Chapter 42: Tail Catching (4)

The villains in the novel Brave Road are the former comrades of the hero Aran.

Each of them has their own faction.

The boss of Episode 1, Luna, leads the Elrn Cult. The boss of Episode 2, Sira, leads the Dark Elves.

Naturally, the boss introduced in Episode 4, which features the Northern region, also has their own faction.

The problem is that, aside from the final episode, this faction is the most powerful among all six episodes.

Unlike the other villains, who control cults, races, or criminal organizations, the main villain of Episode 4 commands

an entire legion.

Knights, soldiers, mages, and even beasts trained for battle make up this formidable force.

The official name of this faction is The Iron Land.

Their symbolic color, representing the earth, is brown.

Quite the coincidence, isn’t it?

The main villain faction of the Northern episode has brown as their symbolic color, and now there’s an unaffiliated

mage in the Northern region wearing a brown robe.

What’s more, that mage previously visited the location of the ice crystal to investigate.

And now, right before a potential terror attack, they’ve suddenly disappeared?

It could be a mere coincidence, and the person could be innocent. But considering how suspicious this situation is, it

warrants an investigation.

“By any chance, is there someone wearing a brown robe at the Snowflake Tower?”

Feigning curiosity, I casually asked the question.

“Why are you asking that?”

Sophia’s gaze sharpened as she looked at me.

Her previously calm demeanor hardened into something much more serious. It seemed she recalled my earlier

remark about a suspicious person potentially lurking within the Snowflake Tower.

“It’s just simple curiosity. I was wondering if mages from other regions visit the towers in the North.”

Of course, someone as clever as Sophia—who had risen to the rank of Elder at a young age—didn’t buy my excuse.

Her eyes were filled with suspicion, certain that I had a hidden motive.

While she pondered what my true intentions were and hesitated to answer—

“Pardon me, but what exactly are you two discussing?”

Elaine, who had been waiting behind us, interrupted.

From the moment Sophia and I started talking, Elaine had been glancing over at us. Now, with the atmosphere

growing tense, she couldn’t hold back and joined the conversation.

Sophia closed her eyes, took a deep breath to compose herself, and then opened them again.

“Come to think of it, I was planning to ask for the Captain’s opinion.”

“Huh?”

“Captain, actually…”

Sophia explained to Elaine the details of the conversation we had previously shared.

Her memory, sharp as one would expect from a mage, allowed her to recall the conversation nearly word for word,

with no omissions or distortions.

After listening, Elaine turned to me.

“Luke.”

“Yes.”

“I know that you’re thorough and thoughtful, and I’ve benefitted from your insights before. That’s why I trust you.

However, it was out of line for an outsider to interfere with internal matters of the Snowflake Tower. Apologize to the

Elder.”

“…I apologize.”

At Elaine’s stern reprimand, I bowed my head toward Sophia.

From Elaine’s perspective, it was clearly improper for an ordinary guard to point out flaws in the defense system of

the Snowflake Tower—especially when I had even suggested the possibility of a spy.

Ironically, the one who came to my defense was none other than Sophia, who had just been locking horns with me.

“It wasn’t a serious matter. Besides, the magic tower is a place for the free exchange of knowledge. As a mage, I’m

open to hearing all opinions, including Luke’s.”

“But it was undoubtedly a mistake for my subordinate to pry into the tower’s systems. I apologize on his behalf.”

“Please, don’t bow your head. I actually appreciated hearing the thoughts of someone from the Grand Duke’s Guard.

It gave me an opportunity to reflect. And, honestly, Luke made valid points.”

It seemed Sophia was taking the opportunity to demonstrate her generosity and build a rapport with Elaine.

However, Elaine was a stubborn woman.

When Elaine continued to apologize and remain cautious, a brief flicker of disappointment crossed Sophia’s face

—’This isn’t going as I planned.’

Realizing she needed a new approach, she changed her strategy.

“In that case, may I ask one favor?”

“Please go ahead.”

“I’ve been thinking over what Luke said. Even though we’re mages who specialize in combat, we might have some

shortcomings in terms of security and defense. Would you be willing to inspect our defense system?”

This was the same request Sophia had made to me before.

It wasn’t an unreasonable demand that would burden Elaine. Plus, under the pretense of reviewing the tower’s

security system, Sophia would have an excuse to stay close to Elaine.

Moreover, despite feeling offended at the suggestion that there could be a spy within her tower, Sophia was deeply

attached to the Snowflake Tower. Like most mages, she possessed a strong sense of curiosity and skepticism.

Sophia must have thought, What if he’s right?

Even if the odds were slim, she wanted to confirm things for herself.

“That wouldn’t be difficult.”

Elaine accepted the request without any resistance.

Phew. I was a bit nervous, but at least we made some progress.

Considering Elaine’s meticulous personality, she would likely conduct a far more thorough inspection than I could.

‘Now then.’

Once this matter is resolved, it seems I’ll need to have a proper conversation with Elaine.

I knew Sofia’s sexual preferences, so I thought there was no way that Elaine would have anything to worry about. I

also believed that as Elaine continued to watch Sofia, she would eventually feel at ease.

But that was just my thought. I now realize I may have underestimated Elaine’s perspective.

I’m human too, and until now, I hadn’t really noticed it.

But when I saw Elaine after a long time, I felt it.

She was feeling uneasy about something.

I wasn’t sure what it was, but if I had no idea, I should talk to her and resolve it.

“Luke.”

At that moment, Grace, who had been in a meeting with others, called out to me.

As soon as I was called, I immediately ran over to her and stood between the members of the Ice Crystal Weaponry Committee.

It seemed like it was my turn.

While the meeting briefly paused, Sofia, who had approached with me, asked for permission from Grace and Dariel

to check the Ice Crystal Tower’s defense system with Elaine.

Dariel, who had close ties with the military, readily agreed, and Grace also permitted Elaine’s individual actions since

there were trustworthy forces nearby.

I watched Sofia, who was leaving with Elaine, with a brief sense of unease, then joined the meeting.

“According to the artisan, by mixing iron with ice crystal, we can forge a sword. Your dagger, which you said used

that technique, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Though there had unintentionally been an additional guest, I had planned to reveal the truth today, so I took out the

obsidian dagger.

“This is the dagger. It’s made by mixing obsidian with iron, combining the hardness of iron and the magical

properties of obsidian.”

“Hmm.”

Grace carefully examined my dagger before speaking to Bill.

“The artisan is right. While the ice crystal is harder to find than iron, it’s still a rumored mineral, so it won’t be easy

to obtain. Even the past ice crystal mines yielded only a tiny amount, and they’re depleted. We’ll need to search

again. It will take time.”

“I have something to add about that.”

“What is it?”

Bill glanced at me and continued.

“I vaguely remember hearing that a certain cave near Big Mountain had a hard, dark-colored mineral. I was curious,

so I tried to pick it up, but it was too cold and heavy, so I ended up leaving it behind. But thinking back, it seems very

suspicious.”

Bill recalled what I had told him and relayed the information to Grace.

Knowing Grace, I was sure she wouldn’t just sit on this information.

“What’s so difficult to explain?”

Grace smirked and added,

“Just ask the person who told you about it where the location is.”

She looked directly at me as she said that.

At that moment, chills ran down my spine.

The fact that Grace was looking at me like that meant…

“Did you know? Actually, my dagger is…”

“Made of iron?”

I was stunned. She really knew.

When did she find out?

“After the fight at the Crystal Lake, I thought something was strange. The knights were struggling against the high-

level monster, Silver Sabertus, but with just one dagger, you managed to deal damage, and even though you used

heat-based powers, you were able to cut through the lake’s ice, which was tough even for them.”

“….”

“Then, when I took your dagger, I noticed it immediately. The weight and feel of it were different from regular

daggers. The way it swung in my hand was unique.”

There was a time when I handed the obsidian dagger to Grace at her request.

Could it have been then?

I had worried that Grace, being a swordsmanship expert, might notice something unusual about the obsidian, but

since she didn’t comment on it, I thought it had gone unnoticed.

I was wrong.

“Then why…?”

“Why didn’t I report it? Simple.”

“??”

“If you’d tried to harm me with that dagger, I would’ve cut off your limbs and taken it from you immediately. But you

used it for the North and my people. Having a weapon isn’t a crime, and iron isn’t a prohibited material.”

Once again, I felt chills, but this time for a different reason.

When it was first revealed, I was scared, but now, I was overwhelmed by Grace’s presence.

Her confidence that she could easily subdue me if I tried to misuse the iron weapon.

Her generosity in keeping it secret, since I used it for the North.

She must have desired a weapon like that herself, yet she respected my ownership of it.

Her character was on a whole different level.

I had been so cautious about hiding the one-time-use weapon in front of Grace that it made me feel like a fool.

‘So this is what it takes to be called the Duke of the North.’

At the same time, I was incredibly reassured that this person was on my side.

If I had ended up siding with the dark forces instead of the North, and had fought against Grace… I couldn’t even

imagine it.

By the way, if Elaine had known that my dagger was a one-time-use weapon, would she have realized that she kept the secret for me?

I hope not.

There’s a big difference between me hiding a secret and her, a ten-year friend, keeping one. It would probably feel

different to Grace.

Or maybe not?

Thinking about the way Grace acted just now, maybe even if she knew that Elaine had hidden it, she would have

smiled and said, “If you did that, you must have had a reason.”

“But still, I was close to you, so it’s a bit disappointing that you made such a secret. Did you think I would take it

from you?”

I couldn’t say no to that.

While the one-time-use weapon wasn’t a prohibited item, it was rare, and with the medieval, feudal-like society we

lived in, I had thought it would eventually be given to her as a tribute.

No, if it had been anywhere else, it would have been given away. Grace was the only one who allowed me to keep it.

“Ugh, you two are being so timid about this.”

Grace muttered under her breath with a little click of her tongue.

Just now, “two”? Why did she use the plural form?

Was there someone else who did something similar?

“Anyway, intentionally deceiving me is a crime. As punishment, I’ll need to have you spill all the details about the

one-time-use weapon.”

Though the earlier comment bothered me a bit, it was actually good.

Since Grace gave her permission, I would now speak up about what I knew regarding the one-time-use weapon.

…Of course, I would adapt it using the information I had obtained from being in this world, not just what I had

learned from the novel.

“I found it while on a mission in Big Mountain.”

“Yes, while surveying the terrain, I noticed something glimmering in a cave and thought it was an artifact. After

showing it to Bill, I realized it was a one-time-use weapon.”

“A one-time-use weapon alone wouldn’t be there. Can you pinpoint the location?”

“I can.”

“Good, then you’ll have to do some work.”

Grace told me that finding the one-time-use weapon would be the price I had to pay.

Since she let me off the hook, it wasn’t hard to search for it.

I could even take the pickaxe myself if necessary.

At that time, I didn’t realize what Grace was doing.

She was pretending to forgive me, but really, she was sending me on the mining task.

She wanted the one-time-use weapon too, but since I had hidden the information, the mining was delayed… and she

had been sulking about it.

Elaine, at Sofia’s request, checked the defensive systems of the Snow Crystal Tower one by one.

Contrary to her modest words, the tower’s defenses were exceptional.

But there was one issue.

‘It can block external attacks almost perfectly, but it’s vulnerable to internal ones.’

I couldn’t imagine someone coming all the way to the harsh North, crossing the Winter Cannon’s walls, and sneaking

inside the Snow Crystal Tower to stage a plot.

But if that were to succeed…

‘A big disaster could occur.’

Just imagining it gave me the chills.

I asked Sofia about the procedure for admitting external mages, and the process was shockingly simple.

What had been a request to make up for the rudeness Luke had shown Sofia, the more I looked around…

‘Luke’s concerns seem more justified than ever.’

She was the captain of the guard responsible for Grace’s protection.

She knew better than anyone how devious someone with ill intentions could become. After all, when Grace ascended

to Duke of the North, she had gone through a real power struggle.

Since that incident, she had learned that while defending against external threats was important, internal security

was even more crucial.

So, although I felt like I was repeating what Luke had said, I tried to suggest it without offending Sofia since she had asked me.

“Hmm?”

Elaine, who had been inspecting the defense systems, suddenly focused her gaze on something.

‘Why is there magic power of a different nature than the cold magic…?’

The sharp senses of the high-level knight detected something suspicious.

“Sofia Elder, would you come over here for a moment?”

“Yes~ What’s going on?”

Sofia, having been called by Elaine, hurried over and looked where Elaine was pointing, moving slightly closer to her

and sniffing the air.

“What is this?”

The smile she had been wearing moments ago turned into a wicked grin.

A magic formation, one I had never seen before, was hidden very subtly in the Snow Crystal Tower’s magical defense array.