...That thing is ridiculously huge.
Compared to it, the giant centipede that had clung to the Emperor's neck looked like nothing more than a cute household pet.
So that was the true power behind the cult—the one the Archbishop had worshipped with such trembling devotion.
"We'll leave tomorrow."
I set down my fork.
"If we wait any longer, the creatures coming out of that rift will overrun the entire Empire."
"No."
Kairik cut me off immediately.
"You can't go. That place is a land of death. Even my knights can't last a week there before they lose their minds and come crawling back."
"We won't go insane. Not while I'm around."
I wiped my mouth with a napkin and flashed a confident grin.
"And Your Grace, I think you've misunderstood something."
I picked up Elegant Conversation No. 2—my silver sledgehammer—and slammed it onto the dining table.
THUD!
The plates rattled violently.
"We're not here because someone asked us for salvation."
I rested the hammer against my shoulder.
"We're here to clean up a mess. Whether the homeowner gives permission or not, garbage still needs to be taken out."
Kairik's eyes widened.
His gaze bounced between the enormous hammer on the table and me standing there in a dress while casually holding it.
A moment later—
"PWAHAHAHAHA!"
He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
It was a wild, booming laugh, more like the bark of a beast than that of a nobleman.
"Interesting. You're really interesting."
When he finally stopped laughing, he leaned forward.
His crimson eyes gleamed like a predator locking onto prey.
"Fine. You have my permission. But on one condition."
"A condition?"
"Take me with you."
"Your Grace, you should still be recovering—"
Damian tried to object, but Kairik dismissed him with ease.
"It's my territory. My hunting ground."
He rose from his seat and strode toward me.
Damian jumped to his feet instantly, but Kairik ignored him and stopped behind my chair.
Leaning down, he whispered into my ear.
"You said you'd protect me, remember?"
His hot breath tickled the back of my neck.
"You even took off my leash."
His voice dropped lower.
"Take responsibility, Violetta."
Ah.
This whole dangerous beast-man act...
It was stronger than I'd expected.
While I was still processing it, I noticed Damian gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly it looked ready to shatter.
Well, whatever.
One more ally couldn't hurt. Besides, I did promise.
After organizing my thoughts, I smiled and pushed Kairik's cheek away with one finger.
"Fine. You can come."
Then I looked at both men.
"But if either of you refuses to listen, I don't care whether you're a wolf or a holy knight."
I tapped my hammer meaningfully.
"You're both getting beaten with this. Understood?"
And thus, my Northern Expedition Party was born.
A feral beast-man duke.
A holy knight blinded by jealousy.
And a crazy saintess carrying a giant hammer.
...
At this point, I was starting to think the quest difficulty wasn't increasing because of the monsters.
It was increasing because of my party members.
Later that evening, I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling.
My stomach was full.
The room was warm.
But sleep refused to come.
Outside the window, mixed with the howling wind, came whispers that made my skin crawl.
Don't come... You'll die if you come... Give me back my eyes...
Don't come...
You'll die if you come...
Give me back my eyes...
The cries of restless spirits leaked from the Northern Rift.
These weren't the harmless ghosts I'd heard back in Seoul.
These voices carried curses—heavy, sticky, suffocating curses.
"Ugh, shut up already. I'm trying to sleep."
I pulled the blanket over my head.
Damian was staying in the room next door, but apparently his purification aura couldn't reach through walls.
Should I ask him to sleep here?
No.
After everything that happened today, he'd definitely get the wrong idea.
Just then—
Knock. Knock.
A cautious tapping sounded from the door.
"Who is it?"
"...It's me."
Damian.
I jumped up and opened the door.
Standing outside was Damian, holding a pillow.
He wasn't wearing sleepwear.
In fact, he was fully armed and prepared for battle.
Which made the pillow in his hand look hilariously out of place.
"Sir Knight? Why aren't you asleep?"
"...I couldn't sleep."
Avoiding my gaze, he shifted awkwardly.
"The demonic energy here is too strong."
He cleared his throat.
"I was worried about you. I thought you might have nightmares."
Wow.
His excuse-making skills had improved dramatically.
Suppressing a smile, I opened the door wider.
"Good timing. I was about to invite someone for a pillow fight."
"A pillow fight...?"
Damian laughed helplessly and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, the eerie chill filling the room vanished.
Warm, clean air instantly replaced it.
As expected.
The world's most reliable human talisman.
"The bed is small. I'll sleep on the sofa."
He moved toward the couch.
"Don't be ridiculous."
I patted the empty side of the bed.
"We have a battle tomorrow. You need proper rest."
I grinned.
"Come sleep here."
"W-What?!"
His face turned bright red.
"B-But—!"
"We'll just hold hands and sleep. Seriously."
I gave him my most sincere expression.
"I swear."
And I meant it.
If we wanted to survive tomorrow and enter the Rift at full strength, I needed maximum recovery.
After hesitating for a very long time, Damian finally removed his armor and carefully sat on the edge of the bed.
"...We're really only holding hands."
"That's what I said. Who's going to eat you?"
We lay side by side.
A pillow barrier separated us.
Still, beneath the blanket, I searched until I found his hand.
His fingers were rough and calloused.
Warm.
The instant our hands touched, the screaming ghosts in my head disappeared completely.
"...This is comforting."
I murmured.
"...I agree."
Damian answered quietly.
His fingers tightened around mine.
"Lady Violetta."
"Hmm?"
"What Grand Duke Kairik said earlier..."
"About marriage?"
I shrugged.
"Don't worry about it. He's just talking nonsense."
"...I'm relieved to hear that."
He let out a small sigh.
But I knew better.
I'd seen the way Kairik looked at me in the dining hall.
That wasn't the gaze of someone admiring his savior.
It was the gaze of a male pursuing a female.
Primal.
Dangerous.
Tomorrow's going to be troublesome.
I squeezed Damian's hand tighter and closed my eyes.
And so, on the eve of the coming storm, the night slowly deepened.
We stood before the gates of the Grand Duke's fortress.
Me.
And Kairik.
A small party.
But undoubtedly the strongest party in the Empire.
"Ready?"
Kairik asked as he slung a massive greatsword across his back.
Beside him stood his black warhorse, its eyes clear and alert once more.
"Of course."
I adjusted the hammer resting on my shoulder.
Underneath my fur-lined coat was a fitted leather battle outfit.
Meanwhile, Damian stood glued to my side, watching the surroundings like an overprotective bodyguard.
"Then let's go."
Kairik mounted his horse.
"Into hell."
We rode north through the raging blizzard.
Toward the Valley of Screams, where black auroras danced across the sky.
An hour later, strange jagged mountains emerged from the snowstorm.
And between them—
A colossal crack split the world apart.
A vast black fissure.
Like the mouth of the apocalypse itself.
The demonic energy pouring from it was so dense that it felt tangible.
It pressed down from every direction.
Needles of malice stabbed into my skin.
It felt as if every nerve in my body were screaming warnings.
Something immense.
Something evil.
Something ancient.
Was staring directly at me.
My instincts blared danger alarms.
Around the Rift, hundreds—
No, thousands—
of monsters swarmed like ants.
"Wow."
I laughed weakly.
"That's a lot of mobs."
My arms might actually fall off if I had to kill all of them.
"Scared?"
Kairik asked with a predatory grin.
I tightened my grip on the hammer and stood on my saddle.
"I'm excited."
A grin spread across my face.
"All I see is money."
"Money?"
Scattered across the battlefield were small, glowing crystals left behind wherever monsters died.
Mana stones.
Pure crystallized magical energy.
The power source behind magical communication devices, advanced heating systems, and nearly every piece of magical technology in the Empire.
Demand was enormous.
Supply required risking your life hunting monsters.
Which made them absurdly valuable.
I stared at the glittering crystals with shining eyes.
"Those are mana stones."
I licked my lips.
Memories of my impoverished previous life reignited my fighting spirit.
"Every single one of those is basically gold."
Turning toward my companions, I raised my voice.
"Damian! Kairik! You remember the plan?"
Damian drew his sword.
"Break through the center?"
"Nope."
I pointed my hammer toward the deepest part of the Rift.
Toward the massive black core that resembled an enormous eye.
"We charge straight in and smash the boss's head first."
"That's my style."
"...You're insane."
Kairik shook his head.
Yet his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Let's go, partners!"
I kicked my horse forward and leapt down the cliff first.
Behind me came the battle cries of Damian and Kairik.
And thus began our legendary Northern Campaign—
in the most reckless,
most violent,
and most spectacular way imaginable.
A passionate storyteller who loves creating immersive worlds and captivating characters.
