Chapter 57: Chapter 57

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Unyielding Ice Wall

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Clang! Crash!

Dorara's magic activated, unleashing a harsh cacophony.

The magic was aimed at an ice wall.

"H-huh, what in the world is this made of? Why isn't my magic working at all?"

Dorara, wildly swinging his staff, gasped for breath.

Iris's team was currently trapped on the 4th floor.

This was all thanks to the ice wall right before their eyes.

Far from cracking under Dorara's attacks, the ice wall didn't even show signs of crumbling.

Naturally.

Lower-tier magic cannot overcome higher-tier magic.

That ice wall was created by Nikita using Ancient Dragon's magic.

It wasn't something Dorara's magic could do anything about.

'It's not just Dorara's magic either.'

Even Sharin's magic couldn't break through that.

"Damn it."

Dorara let out a groan, gritting his teeth.

His hand trembled slightly.

He had been continuously using magic even on the way here.

Having poured his magic into trying to create an exit, his magical power had reached its limit.

"Dorara, that's enough."

At Iris's words, Dorara sank to the ground.

He knew well by now that his magic couldn't shatter this ice wall.

'In the first place, this ice wall can't be affected by anything but the Flame of Fighting Spirit.'

That's why I joined Iris's team in the first place.

Unlike Lucas, who could arrive safely when in danger, I had no way to deal with that ice wall.

But I couldn't tell them that fact, so I remained silent.

It was better for them to experience the reality directly to understand it.

"This is truly quite troublesome."

"Perhaps, perhaps this is due to the Magic Palace upheaval that happened last time?"

Joachim and Barencia also showed signs of anxiety.

They couldn't return to the surface until the ice wall was dealt with.

Their food supply was limited.

Naturally, anxiety was bound to creep in.

"Dorara, with your remaining magic, please cast a warmth spell first."

So, before everyone could sink deeper into anxiety, I decided to assign tasks.

"Barencia, you can cast curses over the entire ice wall, right? Use that to carve out a call for help.

Joachim, please bestow blessings upon Lady Iris and me.

From now on, we'll start searching for a safe place where we can stay for a while."

As I quickly relayed my instructions, everyone snapped to attention and began to move.

It was thanks to everyone recognizing that my instructions were the optimal course of action right now.

"I ended up letting you do my job for me."

"No. It's because Lady Iris is here that everyone's anxiety is only this much."

Iris was the Third Princess.

She could practically be considered the most important figure in the Empire.

If the Empire knew she was in danger, they would assemble their maximum forces to break through the Magic Palace.

Everyone knew this fact, which allowed them to hold onto the hope of returning.

"Let's go. It will be a long time."

Nikita wouldn't appear overnight.

She would continue to bide her time here on the 4th floor of the Magic Palace.

'When everyone's food runs out, and they no longer have the strength to fight due to the cold.'

That would be the moment Nikita bared her dragon's fangs.

Iris and I, after receiving Joachim's blessing, immediately set out to search for a safe zone.

The 4th floor was the starting point of the Magic Palace's mid-level.

Thus, unlike the previous floors, the Apostles and magic beasts here were much fiercer and more cunning.

It was a place that required a lot of attention and physical stamina.

But even in such a place, safe zones existed.

'The Flame Butterfly arc is a pixel RPG, so there's always a place where you can check your character.'

A safety zone.

It referred to a place where Apostles and magic beasts wouldn't cunningly approach.

I remembered all the safety zones in the Magic Palace.

As it was an essential condition for smooth game progression, I couldn't forget it even if I tried.

"Let's set up a safety zone here."

"What? This is an open field!"

However, a safety zone didn't necessarily look like a safe place to others.

As Dorara said, this was an open field.

There were only broken ice sculptures scattered across the snow-covered ground.

There was no cover whatsoever.

"We can put our backs to a wall, and since it's an open field, we'll have a clear view of anyone approaching from anywhere."

"B-but wouldn't that make us easy targets...?"

When Barencia also voiced a slight objection, I shook my head.

"Apostles have different sensory organs than us anyway.

They don't perceive us by sight or sound, so hiding in a visually concealed spot would still lead to us being discovered.

Therefore, places with narrow visibility are disadvantageous for us."

Nothing was as dangerous as not knowing where an Apostle was approaching from.

"That is certainly true. Besides, if I cast a divine barrier, an open field isn't necessarily dangerous anyway."

Joachim lent weight to my opinion.

"Let's go with Hania's suggestion."

Finally, with Iris's agreement, no further objections were raised.

We quickly set up a temporary dwelling.

Joachim cast a divine barrier, and Dorara applied warmth magic to the barrier.

With that, a reasonably habitable shelter was completed.

The open, snowy field was surprisingly quiet.

True to its nature as a safety zone, not even a single Apostle or magic beast was sighted.

Thanks to this, the team members all settled down.

Having journeyed through the 3rd floor of the Magic Palace for such a long time, Iris's team quickly entered a state of rest.

They implicitly agreed to deal with the ice wall problem after resting.

"Lady Iris, you should rest too."

"Yes, I suppose I should."

Iris sat beside me, placing her sword nearby.

She then quietly gazed out at the snowy field.

"Hania."

"Yes, Lady Iris."

"What kind of existence is a Third Princess?"

It was an abrupt question.

Iris usually didn't say such things, but she must have been under continuous stress, unable to sleep since entering the Magic Palace.

In such a situation, someone had even targeted her life.

It wasn't strange for her to briefly become cynical about life.

"A noble existence."

"Noble, huh."

"And it seems quite difficult."

Hearing my unexpected words, Iris turned to look at me.

Everyone around Iris admired and envied her life.

The strongest royal, one of the next emperors, possessing decadent beauty.

Iris possessed so many things that others would envy.

She never let her difficulties show to others.

That's why, to others, Iris was an almost perfect individual.

To such a person, the words "it seems difficult" must have been unexpected.

But this was my true feeling.

From the moment she was born, Iris had lived a life that was never easy for a single moment.

"Living in this world, I've realized there's no such thing as an easy life.

So I believe Lady Iris also has her own struggles."

"Struggles..."

Iris quietly pondered my words, then rested her chin on her knees.

"...Would it be strange if I said I envied Hania instead?"

Iris thought for a long time before asking me.

Iris knew me as Hanon Aire.

Hanon shared several similar conditions with her but was in a truly different position.

Seeing this, Iris seemed to have had many thoughts.

"Anyone envies a life they haven't lived."

That's how people inherently are.

They tend to most envy and admire what they don't possess.

"But my life might not be so interesting to Lady Iris either."

Even if it were the real Hanon, I was Vicarmon.

Iris, unaware of this fact, let out a short laugh.

"Yes, you're right. That's probably how it is."

With those words, Iris fell silent and quietly closed her eyes.

Even if she couldn't sleep, she was letting her consciousness drift away to relieve fatigue.

I quietly watched over her beside her.

Iris Haisirion, who would one day become the final boss.

She, too, was a person who sometimes envied someone else's life.

***

Whoosh—

Following the blowing wind, snow fragments fluttered.

Beneath the snow fragments, Iris's team moved swiftly.

"Today, too, we see neither Apostles nor magic beasts."

Joachim said with a somewhat displeased expression.

It had already been four days since they were isolated on the 4th floor of the Magic Palace.

No matter how much they searched the 4th floor, they only saw frozen art pieces.

No Apostles or magic beasts were visible at all.

However, during this time, we were able to confirm one fact.

"Damn it, the exit to the 5th floor is blocked too!"

Dorara slammed his staff down in annoyance.

Before him was an ice wall, with only faint traces of his wind slashes remaining.

Just like the ice wall at the entrance,

a similarly massive ice wall stood at the exit.

They were truly trapped on the 4th floor.

"U-um, is it, isn't it colder than the first day?"

Despite Dorara's warmth magic, Barencia shivered from the cold.

As she said, the temperature on the 4th floor had continuously dropped over the past few days.

Thanks to this, Dorara had to use his warmth magic more frequently.

"...At this rate, my magic power will run out first."

Dorara swallowed a groan, his staff trembling.

Due to the continuous drop in temperature, the snowy ground had frozen solid like ice.

At this point, it was no longer easy to move around.

Ultimately, they spent more time resting in the safety zone to avoid losing warmth unnecessarily.

Having searched for four days with no results, everyone showed signs of exhaustion.

"Will our food be enough?"

Barencia checked their remaining food, her face troubled.

The food they had brought was slowly running out.

"...Oh, God, why do you bestow such trials upon us?"

Joachim sought God, quietly offering a prayer.

Having no other recourse, he sought something to lean on.

"Damn it, I'd rather just keep blasting that ice wall with magic!"

Dorara cried out, claiming he couldn't die like this.

However, without his warmth magic, they would freeze to death instantly.

Using strength where it was futile was not a good choice.

Ultimately, persuaded by everyone's dissuasion, Dorara sat back down.

"...Hania."

Iris quietly called my name.

It had been over a week since she had slept.

Iris's condition was the most severe among them.

"Yes, Lady Iris."

"You have a way to escape, don't you?"

Iris asked quietly so no one else could hear.

If there was, then there was.

I wouldn't be doing this without a safety net.

"...If it gets dangerous, take everyone and leave."

Before my answer came, Iris said so.

It meant she would rather die alone.

"Lady Iris."

I gently tidied Iris's messy hair.

"There's no way I would leave Lady Iris behind."

Hearing my words, Iris smiled faintly.

She probably couldn't distinguish whether it was Hania's words or mine.

Time flowed on again.

When another week had passed.

The cold could no longer be held back even by Dorara's magic.

Eventually, unable to bear it, Dorara tried casting magic on the ice wall a few more times.

But it failed, resulting in Dorara being the first to collapse.

Barencia cast a curse on herself and entered a state of suspended animation.

She said it was better than consuming more food.

She offered to cast it on anyone who wanted it, but everyone refused, so she chose it for herself.

Joachim's prayers gradually decreased in frequency.

Perhaps he had realized something in this situation,

as he sat with his back straight, eyes quietly closed, lost in deep thought.

So I didn't speak to Joachim, allowing him to concentrate.

And Iris.

'She finally fell asleep.'

Although she would be tormented by nightmares,

it seemed that not sleeping was more tormenting, as she leaned against me and drifted off.

Her soft breathing could be heard.

She frowned occasionally but showed no signs of waking up.

It was because her body had reached its limit.

Thump-

And at that moment.

Thump-

Finally, the long-awaited footsteps began to sound.

My head slowly lifted.

Between my frozen eyelashes,

I saw a person walking through the dark space.

A long sword was gripped in her hand, dragging along the ground.

The chill emanating from the sword felt colder than anything I had ever experienced.

White, icy mist escaped her lips.

Her silver hair fluttered, revealing two white horns protruding from her forehead.

It was the trace of the Ancient Dragon's magic, the most dangerous magic in the world, sealed away in the Marquisate of Cynthia, a magic-wielding noble family.

Below her horns, two lizard-like eyes glowed bright blue.

As she moved, the surrounding cold intensified even more.

The Calamity Dragon Maiden,

Nikita Cynthia.

The boss of Act 3 had finally revealed herself.

I carefully laid Iris down so as not to wake her, then slowly rose to my feet.

Frozen snow fragments fell from around my body.

"You've arrived."

Nikita's gaze met mine.

It seemed she thought everyone had lost their strength by now.

"Senior Nikita."

So I decided to greet her alone.

"My junior's fists might sting a little."