Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 40

The North Sea.

Also known as the ice sea, it was a place where powerful monsters were so abundant that they could be stepped on by the feet, and it was designated as a forbidden area by the empire.

There were rumors that sea dragons lived there.

And that it was connected to another dimension.

On the glacier of the North Sea, where all kinds of strange rumors were mixed, a middle-aged man with a blank expression stood.

He was oddly wearing nothing on his upper body.

His whole body was full of muscles that seemed to burst, and his abdomen had clear abs that did not match his age.

And.

Behind the middle-aged man, the corpses of huge monsters that he had only heard of in legends formed a mountain.

“He’ll like this much.”

The middle-aged man smiled as he looked at the blue bead on his palm.

That’s when it happened.

Boom!

A ship came from afar, cutting through the cold waves and approaching the glacier where the middle-aged man was standing.

A sailor who was looking around on the deck shouted at the middle-aged man.

“Your Excellency, an urgent message!”

The middle-aged man frowned at the sailor who interrupted his training.

“What urgent message! Can’t you see I’m training, you brat!”

Despite the middle-aged man’s scolding, the sailor took a coat and jumped from the ship to the glacier.

He did not show any reaction to the corpses piled up on the glacier and approached the middle-aged man.

“The young lady has returned!”

At that moment, a crack appeared on the middle-aged man’s expression.

His mouth curled up and his eyes twinkled.

As if.

He was trying to hold back a smile.

‘He’s still the same.’

The sailor thought as he handed the coat to the middle-aged man.

“Let’s go back now. You never know when the young lady will leave again.”

“Hmm. I’ve got enough gifts, so I’ll stop here.”

The middle-aged man put on the coat and jumped onto the ship.

The sailor looked at him with a strange look.

“By the way, where are the Frost Knights? Didn’t you come with them?”

“I don’t need them hanging around when I’m getting gifts. I just sent them back to the main house.”

“Oh, I see.”

The Duke of Beowulf snorted and shouted loudly.

“Home, to Beowulf!”

Boom!

He was the Duke of Frost.

The head of the Beowulf family and the guardian of the north.

* * *

The Beowulf Branch of the Transportation Bureau.

Yan and the trainees were bewildered by the sudden change of the butler and the knights.

“Missy!”

“Do you know how much we looked for you!”

“When you disappeared, those rangers went down to the south and caused trouble.”

The Beowulf’s retainers showed no interest in the other trainees and only looked at Lorena.

Lorena made a disgusted expression as she saw them.

“Stop it. I’m not a child.”

The white-haired old butler Hans passed by Yan who was standing in front of him and approached Lorena.

“You’ve grown… a lot. Since you left…”

Hans breathed in as if his throat was choked.

“I’m so glad you look fine. Missy.”

With a voice that seemed to shed tears any moment, Lorena asked in a faint voice.

“…Were Hans and the others okay?”

At that, the faces of the knights, including Hans, brightened up.

They nodded their heads with a warm smile.

“Of course. We were always waiting for you, missy.”

“By the way, you’re a sickly… ahem, a trainee of the special task force.”

Just then.

A cold chill swept through the room.

Yan’s eyes turned to Hans, who was introduced as the butler.

[Huh, really. He’s a butler. He wouldn’t be out of place as the head of a kingdom’s knight order.]

Momon snorted as if it was absurd.

The source of this cold chill was Hans.

Yan quietly looked at Hans and recalled the information about him.

A person who reached the fourth level, the realm of the superhuman, but was satisfied with his position as the butler of the Beowulf family.

And.

‘The former commander of the Beowulf Knight Order.’

Hans looked at the scars on Lorena’s neck and hand that weren’t there before with cold eyes.

They were wounds from fighting the revolutionaries during the train incident.

“That damn task force leader…”

Another cold breeze swept through the room.

He heard that Lorena had been active in the ‘train incident’ that had been noisy this time.

It was natural for the beautiful and talented missy to be active.

But to have such ugly scars because of that.

Hans thought he wouldn’t let the task force leader go if he saw him later.

“Butler, where’s the lord?”

At her question, Hans immediately lost his momentum.

He smiled awkwardly and answered.

“He went to the North Sea for training. I’ll send a messenger with the urgent news that you visited…”

“Why tell him that.”

Lorena, who was blowing cold air, made Hans smile bitterly.

‘You still resent the lord.’

It was because the conflict between the mother and daughter was still there.

It was all a misunderstanding.

But the Duke of Beowulf didn’t want Lorena to know the ‘truth’.

He didn’t mind being hated by his beloved daughter.

Hans changed the topic before Lorena’s mood got worse.

“It’s very cold, so let’s go back. The chef said he’s going to show his skills after a long time, so you can look forward to it.”

“…”

That’s how they were going to leave with Lorena ‘only’.

The trainees, except her, tried to follow the knights.

Clack.

The knights blocked their way.

Hans said coldly behind them.

“You don’t have to follow us.”

“…Then where are we supposed to stay?”

“We, we’re also trainees with Lorena!”

Cruel and Charl protested, but Hans just snorted.

They were sent by the task force for their own needs, so why should they treat them?

And they only sent three people to support them in subduing the barbarians of the north?

It was a shameful level to call it support, even though they were accomplished.

They didn’t have the luxury to take care of those guys in this ‘North Wall’.

They came to the branch of the transportation bureau because of Lorena.

It wasn’t to welcome the trainees’ visit.

If Lorena wasn’t in this group.

They would have had to go back without doing anything against Beowulf’s coldness.

“We didn’t ask for support, nor did we say we would accept guests. You are just intruders.”

At that, Yan smiled bitterly.

The butler’s words were likely to be true.

The northerners, who were exclusive to outsiders, wouldn’t ask for help unless their families were involved.

‘Maybe they would even exclude the option of asking for support until they die.’

That’s how Hans and the knight order were going to leave with Lorena with a warm face unlike when they saw the trainees.

But Lorena just stood still.

Then she uttered the words that made the hearts of the Beowulf’s retainers sink.

“If they don’t go, I won’t go either.”

“What?! What do you mean!”

“You have to go home, missy!”

“You don’t know how much the lord looked for you!”

“I don’t care.”

Lorena didn’t budge even with the rage of Hans and the knight order.

She had a reason.

She didn’t come to the north to meet her family and rest.

“I didn’t come to get special treatment. I came to do my mission.”

At her words, Hans finally raised his hand.

He quietly turned around.

It was the direction where Yan was standing.

“It was you. The one who provoked the missy.”

“…”

[That guy has a good sense.]

Hans realized why Lorena was so stubborn by looking at Yan.

Lorena, who had a strong competitive spirit, wouldn’t stay still when she saw such a hidden dragon.

Yan smiled bitterly.

He thought he hid his mana well, but Hans seemed to notice it vaguely.

Old ginger is spicy.

Hans glared at Yan and turned his body and shouted.

“The Silent Knight Order will escort the ‘guests’ back to the main house!”

It was a shout that was thick with annoyance and displeasure.

* * *

They decided to ride horses to the Beowulf Duke’s Castle.

Yan, Cruel, and Charl had no choice but to ride behind the knights because there were no spare horses.

“Why is she the only one getting special treatment?”

Whoo!

Lorena was riding alone on a white horse with a majestic mane.

Cruel grumbled and the knight in front of him glared at him with a scowl.

“You’re an outsider, so it’s only natural. Be grateful that we gave you a ride.”

“…Tsk.”

Cruel clicked his tongue and turned his head.

Yan took in the scenery that flowed around him rather than Cruel’s act.

“It’s amazing.”

He knew some information and personality about the northerners in his previous life, but he never visited the north.

Even those who looked like ordinary citizens were training with swords.

And next to them, the women were repairing and tanning armor and weapons.

It was like watching a well-trained army.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable as a knight?”

It was a problem that could be interpreted as the citizens not trusting the lord and the knights who protected them, even though they were training.

“They have something to protect, too.”

But the knight just chuckled and didn’t show any sign of discomfort.

“We do protect the Beowulf family and the territory, but they train to protect themselves and their families. Barbarians and monsters often appear in the north.”

“Oh, I see.”

Yan nodded his head and recalled the sense of responsibility and readiness of the northerners at the knight’s words.

“And if it really becomes an emergency, we’ll have to borrow even a cat’s paw. We might ask them for help.”

“The northerners are definitely different.”

It was something that couldn’t be thought of in the imperial center.

No.

There would be no knights who thought like this in the east, west, or south.

Ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred.

They wouldn’t look kindly on the commoners training.

But they were different.

“Hey, Gavin! When you train, it’s more important to use all your strength with a precise posture than to swing it around unnecessarily!”

Even while riding horses, the knights shouted and looked at the commoners’ postures.

The commoners waved their hands at the knights.

They felt the warm-heartedness of the northerners that didn’t match the harsh cold.

After a while.

“We’re here.”

They arrived at the Beowulf Duke’s Castle.

Cruel and Charl were stunned and looked up at the castle.

The tall and pointed spires that seemed to pierce the sky and the outer walls made of only white and blue.

And the snow that covered the surroundings gave a strong impression of ‘winter’.

Even Yan, who had seen all kinds of beautiful and unique buildings, was amazed.

In front of the castle, Hans smiled warmly at Lorena who was riding a white horse.

“Let’s go home, missy.”

That’s how they arrived at the Beowulf Duke’s Castle.

* * *

Yan and Cruel unpacked their luggage in a room that looked like a dusty warehouse.

“Don’t you think this is too much?”

Cruel, who usually hated talking to Yan, couldn’t accept this discriminating situation.

“Is this what they call a room? Our family’s servants live in much better places than this.”

Cruel grumbled, but he still unpacked his luggage.

Yan didn’t respond to Cruel’s words.

He had to calculate and plan his actions for the future.

After a little time passed.

“I wonder where the warehouse is in this castle.”

When Yan opened his mouth, Cruel flinched.

He felt a chill from his mischievous smile.

Yan didn’t care about Cruel’s reaction.

Cruel narrowed his eyes.

“Warehouse? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I have something to get.”

Yan smiled.

The thing that Yan was aiming for was something that the Beowulfs didn’t know its value and just left it in the warehouse.

So getting it wouldn’t be a hard thing.

As long as he didn’t get caught.