Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 41

Chapter 41.

---

I stepped out onto the deck of the meteorological observation ship.

Turning my head slightly, I could see the ship frozen alongside the massive tidal wave.

About half of the hull was buried in ice.

"Remarkable that they survived in a place like this."

Logan muttered, also looking at the ice-entombed hull.

Then he turned to me and asked,

"Can you do it?"

I nodded.

"I think I can—it's like using the Silverstone. I can feel the power."

Slowly raising my hand, a red glow began to kindle in my palm.

The Redstone's power.

My heart gave one heavy throb.

Thump.

Soon, heat coursed through my entire body. My fingertips felt like they were burning.

I reached my hand toward the ice surrounding the hull.

WHOOSH—!

Red flames burst forth.

The ice began to melt.

At first, it was only the size of a palm. But soon, the range widened.

"Logan—hold on tight to the ship."

Logan pulled me into his arms and gripped the railing on the deck. I was securely held in his embrace.

Crackle—

Crack—

A massive crack spread along the frozen tidal wave. The ship trapped inside the ice began to reveal itself.

Like a monster that had been asleep for decades.

The ice encasing the hull crumbled, releasing steam.

CRUNCH—!

The entire ship shook violently.

I gritted my teeth and pushed the Redstone's energy—boiling inside me—outward.

The red light grew stronger. The ice melted, and the hull regained its freedom.

And then—

CRASH—!

Finally, the last ice support collapsed.

The massive observation ship began to tilt slowly.

Creak— Creak—

The hull groaned as it listed.

Soon, the ship slid diagonally down the ice cliff.

SPLASH—!

The vessel hit the sea, sending up a huge spray of water.

"Success!"

From inside the ship, I heard Sergeant Faulkner's near-scream.

I gasped for breath—then my nose bled. Just then, a hand reached from behind and pinched my nose.

Wait—why is this man using his bare hand...

As soon as I thought that, a handkerchief appeared from his other hand and pressed against my nose again.

Just then, black smoke began to rise from the ship's funnel.

Puff—

A moment later—

A low rumble vibrated across the sea.

The engine had finally awakened.

For the first time in two months, the meteorological observation ship moved through the frozen world.

I went back inside the ship with Logan.

"Engine running normally!"

Leon's voice echoed from the engine room below.

Entering the bridge, I saw Clare at the helm. The old brass instruments rattled and shook.

"Departing."

Clare slowly turned the wheel.

Creak—

The meteorological observation ship began to move.

We gathered on the deck with the map to check our location.

We were in the middle of the sea, between the Grandon Kingdom and the neighboring country, Norsellan.

Norsellan—that was the country where my eldest brother Graham had gone to study.

Is he safe?

The thought surfaced again, but I forced it away.

If I dwelled too deeply on things I couldn't change right now, I felt like I'd fall apart.

Just then, Leon said,

"At this speed, it'll take about five hours to get back to Rosebrook Harbor."

I looked up and stared ahead. The ship was moving very slowly.

"Can't you go any faster?"

Logan asked, and Leon shook his head.

"It's too risky."

He pointed to the frozen sea.

"We can't see under the ice—and with the tidal wave passing through, the ice hasn't shattered? There must be massive chunks of ice floating below the surface. If we hit one, it's over."

There was no choice. If we punctured the hull, we'd sink.

I need to recover quickly.

I wanted to use the Silverstone's power to return to Rosebrook, but after exerting such a large amount of power, I felt drained.

I thought there were no side effects—but it seems using a large amount of power at once brings them out.

Nosebleeds had been chronic since childhood, but fainting was unexpected.

On top of that, I was completely depleted of energy. I felt like I wouldn't be able to use the Silverstone's power for a while.

Still, it's slowly recovering...

It would take some time.

"By the way—do you two have any idea what happened?"

Leon asked us.

"We were trapped on this ship, thinking we'd die, and then suddenly we're on the sea... the ice melted and we're sailing—we don't understand anything."

He glanced at me.

"Did Her Grace burn the ice with those flames earlier...?"

I just smiled instead of answering. There was no need to explain right now.

They'd learn naturally over time.

Seeing my smile, Leon seemed to realize he wouldn't get an answer and gave up cleanly.

He was straightforward, uncomplicated, and had no lingering attachments—it made him easy to deal with.

About two hours later, Clare handed the helm to Leon.

After her shift, she came out on deck and sat down beside us as we chatted over the map.

I suddenly felt that the name "Clare" was strangely familiar.

Clare Shaun Wayne. Where had I heard it before?

It was on the tip of my tongue—but I couldn't quite remember, so I gave up and asked her,

"Lieutenant—how did you end up trapped on this ship with Sergeant Faulkner?"

"I was performing meteorological observation duties."

Clare answered in a stiff tone—even more rigid than Leon's.

Her short, clean-cut dark blonde hair gave her a stylish, cool look. Even with short hair, she had the air of a cold beauty from the city.

"Until an hour before the incident, there was no sign of anything unusual. Then, within thirty minutes, the sky darkened, a blizzard hit, and we were swept away by the tidal wave—the ship froze solid in midair."

It had all happened in an instant.

I'd nearly been swept away by an avalanche myself, right after seeing the snow falling in the capital.

"What will you do when we reach Rosebrook Harbor?"

At my question, Clare rested her chin on the back of her hand, thinking.

"I'm not sure. First, I'll return to base..."

"We visited the Rosebrook naval base—there was no one alive there."

"...Really?"

Clare asked back, incredulous. Her pupils shook sharply.

"Hmm—did you search the entire base?"

Her question was hard to answer—we'd only seen the underground facility.

Logan, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.

"It was a naval strategic research facility—Sector 6."

"Ah. I see—then you wouldn't know about the operations headquarters."

I didn't know much about naval facilities, so I was glad Logan was there.

His military service hadn't been long, and he'd been discharged—and he wasn't even Navy—but Logan knew a lot.

"The naval port and shipyard were already crippled by the wave—they're lost. But the operations headquarters, barracks, research wing, and coastal batteries still need to be checked."

Actually, I'd brought it up because I wanted to recruit Clare to Acorn Village—but it seemed she'd have plenty to do even after reaching Rosebrook.

That's a shame.

Then a thought struck me, and my eyes widened.

Wait—

Clare Shaun Wayne.

That was why it was familiar—she was a character from the novel.

The protagonist Aiden's first love—that was Clare Shaun Wayne.

Back   Next