Finally stepping into the Northern Garden, the biting cold felt like it was slicing through my skin.

Without a thermometer, it was clear the temperature had easily dropped below -10 degrees Celsius. Seeing the windows of the magically heated carriage frozen solid, it was evident that the Empire’s reputation for being the coldest region wasn’t exaggerated.

In a world where magic is a basic skill, even the lowest-ranking soldiers used warming spells to endure the cold. However, constantly using magic wasn’t feasible due to the drain on magical power. Most soldiers used magic just to block the wind and bundled up in thick clothing.

The march, which had started before dawn, began to slow down by noon.

The increasingly harsh cold was one thing, but the snow, piled up to waist height, started to hinder the soldiers’ movements.

When even the horses and carriages got stuck, we had no choice but to melt the snow to move forward.

Here, the mages were the most active.

Led by the mages of the Cremont Family, the magic unit took the lead in melting the snow. I had always thought mages only supported from the rear during battles, but I was proven wrong.

Magic truly is magnificent.

Thanks to the mages, we could comfortably fold our arms and move forward.

However, I had to endure the sharp gaze of Luna… no, Lucy, who was part of that mage unit.

It was clear she had heard about last night’s incident. I hoped to clear up the misunderstanding later, but honestly, it felt hopeless.

Even the arrogant and shameless Tristan would find it challenging to resolve this misunderstanding.

Despite the snow slowing our march, it was fortunate that the monstrous beasts hardly showed themselves.

I speculated that in such snowy conditions, finding prey would be difficult, so they might have retreated to the northern forest with its magical boundaries. Moreover, surviving in such absurd cold would be tough even for them.

However, it’s not an environment where beasts can’t survive at all. Just as humans built castles and settled in the Northern Garden, some beasts have adapted to the cold.

-Roar!

Ahead of us, melting the snow, appeared a massive worm-like beast made entirely of ice—the Ice Worm.

Disturbed from its hibernation, it bared its sharp teeth, threatening us.

Like most worm-type beasts, the Ice Worm was ferocious.

Its tough exterior, hardened over years in the ice, was as durable as diamond, making it notoriously difficult to deal with.

I knew the Imperial Army had struggled against the Ice Worm during their first northern expedition.

Leon Peiriguris, who wields fire magic, likely led the charge to defeat it. Given the Imperial Army’s strength, Leon was probably the only one capable of effectively attacking the Ice Worm.

Unfortunately, the Ice Worm appeared a bit away from where Leon was.

“Ah…!”

“Mo… monster!”

The sudden appearance of the Ice Worm caused chaos among the soldiers.

Most of them were new recruits, having joined just a few months ago. Hastily assembled under my advice, they lacked combat experience.

This expedition’s big boss, indeed.

Seeing the creature, as large as a decent building, I knew we couldn’t pass by unscathed. Casualties were inevitable.

“Wendy, give me your hand.”

“Huh? What?!”

I had Wendy ride with me on my horse, just in case, to escape any attacks from the Ice Worm.

“Stay close and don’t fall off.”

“Y-yes!”

I held Wendy close as if she were a precious treasure.

But perhaps my concern was a bit over the top.

Some were already engaging the Ice Worm.

-Crash!

-Whoa!

Suddenly, flames erupted from the Ice Worm’s body.

“Throw the firebombs!”

It was Helga, my bodyguard knight and deputy commander of Aslan, who shouted.

The members of Aslan, experienced in exterminating beasts, followed Helga’s orders without hesitation, throwing oil-filled firebombs.

-Crash! Clang!

-Ooooh!

The Ice Worm writhed in the intense flames.

Using oil as a medium to burn was more effective than direct fire magic on ice, proving Helga’s judgment correct.

Helga then took a deep breath and shouted at the still-confused soldiers.

“Form ranks!!!”

“!!”

Her thunderous voice froze the soldiers in their tracks.

Helga’s loud commands reached even the soldiers at the back.

“Shield bearers, step forward! Prepare the siege weapons!”

“Siege weapons?”

The soldiers were baffled by the sudden order.

But Helga’s command was apt. To effectively attack the tough Ice Worm, weapons capable of destroying castles were necessary.

“Stop dawdling and move it!!”

“Yes, yes!”

Though usually a bit of a goof, Helga’s commanding presence was as charismatic as her father Gale’s.

Under her pressure, the soldiers barely managed to pull themselves together and prepare for battle.

-Roar!

The Ice Worm rolled in the snow to extinguish the flames on its body. Meanwhile, Aslan’s members continued to throw firebombs, keeping the flames alive without Helga’s orders.

“Mages, set up barriers in front of the shield bearers to absorb the impact! The rest, carry the siege weapons! Quickly!”

Meanwhile, in the rear, Bella quickly directed the soldiers, understanding Helga’s intent. Bella, being the daughter of a duke, was adept at handling subordinates.

There was no need for me to intervene.

It took about three minutes to prepare the siege weapons.

A massive steel arrow, as tall as a grown man, was aimed at the Ice Worm.

It was what’s commonly known as a ballista.

“Fire!”

By the time the soldiers fired the ballista, a defensive line had already been formed at the front.

-Whoa!

The Ice Worm staggered as the ballista hit its body. The heat-weakened creature began to crack as the ballista lodged into it.

Helga’s judgment was correct. The siege weapon’s attack was effective.

But an unexpected problem arose.

“Hey! Can’t you aim straight?”

“It’s… the aiming is off…”

The soldiers’ lack of skill caused the ballista to miss repeatedly.

Each time the Ice Worm thrashed, the ballista harmlessly struck the snowy field.

“Ugh… seriously…”

Finally, Helga rode over to the ballista, unable to stand it any longer.

I thought she was going to scold them, but instead, she looked around as if searching for someone.

“Ah! There you are.”

She finally found a tall woman on horseback.

“Come here and help me, Blanc.”

“It’s Blanshe, but?”

“Whatever. Hurry up.”

At Helga’s urgent gesture, Blanshe reluctantly approached. Helga whispered something in her ear.

I don’t know what was said, but Blanshe flinched and asked again.

“Huh? The two of us? That’s ridiculous…”

“Why? Not confident?”

“No. It’s not that I’m not confident, it’s just that this is the first time…”

“Not confident, then.”

“……”

Blanshe silently took off her boots and threw them aside.

“Don’t go making excuses later.”

“Kukuku… Have you ever seen me make excuses?”

Helga also took off her shoes and threw them aside.

The soldiers, as well as Bella and I, were baffled by their inexplicable conversation and actions.

Regardless, Helga knelt on one knee towards the ballista.

“Blanshe, do you know what’s important in shooting?”

“Well…”

Blanshe took a stance and began gathering magical power at her feet.

“Accuracy.”

“Nope. It’s strength.”

The two kicked the ground and launched the ballista’s rear with their feet.

The iron ballista, infused with their magical power, sliced through the air and flew towards the Ice Worm.

-Boom!

With an explosive sound, the ballista lodged into the Ice Worm’s mouth.

The added speed and power made it a devastating blow. The Ice Worm’s body, unable to withstand the force, cracked and shattered.

“See?”

“Look at that.”

Amid the stunned soldiers, the two argued over who was right, leaving even me speechless.

I hadn’t expected the Ice Worm, a mid-boss of this expedition, to be defeated so easily.

“Heehee…”

Wendy, in my arms, had her mouth wide open.

I closed it before her jaw could drop.

Helga glanced at me, seeking praise, but I coldly turned away.

This was punishment for stealing the Emperor’s underwear yesterday. Ignoring her was the greatest punishment.

“Ugh?! What is this! It’s already over!”

“Yeah…”

Leon, arriving late, stomped his large body in frustration.

“Ugh! This won’t do! I can’t face His Majesty like this! Count! Our unit will continue marching until we find an Ice Worm!”

“Commander?”

Leon’s subordinates looked bewildered. Though I had no intention of helping them, I stopped Leon.

“Enough, Leon. We’re already at our destination.”

“Huh? Destination?”

“Yes.”

I pointed to the frozen castle visible beyond the Ice Worm’s remains.

“Roelgreen Castle.”

*

After defeating the Ice Worm, we decided not to enter Roelgreen Castle immediately but to camp here. There might still be dangers inside, and it was almost sunset.

Though the weather was colder, there was an improvement over yesterday.

We built igloos from the surrounding snow.

Clearing the snow and setting up tents would have been more troublesome, so building houses from the abundant snow was a better idea.

The brilliant idea came from Bella.

Worried about the soldiers in the extreme northern cold, she boldly suggested it to me directly.

“Setting up tents and then having to clear snow in the morning would be a hassle, right? How would the soldiers feel waking up to that?”

“Bella…”

“Yes?”

“You… are an angel.”

“What? Suddenly…”

Everywhere, snow is what soldiers hate the most. To think of solving their hardships…

No wonder Bella was praised as a saint when she fought against players later.

The snow houses, magically frozen solid, became quite decent lodgings.

Thanks to Bella’s idea, many soldiers could sleep comfortably.

Soon, it was deep into the night.

I was in my carriage, not the snow lodges.

“Kuuul…”

Wendy had fallen asleep in my arms.

Holding her, with her high body temperature, felt warm.

And there were eyes watching enviously.

“Count… can I switch with Wendy…”

“Not a chance.”

“Waaah. I’m baby Helga. Count, hold me.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Ugh… so mean… why wasn’t I born a child to suffer this humiliation…”

Helga hung her head, muttering incomprehensibly.

Checking the clock, it was almost 10 PM.

After receiving reports from each unit, Luna still hadn’t appeared.

I had planned to lend her the Ruelberta Family’s portable bathhouse, but it seemed she had no intention of meeting me after yesterday’s incident.

Then… it’s time to move.

Laying the sleeping Wendy on the makeshift bed in the carriage, I spoke.

“Helga.”

“Yes?”

“Tell the maids to prepare for an ‘outing.'”

“…Finally!”

At my words, Helga’s head shot up.

I pulled out a luxurious hand mirror from my pocket. It was the ‘Mimi’s Changing Mirror’ I found in the treasure vault, modified by Albert from the workshop to be portable.

Looking into the mirror, a cold-faced villainess stared back at me.