Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 95

Chapter 95.

The place where Graham stood was a small square in front of Norton's checkpoint.

Originally, it had been a resting spot for merchants and travelers passing through the city.

But after the ice age, the situation was completely different.

The city below the slope was buried under endless snow.

The first floors of buildings were completely submerged, and people lived through second-story windows.

Wooden bridges and ropes stretched between buildings like spiderwebs, with merchants hanging goods from windows to sell.

On the hill, however, snow was lighter. Survivors had naturally set up a bulletin board here, posting requests and forming parties to trade supplies.

The city itself had transformed to survive.

But that wasn't what mattered...

"This is my eldest brother—Graham Oswald Everhart."

I quickly whispered Graham's background to Logan—along with the fact that they'd fought the snow monster together at Lowell Amusement Park and spent time in Acorn Village.

Logan's expression shifted at the condensed story—his eyebrows lifting in interest.

That's worrying.

Graham approached and embraced me warmly.

Then he looked at Logan, who met his gaze with a wary expression.

Graham tilted his head in confusion—Logan mirrored him.

Then, suddenly, Logan opened his arms toward Graham.

"...?"

Everyone stared at him in surprise.

"This isn't right?"

"Sorry, brother—my husband's been a little off lately."

I quickly apologized. Logan, catching the mood, awkwardly rubbed his face.

"Being a husband isn't easy."

Graham looked puzzled by Logan's behavior.

But things were good between them—we left on warm terms in Acorn Village.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"The Duke seems to have changed a lot in a short time—I can't read him."

Graham studied Logan intently, then muttered under his breath.

"...Is it just my imagination?"

"R-Right—it's your imagination."

I waved my hands frantically, breaking into a cold sweat.

"A-Anyway—what are you doing here? I thought you'd just get help from the Crown Prince and leave to find Julian."

"Ah—well..."

Graham trailed off as if searching for words.

"But Eve—what brings you here?"

"We came on a reconnaissance trip—I also wanted to look for the rest of our family."

Just then, Aiden, who had been watching, spoke up.

"Perhaps we could discuss the details while looking at the request."

Aiden smiled.

A request?

I looked around. We were at the entrance of the small square by the checkpoint.

People crowded around a large wooden bulletin board in the center.

It reminded me of a dawn labor market.

Is that what he meant?

We pushed through the crowd, slowly moving forward.

"Excuse us—coming through."

Brian led the way, and people grumbled but stepped aside.

At the board, we saw a large paper pinned prominently in the center:

[Search for 3,000-Year-Old Relic]

Seeking companions to find a 3,000-year-old relic believed to lie dormant beneath Norton.

Relevant historical records and clues are secured—search will be conducted alongside the client.

Reward: 1 Winterstone.

※ Experienced explorers preferred.

Client: G.O.E.

As I read the request, nearby explorers muttered:

"There's that request again."

"I'd rather hunt snow monsters."

"Right—how do we know the relic even exists?"

"It's been up for three days—no takers."

"I'd like the Winterstone, but I'm not wandering through snow for something uncertain."

"Honestly, the client seems a bit crazy—with survival at stake, who has time for this?"

I glanced at Graham.

He adjusted his glasses, listening silently.

Just then, Brian gave a slight nod.

We left the crowd after confirming the request.

Once we reached a quiet alley, Graham spoke.

"Now you see the situation."

"No—I don't. What was that request?"

Was it connected to Brian's mention of the "Heart of Frost"?

Brian had said he and Graham were looking for it and found evidence it was in Norton.

"While searching for Julian, I came across a document by chance."

Graham had come to the request market on Aiden and Brian's advice—and found an old report at a stall.

He unfolded the paper—a white moth emblem was drawn at the top.

That emblem looked familiar.

[Unidentified Relic Investigation Record]

Record No.: 135227-B171

Author: Major Eldier, 3rd Reconnaissance Unit, Rosebrook Fleet Headquarters

Contents: July 13, 1917. Confirmed existence of a 3,000-year-old relic in Norton's city center. Secured tradition that an unidentified black mineral is stored inside the relic.

Action: Tracking and recovery planned.

It was the same type of report I'd seen at the naval base—even the name, Major Eldier, was the same.

But "black mineral" is vague.

I couldn't tell if it was the real Heart of Frost or a subordinate mana stone without seeing it.

It leans toward the latter...

Graham spoke.

"Someone else found this too—there was a note on the back."

He showed me the back of the paper.

[Transferred to Depot No. 7]

Now I understood why Graham had used the request board.

He explained.

"The city is buried in snow—going below is dangerous. Multiple people working together improves survival odds."

Hmm—if that's the case, Logan and I could join to simplify things.

"Let's search together—Logan and I will help."

Graham couldn't object—he'd seen my power at Lowell.

He also couldn't easily refuse Logan's help, even setting me aside.

I glanced at Logan—he looked at me quizzically.

Reassuring.

Graham sighed.

"I trust you, Eve."

I smiled.

"I knew you'd say that."

And so, the five of us decided to form a party.

---

Now, we were overlooking Norton's city center.

The endless city below was more than half buried in snow.

Brian shrugged.

"We should check buildings that might have served as depots first."

I thought for a moment.

"City hall, banks, military depots, or museums—they're likely to have storage facilities."

Logan agreed.

"If it's valuable, those are the most likely places."

We made our way toward the city.

It was strange to see the first floors completely submerged, with people living on the second.

Something about this keeps feeling familiar.

I tilted my head—was this from a scene in the novel?

With Aiden present, it was possible.

I glanced at him—our eyes met.

He smiled gently.

His beautiful face alone could easily make one think he liked them—but I was a faithful married woman.

Walking on the rooftops, lost in thought—

Suddenly, the ground beneath me gave way.

"Eve—!"

Logan's voice faded into the distance.

The roof collapsed, trapping me alone from the group.

"Damn—what...?"

A voice from beside me—I turned to see Aiden, his blue-gold hair tousled, groaning.

No one else was there.

Were we two isolated?

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