Time flowed at an almost terrifying speed.
For several days, the people of Blake’s domain moved with sheer desperation. They repaired the castle walls, transported supplies, evacuated civilians, and divided the forces into two large groups—one to defend the south and the other to guard the north.
The soldiers rallied around Kyle and Sen to protect the south, while James and the knights took charge of the northern front.
Days passed in uneasy silence.
“Lord! The enemy is here! They’re attacking both the southern and northern gates!”
“A battalion of mages, soldiers, and beast forces are advancing!”
Two knights rushed over to Kyle, breathless, urgently reporting the situation. I followed closely behind him, striding toward the ramparts, my expression more serious than ever.
The troops brought by Lorenz Serena Meinhardt would arrive within half a day. The beast army, led by Nox, was expected to reach the northern plains by sundown.
It was all as anticipated. After all, what I had done to Nox was tantamount to declaring war.
The only silver lining was that I had secured the Heart of Winter. Though incomplete, it possessed immense power. If Nox had been the one to harness it instead, the Blake domain would have been wiped out before we even had the chance to resist.
‘We’ve fortified our defenses…’
But there was no certainty of survival.
No battlefield, no matter how meticulously planned, guarantees victory. This wasn’t a game with an established strategy or a novel with a predetermined ending.
Yet, no matter how things unfolded, I was prepared to stake my fate alongside them. It wasn’t just about my own survival—I refused to lose the North or anything that upheld it. Not a single thing.
“Your Highness.”
At the entrance to the ramparts, Kyle turned at my quiet call.
Not a hint of fear marred his face. His expression held only an unwavering resolve to protect. I held his gaze for a moment before steeling my own resolve as well.
A miracle with a 100% chance. A 90% deviation interference rate. An ample supply of luck and hearts.
My condition had improved significantly over the past few days, and my motivation was at its peak.
First, I followed Kyle to the southern front. We would assess the situation here before moving northward before sunset.
The land, having just emerged from its fleeting summer, was now witnessing its first snowfall of the year. A thin layer of white blanketed the ground, stark and blinding in its purity.
Through the bitter cold, the enemy forces emerged. So many soldiers filled the horizon that they darkened the landscape as they surrounded the southern front.
I swallowed dryly, my breath catching for a moment.
Cutting through the razor-sharp winter wind, one man stepped forward.
An all-too-familiar voice rang out.
“Kyle Blake.”
A voice I could never forget, hammering into my ears like an amplified announcement.
Lorenz Serena Meinhardt.
He stood at the center of his army, looking directly at us with an air of smug authority.
“I have come to judge you for treason. You defied my goodwill, stockpiled forces against the imperial crown, and harbored Sen Langde and Belial Serena Meinhardt, conspiring to usurp the throne.”
“……”
“It is not too late. Surrender them now, disband your army, and open the gates. Those who pledge loyalty to the Empire will be spared. We must minimize unnecessary bloodshed, after all.”
Such a tired pretense of righteousness.
The distance made it difficult to see his expression clearly, but there was no doubt he was smirking in that conniving way of his. The northern soldiers atop the ramparts shifted uncomfortably, peering down at the enemy below.
Kyle, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
“Treason? What treason?”
“……”
“Blake has never once acknowledged you as Emperor.”
His tone was dangerously arrogant—deliberately provoking.
And judging by Lorenz’s reaction, it worked perfectly.
I turned to glance at Kyle’s profile, finding myself momentarily taken aback.
He embodied the very essence of a ruler.
“You will regret setting foot on Blake’s land.”
His voice rumbled low, simmering with restrained fury.
There were no further words of persuasion, no derision, no oaths.
But it was enough.
The flickers of fear lingering in the expressions of Blake’s soldiers vanished as if they had never been there.
The war had begun.
The final battle that would determine the fate of the North.
“Begin.”
“We heed the Grand Duke’s command!”
“For Blake!”
“For Blake!”
A fiery determination spread like wildfire.
Every soldier swiftly moved into position, ready for battle.
At Kyle’s signal, a mage stepped forward.
“……Beast Scholar, please move with me to the northern gate. I will guide you.”
“What about the horses?”
“They’re prepared below.”
Kyle and I exchanged a brief glance. He smiled faintly before pressing a light kiss to the back of my hand.
“I promise—I will return safely.”
“So will I.”
I let out a long breath, forcing my pounding heart to settle. Then, closing my eyes, I focused on the swirling power of Nox surging within me.
It felt like wearing clothes that didn’t fit—uncomfortable, ill-suited. But such discomfort was trivial. What mattered was that this power would play a crucial role in cutting down the beast horde.
Clenching my teeth, I lifted my gaze forward.
Slowly, the sun was setting.
***
Lorenz’s army, the mage corps, and the beast horde all charged in perfect unison, as if choreographed.
However, the Blake knights and the castle servants had reinforced the gates with multiple layers of barricades in advance, making it difficult for the enemy to break through easily.
But a war isn’t fought solely at the gates.
When it became clear that breaching the entrance wouldn’t be easy, the mage corps and the beast horde shifted their approach.
The mages, who needed time to cast their spells, remained in the rear, while the beasts they summoned formed a solid front line to protect them.
In other words, to stop the mages, we first had to eliminate the beasts.
‘Right now, we all need to focus on what we can do.’
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time until death: 0 days remaining.]
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time until death: 2 days remaining.]
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time until death: 0 days remaining.]
[Query error! This person may not exist!]
[Accessing the original work, Heart of Winter…]
[Some content may be difficult to retrieve.]
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time until death: ? days remaining.]
The future was unknown.
Even the system could no longer predict the fate of those here with certainty.
I dismissed the system window with a sharp flick.
‘What matters is belief.’
Kyle was the rightful ruler of this frozen land. He would never fall so easily—I had faith in that.
And now, I would no longer rely on the system. I would accept this world as it was.
“Beast Scholar!”
James called out to me sharply.
Behind him, the sky burned red with the glow of the setting sun, and creatures—large and small—filled both the heavens and the earth.
Fear was spreading across the faces of the knights defending the northern gate.
They had fought countless beasts and mutants before, but never in numbers like this. Some murmured anxiously, estimating that the enemy was at least five times larger than usual.
More than anything, Kyle was not here.
James had stepped in to fill his role for now, but it wasn’t enough.
“Do not give up!”
I shouted.
“Every single person of Blake has both the right and the duty to survive! I will not let you die, so don’t surrender before the battle has even begun!”
As I ascended the battlements, I sensed him.
Through the shadows of the approaching beasts, a stark-white figure was watching me.
The White Wraith—Nox.
A sorcerer who had rejected death, isolating himself in the coldest lands. A man who devoured all life in pursuit of the audacious dream of immortality.
“I don’t care how insane you are. I don’t want to understand you. I never wanted to interfere.”
I murmured under my breath.
“Had you simply left this place alone.”
But Nox wanted to consume the North.
And I would stop him.
Of course, I would.
My sole purpose was to protect Kyle Blake.
Not just his life, but this land as well.
No matter what.
I gazed out at the distant horizon, at the monstrous horde staining the white landscape.
Creatures that seemed like nightmares pulled from a novel or a horror film stood before me, yet I felt no fear.
Because I knew exactly what needed to be done.
‘System, use Deviation Interference to seize control of their hearts.’
Nox could control mutants.
Their bodies contained Beast Cores, which functioned in place of hearts.
Which meant—those mutated beasts were already dead.
Nothing more than lifeless corpses, dancing to his will.
‘If I can interfere with his magic and sever his control, we have a chance.’
Even reducing their numbers would give the northern front some breathing room.
Had my Deviation Interference rate been at full capacity, it would have been ideal.
But my body wouldn’t have endured it.
So, no point dwelling on what wasn’t possible.
[Absorb power and release connection magic?]
[Success rate: 90%. Once a target has been interfered with, it cannot be controlled again.]
90%. A good enough chance.
I nodded resolutely.
“Fine. I’ll challenge every last one of them.”
A blue glow, born from the system, enveloped me.
The power of miracles spread through my entire being—
And then, the world fell utterly silent.
No more voices.
No more sounds of soldiers rushing around.
The only thing that remained was the stark-white battlefield of death—
And the cold blue life force pulsing within countless hearts.
[Interference commencing.]
[A new possibility unfolds.]
[‘Synchronization’ in progress…]
One by one, the blue magic surged toward me.
