Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 73

Chapter 73.

"If you're asking for help, I assume you've prepared a commensurate reward?"

"Pardon?"

"You mentioned cooperation—so you must have prepared a mutually beneficial offer. In times like these, goodwill is all the more precious."

"Ah—y-yes, of course."

He hadn't thought that far. Quite brazen.

But it certainly piqued my curiosity.

I told Nathan to bring a map.

Soon, we spread the map on the table and planned our route to the amusement park in four days.

Reclaim the Winterstones.

And then—I heard the voice again. I was now certain it belonged to the Heart of Frost.

The moment I heard it, dots on the map began to glow.

Instinctively, I realized those were the locations of Winterstones.

What—why are there so many at the amusement park?

It wasn't just a few. Dozens of lights flickered, tangled around the park's center.

As if sending signals from deep underground.

"Eve?"

Logan's voice snapped me back.

"What are you thinking about?"

I looked at the map again.

The countless lights were still sparkling at the amusement park—visible only to me. The others were still discussing the route, oblivious.

"Hmm—I'm thinking we need to go to the amusement park."

Logan studied me quietly, as if trying to read my thoughts.

Was he going to refuse?

If he did, I'd persuade him.

"If anyone gets in the way—"

He paused, then glared at Felix, who was sitting across from him.

"—can I kill them?"

It was clearly intentional. Nathan and Jack, probably sharing my thoughts, gulped nervously.

I glanced at Felix and smiled.

"Yeah—if they're annoying, do what you have to."

Felix's face went pale.

It was a warning—and knowing Logan, he actually might do it.

"Alright—let's get ready to go."

It was decided that I, Logan, and Marcus would visit the amusement park.

Felix opposed Marcus coming along, but when I said I wouldn't go without him, he reluctantly agreed.

"Looks like there's something inconvenient about me going."

Marcus teased Felix with amusement.

Apparently, before the disaster, Lowell Mercantile and Rutland Enterprises hadn't gotten along.

Hearing that made me even more determined to bring Marcus.

I entrusted Luca, who had just arrived, to Charlotte and prepared to leave.

---

Clare and Leon were unexpectedly stranded.

They'd found nothing useful at the naval base. On their way back to Acorn Village, they were caught in a massive blizzard.

After wandering through the snowstorm, they were rescued by survivors from the Lowell Amusement Park.

So Clare and Leon temporarily took shelter at the Rosebrook Amusement Park, under Lowell Mercantile.

Before the ice age, Lowell Mercantile had been a logistics company run by one of Rosebrook's leading merchants.

Though it couldn't compare to Marcus's Rutland Enterprises, Lowell dominated the kingdom's eastern coast.

The amusement park had been built to showcase that wealth.

Once a resort for nobles and wealthy merchants from across the kingdom—with gardens that bloomed in every season, a music hall, a carousel, a ferry dock, and a large hotel that welcomed hundreds of guests a day.

Unlike Sunhaven, which sold itself on its beaches, this was a resort with a different kind of attraction.

But the ice age had frozen even that splendor.

The carousel sat motionless under snow, bare branches hung with icicles like blades, and frost coated the hotel's outer walls.

The hotel still had coal boilers and steam generators installed for emergencies before the ice age, but not all facilities were operational.

Only some buildings were heated; the rest were closed to save fuel.

A faint warmth lingered in the buildings, and soft lamplight glowed from every window.

It looked like a small city in the middle of a snow-covered ruin.

Unlike the harsh outside, the inside was relatively warm. There were few signs of starvation.

Meals were served three times a day, and the fires never went out.

The residents welcomed the two strangers warmly, without suspicion.

Clare and Leon were given a suite on the top floor—once reserved for honored guests.

It felt different from the villa in Sunhaven.

And that made Clare uneasy.

She'd seen it before in Sunhaven—places that seemed too perfect always hid something.

"Please rest until the blizzard's aftermath subsides. Let us know if you need anything."

The head of Lowell Mercantile reportedly took in and cared for survivors who had nowhere else to go.

In the early days of the disaster, the ruffian gang that had swept through Rosebrook was suddenly wiped out.

The Lowell representative had rescued and taken in all the slaves held at their stronghold.

When the tidal wave over Rosebrook showed signs of collapse, he also guided evacuees to the amusement park.

"He seems like a good man—but we shouldn't let our guard down."

Leon agreed with Clare.

"Right—Sunhaven also looked like a perfect shelter on the surface."

After their meal, Clare and Leon decided to explore the amusement park—but—

"You cannot go outside."

The staff restricted and controlled their movement. Come to think of it, no one seemed to be walking around outside.

So they returned to their rooms.

That night, Leon snuck into Clare's room through the window.

"Lieutenant—I think we should investigate this place."

"I was thinking the same."

Clare was already gathering her weapons.

The problem was that all usable weapons—like rifles—had been confiscated upon entry.

"We need to find guns first—and..."

Clare trailed off, but Leon understood.

"You want to know the truth about this place?"

"Yes—if this 'paradise' is just using the survivors, I want to help them escape."

"They might have nowhere to go."

"Having a choice is different from not having one, Sergeant. We'll find the truth and let them decide—just like in Sunhaven."

Leon agreed.

For a moment, he saw a reflection of the Duchess, Eve. But he knew that was also Clare's true nature.

It was one of the reasons Clare had taken to Eve.

And so, they reached an agreement.

But—

Knock, knock.

The problem was that a visitor came calling—as if they'd been waiting for this moment.

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