Chapter 161

Asies had little of many things.

Emotions.

Desires.

Will.

Some called her a beautiful doll.

It cannot be denied, but that’s only half true. Asies also, in some aspects, possessed desires like anyone else, perhaps even greater.

For example, like now.

The special luminous stones filling the ceiling of the underground city of Doomheim emitted a warm sunlight. Sunlight poured down in the city, announcing the morning.

Diligent dwarfs quickly had their simple breakfast and, as if they had made a promise, began their day in the forge.

Ding ding ding ding.

The orchestra that played the sound of forging.

For the dwarfs who heard it every day, it would have been strange if they didn’t hear it.

And for someone, it was just an alarm bell forcibly waking them up.

Although she had no recollection of it, Asies had liked to sleep since she was young. Taking a nap in a bed warmed by the soft sunlight was one of the few pleasures in life.

When others got up early in the morning and wandered around, nothing felt better than sleeping in late alone.

But the forging sounds of Doomheim didn’t allow Asies to sleep in. The ringing of metal was something she couldn’t ignore.

“Mmm….”

Asies tossed and turned in her bed.

She frowned her delicate brows like willow leaves.

She didn’t want to get up.

She wanted to sleep more.

Please stop.

“Hurry and wake up. The sun is high in the sky.”

But Karami smashed Asies’s remaining hope.

What kind of sun is there in an underground city where the sky can’t even be seen?

Asies felt a vague sense of déjà vu from memories that didn’t exist.

A swarm of maids had gathered to wake her up.

It was a habitual lie that said the sun had just risen, yet lunch was just around the corner.

In the past, the cold air had allowed Karami’s voice to be heard only from outside her territory, but not now. She hammered her voice right beside the bed.

“Wake up!”

“Ugh….”

Asies turned away and pulled the blanket over her head.

Just five more minutes.

She didn’t ask for much, just five more minutes…

Plugging her ears, she tried her best to resist, but it was futile. Karami vigorously shook the blanket and thoroughly disrupted her sleep.

“Wow! Are you still not getting up? Still? Still? Still?”

“Ugh….”

“What’s this? You want to stop? How dare you! Master is commanding you! You can’t do that. Just get up. I’ll make sure your sleep disappears.”

***

Breakfast at Thorvar’s house was always together.

Even busy Thorvar, managing the forge, made sure to have breakfast unless he was exceptionally overwhelmed.

The atmosphere was not very good.

Thorvar was generally taciturn, and Perka felt uncomfortable being with him. Quietly, they ate their meals and got up.

There was no denying that that stiff meal atmosphere became lively after Karami and Asies arrived.

“What are you doing? Not eating.”

“……”

The dining table decorated with a vase of blue ice roses.

Even at Karami’s words asking whether she wasn’t going to eat, Asies merely stared blankly at her own bowl.

With the cold easing, whether it was bread or warm soup, she could eat it alone now. Since coming to Doomheim, Asies had eaten by herself except for a few days.

Now, this Asies did not even lift a finger. Her oddly protruding lips betrayed her sulky mood.

“No. Is it that much to get upset about being woken up?”

She was still holding a grudge against Karami for forcibly waking her.

“If Asies wakes up on her own, I wouldn’t have to wake you up. Or were you planning on sleeping all day?”

One of the few things Asies learned while staying with Karami was that arguing with her meant only harm for herself.

Even Asies, who was emotionally sparse, felt something boil within her when she saw Karami’s taunting.

“……Hah.”

She sighed to calm her heart.

Ignoring the other person was the right choice.

Since Asies was consistently ignoring her, Karami had to change her approach.

‘She must be very sulky, huh?’

Asies’s desire to sleep was stronger than she thought.

It seemed necessary to soothe her here.

“I’m sorry. I’ll give you extra nap time later, so please forgive me.”

“……”

“Soup loses its taste when it gets cold. Come on. Open up.”

“…Ah….”

Karami held the spoonful of soup ready. Just when Asies seemed to refuse, she finally opened her mouth to accept it.

When she caught a glimpse of Karami’s kind smile, she turned her gaze away immediately when their eyes met.

Thorvar, who had been watching the sweet exchange, cleared his throat.

“Ahem. You two, do you have plans to go out again?”

“We’ve traveled a lot recently, so we’ll be staying in Doomheim for the time being. Why? Is there something going on?”

“Recently, there have been sightings of dragons across the continent.”

Since just after Asies took down the Orc King, Skadia had been flying around the continent, searching everywhere for her.

Fortunately, Doomheim was an underground city, making it relatively safer than other towns, but it couldn’t be overlooked.

“For now, there’s no significant issue, so we can ignore it. However, if Doomheim were to be harmed, we wouldn’t just sit back either.”

The Meisters were somewhat aware of the current situation.

Asies was like the dragon’s slave brought from Skadia’s lair, and they were nearby, searching for her.

While spending time with Asies, they thought bringing her was the right decision, but she was still an outsider. If she became a nuisance to Doomheim and the dwarfs, it meant they would have to let her go.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Karami responded indifferently, already aware of the contents, but there was someone who was upset.

“Everyone is too much. How can you say so easily that you will kick her out?”

Perka glared at Thorvar with disappointment in her eyes.

“Isn’t it clear how pitiful sister is? Even if no one else, father must know that. Then shouldn’t father step in and stop this?”

“It’s not your place to interfere.”

“Father has no common sense. I mean, he was probably guarding the forge when mother passed away.”

Perka got up, slamming the table. After hastily cleaning up, she fled the house. Thorvar paid no mind to Perka’s exit and quietly continued eating his soup.

“The atmosphere at the meal is quite tense, isn’t it?”

Karami gently wiped the corners of Asies’s mouth. Asies accepted the touch quietly, as if it were only natural.

“Now, Asies, have you finished eating? Would you like to go see Perka?”

“Why…?”

“Kids at that age can spiral out of control indefinitely. It’s better if someone helps them to stay on the right path, wouldn’t it be better for you, a woman, than me?”

Is that so?

Asies tilted her head but eventually nodded.

Asies dislikes seeing someone sad.

Not to mention, she had known Perka for a long time.

She left the house to find Perka.

Not far away, Perka sat hunched over, hugging her knees.

“Perka.”

“Sister? What are you doing here?”

“Lammi said… to follow you. She says you’ve gone astray. Perka, you can’t go astray…”

With an honest confession that had no embellishment whatsoever, Perka let out a laugh.

To say there was no frustration when talking with Asies would be a lie, but there was no one better as a conversational partner.

Because she conveyed her sincere feelings without pretense or deceits, Perka could also express her own feelings without hiding them.

“I’m not going astray. It’s just… I don’t understand. It’s clear that they have no family affection for me. They must dislike me and mother.”

“Thorvar…? Dislikes you?”

“That’s not the case. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to explain. I just don’t understand why he married and why I was even born.”

Asies tilted her head slightly.

Currently, Asies was learning emotions one by one, like painting various colors on a pure white canvas.

A little dot on the white background was a flaw.

No matter how small, it’s still noticeable.

The same went for emotions.

Unlike before, she began to feel the hidden feelings in the other person’s gaze, tone of voice, and intonation. No matter how subtle it might be.

What Asies felt from Thorvar and Perka’s conversation was not weariness.

Especially from Thorvar.

How should I explain it….

It’s hard to describe in detail.

Even if it is her own impression.

It was an emotion that Asies still couldn’t define. A feeling she didn’t understand.

If she had to compare it, it felt similar to what Karami sent to her. When she fully accepted that feeling, her heart felt fuzzy, and her mind became calm.

But why did Perka think like that?

That was something Asies couldn’t comprehend.

However, one thing she could say with certainty was that Asies gently stroked Perka’s head.

Just like when Karami had once done for her.

It felt awkward for the first time, but her touch was soft.

“Sister?”

“Thorvar… doesn’t dislike you.”

“Really?”

“Because Thorvar is Perka’s dad….”

Perka’s eyes widened in surprise as she processed this.

Then, she burst into laughter.

She laughed openly without holding back.

“Why… are you laughing?”

“No, no. I never imagined a day would come where I’d receive comfort from you.”

That Asies would comfort her, of all people.

Of course, that didn’t mean Thorvar would suddenly like her, but the gloominess was eased.

On the contrary, Asies’s expression became slightly pouting.

“……I’m not stupid.”

“Of course not. Our sister isn’t stupid. I know very well.”

Perka sighed.

In the nearby city beyond the borders of Isgangar,

The time in the city, once full of life, came to a halt.

People turned to flee from something, frozen in their desperate stances. Their terribly contorted faces vividly conveyed the terror they faced.

The enormous shadow cast over the city belonged to Skadia.

Skadia’s attack was met with seasoned knights, but it was futile. They couldn’t even touch the scales, frozen in their brave poses. That was all there was to it.

The only survivor left was the lord of the city.

He lay flat on the ground.

Crunch!

As a massive foot covered in icy scales moved, the ice statues of human forms shattered into pieces and scattered.

Even though moments ago, people had been laughing and talking, they were now hopelessly slaughtered, yet the lord could do nothing. He trembled, swallowing hard.

“I will ask one more time. Is the princess of Priscian here?”

Skadia, who had created the carnage, asked.

The lord bore the pain that felt like his lungs were frozen and barely opened his mouth.

“I, we don’t know. This is the first time I’ve heard of the Priscian Kingdom.”

“Is that so?”

“Really! I swear to God, I’ve never seen or heard of the princess!”

In the frozen world, only silence flowed.

The lord couldn’t even swallow his spit in the dry cold.

“Is that so.”

“Yes!”

“I see…. Then die.”

“…What?”

With no time to question, the lord, lying prone with only his head slightly raised, became a part of the decoration, just like the others.

Skadia floated up into the sky without a hint of regret.

Already, it was the fifth city Skadia had frozen. Yet, not a trace of Asies could be found anywhere.

Though she would inevitably be found someday by searching the world, by then, Asies’s beauty would fade. The signs of the curse weakening were already evident.

There could be no more delays.

She must find Asies at once.

For that, she needed the help of a mirror.

Even if the mirror was broken, it could be repaired.

Skadia knew the race that excelled at crafting and repairing items.

Dwarf Dwarfs, who lived hidden beneath the ground.

Skadia flew towards Doomheim.

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