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The caravan heading toward Lord Hadrian of Highland didn’t stop except for meals and rest, and during monster attacks and heavy snowfall, when the wheels of carts and wagons were transformed into sleigh blades.

Honestly, there was no need to rush like this.

Anyway, it wasn’t an urgent contract; merely a preliminary agreement.

The purpose was to coordinate opinions for the formal proceedings next year.

They occasionally stopped at villages and towns to alleviate travel fatigue, loaded fresh meat and vegetables onto the empty carts, and passed the time heading toward their destination.

But Catherine didn’t do that.

Even now, her office was piled high with a mountain of work, which was only expected to grow.

Just thinking about it gave Catherine chills.

Last autumn and winter, she had to work overtime regularly and pull all-nighters like it was nothing.

Of course, the current circumstances were incomparable to then.

After all, the absence of magical personnel, who had “vanished,” created a physical shortage, which was a far cry from just traversing the snowstorm in Northern Iceland.

She had taken care of urgent matters swiftly before leaving.

So they should be able to reach Coldon before winter if they maintained their current pace.

However, impatience lodged itself in the back of her mind.

It was unavoidable to feel disgruntled about the rugged push through villages and towns.

Yet the people in the caravan grumbled yet accepted it.

In fact, some even welcomed the arduous march.

The reason was simple.

Not all natives of Iceland were the same.

For the majority, who were from Coldon, the northern chill was harsh.

No matter what, they just wanted to return quickly to warm(?) Coldon.

Even the elite guards personally chosen by the Duke longed for their warm homes.

This sentiment was shared among Karem, Mary, and Gordon as well.

Karem, long since tired of the unimaginable cold.

Mary, uncomfortable with someone else intruding on her territory.

And Gordon, dragged here against his will as a baron, lamenting his fate while driving the wagon to guard.

Their thoughts were all different.

But everyone was unanimous about the grueling march.

Thanks to this, the caravan approached their destination at an unprecedented speed, even by Icelandic standards and soon entered Lord Hadrian of Highland.

Before reaching Afterglow Fortress, the horses and snowrunners were completely exhausted.

In fact, it was impressive that they had not collapsed until now.

The caravan decided to grant a longer rest time for the hardworking horses and snowrunners.

Stepping out of the wagon to catch his breath, Karem couldn’t help but marvel.

“Hahhhhh…”

It was a sight that left one in awe.

The scenery beyond the northern Iceland was breathtaking.

A vast white expanse covered the land from horizon to horizon, and the vibrant greenery of the dense coniferous forest, visibly alive even from afar, was honestly hard to imagine in reality.

Suddenly, picturesque scenes he had only seen on screen in his past life came to mind.

Would seeing the landscapes of Siberia or Alaska be like this?

In the faraway, pristine white plains, a herd of enormous deer, hardly believable as deer, was moving, stirring up a blizzard.

But a more astonishing sight lay behind it.

“Be careful or you’ll freeze your mouth shut, kid.”

“No, look at that mountain. No, perhaps I should call it a mountain range?”

“Yeah, that’s the Gogmagog Mountain Range. Quite a spectacle.”

“Is that our destination?”

Karem, caught off guard, couldn’t close his mouth.

His gaze was filled with childlike wonder.

“Yep.”

Usually, Catherine might have teased him, but for this once, she too understood.

As a grand wizard who had reached the heights of wisdom, Catherine had seen much, not as much as Olivier, but certainly many dungeons, breathtaking sights, and magic realms.

Even she couldn’t help but admire the magnificence laid before her.

The ridges stretching toward the horizon looked poised to swallow the snowy plains and living creatures below.

Above that, hundreds of large and small peaks, resembling irregular conifers, created a scene that looked like a winter forest of mountains.

“That’s the forefront of civilization. One of its bastions: Afterglow Fortress. Indeed, it’s quite the splendor.”

“Huh? Are you saying that entire mountain range is one fortress?”

“Huh? What?”

Catherine’s eyes widened in disbelief at the absurdity of the statement.

With a short laugh, she waved her hand dismissively.

“You’ve totally lost it, kid.”

“No, anyone would lose their wits looking at that.”

“Well, I get it. But surely that mountain range can’t possibly be a fortress?”

Karem turned his head toward where Catherine was pointing.

In the middle of the sinking portion of the mountain range, the only passage—the massive barrier that seemed to cut off the entire mountain range, surrounded by city walls resembling a fence—revealed a town and several villages outside.

“That’s the fortress.”

“Um, so that town over there is Afterglow Fortress?”

“No, that’s the city. You’re seeing it right. That gigantic barrier blocking the middle of the ridge—that’s the fortress, they say. But honestly, it’s just a ridiculously ignorant fortress.”

Karem nodded in agreement, scratching his head.

He had heard rumors about the purpose of Afterglow Fortress.

The Kingdom of Seophone was an island surrounded by sea.

Yet the waters between the northern mainland were very shallow.

This allowed powerful monsters and beasts, surviving in an environment breathing the mysteries of ancient times and barbarism, to descend.

The fortress’s purpose was to block such threats of civilization… but…

“Are they seriously thinking about blocking a ridge with such a gigantic wall?”

“Apparently, that thing is from the mythic age.”

“How on earth was it made…?”

“I heard that it was completed by a resurrected celestial being who brought along wild giants and ice trolls.”

…Wait? The resurrected celestial being is referring to Tutatis.

But, what? Ogres? Giants? I have no idea how they differ from the giants I heard about in my past life, but they used monsters as workers?

“I don’t think I ever heard in the temple that Lord Tutatis could tame monsters.”

“That warrior god with no sense couldn’t have done much, I guess.”

“…Are you saying he beat them senseless until they obeyed?”

What on earth does that mean?

At that moment, Gordon, who was idly moving sacks of grain to feed the snowrunners out of boredom, chimed in.

“Ah, I heard that from a battle priest originally from here. It’s written in the scriptures, and they say it’s generally accepted as doctrine.”

“…Does that even make sense?”

“Well, who knows?”

Gordon shrugged, still holding the grain sack.

“Anyway, locals seem to love it, saying it’s bold and straightforward, just like our warrior god.”

“…Huh?”

Stunned into silence, Karem struggled for words, but Gordon just shrugged it off to finish his task, heading toward the snowrunners.

Karem’s face twisted involuntarily, and he unconsciously massaged his temples.

Perhaps the memories of his previous life were too strong, leaving him lacking in the Eurovan sensibilities.

“Well, even the elves of Bersengzeto sometimes use spirits in construction or pay wild fairies for simple tasks, so perhaps think of it as part of that.”

“Is that something you can just accept?”

“Well, if it’s part of monster taming, then yeah.”

Catherine shrugged in agreement, but her expression was still perplexed.

“However, to think it was done barehanded without any magic… Well, since it’s from the mythic age, maybe some parts were exaggerated.”

“Perhaps it could literally be true.”

“Well, if the opportunity arises one day, maybe you can just ask him directly.”

“Eh?”

“Well, last year, didn’t he personally descend?”

Catherine, who had been scanning her surroundings, suddenly frowned in annoyance.

“Direction ten o’clock! Encounter with undead beasts!”

The commotion-filled caravan quieted for a moment.

Then the travelers who had been enjoying a final rest before arrival, the elite guards, grumbled and began preparing for battle.

“What, you planning to watch?”

“Of course. It’s my first time seeing undead beasts.”

“Well, they might not be common, but they aren’t rare either. But—”

Catherine narrowed her eyes at the zombie boar stumbling toward them, its side torn open.

As expected.

There were no signs of decay whatsoever.

“Something’s definitely going on here. The number and frequency have lessened compared to the first time, but still.”

Wait, was it just her imagination?

Catherine pondered, watching the zombies being mercilessly shattered.

“Alright, while we have the time, let’s have a spar.”

“Are you insane?”

“Sparring is only done on journeys! Huh!”

“I’m unarmed! Whoa whoa!?”

*

*

*

It wasn’t an illusion.

As they entered Highland territory, the frequency of encounters with undead increased, but as they approached the destination, it began to decrease again.

Once they were near Afterglow Fortress, the reason quickly became apparent.

“In autumn, undead? What in the world is this? What a nuisance!”

“I was thinking of taking a break for Memorial Day. But if it’s like this, I guess I’ll have to earn some pocket money!”

“Thief! Thief! Give me back my bone!”

“That’ll attract all the undead in town. What’s that caravan doing…?”

Voices from outside the wagon echoed through the walls.

Having overheard the conversations of adventurers and mercenaries who were about to earn a windfall during Memorial Day, Karem felt a complicated mix of emotions.

“Undead outside the season. I thought it was serious, but it’s not.”

“It is serious. Until now, there hasn’t been an outbreak of undead in autumn.”

“But it seems like people haven’t thought the same up until now?”

“When it comes to adventurers and mercenaries, money is always a priority.”

While Catherine said this, she kept her eyes on the book, flipping through the pages.

“Besides, winter is about to be off-peak, and there’s also a festival.”

“Oh, it’s Memorial Day, right now.”

“It’s nearing the end, but perhaps that’s why—”

“There are those trying to make a final score?”

As Catherine remained focused on the book, Mary quietly corrected her hair.

“Indeed, there are likely those who are hastily moving after being lazy.”

The busiest times for games, festivals, and events are the beginnings and endings. People trying to be the first to enter and those getting anxious as the end approaches exist everywhere.

Moreover, in just a few months, winter will arrive.

Whatever the reason, anyone would think of working hard to make winter a little more comfortable.

Whoa— whoa—!

Hihihing! Beep beep—

The sounds of the horses and snowrunners.

With the coachman trying to calm them down, the wagon suddenly came to a stop.

“Have we finally arrived?”

“Looks like it, yeah.”

Thud thud thud—

Someone knocked on the wall of the wagon.

Gordon’s voice could be heard from outside, guarding them.

“Huff, it’s getting pretty chilly now that we’ve come this far. Sir/Madam Mage, you should come out.”

“What’s going on?”

“They’re blocking us, saying they need to see the command letter for identity verification. What should we do?”

“Just wait.”

Finally, as Catherine closed her book, Mary started fixing her disheveled clothing.

“Even with this many guards, they still want a verification?”

“Well, I suppose it’s a minimum formality.”

“Like when you showed the order form to the gatekeeper or knight last year?”

“Right.”

And when Catherine gestured, Mary quickly opened the window.

A chilly breeze swept inside!

“Hiieeek!”

“Karem, try to bear with it.”

 

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