The chieftain Yeti, aflame and enraged, rose to its feet.

Letting out a guttural roar, it charged straight at Semna.

I swung the rope over my head a few times and hurled it with all my strength.

The lasso landed squarely around the chieftain Yeti’s neck, fastening tightly.

It was a perfect hit—just like before.

But this time, I wouldn’t fall short of strength.

“Zero! Pull back!”

“Prrrnngh!”

Zero, despite the freezing weather, was sweating profusely as he started to retreat backward.

Now, the weight of both Zero and me hung firmly on the lasso. No matter how powerful the beast, no neck could endure such a strain. Especially not when its entire body was engulfed in flames.

Or so I thought.

Still holding on? This thing’s persistence is utterly terrifying.

The chieftain Yeti staggered left and right, letting out a bloodcurdling cry.

“Ku-wehhhhhhhck!”

The piercing scream was so unnerving it almost brought tears to my eyes.

Even so, I refused to let go of the rope. Slowly but surely, I could feel the tension shifting in my favor.

“Zero! This is the final push!”

Zero spun around in place and galloped hard in the opposite direction.

At the same time, I braced my freezing elbows and pulled the rope with every ounce of strength I had.

“Wooooaaaarrrr!”

Thud!

The chieftain let out a thunderous roar before collapsing under its own weight.

The ground shook, snow and ice shattering and flying in all directions.

Only then did I release the rope and dismount from Zero.

Sliding across the icy surface, I ran toward the fallen beast.

The Yeti’s fur, soaked with oil, was burning fiercely.

Its glowing blue eyes still blazed with fury, but I met its gaze without flinching as I climbed onto its massive frame.

The scorching flames licked mercilessly at my boots, the searing pain making me grit my teeth.

I bit down hard and drew my dagger. This would be the end.

“Kwaaaaagh!”

A chilling scream rang out.

But this wasn’t a roar—it was the Yeti’s death cry.

The scream subsided after a moment, and its once-flaming fur turned black, clinging to its charred hide.

Strangely enough, as its life ebbed away, the flames vanished along with it.

The strength drained from my hand still clutching the dagger, leaving it limp.

“Hah… hah…”

Only then did a deep sigh escape me.

My hands, no—my shoulders, my entire body—throbbed with pain.

Completely spent, I let myself collapse against the Yeti’s lifeless body.

For some reason, everything around me had fallen silent. There hadn’t been any screams or shouts for a while now.

“Wooooool...”

“Wool... Wool...”

“Wooouuuul...”

The Yetis looked back and forth between me and the fallen chieftain’s corpse before hesitantly retreating step by step. Then, as if deciding all at once, they turned and bolted in a chaotic stampede.

“They’re running away!”

“We’re alive! We made it!”

The caravan members punched the air triumphantly. There was no need to declare out loud that the fight was over.

We’d suffered many injuries, even lost lives, but in the end, we had survived.

We had won.

As the Yetis fled, Semna was the first to rush over and start checking me all over.

“Sol, are you hurt? Huh? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine... just completely exhausted. What about you?”

Semna shook her head vigorously.

I thought about scolding her for recklessly throwing axes and tools at the chieftain Yeti earlier but decided against it.

“Thanks.”

“Huh?”

“For tossing that lantern. It saved my life.”

“Oh, I didn’t really aim for that...”

“Even so.”

Semna grinned mischievously.

“See? You can’t do without me, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I can’t manage without you. But maybe tone down the risky stuff a bit—”

“Look who’s talking! You fought like you had a death wish! Do you want to die or something?”

I was too tired for another round of nagging. I had just decided to stop fighting, and here we were again.

I took off my gloves and pinched Semna’s cheek, pulling hard.

“Ow, ow, ow! Let go! Let go already!”

“You let go first.”

“Fine. On three. One, two, three!”

“Why didn’t you let go?”

“Why didn’t you?”

As our petty fight continued, the caravan leader, Syle, finally dragged his weary body over to me and clapped me on the shoulder.

“Kid—no, I guess I can’t call you a kid anymore. You were amazing. Absolutely amazing. I’ll have to start calling you ‘Adventurer’ from now on.”

“Please don’t. That’d just feel awkward. Just call me what you always have.”

“Really? You sure?”

Too tired to care, I nodded absentmindedly. Titles didn’t matter right now—I just wanted to rest.

Thankfully, Semna caught the hint and stepped aside.

Ironically, I hadn’t gotten hurt fighting the Yeti, but now my cheek throbbed from her pinching.

Syle chuckled as he watched us.

“You’re still bickering like children, huh? Maybe you’re still a rookie after all. Anyway, about titles and all that—what really matters is repaying kindness. Even if we’re not one of the two great caravans, the Syle Caravan is pretty big. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re properly rewarded.”

“Kindness?”

“You saved my life and the caravan, didn’t you?”

After a moment of thought, Syle asked me,

“Your horse, Zero you gave him that name, right? He seems to follow you well. What do you think? Would you like to keep him?”

“Of course I would!”

Even though I rode Zero, he wasn’t mine Syle had only lent him to me. A horse of his caliber, one who obeyed commands even in front of the chieftain Yeti, must be worth a fortune. Was he really offering?

Syle chuckled and called over Harwin. After a brief conversation, Harwin handed him a sheet of paper, and Syle quickly scribbled something on it before handing it to me.

The certificate felt heavier than its thin paper should.

“This... is this what I think it is?”

“Yes. It’s a deed of ownership for Zero. He’s yours now, kid!”

The caravan members whispered enviously. Apparently, few among them actually owned their own horses.

Feeling a swell of pride, I approached Zero and declared,

“You’re mine now!”

Zero licked my hand once before clamping down on it with his teeth.

“Okay, okay! How about we say I’m yours, too? Fair enough?”

Zero snorted and finally let go, his quirky personality on full display. No wonder he’d fought so fiercely alongside me against the chieftain Yeti.

Syle, clearly pleased, stroked his chin thoughtfully before asking,

“I’ve got a niece—a fine young lady, if I may say so—but never mind. I’d feel bad bringing her up in front of this young miss here. Hmm. So, how should I repay the second favor?”

“Second favor? Isn’t giving me Zero enough?”

“No, no. I’m a merchant; I always settle my accounts properly. Zero’s for saving my life. The caravan? That’s a separate matter. So, what do you want?”

Honestly, I didn’t have anything in mind.

Semna, however, eagerly listed off necklaces, rings, and other trinkets, but none of those felt quite right.

Seeing my hesitation, Syle offered a suggestion.

“You’re good with a rope, kid, but if you’re going to be a real adventurer, shouldn’t you have a fine sword?”

“A sword?”

Heroes in old stories always carried swords. Even Zhouru, one of the heroes of the Five Towers, had one and used it for all sorts of feats.

“Let’s make it a sword, then. A proper reward for saving the caravan.”

At Syle’s nod, one of the caravan members hurried off and returned with a long bundle.

When the wrapping was removed, a weathered sword sheath was revealed. It looked ancient, with cracks and dents marring its surface—not exactly impressive.

“Come on, caravan leader! Isn’t this a bit much? You think Solaire’s a pushover or something?” Semna snapped on my behalf.

Syle clutched his chest in mock indignation.

“This, young lady, is a dwarven masterpiece. A genuine treasure, gifted by someone of great importance! Sure, it’s seen better days, but that can be fixed.”

“And how do you expect a human to repair a dwarven sword?”

“Well... didn’t the kid say he’s collecting Sun Shards? One of the three shards is in the underground city, so he’ll meet dwarves eventually...”

“So, basically, he can’t use it until then. Typical!”

“Aren’t you just handing me some inventory you didn’t know what to do with?”

Semna scolded Syle, refusing to accept the sword as a proper reward and demanding something else instead.

I felt like a teenager embarrassed by a parent making a scene in public. Flustered, I picked up the sword myself.

“I like this sword. Caravan Leader, if you’re offering a reward, I’ll take this.”

“Really? See, young lady, even the kid agrees. He’s got an eye for quality!”

“You’re just tricking a naïve kid…”

“Now, now, don’t say things like that. Trust is the lifeblood of the Syle Caravan. I guarantee this sword will bring him great achievements—just like Zhouru  of the Five Towers!”

I cautiously drew the blade from its sheath. The edge was dull, likely from years of neglect, but I could feel its sturdy build and perfect balance. For some reason, it felt just right in my hands.

“You’re Jaile now!”

I decided to name the sword Jaile in honor of Syle’s caravan. Just as I’d named Zero after the Zeroth Merchant Group, it only seemed fitting.

For some reason, though, Syle winced at the name.

“Kid… just out of curiosity, that name…”

“Yes, since you’re giving me the sword, I wanted to honor the Syle Caravan by naming it Jaile!”

Syle’s expression soured slightly, but he didn’t argue further.

“Well… it’s your sword now. You can call it whatever you want.”

“Wait, hold on! Sir, you’re not seriously just giving him this old sword and calling it done, are you?”

Semna continued to argue, refusing to let it go until I also received two sturdy daggers, a high-quality backpack, a fine coat clearly worth a fortune, and—somehow—a pair of earrings as well.

With the noisy dispute finally settled, we took a brief rest, boiling water for tea and tidying up the wrecked wagons and frozen corpses.

Though the loss of so many caravan members weighed heavily on me, the others seemed oddly composed. Perhaps walking through the snowfields meant walking hand-in-hand with death.

“We survived. That’s what matters. Cherish that, kid,” Syle said, patting my back as he passed.

I gathered the rope from the Yeti’s corpse and let out a deep sigh.

Yes, Semna, Harwin, Syle, and many others survived. I should be grateful for that.

But I wouldn’t forget those who didn’t. We’d keep moving forward across the snowfields, carrying their memories with us. And above all, the dead wouldn’t be left to rest in anonymity here.

“Wait... Solaire, look at that!”

While collecting a fallen comrade’s body, Semna pointed toward the darkness. Something was burning in the pitch-black night.

I raised the telescope Harwin had given me to my eye. Flames were spreading across the massive trees of a distant forest.

“That’s the Brown Spruce Forest, isn’t it?”

Fire shouldn’t have been able to spread in a frozen forest like that. Could the escaping Yetis have taken a lantern? My mind flashed back to a few of them snatching up random items before fleeing.

Did the Yeti remnants run into the Brown Spruce Forest?

“Wait, Solaire, you’re not thinking—Solaire! Solaire!”

The forest guardian elves were known to show no mercy to intruders, so maybe they’d drive out the Yetis without trouble. But still… still…

I grabbed a working lantern and secured my sword. With my hands now full, I tied the lasso rope to my waist and slung the rest over my shoulder.

“Sol! Hold on, let’s talk! You’re not seriously planning to go into the forest, are you?!”

“Caravan Leader! I’ll be right back. Sorry, but consider this another debt. Please look after Semna for me.”

Zero trotted over, neighing as if ready to follow, but the dense forest would be too difficult for him. I gently pushed his head aside and turned toward the forest, lantern in hand.

Semna yelled something behind me, but my steps were already moving forward.

I recalled the elf’s warning never to return.

This might be foolish, reckless meddling.

But I still wanted to know more.

If there was a chance to keep the promise I made on a whim, I wanted to take it.

Drawing in the cold air, I ran toward the forest.