Thaw (1)
Thaw (1)
A Special-Grade Dungeon had shown signs of an outbreak.
The banquet hall was, naturally, thrown into chaos. To put it politely, the place was in disarray. To put it bluntly, it was a total mess.
"What rotten luck."
Baek Wol-seon's face crumpled miserably as he took in the state of the hall.
"We leave at once. Relay the order to finish preparations with all haste."
"Yes, sir!"
A member of the Azure Wave unit turned on his heel. Baek Wol-seon swallowed a heavy sigh and turned his head toward me.
A tangle of complex thoughts flickered across his face in an instant. I nodded.
[I will accompany you]
"...Thank you."
Baek Wol-seon bit his lip and expressed his gratitude.
This was a Special-Grade Dungeon, and no one knew what type it would be. With every last bit of combat strength desperately needed, my offer to join in must have eased his mind as the head of a faction.
I nodded and pulled out my purification tool.
[And don't worry about transportation. I can temporarily link a Gate near the Special-Grade Dungeon. I'll set it up outside shortly]
"How could you manage a Gate...? Ah, does the Association President's Proxy hold such authority as well?"
[Er... yes, something like that]
It wasn't exactly the same, but it was close enough.
"...My dear."
"You must return to the main estate."
Baek Wol-seon answered, his face rigid.
Worry bloomed in Kim Yu-yeon's eyes. Baek Wol-seon deliberately softened his expression and drew her gently into his arms.
"I shall return safely, as I always have."
Hong Jin-seon came in through an open window.
At the sight, I silently turned away.
I crossed the banquet hall, where everyone without exception was scrambling frantically.
"Child."
My master looked back at me, her expression grim.
Gathered around her were Professor Liana, Ellia, and Senior Daera. Lee Ha-sol, who had been with them to talk earlier, also wore a rigid expression.
"Ha-yul."
"Why does something like this have to happen again..."
Yeon-hwa and Lee Ji-yeon, who had been farther away, hurried over as well. My master looked me squarely in the eye.
"You intend to go, don't you?"
[Yes]
"Then prepare quickly and join the force."
My master nodded as if there were nothing more to ask. The others began hastily getting ready as well.
My fists trembled faintly.
If it were up to me, I wanted to stop them, but that simply wasn't an option.
Yeon-hwa and Lee Ji-yeon were heirs of the Three Great Families to begin with; they couldn't avoid this.
The rest of our group, at least, weren't compelled by status, but...
"Oh, surely not. You aren't planning to throw yourself alone into some incredibly dangerous place... are you?"
[......]
You're not, right?
Professor Liana tilted her head with a faint smile. The words that left her mouth were soft, but the gaze she leveled at me was heavy.
I pursed my lips for a moment, then swallowed a sigh and lowered my head.
'I can't stop them.'
This was something I'd expected.
Especially Yeon-hwa and Lee Ji-yeon — they couldn't avoid it.
Wasn't that exactly why I'd built up my strength?
Because they couldn't avoid it — so I could face it head-on, smash through, and protect them.
[Yes, prepare quickly and join the force. But before that... Seo-yul? Come here]
"Hm?"
Seo-yul, who had been about to follow the group, tilted her head. I gestured to her and swept my empty hand through the air.
The space I scored rippled. I intended to send Seo-yul to Siyoram with a Spatial Leap.
'Siyoram is safe.'
It was a place that could readily fend off even a full Tower Master's army corps if they came charging in.
The Vice Headmaster, who was practically invincible within Siyoram's bounds, was also stationed there. I could trust her with Seo-yul.
[Seo-yul?]
"......"
But Seo-yul did not come closer. She shut her mouth firmly, then fixed her eyes on my face with a forceful gaze.
"I want to fight, too."
[No]
There was nothing more to hear.
I shook my head and finished activating the Authority, and Seo-yul stepped back several paces.
"I... I want to fight together with you, too."
[No matter what, it's not happening]
"I've gotten a lot stronger!"
[I know]
Of course I knew Seo-yul wasn't weak.
I knew that although barely over a year had passed, Seo-yul had grown close to full maturity as a Fairy Knight.
The martial strength of a Fairy Knight was known to average at the 4th Rank.
At the 4th Rank, that was force most superhumans wouldn't dare attempt to subjugate alone.
Even without being a full adult yet, Seo-yul was plenty strong.
[Still, no]
"Dad...!"
Strength around the 4th Rank did not guarantee absolute safety.
Even if Seo-yul were stronger, I had no intention of relaxing in the slightest.
'You want me to take my child — a child barely over a year old — to war?'
Not unless I'd gone insane.
No, before I could go that insane, the right course was to solve the problem and cut my own throat.
- Her Highness the Princess excels not only in personal martial strength, but also possesses outstanding skill as a fairy in assisting spirits
Then it happened.
Terramor, who had been standing behind Seo-yul as her escort, stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and projected her will-thought.
[Are you telling me to drive my daughter onto the battlefield right now?]
My rigid face twisted. The surging rage spread through the surroundings.
The busy movements of those around me came to an abrupt halt. Their faces turned pale and they trembled.
"Ha-yul."
Surprise flickered across the faces of my companions, who had paused at Terramor's act. Worry then colored their expressions.
My fury traveled through our contract and was conveyed to Terramor intact.
Terramor's shoulders, as she knelt, wavered.
She slowly clenched her trembling hands, then bowed her head even lower.
- The place Her Highness the Princess wishes to be is not the battlefield, but at His Majesty's side
The churning emotions jolted to a halt.
- I fully comprehend His Majesty's concerns... but I believe that Her Highness, who must live through this chaotic world, also requires experience and growth
[...And for the sake of that experience and growth, I should let her enter a perilous battlefield?]
- Although I cannot foresee the shape of the battlefield that will unfold, seeing that you permitted Their Majesties the Queens to take part, I judged it to be a battlefield you can manage
Terramor carefully continued.
- Her Highness desires experience of her own will, and she wishes to protect His Majesty at his side
[I have not the slightest wish for my daughter to serve as a shield]
- Setting aside the race of Fairy Knights, it is a natural expression of sentiment for a child to worry for her parent and wish to protect him
[......]
My mouth closed.
To some extent, it was a fair point.
When people precious to each other worry for one another, and one of them goes into danger — if you have the strength, wanting to protect them is only natural.
[...But]
Wasn't the situation between me and Seo-yul different?
She was barely over a year old.
Even if her body and mind were innately strong, even if she had knowledge passed down from the Fairy Knights of previous generations, however strong she was — she was my daughter.
Whatever the reason, she was a child I'd taken responsibility for.
I didn't want to give her a single bad memory like the ones I had.
Whether the world was cold or not, I wanted to hand her nothing but happiness.
"Dad."
I had kept my mouth shut; at Seo-yul's call, I lifted my head.
I couldn't meet her eyes, but I could feel her clear gaze reaching me.
After a moment of hesitation, Seo-yul quietly spoke.
"I don't want you to come back hurt."
[...I really am sorry about that]
"That's why I want to help you not get hurt. I want to protect you from your side. Of course, at my current level, if I stay at your side I'd only be a hindrance..."
[No, it's fine. I don't think of it as a bother at all.]
When I shook my head firmly, Seo-yul let out a small laugh.
"Still, I'm confident in my ability to harmonize with the spirits and provide support from the rear. I may not look it, but I am a fairy."
- That's right!
- Her Highness is amazing with the spirit kids!
- The ones Her Highness fed mana to tried even harder...
The fairies hiding among Seo-yul's hair poked their heads out.
They were watching my reaction closely, but clearly siding with Seo-yul.
- Even if some unforeseen variable arises, I will stake my very body to protect you without fail.
Terramor even added one final pledge.
I bit my lip hard.
'Considering the plan I'm about to execute, sending them to Siyoram really is the right call.'
Setting aside questions of help and danger. Beyond whether I could keep them safe. It would be better if they didn't have to witness that scene at all.
After worrying my lip for a while, I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
[...I'm counting on you.]
- ...Yes!
"Dad...!"
At my roundabout permission, Terramor replied emphatically. Seo-yul's wings shone brightly as she hugged me tight.
[But only from the rear, and only while under the spirits' protection. Absolutely! Absolutely! No coming forward!]
"I got it!"
Was this the right decision?
A sigh nearly escaped me as I wondered if I'd given in too easily, but I swallowed it down with Seo-yul right there in front of me.
- Clack... clack...
That was when the sound of footsteps reached my ears.
Footsteps approaching from the hallway connected to the entrance. Soon the person who stepped through the doorway was Baek A-rin.
As always, I observed the smile she wore on the surface.
Yeon-hwa, who had kept the winged garment wrapped around her sword, brightened and waved her hand.
"A-rin, did you hear about the situation?"
"Yeah, just heard. Woke up because of it, actually."
Baek A-rin smiled brightly and nodded. Her sky-blue hair hung loose down her back, reaching her waist.
"Ah, so that's why your hair's not tied up. How's your condition? You hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine. The fatigue cleared right up after a short nap."
After answering, Baek A-rin turned her head.
"There's no problem. I can move right away, so please don't worry."
Baek A-rin fumbled with the Subspace Pocket hanging at her waist like a fruit. She had already equipped herself before leaving her room.
"Anyway, I heard you're connecting a Gate, Ha-yul..."
[Yes.]
"As expected of the Association President's Proxy. Your spatial magic was already unusual, and now you can even connect Gates?"
- Swoosh...
Baek A-rin smiled playfully at me. The winged garment I'd gifted her was wrapped around her body.
Always the same smile.
I observed the information beyond that mask.
[...Yes, that's how it turned out. Well, you should all be ready by now, so let's head outside.]
* * *
No matter how close Seolgyeong was to the Special-Grade Dungeon's location, moving such a large force would normally have taken some time.
- Wooooong...!
"It really is a Gate..."
But thanks to the Gate, the travel time was drastically shortened.
Those who saw the Gate swirling in midair clicked their tongues in amazement.
The reaction was one of disbelief that he could freely set up Gates as well.
The only one capable of something similar was Siyoram's Vice Headmaster, but she never operated outside Siyoram.
- Boom...!
"Tsk..."
Those murmurs of admiration vanished the moment they crossed the Gate.
The blizzard shuddered under a heavy vibration.
Snowflakes crumbled and scattered into nothing. Lee Ha-yul, who had just crossed the Gate, turned his head toward the source of the vibration.
- Boom...! Boom...! Boom...!
The dungeon entrance that had formed in the middle of a wide, deep basin.
It would appear half-obscured to others' eyes, but even so, it was a tremendous size.
"Looks like it's about to burst."
"That's how I see it too."
Boom! The vortex heaved.
Boom! The vibrations grew stronger. By now, even those with dull Qi Sense could feel the vibrations vividly, to the point of dry-heaving.
"Get the front line in order before it bursts!"
There was no time to leisurely gather and discuss.
The troops who had crossed the Gate moved hurriedly.
- Rrrrumble...!
The front line and defensive facilities the Changhae Family had constructed in advance.
Centered around those, the Taesan Family members leveled and firmly compacted the ground, raising solid, thick barrier walls.
[Hold on, everyone please step back.]
"Huh?"
The Pure Life Unit members who had been about to raise the barriers blinked, then obediently stepped back.
Lee Ha-yul drove the Spear of Purification into the ground.
Boom! Mana and spell formulas poured out of the Spear of Purification's crystal orb and seeped into the earth. On top of that, Engraved Patterns spread across the ground centered on Lee Ha-yul.
- Rrrrrrumble...!
The ground etched with Engraved Patterns divided like a checkerboard as barriers surged upward.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Countless thick barriers rose up, and between each barrier, the framework of defensive facilities took shape.
The barriers and facilities were being installed to interlock with the front line the Changhae Family had originally set up.
Baek Wol-seon, who had been issuing orders, blinked and looked back at Lee Ha-yul.
"...A Spell Workshop? Did you set this up in advance?"
[Yes... I laid out a bit beforehand. Everyone else, please install by layering on top of the framework.]
"When on earth did you..."
[I sent a Doppelganger ahead.] Lee Ha-yul gave an abbreviated answer and continued expanding the Spell Workshop.
The others didn't stand idle either.
They reinforced by adding more barriers and defensive facilities, and troops were deployed to each completed section.
[Seo-yul, you have to stay right beside the moms. Understood?]
"Uh, Mo— ...Yes."
The party mostly stayed near Lee Ha-yul.
But Hong Yeon-hwa, Lee Ji-yeon, Baek A-rin, and others were forming up in the areas assigned to their family members.
- Kwoong...!
Just when they had barely finished the minimum preparations, the dungeon's rampage rapidly approached.
There were no numerical readings, but everyone could feel it from the intensity of the vibrations.
- Boom—!
The sky rang with the largest vibration yet.
From that point, the vibrations ceased. Silence settled over the world.
"......"
The vibrations had vanished, but in that void, a chilling sense of crisis filled the air.
An instinct as if every fine hair on one's body were freezing and splitting apart.
Lee Ha-yul twitched an eyebrow, and several people kicked off the barriers and climbed up.
"...That is..."
Standing atop the barrier, Atra's face twisted.
- Crrrrack...
Cracks spread across the upper part of the raging vortex. Then the cracks linked together and spread wider—
- Boom!
Something shot up, tearing through the vortex. The eyes of those who witnessed it flew wide open.
Dull, bluish outer walls and a sharply rising peak.
"...A Tower...?"
The Tower of Bitter Cold.
Casting off the husk called a dungeon, the Tower of Bitter Cold forcibly thrust its head into the world.
The frigid presence it had been hiding roused itself.
Feeling a dizzying cold aura, Lee Ha-yul narrowed his brow and operated Observation to its limits.
"......."
Ever so faintly, Baek A-rin's fingertips twitched.
* * *