Blessing of the Snowfield.
It was the Queen’s blessing, cast across the entire Kingdom of Luhan upon its founding.
Not only did it protect Luhan from the Empire’s present invasion, but it was also the barrier that had shielded the kingdom from countless invasions throughout its history.
Its effect was simple, yet magnificent. If slaughter was committed within the barrier’s reach, the Blessing of the Snowfield activated.
Once the blessing activated, the being committing the slaughter froze solid and died.
It was also an exceptionally intelligent barrier, so it did not operate when the killing had a just cause.
Perhaps that was why the animals and monsters of the Kingdom of Luhan rarely attacked people. The barrier recognized them preying on one another as legitimate killing, but judged attacks on people to be unjustified.
The Blessing of the Snowfield was strongest in Wintella, the royal capital where the palace stood. It grew fainter the farther one traveled from there. Thus, it was very weak in places such as the remote outskirts of a margrave’s territory.
***
The brother and sister prepared to sleep outdoors.
It was their first time camping with so few people.
Lunacirne, who had served as their radar all day, must have been tired. Though it was still early evening, she immediately fell asleep, while Solacius stood watch in place of his younger sister.
Lunacirne had set up an alarm artifact and a barrier, and they were in an inner region where the Blessing of the Snowfield was strong, so it was safe. Still, Solacius was not accustomed to such circumstances yet, and his needless unease kept him awake.
‘I don’t have a hobby of swinging a sword through empty air.’
To pass the dull night, Solacius picked up Wintella.
Its design was closer to that of a treasured sword. Yet it was a magic sword. It had a sharp edge, but it was not suited for cutting or thrusting.
He would not be fighting with this sword in the future, either.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH.
Still, it should be fine when he practiced as though he were swinging a wooden sword, like now.
‘In the end, I didn’t run into any beasts, monsters, or bandits.’
Solacius looked around. He had put as much distance as possible between himself and the tent where Lunacirne slept.
He stood in an open space with a rocky hill in view and closed his eyes.
FWOOSH.
He activated the mana within his body and unleashed a Sun Ability.
First came the Sun Sword.
FSSSH.
Frost and vapor billowed from the blade of the blue sword.
“!!”
Solacius’s eyes widened at the sight. The Sun Sword, which should have been shrouded in dazzling light, had failed to activate.
He rehung Wintella from his waist, then drew another sword.
FLARE!
When he activated the Sun Sword, the blade lit up.
“…….”
However, it was not as bright and vast as before, enough to engulf the entire sword.
Only faint particles of light flowed along the blade.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH.
When he swung the sword, the light particles fluttered beautifully and showed off their radiance.
FLARE, FLARE.
He then used his other Sun Abilities.
He fired the long-range skill, ‘Trace of Light,’ at the rocky hill in the distance.
BOOM!
An explosive blast rang out, but it lacked its former firepower. Upon closer inspection, he saw a fist-sized hole bored deep into the rock.
“……?”
The severity on Solacius’s face eased into puzzlement.
FWOOSH.
Next, he used the area-of-effect skill, Field of Scorching Heat. Summer nights in the Kingdom of Luhan were chilly, but perhaps because of the Field of Scorching Heat, the area struck by the skill was as hot as a pit of fire.
Still, both its range and firepower were weaker than the Field of Scorching Heat he had used before.
“Hmm…….”
Lastly, he decided to try his ultimate skill, Descendant of the Sun.
FLARE!
Luminous particles of light rippled around Solacius’s body. Despite the dark evening, his body shone like a lighthouse. All manner of glows and halos fluttered around him.
However, there was an unmistakable difference from the original Armor of Light.
‘I haven’t tried Lantern of Dawn or Light Shield, but they’ve probably weakened in a similar way.’
He dispelled Descendant of the Sun and formed the Sun Sword once more.
SLICE.
Then he swung his sword at the rocky hill.
It did not explode as it had with the original Sun Sword. Instead, the rock was cleanly severed in one stroke.
“……?!”
Solacius was unsure whether he should take this as good news or bad.
Still, he felt no aftereffects even after using his Sun Abilities.
‘Did I gain one thing in exchange for giving up another?’
He set the blue sword at his waist on the ground, then moved roughly five meters away.
The farther he moved, the ground around Wintella began to freeze.
‘Hmm…….’
In contrast, the aftereffects of his Sun Abilities struck Solacius hard.
Gritting his teeth, he infused the Sun Sword into the sword in his hand.
FLARE!
The original Sun Sword’s dazzling light appeared.
FWOOSH!
At the same time, an intense heat surged through his body with agonizing pain.
The side effects he had not felt in a long time had not diminished at all. If anything, the pain seemed to stack higher the more he used his Sun Abilities.
“!!”
The pain was so severe that Solacius nearly lost consciousness.
He hurriedly extinguished the Sun Sword and picked up Wintella. The aftereffects vanished in an instant.
‘If I use the Sun Abilities without Wintella, I might die!’
The thought flashed through his mind like a warning light.
“This is ridiculous.”
His incredulous mutter swept across the top of the ruined rocky hill.
Let’s sort this out.
If he possessed the blue magic sword that had descended from the sky, Wintella, and used his Sun Abilities, there were no side effects. In exchange, their power diminished.
If he used his Sun Abilities without the blue sword nearby, their original power returned. However, the side effects also returned. Worse, those side effects seemed to stack up like compound interest.
His gaze turned to the rocky hill.
‘It’s not entirely bad.’
He saw the deep, narrow hole and the chunk of rock that had been cleanly cut apart.
‘It’s more precise and cleaner. Above all, it’s safer.’
By comparison, he had fought with nuclear missiles until now. He had effectively used nuclear weapons against tanks, fighter jets, and even infantry.
But now, he could fight as precisely and safely as he would with Tomahawk missiles. The problem was that his power had fallen greatly, but missile-level power was still more than enough to sweep away most enemies.
The problem was that he still could not use the Sun Abilities at their original strength.
‘If I use Descendant of the Sun even once without the magic sword…… I have to consider it the same as self-destruction.’
Considering the aftereffects he had just experienced, it was effectively unusable.
‘At this strength, I can fight ordinary enemies and, at best, the Four Heavenly Kings. But…… to fight the Demon King, I need to bring out one hundred percent of the Sun Abilities’ power.’
Solacius stroked the cold blue magic sword and sank into thought.
How could he bring out one hundred percent of the Sun Abilities’ power without suffering side effects?
It did not seem as though there was no way.
***
Having finished her duties for the day, Lucifurne sat on her bed.
With hesitant eyes, she looked at the orb beside it.
Solacius’s reaction when she had last seen him still weighed on her mind.
Why had he not been happy when she said she would give him territory and a title? Why had he looked as though he disliked it?
For that reason, she hesitated to synchronize with Wintella.
She was curious, but she feared that she might not be able to bear it if she learned the reason.
“Still.”
However, her hesitation did not last long. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on the orb.
‘That witch, Rina Shalut—or perhaps Rina Reverse. I don’t know what she might do.’
She was worried about what that suspicious woman, who shared a name with the Grand Witch of Death, might do. She overcame her fear and hesitation with the desire to protect the man she loved.
Having completed the synchronization, Lucifurne hurriedly looked around.
Solacius came into view.
With the night sky painted by moonlight and starlight draped around him like a cloak, he practiced swordsmanship.
Even to someone who knew little about swordsmanship, he looked dashing and beautiful.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH, SWISH.
His swordsmanship was sometimes ornate and sometimes practical.
There were techniques he had learned on Earth, along with Elven swordsmanship that Solacius had learned in the Fairy Forest.
The swordsmanship of two worlds unfolded within the same space, and completely different styles linked together naturally.
The techniques he had initially performed in sequence began to mingle and merge, evolving into a new form of swordsmanship.
Before he knew it, Solacius had become completely absorbed and begun performing a sword dance.
Radiance flickered around his sword.
‘So he was training.’
This was good in its own way. Just as with his clean-shaven face, it was the first time she had seen Solacius training.
‘Are those traces of his training?’
There was a rocky hill nearby, and it had been artificially destroyed.
‘Amazing!’
Lucifurne admired him with pure wonder. There was a reason he had completed the near-impossible task she had given him before her regression.
WHOOSH, SWISH, SWISH, SHING.
Waves of light rose from Solacius’s body like a heat haze as he swung his sword. His training itself was a sword dance.
‘Beautiful…….’
Lucifurne felt enraptured as she watched Solacius’s swordsmanship.
‘Solacius.’
At the same time, her heart ached at the old memories that surfaced for no reason.
The only time she had ever seen Solacius fight was during his final battle against the Demon King.
The image of Solacius fighting the Demon King amid fluttering light and wind overlapped with his present form.
‘I was truly foolish and pathetic. I hate the person I was then enough to curse her.’
By the time she learned the truth and opened her heart to him, it had been too late. That was why this moment was so precious to her.
‘Wow……!’
Her initial thought of trying to speak to Solacius had vanished somewhere, as had her curiosity over why he had not welcomed the gift she sent him.
For now, only the beautiful, enchanting sword dance filled her vision.
To a Queen who was always lonely and bored, a sight like this was fresh and delightful.
The sword dance that had continued until dawn came to an end.
“Huff, huff, huff......”
Solacius, who had swung his sword in a state of complete absorption, set it down while breathing heavily and dripping with sweat.
Gulp.
Lucifurne did not know why, but she swallowed as she looked at the man drenched in sweat and heavy breaths.
“It’s hot.”
Even while wearing Wintella, Solacius had trained intensely for the first time in a long while—intensely enough to feel hot.
‘Until I fully restore the Sun Abilities, I need to focus on swordsmanship.’
That was why he had suddenly performed a sword dance. It was training he had done occasionally before, more like maintenance to keep from losing his touch. From now on, however, he would have to do it more intensely.
Solacius opened his Pocket-Dimension Inventory and took out a bucket filled with water.
It felt somewhat wasteful, but there was no helping it, as they were far from any water source.
After opening the bucket’s lid, Solacius removed his sweat-soaked shirt before washing himself.
‘!!’
It was a scene she had never imagined. Lucifurne was so startled that she nearly broke out of synchronization.
His sweat-soaked upper body, lit by the moon, gleamed beautifully.
His evenly developed upper-body muscles, defined abs, firm chest, and broad yet sleek shoulders were impressive.
SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH.
Lucifurne stared blankly as Solacius washed his hair, face, neck, chest, back, and arms.
‘Could he perhaps…… wash down there too(?)?’
The thought suddenly occurred to her. Her gaze kept drifting lower. Lucifurne’s heart pounded rapidly, and she somehow felt as though she might get a nosebleed. She felt both fear and anticipation over whether she could handle even his lower body(?).
However, Solacius only washed his upper body. There was little water, and perhaps because Wintella hung at his waist, he had barely sweated below the waist.
‘Ah…… Whew……!’
When he stood after washing only his upper body, Lucifurne felt both disappointment and relief as she took a deep breath.
He put his sweat-soaked shirt into the remaining water and quickly washed it by hand, then walked toward the tents.
There were two tents at the campsite.
‘Thankfully, they don’t sleep together!’
At the sight, Lucifurne let out an even deeper sigh of relief.
Solacius roughly hung his hand-washed shirt in front of the tent to dry, then entered it.
It was narrow inside, but cozy as well.
‘……?!’
They were alone together in a narrow, enclosed space. Moreover, Solacius was completely shirtless at the moment.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
Though she was only experiencing it indirectly through her synchronization with Wintella, Lucifurne felt as though her heart might burst.
Solacius, who had no way of hearing the Queen’s heartbeat, casually lay down on the straw mat spread across the floor.
It was nearly morning, but he intended to close his eyes, if only for a little while.
After swinging his sword all night, he had come to accept that security in areas where the Blessing of the Snowfield was strong was as safe as South Korea before the Great War. Lunacirne would be waking soon anyway.
Lying on the floor, Solacius unfastened Wintella from his waist. He considered placing it by his head, but instead held it against his chest.
Then, like a bamboo body pillow, he tucked it into his arms and closed his eyes.
‘……!!’
Solacius’s bare upper body filled her vision with the color of his skin.
Lucifurne instinctively raised the synchronization level to its maximum.
Then Solacius’s body heat, soft skin, and firm upper-body muscles were transmitted to the Queen through Wintella.
Even the breaths from Solacius’s mouth and nose felt as close as though she were hearing them right beside her.
‘!!’
Lucifurne experienced her mind turning blank.
At that moment, she could not think of anything at all.