“On the way here, I already heard the news—you defeated Gallo. Well done…”
At that moment, Snow Hill seemed to sense something. The girl, who was always expressionless, showed a flicker of emotion. She bit her lip and said, “Father, what are you doing here?”
“Even though I’m getting on in years, I can’t just push all the responsibility onto my children…”
As he spoke, a dazzling blue light emanated from Orcus’s body. An extreme chill began to spread in all directions. The northern ice and snow, which had been melting moments before, suddenly came to a halt.
Even in the dim twilight, he was still the family head. With the enhancement of his soul weapon—Sekarona—his power remained at the pinnacle.
“This… what is this power? It’s so strong!”
As the young man marveled at it, Snow Hill seemed to fully understand the old man’s intentions. A look of desolation crossed her face, and she said, “Is there really no other way?”
Orcus smiled again. Thanks to the Hill Clan’s ice power, which could freeze the host’s emotions, he had rarely smiled in his life. Yet in the end, he smiled sincerely. He nodded and said, “You’re as sharp as ever… Yes, this is my choice—just as you chose to protect the Northern Region…”
Hearing this, Snow Hill nearly broke down emotionally for an instant, but she regained her composure the next second. She bit her lip, then released it; clenched her fist, then relaxed it. Suddenly, she hated herself a little—hated how she could never be straightforward her whole life.
Don’t die, Father…
Please don’t leave…
Sentimental words like that were impossible for her to voice.
She could only remain silent.
No one knows a daughter better than her father. Orcus could read everything in Snow’s eyes. He simply said, “Snow, you always let reason override your emotions, and that’s why you’re so exhausted… It’s fine. You don’t have to force the words out. Father understands…”
At this point, Orcus paused. He turned his gaze to the black-haired youth and continued, “Young human friend, since that child chose you as her knight, I entrust her to you. Take her away from here.”
Even someone as dense as the young man seemed to grasp the old man’s plan—he intended to use every last bit of his power, perhaps even his life force, to reinforce the seal and prevent the Ancient Titan from reviving.
In ordinary families, partings between life and death were filled with tears and wails, drenched in blood and sorrow.
But in the Hill Family, such farewells were just silent gazes, wordless confrontations, without even the slightest physical contact—yet they stirred an inexplicable sadness.
In the end, Sang nodded. Despite his brash appearance, he knew this situation was beyond saving. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll protect Snow.”
Hearing Sang’s firm reply, Orcus Hill looked utterly satisfied. Then he said, “Snow… Finally, Father has a few more words for you.”
“Go ahead…” Snow Hill replied.
“Everyone says the Hill Family is a clan without emotions, but only you and I know the truth… The reason I passed the position of family head to Hesos was simply so you could escape the family’s curse… Even sending you out on missions all the time wasn’t to distance you from the family’s core, but to spare you the heavy burden of duty… I know—you’re a girl who loves flowers, but the Northern Region is too cold. No flowers can bloom here…
“Back then, against everyone’s objections, I handed the family head position to Hesos… I wasn’t senile. I could see at a glance that you were stronger than Hesos, more suited to the role… Even so, to free you from the Hill Family’s cruel and heavy fate, I pressed forward regardless…”
If Orcus had given the soul weapon to Snow Hill, with her power—even without fully mastering it—she wouldn’t have been guaranteed victory, but her odds would have been much higher.
After all, even with the Philosopher’s Stone, Wolf King Gallo hadn’t returned to his prime. He probably didn’t even have a third of his peak strength.
Both Sang and Snow Hill listened quietly to Orcus’s words…
Though Sang was just a passerby who hadn’t spent much time with the old man, he still felt a pang of sorrow and was moved by his words… He began to realize he’d gotten it wrong. He’d thought it was a sibling rivalry over inheritance, with the father favoring the son over the daughter. But no—it was a father’s love, as deep as the mountains.
Is love more precious when left unsaid?
But would it kill you to say it?!
Silent, unspoken love was just too heartbreaking.
After hearing her father’s words, Snow Hill was slightly stunned. She hadn’t expected him to see through her secret—that she never wanted to be family head…
Yet as they listened, they noticed a terrifying fact: While stabilizing the seal, Orcus Hill’s body was gradually turning into ice crystals. It was too late to turn back.
Even so, Orcus Hill showed no sign of pain. He remained calm and continued, “Snow Hill, there’s one last thing.”
In that instant, the old man addressed Snow by her full name. It was probably the final, most important matter.
Snow Hill realized the end was near. Her eyelids drooped, and her flawless face was etched with grief and loneliness. She had always presented her calm, powerful side to the world and didn’t want her father to see her weak in his final moments—but she couldn’t hold back.
When her mother had passed, she’d hidden it perfectly. Now, with her father, she couldn’t.
“I’m sorry. As a member of the Hill Family, I’ve lost my composure.” Even then, Snow Hill was perfect, still mindful of propriety.
Seeing his daughter like this, Orcus Hill felt a touch of relief. “The Blood Race has a very long lifespan… But after living so long without seeing my children’s true feelings… Now, as I’m about to go, I finally have. It settles one of my regrets. I can die without them.”
With little time left, Orcus Hill slowly thrust the soul weapon—Sekarona—vertically into the ice layer. Then he spoke, “One last thing—listen carefully! Snow Hill, in my capacity as the previous family head, I revoke the decision to pass the position to Hesos Hill. Right here and now, I hand the choice to you… After I’m gone, if you wish to become the Hill Family’s family head, take the soul weapon—Sekarona. If not, give the soul weapon—Sekarona to Hesos Hill.”
The moment the words fell,
The old man steeled himself. He slashed his palm and pressed it to the hilt of the soul weapon—Sekarona—letting his blood soak the entire blade.
At the same time, as if answering its master’s call, the ice-blue blade unleashed unprecedented power. Ice crystals bloomed one after another.
Everywhere it touched froze solid.
Almost simultaneously, the old man’s body began to fade into nothingness. His power had long been insufficient for this move. Forcing it now cost his life… His form gradually dissolved, turning into shimmering ice-blue crystals.
Orcus Hill, who had been rigid and humorless his entire life, gazed at his daughter in his final moments with a kind, gentle smile.
In his last few seconds, the old man seemed to remember something. He looked at Sang, still smiling faintly, and said slowly, “Young human friend… As a final gift to you, I have a little something… Consider it thanks for helping defeat Gallo.”
