MTLNOVEL 65
So, the promised day finally arrived. We sat across from each other in the rattling carriage, watching the scenery blur past the small window.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t nervous. Especially for me—how could I not be, when I had no idea what was going to happen?
“If you’re tired, you can get some sleep. We still have another full day before we arrive.”
Kyle must have misunderstood when he saw me squeezing my eyes shut in thought. I quickly shook my head.
“I’ll sleep all at once later. It’d be a waste to do it now.”
“Hmm.”
“More importantly…”
I glanced at the documents he couldn’t put down even inside the carriage.
“The mages.”
At the word “mages,” Kyle’s face noticeably turned cold. His instinctive reaction made it clear just how deep the rift was between the lawless zone and the Blake territory.
“Why are they attacking Blake territory like this? Do they want the land? Or are they people who were driven out due to some problem?”
“No.”
Kyle answered in a chilly voice, then, noticing my gaze, cleared his throat with a cough and smoothed his expression.
“They don’t integrate into society, not in the slightest. Even if left alone, they cause problems, but fortunately, they have no desire to belong to society in the first place. They cannot be restrained by laws or ethics. They move solely according to their curiosity, their own rules, and what they believe to be the natural order.”
“Then… do they want to conquer Blake territory? To reject Northern society and rule over that land?”
Otherwise, there would be no reason to go so far as to ally with Lorenz and press the North together.
“Well, I don’t think so.”
Kyle pondered for a moment before answering.
“They’re such lunatics that it’s hard to grasp their intentions, but if they truly wanted to conquer the land, they would have attacked directly. Instead of wasting time playing these disgusting little pranks on the territory, they would have brought a proper army.”
“Disgusting pranks?”
Something suddenly came to mind as I listened to him speak.
‘Thanks to the ‘gifts’ you sent from time to time, my people died in the dozens, in the hundreds, in the most wretched ways. Did you really believe that just because I didn’t seek revenge, I forgave you?’
That was what he had told the mage back then.
The ‘gifts’ Kyle spoke of wouldn’t have had the soft, pleasant meaning that word usually carried.
Because the look on his face at that time had been terrifying—like he was facing something utterly blasphemous and revolting.
I didn’t want to dig into his nightmarish memories, but since we were likely to encounter mages during the hunt, I needed to know.
Feeling both guilty and awkward, I smiled faintly before asking,
“Is that… what you meant by ‘gifts’?”
“Yeah.”
Kyle gritted his teeth as he answered.
“They were beasts—mutated and enhanced through their magic. They wouldn’t die easily, and sometimes, even stabbing them in the heart wouldn’t be enough to kill them… Though I don’t know if you could even call that a heart. The ones I pierced were all frozen solid. Those bastards would send them one by one into the territory to test how complete their magic had become. This ‘hunt’ might just be an extension of their research.”
I murmured in a dazed voice.
“…The Heart of Winter.”
“Yeah. That’s what they called their creations… Shu, how do you know that? Did you see it in a dream?”
“No, not exactly…”
It might be connected to the part I hadn’t read yet. Shaking my head, I summoned the system.
‘Why is the original title ?’
If Kyle’s words were true, then it was strange for the novel I possessed to be named “The Heart of Winter.”
This was Serena and Belial’s story, and Kyle died before the plot even reached its halfway point. The mages were antagonists to the North, so the phrase seemed completely unrelated to those two…
[Would you like to view the later content?]
Yes. I needed to see what happened after Kyle’s death.
Of course, given how much fate had already changed, things might not unfold exactly as they did in the original story… But at the very least, this could help me understand the enigmatic Mage Order.
“I might see it in a dream. Let me check.”
I glanced out the window.
The entrance to the forest was visible in the distance. Since we were planning to camp near there today, we’d be arriving soon.
“If I space out for a bit, don’t think it’s strange and just wait a little. I’ll be as quick as possible.”
Kyle nodded in understanding, though he chuckled faintly.
“The way you say it, it sounds more like you’re reading a book than having a dream.”
“……”
“I’m joking. Take your time.”
Feeling a pang of guilt, I crossed my arms and leaned my head against the stiff backrest.
I didn’t actually need to close my eyes, but since I had already told him it was a dream, I might as well keep up the act.
Fortunately, the system responded the moment I willed it, even with my eyes closed. It was as if it were transmitting images directly into my mind.
[You may access it in fast-view mode.]
A blue system window flickered with a pale glow, as if guiding me.
Then, lines of text—presumably from the original novel—began to appear, accompanied by a hazy vision, like a dream.
***
[Grand Duke of Blake, Kyle Jane Meinhardt, is dead.]
The image of him collapsing appeared before me. It was somewhat blurry, but still clear enough to recognize.
My stomach churned instinctively.
‘No, of all things, why would it show me this first?’
To make matters worse, he was wearing the same clothes as now. The thought struck me again—on this hunt, he might die. Or he might not.
Thankfully, the scene passed quickly.
Flicker.
A new system window appeared.
[Belial Serena Meinhardt became the emperor. The weak-willed Lorenz, unable to withstand his younger sibling’s power, seemed to have been pushed aside, but in reality, he only pretended to step back—biding his time to avoid becoming a puppet emperor.]
And Serena married Belial.
She stood opposite him, wearing the same dress I had seen at their engagement ceremony. Though she was smiling, her eyes were cold—chilled to the core, like a predator searching for its target’s vital spot.
Then the scene shifted again.
After discovering the truth about her biological parents, Baron and Baroness Langde, Serena was consumed by hatred. She wished to bring ruin upon Belial and Duke Klein’s family. She had loved Belial, but she could never forgive his mother—the previous Serena.
[Serena spoke with a heart overflowing with anguish. “You killed my parents. So now, I’m taking your children.”]
Serena’s wish was nearly fulfilled.
When Lorenz enlisted the Mage Order from the lawless zone, she allied with them to eradicate Duke Klein’s people. I couldn’t see the full process, but in the end, both Lorenz and the previous Serena were certainly dead.
However, Belial did not die. He fell into a comatose state, and the moment he collapsed, Serena realized she loved him.
She could have returned to her original world now that her revenge was complete.
But she didn’t.
And it wasn’t just because she had been swayed by the emotions of the original “Serena.”
[Serena cradled the dying Belial in her arms and headed north. She resolved to obtain the ‘Heart of Winter,’ an artifact that defied even the realm of gods, an absolute power that lay at the pinnacle of every mage’s desires.]
[Even if it was not the right thing to do.]
She colluded with the mages. Pretending to assist their research, she waited for the perfect moment—then stole their final creation, the last Heart of Winter, to revive Belial.
The Heart of Winter.
A heart, icy blue and glistening, created through magic. Within it, an indescribable light swirled.
[The Heart of Winter was no miracle that bestowed immortality. It was merely a monstrous entity, a blue beast that devoured lives.]
Serena held the heart in both hands and stared at it closely.
Her vision was transmitted directly to me.
The blue glow drew nearer.
The undulating light felt as though it would swallow me whole. Just looking at it made my mind waver, on the verge of losing consciousness…
It was the essence of someone’s life.
A countless number of lives consumed in pursuit of eternity.
A sinful radiance stabbed into my eyes. Nausea welled up from deep within.
“…….”
So, did Serena grasp that light in the end, or did she let it slip away?
Just as she had been willing to do anything for revenge, was she willing to do anything for love as well?
The Heart of Winter was neither a miracle nor a gift.
It was simply…
“…Shu.”
A tragedy.
Why was this story a tragedy for everyone?
Could this misfortune be turned into a miracle? Could it lead to happiness?
Did I even have the power to do that?
“Shu!”
Gasp—!
It felt like I had been yanked out of deep water, and I sucked in a breath violently. My throat caught, and I coughed.
A strong hand gripped my shoulder and shook me urgently.
“Snap out of it!”
I gasped for air as I opened my eyes. My vision was blurry.
Rattle.
The carriage swayed.
Naturally, the one shaking me was Kyle. His upper body was leaning in close.
He placed a finger under my nose for a moment, then pressed his thumb against my lips.
I must have been biting down on them without realizing it.
“Breathe.”
My erratic heartbeat gradually slowed.
I blinked sluggishly and looked up at Kyle.
I was shaken, undeniably so.
The fine hairs all over my body stood on end, and I felt frozen stiff with fear.
And yet, strangely, the moment I met his gaze, the anxiety knotted deep inside me began to melt away.
“Sorry for not waiting.”
“…….”
“But… you looked like you were suffering.”
Kyle frowned slightly and rubbed my cheek and forehead.
“You’re drenched in cold sweat. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at his words.
Right. There was nothing to be afraid of. That was merely one of many possible futures awaiting them. And I was here to change that story.
“Are you okay?”
I couldn’t save everyone—I wasn’t a god.
But the one I pitied the most, the one I cared about the most… You.
I could save you.
That was why I came all this way.
“It was just a dream, that’s all.”
If only I could prove that it was nothing more than a bad dream.
“I’m fine.”
Kyle gently pressed his forehead against mine. His soft breath brushed the tip of my nose.
“You’re sure?”
“Have you been lied to a lot?”
The carriage slowed. I gave him a quick peck and smiled.
“Why do you worry so much?”
“Because I like you.”
“Hopeless romantic.”
“Haha.”
Lowering his gaze with a chuckle, he lightly rubbed the fading scrape on my cheek.
“So, do you hate it?”
Pouting slightly, I replied,
“I like it.”
“What was that?”
“I said, I like it! Ugh, stop pretending you didn’t hear me!”
We laughed, gazing at each other until the carriage came to a complete stop—like the happily-ever-after protagonists of a perfect fairy tale.