It's me, Dalton!

"What do you say? You go catch Hiriluk for me, and as a reward, I'll grant your earlier request? I will also forgive your impudence towards this king."

When I looked over at Uta, who was sitting there with her feet propped up on the table in a bored way, I could tell that she was itching to get out of this place as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Captain Hina just looked at me like I needed to make a decision.

I am not concerned that Wapol will not keep his word because, from the very beginning, I have desired to speak with this man named Hiriluk, and if it is at all possible, I would also like to speak with Dr. Kureha.

"I will catch this Hiriluk, until then, I hope you can gather all of your doctors," After that, I refrained from making any further comments and immediately stood up, as did Wapol.

I did not acknowledge him after seeing his extended hand, nor did I look at his face at any point as I walked out of his throne room. However, not long after, I heard the sound of something breaking behind me.

Since the Drum Rockies are thousands of meters high, anyone who wants to meet King Wapol will have to put in additional effort. The only facility that can be utilized is a ski lift, which features a glass cabin, allowing us to take in the scenery without having to worry about being subjected to the bitterly cold weather.

"Look, there's a bear that walks like a human, he even uses a walking stick," seeing Nojiko's elation brought a cheery atmosphere to the setting inside the glass cabin. Everyone turned their attention to the direction she had pointed.

"Hiking Bear, these animals are often found in snowy areas, they are generally harmless by nature, humans are expected to bow when they encounter one, per mountain-climbing etiquette. Those who fail to do so will be subjugated to one hour of seiza."

After hearing Captain Hina's explanation, everyone else simply nodded. However, Nojiko couldn't stop staring out the window and pointing at the various animals we came across, which caused Captain Hina to temporarily become a zoologist.

The lengthy route that we took brought us into contact with many other snow-dwelling creatures, such as snowbirds and reindeer. However, the lapahns, which are large snow hares, particularly piqued my interest. When everyone caught a glimpse of their bloodshot eyes peering through the blizzard. There's like a pressing feeling in your chest that makes you spontaneously not want to disturb them.

Following our descent to the surface, we made our way to the closest village, where we met a dashing royal guard named Dalton. He stood out from the rest of the people who worked for King Wapol because he possessed the appearance of a true knight, and after interacting with him for some time, I could determine that he was a decent human being.

It turned out that he had a strong reason that Hiriluk was just an ordinary citizen who wanted to express their disappointment with the king, and after I asked him further, it turned out that he had doubts about the plan to arrest Hiriluk. Because of this, everything King Wapol has done so far does not suit Dalton.

"It's okay if you don't want to come. We will go after him alone," I had just taken a few steps when Dalton stopped me and promised to help me.

'in the end, he couldn't go against his king's orders, huh,' It doesn't matter to me whether or not Dalton can help me, but I also don't want to wander around this island looking for that person, so Dalton's knowledge will be quite useful.

He happily took a position to show us the way, and as we progressed deeper into the snow forest, he suddenly asked, "I didn't think you guys could survive this extreme weather with your age, except that lady. So are you really a marine?"

I know that question was directed at everyone other than Captain Hina. However, when Dalton realized no one answered, he became somewhat embarrassed. Yet, he made an effort to explain so as not to cause any misunderstandings:

"I don't mean to be rude, I'm just saying that you guys are very talented, because look at me, at the age of 30 I'm still the same royal guard who couldn't go against my king when I knew what he was doing was wrong."

Dalton's booming voice could still be heard when he was telling his life story despite the fierce blizzard that kept hitting us repeatedly. To be honest, I didn't care at all about what he was saying, but Nami and Nojiko seemed to enjoy it, especially when Dalton planned to rebel against the king.

"This is the secret house that Hiriluk lives in, but I don't know if he will be inside because he frequently goes out and leaves his students alone," After that, his big body goes into a dense bush covered in snow, and as we continue to follow him, a simple wooden house comes into view.

I didn't ask who the Hiriluk student he was referring to because I already knew that it was Chopper, and since I had come way earlier than I should have, I was relieved that this Hiriluk wasn't dead.

As soon as we stepped into the yard, I had the distinct feeling that someone or something was watching us. The dark windows gave the impression that the owner didn't like the warmth of light, which was quite surprising given that Hiriluk was a doctor and should have been extremely reliant on natural illumination.

But when we all heard the voice of an elderly man coming from inside, we immediately knew that he was just alert. It seemed as though he had known about our arrival from the beginning.

"It's me, Dalton! I just wanted to talk. You know I won't do anything bad, right?" What he said about knowing Hiriluk well seemed to be true because not long after that, a familiar elderly man in my memory walked slowly out of the house with the shotgun in his hand and his angry expression. I became even more convinced.

When Captain Hina saw Hiriluk pointing his gun at us, she moved closer and said, "We are marines, and depending on your answer, I could arrest you as that stupid king ordered... is that what you want?"