The Trial of Bitter Cold - 2
It was something that simply should not have been possible.
Prihart’s ice golems were masterpieces forged from high-purity eternal ice. Their hardness was absolute; nothing short of a weapon of pure orichalcum could ever hope to destroy them.
And yet the human standing right in front of him had not only stopped a golem with his bare hands—he had shattered it completely.
Just what kind of human is this…?
From the very first trial of the golems, thousands upon thousands of humans had despaired and given up on life.
Even the ones with real backbone had to pool their strength just to barely take those ice golems down…
Bern had cleared the first trial alone. And he had done it against ice golems far more refined and powerful than the ones from the early days.
Watching the entire spectacle, Gryupheid could not hold back his admiration.
A human among Prihart’s followers… No, still too early to jump to conclusions.
He had shown extraordinary power, true, but he had only cleared a single trial. The remaining ones had nothing whatsoever to do with raw strength. Even if the man possessed some freakish power, there was every chance he would fail the rest.
“Ahem!”
Gryupheid carefully composed his expression again and cleared his throat. Putting on the most nonchalant air he could manage, he addressed Bern.
“Fine work. I saw it all.”
“Thank you.”
“But it’s still too early to celebrate. Two more trials remain, and they’re even harder.”
“I’m aware. If it’s all right with you, may I move straight on to the next without resting?”
“I was gonna do that even without you askin’.”
Snap!
The ice statue flicked its fingers, and a wide ice box dropped over Bern’s head. The bottom was completely open; it existed solely to cage his body. Bern understood that at once and made no move to dodge.
“This trial will prove your wisdom and your willpower.”
“Could you tell me exactly what the trial entails?”
“I’m gonna pour extreme cold into the space you’re in. Endure it to the very limit.”
“How long do I have to hold out?”
“Five minutes.”
Bern tilted his head at the unexpectedly short time. Gryupheid only gave him a meaningful smile.
“Feels short right now, doesn’t it? Once you’re actually in it, though, the feelin’ will be a whole lot different.”
“Maybe so.”
“How long do you think that composure of yours is gonna last?”
Bone-chilling cold, cold enough to freeze a man solid on an ice field, began pouring into the box. It rose from Bern’s feet, climbed his legs, his waist, his chest, his neck, and finally his head. Extreme cold that turned soft skin rigid and slowly stopped the blood itself.
This is definitely beyond what anyone could endure for five minutes…!
Bern felt his body hardening. The cold had flash-frozen him before he could even form a countermeasure.
“Even if you freeze solid, don’t you worry. I’ll make sure you see the light of the world again in twenty-five years.”
“Un…fortunately…!”
The body that had been turning to stone began to move again, slowly at first, then faster and faster. By the three-minute mark he was moving as freely as ever.
“Twenty-five years is far too long for me. I’ll have to decline.”
“You’re completely insane…! How can you still be perfectly fine inside absolute-zero cold?”
“I used triple-element magic at the last possible second before my body froze solid.”
“Triple-element magic?”
“Yes. I efficiently combined wind, water, and ice to create a barrier.”
He wrapped his entire body in a membrane of wind, then extracted the moisture from the air. Next he froze that moisture with ice magic, forming an ice shield that completely blocked the external cold. Bern calmly explained the entire process to Gryupheid.
So there was a method like that…
It was a solution he had never even imagined. Other elements were involved, yet the core was still ice. Wind and water alone could never have stopped absolute-zero cold. But by using the principle of fighting cold with cold, Bern had answered perfectly with the same ice-attribute power. The meticulousness of using other elemental magics without giving anyone grounds for complaint was impressive. Gryupheid and every ice spirit present nodded in agreement. It was an outstanding strategy with no room for objection.
“No need to watch any further.”
Crack!
The ice box that had imprisoned him crumbled away. The cold that had been freezing even the air vanished, and Bern released his magic. The ice membrane shattered, and he strode forward with complete composure.
“Until now, not a single soul has ever reached the final trial. You’re the first. Be proud of that.”
“Forgive me, but before we begin the next trial, may I ask one thing?”
“What is it?”
“The statues all around us… are they by any chance…?”
“Humans who failed the trials and froze solid.”
“I thought as much.”
“Don’t waste any pity on them. They’re sinners who brought chaos to the spirit realm.”
“Understood.”
Among them there must be spirit-violators as well. Bern brushed the frost fragments from his clothes and gave a dry little laugh. He was simply glad he hadn’t ended up like them.
“I’m ready. Please grant me the final trial.”
“Ahem!”
Gryupheid cleared his throat once and began explaining the purpose of the trial in a low voice.
“Next I will test the way you regard ice itself.”
“My mindset?”
“Simply put, it’s a procedure to check whether your heart is compatible with ice. Every human has different elemental affinities. If your affinity for fire is higher than for ice, that would put us in a real bind.”
Bern nodded at Gryupheid’s words. Nothing looked more mismatched than a hot-blooded person mainly using ice magic. Becoming a follower of cold without any aptitude for ice would be going against the natural order.
“Then how will this trial proceed?”
“From this moment on, no matter what happens, you must not laugh.”
“……That’s all?”
“This one won’t be easy either.”
The content was so odd for a trial that Bern looked bewildered. Yet every trial he had faced so far had been life-threatening. He steeled himself, treating this one the same way.
Confirming the resolve in Bern’s eyes, Gryupheid opened his mouth.
“What happens when ice goes crazy?”
“……Excuse me?”
An abrupt quiz. Bern was momentarily flustered, then calmed himself and seriously considered the question, searching for a profound answer.
Just as he was about to speak—
“The answer is ice-ice… pfft!”
Kyaaarrrk—!
The moment Gryupheid revealed the answer, peals of laughter erupted from the spirits all around. The quiz had been nothing but a terrible dad joke, and the ice spirits were clutching their stomachs. In a space overflowing with laughter, Bern alone kept a completely straight face.
“What’s ice hanging all over the place in bunches? Thin ice…! Puhahaha!”
Horror began to color Bern’s expression.
“Kh-khp! And if ice keeps on dying? Die…!”
“Stop it, you bastard!”
Bern smashed Gryupheid’s head and killed the ice for real.
In a fit of rage I had actually attacked the Spirit King, yet because I never laughed I still passed the final trial.
I was now eligible to receive Prihart’s blessing, but I felt no joy whatsoever.
Who could have guessed I would hear dad jokes from a spirit…?
When I first heard what humans had done to the spirits I had felt guilt, but right now I honestly wouldn’t mind if the ice spirits went extinct.
Haaah.
Even as the blessing of cold was bestowed and a seal was engraved on the back of my right hand, countless ice spirits clung to me expressing affection, yet my mood remained thoroughly rotten.
Something is seriously wrong with this other world.
[That’s the face of someone who has just woken from an illusion.]
Whether it was humans who violated spirits or ice spirits who told dad jokes, both were types I never wanted to get close to. But now that I had become a follower of Prihart, I would have to get along with them. I found myself resenting my past self for coming all the way to the temple just to receive this blessing.
“You cleared every trial splendidly! From this day on you’re one of us, a fellow countryman.”
“Y-yes……”
“You look like you hate it, though?”
“Not at all.”
I forced out a laugh and let the moment pass. Keeping my expression under control was genuinely hard.
“By the way, I never asked the most important thing! What reason brought you here seeking the blessing of cold?”
“Ah, I forgot to mention it. I came to receive the blessing so I can fight a red dragon.”
“A red dragon…?”
“Yes. As you know, no living creature can withstand a red dragon’s flame breath.”
“But if one can wield Prihart’s cold, one can endure it…… Indeed, your goal was extraordinary from the start. It would be absurd if a human who intends to fight a dragon couldn’t survive trials of this level.”
Gryupheid kept nodding in agreement. He didn’t try to stop me or tell me to reconsider, which I appreciated. It almost felt like the Spirit King was placing expectations on me.
“Good. I’ll give you a juicy piece of information for someone planning to fight a red dragon.”
“What is it?”
“Once you leave the snow mountains and head northwest, you’ll find a village where yetis and snow women live. Seek their help. They also harbor deep grudges against the red dragon.”
“But yetis and snow women are hostile to humans as well, aren’t they?”
“Tsk tsk!”
Gryupheid clicked his tongue and wagged his index finger left and right.
“Have you forgotten you’re a follower of Lord Prihart? The yetis and snow women may not be official followers like us, but they revere and follow Lord Prihart. Show them your mark and they will never treat you poorly. If they do, report it to me. I’ll turn them into living ice myself…!”
Gryupheid’s eyes gleamed murderously as he issued the threat. It was the kind of presence and dignity one expected from a Spirit King. For a moment I almost doubted he was the same old man who loved dad jokes.
“Anyway, enough of that for now. As the first human follower of Lord Prihart, I’ll give you a personal gift.”
“A gift?”
“That’s right. It’s a precious item, so don’t use it carelessly.”
A pendant was placed in my palm. Strangely, the end of the necklace held a heart-shaped sapphire with two small ice spikes embedded in it.
“That necklace was born from the lingering grudge of a man who failed to protect his lover during a trial.”
“I’m a little reluctant to accept something with that kind of history…”
“I understand how you feel, but I’m giving it to you because you need it.”
Gryupheid shot a sidelong glance at Rene, as if telling me to give it to her.
“As for its effect: if you pull out the spikes on the necklace and drive them into both people’s chests, the two of you will be bound by the power of that grudge. From then on you will remain together until the moment of death.”
It was essentially a soul contract. An extreme pact where if one dies, the other dies as well. A forbidden contract in necklace form.
“We have no use for such a thing, so use it or discard it as you see fit.”
It was unmistakably taboo, yet at the same time it was a romantic contract for a man and woman who wished to spend their entire lives together. He had given it to me so I would use it on Rene and bind even our souls. I bowed my head in thanks and tightly gripped the pendant.
[Are you planning to use it on Rene right away?]
No.
Honestly, I did have the intention of using it on Rene. If I couldn’t properly protect the person I loved, then living itself would be worthless. But I planned to put this necklace to a different use.
[Then what do you intend to use it for?]
Obviously……
As a “no-release” collar for a bomb girl.
I was already looking forward to the day I returned to the academy.