Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 43

Chapter 43.

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We joined the woolly mammoth herd, looking bewildered.

They allowed us to join their ranks, as if we had been with them from the start.

Well—I'm not sure if "allowed" is the right word. They seemed to pay us no attention at all.

Bwooooh—

But whenever we showed signs of straying from the formation, the mammoths would reach out with their long trunks and push us back into place.

Let me correct myself—the mammoths seemed to recognize us as part of their group.

They don't seem like snow monsters. Could they be creatures with special abilities, like Chippy or Pipi?

That seemed like a more plausible guess.

Howl—!

Just then, a wolf's cry echoed from somewhere.

Rumble—

The mammoths stirred, shaking their trunks.

Then they pushed us deeper into the center of the herd.

"I see wolves."

Logan muttered, drawing his greatsword.

I thought the glint of the blade would startle the mammoths.

But they didn't seem to care—instead, they tapped our heads gently with their trunks, as if telling us to be careful.

Why did all the animals in this ice-age world seem so good at communicating with humans?

Of course, that might just be my imagination.

In any case, the woolly mammoths were a relief. We could hear wolf howls, but none came into sight.

Still, we walked with caution—until I noticed Clare and Leon.

Leon was carefully adjusting Clare's cap, earmuffs, and scarf.

Huh.

I finally noticed the dynamic between them—more precisely, the way Leon looked at Clare.

I watched them quietly and asked,

"Sergeant Faulkner—what's your relationship with Lieutenant Wayne?"

At my question, Leon's face turned red, while Clare merely tilted her head with an expressionless face.

Eventually, Clare answered.

"I suppose you could say we're comrades. We were trapped together on that observation ship for over two months, waiting to die."

After spending just one night with Logan in that cave, I'd developed a faint affection for him.

And after living alone with him in the relatively comfortable Acorn Village for over a month, feelings that hadn't been there began to grow.

But Clare seemed different—she didn't appear to have developed any such feelings.

Even after being stranded alone with someone for two months, it was possible not to develop feelings.

Only then did I realize that my own feelings weren't ordinary.

It wasn't just the "swinging bridge effect."

My growing affection for Logan was possible because he was Logan.

I glanced at Leon.

His ears seemed to perk up—as if every nerve was attuned to Clare's answer.

He doesn't seem to see her as just a comrade. But Clare truly seems to have no interest.

Clare felt nothing beyond camaraderie. Leon, on the other hand, seemed to have feelings for her.

It looks a bit like my situation with Logan—though the circumstances are different.

From what I'd observed so far, Leon was a decent man. He seemed straightforward and honest, with no nonsense about him.

Howl—! Howl!

Of course, the continuous wolf howls didn't allow my thoughts to wander for long.

The howls were getting closer.

Through the gaps between the mammoths' massive legs, I could see a pack of abnormally large wolves charging through the snow.

They were monsters—barely recognizable as wolves. Their bodies were covered in black fur, and their shoulders reached a grown man's chest.

I adjusted my grip on my rifle.

Leon and Clare also raised their weapons.

Howl—!

The lead wolf howled at the sky—and at the same time, they began their charge.

Thump!

Thump-thump-thump!

The frozen ground shook.

BRRRRROOOO—!!

The leader of the mammoth herd raised its long trunk and let out a roar—like a war trumpet signaling the start of battle.

Rumble!

Dozens of mammoths formed a circle at once. Their massive bodies moved, creating an instant wall.

Only then did I understand.

They really are protecting us.

A few baby mammoths were beside us—and the adults seemed to regard us as calf-like creatures.

Weak animals that needed protection.

The safest place—the center of the herd.

Howl—!

Wolves lunged at the flanks.

I tried to load and fire—but suddenly, a long trunk wrapped around me and lifted me up.

They placed me and my companions on their backs.

The problem was Clare, who had been left behind and was attacked by the wolves.

Leon, who had already been lifted onto a mammoth's back, jumped down.

It was extremely dangerous—the height was enormous, and one wrong step on the ice could cause a serious fall.

"Clare!"

Bang! Bang!

Fortunately, Leon landed safely and managed to block the wolves attacking Clare.

Clare also shot down a wolf charging from behind Leon, then slid across the ground to avoid another attack and got back up.

The problem was the stray bullets.

One shot hit a wolf—but another grazed the leg of a nearby mammoth, wounding it.

BRRRROOOO—!!

Startled, the mammoth swung its long trunk and hurled Leon out of the herd.

I tried to jump down in alarm, but Logan stopped me. He looked annoyed, glanced at Leon, and sighed.

"I'll go."

He then leaped down with surprising lightness. Of course, I couldn't just stay still.

I used the Bluestone I'd absorbed to create an ice wall around Leon. The startled wolves hesitated, unable to approach him.

Meanwhile, Logan, with his greatsword drawn, calmly walked toward the wolves.

There were dozens of wolves—and only one Logan—yet somehow, I felt confident.

As expected, Logan alone was capable of handling them.

Even the mammoths seemed surprised; they all stopped and looked at him.

Whoosh—

Amid the tension, a fierce blizzard swept past.

Logan didn't run—he simply walked leisurely toward his target.

The wolves, momentarily halted by the ice wall around Leon, charged at it.

Crash—!

Leon, from inside the ice wall, didn't panic and raised his gun.

"Leon!"

Clare tried to jump off the mammoth's back, but it wasn't easy.

Logan was exceptional—beyond human limits—and Leon had been lucky to escape with minor injuries.

For an ordinary person, jumping from that height onto the ice could easily break an ankle—or worse, a fatal head injury.

Is there a Winterstone that lets people float?

Muttering that, I said to Clare, who was on the mammoth beside me,

"Trust Logan—he's the war hero who ended a ten-year war in just three months."

At my words, Clare clenched her jaw, her hands trembling as she gripped her gun.

"But the only thing I can do for the comrade who sacrificed himself for me is this..."

I looked at her quietly and said,

"Don't let Sergeant Faulkner's sacrifice be in vain. He risked himself to save you—if you get hurt, what was the point?"

Clare pressed her lips together.

"And Logan will definitely bring Sergeant Faulkner back. If he doesn't—you can blame me."

"How can you be so sure your husband will survive? Even a lieutenant general, in this insane situation..."

"Because I know who Logan is. Whatever happens, Logan will survive."

I turned my gaze toward Logan in the distance.

"People who have something to protect usually do."

What I was actually worried about wasn't Logan being killed—it was Logan killing someone else.

"Let's do our part here."

As I raised my gun, Clare nodded and did the same.

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