Until I Make My Choice
The cave that had shrouded the dragon's colossal body crumbled away, and that overwhelming power revealed itself at last.
Violet eyes gazed down from above.
Not a trace of intelligence to be found in them.
Just as I thought... Sgaredo...
Flap.
Two wings, heavy with a bone-deep chill, spread wide.
KWAAAAAGH!
With every beat of those wings, a blizzard-wind saturated with relentless cold came crashing down.
Every single gust threaded through that storm was laced with razor-sharp mana.
I rose into the sky with the hatchling in my arms, weaving through it all.
Only then did Sgaredo's full form come into view.
'I never wished for a reunion like this.'
Knowing her, the feeling was probably mutual.
Unlike the roaring chaos of the chat window, my heart was utterly, endlessly cold.
It wasn't because of Sgaredo's power.
'......'
I'd never heard anything about Sgaredo having an offspring.
Most likely, this child was created after I disappeared — frozen in stasis for a long, long time, only to be released now. And the reason for the freezing was obvious enough: she must have been on the verge of death.
"First things first..."
The blizzard howled.
Every movement of the dragon's massive body churned the surrounding mana into turmoil, and a Dragon Fear of crushing intensity swept across every living thing in the area.
The ripple of that fear washed over me as well — but this body is not one that mental attacks can touch.
KUUUOOOO...
In an instant, all the mana across the region converged on a single point.
Mana compression. A breath attack.
An ancient dragon of the ice lineage — and, if I wasn't mistaken, a being carrying a fragment of the demon race within her body.
Even the me of right now couldn't block that head-on.
Pii~!
So I seal it.
I set aside my half-hearted knife work and drew out a spear instead.
The breath came pouring down, and I drove the spear straight through its heart.
KWAAAAAAH!
The backlash of that colossal release of mana split the air with cracks.
I pried those cracks open and threaded the bonds of mana inside.
A transmuted spell matrix — seventeen spell formulas woven together with six authorities — coiled itself around Sgaredo.
Flash!
The magic crumbled apart, all of it.
Dragons bear many titles, and one of them is the Sovereign of Magic.
Through their innate authority known as Draconic — the tongue of the dragon race — they can nullify all mortal magic. The true masters of the art.
Of course, the magic of demons and celestials stands as the exception.
The shattered spell matrix rebuilt itself through divinity.
Stronger than before, the renewed magic coiled around Sgaredo once more.
Chains of light wound around the dragon's wing joints, locking her arms and legs in place.
Chaaaaang!
And at last, the final chain — wrapping around her mouth... no, her throat.
Grrrrrrr...
"I... am Sgaredo..."
"......"
"The frozen depths of winter..."
"...I know."
I know it all too well. How could I not?
So for now, sleep.
'Until I make my choice.'
Pii!
Clunk.
Count Retes of the Talikal Kingdom sat in the office of his county estate, utterly unable to hide his bewilderment.
This was not the plan.
The beast in question had always been a dragon-shaped monster that showed itself only in winter.
It claimed to be the "White Dragon Sgaredo, Frozen Depths of Winter," but in truth it was nothing more than a monstrous creature blanketed in ice and murky scales.
As lord of the territory, he had once led soldiers out to destroy the thing, which plunged the region's temperatures into a brutal freeze every winter — but every single attempt at subjugation had ended in failure.
Its overwhelming power. Its colossal frame. A breath attack that tore knights apart in a single stroke.
Yes, it was unquestionably stronger than his own forces — strong enough, perhaps, to inflict serious damage even against the kingdom itself. But that was all it was.
'It was never supposed to be a World Boss-class monster capable of affecting the entire continent!'
"What in the world has happened..."
Knock knock.
"My lord. Word has arrived through the messenger pigeon—"
"I told them I would come tomorrow. Tell them to wait."
"But Duke Anto, along with the other houses—"
"Leave."
Thud!
This had to be contained.
If word got out that his greed for territory had awakened a monster capable of shaking the entire continent, the fallout would not end with his family alone.
At the very least, he would rot in a prison for several decades; at worst, he could be stripped of every title and possession and reduced to a slave.
No — high odds it would be exactly that.
'...One way or another.'
Somehow, he had to resolve this situation.
And of course, the best possible outcome would be Lily subduing the World Boss outright.
She might be capable of it — but no one could take down a "great monster" called a World Boss alone.
Ordinary great monsters could only be faced by armies, requiring dozens of Immortals of renown from multiple nations to be mobilized at once.
And if this incident drove Lily to sever her contract with Talikal...
Gulp.
"I might... die for this..."
First, he needed to reach Lily somehow and explain the situation—
Creeeak...
"Who is it? I said I was not to be disturbed—"
"Am I not someone, then?"
"...?!"
CRASH!
Retes shot to his feet, kicking his chair back.
A man had entered as casually as if it were his own home, and was looking around the office.
His gaze swept across the lavishly appointed room — then settled on Retes.
The true master of this land.
"Y-Your Majesty. To what do I owe... a visit to a place like this."
"Is there some corner of Talikal I cannot enter?"
King Dria von Talikal brushed past Retes, who stood frozen in an awkward half-bow, and took the seat of honor at the head of the office.
At his side, guarding him like a shadow, stood a knight in black.
The Royal Dark Sword of the royal family — Sword Shadow.
With the office's master overturned in a single moment, Retes felt as though a knife's edge had pressed against his throat, and he groped at his own neck with trembling fingers.
"The Empire is practically at our doorstep, and yet..."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Was the situation in your territory truly dire enough to justify waking a slumbering great monster?"
"......"
Was it dire? If asked honestly, Retes's answer would have been no.
Certainly, the annual deep freeze must have been devastating for the people of his territory. Every winter they suffered through the cold, and neighbors, friends, and family alike sometimes lost their lives to it.
But from a lord's perspective, it had never been a truly grave problem.
The yearly deaths from exposure and the damage from the cold were only slightly higher than the losses other territories suffered from their own assorted misfortunes.
Besides, Retes's family had been collecting royal relief funds after every such "disaster."
He clenched his teeth.
If things went on like this, the fall of his house was unavoidable.
And if there was no escaping it...
"...It is urgent, Your Majesty."
"Urgent?"
"As Your Majesty is well aware, the Empire's beast will soon descend upon the entire continent. If we do not eliminate the 'enemies' within first, the damage will be catastrophic."
That was precisely why he had asked Lily, the Immortal, to deal with the troublemakers in each territory.
To resolve the internal problems as much as possible before standing against the invasion.
"I am well aware that the great monster you mention is serious. But if we leave that serious monster where it is, it can strike at our territory, which sits so close to the Empire. The Empire could even wake it deliberately to sow chaos."
"......"
"And besides..."
Ahem. He steadied his breath.
The sharp pressure filling the office eased, if only slightly.
The King's expression had grown far more benign than before.
If he could just keep persuading him a little longer...
"That is why I judged it wiser to entrust the subjugation to the Immortal Lily, a proven powerhouse who possesses no fewer than three of the Masterpieces. Of course, the great monster may be a stretch even for Lily, but with Talikal and the other renowned Immortals assisting, we could manage without borrowing the hands of other kingdoms, and quickly at that—"
"I'm afraid that's fallen through. That beast is already sealed."
"...I beg your pardon?"
What on earth...
"The Immortal Lily expended tremendous power to seal the great monster Sgaredo. But it was a seal, not a subjugation. There is no way to stop the calamity known as the Despair Frigid Cold that will erupt in sixty days."
"Th-That's impossible."
"Unless all of Talikal wishes to freeze over, we will need the strength of others as well as Lily's, just as before. The kingdoms near Talikal are already sending requests for cooperation."
Do you understand now, Count Retes?
"This problem is no longer Talikal's alone."
So now the precious troops meant to fight the Empire will be fighting a monster instead.
"The resources go without saying. Ah — weren't you one of those who opposed Lily receiving the Masterpieces?"
Jolt.
"I suppose Talikal must now ponder what more it can offer Lily."
"Y-Your Majesty! I briefly lost my senses! I never intended—"
"Silence."
Sriiing.
Death itself loomed up behind Retes.
The ultimate technique, usable only by the Royal Dark Sword — Shadow Trajectory.
The cold flat of a blade aimed itself at the back of Retes's neck.
"S-Spare me—"
"Judgment upon Count Retes will be carried out once this affair is fully resolved."
"Thank yo—"
"If you wish to receive even a slightly merciful trial... well. I needn't say it, surely. I'll be going."
Thud!
"...I'm dead."
On the Snowy Mountain, where an icy wind howled.
The mountain was already teeming with people, and Yena — dressed in light clothing utterly unsuited to midwinter — doubted her own eyes the moment she arrived.
"Whoa... dragons really are huge."
The dragon was so enormous it wouldn't fit entirely within her field of vision.
Living up to its name as a World Boss, it truly was overwhelming in scale.
But what astonished her even more was the figure seated before that dragon.
Her signature blue hair streamed in the frigid wind, and her snow-white clothing blended into the mountain even as it stood out blindingly against it.
Above all, she was kneeling there with both eyes closed.
Gazing straight at the spear she had driven into the ground.
'...A saint?'
"Ah, Yena. You made it."