Purple HeartChapter 5

The Prastos Empire was shaped like a long string stretched loosely and unevenly. Therefore, the South was blazing hot, the Midlands had four distinct seasons, and the North was cold and dark because half of the year was winter.

The Southerners of Prastos were hot and passionate. They held festivals every month, enjoyed parties every week, loved passionately, and sang everywhere. Among the sailors, those who had particularly loud voices and hot tempers were Southerners. They were often drunk and preferred to exchange blows rather than settle things in a legal manner. v0n9Ts

The Midlanders were quick and calculating. Goods flowing in from the North and abundant resources from the South all gathered in the Midlands. In the Midlands, where the capital city was located, the field of arts progressed and sophistication overflowed. The Midlands was the strongbox of the empire.

And the North.

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Little was known about the North. The North was an unknown world for the empire as well.

In the first place, it had only been three hundred years since the North was incorporated into the empire, and its inhabitants were fairly cliquish. It was to the point that I had never seen a northerner in Galen, a port city where not only the continent where the empire was located, but all races from other continents and beyond gathered. PN9exc

As such, the empire did not know enough to say anything about the North.

The most popular rumors were that there was a huge amount of gold and jewels sleeping in the North and that no matter where one shoveled, a vein of silver would be flowing underneath.

All that was known was that the North was plagued by constant disasters of war, and that, like the Midlands and South, there lived rational intellectuals, but there were also barbarians who still wore animal hides instead of clothes and carried cudgels instead of knives in their hands.

In addition to that, if one were interested in the North, one could say that the Northerners treated their lord, the Grand Duke, like a king, and that loyalty could not be controlled even by the Emperor of the empire.

Gold was slumbering, and real barbarians lived there, belonging to the empire, but were not easily seen.

They existed at the same time but gave the empire the illusion of a gloomy myth like the epic poem of an ancient king who lived a thousand years ago.

Where magic and spirits that died in ancient times were still believed to be alive.

The ruler of the land builds a palace of ice in a cold land where nothing blooms, sits on the ice throne wearing a cloak made out of bear’s fur, has pale blue hair and a beard, and moves his icicle fingers to order slaughter. 2U6Vmp

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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Ktf Obgv bo Pmf. C Xgjcv Gexf ktb ogffhfr qfbqif klat pera tlr fsfr. Ktja tlr tfjga kjr ogbhfc qegqif jcv vbfr cba yfja, jcv tlr ygfjat yfmbwfr ogbra jcv ogffhfr yief.

That was the story Niall had heard about Magnus Shiralund, the Lord of the North.

“It’s cold.” gyd5ve

After throwing the promissory note with the seal of the continental bank to Viscount of Galen’s subordinates, he rode on his horse for 14 days to the capital, and after another month from there, Niall finally arrived in the North.

Niall was a citizen of the empire born in the Midlands and raised in the South. The climate surrounding him was always warm and gentle.

The traveler possessed by the Ice Maiden eventually died.

The beginning of October. It was chilly, but it was a season when the full-fledged winter hadn’t even started yet. Even if it was the North, was this weather appropriate in this season? Niall was undergoing a harsh ceremony in the cold of the North, which he was experiencing for the first time in his life. mkgtVc

The fairytale he had heard in bed as a child came to mind. A young traveler in love with Winter. Winter and the traveler shared love, but the traveler’s heart started to beat slower and slower in Winter’s hand.

Winter, who lost their beloved, finds a traveler walking alone, and puts a cold hand on their chest to feel the luster of life. They did that until the traveler’s heart beats with the sweetest beat Winter knows. Winter loved the traveler, but the traveler who received Winter’s love eventually died.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Niall thought the cold in the Midlands was quite harsh, but compared to the North, it was nothing. He felt the pain as if nails made of ice were poking his chest. Niall put his hands in the horse’s mane even though he was wearing gloves.

The horse ultimately died while crossing the wilderness from the Midlands to the North. Fortunately, it was near the gateway to the North, so Niall was found by the border garrison, and thanks to that, he was able to avoid freezing to death. 1jk3xo

“As a matter of fact, it is usually not cold to this degree so it is quite strange. It is as if the North is displeased with your arrival.”

The garrison soldier who cooked the soup for Niall said. Niall, being almost in distress, couldn’t even smile out of courtesy. Perhaps this was a Northern joke.

“That is an interesting story.”

“It is not merely a story, but a legend that has been passed down in the Northern Garrison since the olden days. They say that if a person who is harmful to the North tries to cross this land, the guardian deity of the North will block that person’s path.” eT5Vzg

An aged garrison soldier who had been listening from the side intervened.

“On the other hand, there is a legend that even if a person who benefits the North tries to leave the place, it will cause snow and wind to rise to prevent that person from leaving. In any case, they are all but legends.”

Niall gulped down the warm soup. All the soldiers in the garrison were staring at Niall.

I guess this is what they meant when they said the Northerners were wary and cliquish. Niall put down the soup bowl and grinned. IVRbmr

“Will you take me to Shiralund Castle now?”

The border garrison did not waste any time. After checking the envelope with Count Nuberi’s seal on it, the garrison immediately took Niall to Shiralund Castle.

Niall, arriving at the castle, opened his mouth and took in the endless walls and the outskirts of the castle gate that soared like a mountain. It was a majestic castle. It was so big and enormous that he couldn’t even capture the entire exterior at a glance.

To greet Niall, the castellan opened the gates. First, the iron gates opened, then the portcullis went up, and then the gates beyond the huge latch were opened again. Only then was Niall able to enter the Shiralund Castle. 7KnbEO

Niall walked into the Duke’s castle and was stunned every moment. The huge spires were sharp and high as if dozens of longswords were inserted upside down. The castle was built of magnificent granite, and the outer castle and defensive fortifications surrounded the inner castle like iron armor.

Niall was being escorted by five soldiers with small knives and was being led to the majordomo. As he went up, his visual field and he could see the roof jutting out towards the center of the castle.

Niall had never seen such a rough yet magnificent castle. The barbican and parapet surrounded the castle like a mountain range. The roof was jutting down towards the center of the castle, and dozens of crows soared above it like ornamentals of a tragedy…… The family crest engraved on the banner, which swayed heavily in the wind, was a bellowing black devil whose heart was being taken out.

What about the interior? The archway-shaped passageway soared up as if it were about to reach the sky, and if one followed that line of sight, a stained glass window that emitted brilliant light as a crushed rainbow came into view. Ys4Udz

It was not as elaborate as seen in the capital, but it was as tremendous as a line drawn mightily with a single stroke. It was as sturdy as a clenched fist.

Niall felt overwhelmed. Feats of the previous Dukes were painted on the stained glass. On the glass, the Duke thrust his spear through the enemy’s heart, cut off his head, and slashed his nose with an axe.

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The face of the Duke, represented by a few rough lines in fiery crimson, was as apathetic as a God. They didn’t feel the pleasure of slaughter nor the tragedy of the battlefield, they simply annihilated their enemies.

‘The Duke of Shiralund, with hair as pale blue as the face of a corpse, even his heart was frozen purple… … .’ dt92GV

Niall suddenly remembered an old story about the Duke of Shiralund, which was sung by wandering poets. The Duke’s heart is purple. The Duke’s breath freezes the castle. Niall was not as young as to believe such a childish story, but the sight of the Duke’s face in the stained glass gave him goosebumps.

“It must have been hard to come all the way here. It was truly frigid, was it not?”

It was a middle-aged man with gray hair who had been assisting the Duke of Shiralund throughout his life. Despite being old, he was as tall and broad-shouldered as the best fisherman of Galen. It seemed that even his grip strength was as strong as Niall’s, who was in his twenties. Niall smiled slightly.

“The horse died from the cold while crossing the wilderness. Rather, it seemed to be much better because it crossed the wilderness and completely entered the North.” y ftlT

“Either way, I received a report from the garrison regarding the unseasonable cold weather in the wilderness. The next time you cross that place, it will be after spring, so it will be fine. All right, please follow me. Mr. Giles’s room is this way.”

“Just call me Niall.”

“Are you not a guest sent by Count Nuberi? I cannot carelessly call you by name.”

The majordomo spoke in a friendly but firm tone. Niall scratched his cheek. It was true that Count Nuberi sent him, but he was not an honored guest at all. 6IatN5

No matter how he wrapped it up, his purpose was one. To have sex with the Duke. For that, he was equal to a male prostitute.