Daphnne marched around her store. Her short figure left a few soft footsteps upon the wooden flooring, as her heels clicked noisily like running water. The heroine found her gaze fixated beyond the windows, where the skies began to darken in tones.
She hummed to herself. "It seems like it's about to rain."
Daphnne never really liked rain. Bad things always seemed to happen when it rained; when she was first sent to the orphanage, it rained that day. The skies blended into a torrential darkness, sucking the living lights out of the world.
The rain reminded Daphnne of the earth's cries. Somehow, it reminded herself of her own desperate pleas... and how that day she lost everything.
Subconsciously, tears would roll down her cheeks.
Daphnne shut the windows close, hoping to shield her plants from the incoming droplets. She wiped her tears with her cotton sleeves, "I hope that Az and the others are safe on their adventure."
*****
There was a long ominous trail of blood. It reeked of a pungent scent, as if a handful of cow dung mixed with charcoal was splattered across the ice's surface. There was a long snake of cracks crawling across the dark ice, and there was a section where the ragged ice broke apart into halves.
Due to that, the ice couldn't help wobbling and wavering.
In the distance, a loud roar had shaken the skies.
"Calm down!" Dimitri gave out orders, controlling his knights with a contorted expression. His heart couldn't help but pound a bit harder at the sight of spilled blood. The Crown Prince unsheathed his own sword, its silver linings shining despite the horrendous glare of the dark dragon.
Augustine was attended to by Jacques, who was constantly humming spells beneath his breath.
A blue light enveloped the mage's body, then enveloping the dying butler. His wound was too large to fully heal, and Jacques had droplets of sweat sliding down his forehead. The mage's skin paled, almost resembling a ghost.
"Do not panic," Willow stated, but she too seemed to be on the brink of panic. "Augustine will be fine... he won't leave you, Young Master."
Lucilline did not respond.
He seemed to have lost all senses, and slouched there like a lost soul. Strands of his silky black hair were scattered across his pale face, and his golden eyes seemed to blur indefinitely. His lips had fallen open, and the once crimson red colour became colourless.
The attacks of the black dragon did not stop.
Rather, they became more and more relentless.
Layla had fallen off the steep cliff, Augustine was on the verge of death, and this damned dragon wouldn't stop attacking them! If something about these conditions didn't change, then the group would likely all freeze to death.
"Dragons have gone extinct for centuries," Dimitri frowned, analyzing his opponent first. "All that are left of them are their fossils... but this one persevered through under Isdis Kingdom's ice."
Through his peripheral vision, Azalea and the two ordinary knights fought off the black dragon. However, their blades began to have chips cracked off. Their situation was only worsening. One of the knights tumbled to the ground, a piece of his iron ripped off. Thankfully, he did not suffer any injuries.
Azalea swung his sword at the dragon's claws, but it barely cut through.
Dragons were dragons. Their scales were impenetrable, unless by blades that not even fire could melt.
"Keep fending the dragon off!" Dimitri ordered, "Delay the dragon until I say so!"
Thus, the three knights continued waving their puny swords at the giant dragon. Willow knew that if she were to get involved, a single tap from the dragon's claws would tear her into shreds. She didn't dare to near closer.
The ice continued to shake.
Their most skilled and shameless warrior—Layla—was separated from them at the time they needed him most. It seemed as if the world purposely piled bad luck after another bad luck for them.
Because of me... Lucilline burrowed his face into his bloodied palms. Another person is going to die. I shouldn't have been selfish. I shouldn't have made Augustine my butler in the first place. Because of my selfish actions, because I didn't want to die according to my fate in the novel... I used this reincarnator as my servant and to run my errands...
"There is a way," a gentle whisper by his ear cleared his muddled thoughts. Light pink eyes seemed to be able to see what exactly laid within him.
Jacques reassured him, "I haven't casted this spell in a long time, so it may take a while." The mage set his staff aside, with the vibrations of the ice forcing it to roll away. However, Jacques did not care and clapped his two slender hands into a prayer. "But I can at least guarantee your butler's survival."
A flicker burned in Lucilline's eyes. Are you sure....?
Jacques read his thoughts. "This small of a wound is nothing for me."
The mage spoke as if Augustine only had a couple of seconds left of his life. His nonchalant tone made Lucilline subconsciously shiver. Perhaps it was the kingdom's cold ice... or maybe it was the abnormality from the mage...
Those pair of light pink eyes shut close.
Jacques chanted a soft prayer beneath his breath. They were gentle mumbles, but nobody could recognize the meaning behind them.
A harsh gust of wind blew his long locks of hair upwards.
Farrah reacted and looked at the mage with keen surprise in her eyes. "This is...!" She had felt the similar power before... according to what little intuition she had left. The magic surging forth in the mage spoke only one word to her: sacrifice.
"I bestow my left eye to heal this wound." Jacques softly hummed.
All of a sudden, his expression contorted in pain. It was as if an invisible pair of hands outstretched and grabbed ahold onto his left eye... that beautiful light pink colour was mesmerizing, resembling the most beautiful pink roses in the field of nobles.
In a flash, it disappeared.
When Jacques reopened his eyes again, only a dark gaping hole replaced his left socket. Small trickles of blood slid down his pale cheeks.
Lucilline had no time to react, as the gaping hole in Augustine's abdomen had quickly regenerated...! Such healing magic was rare—the magic of sacrifice. "Do not cry," Jacques kept his left eye closed, having lost sight from that side. "I am very happy to be of help."
It was then the black-haired nobleman noticed the tears spilling out of his eyes.
He quickly snuffed them gone. "You've given more than enough help."
Colour bloomed in Augustine's pale skin. However, he still haven't regained consciousness. His taut and muscular body laid still on the dark ice.
To think that the butler have survived from the verge of death... everything did not seem real.
The black dragon struck down its claws, only to meet nothing but ice. The three knights precisely dodged every attack, then slashed at its scaly wings. However, not a single dent had harmed the dragon. Rather, this made the black dragon even more irritated.
A sharp roar tugged at the black dragon's throat, as it spewed out a bunch of green flames.
Before the green flames could spray upon the knights, Dimitri quickly opened the suitcase carried by his waist. The Sword of Gravity was unsheathed.
The black dragon did not even notice it—until the dragon was flung upwards into the air. It was an unbalanced force that torn even gravitational forces apart. That swing of the ancient artifact had made the dragon dizzy, as if stars spun around its scales.
"Tch," Dimitri sighed, "Still no injury. Only blunt strength."
He positioned his sword again, pointing towards the soaring black dragon.
This time, the black dragon didn't dare to attack rashly. Its diluted and star-like pupils focused on the shining blade, which seemed to radiate the energy that says "don't come near me". The leftover green flames had melted the dark ice, making the entire kingdom shake ever so slightly.
Lucilline felt his own petite body slide down the slippery surface.
He frowned, "The dragon's out of control." If it keeps this up, then we might all just drown...
Jacques coughed, small trickles of blood running down his lips. He quickly wiped it on his sleeves, waving it off as something common.
Lucilline's brows furrowed. "You need to get some rest too-"
He did not have a chance to voice his concerns.
The dark ice cracked open slits at every nook and cranny. It was as if a heavenly being beneath the surface had fluttered open their eyes, and their gaze falling onto the puny ants crawling over its territory. Every single being at present felt a wave of chills wash over their bodies.
The dragon was no exception.
It let out a soft whimper, and quickly bowed its head in the skies.
Lucilline found his sight stuck to the crack in the centre. He could not peel his gaze away from the opening dark ice, as if an unknown force was purposely separating the ice apart. "This..." A cool chill washed over the entire kingdom.
A white figure climbed up from the crack.
Their whole figure was transparent—as if their every vein, blood vessel, and piece of skin were made of pure crystalline matter. Every single strand of their hair was glowing white—more blinding than Farrah's ghastly skin. Even their dull eyes shone like a diamond.
"Stop fighting." They were a woman, her entire being shining as bright as a star.
Farrah frowned.
She could tell what kind of person this woman was. "An ice person."
"Not just any, dear." The ice woman wore a plain white gown, draping just below her ankles. Her limbs were all naked and uncovered, bare to the cold Kingdom. She smiled, "Why, I am the Queen of the ice people. Call me Your Highness Khione, the Goddess of Beauty and Divinity. Honour me and bow down your heads, you mere ants."
Farrah's eyes thinned.
Likewise, Lucilline had no idea how to react.
There were no records of any ice people left... they were all confirmed to be extinct. However, the distinct characteristics of this woman... It was likely that she really was an ice person.
Khione's smile had a small crack, "I was just joking! I'm no real Goddess of Beauty or Divinity. But it is true that I'm the Queen of Isdis Kingdom. Nice to meet everyone! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful journey thus far. How about you all take a brief rest at my castle?"
Nobody said a word.
Not even Dimitri, who had the status of a Crown Prince, dared to step up.
After all, Isdis Kingdom was a destroyed kingdom. Much less a castle—not even a single cottage remained unscathed from the demon's army.
"A laugh would be appreciated," Khione rolled her transparent eyes. "Hooligans."
Her gaze then took a closer look at the group of foreigners. At first sight, the most attractive person yet was Jacques—his whole left eye had been lost in a sea of blood, and his other a light canary pink. Khione then landed her eyes upon the black-haired nobleman, who could only stare back in fright. There was also that white-haired knight; the one who looked most similar to her by far.
The white-haired maidservant had rough features, and had the most brutal stare she'd seen. Khione found herself looking at the unconscious butler, then at Percival, who clutched his bow and arrows while maintaining a soft respectful gaze.
Dimitri had a standoffish stance, his Sword of Gravity remained pointing at her.
While the two knights were still crawling on the dark ice for dear life.
"Hmm, I suppose I did appear out of nowhere. So I understand why you guys are all on guard," Khione faltered. However, her gentle gaze was replaced with a fiery anger. "But to me, you all appeared out of nowhere too! You all have some explaining to do!"
She stomped furiously at the dark ice.
In an instant, more cracks split across the surface.
Nobody dared to disobey. "...we are adventurers who came to travel to a faraway place," Lucilline began, his voice cracking and broken. "We merely are passing by. After all, we've known Isdis Kingdom to be an annihilated kingdom and that there are no inhabitants left..."
"NO INHABITANTS!?!" A shrill voice screamed at the air.
Khione wore an amused smile, "Why, aren't I here? So that makes at least one inhabitant." Suddenly, her diamond eyes flashed with a sly shine, "Oh, and if we're counting my pet Sugarplum, then that makes two inhabitants."
Everyone, "..." Who is your pet...? Sugarplum?
"Hmmm? You've met him already," sensing their questioning gaze, Khione laughed. "My baby Sugarplum is such a soft and cute dragon~"
Lucilline's face had countless black lines fall over.
You have a pet dragon... named Sugarplum?
Upon hearing his name, the black dragon let out a huff of smoke through its scaly nostrils. Khione noticed his little actions and laughed.
The ice woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Truth be told, I only need one look and I already know everything about you all."
All the adventurers were shocked.
Lucilline was taken aback, Only one look? And she knows everything about us all?
"You," Khione pointed a finger at Farrah, who'd narrowed her brown eyes as a threat. "There is a layer of magic over your entire body. You are concealing your appearance, aren't you?"
Immediately, everyone but for Willow and Jacques shot a strange look at Farrah.
Lucilline bit his lips. Everyone knows now.
"I've once took some interest in the field of magic and mages, and dabbled in it." Khione shone a bright look, "It is no surprise for me to be able to see through such elementary school level magic."
She suddenly closed her eyes.
"Hmm... none of you are that of a threat to me." Khione thought as she continued to babble on, "The only one that posed a threat to me was the one who woke me up. Long pink hair, so blinding and ugly to the eyes, gosh."
Lucilline felt his heart trapped within his throat. Layla...! This ice woman has met Layla already!
"What happened to him?" The black-haired nobleman frowned.
Khione looked at him—his black hair smoother than the running rivers, and his pair of golden eyes beheld a riveting beauty. However, beneath those pair of eyes were a hidden danger. If she were to step past that one line, then everything would snap.
The ice woman became amused. She twirled a finger in her crystalline hair. "I killed him."
Lucilline felt his heart stop.
All of a sudden, Khione bellowed out in laughter. "YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOUR FACE!!! AHAHAHAH—" She couldn't control her strength and doubled over, clutching at her stomach in pain, and coughing out spit. "My dear, you are hilarious. I didn't actually kill him, but if you wish, I could bring you to visit that hideous bundle of pink..."
Khione, "..." She pursed her lips.
It turned out that Lucilline had fainted, falling backwards in exhaustion, collapsing on the dark ice.
"YOUNG MASTER!?!" Willow cried out.