MTLNOVEL 79
I unfolded the report I had read yesterday and sank into thought.
‘The Northern New Mine exploration… There was a case of magical intoxication suspected to be caused by ‘Frost Poisoning,’ wasn’t there?’
I hadn’t noticed it before, but now I saw that Kyle had clipped a blue marker to the report. It was a sign that he intended to personally investigate the situation.
‘So, he’s going to the New Mine? Where exactly is that again?’
I walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a thin, titleless book from between the familiar tomes. Then, from the same gap, I retrieved a flat key.
This was the key to Kyle’s desk drawer.
Ever since a thief had broken into the castle once, Kyle had developed the habit of locking away anything important. Naturally, only a select few among his closest aides knew the key’s location.
‘He told me about it pretty quickly, though.’
It wasn’t just because we were lovers or because he cherished me as his companion beast.
During my time in the North, I had refused to live merely as one of Kyle’s protected subjects. Though I wasn’t in my human form for long periods, I did everything I could to assist Kyle with his work, offer my opinions, and share in his concerns.
As a result, Kyle came to trust my quick calculations and rational judgments—especially when it came to handling finances. I was way faster than anyone else. A victory for South Korea’s public education system.
I pulled open the top drawer and took out a map. It was drawn by Kyle himself, making it arguably the most detailed map of the North in existence.
Schrrk. As I spread it out on the desk, the bleak geography of the North unfolded before my eyes.
A vast plain stretched northward from Blake Castle. That land, frozen for nearly half the year, led to a dense forest filled with sharp, needle-like fir trees.
Deep beneath the rugged mountains lay caves where fairly valuable minerals could be found. These mines were one of the few reasons why the people of this barren land had managed to survive without starving.
However, the minerals near the surface had long been depleted. Ever since trade officially began with the Castanet Merchant Guild, there had been a growing need to mine deeper.
That’s why the newly explored areas were…
‘Here, and here. These two locations.’
Geographically, they were at the northernmost edge of the forest. The uneven terrain meant that the leftmost site was practically in the snow-capped mountains.
Still, it wasn’t a place that the Mage Corps could easily reach. Or rather, it shouldn’t be. If they had managed to infiltrate this area, it would mean they had conquered the snowy mountains entirely.
“In the long run, it all comes down to who secures the snow-capped mountains first…”
This had always been the North’s eternal challenge.
The knights of Blake had to defend the North to keep the Mage Corps from advancing southward. They needed to bring this land under their control.
Whether Kyle lived or died, that fact wouldn’t change.
“So, if trouble arises, it will definitely be here…”
That meant the issue wasn’t something entirely new, but rather, that the person involved had changed to Kyle.
Realizing this sent a cold chill through my body.
‘Whatever is meant to happen will happen, no matter what.’
That was a rule I had come to understand after spending considerable time in this world.
No matter how much I tried to avoid them, the major events of the original story always took place. Deaths, political conflicts—these things were inevitable.
The best I could do in such circumstances was to shift the target of fate or at least minimize the impact of those events on the people involved.
Even with my knowledge of the original story and the assistance of the system, I couldn’t bend the world entirely to my will.
If that was the case…
‘System. Are you there?’
As if waiting for me to call, a blue window appeared in midair.
[I’m always here! (≧∇≦)ﾉ]
‘Then…’
I touched the marked spot on the map—the New Mine—and spoke internally.
‘There must have been an event related to this place in , right? Show me the details. I need information on the Northern minerals, the New Mine exploration, and the people who were sacrificed because of it.’
After a brief silence, the system responded.
[That part was not described in detail.]
But I wasn’t about to back down. Not when Kyle’s safety was at stake. Half-measures weren’t an option.
‘But it’s part of the setting, isn’t it?’
Novels usually worked that way. Even if something wasn’t explicitly detailed in the main story, the world still operated based on predefined settings. The narrative simply focused on the protagonist, leaving other details in the background.
‘Let’s dig into those gaps a little. Even a simple preset value is fine.’
However, the answer that came back wasn’t entirely encouraging.
[You would be interfering in this world more than necessary.]
[It could provoke a backlash.]
[Do you still wish to proceed?]
It wasn’t an easy question to answer.
‘Repercussions’—this meant that I would have to pay a price for disrupting the world’s natural order and balance.
It could result in something like the swamp goat incident from before, or, in the worst-case scenario, end up strengthening those damned mages.
But even so, I couldn’t afford to waste time without knowing exactly what was going to happen.
To figure out how to counteract a death, I first had to understand its cause. It wasn’t as simple as saying, The North is dangerous, so let’s not go.
‘Tell me—just enough that it won’t cause too much disruption.’
I pleaded with the system.
‘Or you could relay it indirectly, like the Beastology Compendium, right? Please?’
The system remained silent for a long time, as if it was truly struggling.
Growing impatient and frustrated, I abruptly stood up and left the study.
Either way, since this matter involved the New Mine exploration, the right course of action was to discuss it with Kyle.
Kyle would likely inspect the training grounds one last time before heading to his office. If I took the west corridor and went down the stairs, I could avoid missing him.
At that moment, a system window appeared in front of me as I strode forward.
[After Kyle Jane Meinhardt’s death, the Northern Blake Territory fell into great turmoil. However, the people of the land refused to crumble. Led by James Russell, the captain of the Blake Knights, they rallied together and attempted to rebuild.]
James Russell.
I knew him well. He was still the captain of the Blake Knights, dedicating his life to the safety of the North without hesitation.
He wasn’t as formidable as Kyle, but he was an honest and diligent man. The only minor flaw was that he didn’t seem to like me very much… though that might have just been a touch of jealousy after I unintentionally took over his role as Kyle’s right-hand aide.
Still, he remained courteous and proper in official matters, so it wasn’t much of an issue.
[James believed that the Northern minerals had to be sold off to ensure no one starved. Fortunately, the Russell family was tied to the Castanet family through a marriage alliance, and James sought to leverage this to first resolve the economic crisis.]
[But even at that moment, the Mage Corps was marching south to claim the now-leaderless Blake Territory.]
[And they did so alongside beasts.]
This had been mentioned in the original story.
After Kyle’s death, Blake Territory gradually declined, and during this period, beasts had begun to descend southward, striking fear into the people and driving them to flee the land.
I never realized so much had been hidden in just a few short lines.
Even the beast attacks had been part of the mages’ schemes.
Fucking bastards.
Grinding my teeth, I descended the stairs.
A ruined castle haunted by frost wraiths? Absolutely not. That fate, at least, I would change.
Blink.
A new system message popped up.
[In the end, James suffered a fatal injury at the hands of a mutant goblin.]
A goblin?
And a mutant one, at that?
That was crucial information.
I nodded gravely.
That meant a goblin was one of the threats to Kyle’s life.
But still, it had only inflicted a fatal injury.
‘Then what actually killed James? Was it a beast?’
The system took a moment to respond.
[□□]
The name was censored, completely unreadable.
It seemed to be deliberately hidden, just as I had requested to limit interference.
The system struggled to reveal the identity to me.
[□□]
[╯︿╰;;;;]
[□□]
[□□]
Soon, my vision filled with vague yet ominous descriptors.
[The Master of the Lawless Land]
[The White Specter]
[The One Who Conquered the Frost Tower]
[A Being Born at the End of the World]
[The Ones Who Defy Order]
So, the Northern Mage Corps. Those affiliated with the Frost Tower.
The very ones who had aligned themselves with Lorenz… and possibly the most powerful among them.
Could it be the Tower Master himself?
Then, a new, shocking message appeared on top of the others.
[You have already met □□ before.]
The moment I read that glowing system text, an indescribable chill ran down my spine.
…What?
I had met this person before?
That didn’t make sense.
When?
If the target was truly the Tower Master, then I definitely shouldn’t have encountered them before.
I had spent nearly all my time here within the Blake Territory.
That meant the mage could have been in the territory as well.
The thought that these predators, hungry to devour this land, might have already infiltrated our very doorstep was deeply unsettling.
When?
I needed to know at least that much.
Just a little more…
[Further access is dangerous.]
Was it because I had forced the system to reveal restricted information?
A wave of nausea hit me, followed by a dull headache, making my legs weak.
Fortunately, before I could collapse, strong arms caught me.
“Shu!”
He must have rushed over when he saw me faltering—his breathing was slightly uneven. Supporting my waist, he asked in concern,
“What’s wrong? Are you unwell?”
“…Your Highness.”
“I’m here.”
“The North… The New Mine… You’re planning to go there yourself, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I just finished discussing it with the knights.”
“When are you leaving?”
“In about ten days.”
“……”
“Shu, you’re pale. Don’t just stand here—let’s head back to your room—”
“Your Highness.”
I cut off his words with a firm voice.
“In ten days, take me with you to the mine.”