Public calls for Russell to ride the Shadowflame Dragon gradually cooled along with the Elder Council's cold response.
The Shadowflame Dragon made no move, while Russell stayed nestled in his territory, so naturally, nothing came of it.
Yet the uproar over slaying Frost Troll Ge and the shock of his promotion to count had not faded. They remained among the favorite topics of knights in taverns, serfs on estates, and commoners in market towns after meals.
The bards lingering in Nevernight Castle had even composed over a hundred lavish poems with Russell as their protagonist.
This sparked a new wave of poetry fever.
In a castle guest room, playwright Nicholas was bent over his work, simultaneously writing two plays: Dark Chronicles and the third installment of the Russell series, Long Sword Sweeps the Ice Frost. The major opera houses of Furious Wind City were all pressing him for manuscripts.
The public's enthusiasm was simply too great. Any news connected to Russell was eagerly sought after.
The threat of Frost Giants descending at any moment hung only over the heads of a select few, such as King Ares and Russell.
Only those who flew high could see far.
Those who could not see far instead lived more peacefully.
Not only the common people—even most nobles were still indulging in lives of luxury and excess.
Frost Da had vanished for several months. There had been no further unrest along the border between the two nations. The warm-season sun shone over the land, while Snow Demons and Snow Ghosts retreated deeper into the snowfields. Aside from a small number of lingering Snow Ghosts still harassing the trade routes, there were no further abnormalities.
King Ares had studied the Extreme Ice Sacred Artifact for a long time and even used it to fish several