The fierce blizzard raged in the Northern Empire.
At the very edge of what is referred to as the so-called Realm, where only death lurked.
There existed a massive valley that seemed to have collapsed and twisted under the weight of some great force.
It was impossible to gauge its depth, and below it lay a dense darkness inhabited by countless monsters from the Demon World, earning it the name ‘Valley of Wailing.’
And in that place, a massive village extended from the top of the cliff down to its depths.
“Elder, there’s a message from the Academy’s spy.”
In a dark room lit only by a small candle that seemed ready to extinguish at any moment, a man spoke quietly while kneeling on one knee.
“The students of Argen Academy are said to be visiting this place as part of an inspection.”
The content was that the Academy was coming to observe the Realm.
Upon hearing this, the man continued to pray and answered quietly.
“Do you remember what ‘the light of the earth that illuminates the dusk’ said?”
“Yes.”
“Soon… from within the depths of this ‘refuge of frost,’ the ‘beast that calls for the end’ will arrive from the prison of eternal frost.”
“…”
The man swallowed hard, without a word.
In the distant past, a massive monster that consumed the northern territories of the Empire.
It was an intelligent beast known as the coldest creature in the Demon World, bearing the title of the Lord of Extremes.
Though it had happened hundreds of years ago, the image of the beast that turned the northern regions into a place of relentless biting winds and blizzards was still unforgettable.
Tears trembled at the edges of the man’s eyes.
“Have you found it?”
“Yes. Just now… it’s been found.”
Upon hearing this, the elderly man stood up.
“Summon the elders.”
They must prepare for the hunt of the ‘beast that calls for the end.’
A war would soon erupt upon this land.
—
“I’m nervous.”
“Are we really going? I’m excited…”
“…”
Stella continued her magical research while expressing her nerves, and Uriel wore a broad smile, seemingly thrilled at the thought of arriving at the Realm.
Meanwhile, Evan was obsessively polishing Estelle as if to channel his own anxious heart towards something.
– E-Evan… be gentle…
“…”
What am I even watching?
Though she looks like that, Estelle is, after all, a female entity; it’s just that Evan’s power is not yet complete, and she cannot fully manifest in her human form made of magic power. Still, seeing her like that makes one feel something somewhat strange.
Of course, that feeling is Evan’s, not mine.
‘That guy…’
Only I, who can hear thoughts, and my master, Evan, should be aware of this sound, but it seems he has, for a moment, forgotten that I can hear his thoughts, as he kept groaning loudly every time he worked on her.
Who would ever call that a sacred sword?
That said, I couldn’t very well tell Estelle to refrain from making those sounds here; I have my image to maintain.
In the end, I could only listen silently to Estelle’s moans.
‘Honestly, it feels a bit good…’
Before anything else, I must clarify that I am not a pervert.
Although I have lived for about two and a half years as the girl ‘Aria Saint Anastasio,’ I was still a man before that, you know.
Though Estelle is a sacred sword, she has a feminine form, and as I mentioned earlier, her voice is a beautiful high-pitched one.
It was beautiful enough that one could recognize she was a girl just upon hearing it.
But when she asks to be gentle and moans like that, if it doesn’t feel pleasant, can one really consider that person a man?
This doesn’t change even if I am living as a saint…
Ugh… ridiculous…
—
“I suddenly have a question.”
Stella, who was continuing her magical research, lifted her head as if a question had suddenly come to her.
She then turned to Uriel.
“What are you curious about?”
Feeling Stella’s gaze, Uriel turned toward her, asking what she was curious about.
Stella, who had been observing Uriel intently, replied quietly.
“I’ve felt this for a while now… but don’t you think the principal and Uriel look alike?”
“… Huh?”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. The hair color too… could it be?”
Upon hearing this, Evan, who was also curious, looked at Uriel and said.
Then, seemingly recalling something important, he continued.
“But isn’t the principal’s name Argen? That’s not a surname.”
“Could it be that I am the Argen Empire~?”
“Pfft…”
The way Stella expressed it made me laugh involuntarily.
Then I thought it might be rude and turned to Stella, but for some reason, she looked pleased.
… What’s going on?
Why does she have that happy expression…?
Sometimes, I wonder if great magicians are really different; there are moments I just don’t get Stella.
This is exactly one of those moments…
Recalling the earlier conversation, it seemed closer to scorn rather than laughter.
‘Do you like being scoffed at?’
Hmm…
That can’t be…
I decided to just let it be.
“Well… I don’t know the details, but I’ve heard that he’s from the Argen family.”
“… Wait, how long has it been since the Academy was established?”
“[About 254 years in Imperial years… I think.]”
“It’s quite famous that Principal Argen was a member of the hero party during the Cataclysm War, right?”
“… No way?”
While most people don’t realize it, it’s true that the principal Argen and Uriel bear a striking resemblance.
Well, once we get to this point, there’s no way they wouldn’t notice.
The others might not have quite caught on, but the deep pink hair and eyes are undeniable proof of the Argen royal lineage.
In other words, Argen Isis is…
“An ancestor…?”
Yes, that’s it.
It seemed that everyone had reached the conclusion I was thinking.
Especially Uriel, who appeared to be in significant confusion.
After all, it would provoke such a reaction to find out that the principal of the academy they attended was actually their ancestor from hundreds of years ago.
“The great magician… can live a long time… so that means Principal Argen was his grandmother.”
In the meantime, Stella seemed to take notes as if she were learning something good.
Though no one else seemed to notice…
‘The branch of the Argen royal family also has pink hair and eyes, but they are much lighter compared to the purebloods.’
Though it’s referred to as pink, in reality, it’s more of a white hue with pinkish tints, which could correctly be termed cherry blossom color.
However, Argen’s is a full pink color.
I wonder if they understand what that means.
‘A princess from hundreds of years ago, after all.’
In my view, that person is a natural monument.
The only human who has lived continuously since that time.
‘Well… I can’t see her.’
If only once, I want to see the colors of this world with my own two eyes.
I had never particularly thought about such things before, but since I’ve been living as a saint, there have been several times when I’ve had such thoughts.
‘Sigh…’
Just because healing magic is performed on my body doesn’t mean my blind eyes will come back…
It’s not something that can be returned even with powers, so how could that be possible?
‘If I could improve my divine power detection, would I be able to see colors too?’
Even if I can’t see proper colors, maybe I could perceive the spectrum of light and figure out what colors I’m seeing roughly now.
It’s absurd how I’m using magic but trying to approach it scientifically.
“What do you think, Aria?”
“[Ah… yes?]”
“About the principal. The fact that he’s a member of the royal family!”
Evan said to me with a voice full of curiosity and joy.
Since I heard it through thoughts rather than spoken words, the concealed feelings of joy, excitement, and fascination were much more palpable.
“[That’s true. It is fascinating.]”
Indeed.
It really is fascinating.
‘Poor guy…’
But what can be done?
Since I’ve been chosen as a hero, if I want to survive, I have to become stronger, hunt down the various Demon King Army executives and monsters, and ultimately slay the Demon King.
At least the fortunate thing is that Argen will join us in this extermination.
‘I’ve already informed them…’
What remains is to take out that beast while minimizing the damage as much as possible.
And for that, Evan’s enthusiastic efforts are essential.
So, things are bound to get much busier from now on…
It would be best to enjoy it while I can.
A chill began to seep into my body.
It was close.
