MTLNOVEL 89
The ‘Frostbrand Mark’ engraved on my arm extended its chilling influence up to my elbow and shoulder. Surprisingly, though, it didn’t spread any further.
Losing the use of one arm was almost inevitable. I’d probably be stuck like this for a while.
I accepted that fact with less resentment than I expected. Knowing that if the cold reached my heart, I’d die, even this seemed like a luxury in comparison.
Of course, that was just my perspective. Kyle, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to summon every mage in the North to heal my arm. Still, given the situation, he refrained from acting on that impulse.
Since Nox had deliberately left this mark, it wouldn’t be easily erased. Wasting energy on it would be pointless. It was wiser to focus on more urgent matters first.
“So…”
With an awkward smile, I raised my one good hand slightly.
“It’s my turn to answer questions now, isn’t it?”
Sitting on a chair in the middle of the training ground, I looked around at the knights who had encircled me.
Kyle, standing directly in front of me, wore a discontented expression, but given the circumstances, he wasn’t in a position to shield me.
James wasted no time, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“How did you make it to the territory, Shu?”
I hesitated briefly before answering with a wry smile.
“I took a shortcut. The moment I confirmed we were separated, I set off.”
“…Ha, a shortcut.”
One of the knights, looking utterly exhausted, grimaced as if the idea was absurd.
“You must not know how we got here. No shortcut could possibly put you ahead of us. Unless you flew.”
Beside him, James let out a bitter laugh.
“Yeah. Even if you could fly, arriving before us and waiting would still be impossible.”
Hearing that, I looked at Kyle with a displeased expression. Just how hard had he pushed them to make them say something like that? They must have practically tunneled through mountains.
Kyle feigned ignorance.
In the end, I let out a deep sigh and answered.
“I used teleportation magic. Nox… That bastard in white had drawn a magic circle, and I used it. Speaking of which, it seems the mage faction has set up teleportation circles all over the North and is using them to get around.”
The knights’ expressions darkened at the mention of Nox, the mage who had appeared alongside the mutated goblins.
Someone asked me in a trembling voice.
“Nox? How do you know that name?”
“Wait… Are you working with them?”
“Did you infiltrate the North?”
“What’s your objective?”
“You used teleportation magic to get here? You can use such advanced magic?”
“…Hold on, hold on.”
The barrage of chaotic questions made my head spin. I waved my hand to calm them down.
“One at a time. I’ll answer one at a time.”
“…”
“First, I heard the name Nox directly from him. It could be a fake name, of course.”
“That makes sense.”
“Second, yes, I did use teleportation magic. But it’s different from what people typically think of as ‘magic.’ I can’t move freely. It’s more like an ability that lets me escape a dangerous situation once, with a lot of restrictions.”
Even after my lengthy explanation, the knights didn’t look convinced. Given their long-standing conflicts with mages, their distrust was understandable.
From the sharp looks they were giving me, it seemed the mage faction had previously planted spies among them to sow internal discord.
“But I am not a mage. And I’m definitely not in league with the lawless scum. That much is certain.”
I paused after saying that.
I had an excuse prepared with the help of the system, but spilling unnecessary details would only make me look more suspicious.
If I wanted them to keep asking questions, the atmosphere needed to stay tense.
When I smirked slyly, the knights resumed their interrogation.
“Fine. Let’s say you got here before us using a magic circle. But how did you shake off Nox? He didn’t seem like someone who’d let you go so easily.”
“Exactly. That part keeps bothering me. He’s the one who slaughtered that goblin horde with his own hands. And yet, he just let the Beast Scholar walk away?”
“He even seemed oddly lenient toward you… Are you sure you don’t know him from before?”
“Know him? Hardly.”
This was the right moment.
Taking a deep breath, I started explaining the excuse I had carefully prepared during the past three days, rolling around on soft sawdust.
“Well, let’s see… The truth is, I had a vague idea about their existence. And because of that, the mage faction suspected my identity as well. They probably wanted to take me with them, thinking I’d be a valuable catch. Just interrogating me alone would have been a significant gain for them.”
“Wasn’t he just a Beast Scholar? His origins were a bit unclear, but…”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway!”
I cut off their murmuring and continued speaking.
“It’s a complicated situation, and I’m afraid I might explain it poorly and cause misunderstandings. But one thing is clear—I am not on their side. I have never collaborated with them. In fact, I want nothing more than to stop that bastard. I failed to shake him off completely, and now I can’t even use my right arm.”
James seemed to catch on to something in my disjointed explanation.
“No, that’s not a failure. Even if you ended up marked, you still made it back to the territory safely. That mage… Nox, he must know you’ve returned to the estate. Won’t he come back for you?”
His voice still carried a lingering hostility.
“He could bring something worse than a goblin horde next time. If we’re really unlucky, the entire mage faction might descend upon us. We barely have enough time to prepare…”
At that moment, Kyle, who had been silently listening with his arms crossed, cut in coldly.
“So what, should he have just obediently sacrificed himself so we’d be safe?”
“…”
“I must have trained my knights wrong.”
Kyle looked like he had more to say, something even harsher, but when I locked eyes with him and slowly shook my head, he closed his mouth. His gaze was still fierce, but at least he kept silent.
Kyle had a point. If we started sacrificing people for the sake of safety, we’d just keep cutting off more and more until nothing was left. No one had the right to demand another’s sacrifice so easily. It was a complex issue.
However, right now, Kyle siding with me would only fuel the knights’ opposition. He always lost his rationality when it came to matters involving me, and I needed to maintain some distance.
‘Will he think I’m being cruel?’
Feeling a little guilty, I glanced at Kyle. Thankfully, he didn’t seem hurt. I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“…Sorry. It couldn’t have been easy for you to return safely.”
James, having regained his composure, apologized swiftly. Moments like these made it clear how deeply he cared about the estate and Kyle.
‘He’s not a bad guy.’
That was enough for me.
Instead of responding, I simply shrugged, then turned my attention to answering the knights’ next question—why Nox had tried to take me.
“Well, to put it simply… From their perspective, I’m something like a traitor’s disciple.”
Of course, they had no way of knowing about my past life as an ordinary office worker. So, I adjusted the story just enough to make it understandable.
The man known as ‘Shu’ was, in fact, a mage. But his abilities were different from conventional magic, and very few could either teach or inherit that power.
‘Shu’ was the sole disciple of a mage who had lived in seclusion deep in the South. This mage had once been connected to the Northern mages but later diverged in ideology and became their enemy.
On his way to the capital, ‘Shu’ had briefly stopped in a village, only to lose his family there. In his grief, he had followed the mage and become his apprentice.
When I added that detail, the knights’ expressions darkened with sympathy. Seeing their reactions made me feel slightly guilty.
In any case, ‘Shu’ had ended up walking the path of a mage due to these unfortunate circumstances. However, he had little natural talent for magic and had only learned a few unorthodox methods from his master.
“Magic that requires… life force?”
“So, he’s risking his life every time he casts a spell?”
“Is there really such magic in this world…?”
“Wait, can you even call that magic?”
The knights looked at me with clear confusion. Though their wariness hadn’t completely faded, they seemed to find some parts of my story believable.
“Risking my life to come back?”
I responded flatly.
“I’ve always risked my life for the North. I’ve never hesitated to do anything to keep those bastards from ruining it—and to keep His Highness Kyle safe.”
“…”
I could see the memories rushing through their minds.
The time I had thrown myself under a falling chandelier to protect Belial, the times I had gone on reconnaissance missions or accompanied them to the Imperial Palace, the political strife I had endured by Kyle’s side before returning to the North.
No mere spy would go to such lengths. And we hadn’t just spent a day or two together.
The tide of opinion was shifting in my favor.
To add a little more weight to my case, I subtly moved my right shoulder. A searing pain and chilling sensation shot through it.
I hunched over slightly and let out a low groan.
Kyle’s foot twitched.
It was clear he wanted to rush to me, but he held himself back, biting his lip. He knew he shouldn’t, and he was forcing himself to endure it.
“This is my master’s will… and also my own. When I had nowhere else to go, the North became my home.”
“…”
“Our common goal is to stop those mages from trampling this land. Do we really have to waste time suspecting each other?”
We didn’t have time for this.
Nox would come looking for me.
And soon, Lorenz—who had become emperor—would make his move.
It wouldn’t be possible to hide the fact that Belial was alive forever.
Lorenz would act to obtain the ‘Heart of Winter’—and to completely eliminate Belial.
During his coronation, Lorenz had declared that he wouldn’t antagonize the North, but… there was no way he’d actually honor that promise.
It was best to trust only those who were truly trustworthy.
No doubt he would find some excuse to eliminate Kyle. Lorenz sought absolute imperial authority, after all.
“They’re going to create something called the ‘Heart of Winter.’ It’s similar to a beast core. It’s the crystallization of their power, created by sacrificing countless lives. We have to stop them from making it.”
I didn’t need them to trust me forever.
Once everything was resolved, I would return to my original world anyway.
“If you really can’t bring yourselves to trust me, then just consider this a temporary alliance. Is that so hard?”
A long silence followed.
Everyone was deep in thought. Their seriousness made the atmosphere heavy and somber.
I waited patiently for their answer.
Trust wasn’t something that could be forced.
Finally, the knights spoke.
“I’ll trust him.”
“Me too.”
“Yeah, same. Honestly, he doesn’t seem like someone who would lie about this.”
Then, Kyle, who had been watching me the entire time, spoke.
“I trust him as well.”
His voice reached my ears with a warmth that felt strangely tender.