Chapter 4: Chapter 4 - The Road to Imperial Palace (3)
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Frost began settling all around the dining area.
"What the… why is it suddenly so cold?" one of the thugs stammered.
"That guy! I bet he's the cause!" another pointed at me with his sword.
The sunweed, a dangerous drug that endlessly torments people. The weed, used only for pleasure and excitement, was for me, used to reduce the output of my cold magic. And I had just spit it out.
One of them raised the corners of his mouth in the middle of the commotion, "You're putting on a show because of that woman, aren't you?"
"You're mistaken. That woman is not my type."
I remained with my feet on the table, contemplating how awful the food was, how annoyed it made me feel, and how hungry I still was…. I twirled the spoon in my fingertip while processing this mix of emotions.
"Which one of you should die first? Decide the order among yourselves."
At that, the men's bodies shook violently as if in anger.
"...…!"
Immediately after, their wide eyes turned to their own ankles. They tried to kick the ground nicely but were flustered because they couldn't.
It was only natural. They were frozen from the feet and the ground up.
"Decide from where you are. Don't come any closer."
"You're a trickster. Who the hell are you?"
"I guess I'm the emperor's son-in-law-to-be."
"You're out of your mind."
"I've never been sane."
Always, already, now. I had never been.
Clang─! Clang─! Clang─!
It was then that one of them swung his club down on the ice of his ankle. After a while, the guy who had regained his freedom kicked the ground hard.
"Stop putting on airs and die, you bastard!"
I watched silently as he raised his club high.
In my mind, I painted a picture using mana, like colors on a white canvas. I envisioned a few techniques and the thug frozen solid.
The picture in my head and the reality gradually overlapped; the moment it intersected exactly, I just flicked my finger.
Zzzak-!
The thug's body split perfectly in two, falling to either side of me; the wound froze instantly, preventing blood from spurting everywhere.
His face remained fixed in a deathly scream, not even realizing his demise. Pathetic.
"I told you not to come closer."
As I muttered to myself and looked around, I saw that the men's momentum had weakened considerably. They had barged in as if they would devour the entire inn, but now they were humbled.
Their feet were still frozen to the ground. I pointed to each of their heads with the tip of my spoon.
"So, who do you think should die next?"
At that, the men exchanged glances and one of them spoke up.
"…Can't you just let us go? We'll keep quiet."
"Ah, asking to be let go now?"
They tensed as I pretended to consider it.
"Alright. I will."
"Oh…!"
Their faces lit up momentarily.
When I nodded behind me, everyone's heads turned that way. At the same time, it was the moment when the faces that had been bright just now froze in an instant.
What awaited them at the end of their line of sight was a door frozen solid, reminiscent of the entrance to an ice cave in the north. Not only was it blue, but it was also full of frost.
"How about it, can you open it and go out?"
"....."
They turned back to me, their faces now filled with determination.
Their enraged faces said it all — they had met a foe who would not accept surrender. Naturally, when facing such an enemy, the only choice was to fight to the bitter end.
"Have you ever wondered about this?"
Instead of the usual sunweed, I chewed on a small piece of ice.
"What if I was frozen forever in just a single moment — what expression should I be frozen with? Have you ever thought about that?"
"Hyaaahh!!"
Rather than answering, the thugs let out a collective war cry and tried smashing the ice binding their feet. But it was merely a futile cry to overcome their fear — the chill was as cold as ever. Frost, by its nature, was devoid of mercy.
I closed my eyes and slowly extended one hand.
I aimed at the motionless blue figures. Though my eyes were closed, my vision became even clearer, filled with detailed spell formations. The abstract chill that permeated the air was more vivid to me than anything else.
Thus, a simple ice enchantment, I said
"Freeze."
Thereafter, silence.
Everything I had sensed through my perception of mana had faded away.
The hostile presences approaching me, the malicious auras lashing out, the desperation of struggling to survive… all of it. Not a single thing left.
Whooosh—
Only when the chill wind brushed my nose did I finally open my eyes.
"Hmm."
They were all frozen mid-charge, like exhibits in a museum.
I studied them for a while.
"Probably could've frozen you all in better poses though, don't you think?"
Of course, no answer came back.
Just as I reached into my coat for another sunweed—
BANG! BANG!
Small objects burst through the frozen doorway, instantly shattering the frozen corpses into pieces like shattered sculptures.
A skilled mage's reflexes were not to be underestimated. Studying the projectiles, I sensed an oddly familiar presence.
"…Cube fragments?"
The very cube Agnes had been fiddling with one-handed. Those were the pieces.
The cube fragments moved with a mind of their own, whirling through the air before converging at the dining hall's entrance onto Agnes' outstretched palm, her short hair neatly kempt as always.
I addressed her bold entrance, "A telekinesis mage? Didn't expect that."
"Your preliminary investigation was lacking. How lazy of you," Agnes replied pointedly, as if she had been waiting to throw my own words back at me.
"You really shouldn't carry such a sharp tongue if you want to be popular with men."
"I'm grateful for that. It means I don't attract men like you."
I leisurely chewed my sunweed, savoring the small pops and charred flavor when biting down forcefully.
"So why did you barge in so late anyway?"
"I simply finished evaluating your level just now."
"That's not it. Why did you destroy my handiwork?"
"…I'll ignore that. His Majesty the Emperor has ordered your transport without delay."
I chuckled and nodded compliantly.
"Can't disobey his Majesty the Emperor, I suppose."
◇──◆──◇
After that, the carriage traveled relentlessly for several days.
After freezing Agnes' cube, Ezekiel started sleeping endlessly, and thanks to that, her head was full of Ezekiel against her will.
She stared blankly at the notebook in her hand.
[Strong. Skilled in Ice Magic.]
At the time, she had left one cube eye inside the dining hall for situation observation, and thanks to that, she could feel everything with her eyes and ears.
The conclusion of her impression was precisely four letters. Extraordinary.
Agnes asked the soldier next to her.
"…Why didn't such a powerful mage even become rumored?"
"That's what I wanted to ask."
The soldier answered right away as if it was a question he had been holding onto as well.
"While apprentice mages are prey themselves, isn't a high-rank mage much higher than a scroll user? Once they survive and become stronger, they can't help but gain tremendous fame, isn't that the structure?"
"That's right. But it seemed like the villagers didn't know about him at all."
Agnes remembered the subtle attitude with which the villagers treated Ezekiel. It was just the attitude treating an ordinary commoner. Precisely that.
"It's strange. Unless the information was intentionally erased, it can't be explained. There are too many parts that don't add up."
"…Well, would it really go that far? The imperial family?"
"I'm just saying that's how it is. High-ranking mages are that precious."
The biggest difference between scroll users and mages was most clearly revealed when comparing the realm called 'Transcendence'.
Scroll users can use various magic spells from the beginning, so their starting point is extremely high, but only complete mages can ultimately reach the realm of Transcendence.
The soldier clicked his tongue.
"A high-rank mage… It really doesn't suit him. His personality was ridiculously strange. In fact, he'd fit in well with Feital folks more."
"Yeah. He's not in his right mind."
She should probably note that down too. Agnes quietly wrote in her notebook.
[Seems to have mental issues.]
It was then that a majestic view unfolded before Agnes and the soldier.
"Ah, we've finally arrived. It's an imposing sight no matter how many times I see it."
"…The Imperial Capital. Artiel."
The scenery of sophisticated and tall buildings gathered together was itself close to art. This was Artiel, the imperial capital where the imperial palace slumbered at its heart.
What was the enigmatic man they were transporting by carriage?
—He might as well be the Emperor's prospective son-in-law.
"…That absolutely won't be the case."
A preposterous notion. Not only was it not at the absolutely not level, it absolutely cannot happen. For a man like that to marry the emperor's daughter, who was as graceful as a celestial maiden? That must not happen. If it does, then this world is abandoned.
Well, they'll find out later how things unfold.
Yes, they'll find out later, but…
A strange phrase she heard while observing the situation kept coming to her mind.
—That woman is not my type.
"..."
—That woman is not my type.
—That woman is not my type.
—That woman is not my type.
That phrase kept bothering her. No matter how hard she tried to forget it, it kept surfacing. She was just quietly doing her job, but why did this man keep saying such unnecessary things? And to carelessly utter such a rude remark at that.
Agnes narrowed her brow and added one more line to her notebook.
[You're not my type either.]
…Her heart felt much lighter.
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