The Ice Age Came And I Just Got Married - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43
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We joined the herd of woolly elephants with bewildered expressions on our faces.
They permitted us to fall into their ranks as though we had been part of their group from the very beginning.
Though I’m not sure if “permitted” is even the right word—it seemed more like they simply didn’t notice us at all.
Whoooooo—
But the moment we showed any sign of straying from the formation, the woolly elephants would stretch out their long trunks and push us back into the middle of the herd.
Let me correct myself: it seemed the woolly elephants did recognize us as part of their group.
‘They don’t seem to be mystical beasts. Could they be animals with special abilities like Chipi or Pipi?’
That second possibility seemed far more plausible.
Awoooooo—!
Then, from somewhere in the distance, a wolf’s howl pierced the air.
Psshhhhh.
The elephants shook their trunks at the sound, visibly agitated.
They pressed us deeper into the center of their formation.
“I see a wolf pack,” Logan muttered, drawing his Greatsword.
I thought the bright metal of the blade might startle the elephants.
Instead, they paid no attention to it whatsoever. If anything, they seemed to gesture caution, gently tapping our heads with their long trunks.
Why do all the creatures in this Ice Age world seem to communicate so naturally with humans?
Though I suppose that could just be my own delusion.
In any case, the woolly elephants put me somewhat at ease. I could hear the wolves howling, but they weren’t yet visible.
As we walked, maintaining our vigilance and caution, I caught sight of Claire and Lian.
I noticed Lian carefully adjusting Claire’s military cap, ear coverings, and scarf.
Ah.
That was when I sensed the dynamic between them—or rather, the look in Lian’s eyes as he gazed at Claire.
I watched them both for a moment, then asked quietly, “What’s the relationship between you and Lian?”
At my question, Lian’s face flushed red, while Claire tilted her head with no visible change in expression.
After a moment, Claire answered, “I’d say we’re comrades. We were trapped together at the Observation Post for more than two months, waiting for the day we’d die.”
I had grown to like Logan after spending just one night with him in that cave.
And after spending over a month together, just the two of us, in the relatively comfortable and peaceful confines of Acorn Village, I found myself developing feelings I hadn’t expected to have.
But Claire, unlike me, didn’t seem to have developed any particular fondness at all.
It was possible—even after two months of isolation together at an outpost like that—for no feelings to emerge.
That was when I realized my own emotions weren’t ordinary.
It wasn’t the suspension bridge effect.
My fondness for Logan was possible precisely because he was Logan.
I glanced sideways at Lian.
For some reason, his ears seemed to perk up slightly. He appeared to be absorbing every word of Claire’s response.
‘He doesn’t seem to think of her as just a comrade. But Claire really does seem to have no such feelings.’
Claire felt like nothing more than camaraderie to her. Meanwhile, Lian seemed to have feelings for Claire.
‘It’s oddly similar to my situation with Logan, in a way. Though the circumstances are quite different.’
From what I’d observed so far, Lian seemed like a decent man. He appeared straightforward, without pretense in his speech or manner.
Awoooo! Awoooooo!
Of course, the continuing howls of the wolves didn’t allow my thoughts to continue for long.
The sounds were growing closer.
Between the woolly elephants’ massive legs, I could see a pack of wolves—creatures far larger than any ordinary wolf—rushing toward us through the swirling snow.
These were no longer beasts that deserved to be called wolves. Their entire bodies were covered in black fur, and they stood tall enough that their shoulders reached up to the chest of an adult man.
I gripped my Shotgun more firmly.
Lian and Claire drew their weapons as well.
Awoooo!
The massive wolf at the head of the pack howled at the sky. And then, all at once, they charged.
Boom!
Boom-boom-boom!
The ice beneath us trembled.
Whoooooooo—!!
The leader of the woolly elephant herd raised its long trunk and roared. It sounded like the clarion call of war.
Thundercrack!
Dozens of woolly elephants began forming a circle at once. Their massive bodies moved with surprising swiftness, creating a wall in an instant.

It was only then that I understood.
‘They’re protecting us.’
A few baby elephants surrounded us, and they seemed to regard us as creatures their own size—small and vulnerable.
Animals that needed looking after.
The safest heart of the herd.
A loud trumpet cry shattered the air.
Wolves drove in from the flanks.
I was loading and raising my shotgun when suddenly a long trunk wrapped around my body and lifted me upward.
Soon after, they settled us—my companions and me—atop their backs.
The problem was that Claire, who’d stayed behind the longest, was caught in the wolves’ attack.
Lian, who’d already climbed onto an elephant’s back, leaped down without hesitation.
It was an incredibly reckless move. The height of the elephant’s back was immense, and one misstep on the ice below would send you sliding—and badly injured.
“Claire!”
Bang! Crack!
But fortunately, Lian landed safely and managed to block the wolf attacking Claire.
Claire herself fired at a wolf charging from behind Lian, then slid down to evade their assault and scrambled to her feet.
The problem was a stray bullet.
One shot found its mark on a wolf, but the other grazed the leg of a shaggy elephant nearby, opening a wound.
A piercing shriek erupted.
Startled, the shaggy elephant swung its long trunk and hurled Lian outside the herd.
I started to leap down in alarm, but Logan held me back. He looked toward Lian with an exasperated expression, then sighed.
“I’ll go.”
He descended lightly into the chaos below. Though that didn’t mean he could simply remain passive atop the shaggy elephant.
Using the Bluestone I’d absorbed, I raised an ice wall around Lian. The startled wolves kept their distance from him.
Meanwhile, Logan drew his Greatsword and walked toward the wolves with an almost leisurely gait.
There were dozens of wolves, and he was just one man. Yet something in that composure made me believe in him.
Of course, Logan alone was more than capable of handling the wolves.
Even the shaggy elephants seemed taken aback—they all stopped and turned to watch him.
The wind howled fiercely.
A harsh blizzard swept across the tense scene.
Logan passed through it without running. He simply walked toward his prey with unhurried purpose.
The wolves that had hesitated when the ice wall materialized in front of Lian now charged at it.
Bang—bang!
Lian, unflustered behind the ice wall, raised his shotgun.
“Lian!”
Claire tried to jump down from the elephant’s back, but it wasn’t easy.
Logan, being beyond human limits, was an exception. Lian had simply been lucky and sustained fewer injuries.
But to be clear—an ordinary person jumping from this height onto ice below would shatter their ankles, slide uncontrollably, crack their skull, and die on impact.
‘Where’s a Winterstone when you need it? Something to help with mid-air suspension?’
Muttering to myself, I turned to Claire, who sat atop the elephant beside us.
“Trust Logan. He’s a war hero who ended a ten-year conflict in just three months.”
At my words, Claire clenched her jaw in frustration. Her hands, gripping the shotgun, trembled.
“But all I can do is stand here after he saved me, after one of our comrades has fallen to this…….”
I watched her silently for a moment, then spoke.
“Don’t let that sacrifice go to waste. Logan sacrificed himself to rescue Lian. If Lian is wounded because of that, what was the point of the sacrifice?”
Claire’s jaw tightened.
“And Logan will bring him back safely. If he doesn’t, you can resent me all you like.”
“How can you be so certain your husband will survive? No matter how skilled a General might be, in a situation like this, it’s…….”
“Because I know what kind of man Logan is. No matter what he faces, he’ll survive.”
I turned and gazed at Logan in the distance.
“That’s just how people are when they have something to protect.”
My real worry wasn’t that Logan would be killed by someone—it was what would happen if Logan killed someone.
“We do our part here.”
I raised my shotgun, and Claire nodded, raising hers as well.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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