Chapter 157

After a month of travel, I returned to the underground city of Doomheim.

In the cold, I felt almost as if I had come back to my hometown. The warmth from the heated furnaces spread throughout the city and the sound of metalwork was comforting.

Hargran, with a hammer slung over his shoulder, turned his gaze towards the heart of Magmar along with his dwarf subordinates.

“Let’s part ways here. Go rest well, Princess. Perka will need to explain things well to Hargran.”

“I-I don’t want to go back….”

“If you’ve done what you wanted, you have to take responsibility. You little brat.”

It was rare for Hargran to sternly side with Thorvar. Perka, with her head down, pouted like a child throwing a tantrum.

Hargran did not forget to glare at me before he left.

We also returned home straight away without stopping elsewhere. Thorvar was not at home.

“Father spends most of the day in the furnace. He won’t be back until night.”

The flames in the furnace must never go out, no matter the circumstances. It is the sacred duty passed down to the Meister [Tamer of Flames] through generations.

Even while I was in Doomheim, he went to work every single day without fail.

“In any case, we have to organize our luggage, and we’re probably tired from traveling, so let’s rest until he gets back.”

We tidied up our things and had a simple meal. Without touching each other, we relaxed from our travel fatigue in our own ways.

The sound of metal being struck could be heard from the forge.

Just like how a child trembles until they get home after their mother says, “I’ll see you at home,” Perka’s feelings must be just like that.

She was likely anxious at the thought of running into Thorvar, who would be off work soon, and was probably forcing herself to hammer away to calm her nerves.

And then.

Asies, sitting on the sofa with her knees hugged to her chest, stared at me intently.

When my head moved, Asies’ head followed, and when I changed positions, Asies did too, sitting opposite me.

Her eyes were wide open, never leaving mine.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Why…?”

“You keep staring at me.”

“Do you hate it?”

“That’s not the case, really.”

With such a pretty girl filling my view, it was a feast for the eyes just to look at her. It just felt a bit concerning that she was suddenly acting this way.

“I just… wanted to see you…?”

“…….”

I was momentarily at a loss for words at Asies’ statement.

Could it really be that it’s Asies saying something like this and not some other girl?

Is it true that even in situations devoid of memories and emotions, women learn how to charm men?

‘What a sly girl.’

Such words coming from someone with that appearance is just unfair.

Well, she probably didn’t mean it deeply.

Like the way a newborn chick recognizes its first encounter as a parent through imprinting. She probably just wanted to keep me within her sight.

I’ve decided not to think too deeply about it.

Thorvar returned home late at night, when the city’s luminescent stones turned a dim navy blue and the sound of metalwork stopped.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since I last saw you, elder. Did anything happen while we were gone?”

“Yeah. With those noisy kids gone, I thought I was on vacation.”

Seeing us appear out of nowhere after a month, Thorvar spoke without any sign of surprise, naturally making small talk.

He must have guessed roughly what was happening since he had kept the lights on until everyone else had turned in for the night, knowing this troublesome lot was back.

Thorvar’s gaze, which scanned over each of us, quickly landed on Perka. Unlike the brief glance earlier, his gaze lingered for a longer time.

“You still haven’t come to your senses after being kidnapped last time. Are you unable to wait and wandering around without permission?”

“If I asked for permission, wouldn’t Father just say no? If he gave permission, I wouldn’t have gone secretly.”

Perka was being defiant.

But perhaps she still had a hint of guilt, as she looked down at the floor like a child typically does in front of their parents.

Not being the subject, I didn’t know, but she was certainly analyzing the pattern on the floor.

After giving Perka a complicated look, Thorvar sighed heavily. As if he had nothing more to say to her, he turned to me.

“Did you bring the item I mentioned?”

“Of course.”

I handed over the lazurite to Thorvar. He shone it under the indoor luminescent stone installed in the ceiling.

“This is undoubtedly lazurite. And the purity is very high. I’ve never seen such high-quality lazurite in my life. To think you obtained something like this…”

“I was lucky.”

“…Indeed. You were very lucky. With lazurite of this caliber, it will surely help control the princess’s chill. What form do you want it to take?”

“I plan to make it into a pendant.”

Thorvar nodded as if that was the right decision.

Given that the pendant would be close to the heart, it would be the most suitable form for controlling Asies’ chill. In the original work, bringing the lazurite automatically turned it into a pendant.

“I understand. Coincidentally, I already had one made with a pendant in mind. I’ll let you know when the gemstone is finished.”

“Thank you. One more thing I’d like to ask.”

What I offered was a music box.

Thorvar analyzed the music box with curious eyes.

“This is… a music box. It’s made with incredible craftsmanship. Where did you get this?”

“It was inside the belly of a beast called Crystal Serpent. A treasure of the old kingdom.”

When I activated the music box, a disturbing sound emerged.

“It’s broken. I see, you must have brought this for repair?”

“That’s correct. My child has been yearning for it.”

Thorvar’s gaze moved to Asies at the mention of “my child.”

“Thorvar, can you… fix it…?”

“……You’ve changed, huh? What happened over there?”

“Maybe…?”

As expected of one of the seven dwarves, he keenly noticed Asies’ transformation.

It was inevitable that a dwarf would help a princess, so without any hesitation, Thorvar accepted Asies’ request.

“Alright. I’ll fix this too.”

“Is it possible…?”

“Of course. There’s no ornament in this world that I can’t repair. I’ll make it as good as new.”

“Thank you, wow….”

As I watched their conversation, I dropped a hint to Perka, who was standing a step behind. Something she would love to hear.

“Looks like you’re truly a meister blacksmith, aren’t you? Right? Perka, you hesitated, though.”

“…Considering recent events, I was in doubt, but it turns out Karami is a troublesome one. You shouldn’t poke at people’s weaknesses.”

“It’s a habit that merchants should have. When you poke at someone’s weakness, they tend to jump and reveal an even greater weakness. Perka, you should try it when you get the chance.”

“Karami, do you realize how annoying you are right now?”

“Perka, that remark was quite precious. I appreciate it.”

“…Perverted merchant.”

***

“Try it on and let me know if you feel any discomfort.”

It was the next day.

Thorvar brought the completed pendant.

The pendant, blending blue and white elegantly with lazurite embedded at the center, perfectly resembled the game item Frost Heart.

“Now, sit down and turn around.”

Karami stood behind Asies, who was sitting on the sofa. Gently pushing aside her silk-like blue and white hair, she revealed her delicate, white neck.

Carefully, she draped the pendant around that pure neck, which stirred the male’s lust.

At that moment, a sparkling blue light enveloped Asies, softly wrapping her before fading away.

The change was palpable against the skin.

The intensity of the chill that Asies had been giving off diminished significantly.

To approach Asies, one had to wear layered clothing, and to make contact with her body, it was necessary to wear special equipment made by the dwarves.

If the previous condition resembled cold dry ice, then now it felt like ice. This was enough to live without any issues.

“Asies, how do you feel? Is there any difference?”

“…….”

Asies silently checked her body and surroundings.

She walked around the house, touching various objects.

The sensations that reached her fingertips were no longer freezing but gently lingering, and what stirred her heart was not frost but a faint warmth.

It felt foreign.

As the chill diminished, warmth came over to greet Asies.

It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. It felt as if long-forgotten memories were resurfacing, almost like a sense of feeling reviving from somewhere deep within her heart.

For Asies, warmth, which had previously only been an abstract concept, was now present beside her for the first time.

Asies grasped the pendant.

Recalling the woman who had given her this gemstone, she gripped it tightly.

“It seems it turned out well.”

“Looks like it. I’m relieved.”

Thorvar nodded in satisfaction at the favorable result and handed over the remaining item. It was the music box.

“Did you fix it already?”

“It was no big deal.”

It had only been yesterday that I entrusted the repair of the music box. Karami couldn’t help but be surprised. It was to the extent that she had never met someone she wanted to enslave before.

“Let’s head upstairs, Asies.”

“…Huh?”

“Aren’t you curious? About what this music box is and what story it holds?”

Even Darika, who had asked for the retrieval of the treasure, had forgotten the identity of the music box and its tale. Karami knew it.

Asies’ reply came quickly.

“I’m curious.”

I want to hear it.

I want to know.

It felt essential to do so.

“Alright. Then let’s listen. The song and story that the music box tells.”

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