Chapter 57
Kalihiel
—Awooooo! Wo, Wooo! Woooooo!
“What was that? Was that a wolf?”
The knights’ hair stood on end as their eyes darted around.
Almost the moment the howling rang out, Aidan leapt to his feet. His eyes narrowed sharply as his gaze swept left and right, shadows creasing his brow.
Everyone held their breath, frozen in place, watching only him.
Then—his ears twitched slightly, and his eyes widened.
He barked in a low, urgent voice:
“Put out the fire! Hide yourselves! And stay silent!”
“What? Put out the fire?”
Teddy blinked in confusion. Fire was useful against wild beasts, not useless—so why put it out?
“Shut up and do what His Highness says!”
The man who seemed to be the captain of the knights smacked Teddy on the head and shot up. Teddy’s lute slipped from his hands, falling with a thump!
That sound was like a signal. At Aidan’s command, the other knights immediately dashed to douse the campfire, moving in perfect coordination.
Brody, half sitting up with her blanket in hand, froze in hesitation.
“Excuse me.”
Before she could react, Aidan had wrapped the blanket tightly around her from head to toe.
Then he scooped her up.
“Ah!”
“Quiet.”
His tense voice filtered in through a small gap in the blanket.
Before she could even ask what was going on—or give any response at all—Aidan was already running with her in his arms.
The muscles in his arms were taut, as if about to burst. It was obvious something serious had just happened.
His speed was dizzying—like a gale. Brody instinctively clung to him, arms wrapping around his neck, gripping his shoulders tight so she wouldn’t fall.
Thump! Thump!
From over his shoulder, she saw it.
‘Th-that… that, that’s…!’
She pressed her lips against Aidan’s neck to smother her scream.
But behind them, other voices cried out in terror.
“Argh!”
“What—what is that?!”
Hearing the commotion, Aidan bit down on his lip.
“Damn fools. I told them not to make a sound.”
Shhhk— Aidan slid down a snowy slope—not a path, but a steep, treacherous incline—like a shadow, swift and silent.
In seconds, they had a hill at their backs and a hollow large enough to conceal them.
Brody trembled, peeking upward. Even with the slope shielding them, she could still see it.
Thump. Thump.
Over the tops of the conifers, a massive head rose—a wolf’s head, easily twice the height of the trees.
Beneath the white-furred head stretched a black, muscular body, looming like the shadow of a mountain.
And that mountain… had wings. Wings with each feather as long as a man’s height.
‘No matter how I look at it…! That has to be…!’
Kalihiel.
The familiar of the ice spirit Hieldieta.
‘A dream? It must be a dream. Otherwise, how could…?’
She had only just heard the tale, one that was practically a myth. A beast from legend—standing before her, alive.
‘But nobody said it was that big!’
Still clinging to Aidan, she craned her neck to look closer. Awe eclipsed her fear—the sheer majesty of the creature held her gaze.
Kalihiel’s wolf head darted about, scanning, searching—for prey?
Its glacial blue eyes, sharp as blades, rolled and then—locked onto her direction.
“……!”
Aidan yanked her head down, pressing it against his collarbone, his arm firm around her.
‘Eh?’
His heat, mixed with the wild scent of sweat and winter woods, overwhelmed her senses.
He pulled the blanket over both of them, cocooning them in a small, hidden space, where only their breathing filled the silence.
His lips moved cautiously, his chin brushing her forehead as he whispered:
“Don’t look at it. Meeting its eyes will do us no good.”
Brody whispered back, barely audible:
“Why?”
“…”
Her warm breath brushed his skin, muddling his thoughts. He frowned, steadying himself before answering:
“Hieldieta is mad. His familiar can’t possibly be whole. And that’s no leisurely stroll—it’s on the hunt. If it goes wild, we can’t contain it.”
“…Hmm.”
It did seem frantic—but desperate, not insane.
‘Hmm? What kind of thought is that?’
Her unpredictable mind made Aidan uneasy. She wasn’t even afraid? Could he really trust her sense of danger?
Thump. Thump.
The creature’s steps drew nearer, the ground trembling under its weight.
‘Damn. It’s coming this way.’
Through the gap in the blanket, Brody glimpsed one massive leg, as big as a tree trunk, slamming down. Then another.
The third and fourth should have followed—but instead, Kalihiel’s long neck bent low, lowering its wolfish face to the ground.
Snow and leaves scattered with every breath it sniffed out.
Aidan held Brody tighter, muscles tense, ready to move at any moment. She bit her lip, gripping him with all her strength.
‘It’s searching…’
Yes. Its movements were greedy, relentless.
And now—its massive snout was sniffing the ground right near their hill.
‘Damn it. Here of all places…’
If he’d been alone, he would gladly have played bait to protect the knights. But Brody? She had followed him into this cursed land—and now, because of him, faced this nightmare.
Rage pounded in his chest.
He leaned to her ear and whispered:
“Forgive me. Just endure this for a moment.”
“What?”
Before she could process, a biting chill spread over her body.
“—!”
Not like before—when his power had invaded her veins—but instead, it wrapped around her body like a suit of frost.
Still suffocating, still freezing—her body stiffened until she could not move at all.
Aidan laid her gently on the ground, hidden under the blanket, completely concealed.
Now, only he stood before Kalihiel.
Brody’s teeth chattered in terror.
‘Your Highness, what are you doing? You’re not planning to lure it away, are you?!’
The helplessness—the inability to see or move—terrified her even more than the cold.
Naturally, Kalihiel soon noticed Aidan.
He stood tall, deliberately shielding where Brody was hidden.
Its icy eyes swept over him.
And then—the air itself vibrated with a voice.
You…?
Aidan understood it.
He nodded, acknowledging the beast’s suspicion.
The air thrummed again.
This aura… you are Hieldieta’s child. Mason, was it? But you’re not the same boy I knew. What year is it now?
“Imperial year 771.”
Hah. Imperial years. To think my ears must suffer that accursed calendar.
The rumbling deepened, like thunder scraping his skin—Kalihiel’s anger bleeding into the air.
No ordinary human could endure it. But Aidan, closest of all to Hieldieta, bore it.
He was even relieved—it meant Kalihiel was not completely broken.
So, nearly eight hundred years have passed… no wonder everything feels strange.
The beast muttered, then spoke clearly again.
Good. If you are his child, you can help me. I am searching for Lady Cloria. Tell me if you know where she is.
“…Lady… Cloria?”
Aidan’s face stayed calm, but cold sweat trickled down his back.
Not all madness looks like madness. Some of it hides behind reason.
Do you not know? Hieldieta’s only beloved. She bore beautiful horns. Hah… to think his own child would not remember her…
Aidan bit his lip.
Horns. Hieldieta’s only lover. Cloria.
It had to be that Cloria. Not some namesake.
But Cloria had long since become part of history—ashes scattered to nature.
‘So… it is mad. Mad enough not to know she’s gone.’
His heart trembled. He understood.
If Brody died—because of him—would he not also lose his mind?
Yes. He understood Hieldieta.
And because of that—he gripped his sword hilt, vowing with all his being to protect Brody.
