Chapter 148

“Wow! This is definitely a treasure of the Kingdom!”

In the chief’s tent of Lake Fortress.

As Darika excitedly passed over the tiara obtained from the Snow Elf, she raised it high into the air and shouted.

“Who had this?”

“It was a Snow Elf.”

“A Snow Elf! A fairy about whom little is known! The ancients believed they were beings from fairy tales, but they actually exist! Those are living history. They must know the secrets of the Kingdom that are yet to be uncovered!”

Darika set the tiara down next to Zik’s ring.

“Well done. Very well done! We are one step closer to our long-held wish!”

“Haha, I plan to find the next item soon.”

“Good. I will be waiting.”

Darika, with a face full of smiles, was incredibly excited. She transformed dramatically each time Carami brought items, as if she had been cured of dementia in the eyes of the tribe members.

Of course, it was only a temporary change; in time, she would return to her original self.

Darika coughed lightly.

“Cough, cough… I shouted too much and my throat hurts. I must lie down for a bit, so everyone should just hang around for a while.”

“Darika… are you going to sleep again…?”

“Is it Aities saying that?”

Carami looked coldly at Aities.

Aities was a heavy sleeper who wouldn’t lose to anyone. Even while riding a rough sled, she would fall asleep the moment her eyes closed. Waking her up in the morning was a challenge.

It was absurd for Aities to question Darika about sleeping again.

“You’ll understand when you grow up.”

“…?”

Aities tilted her head.

She didn’t understand Darika’s words.

***

The evening came to Lake Fortress.

For those living in tribal communities, group meals were a daily routine. They threw all sorts of ingredients into a huge cauldron to create a stew that would never run out.

This eternal stew, which could warm their cold bodies, was a friendly dish for the northerners. They gathered in groups to take stew for their own bowls.

Around the campfire, Perka, Dwarves, and Northerners came together, chattering and laughing, but Aities was not among them. Whenever she approached the fire, a chill emanated from her, extinguishing the flames.

Thus, in a corner of the village, untouched by the firelight.

Aities was sitting on a long-lying log.

In her hand was a cold bowl of stew.

Without any hint of warmth allowed, Aities couldn’t eat anything warm. To nourish herself, she had to eat food that was already cold.

It would be a torment for ordinary people, but not for Aities.

There were no complaints or dissatisfaction.

Just like someone who had never eaten an apple couldn’t express its taste, Aities had never felt warmth. Having never experienced it, she had no reason to feel dissatisfied.

For Aities, this was just an ordinary day.

“How is it? Does it taste good?”

Carami, having received her serving, sat on a log across from her.

“…”

“Isn’t it amazing? Just by throwing anything in, it creates this flavor.”

“Yeah…”

Carami was an unusual person.

Countless people had approached Aities. Considering her looks, it was no wonder. Regardless of gender or species, people were drawn to her.

But no one remained until the end.

More than Aities’ beauty attracting attention, her chill pushed people away. Even those who approached her with friendliness eventually retreated in apathy.

While a few, like Perka, dared to close the distance, an invisible line existed between Aities and them.

A line where the chill had no effect.

A realm of absolute zero that allowed no one’s entry.

They maintained their distance beyond that boundary. But Carami, unlike others, repeatedly intruded into Aities’ territory.

One step further beyond the standing boundary.

Claiming her space.

Even now, the outer surface of Carami’s coat was frozen, and her legs shook from the cold, but she showed no signs of discomfort, merely wearing a constant smile.

Aities tilted her head.

Only Carami entered an area where no one else dare approach. Leaving ripples in her mind that wouldn’t disappear.

“Why is Lami here…?”

A sudden question arose.

It felt like something that couldn’t remain unresolved.

“Are you not here as well, Aities?”

“I’m here… because I have to be.”

Aities was aware.

Of the fact that her peculiar condition didn’t fit with the lives of others.

“That’s why I’m here. Because you’re here, Aities.”

“…?”

“The master must always be near the slave. Because you never know what kind of trouble a slave might cause, you must keep an eye on them.”

“Ah… huh…?”

I see.

The master always stays close.

So, it seems being a slave is a good thing.

But people said Carami was a bad person.

‘Is being bad… a good thing?’

What is what.

It’s all so complicated.

I don’t like complicated things.

Aities shook off her thoughts.

“I’m going to look for the next treasure soon. It’s held by a giant serpent, and it can’t be taken using magic, so we have to catch it with swords.”

“Treasure….”

Aities felt a strange sensation whenever she saw treasures like the ring and the tiara.

Familiarity.

Nostalgia.

And a feeling that made her heart feel heavy.

A sensation that even the person involved was unaware of the reason.

Would Carami know?

Aities asked.

In response to her question, Carami smiled and nodded.

“Sometimes what seems like a worthless object to one person can be a precious object filled with memories for someone else. Perhaps those treasures hold some meaning for you, Aities?”

“Precious objects….”

Is that what it is?

Is that why I feel familiar?

But still, I have no memories.

“If you talk to the chief, you might remember something. Why don’t you visit him tomorrow?”

“Okay…”

Aities ate some stew.

She didn’t feel any warmth.

***

The next day, Aities set out to find Darika.

Rarely, she was alone today. She had asked Carami if she wouldn’t go with her, but she said she had something to do and would go alone. She thought nothing of it.

Approaching the chief’s tent.

The guards who spotted her stepped aside for a moment.

As she approached the tent, the torches set outside froze at her arrival, and once she was out of reach, they reignited.

This had become a routine.

“Darika.”

“Hmm? Cough, cough… Who’s there?”

Darika, who had been lying down and coughing, struggled to raise her upper body.

Narrowing her dim eyes, she stared intently at Aities. It took a moment for her to barely recall Aities’ presence.

“Oh, the little one has come! Where have you been until now? You should come visit me more often.”

“I helped yesterday.”

“What? Really? I’ve been so forgetful lately. Don’t just stand there, come sit down here.”

Darika patted the spot next to her.

Aities sat close to Darika, her legs tucked modestly. Thanks to Lazurite, the distance was just about an arm’s length apart. Without any special treatment, that was the limit.

“What brings you here? Does the old lady get to tell some old stories?”

Aities shook her head.

“Today… something else… I came to ask about treasures.”

“You want to hear about old stories regarding treasures!”

“Um…? Um… yeah. I think so.”

“Great! Then I’ll tell you one by one.”

Darika pulled out the tiara from beneath the carpet.

Since all sorts of items came out from there, Aities thought, ‘Is it a magical carpet?’

“Now, what is this tiara! This is a gift prepared by the king to be presented on the birthdate of the princess.”

“The king…?”

“Yeah. The king of the Ice Kingdom was uncommonly warm-hearted. Although the day to place the tiara on the princess never came.”

“Because of the dragon…?”

“Because of a very wicked dragon.”

Aities felt no particular emotion even this time. It was to be expected.

Without even realizing it, Aities frowned.

A feeling as if a stone was placed on her chest.

It was hard to breathe.

Why do I feel like I need to find out why….

The curse of the dragon wouldn’t let her be at ease.

The curse binding Aities activated.

Invisible thorns extended, suppressing the sprouts of the rising emotions.

The faint stir trying to cross the threshold of her soul eventually left no trace behind.

Unpermitted emotions flickered at her fingertips before fading away.

The door to her feelings closed, and only a cold, clear silence enveloped her.

Aities merely blinked slowly, her face serene. As if nothing had happened, her gaze returned to imbibing only the chill of the frozen air.

“ACHOO! It suddenly got cold. It seems like winter is coming. Are you okay?”

“Yeah…”

“With this weather, I wonder when Baschal will come back. Sigh, sigh.”

“Do you want to see Baschal…?”

“It’s quite strange. The one who would always make me sigh just by looking at him has been lingering in my mind lately….”

A look of nostalgia clouded Darika’s eyes.

Aities stared at it for a while.

***

“I want to bring Baschal back.”

This was what Aities said upon returning from meeting Darika.

“Darika… wants to see Baschal.”

“That’s only natural.”

The reason for Darika’s state was the loss of Baschal, and even after her dementia set in, she still deeply wished for a meeting with him.

Of course, the problem was that Baschal was already dead.

There were, however, objects related to Baschal. To achieve complete liberation, she needed to obtain them.

Just.

“Can’t… we?”

Aities didn’t expect that she would make such a request first.

“Is there anything impossible? Let’s go find Baschal.”

Aities nodded.

She let out a very small breath.

What emanated was a weak sense of relief.

***

“I’m bored. I’m bored. I’m bored!”

In the Magic Tower, the elder of the demon clan.

Zakariel Vermor rolled around on the floor in a fit of frustration.

While Mirabel had become the master of the Magic Tower and sometimes played with him, ever since Vestia left, it had been a monotonous existence.

Had he known this would happen, he would have tagged along.

It was petty for the witches to leave him behind.

“Is there nothing to do~?”

Zakariel flapped his wings and searched for something to do. He was considering playing with Edmund since Darienor had too strange a personality to hang out with.

Flap~

“Hmm?”

A letter flew through the high window of the Magic Tower. Like a bird chasing its master, the letter floated around Zakariel. The magic imbued in the letter was from Morgana.

Whoosh.

The letter ignited and its contents rose as black smoke.

– The master of the master of the Magic Tower holds great magic. They may be in the north?

That was all.

It contained no indication of purpose.

“The master of the master of the Magic Tower! I wonder what kind of person they are? Will they be strong? Will they be fun?”

But that content was enough to pique the interest of the rascal Zakariel. It was Morgana’s intention, having seen through Zakariel’s personality.

Fluttering his tiny wings, Zakariel flew out of the Magic Tower. His magic was too weak, making it difficult to follow any trace.

So, as the letter suggested.

Zakariel flew off towards the north.

If they didn’t provide him with entertainment….

He would have to kill them.