Forgiven

Trailing across the snowy tundra, rather than arriving at the teleportation portal connected to Bavalon, the first destination the carriage went to was the spatial array that led straight into the Frozen Hell.

As a showing of gratitude for rescuing Ramiel, the chieftain agreed to Leo's request on visiting the mausoleum to salvage anything that the adventurers could bring back to their guild. The reason behind this was the need to provide a certain amount of evidence to help verify their claims on the details of the Frozen Hell's inner parts.

A place that was once considered nearly unenterable for centuries has now finally been fully accessed by outsiders.

Namur had actually suggested that he could simply vouch his own word to the guild instead, but Walter calmly advised him that the guild would likely not trust in mere hearsay, even from a respected individual. Not to mention the fact that the chieftain was already required to fabricate a report to prevent any suspicions for falsifying his quest notice. It would be best for him to keep his account as brief as possible.

In the end, the chieftain relented. With permission from Namur, Leo had Walter bring the carriage to the same place which he had brought back Ramiel. With his team waiting patiently behind him just like before, Leo activated the spatial array once again.

To be honest, there wasn't really much suspense that occurred once he reentered the mausoleum. The entire structure was as silent as the grave, with not a single enemy, trap, or other hidden surprises lying around. If there were any differences that could be described, it would be that the place felt much colder than before.

Of course, thanks to the phoenix feather that Leo brought with him, he couldn't really determine the temperature based on feeling. However, he could use other methods.

[Light Orb]

Summoning a ball of light to illuminate his surroundings, Leo had it move forward until noticing that it was steadily disappearing.

"So this place is now the same as outside, huh?" Leo spoke aloud into the empty space.

When he had previously used his demolition strategy to slay the guardian golem defending this territory, he already expected that this mausoleum would soon be pervaded by the terrible chill from outside.

As he further explored the location, Leo noticed that both the remnants of the golems and the items around the statue were gone. No matter how hard he searched, his findings only amounted to small shaves of ice in their previous positions.

'Guess this is a given, too,' Leo sighed. 'With the protection gone, there shouldn't be anything to prevent the items in here from being frozen to bits.'

He then turned around to analyze the rest of the mausoleum.

'Although... it seems that the protection is still capable enough to prevent the entire building itself from collapsing.'

No matter where he looked, every surface of the mausoleum seemed to be untouched by the magical curse of the Frozen Hell. Even the elven statue and the teleportation array he entered through were both perfectly intact. However, the artworks that once lined the corridors were unfortunately all gone, leaving all the walls completely clear. This left a mark of disappointment on Leo, as he had hoped to study them to uncover the origins of this place.

Less than five minutes later, Leo finally decided to return. Unlike his last visit, there was hardly anything worthwhile that remained in this mausoleum.

The moment he stepped out of the outside spatial array, he headed up to speak to Walter.

"Unfortunately, there was hardly anything left to take with me," Leo explained helplessly. "It seems that the fight I had with the golem has caused the interior of the mausoleum to become the same as the environment throughout the rest of the Frozen Hell. So further exploration for anyone else besides me isn't possible anymore."

"Hm, I will let my lord know of this." Walter nodded to show his understanding. He then developed a look of worry. "However, was there truly nothing that could be recovered? Won't this present some problems?"

The butler seemed to be showing concern over the fact that Leo might not be able to provide enough proof for the Adventurer's Guild.

"It's okay," Leo reassured. He took out a sheet of parchment from the pouch he brought with him through the portal. "Fortunately, the trip wasn't a complete waste; I was at least able to record the magic circles on the other end.

"These symbols, combined with the one your mages copied on this side, should be enough to get the guild curious."

"That's a relief to hear," Walter sighed. "Although this has been said enough, we truly thank you for all that you've done."

"Don't count yourself out either." Leo patted the butler on the shoulder with a tired grin. "You also helped me and my friends a good deal too."

"Well, I--"

"Alright, that's enough," Leo loudly interrupted Walter before the latter became needlessly humble. Stepping past the butler, he shouted, "Anyway, it's time for us to officially part ways now."

----------

Back in Bavalon, the adventurers stood on the same street they departed from as they waved off the carriage with Walter at the head. Pleasantries and goodbyes filled the air as the carriage eventually left their sights.

"Whew, what a week," Judy commented while holding her forehead, still feeling dizzy from last night. Now that things are officially over, she can finally have time to unwind herself. "I don't think I will ever want to go back to that country ever again."

"You said it," Alex agreed. "I really want to go home and take a good night's sleep."

"But before that," Sarah interjected, dampening the mood a little. "Don't we need to file a report to the guild?"

In addition to the quest giver, the adventurers must also provide their own account in order to give the guild a complete record on the experiences that have occurred. This is intended to both prevent any contradictions in the details and discourage adventurers from using deception.

"Oh, yeah, that..." Alex slightly groaned as he tried to sport the headache that was plaguing him.

Standing behind them, Leo intervened, "Ahem, you guys don't have to bother yourselves. I'll be taking care of this."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Leo shrugged. "Anyways, we have already established with the chieftain on what to tell the guild, so this shouldn't be too difficult.

"Besides, it's the least I can do after doing-- well, you know..."

He didn't finish his last sentence but it still allowed the group to comprehend his meaning. Judy suddenly started remembering the discussion they had on the day he went to traverse the Frozen Hell.

"Ah, yes. That." Judy sighed in exasperation. Putting her hands on her hips, she continued, "I don't really want to be the type that gets hung up on past grievances, so let's just find a quick way to settle this and promise it won't happen again."

"Hm," Alex and Sarah both nodded in agreement.

"Then, how do you want to settle it?" Leo asked curiously. "Besides letting me send in the report, I mean."

"How about you buy us all dinner at an expensive restaurant in this city?" Sarah suggested with a finger raised. "There have been a few places which I've been dying to attend since I came here."

"Ohhh, not a bad idea!" Judy patted Sarah's shoulder like a proud-looking big sister. "Come to think of it, I also have some restaurant names in mind. Should we perhaps get Leo to pay for different ones on separate days?"

"You guys..." Leo became speechless.

Although the ruin exploration and the missing daughter quests both certainly provided a generous amount of rewards, they were often split among each member in the team. Right now, Leo might just have to empty his wallet if he were to have to pay fees for his friends' indulgences.

"Why don't we just vote for one of them?" Alex suggested in exasperation. While he was a little upset at Leo's previous conduct, that hardly meant he was comfortable with fleecing him. "Otherwise we may all have to pool our money together, because I'm kinda doubtful that Leo's expenses will be able to cover all of it."

"Ah! That's also not a bad idea to consider," Judy exclaimed. Holding a hand to her chin, she went deep in thought. "Hmmm... Then why don't we try this? The three of us can each choose a different location we want to eat at, and Leo will only have to pay a third of the entire fees. We'll still be visiting them on separate days, so how about it?"

"Sounds reasonable." Sarah gave Judy her firm support.

Both of them seemed quite intent on being a little luxurious for the forthcoming days, most likely as a result of the horrible conditions they had to endure at the Frozen Plains.

"Eh, then I guess that's settled." Alex helplessly glanced over at Leo, most likely to indicate that he had done all he could.

Leo sighed but didn't complain. If anything, he was actually quite thankful that his new friends weren't taking this issue too seriously. It was a sign that they were already choosing to overlook this incident for him. Hopefully, the actions he took in this quest would never have to be repeated again.