Half a month had passed.
【I am Lycoris.】
With the tip of my roots, I carved words into the snow, one by one, reflecting on the time that had passed.
“So much time has gone by…”
I recalled the first time I learned the words ‘sky’ and ‘snow.’
Since that day, every day had been a continuous string of new discoveries.
Alldin taught me letters by drawing them with his staff, while Rien taught me words related to nature, one by one.
“But the hardest part was…”
The nightly conversations I had with Marianne.
She truly believed in Lord Mikel.
But the Lord Mikel she spoke of…
Was different from the one I knew.
“Lord Mikel is a merciful being. He never desires blood.”
“He cherishes all life.”
Every time she said that, I thought to myself,
“You don’t know. You don’t know the true Lord Mikel… The one who is moved by the blood festival.”
But why?
Whenever I saw her sincere prayers, a strange ache welled up in my chest.
Do I truly understand Lord Mikel’s will?
Whenever these doubts arose, I began my training more fiercely.
『 ☆☆ 【Brian】 Human LV53 』 『 ☆☆ 【Kevin】 Human LV41 』 『 ☆☆ 【Marianne】 Human LV48 』 『 ☆☆☆ 【Arthur】 Human LV102 』 『 ☆☆ 【Rien】 Human LV93 』 『 ☆☆ 【Alldin】 Human LV94 』 『 ☆☆☆ 【Havell】 Human LV101 』
I trained to repay the kindness of their diligent teaching.
At first, they couldn’t even stand against Verlez’s killing intent, but now they can fight back to some extent.
“It’s strange.”
The levels of the humans have been gradually increasing.
At first, I thought it was obviously due to experience.
But don’t you need to kill enemies for experience?
Here’s what Alldin explained:
“Humans grow through training and enlightenment. Growth isn’t achieved merely by killing enemies.”
His words shook my worldview.
I was sure this was like a game, leveling up by stacking experience.
But it seems humans are different.
They don’t have levels indicated with numbers; they are merely ranked by strength.
It’s as if in this world, I’m the only one from a game.
“Exactly what am I…?”
I see a status window, stars, levels…
Watching the smart butterflies, it seems even they don’t know.
Even the butterflies who serve as counselors, network administrators, and strategists, seem clueless.
“Perhaps I should ask Master after all…”
Master suddenly came to mind.
It’s been half a month since I’ve seen him.
Whenever I look at the snowy mountain thinking “Could he…?” a chill runs through me.
“Certainly, he hasn’t really abandoned me… right?”
These unanswered questions made my head complicated.
In times like this, it’s always…
《Training! Start!》
I carved the words boldly into the snow with the tip of my roots.
As usual, the adventurers’ faces immediately hardened.
Even after half a month, they’re still tense in front of me.
“Already… more training?”
Brian said with a tired voice.
His sword trembled slightly in his hand.
“Just a short break…”
Before Kevin could finish his sentence, pale green pollen filled the sky.
It’s unavoidable that he’s the slowest to improve.
Since he can’t use his specialty of fire magic.
《Fire. If you use it. Death!》
This must’ve become a lifelong trauma from his first mistake during training.
Ice and bug-type Verlez, plus ice and grass-type me, are doubly weak to fire.
Ah, am I not ice-type?
The only ice skill I have is ‘Freezing Barrier.’
However, I, who possess the [Inferno Stigma], am fatally weak to fire.
Anyhow, the murderous glares of hundreds of Verlez are still focused on him.
《Battle! Now!》
The Blizzard Hornets took off in perfect formation, as they always do.
“Brian, protect the back!”
“I got it!”
Kevin retreated and cast an ice magic spell.
Once a weak spell, his ice magic has now gained considerable weight.
But even now, the frustration is evident in his eyes.
The irritation of not being able to use his true specialty—fire magic.
“I’m going in!”
Havell’s greatsword slashed through the swarm of hornets.
From the beginning, she couldn’t read the movements of the bugs at all, but now, the sight of her cutting with the prediction of Verlez’s flight patterns is impressive.
“Indeed… A-rank is different.”
“Truly an amazing growth,” Rien said, drawing her bowstring.
“To grow so fast…”
“Yeah…” Alldin gripped his staff tightly.
“But isn’t this our life’s worth?”
“Life’s worth?”
How laughable.
I’m training you so kindly.
《Marianne! Forward!》
Marianne stepped forward with trembling steps.
The amulet around her neck faintly glimmered.
《To Lord Mikel! Sacrifice blood!》
“No!”
Marianne’s shout echoed through the snowy mountain.
“Lord Mikel… Lord Mikel isn’t such a person. Sacrificing blood, it’s…”
“Ah, there you go again.”
Another annoying sermon is starting.
Each time this comes up, I think, Marianne simply doesn’t understand Lord Mikel well enough.
I’m a far more devout believer!
I who possess the trait of [Mikel’s Flower] and even receive [Mikel’s Support], am Lord Mikel’s true follower!
“Just because you’ve believed longer doesn’t mean you know more.”
How much can humans with such short lifespans understand about Lord Mikel?
But why does my chest feel so tight every time?
The training continued.
But for some reason, I couldn’t concentrate that day.
Marianne’s words kept echoing in my mind.
Then it happened.
‘Shiver!’
Suddenly, my whole body began to tremble.
Even though the detection radar revealed nothing, my instinct made my petals quiver.
This sensation…
This is the thrill of meeting someone you’ve waited for so long.
“Could this be…?”
An incomprehensible emotion wrapped around my whole body.
Happiness, gladness, longing… and then the moment came.
A presence appeared on the radar.
‘Shu! Master…!’
Just as he was—his silver hair glowing softly under the moonlight, his perfect beauty remained unchanged.
It had been half a month since we last met.
“Of course! You didn’t abandon me!”
Bursts of joy flowed out.
Even though in a way, it’s the third time I’ve seen him, my body already knew him.
The memory of three years together…
Even if it no longer resides in my mind, could my body perhaps never have forgotten?
“Ah…”
I suddenly realized.
Perhaps this overflowing loyalty and the overwhelming emotion I feel now are only natural.
The natural feelings towards Master, who raised and looked after me.
The three years deeply engraved within my subconscious seemed to come alive within my whole body at that very moment.
“Master…”
Under the moonlight, my joyful petals shimmered.
*
Suddenly, the air around us froze.
My whole body tensed.
This feeling… This overwhelming aura from Lycoris was incomparable with anything I had felt before.
An absolute sensation of impending death covered me.
A massive glacier falling on our heads couldn’t compare to the oppressive presence we all felt.
Even as an A-rank adventurer who faced numerous dangerous situations, I’d never experienced such fear before.
I could feel my trembling shield in my hand.
Hundreds of Verlez had stopped moving entirely.
The usually proud Blizzard Hornets froze in their tracks like ice statues, and the Iceflies folded their trembling wings, hiding behind Lycoris.
I slowly lifted my head.
The entity radiating this power could only be…
“The ruler of Shia Kalt Great Dungeon… Prostia.”
That legendary name reverberated heavily in my mouth.
Having spent decades adventuring in Shia Kalt, I only knew her as the entity supposed to sleep in the dungeon’s deepest core.
To actually meet this absolute ruler…
The Ice Dragon elegantly landed beside Lycoris.
In an instant, the surrounding air turned stark white, and the frost rising from her breath adorned the surroundings beautifully.
She was winter’s goddess incarnate.
“Is this… even possible?”
I couldn’t believe the spectacle before my eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the massive Ice Dragon transformed into human form.
Her delicate silver hair swayed with the breeze, glowing softly like moonlight, and her snow-white skin radiated purity.
Her dress made of transparent ice shimmered under the moonlight.
Her eyes were cold and transparent like glaciers, yet held an indescribable elegance.
I couldn’t even breathe properly under the gaze of someone who carried centuries of history in her eyes.
“So that’s why…”
Now, I understood Lycoris’ overwhelming power.
We merely thought she was a peculiar monster, but this flower belongs to the ruler of Shia Kalt.
If this monster was personally cultivated by the absolute ruler of the Great Dungeon, this level of power wasn’t even surprising.
“Riko, my beloved flower, have you been well?”
Her voice carried affection soft like a spring breeze.
Lycoris’ whole body shook with visible delight, but that moment soon passed.
“Who are you?”
Her gaze turned icy towards us, colder than dozens of degrees below zero, cutting through our bodies.
Even when I tried to open my mouth, no words came out.
“So this… is the true power of an absolute ruler…”
Next to me, Havell’s grip on her greatsword trembled, and Alldin’s staff was covered in frost.
A-rank adventurers, even we who are on the brink of S-rank, trembled like children.
Prostia’s gaze moved toward the insect monsters surrounding us.
“Ah… these children…”
Seeing her smile, I realized.
The Lycoris we had been battling until now was nothing but a sliver of this immense iceberg.
