Chapter 24: Snow Flower Tower (1)

He strengthened his lower body and stepped forward.

The momentum generated was immediately transmitted to his arm as he thrust his sword forward.

His eyes locked onto the target, piercing it with precision.

Seolhan Sword, First Snow.

Once the movement was complete, Elaine, dressed in training attire, who had been watching from the side, spoke.

“You stabbed a hand span above the target. You were so focused on using your lower body strength that your upper

body lost power, disrupting your accuracy. Swordsmanship is, after all, the art of fighting with a sword. The sword

must not be out of place.”

Elaine adopted the same stance as him and demonstrated the correct form.

Her movements were undeniably smooth, transferring the momentum from her lower body to her arm seamlessly.

“You have good physical strength, so there’s no need to worry about lacking power. Trust in your own strength and

thrust your sword without hesitation.”

Elaine’s guidance was as strict as ever, but it was incredibly insightful, pinpointing exactly what he lacked.

Since the expedition to Silver Sabertooth, he had found a clear direction for his swordsmanship.

If he tried to learn too many techniques, all of them would end up being mediocre.

He wasn’t a sword prodigy.

Thus, he focused on refining techniques that had proven particularly useful in his previous battle.

High-speed thrusting: First Snow.

Powerful horizontal slash: Snowstorm.

Quick slashes: Powder Snow.

These three would become his primary techniques for now.

Beyond that, he worked on honing his speed and accuracy to complement the Seolhan Sword.

‘I need at least one defensive technique, though.’

When he asked Elaine, her answer was straightforward.

• The Seolhan Sword doesn’t have defensive techniques.
• Then how do you block an enemy’s attack?
• Either strike faster than the enemy or counter their attack with your offensive technique. One of the two.

There were no defensive techniques, but in emergencies, offensive techniques could be repurposed for defense.

In other words, it depended on the user’s adaptability.

‘So far, Elaine has been the only user. She must’ve relied on her quick instincts and judgment to deal with such

situations.’

For a beginner like him, applying such methods was still difficult.

He needed to find another way.

“I’ll try again!”

Over the next 40 days, his goal was to sharpen his skills and make the most of his arsenal:

The Seolhan Sword, Salamander’s Scales, magic, and obsidian.

These were excellent cards to play in the upcoming challenges.

If he could fully utilize them, challenging for knighthood wouldn’t seem like mere bravado.

Besides, he had one decisive hidden card as well.

Under Elaine’s guidance, he devoted himself to mastering the Seolhan Sword.

By the end of his five-day leave, he had at least perfected one of its three techniques.

When his leave ended, and he returned to duty:

‘Ah, I want to go home.’

Huh?

He was startled, recalling the words he’d just muttered internally.

Until now, he had considered the guard dormitory his home.

The house he had outside was just a place to sleep, with no emotional attachment.

Even when moving, the sentimentality he’d felt disappeared by that same night.

Most importantly, he had memories of a “home” in another world where he had lived for years.

Psychologically, the place where he’d only spent a few months felt too distant to truly call home.

‘Did I just think of Elaine’s house as my home?’

He had stayed there for barely a week. If he counted from the day he moved in, it hadn’t even been a full week.

It wasn’t his house, and he had merely moved into someone else’s place.

Yet, he had instinctively considered it “home.”

‘It’s not under my name, I have no ownership, and I’m not even renting it.’

The furniture felt unfamiliar, he didn’t know where everything was, and he wasn’t yet comfortable with the

household chores. Other than the fact that his belongings were there and he ate and slept there, it lacked the

qualities of a “home.”

But when he thought of “home,” that place came to mind first.

This meant he had quickly adapted to Elaine’s house.

‘No, it’s not the house I’ve adapted to—it’s the person there.’

No matter how spacious or well-equipped it was, without Elaine, he wouldn’t have been able to consider it home.

He learned a new truth: a house is important, but who you live with matters just as much.

“Hey, Luke! Did you enjoy your leave?”

A familiar greeting stirred a sense of déjà vu, and he turned his head.

As expected, it was his senior from Squad 1, Garen.

“You didn’t just spend your leave training alone again, did you?”

“Senior, please drop it already.”

“Ah, hit a nerve, huh? Alright, my bad.”

No, please stop—I’m about to cry.

Since the guard prohibited drinking on duty, this senior likely couldn’t even visit the tavern where his girlfriend

worked.

If I were to tell Garen what I did during my vacation, he would probably turn into an ice sculpture colder than

Bingjeong.

“Huh? Bingjeong Yangsan?”

Before I could entertain the dangerous thought, I quickly shifted the conversation.

“Your arm seems to be fully healed now, right?”

“Of course! It’s as strong as ever. At this point, I could do a handstand and run a lap around the training ground.”

“Really? I’ll pass that along to Captain Sam. I think he’d be pleased.”

“I’m sorry, I really am. That guy lives in a different world. Today, he was outside, shirtless, clearing snow in this weather.”

Today, it was snowing. Snow was more common in the North than rain, so snow removal was a routine task, even

more so than sweeping with a broom. But no matter how northern you were, a thirty-something muscular man

clearing snow shirtless on a snowy day was rare.

“Well, he looks healthy, so it’s nice to see. They say a healthy body harbors a healthy mind.”

“His mind doesn’t seem too healthy, though.”

“The guard unit is exempt from snow removal, but he’s out there doing it with the soldiers. I’d say that makes him a

true leader with a healthy mind.”

“Haha, true. It’s nice to see how Sam’s men are also getting healthier because of him.”

Anyway, I didn’t mind that Ki’s attention was elsewhere.

When I joined the Silver Sabertus Expedition, I’d laced things up to get Ki’s approval. I had avoided being around

Grace or Elaine, and even avoided vacationing, but now that I was back, if Ki had seen my previous battle, he

might’ve urged me to join his squad, which would’ve been awkward. But thanks to the snow, I got out of that

situation.

“So where are we headed in this weather?”

During the morning roll call, Elaine had announced that the 1st squad, which was on escort duty today, had an

external schedule. External schedule didn’t mean leaving the castle, but that Grace had something to attend to inside

the castle.

In the snow, no less.

“Probably the Snowflower Tower.”

“The Snowflower Tower?”

The Snowflower Tower was essentially the magical research institute of the North. It was home to some of the

world’s top ice mages, and true to the Northern values of strength, it was a place focused more on developing battle

magic than practical application or theoretical study.

While most mages pursued truth, established various theories, or aimed for forbidden feats, as seen with Bingjeong,

these individuals treated magic as a powerful artillery.

Anyway, the Snowflower Tower sounded pretty and mysterious, and the building itself was beautiful. But inside,

explosions happened every day.

‘I’ve always wanted to go there. This works out well.’

I could guess why Grace wanted to go there. It must be because of Bingjeong.

As a magical mineral imbued with mana and cold energy, Bingjeong’s research was probably happening at the

Snowflower Tower.

I wonder what kind of progress they made in the five days I was gone.

“The Duke is leaving. Garen, Luke, let’s move.”

“All!”

With that, 1st squad deputy leader Anduril appeared, giving his orders, and we stopped chatting, leaving the 2nd

squad to take over the guard duty while we switched shifts.

A moment later, Elaine appeared with Grace, and we started escorting her. Our destination was the Snowflower

Tower.

The Snowflower Tower was located within Wintercannon, so it wasn’t too far.

This also showed the eccentric tendencies of the Snowflower Tower’s mages. Normally, magic towers were placed far

from the castle to avoid interference from political powers or religious groups, not wanting to be disturbed in their

magical research. But magic was a force with influence, and the towers were a secular power, so they couldn’t sever

ties entirely. They cooperated when necessary, but usually kept to themselves inside the tower and kept their

distance.

On the other hand, the Snowflower Tower boldly stood within Wintercannon, which was directly under the Duke’s

control. The logic behind this was that the castle’s powerful defenses combined with a magic tower capable of

offensive spells would make a nearly impenetrable fortress.

In other words, they turned an entire city into a giant fortress.

Naturally, the Duke of the North found this appealing, as did the northern powers, and the Snowflower Tower’s

master struck a triumphant pose, raising his arms as if declaring victory.

That was how, unlike other places, a magic tower was built within the city.

“Welcome, Duke.”

The one who greeted us was an elderly man with a sharp gaze and a tall frame, his beard completely white, yet his

posture straight, showing no signs of weakness. He was Dariel Xenon, the master of the Snowflower Tower.

Though the relationship between the Duke of the North and the master of the Snowflower Tower was not one of

hierarchy, it was one of cooperation. As the landowner and the tenant, and considering Grace’s status which had

spread beyond the North to the entire world, Dariel treated her with respect.

Grace, too, acknowledged Dariel’s dedication and love for the North, granting autonomy to the tower and securing its

territory.

“Master, we’re here because of Bingjeong. How far has the research progressed?”

“About five days of progress.”

“A short answer, but precise. Let’s go see it now. That would be more convenient, right?”

“Of course, let’s go.”

Grace treated Dariel with a smile as though they were long-time friends.

Despite that, she dove straight into the main topic without any pleasantries, which was very characteristic of

Northerners.

Following Dariel’s guidance, I was heading toward the place with the ice crystals when…

“Ah! You’re the soldier who broke the ice at the Crystal Lake.”

“???”

Just a moment ago, Dariel had been talking to Grace, but suddenly he acknowledged me.

Elaine, who had been standing beside Grace, quickly gestured at me, so I managed to calm myself and approach him

with a greeting.

“I greet you, Lord of the Snowflower Tower. I am Luke, a member of the Duke’s guard.”

“I’ve heard of your name. Heh, you look solid and smart—there’s a certain boldness about you.”

“Thank you.”

Suddenly receiving attention and praise from the Lord of the Snowflower Tower left me somewhat stunned, but I

maintained my composure.

This old man is one of the most powerful figures in the North, within the top five.

How rare it is for such a powerful person to show me favor—what an opportunity this is.

“You can use heat manipulation, can you?”

“Yes, it’s not much, but I can control heat to change body temperature or imbue heat into tools.”

“Heh heh, you’re not even a mage, but being able to do that much makes it a remarkable magic. Why the modesty?”

Now that I think about it, is my heat manipulation considered magic?

I’ve never formally learned magic, nor do I know any magic circles or incantations. This power came from absorbing

a salamander scale, so it’s hard to categorize.

Not all powers activated by mana are magic, right? By that logic, swordsmanship would also be considered a form of magic.

“I’ve actually been quite interested in your abilities. Other mages have noticed as well. If you don’t mind, I’d like to

ask for your help with the academic efforts at our Snowflower Tower. What do you think?”

I hadn’t really interacted much with mages during the last expedition, but it seems they’ve been watching me

because I broke the ice with my heat sword.

“It’s truly an honor to hear such words from you, Lord of the Tower. However, I am a member of the Duke’s guard,

so I cannot leave His Excellency’s side.”

I said that while carefully glancing toward Grace.

Grace didn’t react, simply listening to our conversation in silence.

“I see… Hmm, it would be difficult to ask you to weaken the Duke’s guard to fulfill our academic needs.”

“That would be impossible.”

“I see… then what should we do…?”

Dariel thought for a moment before suddenly declaring,

“Ah! If you can’t come to us, we’ll send someone to you. I’ll send one of our elders to the Duke’s side. If you find the

time, you can help us. What do you think, Duke?”

“You wish to bring one of your elders into my castle? Hmm, that’s fine—having a powerful force by my side sounds

good. But my guards are quite busy, Lord of the Tower. It might be difficult to give you the amount of time you

want.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

It’s true, they are objectively busy. We only have about 40 days left to prepare the knights, and if we also help with

Snowflower Tower’s research… Wait a minute, time to prepare for the knights?

“Your Excellency, may I speak?”

“Go ahead.”

“I would like to help with the research at Snowflower Tower. If my abilities can contribute to the Tower’s progress

and strengthen the Northern forces, it would be a great honor.”

“You must be pressed for time with your knight exams. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Grace had declined Dariel’s request in a roundabout way, likely to consider me, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

“As for that part, I’d like to speak with Lord Dariel about it,” I said.

“Hmm, I see.”

As soon as Grace gave her approval, I turned to Dariel.

“I’d be happy to accept your offer, Lord of the Tower. However, may I make one request?”

“Oh! Speak freely. In Snowflower Tower, any comment is allowed—even criticizing the King.”

“Lord, please refrain from such talk. If I hear anything bad about His Majesty, I will find it hard to protect you.”

“Alright, no insults to the King,” he chuckled.

What an interesting old man.

“This might be an impolite request, but if you could send an elder, could it be someone who is skilled in mana flow or

enchantment magic?”

“Mana flow and enchantment magic?”

Dariel tilted his head, then suddenly clapped his hands as if he understood my intentions.

“We have just the right person! Very well, I’ll send someone who matches your request. Duke, is that alright?”

“Since the person concerned has given their permission, it’s fine.”

Nice.

What exactly is a magic tower? It’s a magical research facility overflowing with mages. And among them, elders are

the elite scholars.

Learning from an elder of the Tower would allow me to understand mana perception techniques I had trouble with

before and delve deeper into heat manipulation.

This would be a huge help for leveling up my abilities.

But just then, I saw Elaine briefly furrow her brow before relaxing it again.

Was she uncomfortable?