Chapter 103
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Wow, Rewards Are Pouring In! (3)
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The entire forest freezing over—what an extraordinary phenomenon. It was the moment Greta was steeling herself for battle.
"Kyaak!"
First, something tumbled pathetically from the sky.
It wasn't an object, but a person. If her appearance had to be described, she resembled a girl like a rabbit.
Thud!
And then three more landed.
"The closer it feels like you're going to fall, the more you need to lean into it. I told you the trick, didn't I?"
"Y-yes. My body just wouldn't cooperate..."
"Glad you don't seem too badly hurt."
However, Greta's gaze shifted not to the women, but to the man at the center. He appeared to be the core of the group.
'Strong.'
He was cloaked in an immense amount of cold energy, refined to perfect clarity. Simply watching him stand there motionless conveyed an aura of extraordinary prowess.
He spoke with a Sunweed dangling from his mouth.
"Freezing everything is pretty taxing."
"...To freeze the whole forest just to track someone down—a search method I couldn't even imagine. It's hard to believe you actually pulled it off."
"What's the difference? We found the person safe and sound."
Only then did the man and the others turn their attention to Greta.
Shwaaa—!
As if it had never happened, the forest shed every trace of ice in an instant. A mastery that encompassed not just freezing, but thawing as well. Even Greta had to admire it.
"You're the Black Tower Lord, right?"
The man stepped right up to Greta.
"I'm Zekiel, Inspector of the Yellow Tower."
"I'm just a witch now. I used to be the Black Tower Lord."
"Then we've found the right place."
Zekiel nodded toward the still-frozen patch of forest.
"Friends of yours? Want me to thaw it?"
"No need."
Her response was calm, but Greta couldn't suppress the waves of admiration rising within her.
'Froze the entire forest to pinpoint me?'
She must have extended mana-infused ice infinitely, then carved a path straight to the detected target and surged forward. That seemed to be the method.
...Theoretically possible, at best.
'And this forest is infused with demonic energy.'
Freezing even the demonic energy fluctuating in real time? Greta couldn't even guess at the level of freezing mastery required. She'd never heard of the Blue Tower achieving anything like it.
It was then that the woman beside Zekiel offered a proper greeting.
"I'm Elder Seina of the Blue Tower."
"...Even an elder from the Blue Tower?"
Greta naturally knew who Seina was.
A woman whose achievements towered above her age, known for a temperament as sharp and cold as her command of ice.
Yet beside Zekiel, she seemed surprisingly docile.
'Magic, connections—what an incredible inspector.'
Just as that thought crossed Greta's mind.
"It's an honor to meet you, Black Tower Lord."
"Greetings, Black Tower Lord."
Zekiel's group showed impeccable etiquette without exception, so her guard naturally lowered.
Zekiel matched their courtesy.
"I cast discourteous magic without permission. Forgive me."
"Without that spell, I'd have faced far greater danger. If anything, I owe you thanks."
Perhaps because of the mutual respect, the exchange between the two sides flowed smoothly, without a hint of friction.
"I'd like to speak with the Black Tower Lord."
"Understood. Though it's humble."
Following Greta's lead, the group entered a massive log cabin, expertly stacked from timber.
Greta's cabin.
"...Such a thing happened? Teddy got punished?"
"Hard to believe, I know, but it's true."
Seina smiled brightly and nodded, but Greta was focused on a different surprise.
'Couldn't even resist.'
Given Teddy Divine's temperament, his downfall was inevitable eventually. But being butchered without putting up a fight was astonishing.
As she listened to the detailed account of events at the Black Spire, Greta's gaze increasingly turned to Zekiel. It was only natural.
"When I heard about the achievements in the Luiple region, I figured an impressive inspector must have arrived. But I never imagined a mage of this caliber."
"You're embarrassing me. I still have a long way to go."
Zekiel replied humbly.
Or perhaps it wasn't mere humility. He genuinely anticipated even greater growth for himself.
They continued conversing after that.
They covered Zekiel's various accomplishments, then shifted to the main topic: the secret technique.
After hearing about it, Greta asked.
"You want the secret technique I've been researching?"
"I need it desperately."
"Handing it over is easy, but... Hmm..."
Greta fished something out of the cauldron.
A disk emerged. Divided into uniform sections like a pizza, each one infused with various elements.
Ribbit?
Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit!
It was then that frogs suddenly swarmed over Greta, vehemently trying to dissuade her.
—Master, what are the frogs saying?
—How should I know?
—The master I know is omnipotent!
—I can interpret non-human wavelengths to some extent. Want me to overlay a translation membrane on your eardrums?
Everyone stared silently at Tether.
It was the pinnacle of expressing "You?" with just facial expressions.
Tether sighed bitterly.
To think you see me as so useless...
Soon, Tether overlaid thin mana membranes over the group's eardrums, and the frogs' voices translated into speech.
"What are you telling outsiders? This disk is Lady Greta's lifelong aspiration!"
"It is my aspiration, but it'll remain unfinished if it stays in my hands forever. No solution in sight."
"Even so..."
Greta soothed the gathered frogs.
"I don't have much time left to live. Seeing this completed is my sole wish. Keeping it clutched only in my hands—that's just stubbornness, sheer obsession."
Greta appeared to have made up her mind.
"I can't comprehend it. To a mage you've just met..."
"Lady Greta! Please reconsider...!"
"Don't worry so much. I'm just showing it."
The frogs kept voicing their concerns, but Greta turned resolutely and extended the disk.
"Inspector of the Yellow Tower—do you see a way to fill it?"
She'd asked casually, but Greta ended up stunned.
Zekiel's eyes gleamed with tremendous focus, as if he'd plunged into another world in an instant.
'Preservation Art.'
Zekiel recognized the disk immediately.
In each section of the disk, flames, darkness, wind... the elements swirled with utmost purity.
Not power continuously generated.
Simply an element's singular moment preserved for eternity.
Greta had said she'd poured immense effort into it, and he instantly grasped the truth of that. Even calling it a high-difficulty technique fell short.
"Only the ice element wouldn't take."
Greta muttered.
Seina at her side widened her eyes round.
"Why is that? At first glance, ice seems the easiest element to capture."
"Ordinary ice melts away, and plain non-melting ice lacked the volume. Surely there's a more beautiful form of ice."
Non-melting ice simply doesn't melt.
Its very appearance matches ordinary ice.
That's what Greta regretted. Seina, who cherished ice, could roughly grasp her point.
It was then that Zekiel spoke.
"Black Tower Lord, do you have a specific ice in mind?"
Greta nodded slowly.
"Yes. An ice waterfall."
As if vividly recalling the vision in her mind, the Black Tower Lord briefly closed her eyes.
"Ice is inherently solid. Dynamic, flowing—impossible by nature. But if ice were to flow...? Could there be a more beautiful vista?"
Zekiel quietly rubbed his chin.
Ice.
Flowing ice.
Seina was the first to speak.
"Infusing a flowing aspect into the ice element is a technique the Blue Tower struggles mightily with. At waterfall scale? The difficulty explodes exponentially."
"I know it's practically impossible. That's why I called it stubbornness."
"...It's hard. No—impossible."
Dark expressions clouded Tether and Anes's faces as well.
The more they heard, the clearer it became: the difficulty was absurd. Fire blazes, wind disperses, ice solidifies rigidly.
That's common sense. How could ice ever flow?
It was then that Zekiel abruptly handed the disk back.
Greta nodded in understanding.
"...As expected, impossible?"
Zekiel didn't reply with words.
Instead, he summoned a torrent of deep azure cold energy.
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