The next day, Nein and Clara's returned to their last location. Just two of them now after the knights send their complain to the leader for not able to keeping up with their speed.
"Should we split?" She ask with a curious tilt.
"Good idea. Make sure to take a note on anything you see okay?."
And with that, they take a different way through the vast snowfields. Nein use {Astral} to travel while Clara use {freezing point} to open up her path through the storm.
They found nothing but snow. The speed of their investigation skyrocketing since they don't have to wait for someone behind them.
They returned after eight hours and shock everyone with what they found.
During the expedition, the siblings found two deserted island twenty kilometers from the starting point. They goes further and found another land with penguin-like creature and a vast mountain range. They decided to stop at once. Everyone's speechless by the results and watching the siblings indifferent expression with wonder.
"This is... impressive. All this from...two people?." Duke Pluvia whisper in awe.
Even the Duke from Aligot who always try to flatter Nein is speechless by it. They look at each other before looking at the siblings indifferent eyes.
"Very well. You can go now, thank you for your help."
"Thank you Duchess."
With the door closed behind the siblings, the five leader still trying to put their mind around this.
"Not only there's a sea but a land as well?. Why I doesn't know that?." Kivia said perplexed.
"So what's your plan next, duchess?." Ask Trawa's duchess.
"Let's continue the expedition until we find something that's really bothering my mind. That's all for now. You can leave."
Everyone leave the room, still thinking about this discovery, or maybe about the siblings true capability. Starting to wary of what will happen if they make them as their enemies.
"Brother, do you think that we're looking for nothing?."
"What do you mean?."
The siblings were sitting in a restaurant to eat. A place that serve local cuisine that coincidentally match her taste.
"Except that there's a sea, island and mountain... there's nothing unusual there. I'm feeling that... we're investigating a wrong spot."
Her statement makes him ponder. She's right, there's nothing beyond the snowstorm but emptiness. He nods curtly, he look at her eating her food and smiles.
"I'll talk with duchess about that. You can return to the manor if-"
"I'll tag along."
She says insistently. He sigh and wipe the spice from her lips with napkin.
"Alright. Then finish your food quick."
Moved to the office of Kivia, she accepts to meet the siblings to hear what they want to say. They're sitting across each other.
"It's unusual for you to call me first. Do you found something while resting?."
"Indeed."
"Then let's hear it."
Nein look at Clara to let her speak her opinion.
"Duchess, I think it's not the west side we should investigate. Me and brother found nothing even after looking everywhere and maybe, we should instead investigate the east side starting from tomorrow." She speak her mind.
Her tone's indifferent just like her brother when he's serious and that's the only time Kivia heard her speaking more than one line. She begin to ponder about it and speak.
"I already sent the knights to investigate and they found nothing but dead and freezing trees. But reconsidering your capability of gathering intel, maybe we should try that. Hm, very well."
She agreed and makes Clara lit up from relief. Seeing her suggestions accepted by others beside her siblings is pleasing.
"Thank you granny." She says with a smile.
"Ehem..." Nein cough lightly at Clara.
"Oh, I mean. Thank you for your understanding Duchess..." She rephrase it.
Seeing Clara reaction almost made her to smile. For someone who's been single for 54 years of her life, hearing Clara calling her granny making her hearts swell. She clear her throat and act nonchalant.
"Very well...then I wish to hear another update. You free to go."
The next day comes and with the duchess permission, they start their investigation toward the east. Clara and Nein take a different path taking three knight from Aligot and Pluvia's duchy accompanying them each.
"Hey..." The knights that follows Clara whisper to knight beside him.
"What?." He replied.
"Is that girl really the one investigating the snowstorm?."
"Did you read the report?."
"I did."
"Then yes. Just focus with the job Ante, you wasn't there when she's casually clear the storm barehanded. Just focused on keeping up with her speed."
Hearing that, the knights finally silent. Clara's not used leading people as she's usually the one being commanded. On Nein side however, he talks with them, asking them their opinion when he can just do it himself. All that to not making them feels useless.
"Did you find anything odd sir Nein?." Ask one knight when Nein using his smoke.
"Not really. There's nothing out of place nearby. Let's continue out travel. Can you guys keeping up?."
"Of course. Don't worry about us."
Nein nods and continue the investigation. They walk along the frozen forest while looking for anything useful. Not even {tracer} spotting something unusual. That is until a voice echoing in his head.
"O human who carries Mundus guardian's blessing. May I talk with you for a moment?."
The voice makes him stop and look around frantically. And before he can do anything, the ground vanished beneath him and pulled him down, the knights trying to catch him but they're too slow and only watch him falling to a dark sinkhole.
"SIR NEIN!!" They shout to the hole and receive nothing.
The sounds of water droplet fills the dark space around him. He's laying down on the snow pile and not moving as he try to wrap his head around this pitiful situation. The only moment he feels so vulnerable is either with his older sister or Sylva. And he's sure it's the latter this time. He push himself upward and dust his coat from the snow.
"Hey, are you one of the guardian too?."
He received no answer for a while before the voice echoing again.
"Correct, I, the guardian of endless snowfields. Am asking for your help. O human who carries Mundus guardian's blessing."
"You know Sylva?."
His words makes the guardian quiet before continue speaking with wonder.
"May I ask what kind of contract you made with her?"
"We're not tied by any contact. But...well...it's complicated..."
Seeing Nein nervous response, the beast can't help but chuckles. The voice trembles in his head making him even more flushtered.
"I see. So that's why she gave you a part of her so effortlessly."
"You mean the ring?. Yeah, she gave me this before I left her forest. Is this that important?."
"A part of devine beast considered rare among you humans. And that ring made from her fur's enough to buy you a whole country alone."
Hearing that, Nein suddenly feels the true value of the ring. Thinking she's giving him this means she's truly trusting him. It makes him happy and hold the ring tightly.
"So what do you want from me?. What kind of conversation you want to have with me?."
"...may you...walk along the cave human?. You'll know once we met."
Nein saw the tunnel and walk along it. He goes deeper and deeper until he reach the end and greets by a vast cave covered in ice. In the middle, he saw a giant white serpent tied with chain. It's open it's eyes and look at Nein with it's purple gaze.
"I'm Nivalis, the guardian of endless snowfields. Plead for you to break the chain and stop the awakening created by those intruder."
He introduce himself properly now. His voice deep and filled with authority. It's Nein second encounter with a devine beast and it makes him worried.