Frozen Hell (Part 4)

"Do you know what it represents?" Alex asked as he witnessed his teammate studying the magic symbol.

"It's, uh..." Leo wasn't sure of the right words to say. "I seem to recall a similar symbol back when I was still a student at the academy.

"But right now, I'm having trouble remembering."

As the group waited in silence, Sarah, who caught up with them, headed around the area and moved her staff across the snow.

"Leo," Sarah called out. "Perhaps you may want to check this symbol out."

With the insistence of her words, Leo looked up from his contemplation and glanced over. Everyone's attention fell on Sarah as she appeared to be clearing away a pile of snow.

They soon walked over, and found themselves face to face with another complicated symbol.

'Could it be...' Leo instantly raised his magic sword.

"What are you doing?" Judy asked in confusion.

Before she got a response, however, flames erupted from the tip of Leo's blade.

[Immolation]!

Once again, this spell was applied to clear away the snow. However, this time the spell was given maximum output to burn away a larger surface area.

As the flames spewed out like a raging river, Leo delicately wielded its flow as he waved his arms around while continuously supplying his mana. Eventually, a small field of earth ten meters in diameter spread across the land, displaying several different symbols that appear to be interconnected in a large circle.

"It's a spatial array!" Leo exclaimed in shock upon the sight.

"You recognize it?" Alex hurriedly asked, feeling that they may have finally found some clues for their investigation.

"It's a part of the formation magic system," Leo explained.

"Formation magic?"

"Yes, you may have also heard it being referred to as ritual magic. Anyway," Leo moved towards the circle, "the spells of this magic system involve placing symbols - sometimes with magical materials - around an area to apply a special effect.

"These complex symbols and their arrangements here actually resemble a sort of formation spell I once studied at my academy. If my memory is correct, it should involve a type of spatial manipulation that transports others to a different location."

"So is it like a teleportation spell?" Judy asked.

Leo crouched down to closely analyze the array but still kept himself from entering the circle.

"Not exactly. There are still a few differences in the design compared to what my teachers have shown me... I think this may be one of the ancient magic traps that Walter warned us about."

"Are you sure?" Alex became alarmed by the unexpected find.

Leo shrugged his shoulders.

"Either that or some kind of transport spell. I'm not really certain for sure, but we should probably tell Walter about it; he might know something."

Once he finished speaking, a fierce gale suddenly passed by, nearly overturning the piles of snow around the circle.

Everyone except Leo started shivering.

"Th-that's a good idea," Judy said while hugging her arms closely together. She did her best to prevent her teeth from chattering. "While we're at it, we should also take this opportunity to rest for the day.

"I really feel like I'm freezing my ass out here!"

Her body shook heavily as cold air escaped her lips.

"When we get back home, we should seriously consider demanding a refund from those enchanters."

Alex and Sarah nodded in firm agreement as they wrapped their coats tighter at the edges. Leo, however, started frowning as he observed his team.

----------

Inside the residence of Chieftain Namur, the team went up to their temporary rooms as they slowly took off their fur coats.

"Aaahhhhh," Judy breathed out in delight while stretching her arms out in a hallway. "The insulated heat here is so blissful."

Alex, who was standing beside her, couldn't help chuckling.

"Hehe, is it really necessary to act so casual? Don't forget that we're in the home of a chieftain," he teased.

"Hmph, that chieftain rarely comes out to meet us these days," Judy retorted. "I've no idea what he's doing being cooped up in that room."

The last time the group had seen the chieftain was actually during their first day at the manor. Since then, the chieftain only ever responded to them through the use of his butler. No matter how they inquired, they never got an answer for Namur's strange reclusion.

"Maybe he's feeling under the weather," Sarah suggested.

"Maybe," Judy shrugged. "I only hope he can understand the difficulties our group has gone through travelling in this frigid climate."

"Um, guys," Leo suddenly called out from behind them, prompting everyone to redirect their attention.

"Yes? What's the matter?"

"Do you guys really feel that cold?" Leo asked as he scratched his head in confusion. "Are your coats not working properly?"

An awkward silence descended upon the hallway as everybody gazed queerly at Leo.

'Eh, what's with this atmosphere?' Leo continued to look confused as no one replied to his question.

Finally, after ten seconds of silence, Sarah responded in a kindly tone, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Hm? Uh, yes," Leo answered in bewilderment.

"Could it be that you've learned a new spell?"

"Er, what?"

"Ahem," Alex coughed awkwardly to interrupt. "Leo, perhaps your coat was simply better enchanted than ours," he suggested.

"The ones we have are still working." Judy held hers up. "But it's effect appears quite limited in this kind of weather."

Leo looked back and forth across the faces of his friends.

"Are you guys sure there's nothing wrong? Can I take a closer look at them?" Leo asked as he held out his hands.

Judy and Alex wordlessly lent their fur coats over to Leo, who immediately started scrutinizing the enchantments carefully. While it's true that he lacks the talent for enchanting clothing, his experience as an enchanter can still allow him to identify unfamiliar enchantments that aren't too high above his level.

'There isn't any difference between them,' Leo concluded after a few minutes. 'But why are my teammates feeling so cold? Was it also like this yesterday?'

During the second day of their search, Leo noticed his companions unexpectedly sneezing out and shivering in the open air. At that time, he reserved some doubts but eventually discounted them as he was still feeling quite comfortable in his own clothing. But now today, hearing his friends' recent complaints, Leo finally wanted to address whether his teammates were actually feeling as warm as he was.

'What could be the problem?' Leo pondered but to no avail.

"Are there any flaws?" Judy asked carefully.

Leo slowly shook his head.

"No. There also aren't any differences at all. They seem to be in perfect order."

At this moment, the team was baffled.

"Uh, how about we just head back to our rooms for now?" Alex suggested. "We've already spent too much time on our quest. We can put this aside and think about it later."

Judy and Sarah nodded in agreement while Leo was still puzzled by the coats in his hands.

"You can keep them for now," Judy reassured Leo. "Just let us know if you find anything suspicious, okay?"

"Take mine too!" Sarah suddenly threw hers out as well.

"Eh?!" Leo exclaimed in surprise as the piece of clothing landed just underneath his chin.

"Oh, sorry about that," Sarah said apologetically. "You can also study mine too if there's any mistake."

----------

Sitting across his desk, Chieftain Namur had an excited look on his face after observing the sketch his butler handed to him. It was the formation spell that the hired adventurers recently discovered.

"Are you sure?" Namur spoke in the beastmen tongue while gazing into the eyes of his most trusted aide.

"Yes, no doubt about it." Walter bowed. "It is a sort of spatial magic that can displace others into a new location."

"Then, can we trace it?" Namur asked nervously.

This is what he wanted to hear the most.

"We can," the butler confirmed. "I'll call the mages to investigate the site straight away."

"Good, good." Namur breathed out in a slight daze. Hope slowly blossomed behind his pupils. "I pray that this will lead us to her whereabouts."

----------

Lying on his bed, Leo stared up with an empty gaze towards the ceiling of his room. During this hour, the same question kept repeating in his mind.

Why did only he feel warm when he was outside with the others? Was there really something wrong with the applied enchantments?

'No,' Leo disagreed. 'It shouldn't be, right? I couldn't find a single flaw anywhere...

'Then what's the real reason? Besides the fur coat, what else did I bring with me?'

After a few minutes later, a flash of inspiration suddenly sparked through his mind, causing Leo to bend his torso upwards. Leaving the bed, he quickly headed over to check his possessions.

"For each of these three days, I always brought these items along with me..." Leo muttered to himself.

Rummaging through his belongings, he eventually found his traveler's pouch. After confirming its contents, he immediately took up the fur coats lent by his team.

"Let's test this then." Leo made a beeline out of his front door to find the others.

"Alex! Are you there? I need your help," he called out to the opposite room in the hallway.

Half a minute later, a voice slowly replied back, "Yeah...? What is it?"

Footsteps were heard before Alex opened the door, revealing himself with his blonde hair slightly untucked. It seemed that earlier he had been taking a nap.

"Hm? Could it be you found a mistake?" he asked curiously.

Leo shook his head before dragging his friend out.

"Quickly, I need you to get the others to come outside!"