"Ughhhh…"
The blow had been aimed directly at the center of his forehead, and it had
struck perfectly.
Brogar's eyes had rolled back, showing only the whites. The blow to his
head had clearly been immense.
The warriors who followed him were filled with a sense of defeat.
"…"
In the ensuing silence, Jaekiel shifted his gaze from Brogar and finally
spoke.
He was holding a gleaming ice spear.
"Well then, who will die as an example?"
"Wh-What just happened?"
"Brogar, who was so tough, was taken down in one strike…!"
Brogar's followers stammered one by one, stepping back hesitantly.
They all had one thing in common: they were shocked by Jaekiel's strength,
far beyond what they had expected. Some even muttered that his cold aura
surpassed the Northern ice.
These were people intimately familiar with cold, and yet, they couldn't help
but recognize the superiority of Jaekiel's ice.
Jaekiel exchanged a glance with the First Princess, Ether.
Her glance signaled him not to interfere.
"Come closer."
Step.
When Jaekiel took a step forward, Brogar's followers retreated instead. It
was a stark contrast to the rumors that they never lost their courage in the
face of death.
The rumors weren't completely wrong.
The Northern warriors were indeed brave and worthy of respect. But these
men, trembling before Jaekiel, were nothing but worthless trash.
"Go ahead! Lead the way!"
"You do it!"
"He reminds me of a specter…!"
"His chill is colder than the North itself. How is this possible…?"
Jaekiel glanced at the warriors who supported Ether. None of them wore the
look of men who feared death.
They were clearly different from the cowardly followers.
"I'll have to clean up."
He had already heard the full situation from the messenger, and these men
would only cause trouble if left alive.
Swoosh!
Jaekiel unleashed his ice magic without hesitation.
Snow fell heavily in the First Princess's territory, the perfect environment
for Jaekiel to move like a fish in water.
"Aaaah!"
"S-Spare me! Just my life!"
"First Princess! Are you abandoning us like this?"
"Brogar! Didn't you guarantee the plan would work? You said you got a
method from the Demon Realm!"
However, the last man's shout caused everyone to freeze. Jaekiel included.
He dared to mention the Demon Realm.
A Northern warrior, colluding with the Demon Realm?
"Repeat what you just said. Is there proof that Brogar colluded with the
Demon Realm? If you want to live, be honest."
Jaekiel froze the man's limbs and brought the ice spear to his throat.
The man shouted desperately.
"Y-Yes! Brogar said he received power from the Demon Realm, so he
couldn't lose. Every one of his followers heard it!"
"And you stood by even after hearing that? Your crime is just as great."
He conspired with Brogar, knowing he borrowed power from the Demon
Realm? There was no way Jaekiel could let him live.
"Please, just spare my life…!"
But the man's plea didn't reach the end, as Jaekiel's icy hand sliced through
his neck.
Not even a drop of blood splattered, frozen solid in an instant.
Boom!
"…!"
Something like a cannonball came flying, targeting Jaekiel's side with
immense force.
Crash!
The power was immense, enough to shatter the ice barrier Jaekiel had
hastily wrapped around himself.
The thing that had flown at him was none other than Brogar.
"Brogar, did you sell your soul?"
"You blocked that? Auditor, you're no fraud!"
"You sold your soul to demons for that pathetic strength? Your power and
soul are both worthless."
Jaekiel responded calmly as he assessed Brogar's condition.
Brogar's body, which should have collapsed, was instead oozing with dark
energy, allowing him to forcibly endure. It was a familiar sight—power
gained by selling one's soul to the Demon Realm.
That dark energy, known as "magi."
"A demon? You're wrong. The goddess who took my soul was human… an
exalted maiden. She said she gathers souls for one man!"
"If you're going to spout nonsense, then just—"
Just die.
Jaekiel was about to finish the sentence but paused.
After all, what Brogar was saying was rather unusual.
"Could this be something I could trade with the Emperor?"
He had come simply to handle the First Princess's affairs, but now he had
stumbled upon a man who was colluding with the Demon Realm and
revealing valuable information.
"There's a human-born leader in the Demon Realm?"
A human-born figure referred to as a goddess—a high-ranking officer in the
Demon Realm. This was high-value information. If Jaekiel brought it to the
Emperor's Audience Room, it would surely fetch a great price.
Jaekiel smiled, satisfied.
"I suppose I should thank you for this."
"What?"
"Your life is worthless, but the information you gave is useful."
Jaekiel immediately summoned his cold energy.
Shhk!
Six ice spears materialized above his shoulders and fired almost instantly.
Each followed a different trajectory as they struck Brogar's body.
Clang!
The spears struck with incredible speed, but the dark energy was
formidable. A black barrier blocked the ice spears effectively.
"That goddess must be of a higher level."
Even though he didn't know her true identity, it was clear that the goddess
who had given Brogar power was no ordinary underling.
The depth of the dark energy made it obvious. If this was just a portion of
her power, she must be incredibly strong.
However.
Brogar, who had only received a portion of that power, would be easy to
defeat.
Jaekiel still had the overwhelming advantage.
"I can see it."
By coating his retina with cold energy, Jaekiel's vision turned blue, and he
could clearly see the weak spots in Brogar's hastily formed dark energy.
He formed an ice spike and aimed directly at the weak point.
Pierce!
Though small, the spike pierced through cleanly.
It struck the space between Brogar's eyes.
"Ugh…!"
The dark energy scattered in an instant, rendered useless.
Normally, this would have killed him immediately, but because he had
already sold his soul, Brogar remained alive, his eyes wide in disbelief.
He had given his soul to a powerful goddess in the Demon Realm and
gained this strength. Accepting defeat would be difficult.
Jaekiel could feel Brogar's overwhelming frustration. His expression
showed it all.
Brogar, filled with confusion, mumbled,
"Wh-Why… would an auditor—"
"Shut up."
Slash.
And with that, Jaekiel's hand cut through Brogar's neck.
As Brogar's severed head hit the ground, a dark aura rose from it,
whispering eerily to Jaekiel.
─You're my man. I'll come for you soon.
─Make sure you wait patiently!
"…?"
Jaekiel checked Brogar's body again, but his breath had completely ceased.
Looking around, it seemed the voice was only heard by Jaekiel. Judging by
the puzzled looks of those around him, wondering why he had stopped, it
was certain.
"…My man?"
No, for now, he shook his head.
There were still Brogar's followers, standing around, alive. Now was not
the time to be lost in other thoughts.
"Running is pointless."
Jaekiel said as he called forth more ice.
The extermination of the pests that had been eating away at the North was
now imminent.
In the First Princess's domain, a grand banquet was in full swing.
The death of their former comrades was sad, but the bright future for the
North was something to celebrate. And hadn't they gained Jaekiel as an
ally?
"Drink! Drink!"
"A truly remarkable man is with us!"
"As expected, the First Princess has a great eye! He is a true warrior!"
The sound of glasses clinking, lively chatter, and cutlery clashing filled the
air. It was a day of joy and celebration for them.
Perhaps it was because Jaekiel's specialty was ice magic.
"Auditor! Show us some ice!"
"Who knew ice could be this beautiful?! It's dazzling!"
"Ooh! Ice! Ice!"
"He's not just the Auditor anymore. What should we call him…? He's the
First Princess's man and our leader now!"
Jaekiel's popularity was through the roof.
Strong power, ice colder than the North itself, and the heart of the First
Princess… For the warriors of the North, Jaekiel was a perfect figure.
Of course, Jaekiel himself wasn't entirely pleased.
'At least I've finished what I promised the Emperor with the First Princess.'
Now, he had to absorb the Sun Water and deal with the five time checks. It
felt like he had just climbed over one mountain only to face two more.
"…"
After that, he just gulped down drink after drink.
What should I do?
No, it wasn't a matter of what should be done.
To absorb the Sun Water, he would have to share a bed with the First
Princess. Everything else could be dealt with later—this was a matter of
survival.
Gulp, gulp.
One more drink.
Then another.
After that, he lost count of how many drinks he had.
By the time Jaekiel's face had turned completely red, the First Princess had
sidled up to him, draping her arm over his shoulder.
She lowered her body, pressing her chest against him as she whispered
softly.
"Teacher, shall we go absorb the Sun Water?"
Normally, Jaekiel would have gotten up immediately and left.
However.
Was it the desire to live, the alcohol, or perhaps some suppressed desire as a
man?
"…Alright. Let's go."
At last, Jaekiel nodded calmly.
His nonchalance surprised even the First Princess.
But Jaekiel could sense it.
There was no avoiding it anymore.