Chapter 4

“Ugh… huff…!”

A man in armor ran blindly forward, looking back repeatedly. The pitch-black darkness seemed to chase him from all directions, making it nearly impossible to see, but the man ran on regardless.

His stamina finally failed him. His legs gave out, and he collapsed after tripping over a protruding stone. He wanted to get up and keep running, but his heavy iron armor felt like it was crushing him, and his legs refused to move.

Then, someone appeared before him.

“You are the last human.”

“Plea… please spare me. I will never trespass into the realm of the gods again! Please, just my life…”

“That is not for me to decide. And you shouldn’t have done such a thing before building the tower in the first place.”

Without a shred of mercy, the man thrust his sword into the victim’s throat. The man died without even letting out a death rattle.

Pulling the sword out, the man shook off the blood and returned the blade to its sheath. His black eyes, framed by silver hair, were as cold and dark as an abyss.

With this, every human remaining in the Tower of Babel had vanished.

***

In the past, long before the Empire existed, humans built the Tower of Babel out of a desire to reach the divine realm. Watching the tower rise high enough to pierce the heavens, God grew angry and sent his seed to the human world.

He, called the Sword of God and the Demon of God, followed the divine command to kill every human in the Tower of Babel and tear the tower down. As if its height meant nothing, the Tower of Babel crumbled fruitlessly at the hands of the messenger.

Having fulfilled all commands, God ordered his Sword to return. However, a different answer came from his lips.

“I wish to rest. I will stay here a while longer.”

God intended to command him again for disobeying, but the thought suddenly occurred that the remaining humans might covet the divine realm once more. God granted his request, commanding him to remain as a watcher over humanity.

He collapsed the tower and retreated into a deep forest where no one dared enter, lying down to fall into a deep sleep. When he awoke from a dreamless slumber, humans—who now worshipped him of their own accord—sent him sacrifices.

As time passed after the fall of the Tower of Babel, humans who had been scattered across the continent began to gather, forming villages and eventually nations. To ensure they never repeated the mistake of the Tower of Babel, they built temples as a sign of their reverence for God. However, as ages passed, the temples—having accumulated vast wealth—began to grow corrupt.

Around that time, a rumor began to circulate through the streets.

“God has seen the state of the temples and grew angry, so He sent His Sword back to the human world!”

“What? Is that true?”

“Of course it is! My friend happened to see God in the forest, and they say He was a beautiful person with holy silver hair.”

“What does being beautiful have to do with being a servant of God?”

“Oh, hush! Don’t you know the legend of the Tower of Babel? They say the Sword and seed of God who came to destroy the tower was a beautiful being with silver hair. Silver hair is a symbol of holiness, a color only those close to God can possess. If that person isn’t a messenger of God, who else could it be!”

“Maybe they saw wrong?”

“No. Many people besides my friend have seen him.”

“Goodness! God really must be angry once again!”

The rumor spread uncontrollably. People despaired, believing they would all soon die, and cursed the temples. Fearing they would lose the wealth they had amassed, the temples sought to silence the public’s criticism by building a sanctuary for the messenger of God and sending him sacrifices to appease him.

A brown-haired girl, barely fourteen and still carrying baby fat, knelt before Ruslan, trembling violently.

“Stand up.”

“I… I have come as a sacrifice representing the humans.”

“Stop babbling, stand up, and lead me to your father.”

“With my lowly life, I pray your anger…”

“Open that mouth one more time, and I will erase your kingdom from the map. Lead me to your father.”

The girl shut her mouth, her face turning pale. She headed toward her home as Ruslan commanded. When the daughter—whom they thought would never even leave a corpse behind—returned alive, her family welcomed her with tears.

“Is that man the father?”

The girl nodded with eyes full of fear. Ruslan walked up to the girl’s father, who was shivering in a corner.

“Please spare me! I only did what I was told from above! If it’s the money I got for selling my daughter! It’s all here, so please…”

Before he could even look up to beg, his head was separated from his body and rolled on the floor. Before the girl and her family, who couldn’t even scream, Ruslan spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.

“Lead me to where those who sent you are.”

Unable to defy that cold voice, she guided him to the temple the humans had built for him.

He killed every single person inside the temple. True to his name as the Demon of God, he beheaded every human remaining in the temple. Wiping the blood from his sword, he spoke to the girl, who stood frozen and speechless.

“If humans ever learn of my residence again, it won’t end this simply.”

With those words, he returned to his home. And it was not long after he fell asleep that he woke up again.

“Oh? Hey. Are you okay?”

When he opened his eyes, a woman with hair the color of the sky stood before him.

***

“Ah, I slept well.”

It had been a long time since I’d slept without dreaming. Perhaps that was why my whole body felt refreshed. When I woke up, I found herbs, dolls, and oils surrounding my bed. As I wondered what they were, Elizabeth showed me a piece of paper she had written on.

[The other ghosts brought these while you were sleeping, My Lady.]

Looking closer at the items, I saw the herbs were for sleep, and the doll was shaped like a magical beast said to eat nightmares. It looked a bit grotesque because the stitching was so clumsy and rushed, but knowing the intention behind it made it look almost cute.

The ghosts of the castle looked horrific on the outside, but their hearts were warmer than those of humans. I felt this even more whenever I thought of Beatrice’s family from the novel or my family from my past life.

‘Though there are a few who like to play pranks.’

I had grown used to it over time. The days when I threw a fit saying I couldn’t live in a place like this felt like a distant memory.

“Alright. Let’s start the day.”

***

“Huff… huff… are you sure this is the right way, Ivan?”

“Yes. The golden grass you are looking for is this way, My Lady.”

I pushed through the overgrown brush with a stick, following the direction Ivan gave me. If you’re wondering why I was hiking instead of staying in the Duke’s castle, the answer is to gather herbs.

I had run out of “Butterfly-Antenna Grass,” an essential herb for the potions I was practicing making, and there was no stock left. I asked the merchants who visit the castle, but they didn’t have it and said it would take three weeks to get.

The fact that I had only just started repairing the roads (thinking the peak season for the hot springs would be winter) came back to bite me. But then Ivan, the ghost knight, mentioned that he had seen a cluster of Butterfly-Antenna Grass on the back mountain when he was alive. I didn’t entirely trust the words of a ghost who died decades ago, but since I had nothing to lose, I decided to go on this hike.

Since it was a mountain near the castle, I hadn’t equipped myself properly, coming out in a simple shirt and trousers as if I were taking a neighborhood stroll. I had clearly underestimated the northern mountains. My morning resolve had long since turned to dust just a few hours into the hike.

“We’re almost there. Hang in there, My Lady!”

“You know that’s the fifth time you’ve said that, right?”

“Haha. We really are almost there. We just have to cross this part.”

As I finally struggled out of the brush, a dizzying cliff appeared before my eyes.

“If you cross from here to over there, it’s right there.”

The distance Ivan pointed out had to be well over 100 meters. Below that 100-meter drop, a river was rushing past at high speed.

“Where is the bridge?”

“There is no bridge around here. You just cross.”

“Pardon? How exactly?”

“Um… just like this.”

Before I knew it, Ivan was on the other side, waving his hand toward me.

“See? It’s easy.”

“Easy my foot! How is a human like me supposed to cross that in one go?!”

“The Duke just took one leap and crossed it.”

“Is he the same as me?! I’m just an ordinary person!!”

No matter how simple I am, I know Ruslan is different from ordinary humans. He’s the second male lead, after all! There’s no bridge and nothing to cross with. There was no other way to cross, and according to Ivan, I just had to “hop” over. In short, it was a wasted trip.

“Hmm… actually, there is a way to cross….”

“What is it?”

“We could carry you across.”

“But we’ve possessed people before, but we’ve never carried a person while moving. So our hands might slip.”

I ignored the brightly smiling ghost knights and glanced down the cliff. Below was a valley with a fast-moving current making a roar. If these ghost knights really slipped by mistake…

Let’s stop thinking there.

“Just… Ivan, you go get it since we’re here. I can’t go.”

“I’d like to, but I can’t get close to that grass. It feels like a foul smell is blocking my way…”

Ah. Butterfly-Antenna Grass also had components that repelled ghosts.

It was a total bust. There was no point lingering here, so just as I was about to turn back to the castle—

“…What should I do? How should I do this?”

“…He won’t wake up… a way…”

I heard voices from not far away. Walking toward the sound, I found two small children huddled together.

“Excuse me… kids?”

The children, who had been talking with their heads together, jumped in surprise and backed away when I spoke.

“How can a human see us?”

“Is she a hunter or something?”

I had only spoken because I thought they might be lost, but the children showed strong wariness and hugged each other. My outstretched hand felt awkward.

“Um… well, I’ll be over there picking up acorns, so tell me if you need any help.”

Approaching children who were so wary and pretending to be a harmless, “I’m not a bad person” type would likely only increase their suspicion. In times like this, it was better to just pretend to be indifferent and do something else. Fortunately, there were many oak trees nearby.

“Right… acorns are useful food. Good for squirrels, used in some potions… Oh! Here’s Butterfly-Antenna Grass! Ivan! There’s Butterfly-Antenna Grass growing here too!”

“Oh, what a foul smell! My Lady, I can’t get close.”

“I thought it was only on the other side of the cliff, so this is a relief.”

Though it wasn’t a large amount and was planted sparsely here and there, it was enough for the potions I needed to make.

As I hummed and gathered the herbs, feeling unexpectedly lucky, the children from afar approached hesitantly.

“Excuse me… human, are you a doctor?”

“I’m not exactly a doctor….”

“But you know how to handle medicine, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Since I could manufacture potions, what the children said wasn’t wrong. Doctors and pharmacists were all pretty much the same here anyway.

“Then please help us!”

The children, who had been wary and keeping their distance just moments ago, began circling me, asking for help. Seeing these young children with their baby fat still on their cheeks asking with sparkling eyes was somehow cute, and I found myself accepting their request without thinking.

The place the children led me to was a small cabin. It was located deep in the forest where the fog was thick; I never would have found it without their guidance.

Opening the cabin door and stepping inside, I was hit by the smell of musty dust. The areas reachable by the children had been clumsily cleaned, but the rest of the household items were neatly placed under a layer of dust.

The children took my hand and led me to a bed in the corner. There lay a pale woman, unconscious.

“She’s our master, and she’s been like this for several days.”

“We tried everything we could, but nothing worked.”

“What kind of methods did you use?”

At my question, the children hesitated to answer.

“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to…”

“Like this.”

As the child spoke, they opened their hand, and white light swirled inside the cabin.

“This is… the power we use. Humans call it mana.”

“Were you mages?”

“No. We aren’t mages; we are mana itself.”

“Mage is the term for humans who transform and use the mana floating in nature.”

“Wait, wait. I’m confused here. Aren’t you and mages the same thing?”

“It’s different. Um… Master said beings like us are called Phantasmal Beasts.”

“Master is a wonderful Phantasmal Beast and the owner of this mountain.”

I was confused by the children’s alternating answers.

Phantasmal Beasts. In the novel, Phantasmal Beasts were the very essence of nature’s roots given life. They were different from Magical Beasts, which were called creatures created by demons. Unlike Magical Beasts, who view humans as food or enemies, Phantasmal Beasts didn’t hate humans, but they didn’t want to get involved with them either. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say they found humans bothersome. Because of that, they rarely showed themselves and lived deep in nature.

Phantasmal Beasts only appeared once in the novel, briefly when Evangeline saved their territory and was thanked. So I never thought I’d see a Phantasmal Beast while living in this story…

“Lily and I took turns injecting mana into Master. It’s nothing compared to Master’s own power, but if we left her like this, she might die.”

“But no matter how much mana we injected, Master didn’t get better. That’s why we brought you, human.”

The children urged me to look at their master quickly. I pulled up a chair and examined the woman’s face closely. Her condition was more serious than I expected.

Her complexion was sallow, the skin on her hands outside the blanket was shriveled like dried wood, and her once fine, deep blonde hair was as brittle as straw. As I examined her carefully, a memory from my past life suddenly surfaced. I had seen someone with a similar appearance in my past life. If so, this symptom could be easily resolved with just a little time.

“I think I know why she’s like this.”

“Is that true? Can our master wake up again?”

“Yes. But there’s something I need for that. Peter!”

At my call, Peter the ghost knight appeared.

“I need a fruit called Cardam. It’s not a rare fruit, so you should be able to find it in this mountain quickly.”

“I shall find it faster than anyone, faster than light!”

Peter let out a whooshing sound and quickly left the cabin.

“The surroundings seem too dirty to care for a patient, so let’s clean up in the meantime. Are there any items I shouldn’t touch?”

“Oh, that has to stay as it is.”

The children hurriedly began cleaning the cabin with me.

Peter returned just as we finished cleaning. I immediately washed the fruit he brought, sliced it finely with a knife, and dropped the pieces into a boiling pot. A moment later, when the contents of the pot had boiled and softened, I took dried herbs from my herb pouch, added them, and stirred. From here on was the most important part.

“Now, you just have to keep stirring for 30 minutes so the soup doesn’t stick to the bottom.”

“I will do this.”

Ivan, who had come along, volunteered himself. The ghost, who didn’t feel physical exhaustion, stirred the ladle without stopping.

“Human, are you a necromancer?”

“I’ve only heard about necromancers from Master. It’s my first time seeing one with my own eyes.”

Perhaps they had gained energy while cleaning, but the children, who had been slumped with worry just moments ago, now circled me with sparkling eyes.

“No, I’m not a necromancer or anything…”

The ghost knights had contracted with Ruslan. They listened to me because I was Ruslan’s wife and the Duchess. But explaining all this was daunting, as I didn’t know where to start. So I just summarized it.

“Those ghosts are just my friends.”

Ivan and Peter were surprised by my words, and the children began jumping up and down with even brighter eyes.

“Ghosts as friends! Human is strange!”

“But it’s amazing. It’s kind of cool!”

The children, who had been so wary of me, now decided I wasn’t a dangerous human and even sat on my lap, looking at me with curiosity.

While I was playing with the children, Ivan politely held out a tray with the finished soup and said,

“My Lady. Here is the soup made by your best friend.”

“It contains the Cardam picked by My Lady’s life-long friend.”

I don’t think I ever said that?

But Ivan and Peter’s eyes were sparkling so innocently that I couldn’t bring myself to correct them. Not wanting to hurt their feelings, I just smiled silently and took the tray of soup.

A short while later, as the children’s master slowly swallowed the soup, color began to return to her face.

“Master’s face is starting to brighten!”

“Is she okay now?”

“Not yet. This is just first aid. To truly heal your master… this person, I need a properly made potion.”

Seeing the soup—which I had deduced from my past life memories and Beatrice’s knowledge—showing an effect, I knew I was right. I told the children I would return in three days and instructed them to feed their master the soup I had made for all three meals until then.

When I returned to the cabin three days later, a woman who looked much better was sitting in bed.

“Human! Our master is conscious!”

“Before, no matter how much mana we injected, she just kept sleeping, but this is all thanks to you, human!”

The children, hopping and circling around me, were so happy they suddenly transformed into rabbits and then into birds.

‘I knew these kids weren’t ordinary beings.’

The situation, which would have surprised me before, was taken calmly, perhaps because I had adapted to all sorts of mysterious phenomena while living in the ghost castle.

“You are the famous doctor my seeds spoke of.”

“A famous doctor? No, I’m just….”

An ordinary person who possessed a book character.

“Do not humble yourself too much. I have already received a great favor from you.”

Perhaps because she was a Phantasmal Beast, the woman spoke casually, yet it didn’t feel rude. I took out the potion I had spent three days making and gave instructions to the children and the woman. While doing so, one of the children pulled on my clothes and asked,

“But human, why was Master sick?”

“That’s right. I’ve been curious.”

“Oh, it’s for a simple reason. Um…”

I hesitated, not knowing what to call the woman the children called “Master.”

“Call me Enea.”

“Ah, yes. Then Enea, when was the last time you had a meal?”

“It must have been over 500 years ago. Recently, I haven’t even had a drop of water for my training.”

“That’s exactly why you lacked energy, Enea.”

If you’re someone who has dieted, you’ve probably heard of carbs, proteins, and fats. They are essential energy sources for any living being to survive. Among them, protein is an essential element for everything that makes up life. If you don’t eat protein, your hair and skin become dry and lose their luster, your whole body becomes lethargic, and you can eventually lose your life.

The Enea I saw lying down a few days ago looked like a friend of mine from my past life who went on an extreme diet. My friend, determined to lose weight within a month, barely ate any carbs, let alone protein. People around her worried and tried to talk her out of it, but she said she was fine and didn’t even drink water, eventually ending up in the hospital.

Even if they are Phantasmal Beasts, the source of this world, they were still living beings inhabiting this land. They need to consume food to create the energy source to move their bodies.

In short, Enea had unintentionally gone on an extreme 500-year diet. She only managed to survive for 500 years because she was a Phantasmal Beast. If she were an ordinary human, 500 years? She would have died of starvation long before that.

“I am a Phantasmal Beast, and since my body is made of nature’s mana, I thought I didn’t need to eat food. But I was wrong.”

Perhaps the reason she thought this way was precisely because she was a Phantasmal Beast. Being a higher-order being beyond humans, she had overlooked the basic necessity for maintaining life.

“Cardam has enough nutrients and calories for a single meal, and it’s a fruit common on the mountain, so eating just this will be enough.”

“I know that. But…”

She seemed to have something more to say.

“Plants from the mountain taste bad.”

I was stunned for a moment by the unexpected reason. A thought flashed through my mind, and I looked at Enea with suspicious eyes. No way… right?

“Could it be… is that why you didn’t eat for 500 years?”

Enea’s shoulders flinched. I must have been right.

“No, are you serious? You’re the pickiest eater I’ve ever seen! There’s plenty of food outside the mountain! There’s fish in the sea!!”

“Fish are fishy, so I hate it! And I didn’t want to kill another life just so I could live!”

“Then just eat Cardam!!”

I thought she was fasting for some grand reason, but it turned out she was just an extreme picky eater. Knowing the reason made me feel hollow, but on the other hand, I felt relieved that it wasn’t a serious reason.

I comforted and coaxed Enea as if I were a kindergarten teacher dealing with a picky child. Since she liked the Cardam soup I made before, I managed to get her to promise to eat three meals a day and drink the tonic potion I made after each meal, on the condition that I would teach her other recipes besides soup.

***

One day, I woke up to find myself in a foggy forest. After wandering for a while in the fog where I couldn’t see ahead, I found a stone door. For some reason, I felt the urge to open that door. But at that moment, “It’s over here.”

Turning toward the voice, I saw a beautifully dressed Enea standing behind me.

“It is not yet time for that place. Come this way.”

Her way of speaking was like a neighborhood friend, but her voice was like silver bells ringing. Entranced by her voice, I nodded and walked toward her. Enea cleared her throat.

“Thank you, human. You saved my life.”

“You’re keeping your promise to eat three meals a day and take your medicine after meals, right?”

“Yes. Phantasmal Beasts, unlike humans, keep their promises, so there is no need to worry. You are quite the nagger even in dreams.”

I never thought I’d end up nagging a Phantasmal Beast either. She looked so noble and beautiful in the novel.

“Anyway, since you saved me, I have entered your consciousness to repay the favor. Please understand, as I do not wish to go down to the village where humans live.”

I could understand her words. Anyone who has studied magical beasts knows that Phantasmal Beasts hate getting involved with humans and rarely show themselves because they find it bothersome.

“I wish to stay longer, but the messenger of God wants to pull me out immediately, so I cannot stay long.”

Enea covered her mouth and giggled as if something fun had happened. I wanted to ask what she meant, but Enea spoke first.

“The water in the three cups will overflow. Beware of that.”

As she finished those words, my eyes snapped open.

The foggy forest and Enea had vanished, and the ceiling of my room was before my eyes.

‘Ah, right. She said it was my consciousness, so it must have been a dream.’

What did Enea’s final words mean? It didn’t seem like a literal end, but something else. I wondered if it was related to the original story, and after thinking of several major events, I realized the meaning of Enea’s words and bolted upright.

The water in the three cups—the disaster that struck the North in the original story: the Great Flood.

Long ago, floods were a frequent occurrence in the North. It might seem strange for the North to experience floods since it does not border the sea, but these floods originated in the Nyun-ki Mountain Range at the Empire’s northernmost tip.

The Nyun-ki range, covered entirely in snow and glaciers, would occasionally suffer massive avalanches during the slightly warmer summer months, sending ice cascading down toward the northern cities. The cold snow would melt into water, turning into a deluge that swallowed the North. The region, already barren and harsh, struggled constantly with these recurring floods.

To counter this, the First Duke installed warding stones to block the glaciers near Ishelbach and the surrounding northern cities. Fearing that monsters might damage these stones, he initiated regular subjugation campaigns.

I studied the map spread across the table to identify the locations of the warding stones. In the original story, there were three: one near Ishelbach, one near the western territories of Ishelbach, and one at the northernmost edge of the North.

The official name for these warding stones was the Viroviros Cups. The “three cups” Enea mentioned clearly referred to the stones marked on this map. These three locations were notorious for attracting monsters, and in the original novel, they are destroyed by them, triggering a Great Flood.

I mentally reviewed the timeline of the original work. In the novel, the disaster occurs while Ruslan is dispatched to another region by the Emperor’s order; monsters destroy all the warding stones simultaneously. Evangeline then appears before the devastated residents to lead the recovery efforts, causing her popularity in the North to skyrocket. When Ruslan finally returns, he is deeply moved by her actions and falls even more in love with her. It was a classic heartwarming story.

The only problems were that I was here instead of Evangeline, and that the Great Flood—an event from the middle of the original plot—was about to happen before the story had even officially begun.

I wondered if the flow of the story had changed because I had interfered, but nothing had happened when I entered the contract marriage or when I mined the blue diamonds. If this wasn’t happening because the plot was being twisted, then it meant one of two things: it was a mere coincidence that a similar disaster was occurring early, or…

“One of the characters in the novel planned this.”

It was far more plausible that a character was behind the incident than for the exact same disaster to happen twice by coincidence. In many “possession” novels, original characters often cause trouble that deviates from the script.

Was it really too much to ask for my wish—to spend one peaceful year and then get a divorce—to come true?

I prayed it wasn’t the case, but regardless of the reason, the Great Flood had to be stopped. This was because of the Sunstones being produced in the Rift Valley.

Sunstones are minerals that naturally contain the heat of the rift. If put in water, they can boil it; if ground into gravel and placed in thick cotton pouches, they work like heat packs. I had been mining and storing them in a warehouse to prepare for the northern winter, based on a passing mention in the original book.

But what would happen if a flood hit the place where Sunstones—hot enough to boil water instantly—were stored? The freezing glacial water would boil immediately, and every living thing in the North would end up like a soft-boiled egg. People turning into soft-boiled eggs… that’s much more horrific than a simple flood.

Just in case, I had already built the Sunstone warehouse on high ground and reinforced its security. I also hired more mercenaries to patrol the warding stones. Even so, I couldn’t rest. I felt an anxious, restless twitch in my heart, as if something was about to happen.

“My Lady, you look pale. Shall I prepare some tea for your headache?” Edward asked, his voice thick with concern as he examined my face.

“No, I’m fine. I just had a lot on my mind, but I’ve just sorted it out.”

I thought it over, but staying still simply didn’t suit my temperament. If a disaster is going to happen, I should just block it before it starts. I stood up, recalling the details of the original plot.

“Thank you for worrying, Edward. I’m going out for a bit.”

“It will be night soon. Where are you planning to go?”

I gave Edward a confident smile in response to his worried look.

“I’m going to protect the North.”

***

In the original work, the Great Flood happens because the warding stones are destroyed by monsters on the same day. The monster assigned to the Ishelbach warding stone was a goblin.

“We found the goblins, My Lady. They are gathered not far from the warding stone.”

“How many are there?”

“Over a hundred. As is typical for a goblin pack.”

Ivan shrugged his shoulders as if it were a trivial matter. Goblins are technically weak monsters, but because they travel in swarms, they aren’t to be underestimated. I knew this and wasn’t surprised. Currently, there were about twenty ghost knights in the castle—enough to handle goblins. However, I didn’t intend to send the knights to fight them directly.

Instead, I planned to use their greed for jewelry and their habit of looting against them with a single jeweled pin. I had Ivan drop the pin into the middle of the goblin swarm.

The effect was spectacular. The first goblin to find it screamed, “It’s a jeweled pin!” and immediately, every goblin around him tried to snatch it. They punched, trampled, and bit each other, each claiming they had seen it first.

After some time had passed, a single goblin, covered in blood, stood up among the fallen and held the pin aloft.

“Hehe! It’s mine. It’s finally mine.”

His body was a mess of wounds, but he was so drunk on victory he didn’t seem to feel the pain. At that moment, someone approached from behind.

THWACK!

The bloody goblin collapsed and didn’t move. A relatively healthier-looking goblin snatched the pin.

“Hehehehe! It was smart of me to hide. I’m so clever. This is mine.”

“No, it’s mine.”

Before the cunning goblin could even turn around, he fell forward with a blade driven into his back. Peter the ghost knight pulled the sword out.

“You shouldn’t lay a hand on a wedding gift from a husband.”

I picked up the jeweled pin, dusted it off, and put it into my infinite space pouch. I searched the wiped-out goblin swarm for any survivors and looked for clues about the monsters at the other warding stones. Before long, Peter found something: a crystal ball about the size of two fists.

“I saw something like this in a noble house when I was alive. It’s a magic tool that allows the owners to speak to one another.”

“That makes it even stranger. Monsters rarely coordinate their attacks, do they?” I looked at the knights.

“My Lady, monsters are generally xenophobic toward other species; they don’t cooperate. There was a battle ages ago during the Western War where a legion of thousands of monsters fought humans, but that was only possible because of Leviathan, the King of Monsters. Unless an archdemon of that caliber appears, coordination is impossible.”

“Exactly,” I added. “And for monsters to communicate using a human magic tool? That’s also nonsensical.”

“As the knights said, it’s bizarre for monsters to use human magic. Therefore, if this strange thing is happening, there is only one possibility.”

Humans are working with the monsters to cause a disaster in the North. Everyone’s expression turned grim as they reached the same conclusion. Amidst the silence, Ivan spoke up.

“Then we should break this magic tool so they can’t contact each other.”

I shook my head. “No. Take it with us. We’re going to use it as bait.”

Ivan’s eyes filled with silent questions, but his hands were already securing the crystal ball. I answered his confusion with a villainous smile. I was going to go fishing—specifically, fishing for monsters.

***

Ogres do not have names. Names are a human concept; ogres value the fact that they share the same race and blood. They don’t get confused about who is who because they call each other by their distinguishing features. For example:

“Chief! Chief! This is bad!”

“What is it, Scar-Belly?”

“The scouts just reported! The Yetis are coming this way!”

“What?!”

“We agreed with the ‘Messengers’ to destroy the human monuments. The Yetis were supposed to be near the Breath of the Blizzard (the human name for the Nyun-ki Mountains), and the Goblins near the human village!”

“I know that! Get to the point!” the Ogre Chief barked, slamming his mace into the ground.

The reporting ogre flinched before continuing. “But the Yetis said they are taking back their land! That’s why they’re coming here!”

“What!!!! How dare those cowards move!!! They should shut up and stay in their places!!!”

The land the ogre tribe currently occupied was once Yeti territory, before a human swept through the North long ago. The Yetis had been defeated and fled into the Breath of the Blizzard, never coming back down since.

“They said they hate seeing arrogant ogres acting like masters on their land…” Scar-Belly mumbled, relaying the scout’s report to the fuming chief. The chief’s rage reached its boiling point.

“Those losers who fled to the blizzard!!! They abandoned this land first!!! And now they want to reclaim it???!!! If this is true, I won’t let them be!!”

The Ogre Chief brandished his club and declared that any Yeti coming here should be prepared to die. The other ogres roared in agreement.

Amidst the excited crowd, Scar-Belly gave a secret smirk. Peter, who was possessing and controlling the ogre’s body, thought to himself: Mission success, phase one.

***

This all started a few days ago, shortly after we took the crystal ball from the goblin camp.

“There’s a reaction from the crystal ball!”

I stopped my discussion with Felix and ran to where the crystal ball was. The milky-white, perfectly round orb was vibrating—vroom, vroom.

“This seems to be the signal for a call, but I don’t know how to operate it,” the knight said.

It was a type of object I had never seen before; it wasn’t mentioned in the novel, nor was it in Beatrice’s memories. It vibrated like a smartphone, but I was hesitant to touch it blindly. Felix, standing nearby, spoke up.

“If you press the green light in front, you should be able to exchange words. You must take it before the vibration stops.”

‘I knew it felt like a smartphone!’

Before the vibration ceased, we quickly summoned a ghost knight who had died after being shot with an arrow because his goblin impression was so convincing that people thought he was real. We explained the situation and pressed the green light.

I sat far away from the crystal ball so my voice wouldn’t be picked up, marveling at the ghost knight whose imitation was so perfect I almost asked if his father was a goblin.

“Where did you get that crystal ball?” Felix asked.

“I got it when we raided the ogre and goblin groups the other day,” I explained briefly. Felix’s face grew serious.

“That magic tool is a very expensive item. Even now, only the Imperial family or a few high-ranking nobles would use it. Whoever gave it to the monsters is likely a person of great wealth.”

Felix’s words explained why the object wasn’t in Beatrice’s memories. A penniless Viscounty could never afford such a luxury. It also gave me a hint about the culprit: they were definitely human, and likely someone with wealth or power equivalent to at least a Count.

“How do you know so much about these things, Felix?”

“I used to work in the Imperial Palace,” he said with a wink. *I knew this old man was someone important when he was alive.*

“I’ve figured out the day they plan to destroy the warding stones!” Ivan reported.

Fortunately, the other side hadn’t realized we weren’t goblins. After giving the date, Ivan shared a crucial piece of information.

“The monsters assigned to destroy the stones are ogres and yetis. The ogres will strike the western stone, and the yetis will strike the stone at the entrance of the Nyun-ki Mountains.”

Ogres and yetis… both were formidable opponents. Even if ghost knights don’t take damage from ogre fists or yeti stomps, there were only twenty of them left. If we raided them on different days, one group might notice and use the crystal ball to warn the others. Then the human mastermind would 100% escape, causing a disaster that might derail the entire plot.

On the other hand, splitting our forces to raid both species at once would be time-consuming, and there was still a risk of a fleeing monster using the crystal ball. I wanted to handle all three problems cleanly without affecting the original story’s future. How could I achieve that?

“My Lady, do you know this story?” Felix asked, twiddling his mustache. “What I’m about to tell you is an old legend. Long ago in the North…”

At the time, I didn’t realize that the key to solving this would come from Felix’s stories.

***

I headed toward the Nyun-ki Mountain Range, the northernmost point of the North, with a few ghost knights. True to its reputation for having blizzards even in summer, the piercing cold made me rush to pull thick clothes out of my infinite space pouch.

“My Lady, there are traces of fires and animal bones scattered about. The yetis seem to be in this area.”

“They usually live deep in the Nyun-ki mountains, but they must have come down to destroy the warding stone.”

I had prepared to hike deep into the mountains, so hearing they were nearby was the best news I’d had all day. I turned and stared at Ivan.

“Ivan, have you ever possessed another monster before?”

“Pardon? Um… I briefly entered a wyvern once to trip its legs…”

“Then it should be possible to possess a yeti or an ogre, right?”

“What?! Yetis and ogres are monsters!!”

“You just said you possessed a wyvern.”

“That was just for a moment to trip it! And I didn’t do it alone; I was with other knights. Doing it by myself might be difficult.”

“Then go with the other knights.”

“……”

“Ah, and yetis are called snowmen because they have their own culture, names, and can speak well. And the ogres…”

I read out the sentences I had written on a piece of paper and explained the plan to Ivan. He grumbled, saying that married couples really do grow alike, and that I was starting to resemble the Duke more and more.

***

“Chief. A scout patrolling nearby says he has something to report. What should we do?”

The leader of the Yetis nodded silently, signaling for the scout to enter. A moment later, a Yeti stepped into the tent.

“Chief. The reason I’ve come is none other than—”

“Insolent! State your name and unit! Do you know no basic manners?!” a subordinate Yeti standing next to the Chief barked, drawing his blade.

Ivan, who was possessing the Yeti, flinched inwardly and hurried to make an excuse. “M-my apologies. It’s such an urgent matter that I tried to speak too quickly…”

The Yeti Chief raised a hand and nodded. The subordinate Yeti sheathed his sword, though he still looked disgruntled.

“I was scouting and happened to overhear some Ogres nearby talking… They were bragging that they’ve made a secret deal behind our backs. Apparently, if they destroy those human stone monuments, the humans promised to give all the surrounding land to the Ogres.”

“WHAT?!”

The Chief, who had been silent and stoic until now, roared so loudly that Ivan paused mid-sentence. ‘Wow, that was a fast reaction,’ Ivan thought. He decided to twist the knife a little more to stoke the flames.

“Those Ogres were saying that since the Yetis left this land, it’s rightfully theirs now. They mocked us, saying it’s pure nonsense for Yetis to claim ownership—”

Looking at the twisting, furious faces of the Chief and his subordinate, Ivan knew the bait had been taken.

“—So, they plan to destroy the monuments and take our land for themselves once and for all… Ch-Chief?!”

The Yeti Chief stood up. His already fearsome face contorted into a mask of pure rage.

“GATHER THE YETIS!!!!!! WE ARE GOING TO THE OGRES!!!!!!!”

The subordinate Yeti scrambled out of the tent. The Chief grabbed a nearby crystal ball, his grip tightening. Under the Yeti’s immense strength, the crystal ball shattered into fine powder.

“Believing the words of humans in the first place was a joke. How dare they plot this behind our backs?! I will not let this stand!!!!”

‘Would such a simple story really work?’

Ivan had been skeptical, but seeing the Chief this livid, he marveled at his mistress’s insight.

‘The Lady is truly incredible,’ he thought.

***

The story Felix had told a few days ago was the origin of a very old grudge.

“A long time ago, the North was a place where humans couldn’t survive. You know this, don’t you, My Lady?”

I nodded, recalling my first days here.

“Before humans arrived, the Yetis lived in a corner of the North. They were intelligent beings who cherished nature,” Felix continued. “Their lifestyle wasn’t much different from humans. They farmed, built houses to shelter from the wind and rain, and settled in one place. They knew the land so well that people used to say Northern farming techniques actually originated from the Yetis.”

“That land held great meaning for them, but it was also recognized by other monsters as Yeti territory. It was land granted to them personally by Leviathan, the demon who commands all monsters.”

To humans, Leviathan was a demon, but to monsters, he was their absolute King—the only one capable of uniting their naturally xenophobic species.

“Because they served Leviathan, humans classified them as monsters and drove them out to the freezing Nyun-ki Mountains. Their non-human appearance and massive size made it easier to justify. In the mountains, eating snow to survive, they vowed that one day they would return to their land.”

I sipped the tea Elizabeth had brought and listened intently.

“But a problem arose. Ogres moved into the empty land the Yetis had left behind. The Ogres probably didn’t think much of it—it was empty, so they took it. But the Yetis saw it differently. They believed the Ogres had stolen their land. The Yeti Chief at the time sent a few messengers telling the Ogres to leave. But would Ogres ever listen? They scoffed and, to provoke the Yetis further, built permanent houses and settled in for good.”

It was a blatant provocation. The rightful owners were told to stay out while the squatters acted like they owned the place. It was inevitable that the Yetis’ resentment would simmer for generations.

“So, the Yetis and Ogres remained enemies for a very long time. From the perspective of other monsters, the Ogres were being unnecessarily stubborn because that land wasn’t just a home—it was a gift from Leviathan. Among monsters, the Yetis are still considered the ‘official’ owners. However, the Ogre tribe eventually became much larger and more powerful than the Yetis. Unlike the relatively peaceful Yetis, Ogres were violent in both strength and temperament, so no one dared to drive them out. These days, since no humans live near that territory, the Duke simply leaves them be unless they raid a village.”

“So, the Duke leaves them alone as long as they don’t cross the line, because even if he drove the Ogres out, other monsters would just move in?” I asked.

“Exactly. Our Duke is quite flexible in that regard… though I wish he were as flexible in other areas,” Felix grumbled.

I let Felix’s complaints drift away as I refined the plan in my head.

‘If this works, I can take care of all the monsters at once.’

***

“COME OUT, YOU PIGS!!!!”

The Yeti army, fuming with rage, screamed in front of the Ogre camp. The Ogre Chief and his warriors stomped out to face them.

“NOT PIGS!! WE ARE NOT ORCS!!!”

“ORCS OR OGRES, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?!”

“IT IS DIFFERENT!!!! YOU SNOWMEN!!!!”

“WHAT?! YOU ILLEGAL SQUATTERS LIVING IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HOUSE!!!”

A petty, heated war of words ensued—insults about mothers being orcs and fathers being human butt-wipers flew back and forth. Just before the tension snapped, the Ogre Chief slammed his club down.

“You cowards who abandoned the King’s gift and ran away have a lot to say! We will show you who the true masters of this land are!”

With that, the Ogres charged. The Yetis quickly formed ranks and collided with them.

From a distance, we watched the brutal battle as if it were a fire across a river, figuratively munching on popcorn.

“Observe closely, Ivan,” I said. “This is the kind of bloody war that breaks out between a landlord and an illegal squatter.”

“I shall keep that in mind, My Lady. Though being dead, I doubt I’ll ever need to worry about real estate again.”

“My Lady, if we stay here too long, we might be discovered. It’s time to move,” Peter warned.

I wanted to stay longer to find out who had provided the crystal ball, but Peter was right. It was dangerous to linger. I decided to retreat.

“Fine. The rest of you, watch until the very last moment. If the fight starts to die down, possess someone and start trouble again. Remember, watch them until they all fall.”

“So that’s how it was?”

THWACK!

A dull, heavy pain exploded at the back of my head. Before I could even turn to see who hit me, I collapsed.

“A lowly human girl dares to play us against each other?”

A Yeti, feeling threatened by the escalating violence, had accidentally passed by and overheard the conversation between Beatrice and the ghosts. Upon learning the truth, his blood boiled. He tied Beatrice’s body tightly with rope.

“I’ll tell the others. We’ll tear you apart as an example and toss you to the humans.”

The Yeti dragged her along the ground. Her skin was scratched by branches and stones, but Beatrice showed no sign of waking.

Meanwhile, the ghost knights were frantic but couldn’t get near her. They tried to possess the Yeti to stop him, but Yetis weave Butterfly-Antenna Grass into their ropes. The cords binding Beatrice acted as a barrier, repelling the ghosts no matter how hard they tried to approach.

‘We’re almost at the square. I won’t let this girl die easily.’

Just as the Yeti dragging Beatrice took a step into the clearing, a bolt of black lightning suddenly struck the ground from the sky.

The black bolt transformed into a human figure. Without a moment’s hesitation, he slaughtered the nearby Yeti Chief with his sword.

It happened so fast that the situation felt surreal to the gathered monsters. But the man didn’t care what they felt; he instantly took the head of his second target.

The blood of the Ogre Chief splattered across his blade. His pitch-black eyes, devoid of any emotion, looked at the blood indifferently before he flicked it off and moved to his next kill.

With every strike, his silver hair fluttered like a blizzard. In an instant, the Ogres and Yetis who had been fighting each other were cut down, one by one, unable to even put up a fight.

Step, step. He walked toward the Yeti who had collapsed in terror. Then, he saw the unconscious Beatrice. Seeing his wife covered in scratches from being dragged, a change flickered in his cold black eyes. It was pure, unadulterated fury.

“For you… I will make sure your end is exceptionally painful.”

***

When I finally managed to pry my heavy eyelids open, a familiar ceiling came into view. I was in my room at the Duke’s castle. My last memory was watching the Ogres and Yetis fight, then getting hit by someone. And…

‘Wait, the warding stones!!’

I scrambled to sit up, but a wave of pain washed over me, and I fell back onto the bed. As I struggled to rise again, a cool hand touched my forehead.

“Stay lying down. You were badly hurt.”

“Ruslan…? How are you here? Is this a dream?”

“It’s not a dream. It’s reality, Beatrice.”

He took my hand and pressed it against his cheek. “See? It’s real.”

I could feel his warmth against my palm. It really was the real Ruslan.

“Oh, right! This is bad! The monsters are going to break the warding stones. We have to go—”

“It’s alright. That has been taken care of.”

At those words, the tension left my body. Everything was solved? Then the stones weren’t destroyed like in the original story? What happened to the Yetis and Ogres? Being unconscious for so long made it hard to process the sequence of events. Then, I realized something strange.

“But Ruslan, when did you get back to the North?”

“Not long ago. And when I arrived, I found you in danger. If I hadn’t been able to track you through the magic I placed on your hand, something far worse would have happened.”

‘So that wasn’t just a simple prayer? It really was a tracking spell?’ If he found me using that, he must have seen me get knocked out.

“I… ‘persuaded’ the monsters. You have nothing more to worry about.”

I could feel a strange weight behind the word ‘persuaded.’

‘Oh no, Ruslan seems angry.’

Well, I suppose anyone would be upset if they came home to find the person they thought was safely at home unconscious and beaten after watching a monster brawl.

“Rest now. I’ll have the servants bring you something easy to digest.”

“But still…”

“Beatrice. When I found you lying there, I felt as if my heart were being torn to pieces. I couldn’t stop imagining what would have happened if I had returned just a little later. It felt as if all the blood were draining from my body.”

His words made my chest ache, and I wanted to look away, but the look on his face—one that seemed more wounded than mine—made it impossible to turn my head.

“I’m sorry. I caused you so much worry.”

“I’m not saying this to get an apology. I never want to see you in danger again. Now, rest.”

Before I could say another word, Ruslan left the room. I wanted to follow him, but my body refused to move. I must have been more injured than I realized.

‘I guess I’ll have to apologize again when he comes back.’

I leaned against the soft pillows and closed my eyes.

***

The door closed, and Ruslan turned his cold gaze toward Ivan and Peter, who were guarding the entrance. Facing those black eyes that held not a single shred of warmth, they bowed their heads.

“We are sorry, Your Grace. We failed to protect the Lady properly.”

“I didn’t let you stay by my wife’s side simply because you are ‘friends’ with her.”

As they stood with bowed heads, a sudden, violent pain erupted in their chests, forcing them to the floor.

“I allowed you to remain so that you would protect her even if your very souls were torn apart. But now, it seems there was no point.”

Ivan and Peter knew exactly what this pain meant. It was the wrath of their master and contractor, Ruslan.

“Useless souls should be disposed of.”

“P-please… if you give us one more chance, we will never…”

Ruslan stared down at them in silence. After what felt like an eternity, the pain in their chests vanished.

“Remember that a second chance will never come.”

“We obey.”

Ruslan walked past them without another word. After he disappeared, Ivan let out a mental sigh of relief.

‘Right. This is the Duke’s true nature.’

He had been so endlessly kind to the Lady that I had briefly forgotten. This man was as cold and merciless as a blizzard in the Nyun-ki Mountains. The only reason he gave us another chance instead of obliterating us was because the Lady would be sad if we were gone.

‘I suppose I don’t need to tell the Lady that the Yetis and Ogres were massacred.’

Ruslan had torn apart every single monster in that clearing. Not only that, he had tracked down every fleeing Ogre and Yeti, even going so far as to wipe out the ones remaining in the Nyun-ki Mountains. He did it to ensure that not a single one could ever harm his wife again.

In the past, even during regular subjugations, Ruslan had never touched the monsters in the Nyun-ki range. He let those who fled there go, saying there was no need to strike the ‘Breath of the Blizzard’ unless they came down again. He had always respected the old superstition that disturbing the Nyun-ki Mountains might wake the sleeping King of Monsters.

It seems that even ancient myths have become meaningless because of the Lady.

‘Anyway, please get well soon, My Lady. Because if you don’t, we’ll be the ones dying a second time.’

***

Step, step.

The sound of footsteps approached the clearing where the Ogres and Yetis had fought days ago. The owner of the footsteps was wrapped in a robe so thick it was impossible to discern their gender. They looked out over the horrific scene of mangled corpses with a calm, detached expression.

‘So, it failed.’

The figure’s face twisted in frustration as they turned away.

“Create chaos in the North.”

That was the direct command the Great Priest had given to all followers, including themselves. Following that command, they had tried to use the monsters to destroy the warding stones and trigger a flood. By now, the North should have been underwater. But the North was as peaceful as ever. The figure gnashed their teeth.

‘It’s all been going wrong ever since that ‘Duchess’ arrived.’

Because of that woman, the cult’s plans were falling apart. She had snatched the natural resources the cult intended to claim, and the border lords who had conspired with the cult were being replaced one by one because they had sent wedding gifts far beyond their means.

Because of this, the Great Priest had been in a very foul mood lately. The angelic smile that usually graced the Priest’s face had vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.

“The Great Priest works so hard to lead us to paradise…!”

The robed figure wanted to hunt down and kill that woman immediately, but there was another mission to fulfill. Personal feelings could not be allowed to ruin the work. After calming themselves, they kissed a cameo engraved with a snake.

“All of this, for Paradise.”