h-heard… about a d-day’s walk…”

“Shit, we’ll freeze to death before then!”

Their complaints were swallowed by the snowstorm.

Who knew how long they walked before—

“What the—?”

“Up ahead…?”

“The torches went out!”

The leading torches suddenly died.

The murmurs spread, then fell silent all at once.

Skreeeech—.

A bone-chilling sound split the silence.

“Sn-Snow Worms!”

Someone at the front screamed.

That was the beginning.

SKREEEE—!

Snow Worms burst out from every direction.

With spindly, elongated limbs, they slid swiftly over the snow.

Their round heads had no eyes, no nose.

But when their mouths split wide, rows of saw-like teeth gleamed.

“Aaagh!”

“Help me!”

“Run!”

Run?

To where?

Barent just ran.

The snow gave him the sensation of sinking, dragging him down.

No matter how fast he ran, escape felt impossible.

Skreeeech—!

The sound right behind him—but he didn’t dare look back.

To turn around would be to meet death.

“Haah… haah…”

The worms’ jaws snapping open, the frantic footsteps of the others scattering, the crunch of snow—every sound was death closing in.

“Ghhk?!”

“D-damn it!”

The screams of others rang in his ears, whispering—

You’re next.

“Aaaagh!”

Barent ran, tears nearly spilling.

His breath caught in his throat, his chest felt like it was tearing apart.

But he didn’t stop.

Stopping meant dying—

“…Ah.”

Barent froze.

A Snow Worm stood before him.

Even without eyes, he felt its gaze pierce him.

His blood turned to ice.

Skreeeech!

The worm slashed at him with its claws.

“Uwah!”

Barent rolled aside instinctively.

When he scrambled to his feet and looked back, the worm was already lunging, maw wide open.

“G-get away!”

He sprinted desperately.

He stumbled, nearly falling multiple times, catching himself on the ground with bleeding palms.

He didn’t care. Survival was all that mattered.

Whoooosh.

A headwind howled.

Snow blinded his vision.

Thud.

“Ugh?!”

He slammed into something solid and fell backward.

This is it.

Barent squeezed his eyes shut, curling up.

Then—

“S-sorry!”

“…?”

A calm, warm voice.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a massive man’s back running past him.

A warhammer in one hand, a square shield in the other.

Skreee!

The giant charged the Snow Worm.

“Hmph!”

He swung the hammer.

Whuuum. A heavy gust accompanied its arc.

Crack!

“…Holy.”

The worm’s head exploded like an overripe fruit falling to the ground.

The giant turned back toward Barent.

“You… okay?”

“Y-yes… thank… you…”

The man smiled, then banged his shield with the hammer.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Everyone, g-get over here!”

The scattered rejects regrouped.

The worms chased them, but—

Slash!

Another man cut one clean in half.

“Hold this ground, Hogg.”

He flicked blood off his sword and passed by the giant, who nodded.

“Got it. Be c-careful, Ronan.”

Ronan said nothing, just nodded and charged into the fray.

Skreee!

His blade tore through limbs like rotting wood.

The worm toppled, and he decapitated it in one stroke.

Its head split open, twitching grotesquely in the snow.

“Wh-who are you people?!”

“We’re…”

Hogg began to answer—but

Skreeeeech—.

Ten more worms emerged from the dark, their limbs stabbing into the snow as they closed in.

“G-give us weapons too…!”

“We’re screwed… how can we fight them…!”

“Damn it, do something!”

The rejects wailed—

“Everyone, stay q-quiet.”

Hogg calmly raised his shield.

“Unless you want to get c-caught in this.”

Caught in what?

Barent’s question was soon answered.

“<Untouchable flame, soaring fireball, strike down my foes.>”

Whoooosh.

Behind them, a massive fireball ignited.

Night vanished, daylight flooding the snowfield.

The cold and fear gripping their bodies melted away.

A man walked forward, holding the fireball in his palm.

Golden hair shone in the firelight.

Blue eyes sparkled like stars as they fixed on the worms.

With a faint smile, he spoke—

“<Fireball.>”

The blazing sphere shot toward the Snow Worms.

Fwoooosh.

A red trail burned through the air.

When it struck—

BOOOM!

The fireball exploded, flames roaring skyward.

Worms writhed in the inferno like worms thrown into a bonfire, until nothing remained but blackened husks that soon crumbled to ash.

“…Maybe that was too much.”

The man scratched his head with a sheepish smile.

“It’s been a while, my control’s rusty.”

“Wh-who… are you?”

Barent asked timidly.

“Me?”

The man bared his teeth in a grin.

“Esric Spelder.”

“…What?”

Esric shrugged.

“A mage.”

“A… mage?”

Nonsense stacked upon nonsense.

As Barent gawked, Esric spread his arms wide.

“Welcome to Icerock.”