"What?"
Alicia scowled upon hearing Zeke call her name.
She unleashed a fierce aura as she turned to him and said,
"How do you know my name?"
Zeke was startled himself, realizing he had unconsciously spoken her name.
'Seeing her face in person shook my heart, even though I knew better.ʼ
Composing himself, he said in a calm voice,
"As a guardian knight of Draker, itʼs only natural that I know the name of the Grand Duke of the North, known as the White Wolf."
Alicia flinched in surprise at Zekeʼs words, but her eyes grew even fiercer upon hearing "Draker."
"Damn Drakerʼs guardian knight... So youʼre that Zeke Draker or whatever." Zeke was even more shocked that Alicia already knew who he was.
'Alicia, who had no interest in outside news, knew about me... I guess Iʼd become famous.ʼ Zeke nodded, forcing a composed expression.
"Thatʼs right. I am Zeke Draker."
At that, Alicia picked up the Fang-Wolf Sword she had thrown on the ground.
The knights around her tensed and sharpened their auras toward her.
Zeke raised a hand to stop them.
"Itʼs fine. I need to speak with the Grand Duke of the North, so everyone continue with your meals."
At his command, the Black Spirit Unit and Barbarian Unit immediately sheathed their weapons and returned to their seats.
Reina and the Thurn knights hesitated at his words but, after glancing around, sat back down.
Still, Reina couldnʼt tear her eyes away from the suspicious uninvited guest, unable to believe she was truly the Grand Duke of the North.
Alicia, gripping the Fang-Wolf Sword, said to Zeke,
"I donʼt know if youʼre stupid or just confident. If I swing my sword from this distance, youʼll die on the spot."
Zeke chuckled inwardly at Aliciaʼs words.
'She was exactly the same as before.ʼ
Seeing her charge forward recklessly without regard for front or back stirred more emotions in Zeke than he had anticipated.
He had never felt this way when reuniting with ties from other past lives after his regression.
To Zeke, Alicia had been a truly special existence.
While he had been away on a mission, Alicia had faced the full assault of the imperial army and ultimately perished on the battlefield.
After losing her, Zeke had wandered the continent aimlessly, leaving the northern continent behind.
The central continent, swept by the imperial forces, was a wasteland of devastation, filled only with despair and suffering.
Consumed by the thought that he hadnʼt been strong enough to protect Alicia and had even lost his place to stay, Zeke had wandered wherever his feet took him until he discovered the relic of an elder dragon in the Ice Mountains.
Through a long time, he had reached this moment, standing before the living Alicia.
But Alicia had no knowledge of that past life, so those memories belonged solely to Zeke.
It was then.
Whoooosh!
From her seated position, Alicia suddenly swung the Fang-Wolf Sword toward Zeke.
Zeke quickly drew Bahamut to block it.
Claaang!
The clash of swords rang out like a massive iron bell shattering.
Even though he had hastily deployed the Chamber of Metal Power, his wrist tingled.
'As expected, this was the power of a Great Strength Wielder.ʼ
As his closest comrade in his previous life, Zeke knew Aliciaʼs abilities better than anyone.
The Himonas bloodline had dominated the north for a long time.
The reason they could subdue the fierce northern lords and establish themselves as kings of the north was simple.
Their power was immense.
Here, "power" meant literal "strength," not something symbolic.
The progenitor of Himonas was none other than a Great Strength Wielder with the momentum to uproot mountains—someone who could literally tear a mountain from the earth.
That terrifying strength had been passed down through the Himonas bloodline, reaching its peak in Alicia.
Before the power of the Great Strength Wielder she possessed, magic and aura alike meant nothing.
Thus, Alicia couldnʼt help but be astonished that Zeke had blocked her sword without much effort.
She lowered the Fang-Wolf Sword and said,
"Youʼve got the skill to back up your arrogance."
Zeke, knowing her personality, understood that this was high praise from her.
Zeke sheathed Bahamut and replied,
"Iʼve learned just how heavy the sword of the northʼs guardian truly is." A glint of interest flashed in Aliciaʼs eyes at Zekeʼs words.
"The northʼs guardian. Interesting. I didnʼt expect a Draker to use such an expression."
"How could I deny that Himonas is the sword guarding the north? I merely stated the truth."
Alicia let out a scoffing laugh at that.
Then, she picked up one of the frozen bear paws at her feet and tossed it toward Zeke.
"This is for the soup."
Zeke was inwardly startled at Alicia offering him the bear paw.
'Alicia sharing food with someone...? ʼ
As a Great Strength Wielder, Aliciaʼs appetite was extraordinary.
She believed that without proper meals, she couldnʼt unleash her full power.
Thus, she always prioritized eating.
For her to share food was a clear sign of goodwill.
He picked up the frozen bear paw, drew Anexiʼs Dagger, sliced off a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth.
'Bear meat. It had been a while.ʼ
It was something he often ate when he was with Alicia.
As the bear meat entered his mouth, memories of the past flooded back vividly.
Reina, who watched as Zeke and Alicia sat across from each other and gnawed on the bear paw, looked bewildered from behind.
'What was going on here?ʼ
Alicia only stood up after stripping all the meat from the bear paw while facing Zeke.
"Phew, now my stomachʼs finally full."
She looked at Zeke and said,
"So, what brings Drakerʼs guardian knight all the way to the north?" Now she was finally asking Zekeʼs purpose.
Zeke set down the cleanly stripped bone and spoke.
"I came to stop the monsters invading the northern continent." Alicia responded with surprise.
"Why would Draker do that? Is it an excuse to attack Himonas or something?" She had no trust in Draker whatsoever.
Zeke shook his head at her words and replied calmly.
"The ones with that intent arenʼt Draker—itʼs the empire."
"What?"
It had been half a joke, but Zekeʼs serious response left Alicia stunned instead.
Zeke stood and explained the situation to her.
"I was on my way back after stopping the imperial army invading Barkal. Theyʼve allied with dark mages to open a gate summoning monsters. As the Grand Duke said, itʼs a pretext for the monster invasion to swallow the northern continent." Alicia scowled deeply upon hearing Zekeʼs words.
"These imperial bastards dare..."
The knights held their breath at the menacing aura emanating from her.
Alicia naturally exuded a pressure different from that of aura-wielding knights.
'The northern lords had good reason to tremble.ʼ
Numerous lords who had underestimated the young Alicia and bared their fangs had lost their lives to her.
Thanks to that, the northern continent had united firmly around her.
Zeke looked at the fuming Alicia and said,
"If the northern continent falls, the central continent wonʼt be safe either. I want to help the Grand Duke defeat the monster legion and the imperial army." Alicia lifted her head and peered into Zekeʼs eyes.
With her keen intuition, she often discerned truth from lies through a personʼs gaze, and it usually proved accurate.
After confirming his eyes, she was certain Zeke spoke the truth.
"Fine. Letʼs do that."
Though she disliked Draker, she took a liking to Zeke himself.
Alicia said to him,
"For now, letʼs head to Himonas Castle together. I got lost after falling off a cliff while hunting monsters. I came here because I smelled delicious soup. My subordinates are probably looking for me."
Zeke immediately understood upon hearing her words.
'She often did that. Terrible sense of direction, too.ʼ
With her sturdy build, she was in no danger of injury, but she frequently lost her way charging ahead alone.
"We know the way to Himonas, so itʼs best to go together. Letʼs regroup at the castle and plan how to strike them." Alicia nodded at that.
But then, something odd stirred outside the cave.
Zeke and Alicia turned their heads simultaneously.
'This was the aura of a magical beast.ʼ
Before Zeke could speak, Alicia grabbed her Fang-Wolf Sword and dashed outside.
Kaaaa!
The cries of magical beasts echoed from beyond the cave.
Zeke gripped Bahamut and followed her out.
Alicia, wielding the Fang-Wolf Sword, flew across the snowfield, cleaving the magical beasts in two with single strokes.
Splat!
In an instant, the beasts were reduced to pulp, staining the pristine snowfield.
Alicia shook the beast blood from her Fang-Wolf Sword and clicked her tongue.
"Damn persistent magical beasts."
Zeke approached her and asked,
"Did these magical beasts follow the Grand Duke?" She nodded.
"Yeah, there was a big one holding out up ahead. It was controlling the magical beasts and monsters to keep attacking us. I went up alone to take it down and ended up falling off the cliff."
If it had been any other knight, they would surely have died from that fall.
'A cunning magical beast controlling beasts and monsters... Could it be...? ʼ
Zeke recalled the Qiongqi he had faced on the southern archipelago islands.
He asked Alicia,
"Do you remember what that magical beast you fought looked like?"
Alicia tilted her head before nodding.
"Hmm, how to describe it... It looked like a sheep and a wild boar at the same time. Its body was covered in sharp, stiff bristles like blades."
From her description, Zeke realized the beastʼs identity.
'Docheol. One of the Four Fiends was here.ʼ
Qiongqi and Docheol were two of the Four Fiends he had hunted with his past-life mentor, Nigel.
Docheol was weaker than Qiongqi but sly and cunning, making it hard to catch.
However, one thing was off.
'Docheol was supposed to inhabit the mountains between Thebea and Argos, not the northern continent.ʼ
Unlike Qiongqi, which had grown stronger in the southern archipelago and moved to the central continent, Docheolʼs habitat had always been there.
For it to leave its habitat and come to the northern continent was unusual.
Aberrations like the Four Fiends rarely left their territories.
'Could Narak be involved?ʼ
As Zeke pondered Docheol, something approached from the far snowfield.
Thud thud thud—
Alicia and Zeke looked up toward the sound.
Kaaaa!
Surprisingly, magical beasts and monsters eroded by demonic energy howled as they charged toward them.
Seeing them, Alicia immediately gripped her Fang-Wolf Sword and prepared to leap forward.
But Zeke blocked her path.
"What are you doing?"
Alicia reacted sharply to Zeke stepping in her way.
She was surprised his reaction speed matched hers, but that wasnʼt the priority now.
Zeke looked at her and said,
"We donʼt need to fight them one by one here."
"Are you suggesting we run with the enemy right in front of us?"
"I mean we should deal with them more efficiently." Zeke shouted to his group behind him.
"Felix! Reina! Lead the unit to the highest ground you can find."
Felix and Reina, who had followed belatedly, didnʼt know what was happening but obeyed, rallying the unit and heading upward.
Confirming their swift movement, Zeke turned, assumed a stance toward the charging magical beasts and monsters, and activated the skill Lionʼs Roar.
Rooooaaar!
A powerful vibration spread across the snowfield.
Alicia frowned at Zeke.
"Hey, what are you—"
It was then.
Rumble rumble rumble!
A massive avalanche of snow poured down the path where the magical beasts and monsters were charging.
Zeke shouted to Alicia.
"Run!"