Deia and the servants stared at me, blankly. Their faces frozen stiff, as if time had stopped.

Then, Deia broke the silence.

What? You said you will solve it in an hour?

Deia laughed sarcastically, as if only getting it now, and spoke with emphasis.

Do you even understand the situation? Try to get a clear understanding of the situation before running your mouth!

The barbarians crossing into Norseweden must have occupied our outpost on the ridge by now.

Deia frowned at me and glared at the other servants as I cut her off and spoke, her eyes asking if Id been informed beforehand.

They all shook their heads at the same time. Obviously. This was what the invisible Verdi servant told me.

Now that Id gained momentum, this was my chance. I recited the information Sukla had given me.

There are fewer of them than I thought. But they have surprisingly good weapons and have been progressing without much fighting.

Deia shifted her gaze to the bed. Dariuss contemplative face told me I was not spouting nonsense.

You misunderstood their purpose. Normally, barbarians flee in order to survive, but this time was different.

It was different this time.

That woman, Findenai, was not fleeing.

It was true that she was trying to cross the mountain range and hide in the Griffin Kingdom, but unlike the other barbarians, she intended to boldly walk in through the front door.

Its one thing for these barbarians to be battle-hardened veterans, but their leader is the biggest problem. A white wolf with bloodshot eyes.

I clicked my tongue.

At the mention of Findenais name, Darius immediately grimaced and rolled over, blood gushing from his wound.

Shes not a fugitive barbarian. Shes a resistance fighter directly opposing the brutal Clark Republic.

How do you know that?

I have my ways.

Normally, I would have bluntly replied that I didnt know, but I wanted to be as nice to Deia as possible.

Why? Because I knew what it felt like to be hurt by your own family.

Of course, my answer wasnt exactly gentle, as Deia frowned.

I cant treat them like ghosts.

Ghosts didnt need a reason, they just liked to be told what they wanted to hear.

They didnt understand cause and effect the way Deia did. Why did that matter when you were dead?

Give me warm wine and a lump of rice cake. Also, a fine cloth to wrap it in. If you can just wait for one hour, I will stop the barbarians from plundering Norseweden.

This brought us back to the original subject again.

Now that Id shown that I could gauge the enemys strength even while being detained, Id appealed as much as I could.

Now, it was up to Darius and Deia to make a decision.

Bullshit.

Of course, Deia refused.

How can I believe that? Youre going to fend off the entire influx of barbarians by yourself? With wine and rice cake? Are you kidding me? Are you going to have a drink with them and get to know each other?

You mustve learned how to act cool from somewhere.

Exasperated, Deia tried to go to ask for reinforcements from the surrounding nobles again.

However, lying on his bed, Darius grabbed Deias wrist.

As the Head of the Household, I command you. Go and take responsibility for your words, Deus.

Have you gone insane!?

Deia screamed in agony as she shook off his hand. She kept spitting out words at his stubbornness, even as her voice cracked.

Who cares about the title of Margrave! Are we truly willing to sacrifice those who believe in us and are refusing to leave their homeland?

He must have a way if hes saying such things.

Do you have no idea who he is? Hes Deus. Hes the kind of person wholl return in the morning and leave in the evening while drinking with a woman all day!

.

Youre not trusting in Deus, youre hoping for some random miracle; how is that any different than getting down on your knees and praying to God when a swarm of barbarians with spears and swords are right at your door?

Deias eyes were watering, and even I could see how much she cared about Norseweden and its people.

So I turned around and walked to the door.

I will leave in 10 minutes. Be prepared,

I relayed the short order to the servants and left.

Hey! Hey! Aaaagh!

I heard Deias screams from behind me. What I needed to do now was not plead with her to trust me.

Deus was too much of a scumbag for that. It was because there was no credibility in humans that simply asked for trust in their words.

It had to be shown through action.

And now was the time to prove it and get results.

10 minutes later,

I saw the servants waiting at the entrance of the mansion.

One of the maids carefully held a bundle wrapped in fine cloth.

I took it from her with care and braced myself.

I changed into a thick coat as I had to climb a mountain, and in my hand was a staff that was too good for my current magic skills.

I need to climb up a mountain, so the staff will be helpful.

I would probably use it more as a walking stick than for magic.

While I was tapping the floor with the tip of my staff, Deia came behind me and approached me with resentful eyes.

Judging from how her eyes were red and swollen, she must have cried quite a bit after I left.

Now that she was exhausted, she was breathing heavily.

I met her eyes and took a step closer to her.

If Im not back within an hour, contact Count Tolkien and Count Herameus for reinforcements.

Son of a bitch, if you cant do it, just say you cant! Do you know how many heads will be blown off if the request is an hour late?

I will succeed.

I would definitely succeed. I was confident that I would.

Even though I said it because she seemed very anxious, it seemed that she did not like the answer very much.

How should I handle this relationship?

At that moment, a thought popped in my head.

If.

I looked at Deia and said,

If I can solve this problem and come back

It might have been a bit forceful, but it was important to create the opportunity.

Five minutes in a day.

So I showed a faint smile.

It wasnt easy to smile, but Id done it before while saying goodbye to my fiance, so I was satisfied.

Just give me five minutes every day.

Deia stared at me, wide-eyed, as if she wasnt sure shed heard me correctly. Taking advantage of that opportunity, I reached out and carefully wiped the tears from her eyes.

If you make that much time for me, it will be a good enough reward.

That was all I had to say.

I turned around and walked away. I was sent off by the servants who bowed deeply toward the inadequate, undeserving me.

I set out from Norseweden, where the snow began to fall with strong winds in February.

It was a climb up the Norseweden Mountains.

I knew the roads were well made, but I didnt walk along the roads and instead climbed the rugged mountain.

The branches of the trees pierced my body with every step I took, and the piled-up snow reached my knees.

For someone who was supposed to be brimming with confidence, it didnt look good.

[Are you all right?]

Sukla, the ghost butler, followed me.

Id heard he could travel up to the mountains, so he was following me too.

Yes, Im fine.

Since I could use basic magic, I wasnt cold as I was using magic to keep myself warm.

It burnt the mana spread throughout the body.

In fact, it was magic that wasnt used often due to low efficiency, but carrying around a fireball was too conspicuous.

[Are you planning to ambush them?]

No, I cannot stop the barbarians with my skills.

[What? You mean]

Sukla was taken aback by my words, which were different from how I appeared at the mansion, but I calmly continued climbing up the mountain.

Now I was climbing the mountain range, and I would soon reach the outpost occupied by the barbarians.

My purpose was not them.

Kreung.

My body was throbbing. The atmosphere quaked, and I could feel the surrounding landscape distorting.

The ghost, Sukla, must have felt it too and looked around in amazement, but I reached out and stopped him.

Sukla, return to the mansion.

[What? But.]

The person I am about to meet. He wont welcome your presence.

Sukla gave a look of incomprehension, but when I remained resolute and unwilling to revoke my orders, he bowed deeply and disappeared.

[I wish you a safe return, Master.]

His voice faded away.

Then.

Kreung!

The sound of a thunderbolt hit my ears.

For a moment, I furrowed my brows without realizing it, but the corners of my mouth were slightly raised.

Im glad you remember me.

A ridge beyond the mountain.

Blue sapphire eyes, as opposed to Findenais bloodshot eyes.

Black stripes on white, long fangs.

Standing on all fours, the white tiger stared down at me.

I immediately used magic to clear the snow around me and knelt down, spreading out the fine cloth Id brought with me, and arranged the wine and rice cakes.

Im glad Findenai hadnt descended from the mountain yet.

Shes not just a warrior, but a resistance fighter under the name of Scrapyard Nomads, so I was grateful for her judgment to try to recover their fatigue.

I was thankful that she remained on the mountain.

Thanks to that, I could borrow his power.

The true Lord of the mountain, who had lived here for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

One whose claim over these grounds was so strong that the Margravate who protected the northern lands, the Verdi Household, could not even dare to raise their heads in his presence.

I bowed my head to him.

I humbly greet the Mountain Lord.