Snowglobe (1)

I mixed dirt and snow to form a chair. I even quickly constructed a modern-designed shelter. It was the harmony of Creation and Aesthetic Sense.

Meanwhile, Sophien was still savoring her ice cream. She ate it leisurely, without spilling a single drop. It was the etiquette befitting an emperor.

"To explain."

At that moment, Sophien set down her spoon. I turned to her.

"There was no time lag in my chambers. As soon as you shook the snowglobe, I possessed the cat and stopped you. However, outside the chambers, there was a lag."

I nodded and replied.

"Yes. In that case—"

"This snowglobe likely casts a barrier over my chambers. Not just inside the snowglobe, but over a certain radius outside as well. It must be the snowglobe's own defense mechanism."

"Yes. And also—"

"This lag may grow larger over time, or it may remain constant."

Sophien closed her eyes briefly. She had possessed the red-furred Munchkin.

Tick-tock— tick-tock— The second hand on my wristwatch moved.

"······"

She opened her eyes again and looked at my wrist. Then she reached her conclusion.

"The lag is increasing bit by bit. Four days here amount to about one day outside."

"I see."

It was a reasonable inference. Sophien propped her chin on her hand and asked in return.

"You don't doubt it?"

"Your Majesty would never speak falsely."

I repeated her exact words back to her. She let out a smirk and picked up her ice cream.

"······But it's truly strange."

I checked the flow of blood in my body. I estimated the external mana density. I calculated the rate of mana recovery.

With Midas' Hand and the snowglobe's Understanding, I had consumed a total of 5,000 mana, but 200 mana had already replenished.

"There's not a single difference from the outside world. If anything, the mana density is thicker here. It's perfect for training or study."

I turned to Sophien. She tilted her head sideways for no reason, like a child who'd been told to study.

"Your Majesty?"

"······You go train. While waiting for you, I practiced phonetics and swordsmanship, nearly exhausting my mana. I'm in a state of exhaustion now."

"Is that so? Then allow me to ask. Duke Kairon."

Instead, I called for Kairon. He stood steadfastly behind Sophien.

"Duke Kairon."

"······."

"Duke Kairon?"

"That one's a statue."

Sophien said.

I tapped Kairon's body with my finger. It rang with a metallic thong.

"I left the statue behind and went exploring. To see how vast this world is, and what lies within."

"······."

"It'll take quite a while to return. If your head's dull, your body suffers."

I nodded. Sophien waggled her eyebrows slyly.

"Why. Burdened by the two of us?"

"I am grateful only to be in Your Majesty's presence."

"······."

Sophien gazed intently at me. She scrutinized my facial wrinkles and expressions. Then she twisted her own imperial visage oddly.

"Not empty words."

"Of course."

"······."

Sophien could perceive human emotions. And I was no exception.

Whoooosh—

A timely gust of wind blew. She fastened the collar of her cape coat.

I asked.

"Are you cold?"

"······I've always stayed within the palace. Eating something cold in a cold place doesn't help."

I removed my overcoat. Sophien watched with slightly flustered eyes.

As I handed it over, I said.

"My formal overcoat is artifact-grade. Its temperature control ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will keep you warm."

"······."

Sophien silently draped it over her coat. With Midas' Hand applied at level 4, its performance was guaranteed.

"It's warm."

"Yes."

"However······ Deculein."

"Yes."

"Did you know?"

With that preface, the emperor's face suddenly hardened.

"The Phairden family was involved in my poisoning. Your fiancée's house."

The breath of space halted momentarily. Time itself seemed to freeze.

In this cold snowglobe, I looked at Sophien.

"Not just Phairden, but several other houses as well. Including Yukline."

Sophien simply scooped more ice cream.

"Nearly all the great noble houses of the continent conspired to kill me. With Phairden at the core."

"······."

"But why······ did they do it."

Sophien, who had been staring at her ice cream, lifted her head. Her gaze was dry as desert sand.

"Of course, I have no intention of blaming you now. It was your ancestors' doing."

"Do you plan to take revenge?"

"······Even that feels faint."

Sophien sighed.

"Punishing them all would cause ripples across the continent that are bothersome to even imagine, and even if I did, they wouldn't suffer as I did. Their families would just be exterminated."

"······."

"Thus, I wish to run away."

I looked at Sophien.

At this moment, strangely enough, a death variable was emanating from her.

It was the signal of suicide.

Ironic.

Freed from ennui and sloth, she had too easily learned her full story, and in the end, fallen into doubt.

Compared to the time and zeal needed for her revenge and as emperor to shape the continent's future, the reward she would gain was far too meager.

"I will remain by Your Majesty's side. So, please refrain from such words."

"······Hmph. What. I don't need it. What difference would someone like you make by my side."

"No."

Sophien sneered. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I glared at the red aura flickering by her side. The death variable blazed like karmic fire.

"I will always be in Your Majesty's path."

Her face stiffened momentarily.

This was, of course, a measure to suppress the death variable, but it was no lie.

I told Sophien.

"And at the end of all Your Majesty's paths, I will surely be there. I will face Your Majesty at that end. Even if it means my death."

I didn't add, 'Since your death is game over anyway.'

"······."

"So, do not run. An emperor of the Empire never shows their back."

Sophien's expression turned icy cold. She was silent for a long while.

But soon, she wore an awkward smile.

"Deculein. Do you know?"

"What do you mean?"

Whoooosh— A whirlwind rose in the distance. Snow dust from the ground mixed into a blizzard. I gazed at the massive air current.

And Sophien spoke lightly, like the wind.

"You have already died for me."

"······."

I shifted my gaze back to Sophien. Her words just now carried no small meaning.

"······Your Majesty?"

A faint smile played on Sophien's lips.

"Enough. Focus on the present. It seems this snowglobe is no romantic bunker or cradle."

She silently watched the blizzard on the horizon. A natural disaster darkening the snowglobe, crying out. At the same time, the ground began to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crack— creeeak.

"Deculein······."

Before Sophien could say more, the ground collapsed. A crevasse had suddenly formed.

Rumble-rumble-rumblerumble—!

We plummeted into freefall. Falling through the air, I looked at Sophien, and Sophien looked at me.

Roooaaar—

The mana air pressure crushed our breath. Amid it, I did what I had to. With Telekinesis and Creation, I formed a line connecting the Kairon statue above and Sophien.

Thanks to that, Sophien escaped the fall at some point, but I continued descending.

Regrettably, I lacked the mana to connect myself as well.

······Damn that ice cream wasting 4,000 mana.

Meanwhile, the Red Garnet adventurer team arrived at the high-grade dungeon 'Derakal' in the western capital. It was named after its first discoverer.

"Hiyaap—!"

Lia's shout echoed through the dungeon interior.

Ifrin watched her in admiration, letting out a "whoa—" Her blood-soaked body unleashing mana was truly impressive.

"That kid's got real talent too. Attribute Conversion, was it?"

The mid-stage conquest was nearly complete.

Ganesha nodded at Ifrin's words as she watched the battle—actually, practical experience training—from a dungeon corner.

"You bet. She's our treasure~"

Attribute Conversion. One of Lia's mana talents. True to its name, it freely converted water to earth, earth to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fire, fire to wind.

Still immature, but.

"And this is a secret."

Ganesha whispered in Ifrin's ear.

She hadn't planned to say this much······.

—Our Lia looks just like the professor's first fiancée. Not just similar, like a doppelganger.

Ganesha was scouting Ifrin. As a mercenary mage, her skills were perfect. She'd incinerated an entire dungeon room with a single destruction spell.

"What?!"

Ifrin widened her eyes and looked at Ganesha.

"First fiancée—"

"Shh. Now it's your turn, Ifrin. Why do you keep investigating Professor Deculein~?"

Ifrin hesitated. She pondered how to say it. Even if she did, they might not believe her.

"It's fine. Even if it's too outlandish, I'll believe you~? I'm an adventurer."

Ganesha's words bolstered her courage. Ifrin took a deep breath and said.

"A while back······ I met my future self."

"What a coincidence? Me too."

"······Pardon?"

"No need to be shocked~ I even know how I die~"

"Wait, Ganesha, you went to Lokralen too?"

"No."

Ganesha smiled brightly. Then she said it in two clipped syllables.

"De. Mons."

"······Ah."

"Those bastards know exactly how to break humans~ So they showed me my death. Whether it's an unchangeable future, a changeable one, or one I desperately tried to change······ It makes you have nightmares every night."

Ganesha laughed with a sigh. Her twin tails fluttered poignantly.

"What demons want is just human corruption. Of course, some want more, but it's the same essence."

"I see······ Pfft."

Ifrin, listening dazedly, burst out laughing unwittingly. Ganesha tilted her head.

"Why?"

"It reminds me of the professor."

Ifrin thought of Deculein.

The human corruption demons desired.

The one person in this world immune to that cunning game.

"If demons enjoy human corruption. You know, the professor······."

"Right. The professor never bends to demons' will. Deculein von Grahan Yukline makes even demons tremble~"

Clap-clap-clap— Ganesha clapped. Praise for Lia, Leo, and Karos shining on the battlefield.

"Great! Well done, everyone! Now, butcher the corpses and gather materials!"

"““Yes, leader!”””

After ordering the three kids, back to the main topic.

"So. I still haven't heard why you're investigating the professor? What did your future self tell you~?"

Ifrin smiled faintly. Soon, the voice from between her teeth was remarkably soft.

"······She said not to hate him too much. And Mage Longdalp said something weird to me too."

"What?"

"This is even weirder······ The professor cherishes me or something. He carries a pendant with my childhood photo······."

"Really?"

Ganesha's eyes widened. Ifrin shook her head in disbelief.

"Amazing. If that's true, it probably is~?"

"Nah. Even so······."

"No. There's definitely a reason Professor Deculein cherishes you—or hates you. The cause is probably in your family······ right?"

Slice-slice— The chilling sound of Lia skinning the monster rang out.

Ifrin startled and glanced there, then turned back at Ganesha's words.

"And Dikailen isn't dead yet."

"What?!"

Ifrin's face split open in shock. Ganesha nodded gravely.

"Appearing in your dreams means Dikailen is targeting you."

"······."

Ifrin clutched the hem of her robe.

"But don't worry too much. With your talent, Ifrin, you can definitely beat Dikailen."

"······Yes."

"The professor won't let Dikailen's will prevail either. That sturdy professor will protect you~?"

······Deculein protecting her.

Those words drummed on Ifrin's heart.

Looking back, Deculein had always been that way.

During the early semester disciplinary committee, when she faced expulsion.

When she'd foolishly entered Darkness Mountain and nearly fallen to a demon.

Even when she'd attended the hearing as a witness opposing Deculein······.

Ifrin gritted her teeth. Saliva pooled in her mouth. Her eyes grew moist with some inexplicable fluid.

"So, I can only say the same as your future self."

Ifrin turned to Ganesha. Ganesha handed her a wet cloth and one sentence.

"Don't hate the professor too much."

"······Waaah."

Tears streamed from Ifrin's eyes, unable to hold back.

Thud—!

My entire body hit the ground. Perhaps I'd fallen long ago and only just awakened.

In any case, darkness surrounded me, and my sense of direction wouldn't settle. Every organ was filled with extreme shock.

I couldn't perceive the flow of time. Above all, unimaginable cold tore my body apart.

Yet at first, I thought it wasn't all bad.

Iron Man grows in extreme situations.

In that sense, this moment was a heaven-sent training opportunity.

How would Iron Man, having accepted Kara's Authority, evolve? This was the perfect chance to test it most harshly. Time to solidify my foundation through self-mastery.

······However.

Cold.

I said it was cold, but no voice came out. My superhuman mental strength prevented loss of consciousness, but nothing more.

A hollow laugh escaped me anew.

Cold too harsh even for Iron Man's body.

Absolute zero was too mild a term.

I deployed my remaining mana. I tried to ignite flames, but the mana forming the magic circle froze. The magic circle solidified rigidly in the air.

The 'mana' itself had frozen. Crystallized by the cold.

Theoretically impossible.

······.

In this dark freeze, I slowly rose. My vision blurred as if my consciousness itself was freezing and crumbling.

Still, I moved my legs.

I don't know how many steps. But unbeknownst, my body tilted.

"Haa······."

······Am I enduring now, or dying?

Is my unyielding self, which bends for nothing, breaking?

Slowly, gradually, my eyes closed.

······Fuck this.

I gritted my teeth. I would not yield to mere cold. I straightened my body. I accelerated blood flow in my frozen organs and forcibly stirred my mana.

······And.

In that moment of desperate struggle.