"The Ice-Blue Knight?"
Kurose Akira's gaze settled on the blue-haired knight inside the cell.
Her body was restrained by two heavy iron chains. The armor she once wore had been removed, leaving her dressed only in a thin blue gown. Despite being imprisoned, the place she was kept in was not an ordinary dungeon cell arranged for common criminals.
Three sides of the chamber were constructed from pristine white jade stone, while the front was sealed by a solid door forged from crimson steel.
The arrangement was clearly meant to suppress her frost magic and prevent escape. After all, as an Level 86 Star Knight, if there weren't another Star Knight of equal strength guarding her, breaking out of prison would be almost effortless.
Akira's arrival made Ice-Blue slowly lift her head.
There was little emotion in her eyes.
Even she could not give a clear judgment about everything that had happened that day. The entire situation had been triggered by the interference of the Night Witch, along with the struggle for royal authority.
Now the princess she served—Princess Vivian—had been taken under Idys's control.
And she herself had become a prisoner.
Akira stepped into the cell and spoke calmly.
"The commission regarding the Frozen Core—I've already solved it."
"It doesn't matter anymore."
Ice-Blue lowered her head again. Her voice carried a deep sense of powerlessness.
Akira couldn't help but feel curious. What exactly had Idys done to her to make such a formidable Star Knight seem as if she had lost all hope?
He glanced toward Idys.
She was currently talking with Lucia nearby, though their voices were sealed away by magic, making it impossible to hear what they were discussing.
Akira then took the item from his inventory and held it out.
"Inside the Frozen Core… was a statue of the Goddess of Ice and Snow."
A flicker of surprise passed through Ice-Blue's eyes.
But it quickly faded into disappointment.
"So it was a statue of the Ice and Snow Goddess…" she murmured with a soft sigh. "I thought it might be something else…"
Soon she regained her composure and said quietly,
"It's useless to me. You can keep it."
"…."
Akira fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"I should thank you. That day in the domain—you didn't strike Loserine with lethal force."
Back then, Akira had been monitoring Loserine's perspective the entire time. Only after confirming that Ice-Blue had broken free from the Dominating Demon Eye and had no intention of killing Loserine did he fully focus on fighting Vivian after she transformed into a Valkyrie.
"So that knight was one of your adventurers?"
Ice-Blue looked slightly surprised.
"She's very strong. In the future, she will definitely become an outstanding Star Knight."
"Yes."
Akira nodded, then asked,
"I heard Idys values you highly. She hopes you'll swear loyalty to her?"
As he spoke, he sat down across from Ice-Blue.
Akira held no hostility toward her. Their clash had simply been a matter of standing on opposing sides.
"You're here to persuade me too?"
Ice-Blue cast him a cold glance.
"Tell her to give up. I will only serve Princess Vivian."
Akira asked calmly,
"Did Princess Vivian once save you?"
"Mm."
Ice-Blue only nodded slightly, offering no further explanation.
Akira continued,
"I won't try to change your mind. And I probably can't convince Idys to release you either."
"But I accepted your item. I owe you a favor."
"If there's a wish you want fulfilled, tell me. I'll do my best to help."
"A wish…"
Ice-Blue fell into thought before slowly answering,
"My only wish in this life… is to find my younger sister who was separated from me long ago. But I've never found even the slightest trace of her."
"You have a sister?"
Akira was slightly surprised.
"Do you have any clues? Maybe I could help search."
"Clues…"
Ice-Blue sank into deep thought. Her gray-blue eyes flickered with complicated emotions.
After a while, she spoke again.
"I no longer remember her. The only reason I even know she exists is because Princess Vivian used her Dominating Demon Eye to peer into the depths of my memories."
"The Dominating Demon Eye can do that?"
Akira was somewhat astonished.
He hadn't expected the Dominating Demon Eye to possess the ability to peer into another person's soul and memories.
"Although the memories are extremely vague," Ice-Blue continued, "Princess Vivian told me that both my sister and I were once influenced by the Truth of the Frostland Witch."
"So if I could investigate the Frostland Witch's truth more deeply… perhaps I could find clues about my sister."
"I see…"
Akira rested his chin on his hand and frowned in thought.
So that was why Ice-Blue had commissioned him to solve the Frozen Core's mystery. She hoped to use the Frostland Witch's truth to find her missing sister.
"If you can find her," Ice-Blue said quietly, "I'm willing to give you the Truth of the Frostland Witch as payment."
A system notification appeared.
[Special Quest Obtained — Ice-Blue's Wish!]Quest Description: Find Ice-Blue's missing sister!Quest Reward: Truth of the Frostland Witch!
"The Truth of the Frostland Witch?"
A flash of surprise appeared in Akira's eyes.
He hadn't expected Ice-Blue to possess a fragment of the witch's truth.
Normally, the bearer of a Witch's Truth would become the next inheritor of that witch's power.
Yet Ice-Blue held a fragment of truth but had not become the next Frostland Witch. That meant some unusual circumstance was involved.
There were many possible explanations.
For example—Ice-Blue might have refused to become the Frostland Witch, resisting the power of the truth.
Or perhaps the Frostland Witch had already chosen a new successor.
And there was one final, far more terrifying possibility.
The Frostland Witch might not be dead at all.
At that moment, Idys walked over and asked softly,
"How did your conversation go? Need my help?"
"We're done talking."
Akira turned toward her.
"What do you plan to do with Vivian and the Star Knights who followed her?"
"Oh?"
Idys asked teasingly,
"Have you fallen for her beauty?"
"Of course not!"
Akira denied immediately.
"I was just curious. Besides… you don't seem like someone who plans to kill Vivian."
Although Akira didn't know where Vivian was currently imprisoned, he could clearly sense that Idys had other plans for her.
"Naturally."
Idys waved her rose folding fan lightly and smiled.
"If I really killed those Star Knights, the overall strength of the Star Kingdom would drop by at least twenty percent. I don't want other nations taking advantage of us at a time like this."
"Besides…"
"The problem of Prince Tyles hasn't been resolved yet."
Akira then asked curiously,
"From the way you speak, it sounds like some of the Star Knights who originally served Vivian have already joined your side?"
"To be precise," Idys replied, glancing toward the chained Ice-Blue, "only a few Star Knights have yet to make the wise decision."
"They surrendered?"
Ice-Blue's expression immediately darkened.
She had believed her comrades would remain loyal.
She never expected them to surrender so easily.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Idys chuckled softly and walked gracefully up to Ice-Blue. With the tip of her rose fan, she gently lifted the knight's chin.
"Everyone already knows Princess Vivian was merely a pawn used by the Night Witch in her pursuit of truth."
"And besides…"
"Many of the Star Knights who guarded Vivian originally served the old king."
"But the old king is dead—killed by the Night Witch herself."
"In a situation like that, how many people do you think would still be willing to die for Princess Vivian… the way you are?"
"..."
Ice-Blue fell silent.
Her gray-blue eyes were filled with helplessness.
It seemed as though countless words were trapped in her throat—yet none could come out.
After the conversation ended, Akira and the others left the prison.
Before returning to the guild, he asked Idys curiously,
"May I ask where Princess Vivian is currently imprisoned?"
"The Abyss."
Idys answered casually.
"The Abyss?"
Although Idys had told him directly, Akira had never imagined Vivian would be imprisoned there.
Idys glanced sideways at him.
"Do you want to see her?"
Akira shook his head.
He only wanted to know what Idys intended to do with Vivian.
But now that he knew she had been taken to the Abyss…
He began to suspect that Idys planned to corrupt Vivian into a demon.
After all, Vivian possessed a fragment of Star Power within her. That power contained immense energy—if used correctly, it could even create a demigod.
"I have matters to attend to, so I won't see you out."
As Idys spoke, her body dissolved into drifting rose petals that slowly scattered into the air.
"If you visit the palace again, simply inform Catherine."
"Oh."
Akira nodded softly as Idys disappeared.
"Catherine…"
He murmured the second princess's name.
Although Catherine had only spoken to him through a puppet from beginning to end, there was no way a royal princess would be as harmless as a naive rabbit.
"She treats you very well."
Lucia stood beside him, her voice carrying a faint trace of jealousy.
"…?"
Akira raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
Then he said simply,
"Let's head back."
"Mm."
White light flashed from the teleportation array.
Akira and Lucia vanished—and the next moment reappeared inside the guild hall.
After returning, Akira immediately placed the Statue of the Goddess of Ice and Snow beside the Snow Porpoise Egg.
Seeing this, the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly flew happily onto the statue, fluttering its wings as if thanking Akira for securing the statue for the egg.
Akira smiled and gently tapped the butterfly's tiny head with his finger before submitting the C-rank quest.
Commission Quest III (C Rank): Solve the Mystery of the Frozen Core (1/1)Reward: 10 Gold, 100,000 EXPSpecial Reward: Ice Crystal Potion ×1 (Epic)
After completing the quest, a new potion appeared in Akira's inventory.
[Ice Crystal Potion (Epic): A potion that temporarily grants immunity to cold. Can be shared by multiple people. Duration: 10 hours.]
"Cold immunity?"
Akira looked at the description with mild surprise.
The effect alone didn't quite seem worthy of an Epic-tier item.
Unless it had some special application.
After thinking it over, Akira stored the potion in his inventory and began considering how he might help Ice-Blue find her missing sister.
On this vast magical continent, finding a single person was like searching for a needle in the ocean.
"Ice-Blue's sister…"
If he could fulfill her wish, then the fragment of the Frostland Witch's Truth would be far more valuable than any Epic-tier item.
"Chirp chirp chirp~!"
Just as Akira was deep in thought, the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly suddenly fluttered excitedly.
"Hmm?"
Akira turned his head.
The Snow Porpoise Egg had begun shining with dazzling light.
Within the glow, a tiny silhouette could faintly be seen moving joyfully inside the egg.
At the same time, the statue of the Ice and Snow Goddess began releasing faint blue magical energy.
Like tiny streams, that energy continuously flowed into the Snow Porpoise Egg—almost as if it were injecting life into it.
"What's happening?"
Akira quickly opened the egg's information panel.
[Snow Porpoise Egg (?): About to hatch!]
"About to hatch?!"
Akira's eyes widened.
What was going on?
Why was the egg suddenly hatching?
Was it because of the statue?
Just as Akira was puzzling over it, a tiny crack suddenly appeared on the surface of the egg.
From that crack burst a brilliant crystalline light.
"Chirp chirp chirp~!"
The Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly was ecstatic, flapping its wings in midair as if celebrating the birth of a new life.
At the same time—
Snowflakes began falling from the sky.
The entire guild hall was quickly blanketed in pure white snow, turning it into a silver winter landscape.
The temperature plummeted instantly.
Everyone in the hall shivered and pulled their clothes tighter.
"What's happening?!"
"It's so cold!"
"Achoo!"
"..."
Everyone turned toward the Snow Porpoise Egg, their faces filled with confusion.
But before they could understand what was happening—
The egg suddenly split open like a blooming flower.
A beam of pure white light burst out and swallowed the entire guild hall.
Akira reflexively closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the scene before him had completely changed.
The guild hall was buried beneath thick snow, the snowdrifts rising all the way past his knees.
Yet strangely, he didn't feel cold at all.
Instead, he felt warm.
Looking down, he realized the Demonflame Silver Phoenix Butterfly was lying in his arms.
Its warm body was like a tiny furnace, instantly dispelling the surrounding chill.
But what shocked Akira even more—
Was that besides the butterfly, there was now another small figure in his arms.
A snow spirit, completely white.
Its body seemed to be made entirely of snowflakes, crystal clear and incredibly adorable.
The tiny spirit looked around curiously with bright, lively eyes, fascinated by everything.
And the moment it saw Akira—
It happily spoke its first word.
"Mama~"
Kurose Akira: "?"