To You Who Will Destroy Me - Chapter 175

“Same goes for me,” Rowe muttered under his breath, though his face betrayed a smile filled with camaraderie. The two of them were in a good mood, that was, until his eyes fell on Mina’s hand—particularly, the missing tip of her pinky finger, a casualty from a brutal winter mission the previous year.

“Is your hand… doing any better?” he asked, his tone quieter now.

“This?” Mina waved her shortened finger nonchalantly. “Oh, that? Old news, kid.”

She shrugged it off with typical northern toughness, but Rowe couldn’t bring himself to laugh along.

“Nuna,” he whispered suddenly, glancing around to make sure no one could overhear them.

“If you ever get tired of living here, just say the word. I can speak to the king and get you reassigned. You’ve been stuck here long enough, you’ve earned it.”

“I told you to leave politics out of this,” Mina responded, her voice growing cold. “A soldier does what they’re told. Stick to that and quit overthinking.”

Rowe, now a bit tipsy, didn’t give up. “But don’t you think the Commander deserves better? He’s served loyally all these years—surely he could’ve gotten better treatment from the royal court if he just made his intentions known…”

“That’s enough!” Mina snapped, clenching her fists. As far as she was concerned, no one was allowed to diminish Calver’s accomplishments. “The Commander was born as the heir to the northern border duchy, and he’s dedicated his life to this land. He doesn’t care about climbing the political ladder or cozying up to the royal family. You’ve been here less than ten years—don’t pretend to know anything about him!”

“I… I’m sorry. I spoke out of line,” Rowe quickly apologized, his face filled with regret. He knew from experience that crossing Mina’s boundaries wasn’t a smart move. However, his eyes still showed he wasn’t fully convinced.

Mina, sensing his lingering thoughts, decided to change the subject entirely.

“I miss young Lady Irel,” she said, her expression softening. “Last time I saw her in the capital, she’d grown into quite the young woman.”

“Really? I haven’t seen her in a while either. I’m curious to know how she’s doing.”

Rowe, in his usual manner, couldn’t resist adding his opinion. “She’d do much better in the capital, don’t you think? There’d be no shortage of suitable matches for her there.”

Mina rolled her eyes at the predictable comment. There he goes again.

If it weren’t for Rowe’s staunch loyalty to the royalist cause, she might’ve liked him a bit more. Still, despite her irritation, she felt a hint of sympathy for him.

Rowe had come to the north voluntarily, all for the honor of his family. Yet his family treated him as an afterthought, leaving him in this isolated, cold outpost. The only thing keeping him going seemed to be his misplaced belief that he was serving some grand purpose for the crown.

It’s probably the only thing that helps him survive the long, brutal northern nights, Mina thought as she downed her shot of vodka, unaware of how these little comforts might unravel in the near future.

***

“Commander,” Rowe called out after Calver had returned from his leave, catching him just as he was making his rounds.

Calver glanced over, seeing Rowe standing nearby with a strangely conflicted expression.

“What is it?” Calver asked in his usual gentle tone. Despite knowing Rowe had been sent to spy on him by the royal court, he had grown to tolerate the man over the last decade. Rowe had proven to be a competent and loyal subordinate, at least most of the time.

“Well… I’ve heard some troubling rumors,” Rowe began, hesitating.

“Rumors?” Calver asked, his eyebrows drawing together slightly.

“It’s about Lady Irel… is it true she’s engaged to Varkan Ha Mash?”

The warmth in Calver’s face faded instantly, and though Rowe clearly noticed the displeasure, he pressed on, driven by his own concerns.

“Surely, you didn’t agree to it, Commander? Varkan Ha Mash is a dangerous man with treasonous intentions! There’s no way this could be good for you or for the duchy.”

“This is a personal matter,” Calver said sharply, cutting him off. “It doesn’t concern you.”

Calver knew Rowe’s words came from a place of genuine concern—he had a certain loyalty and admiration for his commander. But there were boundaries, and Rowe had crossed one. Calver’s irritation wasn’t something he could easily hide now, especially when it came to his daughter’s situation.

However, Rowe’s biggest flaw was his unwavering devotion to anything that involved the royal family, and in this case, he couldn’t let it go.

“I’m sorry, Commander, but I can’t understand. After everything you’ve done—your years of service—how can you risk losing the king’s favor over something like this? Over Lady Irel’s stubbornness?”

Instead of replying, Calver sighed deeply. His mind was already troubled by the very issue Rowe was bringing up.

The Elorance family had always been respected but never too close to the center of power. They had carved out a stable, if somewhat distant, relationship with the crown. But now, Varkan Ha Mash was like a tempest threatening to sweep across their lands, upending everything in its path.

I’d like nothing more than to stop this, Calver thought, running a hand through his graying hair.

She was a daughter who had never been stubborn in her life. In a good way, she was gentle, and in a bad way, she lacked resolve. At times, I even wished she would throw tantrums or cry like other children.

But the human heart is fickle, and when that moment finally came, it was maddening.

“Why him of all people…?”

I wanted to stop her, even if it meant forcing her. However, Irel became a completely different person, determined to defend this engagement with her life.

Her fiancé was Varkan Ha Mash. Even the entire family, united in opposition, would struggle to resist him. And now that Irel herself was fiercely insisting on it, there was no stopping her. As if things weren’t already complicated enough, when Rowe started meddling, it felt like my head would explode.

“Let’s stop talking about this for now. We still don’t know if Varkan has any other intentions. He’s a loyal servant, honored multiple times with medals of distinction from His Majesty.”

“But, Your Excellency…”

“I said stop.”

Calver cut him off sharply and turned his back. Even without looking, he could feel Rowe’s gaze lingering on him.

“You were once a loyal servant to His Excellency.”

Rowe’s muttered words held a complicated emotion that was hard to decipher.

***

“Sahar Ha Mash.”

Sahar, who had been lazily dozing off in a tree, slowly raised his head. He opened just one eye, and there was Mina’s face, looking up at him from below.

“Wow, how can a Masaka be so lazy?”

Even with one eye open, it was scarcely halfway. Mina was utterly exasperated at his pitiful state.

“What is it?”

Ugh, that casual tone. Mina grimaced but held back. The last time she had confronted Sahar about it, he had responded like this:

“It seems you’re mistaken, kid. To exaggerate a bit, I’m old enough to be your grandfather.”

It was only then that Mina realized: even though he looked human, a Masaka was fundamentally a different being.

If he were just old enough to be her father, she might’ve been able to push back a bit. But a grandfather? There was no choice but to hold her tongue and pay her respects to the elder.

“His Excellency is calling for you. Please head to the office for a moment, elder.”

The urge to disrespect him was strong, but she swallowed it down and spoke sarcastically. Sahar didn’t care.

“Ah, how annoying.”

He yawned lazily, reluctantly snapping his fingers. Suddenly, the swirling winds beneath him lifted him up as if he were lying on a silk bed.

His powers suited him perfectly. As he floated away without moving a muscle, Mina pouted at the back of his head. Then, she remembered something and called out.

“Oh, by the way, have you seen Sir Rowe?”

“Nope.”

“Come on, tell me. I haven’t seen him all morning. Where did he go?”

Sahar’s favorite napping spot was the northwest tower, the highest point of the Frust La Hill fortress. He enjoyed sitting there, watching over everything below like a large cat guarding its territory.

Despite his constant laziness, Calver turned a blind eye to it. After all, a Masaka was still a Masaka. Even while dozing off, Sahar monitored the entire fortress.

The northern mountains were always swept by fierce, icy winds year-round. These winds worked in harmony with Sahar’s abilities, creating large and small gusts that swirled around the fortress as if to sweep it clean. These winds would rummage through the clothes of those who passed and brush over their faces, checking for any threats.

So, there was no way he hadn’t seen Rowe Kraut.

“He’s a bit eccentric, but he’s a precious subordinate. I’ve been worried about him since his behavior has been off lately.”

Mina sighed deeply and asked again. Rowe had been growing more haggard and irritable with each passing day. He couldn’t concentrate during duty, and even when spoken to, he scarcely replied, often sealing his lips after a reluctant answer.

That alone would’ve been troubling, but there were even signs of insubordination. Whatever was going on in his head, Rowe had recently been defying Calver’s orders more frequently. He would argue back once and then reluctantly follow through afterward.

In an army where discipline and obedience were paramount, such behavior was utterly unacceptable. Absolutely.

‘His Excellency told me to let it go.’

But Mina couldn’t just leave it at that. Rowe was technically her subordinate, and there was a definite responsibility on her part for not having trained him properly.

She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she had reached her limit. She had to see this through to the end. With that determination in mind, she asked for Sahar’s help once more. Sahar glanced back at her.

“Don’t get too attached.”

“Excuse me?”

“That guy’s going to cause a big problem soon.”

Sahar briefly pointed toward a direction. It was the least used exit, the northern one.

“Don’t tell him I said anything. I still need to watch him.”

“W-what?”

Ah, what was all of this supposed to mean? Mina had a mountain of questions she wanted to ask, but it was already too late. In the blink of an eye, Sahar vanished, carried away by the wind.

“Ugh!”

Are all Masaka this self-centered? Mina grumbled to herself, her only reference being Sahar. Still, since he had at least pointed her in the right direction, she began trudging toward the northern exit.

Whoosh.

Cold winds blew, but there was no sign of anyone at the exit. Beyond that was just the cave leading to the mountain range—a supply route used only at the beginning of the month. No one usually lingered there.

“Could Sir Rowe really be in a place like this?”

Had it not been for Sahar’s advice, she would’ve simply scanned the area and moved on. But Sahar, the overseer of the winds, rarely made mistakes. With that in mind, Mina hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the cave.

“Sir Rowe! Are you in here?”

“L-Lieutenant Mina?”

As she called out loudly, stepping further in, there was a sound of someone scrambling in panic from deeper within. Rowe emerged, looking pale and startled.

“W-what brings you all the way here?”