Chapter 155: Mirror, Mirror. Who Is the Fairest of Them All?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: Mirror, Mirror. Who Is the Fairest of Them All?
In the center of the village.
A tall pyre of wooden planks burned. Flames shot up, and black smoke rose to the sky.
Contrary to the hope that she would recover and rise again now that she had regained her senses, Darka passed away not long after.
While she was already in a weakened state, some believed she might have felt no need to recover, having lost her will to live.
After all, in her final moments, Darka’s face was as peaceful as if she were sleeping.
In accordance with the traditions of the northerners, the final rite was performed—burning the body of the deceased to ensure their soul would not be bound.
The belongings she had used in life were burned with her. In her gently folded hands, she clutched Pascal’s bracelet.
The people bowed their heads in solemn silence, shedding tears.
Azyeth stood a few steps away from them, out of the fire’s heat, taking in the village scene.
They were cremating Darka, a woman she had been speaking with just days ago. The once-lively village was now filled with nothing but the sound of sobbing.
She didn't understand why they were crying.
Darka was only leaving on a long journey.
Was parting such a sad thing?
Azyeth could not comprehend it.
Never mind tears, she didn't even feel the emotion of sadness.
And yet.
Azyeth placed a hand on her chest. Memories of Darka flashed through her mind.
A month was not a long time, but for Azyeth, who had no memories to speak of, her daily life in Lake Fortress constituted half of her existence.
The reality that she would no longer see Darka, whom she had seen every day. She couldn't picture it. It felt as if she could walk into the tent right now and Darka would welcome her as she always had.
A stifling feeling, as if her heart had been filled with stones.
This was the first farewell Azyeth had ever experienced.
*
Several days after Darka’s funeral in Lake Fortress.
Saying goodbye to someone is never easy, and if that place is a small tribal village bound by close ties, and if that person is the village chief…
It is foolish to assign value to death, but the aftermath was inevitably greater than usual. Though they didn't show it openly, everyone carried sorrow in a corner of their hearts.
“Karami… the people…”
A somber mood hung over the village. Feeling the awkward atmosphere, Azyeth called out to Karami as if asking for help, but this time, he refused to step in. He declined flatly.
“Time will solve this.”
Know when to get involved and when to stay out.
It was a cardinal rule for any merchant.
Even after spending a month together, they were still outsiders. It was impossible to perfectly synchronize with the villagers' grief. Getting involved half-heartedly would only make things worse.
Above all, northerners were resilient. Karami was confident they would get back on their feet without him having to do a thing.
“So, let's prepare for our return.”
It was time to go back to Doomheim.
They had less luggage than when they first arrived at Lake Fortress. There was no need to dismantle the tents and equipment the dwarves had set up.
They planned to leave behind the things the villagers had grown fond of using.
As they finished their preparations one by one and the time for departure drew near, Azyeth thawed the frozen Halgran. Crack— Fissures ran across the surface, and the ice crumbled away.
The first thing Halgran did after breathing fresh air for the first time in a month was…
“You goddamn skinny bastard!!!”
Halgran’s roar echoed thunderously.
His body had been frozen, but his consciousness had remained unbroken. His memories from the moment he was frozen until now were perfectly intact.
Grabbing Karami by the collar, Halgran shook him with all his might. Karami’s body flapped about like a piece of paper.
“Why are you doing this to me~?”
“Why? You turn a man into a frozen popsicle and ask me why?!”
“I didn't do it. Miss Azyeth froze you.”
“Eh…?”
Suddenly accused, Azyeth let out a sound of pure bewilderment. It was quite possibly the greatest reaction of all time.
Karami offered a plausible explanation with a sly grin.
“Who was it that froze you, Lord Halgran?”
“...Karami told her... to freeze me...”
“Who froze you?”
“Karami told her to…”
“Who froze you?”
“Karami…”
Framed, Azyeth tried to protest, but her innocent eyes knew nothing of the world's filth. Karami was a merchant thoroughly corrupted by society.
There was no way she could win an argument against him.
“Who froze you?”
“............Me.”
Having finally extracted a confession, Karami raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
“That's right. Miss Azyeth froze you. That was wrong, wasn't it? You won't do it again, will you?”
“……Sorry…”
“See? Miss Azyeth is deeply remorseful. Lord Halgran, please be generous and let it slide just this once.”
Halgran nodded as if he had realized a great truth, his eyes filled with the resolve of a man who had made up his mind. He gripped his hammer tightly.
“You are evil incarnate. Killing you here and now is the only way to save the world. I'm sure Lord Hargran would applaud me for it.”
“Haha. Do you really think you can kill me? I have Miss Azyeth, hailed as a hero, on my side. Right?”
“…”
“…Miss Azyeth?”
Azyeth averted her gaze, dodging Karami's expectant look. She began fiddling with her music box, feigning indifference.
“Seeing as even the hero is ignoring you, you must be the villain. Get over here, you bastard.”
*
After a round of tag with Halgran, Karami was safe.
Thankfully, he hadn't been beaten with the hammer. It was thanks to Azyeth, who had reluctantly helped him while pretending not to. If not for her, he might have become one of the posts guarding Lake Fortress.
With all their preparations complete, Karami looked back before climbing onto the sled. The entire village had come out to see them off.
The time it took for the villagers, who were once hostile to outsiders, to recognize Karami's party as their own.
A mere month.
Having achieved a feat worth boasting about, Karami waved his hand.
“We'll be on our way now. Soon, dwarven artisans will come to install the bridge. They come with good intentions, so please don't be too hostile.”
As originally planned, the reconstruction of the collapsed bridge was commissioned to the dwarves of Doomheim. There were no better craftsmen in the world, making them the perfect choice.
Since the words came from Karami, who had earned their trust through his many deeds, the villagers did not refuse.
“Big bro! Someday, I’m gonna be a slave trader like you and get a pretty slave like her!”
“I’ll look forward to it. When the time comes, let’s have a slave battle.”
“Goodbye, Sister Perka! You too, Sister Azyeth!”
“Make sure you defeat the evil dragon!”
Just like townspeople seeing off a hero leaving to defeat a demon king, the villagers sent messages of encouragement and support.
In the crowd, Jorn watched them with his arms crossed. Having taken over as chief after Darka, he exuded the same solemn air as before.
Then, quietly, he murmured a single word.
“Farewell.”
There comes a time in life when you have to cast aside your petty pride.
This was that time.
They had helped the village immensely and saved a tribe member. The matter with Darka was no different.
She's just a dementia patient, anyway. She'll forget whatever we say.
With that compromise, everyone in the village had looked away.
But Karami hadn't avoided it.
He chose to face it head-on. An issue he could have easily dismissed as someone else's problem.
Thanks to him, Darka was able to let go of her regrets and pass on with a peaceful expression. She must have become a free spirit and reunited with Pascal. Perhaps they were traveling together right now.
They must be.
“Ugh, that just gave me the creeps. It doesn't suit you, so please don't do that.”
Though he still didn't like the man.
The frost wolves began to move.
The sled started to leave the village.
“Don't wait for us, because we won't be coming back even if we miss you. It's too cold here.”
“Hahaha! You're as crazy as ever. Now get lost!”
“Goodbye, pretty sister!”
“You'll come back, right?”
Azyeth, too.
She moved her hand, waving to the people seeing them off.
The frost wolves picked up their pace, and the village, growing ever more distant, soon disappeared from view.
Karami stopped waving and sat down comfortably.
“That month went by in a flash, didn't it?”
“Thanks to a certain skinny bastard, it did. I blinked, and a month had passed!”
“Haha… I must admit, Mr. Karami went a bit too far with that one.”
“If I hadn't frozen him then, we wouldn't be getting a farewell, we'd have been kicked out long ago.”
Controlling a hot-blooded dwarf is extremely difficult. Given the typical dwarven nature, he would have undoubtedly made a fuss trying to develop the village.
Freezing Halgran was what made the remaining dwarves somewhat obedient.
Karami casually ignored Halgran, who held a grudge so long he was still spitting and arguing nonstop. For now, he just wanted to get to Doomheim as quickly as possible.
*
The rugged mountain ridges of Eisengar, which appeared one after another even after crossing countless peaks.
Upon this place, which could truly be called a mountain fortress, an even larger shadow was cast.
High above.
A being that froze the clouds in its wake, dropping colossal hailstones, and swept the land with a blizzard at every flap of its wings.
The Ice Dragon Skadia.
The dragon that spread cold and fear across Eisengar.
Most dragons remained in their lairs, but Skadia was an exception. It roamed the world ceaselessly, collecting valuable and beautiful objects.
The reason such a creature had come to the unremarkable orc fortress was none other than the severing of its blessing upon the Orc King Balkrash.
It wasn't a deep bond, nor was Balkrash a loyal subordinate.
It was simple amusement.
Skadia had merely been curious to see how far a worthless orc could climb with a dragon's blessing. The experiment, however, had come to an early end.
However, Balkrash wasn't the type to be killed by some common thug, so Skadia had come, curious as to who had done the deed.
The orc fortress, now covered in pale blue ice walls and turned into a tourist attraction. Skadia landed in that place where even the smallest insects were frozen alive.
It was right after that.
Skadia sensed Azyeth's presence.
Azyeth's energy, which should have been sealed in its lair, could be felt in the orc fortress? It was impossible, yet the power was too distinct to deny.
A clear anomaly.
Skadia flapped its wings once more. The north wind created by the beat of its wings shattered the fortress without a trace. Skadia flew toward its lair with all its might.
Arriving at its lair in an instant, Skadia immediately checked beneath its nest.
Signs of an intruder.
The crystal had melted, and Azyeth was gone.
Who dared to invade Skadia's lair and spirit away the princess?
Enraged, Skadia shot its breath toward the sky.
Immediately.
It had to bring the princess back at once. If left alone, the light of her beauty would fade.
Skadia asked its magic mirror.
Mirror, mirror. Who is the most beautiful person in the world?
The mirror answered.
The image that formed on its surface was not the Ice Princess, Azyeth Priana—but four different women.
A red-haired human.
An elf with a haggard complexion.
A maid girl.
A pink nine-tailed fox.
Azyeth was nowhere to be seen.
A question mark appeared in Skadia's mind. If it was the most beautiful person, only one should have appeared. Why were there four?
Of course, they were women of outstanding beauty, but they were not to Skadia's taste. Besides, weren't two of them just little kids?
Is the mirror broken?
Just as Skadia was entertaining this doubt,
the four women turned their heads in unison. Their gazes fell upon the mirror. As if sensing Skadia's presence on the other side, they narrowed their eyes and moved their lips.
Do not spy on us.
What are you staring at?
Please don't watch us.
Don't you spy on Rin.
CRACK!
Flinching from the sheer pressure they exuded, Skadia couldn't withstand the momentary fear and shattered the mirror.
Skadia panted for breath, its whole body drenched in a cold sweat.
To be frightened by mere mortals…?
The great Ice Dragon Skadia?
Impossible.
An awkward moment passed.
Skadia regained its composure.
It shouldn't have asked the question that way. It should have just asked for Azyeth's location, right? Skadia tried to ask again, but the magic mirror was already in pieces.
…
…No matter.
It would just have to find her itself.
With Azyeth's beauty, finding her wherever she was shouldn't be difficult.
Skadia flapped its wings and soared into the sky once more.
Skadia did not know.
The mirror was not broken.
Those who had received the salvation known as liberation possessed a beauty that others could never imitate.