In the center of the village—
A tall wooden pyre blazed, its flames reaching high into the sky. Thick black smoke spiraled upward, stretching toward the heavens.
Contrary to the hope that she would soon recover and rise again, Darka passed away not long after regaining consciousness.
Though her body had already weakened, some believed that she simply saw no reason to recover, having let go of all lingering attachments to life.
Her peaceful expression in her final moments only reinforced that belief.
Following the traditions of the North, a final ritual was held to ensure her soul would not be bound to the earth.
They burned her belongings along with her body. In her folded ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) hands, she held Baskal’s bracelet.
The villagers lowered their heads in silence, tears streaming down their faces.
Ashies stood several steps away from the others, outside the reach of the fire’s heat, and took in the scene before her.
Not long ago, Darka had spoken and laughed with her.
Now, they were cremating her remains. The once-lively village was filled only with the sounds of quiet sobs.
Ashies didn’t understand why they cried.
Darka had simply gone on a journey to a faraway place.
Was parting really such a sad thing?
Ashies couldn’t grasp it.
Not a single tear fell. She felt no sadness.
And yet—
Ashies placed her hand on her chest. Memories of Darka flickered through her mind.
A month wasn’t a long time.
But for Ashies, who had almost no memories to begin with, her days in Lake Fortress made up nearly half her life.
The thought of never seeing Darka again didn’t feel real.
It seemed as if she would still be there, waiting to greet her inside the tent.
A heavy, suffocating weight settled in her chest, as if a stone had been placed there.
It was Ashies’ first experience with loss.
*****
Several days passed after Darka’s funeral.
Letting go of someone is never easy—especially in a small, tightly-knit village, where that person had been the chief.
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It would be foolish to place value on death, yet the impact of losing someone so important was undeniable.
Even though they didn’t openly show it, everyone carried their grief in some corner of their hearts.
“Karami... the people...”
Ashies, sensing the somber mood, called out to Karami as if asking for help.
But this time, even he didn’t step in.
“It’s something time will take care of.”
Knowing when to get involved and when to step back—
It was a fundamental rule for any merchant.
Even after spending a month together, they were still outsiders.
There was no way to fully share in the villagers’ grief. Interfering would only make things worse.
Besides, Karami had faith in the resilience of the northern people.
They would stand back up on their own, without his intervention.
“So let’s get ready to head back.”
It was time to return to Doomheim.
They had fewer belongings now than when they’d first arrived.
There was no need to dismantle the tents and supplies the dwarves had set up—those would stay behind for the villagers to continue using.
As they packed up step-by-step, preparing for their departure, Ashies thawed out Harglan.
Crack—
The ice cracked and flaked off, falling to the ground.
The first thing Harglan did after breathing fresh air for the first time in a month was—
“You damned scrawny bastard!!!”
His furious roar echoed through the village.
Though his body had been frozen, his consciousness remained intact the entire time.
He remembered everything—
From the moment he froze until now.
Grabbing Karami by the collar, Harglan shook him violently. Karami’s body flailed like a ragdoll.
“Why are you doing this to me~?”
“Why?! You turned me into a frozen statue, and you ask why?!”
“I didn’t do it. It was Miss Ashies.”
“...What?”
Ashies, suddenly accused out of nowhere, let out a startled sound filled with disbelief. It was the most shocked reaction she’d ever given.
Grinning smugly, Karami started weaving his narrative.
“Who froze you, Harglan?”
“...Karami... told... her to...”
“Who froze you?”
“...Karami... said...”
“Who froze you?”
“...Karami...”
Ashies tried to protest, but Karami, hardened by years of merchant trickery, was unstoppable.
“Who froze you?”
“...Me.”
Satisfied with forcing a confession, Karami smirked triumphantly.
“See? Miss Ashies froze you. You know it was wrong, right? Don’t do it again, okay?”
“...Sorry...”
“You see? She’s deeply reflecting on her actions. Harglan, won’t you be merciful and let it slide this time?”
Nodding as if he’d achieved some profound realization, Harglan’s gaze hardened with determination.
He gripped his hammer tightly.
“You’re evil incarnate. Killing you here and now might actually save the world. Even the god Vargan would applaud me.”
“Haha. You think you can kill me? I have Miss Ashies on my side. Right, Miss Ashies?”
“...”
“...Miss Ashies?”
Ashies avoided Karami’s gaze, subtly turning her head away.
She fiddled with the music box, pretending not to notice him.
“The fact that even she’s ignoring you proves you really are evil. Come here, you bastard.”
*****
After a wild chase with Harglan, Karami managed to avoid being smashed by his hammer.
It was only thanks to Ashies reluctantly stepping in to help. Without her, he might have ended up as a permanent fixture in Lake Fortress—a human post.
With everything prepared, Karami turned back just before climbing onto the sled. The villagers had all gathered to see them off.
It had only taken one month—
One month for the once-hostile villagers to accept Karami’s group as their own.
Feeling justified in his pride, Karami waved to the crowd.
“We’ll be off now. Dwarf craftsmen will arrive soon to build the bridge. They mean no harm, so please don’t drive them away.”
As planned, the reconstruction of the collapsed bridge had been commissioned to Doomheim’s dwarves.
There were no artisans in the world more skilled than them, making it a perfect choice.
Thanks to Karami’s various achievements, the villagers accepted his words without objection.
“Brother! Someday, I’m going to be a slave trader like you and make a beautiful slave like Sister!”
“I’ll be looking forward to it. When the time comes, let’s have a slave battle.”
“Goodbye, Sister Ferca! Goodbye, Sister Ashies!”
“Defeat that evil dragon for us!”
The villagers cheered and encouraged them as if they were sending heroes off to slay a demon lord.
In the crowd, Yorn crossed his arms and observed the group.
Having succeeded Darka as the village chief, he maintained his usual stern demeanor.
And then, in a low voice—
“Farewell.”
He spoke a single word.
There are moments in life when even pride must be set aside.
This was one of those moments.
Karami had done more than save their people.
He had helped Darka as well.
Even though she had been a senile old woman who might have forgotten everything anyway—
The villagers had turned a blind eye, pretending it didn’t matter.
But Karami hadn’t avoided it.
He had chosen to face it head-on.
Even though he could have dismissed it as someone else’s problem.
Thanks to him, Darka had been able to let go of her regrets and leave the world with a peaceful smile.
Surely, by now, she and Baskal were reunited—
Traveling together on their eternal journey.
Yes, surely.
“Ugh, that gave me chills. Don’t do that again—it doesn’t suit you.”
Yorn still didn’t like Karami, but—
The frost wolves began to move.
The sled started to leave the village.
“Don’t bother waiting for us. We’re not coming back. It’s too damn cold here.”
“Hahaha! You’re insane, as always! Get out of here already!”
“Goodbye, pretty sister!”
“You better come back!”
Ashies also waved to the villagers who called out to her.
The frost wolves quickened their pace, and before long, the village disappeared from view.
Karami stopped waving and leaned back into his seat.
“Can you believe it’s already been a month? It went by in a flash, right?”
“Because of you, you skinny bastard. I closed my eyes for a second, and suddenly it’s been a month!”
“Haha... I guess I really did go overboard, huh?”
“If I hadn’t frozen him, we wouldn’t be getting a send-off—we’d have been kicked out ages ago.”
Controlling a hot-blooded dwarf was no easy task.
If Harglan hadn’t been frozen, the other dwarves would have caused endless trouble trying to reshape the village.
Freezing him had kept them in check, making them more manageable.
Ignoring Harglan’s endless grumbling, Karami focused on reaching Doomheim as quickly as possible.
*****
Arriving in an instant, Skadia checked its nest.
Signs of intrusion—
The crystals were melted, and Ashies was gone.
Who dared to invade Skadia’s lair and steal its princess?
Enraged, Skadia roared toward the heavens.
It had to bring her back—
Immediately.
If left unchecked, her beauty would fade.
Skadia turned to its enchanted mirror.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?”
The mirror answered.
But the reflection that appeared was not Ice Princess Ashies Friana.
It showed four women.
A red-haired human.
A pale elf.
A maid.
And a pink-haired fox girl.
Ashies was nowhere to be seen.
A question mark hovered in Skadia’s mind.
Shouldn’t the fairest be a single person? Why did four appear?
They were certainly beautiful, but none suited Skadia’s taste.
Two of them weren’t even adults.
Was the mirror broken?
Just as the thought crossed its mind—
The four women turned their heads simultaneously.
Their gazes locked onto the mirror.
As if they sensed Skadia’s presence.
And they spoke:
“Stop staring.”
“What are you looking at?”
“Don’t spy on us.”
“Stop looking at Rin.”
Crash!
Overwhelmed by the pressure they emitted, Skadia flinched and shattered the mirror in panic.
It panted, drenched in cold sweat.
Had it just been intimidated by mortals?
The Frost Dragon Skadia?
Unthinkable.
An awkward silence followed.
Skadia regained its composure.
It could simply find Ashies on its own.
Her beauty would be impossible to miss.
Flapping its wings, Skadia took to the skies once more.
What it didn’t know—
Was that the mirror wasn’t broken.
And that those touched by the name of freedom bore a beauty that no one else could replicate.