Chapter 46: Snow Queen: Elsa.

The crisp mountain air swirled with shimmering snowflakes as Elsa ran up the ice stairs, her voice ringing clear and powerful through the night.

"Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky!"

The icy palace rose beneath her fingertips, walls of crystalline blue forming in perfect harmony with each note of her song

"Let it go! Let it go! You'll never see me cry~"

Magic pulsed through her veins, a feeling of liberation sweeping through her as she cast aside the chains of her past.

"Here I stand!"

With a big smile on her face she raised her leg she stomped on the snow making a huge now flake appear on the ground.

"And Here I'll stay!"

Under her control ice walls spurted out, taking the shape of a castle.

Her body moved as if dancing, with the incredible magic of ice constantly emitting from her hands, changing the shape of the castle, forming a roof, stairs, a chandelier, and much more.

For the first time in years, Elsa smiled freely. She reached up, removing the delicate silver jewelry that symbolized her life as Arendelle's queen, tossing it away with a resolute motion.

"I'm never going back, the past is in the past!"

Pulling out her hairpin, she let her platinum locks flow freely, shaking them out as the final note of her song echoed into the empty night.

Meanwhile, the space near the ice stairs she made flickered before Lioro silently appeared.

"Let it go!"

Sitting down on the stairs, Lioro took out a burger from his inventory and started eating it while looking at the scene with interest.

Heck, he was even affected by the atmosphere and started silently singing in his mind.

'Let's it go~'

"Let it go!"

'And I'll rise like the break of dawn~'

"And I'll rise like the break of dawn!"

It felt wonderful like he was attending the consort of some famous singer.

Elsa's voice was just that attractive.

Lioro took another bite and watched with approval.

"...let the storm rage on-"

God this song was so nostalgic, he almost felt like a Disney Princess himself...

On the other hand, Elsa finished singing her song of freedom.

"The cold never bothered me anyway."

With a smile she closed the doors of her ice castle, and turned around, ready to enjoy her newfound life of freedom.

But just after taking a few steps forward.

Elsa froze.

Her gaze landed on Lioro who was sitting on the ice stairs.

An unknown man.

Just sitting there.

Eating something...

Elsa's mind blanked out.

Lioro on the other hand was also looking at her in confusion.

'Why is just staring at me?'

After thinking for a moment a light bulb lit up in his mind.

Putting down the burger in his hands, he raised his hands and started clapping.

*Clap*Clap*Clap*

After a few more claps, Lioro stopped and raised his hand before shouting.

"Let it go!"

...he definitely heard everything....

Elsa hurriedly turned her head away in embarrassment.

After a moment she calmed down and turned back to look at Lioro in confusion.

'Who is he? And how did he get here?'

Her head was filled with questions.

Just a moment ago she created the place.

So just how did he appear out of nowhere?

While Elsa was thinking, Lioro got up from the stairs and started walking towards her.

Seeing the scene, Elsa shouted in a loud voice.

"Wait! Don't come any closer! Or you'll end up getting hurt."

Lioro paused with a smile on his face.

"I'm pretty strong you need not worry."

Then he took another step forward.

"Stop!"

Elsa took a step back.

Lioro thought for a moment then jumped forward.

"I said stop!"

In her agitated state, Elsa waved her hand making a wave of hard ice spread out, rushing towards Lioro.

Seeing the scene, Lioro simply clenched his hand and waved his palm, the wind pressure from his move broke the ice and made Elsa fall on her back and cover her face using her hands.

As the wind subsided, Elsa slowly lowered her hand and looked at the broken ice with wide eyes.

While she was shocked, Lioro had already arrived before her and offered her a hand.

"Here."

Looking at his face up close, Elsa was taken aback.

His appearance was unlike any other she had seen, those white hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.....

'His eyes....they're beautiful....'

Opening her mouth, Elsa asked in a hesitant voice.

"Aren't you....scared of me?"

"Nope."

Lioro replied instantly with no delays.

Hearing his fast response and unchanging expression, Elsa fell into confusion.

'He really isn't afraid?'

Looking at his extended hand she shook her head and got up on her own before saying in a serious voice.

"You will end up freezing to death if you touch me."

Taking a few steps away from him, Elsa asked.

"Who are you? And how did you get in Here?"

"My name is Lioro, as for your second question....."

Lioro stopped talking and looked at Elsa who also looked back at him.

Their gazes collided.

And the next moment, Lioro vanished from his spot, shocking Elsa.

"What?"

Exclaiming in confusion fusion, Elsa looked left and right but didn't find him anywhere.

'Where did he go....?....'

Her stomach twisted—had he been a hallucination? A ghost

Then-

A warm hand patted her shoulder.

"Ah!" Elsa jumped back instinctively, hands shooting up in defense. A pulse of ice magic lashed out.

Lioro watched with curiosity as the frost crawled up his arm, encasing his hand in solid ice.

Elsa's heart dropped.

No…

She stared, horrified, as ice coated his fingers, his wrist, all from a single touch.

She had hurt him.

"I told you to stay back!" she cried, panic creeping into her voice.

It was over.

From but a single touch his entire hand was completely frozen, never to recover since she had no control over her powers.

"I told you it will happen! I told you to keep your distance!"

Her emotions started raging.

She had left Arendelle to protect people. To make sure no one suffered because of her. And now...

Her breath quickened. The ice castle trembled around them, walls cracking under the pressure of her unstable emotions.

Lioro, however, merely examined his frozen hand with interest.

'Impressive. She can freeze on contact. But… no system notification. That means it's a natural ability, not magic that I can copy.'

As the air grew sharper, Elsa clenched her hands, trying to stop the rising storm, but it was no use. The fear, the guilt, it was swallowing her whole.

The castle shook.

Seeing the scene, Lioro narrowed his eyes and used a spell.

"Mind Of Undead."

A green light covered Elsa.

Then.

The storm vanished.

Her mind, which was filled with panic, felt eerily calm.

She blinked, looking down at her hands. The ice…...was still there, but her heartbeat was steady. Her emotions, which had been spiraling out of control, were suddenly manageable.

And that wasn't all.

Elsa raised her hand making the snowflake appear above her palm.

Her control over her powers instantly proved??

Just as Elsa was thinking as such, the ice flakes trembled before cracking and turning towards dust.

The effects of a tier 2 spell were minimal after all.

"Have you calmed down?"

Lioro asked.

Turning towards him, Elsa looked at his frozen hand.

It filled her with guilt. 

"I'm sorry.....your hand....because of me...."

"My hand? Oh, this? It's nothing really."

Lioro said as he clenched his palm, easily breaking the ice covering it, revealing his fair hand.

Elsa's eyes widened.

"…That's not possible," she murmured.

"My magic resistance is quite high you see."

If he were to put on his ice dragon king's heavy armor then he would become immune to ice attribute effects altogether.

Elsa exhaled, tension draining from her shoulders. He wasn't hurt. She hadn't hurt him.

"Just who? Are you?...", she asked.

Raising his hand, Lioro summoned a small fireball.

"F-fire?!"

Elsa exclaimed in surprise.

"I am a wizard of sorts."

Lioro said bouncing the fireball between his fingers like a toy.

Seeing the scene, Elsa fell silent for a moment, then she opened her mouth and asked in a hopeful tone.

"Are you....like me?"

Lioro stopped playing with the fireball in his hands and said.

"I suppose? In a way, we can be considered similar?"

It was an ambiguous answer.

But for Elsa, it was enough.

'There are others like me?'

A light passed through Elsa's eyes.

Seeing Lioro with his unique appearance and elemental control ability, she felt like she had found a comrade.

It felt unreal, yet nice at the same time.

It seems she wasn't alone...

----

A quiet snowfall drifted outside, but inside the grand ice palace, Elsa stood across from Lioro, studying him with a mix of curiosity and caution.

He had just shattered the ice off his hand like it was nothing, called himself a wizard, and now stood there as if breaking into her newly built castle was perfectly normal.

She still wasn't sure what to think of him.

Lioro, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. Looking at the ice castle in curiosity.

"I have to say, you've got a talent for architecture."

Elsa blinked.

"Talent? For architecture?"

"Yeah. The way the walls formed, the symmetry of the chandeliers—" He pointed upward, then turned back to her. "All instinct, right?"

He could tell because of the memories that came with his Epic class.

Elsa hesitated before nodding. "I… didn't plan it. It just felt right, it reminded me of the castle...."

Lioro nodded in approval.

"So you're a princess? Still, that's impressive. A lot of magic users struggle with fine control, but you're shaping ice like an artist painting a canvas."

Elsa's gaze dropped slightly, unused to such direct praise. "It's not always like this," she admitted. "Sometimes I lose control."

"Yeah, I noticed." Lioro gestured to the still-healing cracks in the walls.

Elsa frowned. "I didn't mean to—"

"I know," Lioro interrupted. His tone was casual, but there was an understanding beneath it.

"Power like yours must be hard to control."

Elsa searched his face, expecting the usual wariness people had when they learned about her magic. But Lioro wasn't afraid. If anything, he looked intrigued.

"…You really don't think it's dangerous?" she asked.

"Oh, no, it's definitely dangerous," Lioro said easily.

"You could freeze an army solid if you wanted to."

Elsa flinched. "That's not—"

"But so could I." Lioro continued with a smile.

"And you won't see me locking myself in a mountain over it."

Elsa stared at him with a pout. "That's…different."

"Is it?" Lioro shrugged. "Magic is just power. It's the person using it that matters."

Elsa opened her mouth, then closed it. It was such a simple thing to say, yet no one had ever told her that before.

Before she could dwell on it, Lioro suddenly waved a hand, summoning another fireball.

The warm glow contrasted sharply with the cool blue light of the castle. Elsa instinctively took a step back.

Lioro raised an eyebrow. "Not a fan of fire?"

Elsa hesitated. "It feels warm but...… It melts ice."

"True, true," Lioro said, bouncing the fireball between his hands like a toy. "Though, with how powerful you are, I bet you could freeze over anything I throw at you yes?"

Elsa tilted her head. "What are you getting at? I don't understand?"

"A fight." Lioro grinned. "Wanna try it?"

Elsa exclaimed. "Try what?!"

"A little test." Lioro took a few steps back and held up his palm. The fireball hovered there, flickering softly. "I'll throw this at you, and you stop it with ice."

Elsa stiffened. "That sounds… incredibly reckless."

"Only if you mess up," Lioro teased.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "And if I don't?"

Lioro shrugged, flashing an easy grin. "Then I get to enjoy the show."

She huffed. "We'll see about that."

Lioro flicked his wrist, conjuring a small fireball. "Ready?"

Elsa lifted a hand. "Yes."

He tossed the flame toward her, deliberately slow. Elsa countered effortlessly, a swirl of frost snuffing it out midair.

Lioro smiled.

"Not bad. But can you keep up?"

Without waiting for an answer, he sent another,

"Tier 3 spell: Fireball."

Slightly faster this time. Elsa reacted quickly, ice spiraling toward the flame

*fsshh!*

A burst of steam erupted.

Something flickered in her expression.

'This… feels different.'

There was no fear of hurting anyone. No need to restrain herself. For the first time, she wasn't afraid of her own magic.

Lioro was about to send another attack, but Elsa moved first. A sharp gust of ice shot from her hands, making him raise a small fireball to absorb the attack.

Elsa smiled.

"I can do more than just block!"

She pressed forward, unleashing another flurry of ice. Lioro weaved through the attacks, tier 3 spell fireball flickering defensively around him. He wasn't countering, only dodging.

"You're not fighting back," Elsa noted, forming a set of sharp ice shards.

Lioro smiled, stepping away from an incoming frost spike. "I don't have to."

Elsa furrowed her brow. 

Her competitive nature flared. 

Without hesitation, she slammed a foot down.

*Crack!*

A wave of jagged ice raced toward him. Lioro flipped backward, landing lightly before the spikes could reach him.

A laugh bubbled up in Elsa's throat. The rush of magic, the challenge, the sheer freedom—she hadn't felt anything like this before.

She twirled her fingers, lifting a storm of snow and ice around her. Lioro's blue eyes gleamed with interest as she shaped them into massive, twisting shards.

With a wave of her hand, she launched them forward.

"Tier 5 magic: Inferno Sphere."

A spear made of fire spawned behind Lioro, burning away the ice, and stopping her attack.

The two attacks collided making a steam of hot and cold air spread out enveloping the surrounding.

As the mist subsided, Elsa's face appeared in Lioro's vision.

She was grinning.

Like a child who had just found an exciting toy.

Raising her arms she sent another wave of frost, larger this time, stronger.

Her heartbeat pounded in excitement. She didn't hold back, didn't hesitate, her magic was hers, and she was finally free to wield it.

Lioro, still on the defensive, asked. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Elsa exhaled, her breath misting in the cold. She didn't answer immediately, taking a moment to absorb the feeling spreading through her.

"...I think I am."

Lioro chuckled. "Then let's see how long you can keep it up."

"Tier 5 magic: Inferno Sphere."

Elsa's eyes sparkled as she raised her hands again.

Spells came from both sides, One fire and the other ice.

The Ice castle trembled under their attacks, the pillars fell down and the chandelier shattered.

For the first time in a long while, she wanted to keep going.

She wanted to fight.

And she never wanted to stop.

But after a while, she had to.

Her breath grew heavier. Her movements slowed. The constant, high-intensity use of her magic started to take its toll.

Lioro, meanwhile, still hadn't counterattacked. He stood effortlessly, watching her with that same infuriatingly calm smile, not even winded.

Elsa asked in disbelief. "You're not even tired?"

"Oh, I am tired.", Lioro said as he exaggeratedly wiped the invisible sweat from his forehead.

Seeing his acting, Elsa pouted.

She wanted to point it out but her legs felt heavier and her arms sluggish.

'How long had they been doing this?'

Finally, as she sent one last icy blast toward him, her strength wavered. The frost came out weaker than before.

Lioro tilted his head, letting the weakened attack dissipate against his tier 3 fireball.

"That all you got?" he teased.

Elsa exhaled, steadying herself. "Looks like it...."

"Not bad. You lasted longer than I expected."

Elsa wiped a stray snowflake from her cheek. "You didn't fight back at all."

Lioro smiled. "Did you have fun?"

Elsa blinked.

Fun.

She looked at her hands, then at the ice-covered battlefield. The exhaustion was real, but so was the exhilaration.

She smiled. A genuine, carefree smile.

"...Yeah. I had fun. Thank you."

Lioro grinned. "Good. Because next time? I will fight back."

Elsa's heart skipped. A thrill ran through her.

Next time.

There will be a next time?

She wanted there to be a next time.

She was already looking forward to what was to come.

Just then the ice castle around them let out a cracking sound before cracking and turning to dust.

Lioro and Elsa looked at the destroyed castle, then turned to each other and laughed at the same time.

"By the way, I forgot to ask your name.", Lioro said.

"It's Elsa."

"Princess Elsa?"

"No just Elsa."

Shaking her head she looked at Lioro and then thought for a moment before coming closer to him.

Seeing her stop in front of him, Lioro asked.

"What?"

"That..."

Playing with her long hair, Elsa avoided Lioro's gaze and glanced at his hand.

Lioro also looked at his hand.

Was something wrong? Why was she looking at his hand?

While he was thinking, Elsa suddenly raised her palm and said.

"Since you don't get hurt by my ice.....can we hold hands?...I haven't touched someone for a long time..."

She said in a small voice while covering her face with her left hand to hide her embarrassment and extending her right hand toward Lioro.

How to say this?

She looked quite comical.

Suppressing his laughter, Lioro grabbed her extended hand making Elsa flinch.

Slowly Elsa put down her hand covering her face and looked at their hands.

She was really touching another person.

Her grip tightened unknowingly.

"It feels warm."

Elsa said with a genuine smile on her face.

Seeing Lioro's handsome face.

A blush appears on her own.

The memory of the fight she had with her sister before coming here passed through her mind.

'You can't marry a man you just met.'

'You can if it's true love!'

'What do you even know about true love?'

'More than you at least! Elsa'

She was extremely surprised when her sister suddenly brought a man out of nowhere claiming they were in love.

She couldn't believe it, Just how could two people fall in love in such a small amount of time?

But she....didn't know anymore...

While Elsa was busy in her thoughts, Lioro finished receiving information from his special class dimensional traveler.

'There's a 1:10 day time difference in this world?'

This means a day spent in Overlord or Danmachi will be equal to 10 days in frozen.

Similarly, 10 says that frozen will mean only 1 day will have passed in the other world.

----

Ps: LEt iT gO!!! And give power stones.

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