Skadi’s first impression wasn’t great.

The majestic image of a god I vaguely imagined was shattered. It was like looking at a naive girl. But now it was different.

The aura surrounding the expressionless girl belonged to an absolute being. Even the Battlefield, filled with shouts and screams, stopped. Merely by her appearance.

Even in a chaotic place where you couldn’t hear a shout right in front of you, her presence was so overwhelming that it made everyone turn their heads to look.

In a way, it was natural. Weren’t those Orcs rolling around on the Battlefield just trying to get a glimpse of a god? But now, a god itself had appeared. Not the god the Orcs believed in, but an incredible, truly incredible event.

“Demonkind, huh. I killed a lot of them back in the day. Did they crawl out of where they lived?”

The god looked down from the sky. With an arrogant gaze, her Robe fluttered like a skirt, revealing her legs. Even amidst all this, my eyes were drawn to her bare skin. Her actual skin, not a Statue, looked moist as if it held water.

“By your call, I shall annihilate the enemies.”

Skadi extended her index finger, her other hand on her hip, striking an arrogant pose. There was no spell a Mage would naturally chant, nor a staff in her hand. The girl merely pointed at her target.

Then, something incredible happened.

My body trembled. Although it was mid-winter, it hadn’t been like this. It was so cold. With just one gesture, the girl changed the weather of the entire area. The Protagonist knew.

A Blizzard raged.

It was the Blizzard the Protagonist had only been able to use once. Within the wind that felt like it was tearing flesh, there were snowflakes. Countless of them. It was incomparable to what the Protagonist had done.

The snowflakes froze everything they touched. From Armor to body. From shoulder to finger. From toe to head. A figure who appeared to be a Commander shouted, but even his scream was swallowed.

It was incredible.

The Blizzard the girl cast froze the entire area. Its range was much wider than what the Protagonist had done. At that time, the Protagonist had only frozen about a hundred people at most.

But the girl brought down a Blizzard on a place where over a hundred people had gathered, as if she had changed the season itself. Where the girl pointed her finger, frozen ice statues had appeared.

Two-headed figures frozen with their mouths open, clutching their necks; a bull-headed figure lying prostrate with its head raised as if it had fallen while trying to escape; even a horse-headed figure that died while kissing another…

‘Didn’t we win?’

The Soldiers cheered at the sight. It felt like a complete victory. Something that would have taken dozens of Ice Spears to accomplish had just happened.

The Soldiers were simply delighted. When something unbelievable happens, people usually shake their heads first. But if that thing benefits the Protagonist, people nod their heads. That’s how it was now.

They were alive. That’s all they thought about. They could go to the tavern again tomorrow for a drink, joke around with friends, lose money gambling with dice. And return home late at night to be nagged by their wives. Though slightly different for each, the Soldiers only thought about being able to continue their daily lives.

“Human Mage. Was it a god you believed in?”

“Yes.”

“Amazing. I’ve lived a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen a god with my own eyes. Not only have you given me a new life, but you’ve also allowed me to witness such a rare sight.”

Norkin’s voice was excited. Even he had this reaction. I wondered how excited the others would be.

“My lovely worshipper.”

Skadi, who had been floating in the sky, descended. The girl approached so closely that her face seemed to be boiling, and she spoke. Perhaps because of what she had just done, she looked incredibly mysterious and majestic.

“Originally, I should have answered your call and killed them all, but my power is insufficient.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means I couldn’t kill them all.”

“Huh?”

“Sorry.”

The Goddess scratched her head and stuck out her tongue slightly.

This good-for-nothing Goddess was trying to act cute. I squeezed my eyes shut. From her tone, it seemed there were survivors. I hastily grabbed the girl.

“D-don’t go! I still need you!”

“Then do you have anything to offer?”

“Anything to offer?”

“Yes.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then I can’t stay.”

“W-wait…”

“I’ve bluffed those guys, so it’ll be fine! Goodbye then!”

The girl’s body gradually blurred and disappeared. I was speechless. She really vanished. I collected myself and looked beyond the City Wall.

The fighting had stopped. The enemies had suffered considerable damage. But it didn’t seem like they were all dead. Snowflakes that would freeze your entire body with just a touch were swirling. Yet, it was unbelievable that there were survivors.

Looking closely, there were some who were moving. They appeared to be Nobles. There were quite a few others as well. It seemed there were about ten. They weren’t just ten ordinary people. They were ten who had survived an immense Blizzard.

I swallowed.

There must be incredibly powerful individuals among them right now. Even if only they stepped forward, the City could fall. The battle was not over yet.

After the battle, while the Soldiers were cleaning up, I looked beyond the City Wall. I was trying to see what their reaction would be.

But the opponents did nothing. They neither recovered the bodies of their comrades nor led their bodies away from the spot.

“What do you think they’re staying behind to do?”

“I don’t know either.”

Norkin shook his head. He had lived a long time but didn’t know everything. He pondered for a long time before sharing his thoughts.

“They’re probably thinking about what to do.”

“My thoughts?”

“Even if all the Soldiers are dead, if everyone who survived now stepped forward, this City would be reduced to ashes before a day passed. But they didn’t step forward.”

“Is it because of my Magic?”

I asked the Orcs. I thought I knew why those strong Nobles weren’t stepping forward.

“The being you summoned is a god. Even I must look up to a god. Those who are not much different from me must have had their hearts sink.”

The opponent was hesitating. It was because they thought Humans were weak, but they were stronger than expected. They were deliberating whether to advance or retreat after being severely hit by the Protagonist’s Magic.

I wondered what their reaction would be.

Please, I hoped they would retreat as they were. If they made up their minds and came in, there was no way to stop them. What the Protagonist had just shown could only be used once. There was no second time.

I hoped the Nobles were intimidated by this side’s power. Only then could they survive. As the Protagonist’s face turned pale, the Orcs added that the Magic the Protagonist had just displayed was so immense that they would turn back.

“You summoned a god. None other than a god. What is it that we desire so much? It is to go to the side of a god. We go into battle without sparing our lives to be beside Moltan, to receive even a little more of his gaze.”

“…”

“But Human Mage. You summoned a god! You summoned him directly to the place where the Protagonist was fighting! You personally embodied the Miracle of a god! How can this not be a great feat!”

Norkin spoke passionately.

“It was no coincidence that I, Norkin, defeated you and broke the Wall. Now I am certain. You are indeed the one favored by a god. Just as you led me, I will watch over you.”

I looked at his face. Norkin was old. At least, he was reluctant to do anything unless it benefited the Protagonist. Norkin had a materialistic side for an Orc.

I thought about why he was making such a fuss. After drawing a conclusion, I spoke. It was a statement half-filled with certainty.

“I can’t summon Moltan.”

“Is that so?”

Disappointment clouded Norkin’s face. It seemed he had intended to ask later if it were possible. Moltan was a god that Orcs clung to, even accepting death. If they saw such a god in person, most Orcs might die on the spot from overwhelming joy.

Leaving him, I descended the City Wall stairs.

I had to think about what to do next. Although the Protagonist’s Magic had killed the enemies, truly fearsome enemies still remained. It wouldn’t hurt to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

As the Protagonist was descending the stairs, the Count came riding from the other side. As soon as he dismounted, he asked what had happened. I explained the situation to him at length.

When I told him that what the Protagonist had said last night about defeating the enemies with powerful Magic had actually come to pass, the Count burst into laughter.

“What you did is truly amazing. Truly… truly amazing. If I survive this, I will spread the word about you. That an incredible Mage has appeared. Haha, h-haha. It’s incredible. It was the most astonishing sight I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The Count laughed as if he were relieved.

“It’s not over yet.”

“The remaining bastards, you mean? Don’t worry! I’m sure they’ll run away, unable to control their bowels.”

The Count said with conviction. Hearing him speak, I felt a little relieved. Mordon also chimed in.

“Don’t you realize how amazing it is to summon a god? We saw a miracle. You are the Mage who summons miracles.”

Mordon said. A deep grin also appeared on his face. He made a fuss, saying that the protagonist had saved everyone in the City. It was different from his usual serious demeanor, perhaps because he was normally impotent.

“Can you use the magic you showed earlier again?”

“No.”

He shook his head. He remembered the spell, but the protagonist didn’t have the will to cast it again. Even if he did, summoning a god required a price. The protagonist had nothing to offer as a price. If he had, he would have offered it again before Skadi disappeared.

“Still, you must show faith that it’s possible.”

“Are you telling me to lie?”

“You are hope. People need hope. Even if it’s a lie.”

Mordon’s expression hardened.

His words were difficult, but he understood to some extent. It meant that if the protagonist told the truth, morale would drop. There was no need to say anything disheartening.

Soldiers lifted the corpses by their two arms and legs and threw them. After the battle, they had to clear the corpses and treat the wounded.

He went to their tent and made healing water. Even after making water until sunset, there was no particular reaction from beyond the City Wall.

It was the same when he asked the soldiers on guard. The enemy had even set up tents and remained outside the Castle. He didn’t know what they were thinking. The thought that it wasn’t over yet made it hard to breathe, as if a stone was weighing on his chest.

Others thought differently. As the sun set and night fell, the soldiers all held a drinking party. The protagonist joined them. The reason was that the soldiers would feel at ease if a great mage showed their face. He felt a little proud.

If he survived this battle, his reputation would echo throughout the renowned Castle. Charlotte, who was next to him, seemed to have similar thoughts and spoke while drinking.

“When this is over, there will be a huge rumor. Demons who crossed the Mountain Range were defeated by a Mage who summoned a god. It’s truly absurd for me, a beggar, to be saying this.”

“I don’t think people will believe it.”

“It doesn’t matter. Everyone saw you summon a god. Even if people in other regions don’t believe it, it’s fine. I saw it.”

Charlotte said. It was like a confession. The sight of the woman, who couldn’t hold her liquor well, being drunk was exactly the face of a female her age. She looked a little more human.

Her words from last night, telling them to fight with the resolve to die, seemed like a lie. She clung to the protagonist, seemingly quite intoxicated. Even with many soldiers around, she did so.

“Indeed, you were not meant to die. Even the gods look after you.”

“Let’s go to bed.”

“What, what? I’m going to drink more.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Who! I’m not drunk. I’m not drunk…”

Charlotte mumbled. She fell asleep, lying on the protagonist’s lap. He raised his head. Around the bonfire far ahead, soldiers were laughing, chatting, and happily drinking alcohol.

Everyone seemed excited. This must mean the protagonist’s magic was that incredible. The protagonist also hadn’t known it would be this amazing.

Amelin, sitting next to him, spoke.

“Is he asleep?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried about what would happen until yesterday.”

“I’m sorry.”

Amelin shook her head. She also watched the soldiers having a good time.

“It’s okay. Things worked out, didn’t they?”

She seemed satisfied that no one had died. She recalled last night’s events. She thought it was the end. But it wasn’t now.

The Protagonist also drank alcohol.

It was the first time he had drunk alcohol. It was more poisonous than he thought.

***

The other side showed a reaction three days later. A soldier reported that someone was approaching the City Gate and shouting, and the Senior Officer, hearing this, rushed to the Mansion to deliver the news. Mordon was the first to hear the news.

“Baron.”

Mordon said.

“The enemies have requested a meeting.”

“A meeting?”

“It seems the other side wants to meet you, Baron.”

He didn’t know why they wanted to meet the Protagonist.

But he couldn’t refuse. If he refused, it might reveal that the Protagonist was afraid of the other side. For now, he decided to meet them. They were afraid of his side. As long as he didn’t reveal that the Protagonist was weak, it would be fine.