Episode 391

“What?”

Alicia frowned as she heard Zeke call her name.

With a fierce aura, she demanded, “How do you know my name?”

Zeke was taken aback, realizing he had spoken her name without thinking.

‘Seeing her in person, my heart wavers despite knowing better.’

After calming himself, he addressed Alicia in a steady voice. “As a guardian knight of Draker, it’s only natural to know the name of the Northern Grand Duke, the White Wolf.”

Alicia flinched at his words, her eyes narrowing at the mention of Draker. “So, you’re that Zeke Draker, the so-called guardian knight of that damned place?”

Zeke was even more surprised that Alicia knew of him. ‘For someone like Alicia, who pays no attention to outside news, to know about me… I must have become quite famous.’

He nodded, maintaining a composed expression. “Yes, I am Zeke Draker.”

Alicia picked up the sword she had tossed aside, and the surrounding knights tensed, their focus sharpening on her. Zeke raised a hand to calm them.

“It’s fine. I’ll speak with the Grand Duke. Everyone, continue your meal.”

At his command, the Black Legion and the Barbarian unit sheathed their weapons and returned to their seats. Reina and Turn’s knights hesitated but eventually followed suit, though Reina couldn’t take her eyes off the mysterious intruder, still skeptical that she was truly the Northern Grand Duke.

Alicia, gripping her sword, spoke to Zeke. “I can’t tell if you’re brave or just foolish. If I swing my sword from this distance, you’d be dead in an instant.”

Zeke inwardly chuckled at her words. ‘She’s just as fierce as ever.’

Seeing her charge forward without hesitation brought a flood of emotions he hadn’t felt when meeting other past acquaintances since his return. Alicia held a special place in his heart.

During his absence on a mission, Alicia had fallen in battle against the Empire’s forces. Losing her had driven Zeke to wander aimlessly across the continent after leaving the Northern lands. The central continent, ravaged by the Empire, was a wasteland filled with despair and suffering.

Haunted by the thought that he hadn’t been strong enough to protect Alicia and had lost his home, Zeke roamed until he discovered an Elder Dragon’s relic in the Ice Mountains. After a long journey, he now stood before the living Alicia once more.

But Alicia had no memory of their past life together; those memories belonged to Zeke alone.

Suddenly, Alicia swung her sword at him from a seated position. Zeke quickly drew Bahamut to block her attack.

The clash of their swords echoed like a massive bell shattering. Despite hastily forming a barrier of force, his wrist tingled from the impact.

‘So this is the power of a true warrior.’

As her closest ally in his past life, Zeke knew Alicia’s abilities better than anyone. The Himonas lineage had long ruled the North, their strength the key to uniting the harsh northern lords under their reign.

The power they wielded was not symbolic but literal ‘strength.’ The founder of Himonas was a legendary warrior capable of uprooting mountains, and that formidable power had been passed down to Alicia, reaching its peak.

Before her might, magic and aura were meaningless. Thus, Alicia was astonished that Zeke had blocked her attack without difficulty.

Lowering her sword, she remarked, “You have the skill to back up your arrogance.”

Zeke, familiar with her personality, knew this was high praise coming from her. He sheathed Bahamut and replied, “I see the Northern Guardian’s sword is as formidable as ever.”

Alicia’s eyes gleamed with interest. “The Northern Guardian, huh? Interesting. I didn’t expect a Draker to use such a term.”

“How could I deny that Himonas is the sword that protects the North? I’m merely stating the truth.”

Alicia chuckled softly at his words, then tossed a frozen bear paw at him. “Consider it payment for the soup.”

Zeke was taken aback by her gesture. ‘Alicia, sharing her food?’

Alicia, with her immense strength, had a unique relationship with food. She believed she couldn’t exert her full power without proper nourishment, so she always prioritized eating well. Her offering him food was a clear sign of goodwill.

He picked up the bear paw, sliced off a piece with Anexi’s dagger, and tasted it. ‘Bear meat. It’s been a while.’

It brought back memories of the times they shared, often eating bear meat together. Watching them devour the bear paw, Reina looked on in bewilderment. ‘What on earth is happening?’

After finishing the meal, Alicia stood up, finally feeling satisfied. “So, what brings a Draker knight to the North?”

Alicia finally asked Zeke about his purpose. He placed the cleaned bones aside and spoke. “I’ve come to stop the monsters invading the Northern continent.”

Alicia responded with surprise. “And why would Draker do that? Are you here to attack Himonas under the guise of stopping monsters?”

She had no trust in Draker. Zeke shook his head, answering calmly, “The Empire, not Draker, has such intentions.”

“What?”

Her half-joking remark was met with Zeke’s serious reply, leaving Alicia genuinely surprised. Zeke stood and explained the situation.

“I’ve just returned from stopping the Empire’s invasion of Barkal. They’ve allied with dark sorcerers to open gates summoning monsters. As you said, they plan to use the monster invasion as an excuse to conquer the Northern continent.”

Alicia’s expression darkened at his words. “Those damned Empire bastards…”

Her fierce aura made the other knights hold their breath. Alicia’s presence was different from knights who wielded aura; it was naturally intimidating.

‘No wonder the northern lords fear her.’

Many lords who underestimated young Alicia and challenged her had lost their lives. Thanks to her, the Northern continent had united around her.

Zeke, watching Alicia seethe, spoke. “If the Northern continent falls, the central continent won’t be safe either. I want to help you defeat the monster horde and the Empire’s forces.”

Alicia looked into Zeke’s eyes, trying to gauge his sincerity. Her intuition rarely failed her, and she confirmed he was telling the truth.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Though she disliked Draker, she found Zeke himself agreeable. Alicia suggested, “Let’s head to Himonas Castle together. I got lost while hunting monsters and followed the scent of delicious soup here. My men are probably searching for me.”

Zeke understood immediately. ‘She often got lost like that. Her sense of direction was terrible.’

Though she was tough enough to avoid injury, she frequently lost her way charging ahead alone.

“We know the way to Himonas. Let’s go together, regroup at the castle, and plan our attack.”

Alicia nodded in agreement. Just then, a strange presence was felt outside the cave. Both Zeke and Alicia turned their heads simultaneously.

‘It’s the aura of beasts.’

Before Zeke could speak, Alicia grabbed her sword and dashed outside.

A chorus of beastly roars echoed from outside the cave. Zeke followed, gripping Bahamut.

Alicia, wielding her sword, danced across the snowy landscape, slicing through the beasts with ease.

In an instant, the beasts were reduced to pulp, staining the pristine snow.

Alicia flicked the beast’s blood from her sword and clicked her tongue. “Damn persistent beasts.”

Zeke approached her, asking, “Were these beasts following you?”

She nodded. “Yes, a large beast was leading them. It controlled the beasts and monsters to keep attacking us. I went after it alone and ended up falling off a cliff.”

Had it been anyone other than Alicia, they would have perished from such a fall.

“The idea of a cunning beastmaster controlling monsters… could it really be?”

Zeke recalled the formidable creature they had faced on the southern island.

He turned to Alicia and asked, “Do you remember what the beast looked like?”

Alicia tilted her head, pondering for a moment before nodding. “Hmm, how should I describe it? It looked like a cross between a sheep and a boar, with fur as sharp and stiff as blades.”

Listening to her description, Zeke realized what they were dealing with.

“A Taotie. One of the Four Fiends, here of all places.”

In a past life, Zeke, along with his mentor Nigel, had captured both the Taotie and the Qiongqi. The Taotie was less powerful than the Qiongqi but was notoriously sly and difficult to catch.

Yet something was off.

“I thought the Taotie lived in the mountains between Thebea and Argos, not here in the northern continent.”

Unlike the Qiongqi, which had grown stronger in the southern islands before moving to the central continent, the Taotie’s habitat was originally elsewhere. It was unusual for such a creature to leave its territory.

“Could it be that the Abyss has a hand in this?”

As Zeke pondered the Taotie’s presence, a rumbling sound approached from across the snowy plains.

Thud, thud, thud—

Alicia and Zeke looked up to see where the noise was coming from.

A cacophony of roars erupted as beasts and monsters, tainted by dark magic, charged toward them.

Alicia instinctively reached for her sword, ready to leap into action.

But Zeke stopped her.

“What are you doing?” Alicia snapped, surprised by his quick reflexes, which matched her own. But that wasn’t the issue at hand.

Zeke met her gaze and said, “We don’t need to fight them all here.”

“Are you suggesting we run away with the enemy right in front of us?”

“I’m suggesting we handle them more efficiently.”

Zeke called out to their companions, “Felix! Reina! Lead the troops to higher ground!”

Felix and Reina, who had just caught up, didn’t fully understand the situation but followed Zeke’s orders, rallying the troops to move to a higher vantage point.

Once he saw them moving swiftly, Zeke turned back to face the oncoming beasts and monsters. He steadied himself and unleashed his Lion’s Roar skill.

A powerful vibration rippled across the snowy expanse.

Alicia frowned at Zeke. “What are you—”

Suddenly, a massive avalanche roared down the path where the beasts and monsters were charging.

Zeke shouted to Alicia, “Run!”