Chapter 107. Journey to the Capital (3)
The remedy Iliana had made caused Seraphia to awaken the Authority of Frost.
A Hero of the Coalition Forces had effectively ended up helping the Monarch of Frost....
‘I didn’t think it through.’
....Strictly speaking, this was my fault.
First, I had never expected Iliana to create a remedy.
Second, I had overlooked the fact that anything made by Iliana was bound to possess extraordinary effects.
Iliana had merely devoted herself wholeheartedly to creating the remedy.
She had even thoroughly explained its effects to me.
....I simply had not understood her explanation.
Had I known this would happen, I would have at least used Predatory Instinct [S] on the remedy.
Then I might have been able to determine its effects.
Although it was already too late, I used Predatory Instinct [S] to examine Seraphia.
==<Character Information>==
Name: Seraphia White Wolf
Classification: Kingdom Animalia, Class Mammalia, Family Hominidae, Human
Sex: Female
Age: 16
Trait: Authority of Frost [P]
: The user generates a [Supernatural Thermal-Energy Deficit], reducing the [Entropy] and [Enthalpy] produced within a thermodynamic system to [Infinitesimal] values. As a result, all thermal energy and molecular motion within a [Finite System] converge toward [0], completely halting all physical, chemical, and biological processes.
I confirmed that Frost Curse [P] had changed into Authority of Frost [P].
The description was filled with complicated concepts.
Even after reading it, I could barely understand what it meant.
I probably would not have understood it even if I had used Predatory Instinct [S] on the remedy beforehand.
‘Just what the hell did you make, Iliana?’
I realized once again that she was called the [Mage of Truth] for good reason.
Fortunately....
‘Did she only awaken the Authority of Frost?’
Seraphia had not awakened as the Monarch of Frost.
Furthermore, judging from her statement that she still needed practice, the authority itself had not fully awakened either.
If it had, I would not be sitting here unharmed.
Of course, my current self had already surpassed the Predator from my previous life.
However, the power of a Monarch was not something that could be overcome merely by surpassing the Predator.
Another Level.
The Monarchs existed on a level that even the Heroes of the Coalition Forces could not approach.
Only Ian could contend with them, and even Ian could never guarantee victory against a Monarch.
Even so, Ian had defeated several Monarchs without suffering any significant injuries.
There was only one exception.
The Monarch of Frost.
The Coalition Forces’ greatest enemy. The witch who took the left arm of the Hero, Ian.
The horrific memories of my previous life surged through me in an instant.
Grit!
My fist clenched involuntarily.
Countless people had died at the hands of the Monarch of Frost.
Their voices had cried out for salvation.
Their hands had flailed desperately as they screamed that they did not want to die.
Those memories circled through my mind as vividly as if they had happened yesterday, constricting my heart.
Dragon’s Claw [A] dug into my palm, causing blood to drip from my hand.
At that moment—
◆Successor’s Will [EX] resists the Surging Madness!!
◆13 Sanity has been accumulated!
The message appearing before my eyes brought me back to my senses.
That was how deeply the fear and nightmares inflicted by the Monarch of Frost had taken root within me.
The Monarch of Frost ranked among the strongest of the Six Monarchs.
The mere mention of her name had once caused the entire Coalition Forces to tremble in fear.
My instincts were therefore telling me to kill Seraphia immediately.
However, my reason, restrained and preserved by Successor’s Will [EX], told me that I must not do that.
There had to be a “rational” reason why Ian regretted killing the Monarch of Frost.
‘But I can’t simply keep waiting for Ian.’
Ian might currently be drawing the emperor’s aggro. In other words, I had no idea when I would be able to reunite with him.
I could not blindly wait to learn the reason for Ian’s regret.
Now that I had decided to act in earnest, I had to make my own judgments and take action, even after accounting for Ian’s insane antics.
I calmly raised my gaze.
Seraphia was huddled timidly before me. Then her eyes met mine—
“Eek...!”
Her small shoulders flinched, and she lowered her head deeply.
....No matter how I looked at her, she was not the Monarch of Frost.
The emotions detected by Find Weakness [U] were not hostility but caution, anxiety, and innocent awkwardness.
She looked like a girl being scolded after doing something wrong, not the Monarch of Frost.
The memories and experiences of my previous life instinctively rejected Seraphia.
However, viewed rationally, I had no reason to kill the present Seraphia.
‘As long as she doesn’t awaken as the Monarch of Frost.’
Therefore, if I wished to continue choosing “not to kill Seraphia”, there was something I absolutely needed to discover.
When, where, how, and why had Seraphia fallen and become the Monarch of Frost?
My first hypothesis involved the Elixir of Infinity. However, from what I could tell, the Elixir of Infinity....
‘It seems connected to the Authority of Frost.’
It possessed the power of Infinite [M].
However, it was difficult to believe that Infinite [M] had caused Seraphia to fall and become the “Monarch” of Frost.
‘Hmm.’
I combined and rearranged the memories and information from my previous life, but....
‘I don’t know.’
I did not possess an ability that could reveal something completely unknown to me.
In my previous life, I had run away from the family and lived like a vagrant afterward. Consequently, I knew little about the events occurring at this point in time.
More precisely, most of the relevant information had been erased by the Monarch of Darkness.
That gave me even more reason to observe the Monarch of Darkness in the capital.
In any case, with the information I currently possessed, I could not determine when, where, how, or why Seraphia would fall and become the Monarch of Frost.
In that case, the conclusion was simple.
Even if Seraphia fell and became the Monarch of Frost, and even if she gained perfect control over the Authority of Frost, I merely needed to become powerful enough to subdue the Monarch of Frost.
* * *
The deep, dark forest seemed to have swallowed every trace of light.
The tangled branches cast sharp shadows, while the wind brushed through the leaves and produced an eerie sound.
‘....Is that it?’
When I activated Predatory Instinct [S], information appeared before my eyes.
==<Creature Information>==
Creature: Noctura
Classification: Kingdom Monstria, Class Aves, Order Umbriformes, Family Strigidae
Sex: Male
Age: 8 years
Trait: Low Light Vision [C]
◆Low Light Vision [C] : When this skill is activated, the player consumes [5 Kcal] per second to drastically enhance the tissue membrane and light transmittance of the visual aperture. While maintained, the player can detect even the faintest light, increasing Night Vision by [+58,330%].
<This skill can be switched [On/Off].>
The creature’s name was Noctura.
As its classification under the owl family suggested, it was a rare monster created by a mutated owl.
Noctura had evolved an owl’s Night Vision.
Noctura’s Low Light Vision [C] allowed it to hunt a mouse within an enormous city illuminated by only a single candle.
That alone was an extraordinary ability.
However, the true value of Low Light Vision [C] lay in a Combination Skill.
Spectrum Vision.
It was an ability that allowed its user to see infrared, ultraviolet, and even X-rays.
Infrared vision could detect the heat of concealed enemies and reveal them instantly.
Ultraviolet vision could identify invisible markings, residue, toxic substances, and other hidden traces.
X-ray vision could penetrate an opponent’s body, allowing their internal movements to be seen clearly.
With it, I could move one step closer to the realm Ian had described.
Lumen Pax.
It was the ultimate realm in which one’s mind and senses became perfectly synchronized, allowing the user to clearly perceive an opponent and every aspect of the surrounding environment.
According to Ian,
—Those who reach the realm of Lumen Pax become capable of perceiving an opponent’s slightest muscular movements and every flow of Mana.
This allowed them to discern the opponent’s next movement and changes in their energy, naturally predicting the direction of their attacks.
To an outside observer, it appeared as though they could see several seconds into the future.
Unfortunately, I could not wield Mana, so I could never reach Lumen Pax.
However, I could approach it.
I could do so through Spectrum Vision, a “biological Lumen Pax”.
To create Spectrum Vision as a Combination Skill, Low Light Vision [C] was essential because it could drastically enhance the light-transmitting tissue membrane and transmittance of the eyes.
However, hunting a Noctura was by no means easy.
It was already an exceptionally rare monster, and its perfect Night Vision allowed it to detect any creature within the darkness.
That was why it had been named Noctura, meaning “Ruler of the Night Sky”.
That name was by no means an exaggeration.
However—
◆Activating the skill Assimilation [C-].
It could not easily detect me after I blended into the darkness with Assimilation [C-].
Unfortunately, I had not acquired a complete Genetic Factor.
The incomplete Assimilation [C-] could not conceal me perfectly from Noctura’s surveillance, but....
◆Activating the skill Slime Cell [C+].
I activated Slime Cell [C+] and increased the range of motion of my joints.
This ability also came from an incomplete Genetic Factor.
Slink, slink.
However, my slime-coated muscles and joints expanded and contracted without restriction.
Not even the leaves beneath my feet reacted to my footsteps.
I left no trace behind, not even in the air.
However, Noctura possessed incredibly sharp hearing in addition to its exceptional vision.
Its head could rotate up to 320 degrees, and because its ears were positioned at different heights, it could precisely determine the source of any sound.
Noctura used its exceptional hearing to detect both prey and natural predators.
However, I possessed Effect 2 of the title <Ruler of the Underworld>.
Blessing of Darkness currently reduced the noise created by my movements by [-99%].
My footsteps were completely silent.
Noctura remained entirely unaware of my presence.
However, because I could not see anything either, I still needed to proceed cautiously.
Noctura was a flying monster. If I missed this opportunity, capturing it again would be difficult.
I heightened my senses as far as possible.
I slowed my breathing and waited patiently for the perfect moment. Then, once Noctura had entered my attack range completely—
◆Activating the Combination Skill ‘Metabolic Overdrive [U]’!
◆Calories consumed—65,500 Kcal
◆All the player’s stats will increase by [+65.5%] for [655 seconds]!
My body instantly tore through the night air—
Startled, Noctura attempted to leap upward, but before Noctura could even spread its wings—
Crunch!
◆You have defeated Noctura!
◆You have gained 310 combat experience!
Dragon’s Claw [A] had already pierced Noctura’s heart.
* * *
Adrian left whenever it was time to rest, eat, or even sleep, claiming that he needed to scout the surrounding area.
However, Seraphia believed that she would at least be able to remain with Adrian while they were traveling.
....Or so she had hoped.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Enormous booming sounds came from behind the carriage.
The source was Adrian, who was pursuing the carriage on foot.
Heavy iron equipment was strapped across Adrian’s back. Training weights of various shapes and sizes hung all over his body.
They were so incredibly heavy that whenever Adrian’s feet struck the ground—
Thud! Thud!
The earth sank beneath him in the shape of his footprints.
The muscles covering his entire body bulged like thick tendons, swelling as though they might explode at any moment.
“Good heavens....”
“Unless his body was carved from solid rock....”
“Even something carved from rock wouldn’t look like that, would it?”
The soldiers watching the scene exchanged astonished looks.
“I think this every time I see him....”
“Is he really the same kind of human as us?”
The sight was enough to make them sincerely question whether Adrian was human like them.
“But why did he suddenly start doing that?”
“I heard he’s training his body.”
“....Training? Isn’t that torture?”
“Even if it is torture, how is something like that physically possible?”
“It’s Lord Adrian.”
Because he was Adrian.
Before long, the soldiers had begun accepting everything with that single explanation.
Adrian had even begun training his body during their traveling time.
Everyone looked upon Adrian with admiration.
Seraphia alone sat inside the carriage with her head lowered.
‘Because of me....’
She felt as though she had needlessly taken Adrian’s carriage from him.
At the same time, she felt hurt because Adrian seemed unwilling to share a carriage with her.
She resented the Shameleon that had suddenly attacked her. She regretted displaying her ability and felt increasingly lonely.
She had merely been overwhelmed with happiness because she could now be more helpful to Adrian than before.
She had merely been excited because she could finally fight alongside him. She had merely wondered whether he might praise her, even a little.
With all those complicated emotions swirling within her, Seraphia gently stroked the handkerchief resting on her lap.
It was a precious gift she had completed through painstaking needlework, intending to express her gratitude for Adrian saving her life.
She had hoped that Adrian would understand her sincerity through the gift and that they might become closer than before.
However, throughout the entire journey to the capital, Adrian had not enjoyed a single moment of leisure.
And so,
“We will soon arrive at the capital, Vatengart!!”
The journey to the capital passed in the blink of an eye, leaving Seraphia with nothing but loneliness.
* * *
Delicate golden decorations were engraved across the ceiling. The walls were finished with cream-colored marble that emitted a soft glow.
A woman sat at the end of a long table adorned with rare jewels.
Her name was Marceline Charlotte de Vatenberg.
She was the Queen of the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
“Your Majesty, the two scions of House White Wolf have arrived in the capital.”
When the Chief Palace Maid cautiously approached and delivered the news, Queen Marceline’s hand paused while holding her teacup.
“....They arrived sooner than I expected.”
Queen Marceline lowered her teacup and lightly tapped its saucer.
“Unfortunately, it seems I must take my leave now.”
Queen Marceline smiled gently and slowly rose from her seat. Then she suddenly stopped and tilted her head slightly.
“Ah, come to think of it…. Was that child’s name Adrian?”
Queen Marceline cast a subtle glance toward the opposite side of the table.
“The name that made Marquis Segretus so wary.”
She carefully observed the reaction of Marquis Segretus, who sat across from her.
“You are reading far too much into it.”
Marquis Segretus answered calmly.
However, had Queen Marceline noticed the slight stiffness that flashed across the Marquis’ face during that brief moment?
A faint smile spread across her lips.
“I find myself curious about what kind of child could make you so wary.”
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!