Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Ice Prince
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Emerging from the darkness, we hurried straight for the souvenir shop.
Inside, it was chaos. Whether it was a planned attack or not, screams echoed from all directions, and the sounds of fighting were incessant.
Caught in the sudden turmoil, civilians were running frantically, not knowing which way to go.
“Out of the way!”
“Help me!”
People were running without looking where they were going, constantly bumping into each other.
If someone fell, no one bothered to help them up; they were simply trampled underfoot. Agonized screams were drowned out by the thunder of countless footsteps.
It seemed no one had the luxury to look around, focused only on the disaster before them.
If I accidentally fall here, it'll be a big problem.
“Sister….”
I could feel Bada's small hand trembling. I held it tightly so she wouldn't be scared or fall.
“Get out of the way, brats!”
Just as we were nearing the end of the hallway, a man shoved us aside with his arm and rushed past.
Our clasped hands were torn apart. With a shriek, Bada stumbled backward, about to fall on her bottom.
I moved quickly and pulled her into a tight hug.
Phew. Thank goodness I wasn't too late.
As I frowned and glared at the man, he disappeared around a corner.
Three seconds later, the man's scream was followed by a splatter of blood staining the wall.
Bada flinched at the sight.
Her face turned pale, and her body trembled.
Thud, thud.
A long shadow stretched across the wall. Along with the footsteps, a figure emerged from around the corner.
They were dressed just like the ones I had just defeated.
In other words, members of the Black Wing Corps.
Ten of them? More than before. But with Bada here, I can't move like I did earlier. What should I do?
“Target acquired. Proceed with the mission.”
At that moment, the emergency light illuminating the corner flickered out, plunging us into darkness.
They were there, in the dark.
As if not to give me even a moment to think, I heard the sound of swords being drawn.
“Lily… what do we do….”
Bada's voice trembled violently.
Good question. What *do* we do?
Just then, I heard the sound of someone running quickly from behind us.
“I won't forgive you, bastards!”
At first, I was wary, thinking it was another enemy, but thankfully, it wasn't. The person who leaped in front of us was holding a weapon.
From their attire, they seemed to be a Fixer hired by this place.
Seeing someone come to their rescue, the color returned slightly to Bada's face.
The Fixer charged at the Black Wing Corps members and began to fight fiercely.
Watching the fight, I furrowed my brow.
They're not going to win.
‘Should I slip away in this opening? No, with that Fixer's skill, they won't even be able to buy us any time. They'll catch up to us in no time. It might be better to just take them all down right here and now...’
I had no choice but to take the gamble. Steeling myself, I shook the shoulder of the dazed Bada.
Bada seemed to snap out of it and looked at me.
Her eyes were red, a clear sign of how scared she was. Her once-neat blue hair was now a mess.
I wiped away the thick tears welling in her eyes with my finger and straightened her hair a little.
Then, I gestured for Bada to close her eyes for about thirty seconds.
Normally, she would have asked why. But perhaps because the situation didn't allow for thought, Bada did as I said without a word, covering her eyes with both hands.
And she began to count slowly. One, two, three...
‘So far, so good.’
I stood up, kicked off the ground, and rushed toward them.
“Argh—.”
As expected, the Fixer let out a short cry as he was struck down by the enemy.
As the dying Fixer dropped his weapon, I snatched the sword before it hit the ground and, in the same motion, swung it, swiftly cutting one of them down.
“Kuh!”
I heard gasps of surprise from the others.
It seemed they, too, were quite shocked to see a child move like this.
Not missing the opening, I continued my attack. They belatedly came to their senses and tried to counter my strikes.
Amidst the flashing lights and the clash of metal, I took them down one by one.
Their attacks never even grazed me, while every swing of my sword dealt a fatal blow.
Ten seconds passed.
All the enemies were down.
‘Thank goodness they weren't strong enough for me to get serious.’
Minimal mana usage. Simple physical enhancement was more than enough.
I went back to Bada. She was now counting to eighteen, and I was about to tell her to open her eyes.
But a strange metallic click made me whip my head around.
One of them was struggling to his feet.
I can't believe he was still alive. I thought they were all dead.
He looked like he was barely hanging on; I figured he'd collapse on his own without me having to do anything.
But carelessness is forbidden!
The moment I moved to finish him off.
The man pressed his arms together and extended them toward us.
His arms whirred mechanically, transforming in an instant into a gun barrel. An ominous red light glowed from the muzzle.
‘Damn!’
-BOOM!
What followed was a deafening roar as a shell was fired.
I angled the sword and deflected the incoming shell, sending it flying behind me. An explosion erupted in the distance, and a fierce wind swept over us.
My silver hair fluttered in the wind.
As the man prepared to fire a second shot after his first was blocked.
I quickly swung my arm and threw the sword.
Thwack!
The sword lodged squarely in his head, and the red light in the muzzle died out.
Then, the emergency lights, which had been off, came back on.
Phew.
Thankfully, it seemed Bada had obeyed my instructions perfectly.
“W-what happened…?”
I poked Bada's soft cheek, letting her know it was okay to open her eyes.
Bada slowly opened her eyes.
“Eek….”
Her face turned pale at the sight of the scattered corpses.
Thankfully, though startled, she didn't lose consciousness. A normal child might have burst into tears, but for people living in this era, it was a familiar sight.
Still, familiarity didn't make it a pleasant scene, and Bada staggered in shock.
I caught her to keep her from falling. I gestured that we should hurry to Red.
Bada nodded, her breathing ragged.
“R-right... S-sister... we have to get back to Sister....”
Just as I took her small hand again to leave.
Bada stopped in her tracks.
Her gaze was fixed on the dead Fixer.
I conveyed to her that this Fixer had risked his life to protect us.
Understanding my gesture, she looked sad.
“I see….”
Bada closed her eyes.
She offered a moment of silence for the one who had saved her life.
There was no need to tell her the truth.
It was better for me, and for him.
We hurried on our way.
*
“Sisterrrr!!”
“Bada!”
Thankfully, we ran into Red and the others on our way.
Red opened her arms, and Bada ran into her embrace. Red held her tight.
Was it all the fear she'd been holding back? Bada burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Red kept repeating that it was okay, patting Bada on the back.
The other children sniffled beside them.
‘So she can make a face like that, too.’
I was inwardly surprised by Red's expression. Did she notice me staring?
Red glanced over and extended an arm toward me. Suddenly, I was also pulled into her embrace.
“I'm so glad you're safe too, Lily. So, so glad... really.”
Feeling strangely embarrassed, I struggled to get away, but I couldn't escape her grasp.
Fine. Do what you want.
I surrendered first and felt a gentle patting on my back.
A strange feeling.
It's embarrassing, but... not entirely unpleasant.
“Alright everyone, let's get moving. Don't leave my side. Got it?”
The children nodded.
Our group started to move.
It was absolute mayhem, but the children were holding up well, just by having Red with them.
I hoped for no more trouble, but contrary to my wishes, danger kept finding us on our way.
“Prioritize the targets!”
Several Black Wing Corps members rushed in, aiming for the children.
With swift movements, Red blocked them, preventing them from laying a hand on the children.
The enemies were no match for Red.
“Don't you dare touch the kids in front of me.”
But the enemies didn't give up.
Whenever they saw us, they ignored everything else and charged straight for our group.
Their behavior struck me as odd.
‘Why are they only targeting the children?’
The enemies were persistently targeting only the children.
They seemed to pay no mind to Red.
Why on earth are they after these kids? Who ordered this?
Red seemed to be thinking the same thing, but she didn't have the luxury of finding out from the enemies. She was too busy protecting the children.
And it's not like I can use my power here.
For now, I'll just observe the situation a bit longer.
After moving a little further, we found ourselves surrounded by what looked like at least fifty people.
‘We're completely surrounded.’
“Sister….”
“Sister….”
The children grew scared.
“Tch.”
Red clicked her tongue, clearly displeased with the situation.
It wasn't because the number was overwhelming.
Even if ten times this number attacked, they would be no match for Red.
However, for her, who had to fight without letting the children get hurt, it was a truly difficult position.
What to do?
The enemies all took their stances. It looked like they were about to charge all at once.
‘Should I step in... Huh? This mana?’
As I debated whether to intervene, I felt an unusual surge of mana from nearby.
I turned my head.
Red seemed to have noticed something as well and looked in the same direction.
For that brief moment, our attention was diverted.
The enemies didn't miss the opening and kicked off the ground in unison.
But it didn't matter.
A fierce wind blew from the direction of the mana.
""Aahhh—.""
The children cried out in alarm.
It was a cold wind.
The children shut their eyes against the force of the wind. My mask protected me, so I was fine.
When the children opened their eyes again, they gasped at the sight before them.
“Wow~ It's sparkling.”
“It's like it's snowing.”
It does look like that.
Tiny ice particles were floating gently throughout the space around us.
The particles glittered as they caught the light.
The other children were mesmerized by the scene.
When the children breathed out, white puffs of air escaped their small mouths.
A chill hung in the air.
It's cold.
‘More importantly, the enemies...’
I turned my gaze to the enemies.
They were all frozen solid. Literally, they had become ice statues.
I shifted my gaze again. Someone was approaching, their footsteps echoing.
“Isaac….”
I heard Red mutter.
From her tone, it seemed she didn't like this person.
It was a handsome man with his hair tied back.
The man looked extremely pleased by this unexpected encounter.
“I never thought I'd see you in a place like this. Is this what they call fate? But I didn't step in for nothing, did I?”