A southern wind swept through the Odis Temple in the royal capital.
Grand Commander Pauline, who had been at her desk in the great tower, lifted her gaze at the report that had just arrived. It spoke of an anomaly affecting the warriors’ most closely guarded secret treasure—the Frost Orb.
“Be specific.”
Pauline frowned.
As a member of the royal family, she possessed the skill 〈Seal〉. That was one of the reasons a sixteen-year-old girl bore such a heavy responsibility. If anything went wrong with the orb, she had to act at once—using her skill to suppress it before the situation could worsen.
The Frost Orb was the keystone of the dungeon. It emitted the frigid air that sustained the ice of the seal, confining monsters deep within the dungeon.
Orbs with similar functions existed in many regions, such as Flocia—but the one installed beneath the royal capital’s temple was especially large. If it were to lose its function, the consequences would be irreparable. Monsters could even begin spilling out from the dungeons surrounding the capital. In fact, a similar catastrophe had once occurred in the Eastern Dungeon.
The aide delivering the report hesitated, his words faltering.
“…It felt as though the orb was afraid of something.”
“Afraid?”
She found herself echoing the question without meaning to.
No matter how powerful the magic contained within it, the orb was still nothing more than a tool.
“…Pardon me. What do you mean by afraid?”
“The orb is trembling. And the cold has intensified to the point that it can be felt even outside the underground chamber—as though it were frightened, trying to protect itself.”
Pauline brushed back the silver hair that spilled from beneath her tall hat.
A deep whoosh sounded outside as a powerful gust of wind slammed against the tower.
A southern wind… come to think of it, the city the horn-blowing boy had headed toward lay to the south as well.
“We must be on our guard.”
Pauline set down her pen, rose to her feet, and stepped out of the office.
“Let us go at once.”
Just as she started walking briskly away, a voice called out from behind her.
“Your Highness!”
When Pauline turned around, she saw a young girl staring at her with wide, sky-blue eyes.
It was Luisia—Rion’s little sister.
Chestnut-colored twin braids spilled out from beneath the cap that marked her as a novice priestess.
“…A-are you going down below?”
How did she know?
As Pauline stood there in surprise, Luisia hurried over.
“I have a bad feeling. From underground… from the room where I spoke with my brother! There’s something really frightening there, and I’m worried about him…!”
The Frost Orb also served as a means of communication with the south. Luisia remembered speaking with Rion several times through the orb. Pauline had also heard that this girl had sensed it when the Eastern Dungeon had been scattered with remains.
—To think such a burden should fall upon someone so young.
The skill dwelling within Luisia—『Miko』.
Whether as commander of the warrior order or as a member of the royal family, Pauline could scarcely imagine the weight this young girl was being made to bear.
If Odis had truly granted her power, then what kind of fate awaited her?
Relying on her felt cruel. And yet—right now, Pauline felt she could not afford to ignore the girl’s senses.
“Luisia. Please come with me.”
Luisia pressed her lips together tightly, then nodded.
The two of them hurried toward the underground chamber.
◆◆◆
Mia was running through the streets of Flocia.
She curled her lips in bitterness and glanced back. Cloak snapping in the fierce wind, the real Felix was racing after her.
The two spoke as they hurried along.
“…Are you certain the one you saw was an impostor—someone pretending to be me?”
“Yeah. I’m sure of it.”
Mia clicked her tongue in frustration.
She’d been careless. Not long after Rion rode off on horseback, the real Felix had arrived. At first, Mia had been confused. But she soon noticed something was wrong. After all, the warrior order hadn’t managed to make contact with Nils’ collaborator or even with Nils himself.
“Think about it. If it were really you taking Rion away, you’d have left a whole list of nagging instructions behind. Just disappearing with Rion? That’s not like you at all.”
“…Is that meant to be a compliment?”
Now the two of them were heading to the Odis Temple.
Felix opened his mouth to speak.
“If an impostor posing as me appeared, the most likely purpose would be to lure someone out.”
Mia nodded. Veteran minds worked quickly when put together.
“But Rion has the gods on his side. Rather than targeting Rion himself, the goal is probably to draw Rion—and the gods—away from the real target.”
“A diversion then. But we’re in the middle of the city. To make a move under those circumstances means….”
Even as he ran, Felix deliberately touched the small coronet on his brow.
“As expected, the target must be the Odis Temple. The scattering of ashes in the dungoen on the first day may also have been bait—to draw our attention toward the lake.”
“If that’s the case, then…”
“Still, the temple houses the Frost Orb. They say even the gods can feel its chill, and monsters shouldn’t be able to approach it at all, right?”
Just as Felix was about to continue, the ground shook.
They nearly lost their footing, both of them sucking in sharp breaths. Their feet came to a halt instinctively, overwhelmed by a primal sense of dread.
The temple was just around the next corner. From ahead came the screams of men—warriors and adventurers alike.
“So we were right. Damn it!”
Gritting her teeth, Mia and the others powered through the final turn.
“W-what… is this…?”
This, she realized, was what it meant to be robbed of words.
What burst into view was a colossal figure wrapped in flames. She rubbed her eyes again and again. Its height was only a little over two meters—but its entire body was engulfed in fire, and the shimmering heat made it seem far larger than it truly was. For an instant, Mia mistook the enemy for something even larger than Surtr himself.
Her legs stepped back on their own. Her instincts were screaming at her to run. When she spoke, her voice trembled so badly it sounded almost ridiculous, even to her own ears.
“…Its whole body is engulfed in flames?”
Felix groaned, unable to hide his disbelief.
“Is it wrapping itself in fire to fend off the sealing chill….?”
The fiery giant tilted its head upward, then leapt. With a heavy thud that shook the ground, it landed atop the cathedral’s roof.
A shiver ran down their spines.
As adventurers, their worst fears only multiplied in that instant.
“It’s going for the orb, isn’t it!?”
Mia shouted, and Felix nodded grimly.
“To the orb chamber!”
Chaos had erupted inside the cathedral as well. An ambush by a monster that shouldn’t even exist—one strong enough to crush the warrior order in a single blow—was wreaking havoc.
The remaining guards were no match, and most of the others had already left to explore the labyrinth and the towers. The priests were in utter disarray.
Amidst the turmoil, Mia spotted a small patch of green hair.
“Safi!”
Taking the girl with them, Mia and Felix raced up the stairs.
Safi’s voice trembled.
“I… I felt a huge presence in the basement too!”
The girl was half-divine, half-human. Perhaps she had sensed the enemy’s approach.
Clutching her chained axe tightly, Mia bit her lip.
“Rion… please make it in time…”
They stormed into the orb chamber, and at that same moment, a wall shattered. The chilling aura radiating from the orb clashed violently with the heat wave rolling off the fiery giant.
The sheer force of it made the air itself quiver.
Mia struggled just to keep one eye open.
“If the gods don’t arrive in time, then….!”
From the roaring flames, a shock of tousled blond hair and dark, gleaming eyes emerged. A wide, unsettling grin spread across the fire-wreathed giant as it reached toward the Frost Orb.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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