The Trial of Extreme Cold - 1
Through Frach, I came to learn in detail what humans had done to the spirits in the distant past.
Water Spirit — Soft and moist. Feels wonderful.
Earth Spirit — That gentle, enveloping hold is so cozy. Perfect for beginners.
Wind Spirit — Cool and generally flexible; you can handle them however you like.
Fire Spirit — Hot by default, but for those with resistance, the temperature is just right.
Ice Spirit — Extremely cold, but work up some friction heat and it becomes wonderfully refreshing.
Lightning Spirit — All tingly. Outstanding for anyone seeking maximum stimulation.
Darkness Spirit — A sensation of being sucked in like a black hole; the longer it goes, the hazier your mind gets.
Light Spirit — Warm by nature, with a luminous effect — so at night you can enjoy a real thrill.
…Those are impressions of contracting with spirits, right?
[If Contractor insists on taking it that way, this body shall remain silent. However, should you desire the truth, this body shall return an answer befitting it.]
Insane.
Those were all hole reviews, weren't they?
Spirit mages — practitioners who borrowed their partner spirit's power to cast magic a tier stronger. I'd held a quiet admiration for the profession and had every intention of contracting a spirit if the chance ever came. But after hearing what spirit mages actually were, contracting was off the table. Bashing my head into the floor first seemed more appropriate.
Humans had approached the spirits with impure motives, and the spirits had learned to fear them. Even I would want to keep my distance — how much worse must it be for the spirits themselves?
I let out a long sigh and looked toward the ice-carved altar in the distance. At this rate, I wasn't sure I'd ever receive Prihart's blessing.
[Still, it does not appear they are entirely on guard.]
At Frach's words I scanned the surroundings and caught faint blue lights flickering behind several of the ice statues. Not wanting my gaze to put them under pressure, I only glanced sidelong.
A small figure with sky-blue skin, butterfly wings of ice sprouting from its back — exactly as the ice spirits had been described in the novel.
"Lord Bern, there are spirits over there…!"
"Shh. I know. Don't provoke them — just wait until they come to us."
The spirits were watching to see what sort of people we were. More precisely, they were staring a hole straight through me alone. Rene, at a glance, was obviously a pure being. Me, on the other hand — they couldn't pin down what I was. So all I could do was wait until my presence became familiar enough for them to approach.
"Will you be all right? We don't know how long we'll have to wait."
"Even so, waiting is the only option. If we try to go to them first, they'll definitely run."
"Then at the very least, how about lighting a fire to warm ourselves?"
"Lighting a fire in a temple dedicated to the God of Cold? That's blasphemy."
Why was everything here made of ice? Because Prihart's temple accepted ice and ice alone. Start a fire in a place like that and the spirits would shun you — and you'd earn Prihart's wrath on top of it. I had come to receive a blessing, not to pick a fight with a god. Being on hostile terms with the Red Dragon was already more than I could handle; I was not about to add a deity to the list.
"That was shortsighted of me. So you'll simply wait quietly until the spirits come?"
"Yeah."
Until they lowered their guard and came to us. Even if hypothermia started to set in, we would stay put. Then they would understand that even as a human, I meant them no harm.
"Lord Bern, Lord Bern!"
"What?"
"If fire isn't allowed, then holding each other skin to skin should be fine, right?"
"Hm…?"
"I once heard that in the old days, when it got cold, rubbing against each other while naked was an efficient way to raise body heat!"
If it wasn't a sexual act — if it was purely for survival…
"That might be okay?"
"That is not okay either, you rascals!"
Just as I was about to nod along with Rene's idea, the ice statue that had been standing in elegant repose before the temple altar suddenly started bellowing at the top of its lungs.
"Oh."
An unintended divine appearance. No more need to sit and wait.
Unfortunately, the being dwelling inside the ice statue was not Prihart but the Ice Spirit King. Well — a god descending just because someone said they'd hug each other naked in a temple would have been ridiculous anyway. When a supreme being like a god sets foot on mortal ground, the law of causality fractures. Restoring that broken causality requires the god to pay a price, so casual descents simply aren't an option.
In any case, though it wasn't Prihart, the Ice Spirit King Gryupheid — who could fairly be called his proxy — had appeared. Spirit Kings could commune with their gods in real time, so his words might as well be considered the god's own.
However…
"Eigh, tsk tsk! Kids these days! Ugh! You've gone clean off your rockers, daring to try something indecent in a sacred temple?"
Was this boomer lecture Prihart's will, or Gryupheid's personality? I couldn't tell, which made it awkward to say anything. If it was the latter, I could try striking up a conversation — but if it was the former, I needed to stay quiet until he finished. Doing otherwise would be disrespectful.
"Mad — thoroughly mad, the lot of you!"
"I'm sorry."
"I'll let it slide this once, but next time there won't even be soup left for ya!"
"Yes."
Fortunately, the elder's scolding was brief. Welcome news, given that the temperature was still dropping.
"So, from the looks of it, you came knowin' this is Lord Prihart's temple. What business brings you here?"
"I have come to receive the Blessing of Cold."
"…Do you understand what that means when you say it?"
"Of course. It means becoming a follower of Lord Prihart."
"Since the day He raised this temple, Lord Prihart has accepted no race as followers save the spirits themselves. And you — a human — say you'll become one?"
"I will accept the Trial of Extreme Cold."
At my words, Gryupheid flinched and reacted sharply.
The Trial of Extreme Cold. In ages past, it had been both a severe punishment and a test that Prihart imposed upon the humans who had thrown the spirit realm into chaos. He had made an extraordinary offer: pass the trial, and be accepted as His follower. But it was said that not a single human had ever passed — all of them had met their deaths. Meaning the challenge waiting inside was every bit as dangerous and grueling as the legend claimed.
"Lookin' at those eyes, seems you're serious."
"I am."
"Challenge this on half-baked stubbornness and you won't escape a dog's death."
"I'm prepared. I didn't come simply to obtain a blessing."
If things went wrong, I could die. At that realization Rene fretted, mouth working soundlessly. In the end she couldn't bring herself to speak, and instead expressed her anxiety by tightly gripping the hem of my clothes. I stroked her hair. I will pass this trial safely — so don't worry. With that meaning, I set her at ease.
"…Lord Prihart has given His leave. He says He rather likes the boldness of someone who walks into the temple seeking the trial."
"Please convey my humble gratitude for looking upon me so favorably."
Gryupheid smiled at me with open satisfaction. My respectful manner seemed to please him. As expected, treating elders with proper courtesy was the right call.
"Then I'll get the trial started right quick — no objections, I take it?"
"None."
The moment Gryupheid nodded, the ice path began to shake. An earthquake on a slippery surface was a guaranteed way to lose your footing, so I drove Frach into the ground and pulled Rene into a tight embrace, using the sword as a pillar and holding on as best I could to keep from falling.
Meanwhile, from the ground where Gryupheid stood, a massive ice pillar erupted upward.
"Lord Prihart will verify your qualifications through three trials in total. The first among them is martial prowess. Draw out every scrap of power you possess and prove your own worth."
Crack—! Clang—!
No sooner had Gryupheid finished speaking than fissures spiderwebbed across the ice pillar, and the outer shell crumbled away. Fragments cascaded down, revealing the ice golem that had been sealed inside — a towering construct clad in armor of ultra-dense ice. Like a gorilla, it began pounding its own chest and roaring.
[Will you manage without this body's aid?]
I'm fine. Right now, I'm enough on my own.
More importantly — the moment I used demonic energy, I'd be disqualified regardless of the trial's outcome. Other elemental magic was off-limits too. I had to bring down the ice golem with pure skill alone.
"If it looks too hard, you're free to quit midway. Ordinarily, those who fail the Trial of Extreme Cold must face death — but since you've committed no sin, He said He'd specially let it pass."
"I'm grateful for the consideration. However, I'll be fine."
I walked forward at a leisurely pace.
Rumble—!
The golem raised its arm toward me as I approached. A fist three meters across. If that massive thing came down on me, I wouldn't walk away unscathed. Even so, I didn't stop.
"Boy — plannin' to die a hollow death?"
"Hardly."
The instant the golem's fist came crashing down, I raised my right arm and casually stopped a fist larger than my entire body.
"You surpassed the power of a golem forged by Lord Prihart Himself…?"
A strange light flickered in Gryupheid's eyes as he stared at me. Clearly he had never expected a one-handed block. But it was still far too early to be surprised.
I poured strength into the hand gripping the golem's fist. Centered on my palm, roots of cracks began stretching outward through the ice. The moment those roots reached the golem's crown—
CRACK—!
With a clear, crystalline sound, the ice golem shattered. The ice that had formed its body fell away in fragments, and frost powder swirled through the air around us.
"Next."