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Chapter 33
The lord's castle of House Trevis, located at the heart of Cormir.
Though not extravagant, the white exterior of the building carried an air of luxury and grandeur, perfectly reflecting the dignity unique to the Trevis family.
“You’re still working here?”
Ren greeted the familiar gatekeeper with a cheerful tone.
But the man turned his gaze away with a sullen expression.
“What’s with the face? Haven’t we already become acquaintances?”
Ren threw an arm over his shoulder, only for the gatekeeper to gently push it away and open the door.
“Please… go in.”
“You don’t have to be so formal.”
“I insist.”
Seeing his stiff face made Ren chuckle.
“So prickly.”
It was obvious the gatekeeper was suppressing his anger.
It was already amusing that someone as proud and dismissive as him, who judged people based solely on appearances, ended up as a gatekeeper.
Had he instead picked up a weapon and joined the royal army, he might have climbed higher up the ranks—considering his personality.
Once inside, a waiting butler escorted Ren into the mansion.
“Have you eaten, sir?”
“Not yet.”
“Then allow me to take you to the dining room.”
As they entered, a variety of dishes were just being placed on the table.
Seated first, Cohen greeted Ren and gestured for him to sit.
“You must be hungry. I hear Caleb made you quite a fine weapon?”
“Yes. A weapon so valuable that money alone couldn’t compensate for it.”
Cohen, slicing meat with his head bowed, lifted his eyelids to glance at Ren.
He was trying to assess whether Ren was exaggerating.
While Caleb was indeed a skilled blacksmith, he wasn’t exactly renowned for forging legendary weapons.
“To that extent…?”
“Yes. I’m grateful to House Trevis for introducing me to such a master craftsman, and to you, Lord Cohen.”
Ren’s polite gratitude made Cohen lower his gaze again and resume slicing his meat.
As the neat clinking of knife and fork continued, Cohen finally spoke again.
“I’ve spoken to the head of the house. Seems he trusts you quite a bit.”
‘He trusts me?’
Ren was surprised.
Though Layton owed him a favor from the last incident, he didn’t think it amounted to trust.
Of course, it might be due to Ren’s unusual abilities—but it still felt like a stretch to say he was trusted.
“I suppose he sees me in a favorable light.”
“I heard you played a big part in the desert expedition. That the Third Prince owes his life to you.”
“I assure you, it wasn’t much.”
Ren calmly observed Cohen’s expression.
It didn’t seem like he was planning to take him to the cemetery immediately.
That constant suspicion and need to verify things—even if the other party noticed—was likely a result of Cohen’s personality and confidence.
“How did you come to be a gravekeeper?”
“…My father once told me, never forget the past. That the places we live in now are all part of their legacy.”
Cohen was momentarily at a loss for words at the unexpected response.
Ren’s father—Fletcher Arzen, head of House Arzen—had abandoned Brillant and moved to the Baran Empire.
For him to have said that?
Cohen let out a dry laugh.
‘Well… maybe I’m in no place to laugh at that.’
A bitter smile crossed his face.
“I was young back then. The current head is a different story, of course.”
“Don’t you resent him? Even after what happened, you still follow his words?”
“My hatred for my father and the truth in his words are separate matters. Among all the things he taught me, I believe that lesson had the most value.”
“Impressive.”
Cohen took a moment to think, then slowly sipped some wine.
“That’s the only reason?”
“There are many factors, but if I had to name the biggest—yes. After Arzen left for the Baran Empire, there were no descendants left to tend to the ancestors' graves.”
“There really are all kinds of people in this world. In our youth, we’re full of vigor, prone to mistakes, and often unwilling to compromise with reality.”
His gaze drifted somewhere distant, filled with deep regret.
Ren could tell he was thinking of someone as he spoke.
“But you’re different. Some things are only understood after they’ve passed. Especially when you’re young—they’re even harder to see. Then again, maybe you can’t relate.”
How could he not relate?
Ren had once been that way—and had regretted it to the point of madness.
That’s how he’d learned.
Though Cohen didn’t know that.
“…”
Cohen gave a bitter smile.
“Did I ramble too much?”
“Not at all. I enjoyed hearing your story.”
“Hah, you really don’t seem like someone your age.”
Cohen and Ren finished the meal and rose from their seats.
“Follow me.”
Cohen led Ren to the cemetery where generations of Trevis family heads were buried.
Located deep within the great lord’s castle, the site was heavily guarded and not easily accessible.
The graveyard of House Trevis.
They passed through a maze of corridors, so complex it was hard to tell how far down they had come, until a massive iron door finally appeared.
“It’s been a long time since an outsider entered this graveyard. Even the family’s children rarely step foot here.”
“It’s an honor.”
A mysterious aura radiated from within.
Ren’s sharpened senses told him that something surrounded the iron door.
“There’s something here.”
‘He noticed that instantly?’
Cohen Trevis looked at Ren with suspicion.
Could it be that saving Louise in the desert wasn’t just a matter of luck?
The barrier passed down through the family was difficult to detect unless one touched it directly.
At the very least, it usually required a high-ranking knight to sense its distortions.
"A barrier. This is a barrier created to protect the Garden of Ice."
As if accustomed to it, Cohen placed his palm over the family crest engraved in the center of the iron gate and channeled his energy into it.
Thud—
And the door slowly opened.
A cold breeze slipped through the narrow gap, brushing against Ren’s skin.
“Whoa…”
What appeared as the door opened was a world of white and blue.
Loneliness and silence swept in, buried beneath the frost.
How could the weather be so different just within this boundary?
Even the air was different.
Unlike the cool air outside, a biting, freezing cold engulfed the interior.
It was winter here.
“It’s nothing to be surprised about. Such barriers weren’t so rare a few centuries ago.”
“But this isn’t a few centuries ago, is it?”
“Indeed, but this ancient barrier has yet to lose its power and remains intact.”
Ren looked around in awe, repeatedly exclaiming in surprise.
“It feels like a different world.”
He turned back and looked outside the Garden of Ice.
Exactly along the iron gate’s boundary, a completely different world unfolded.
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“Come on. If you space out, you might get lost.”
“I’m not that bad with directions.”
“Was that supposed to be a joke?”
As Cohen snapped sharply, Ren awkwardly shut his mouth.
“This is a new space created by distorting the original one. There’s a saying that you can survive inside a barrier if you stay sharp. Which, of course, means if you’re not alert, it’ll be hard to survive. If you stray from the designated path, the barrier will make you lose your way, so be careful.”
“Yes, sir.”
Who on earth created this barrier?
The ancestor of the Havenberg family often spoke about the past.
There were many extraordinary tales, and this barrier was equally astonishing.
Just how insane must people have been during that era?
And how far has this continent fallen now?
If the demons were to invade again, could we really stop them?
A hero of future generations.
One who must stop the invasion of demons and prevent the kingdom’s downfall.
Whenever he faced legacies of the past like this, he couldn’t help but doubt whether that was truly possible.
“This is the former head’s grave.”
A rounded tomb, with a headstone placed in front of it.
The grave, covered not in grass but in snow and ice, looked strange.
The spreading frost and ice flowers almost looked like decorative ornaments for the tombstone.
‘Abel Trevis.’
The name of the former head was boldly inscribed on the tombstone.
And then—
—You’ve come again…
His spirit emerged from the grave, gazing at Cohen with a pitiful expression.
—Hmm…? Who is this?
After sighing at Cohen for a while, he finally noticed Ren standing beside him and tilted his head.
Ren tried to ignore the ghost’s gaze, not wanting to reveal his abilities.
—Why bring someone who’s not of the Trevis family to the family’s cemetery…
He shook his head and held his face in his hands.
—Ah… Cohen. Have you really strayed this far, unable to lift the curse of frost?
It seemed he had a serious misunderstanding, but there was no way to correct him.
“This is the grave of the head before the last one.”
Cohen stepped past Abel’s grave and introduced another tomb further in.
‘Ruben Trevis… So this was the former former head.’
Unlike Abel, Ruben’s spirit didn’t emerge right away.
Perhaps he had been asleep for much longer.
“May I approach and touch the grave?”
“…Go ahead.”
Cohen looked a bit reluctant but nodded.
Ren approached and brushed the writing on the tombstone with his hand, channeling his spiritual energy.
“Please awaken.”
[Using spiritual energy to awaken Ruben Trevis.]
[Ruben Trevis is awakening.]
It worked.
He was worried he might not have enough spiritual energy, but it didn’t consume much.
Based on his past experience, the amount of spiritual energy required seemed to vary depending on how deeply the spirit was asleep.
Also, it seemed that the soul’s power affected how much he could influence it.
—Ugh… What is this? Did you wake me?
Ruben frowned deeply and glared at Ren.
“Yes, I did.”
—Hah. A human who can see spirits? What are you? Why are you here…? Never mind, I can guess.
Ruben glanced at Cohen standing behind Ren and spoke again.
—Did Cohen bring you? To control the frost overtaking his body?
“That’s correct.”
Ruben slowly scanned Cohen with a doubtful gaze.
Something told Ren that this wouldn’t be an easy conversation.
“Are you really talking to him?”
Cohen asked skeptically from behind.
“Yes.”
Ren gave a short reply and turned back to Ruben.
Nothing had been confirmed yet, but for now, Cohen just stood quietly, watching.
—Still as suspicious as ever, I see.
“Seems like it.”
—Do you know why he ended up like that?
“I do not.”
Ren knew it was due to the trait of being the Master of Frost, but he couldn’t say that with Cohen standing behind him.
—Our family has a hereditary trait. A rare constitution called the Master of Frost. It enhances our swordsmanship immensely, but it also comes with side effects. That’s why Cohen is in that state.
“I want to know how to fix it.”
—…You want to know how.
Ruben’s eyes turned cold.
He gazed at Cohen with a freezing stare.
Then shook his head.
—It was unfortunate that Abel died unexpectedly and the knowledge of handling the Master of Frost was lost. But if someone with a misguided mindset handles that power, it could harm the family instead.
“Lord Cohen is not that kind of person.”
…Probably.
…At least, I hope so.
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