Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master

“Imuga! Imuga! Imuga!”

“Hamunt! Hamunt! Hamunt!”

In guttural voices, the orcs and barbarians chanted something in their tongue—a name.

Translated into the common language of Arcadia, it meant “White Serpent.”

At the center of the ritual stood a small group of dark sorcerer, cloaked in dark, ominous robes.

Though dressed in thin robes, they showed no sign of discomfort despite the cold, standing perfectly still.

They silently gazed at the frozen tundra beneath them, their greenish eyes glowing ominously.

[Jormungandr, has your molt been completed safely?]

Beneath the frozen ground, the merging of the demon lord Isaac, leader of the Devil’s Den, and the legendary White Serpent Jormungandr was nearing completion.

***

A snowy mountain outpost of the High Tower served as both a sentinel post and a magical barrier in the extreme cold.

Paris, an elite operative of the Frost Knights stationed at this outpost, peered sharply at the snowy plains through a pair of sunglasses.

Why they were called sunglasses, Paris didn’t know.

It was just what Arad Jin had named them when he created the tinted glasses, and the name stuck.

The sunglasses certainly made his eyes more comfortable, allowing him to observe the stark white plains for extended periods without strain.

Human eyes were fragile, and the sunlight reflecting off the snow often caused severe damage.

Thanks to these sunglasses, no Frost Knight had been forced into retirement from eye injuries since their introduction.

Paris placed a long, cylindrical object in front of his sunglasses.

The device was a telescope, and unlike sunglasses, its name was somewhat intuitive.

With the telescope, he could see farther, clearer, and for longer periods.

The extreme land of snow and ice stretched out before him.

A little farther north lay the frozen seas—an eternal expanse of ice and water.

This was home to the extreme northern orcs and glacial monsters, some of the North’s most formidable enemies. It was also the final destination for the Extreme Northern Expeditionary Forces.

Legends claimed that beyond the glacial seas lay the resting place of dragons.

But legends were just that—legends. 

No one had ever crossed the glacial seas.

Even Rune Renslet, the founder of Renslet, had declared only the edges of the glacial seas as part of the North’s domain.

‘Hmm?’

Something unusual caught Paris’ eye as he scanned the snowy plains through his telescope.

At the northernmost edge, where icebergs and pack ice filled the glacial sea, the scene appeared vastly different from yesterday. 

The formations were disordered and chaotic.

While drifting icebergs rarely stayed constant, the degree of disruption seemed extreme this time.

“The detectors are silent.”

The first thing Paris did was check the Arad Radar installed at the outpost.

The radar was silent. 

This could mean one of two things.

Either the radar was malfunctioning, or something beyond its measurable range had appeared.

“It’s probably the former,” he thought.

Yet, he couldn’t jump to conclusions.

Truthfully, he wanted to dismiss it as a mere malfunction, but his instincts, sharpened by the unique senses of the Renslet lineage, wouldn’t let him.

There was an unsettling feeling he couldn’t shake.

“Uncertain.”

To determine whether the chaotic state of the glacial sea was a natural or artificial phenomenon, he decided to try something simple.

Sometimes, primitive methods were the most effective.

“Whiiiiiik!”

Paris poked his head slightly out of the outpost’s door and whistled for a winter hawk.

Whoooosh.

But the winter hawk didn’t respond to his call. 

Only the icy wind of the extreme north answered in silence.

“……”

Much like with the radar, this could mean one of two things.

“It’s windy out.”

When the wind blew heavily in the extreme north, even the spirit beasts like winter hawks would seek shelter.

“Or… there’s a druid nearby.”

The other possibility was that druids—known for their significant influence over flora and fauna—were in the vicinity.

“It can’t be a monster, can it?”

If neither, it might be a monster emitting a powerful aura.

“No way, this isn’t some cursed zone.”

For now, Paris decided to lean toward the wind or the presence of druids as the explanation.

“Druids have been appearing more frequently these days.”

Recently, the High Tower had been keeping a close watch on the increased activity of druids, especially those from the northernmost reaches of the Manus Mountain Range.

“……”

Paris gazed blankly at the sky again.

The harsh wind, the quiet sky, and the recent sightings of druids—it might be a combination of both causing the winter hawk’s silence.

“Is this just a weather phenomenon? Or are the druids up to something?”

As for the strange glacial sea he had observed earlier, he still couldn’t come to a conclusion.

“I’ll need to take a closer look to be sure.”

Quickly, Paris gathered his gear and prepared to head out.

He donned sturdy fur armor and strapped three axes forged from Northern cold steel to his waist.

In these freezing conditions, axes were more practical than swords unless one was exceptionally skilled.

“Now, where’s my heat magic stone…?”

Before departing, he searched the outpost for one last item.

Inside the extreme northern outpost, five red magic stones emitted heat and light.

Even Paris, a Renslet accustomed to the cold due to his druidic roots, found the relentless chill of this land terrifying.

“Leaving this cozy outpost to step into that freezing wasteland… Ugh…”

The outpost had survived thanks to small greenhouse barriers set up by witches in the past.

But the cold was so severe that the greenhouse barriers alone had their limits.

“How did they even scout back in the day?” Paris muttered, tucking a heat magic stone into his clothing.

With just one of these stones, he could endure the extreme north for a long time.

“Let’s hope this isn’t anything serious.”

Praying inwardly, he set out on the ominous reconnaissance mission.

Moments later.

“What the hell…!”

Far from the tower, Paris cursed under his breath, shocked by what he saw.

“What is that…?”

Through his sunglasses and telescope, he spotted an enormous undulating shape in the middle of the glacial sea.

Swarming around it were countless small figures resembling ants.

To make matters worse, the wave was inching closer to his direction.

“?!”

For a brief moment, something white, resembling the body of a massive snake, flashed across his view.

It was so large that it didn’t fit entirely within his telescope’s frame.

And it moved so fast that Paris almost thought the white snake was a hallucination.

“……!”

Focusing again, he identified the ant-like figures: extreme northern orcs, barbarian druids, and various glacial sea monsters.

“The legendary White Serpent and a monster wave! And not just any wave—an enormous one!”

Paris quickly pulled out a magic orb from his coat.

“Without this, we’d be in real trouble.”

With the winter hawks unusable and even top-grade mounts unable to survive long in such extreme cold, the situation could have been dire.

In the past, Paris, as a Frost Knight, would’ve had to run himself to exhaustion to deliver the news.

But not anymore.

Paris hurriedly activated the magic communication orb.