The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 21
‧₊˚ 
⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
this book is completely translated on luna kofi (advanced chapters for the website will follow)
At that moment, Igmeyer was also watching the falling snow.
More precisely, he was being hit by it.
“Oh, this is not good.”
“The snow is accumulating several centimeters per hour. At this rate, it will be difficult to track Fenrir’s footsteps.”
In response to the words of the Deputy Knight Commander Gallard Luntstgen, the irritated Igmeyer clicked his tongue and brushed off the snow that had accumulated on his head.
Fenrir was cunning. It knew how to create fake footprints and lure humans into traps. The difference between animals and monsters lay precisely in that.
Sometimes, certain monsters were as wicked as humans and inflicted just as much harm.
“It’s an environment where it just has to feast.”
The feast referred to here is a feast from Fenrir’s position.
If it beats the knights, it will go down to the village excitedly, rob the meat warehouse, and eat people.
“It seems to be heading south. It could be east, but…”
“The north is the direction Fenrir came from, so there’s no turning back.”
The west was blocked by mountains, and there were no villages in that direction. So, there were only two possible paths for Fenrir to take.
Igmeyer, sighing in impatience, pressed his eyes. Then, he asked Gallard a question.
“A groom who runs away from home on the first night and does not return for over a week… Isn’t that the perfect thing to be rude to the wife? Of course, I briefly showed my face.”
Igmeyer was not usually one to ask questions. Living with the belief that there was no one better than him and, unfortunately, that turned out to be true, his pride and arrogance had never been shattered until now.
However, when it came to marriage, Igmeyer knew nothing.
So, he had no choice but to ask the man who got married first.
Gallard was extremely surprised that Igmeyer was seeking answers from him, but he managed to control his expression.
“It seems like grounds for divorce.”
“Damn.”
“…”
Gallard restrained the urge to laugh at the sudden curse thrown at him.
It seemed like there was something frightening happening to the man who once feared nothing.
Although he wanted to tease him, now was not the time.
Igmeyer’s annoyance was evident in his well-shaped face. Gallard knew from experience that it wasn’t a good idea to bother him at times like this.
‘Oh, maybe I’m grumpy because of the bad dream.’
Indeed, Igmeyer wasn’t in a good mood at the moment.
Since the first night, he had been having recurring dreams of his own death.
It wasn’t a big deal, but the problem was that in those dreams, he could see the Princess dying.
Looking like she was also in the last month of pregnancy, so the Princess can’t even run away with her full stomach.
Highly likely that it was his child, and the thought of not being able to protect his wife and child and dying in the process, made him feel miserable.
‘It was a good thing I took the time to return to the castle that day.’
Looking at the ashen sky, Igmeyer felt a sense of certainty that this hunt would take longer than initially expected.
Unaware of the heavy snowfall, if he had just endured it without returning, his newlywed wife might have almost forgotten his face.
Being from a distant place and having no familiar things, people, or scenery, even without the snowstorm, it would have been easy for his newlywed wife to forget him.
“Gallard.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“There must be handsome men in Shadroch, right?”
Igmeyer was well aware of his own good looks. However, it seemed like his face didn’t impress the Princess much.
There was a strange sense that something was off.
What should he show to make sure the Princess wouldn’t forget him?
He had been obsessing over that thought since the day before yesterday.
“Ah, that’s enough for an answer.”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll use my power, so let’s quickly defeat Fenrir and return.”
Gallard, who had been making a tired face at Igmeyer’s arbitrary request, was startled by Igmeyer’s declaration and quickly composed himself.
There was a special ability possessed by the men of the Niflheim family.
When activated, it allowed them to accurately detect the number and location of monsters, as well as track them. They could run at speeds comparable to the wind and gained strength on par with monsters.
However, no power came without a price.
The more frequently the power was used, the more the caster would be tainted by darkness. Gradually succumbing to madness, one day they would completely lose their sanity.
Igmeyer had already used his power extensively during his mercenary days.
It was better to avoid using it as much as possible for the sake of his well-being…
‘I can’t take it anymore.’
The fiery glow appeared in Igmeyer’s eyes as he climbed onto a tall tree. His pupils, which could distinguish only non-human monsters, rapidly moved, locating Fenrir.
Finally, Igmeyer leaped down from the tree and issued a command.
“He’s in the southern fjord. It’s treacherous terrain, so only expert-level knights will go. The rest will go down to the village to defend.”
“Yes, understood.”
