Chapter 30
“This is troublesome.”
Kallias observed the shadows spreading in all directions, surrounding him as they approached.
As they drew closer, their forms became clearer.
They were armed assassins, swords in hand.
“Of all times…”
Kallias sighed quietly as he scanned his surroundings.
“They’re not Northerners.”
Even without confronting them directly, he could tell easily.
If they were Northerners, they wouldn’t have chosen this location or weather for an assassination attempt.
Especially not when—
Whoooong!
Wheeeoooo!
—such strange sounds echoed nearby.
The assassins seemed unaware that Kallias had noticed their presence.
They must not have known much about the physical capabilities of people from Ronhaim, the northernmost part of the North.
Ronhaim was a place where blizzards were constant. For its residents, this kind of weather was normal. As a result, they had exceptional ability to discern their surroundings even amidst storms.
“Judging by how poorly they researched their target, someone must’ve been in a rush to send them after my head.”
It was most likely someone displeased with his engagement to Chloe.
“Who could it be…”
The assassins continued narrowing the perimeter, hiding behind trees and rocks.
Kallias held the hilt of his sword with one hand and the reins of his horse with the other.
Then, one of the assassins gave a sharp, piercing whistle.
Fweeet!
At that signal, they all rushed at Kallias from every direction.
As the distance closed, their figures became even more distinct.
One of them charged at the horse, perhaps to prevent Kallias from escaping, while three others swung their swords at him simultaneously.
“Hyaah!”
“Die!”
Yet, even then, Kallias didn’t draw his sword.
“……”
He merely stood still, gripping his sword hilt and reins firmly.
Thinking they had succeeded in their surprise attack, one assassin boldly aimed for Kallias’s neck.
But at that very moment—
“Urk!”
“Huh?!”
“Guh!”
With sharp cries, the assassins vanished one by one, as if yanked into the air—like fish caught on a hook. It all happened in an instant.
“Whiiinny!”
Startled, the horse neighed loudly.
But Kallias, who had anticipated this from the start, kept a firm grip on the reins and calmly soothed it.
“Shhh. It’s okay. You’re fine.”
Then came the terrifying screams from all directions.
“AAAH! What is that?! AAH!”
“Get away from me! No! AAAH!”
“Help! Help me! Kugh!”
Through the wind, there were sounds of things snapping and bones breaking.
Kallias clicked his tongue.
“That’s why it’s troublesome to attack in a place like this.”
He tied the horse to a nearby tree and began walking through the snow toward the direction of the screams.
Crunch!
“Aaagh! P-Please spare me…!”
A pale, white creature was entangled with a black-clad assassin.
Kallias swung his sword sheath lightly at the white beast clinging to the assassin.
“Calm down, Whitey. Good girl.”
Growl!
The blood-covered creature raised its face—it was a snow lynx, nicknamed “Phantom of the Snow.”
When standing, it was about Chloe’s size—the smallest feline predator in the North.
In Ronhaim, which was home to many large animals, snow lynxes were considered small and even cute. But when faced as predator and prey, they were anything but adorable.
Kallias gently tapped the growling lynx with the sheath, not hard enough to hurt it.
“Shoo, shoo. Eat something healthier.”
Yowl!
Still licking its lips and ready to pounce again, the snow lynx was distracted when Kallias tossed it a dried fish from his pouch.
It dashed forward with astonishing speed and caught the treat mid-air.
Then, as if becoming transparent, it blended into the snowy background and vanished.
That was why the lynx was called the Phantom of the Snow.
Its white-and-gray fur made perfect camouflage in the snow-covered mountains, making it hard to spot even from nearby—especially in a blizzard.
Snow lynxes left almost no footprints and could hide their presence with amazing skill.
Although they were powerful predators, they usually didn’t threaten humans, as they didn’t like human flesh.
But a starving lynx? That was a different matter. A hungry predator doesn’t get picky.
“Hey, wake up.”
Kallias nudged a bleeding assassin who had collapsed.
“Ugh!”
Groaning, the man woke up.
The moment he spotted Kallias towering over him, he reached quickly for a fallen sword—but failed.
His right arm had already been torn off by the lynx’s sharp teeth.
Staring at his empty shoulder in disbelief, the man screamed.
“U-Uaaaagh!”
Blood splattered across the white snow.
“He’ll die soon anyway.”
Kallias muttered loudly enough for the man to hear, then turned away.
“Let’s see about the others.”
Leaving the lone survivor, he began checking on the others.
The screams that had echoed moments ago were now gone.
“Are they all dead?”
As expected, the others had already perished.
“Spotty. Stripey.”
Kallias called out names, but the lynxes, now feasting on the warm, fresh corpses, ignored him completely.
“You must’ve been very hungry.”
Even Whitey, having finished her dried fish, joined the feast.
Kallias gently stroked the heads of the lynxes, their faces buried in the corpses.
“Eating junk food once in a while can’t be helped.”
It was just bad luck for the assassins to attack when the lynxes were famished.
“I wanted to keep them alive…”
That would’ve helped uncover the mastermind.
“At least I managed to save one.”
These lynxes were under Kallias’s care.
They had followed him from Ronhaim to Avenet and had been waiting near the teleportation circle for his return.
Why? Because every time Kallias returned, he brought them special dried fish treats.
“Guess I left you guys hungry too long. You even chewed on tasteless human meat.”
The smart lynxes had learned to keep their bellies empty while waiting, knowing Kallias usually returned after about a month.
But this time, he’d been delayed by his engagement, leaving them hungrier than usual.
So when they were already agitated and demanding dried fish, the assassins had attacked.
The irritated lynxes lost all restraint.
They bit first, and once they tasted blood, it was over.
Just in case, Kallias checked the assassins’ clothes.
Hoping for some clue about their identities.
Of course, there was nothing.
“Not like they’d carry ID while out on a murder job.”
With no leads, he turned away.
“I should check the lodgings. There might be more of them.”
He wasn’t too worried—his subordinates were reliable—but he still needed to get to Chloe quickly.
Just then, Brenthian’s voice cut through the blizzard.
“Marquis! Where are you? Marquis!”
“Brenthian, I’m here.”
Kallias rode over to him.
“Ah, there you are. But… what is all that?”
Brenthian pointed at the blood-covered snow and scattered bodies.
Even through the snowstorm, the gruesome scene was clearly visible.
“Assassins came.”
“Assassins? And during the lynxes’ mealtime, of all times?”
Brenthian slapped his thigh in dismay.
“Damn, they’re all dead, huh? We could’ve used them to trace the mastermind.”
“I spared one. He was fleeing—you didn’t see him?”
“Must’ve missed him. If I had, I would’ve taken him to the city on horseback. Do you think he’ll survive?”
“The fortress isn’t far. He seemed to have a tourniquet.”
As they rode, Kallias asked,
“You’re protecting the princess well, right?”
“I told them to guard her like their lives depended on it. If anything happens to her, Arental won’t stay quiet.”
Brenthian added with uncertainty,
“But Sir Hawick seems to be struggling with the imperial knights. They’re blocking access to the princess’s floor.”
Kallias furrowed his brows.
“Then there’s a gap in security.”
