《Empress's Emprise》


 Prologue — Forthcoming

    ¡°...Well, that took longer than I thought,¡± a lone woman muttered to herself. She stood directly outside an imposing cave, located somewhere in an enormous forest. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, she made her way down the dark caverns of the earth.


    ¡°Hopefully that old fossil won¡¯t be too surprised to see me again,¡± she said, sighing. Her voice was relatively deep and masculine, and carried itself with an abrupt sense of breeziness and composure. Her eyes, colored an intricately vibrant sanguine, were sharp and alluring¡ªclearly filled to the brim with power and awareness; although, others might argue that it looked lazy.


    ¡°At least I brought his favorite beverage,¡± she remarked with a smirk. ¡°Makes me feel like a mother bringing back soda for a sugar-crazed kid.¡±


    Dark would certainly be the best way to describe the cave. So dark was the cave, in fact, that it nearly seemed artificial¡ªalmost as if darker forces were at work in keeping the lair ominous. Then, with no gestures whatsoever, the woman gave rise to the existence of light upon the entirety of the cave. Most likely, it was with some sort of magic¡ªand some sort of interesting magic it was. Miraculously, there were no direct sources of light to be found, even though the eyes could witness the cave¡¯s vastness clear as day. It was almost as if the walls themselves were emitting light, albeit having previously not done so.


    Besides there being apparently no monsters inhabiting the cave, there was another surprise: the woman clearly wasn¡¯t dressed in battle gear. Undoubtedly, she was intending to enter the confines of the cave, yet as far as the eye could see¡ªshe was unarmed. If anyone saw, they¡¯d think it more appropriate to say she was dressed as if about to meet with the ruler of some important country¡ªshe wore a splendid robe indeed.


    An indefinite amount of time later, and her footsteps finally came to a stop. What laid in front of her now, was an exceptionally massive double gate, painted blood red and embellished with impressive streaks of black. It seemed to be composed of some type of extremely hard metal, but was otherwise unlocked; although, pushing it open would require excessively ludicrous strength. In the center of the grandiose gates lied a single emblem¡ªthe emblem of dragons.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t need to give him another beating. Can¡¯t help it if he jumps at me like that again,¡± she said, sighing one last time. ¡°Well, then¡ªsorry for intruding.¡±


    Her hand found its way on one side of the gate, with the palm touching the metal. In a single instant, it was pushed forth swiftly, creating a loud grazing sound and leaving a gap for her body to pass through. Grunting noises could be heard developing beyond the gates, and the woman wasted no time in entering through and closing it.


    The entirety of the room was completely shrouded in darkness, and the grunting noises gradually became louder. Each grunt resounded throughout the room with intimidating presence, primal in its nature and remaining clear and powerful for all unfortunate ears to pick up.


    Like with what she did on the way here, the woman once again used the spell which immediately lighted up the room in a flashy manner. Perhaps it was too flashy. The room was revealed to be extremely magnificent in size, and circular in shape with the ceiling coming up to form a rough dome. What the light also revealed, however, was a single black mass at the other end of the room. As for that black mass, it was riveting back and forth amidst its slumber, clearly in discomfort as it sensed another presence in the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself too much, old man,¡± she said quietly, making her way towards the black mass. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll start the funeral preparations early.¡±


    Without the need to add anything else, the black mass started up and rose from where it stood. There, as plain as day, was a dragon in all its splendor. ¡°Huge¡± would be the first word to pop into a person¡¯s head. The second would be ¡°Run!¡±. But as for running, it certainly wasn¡¯t something the woman was doing, or perhaps even wanted to do. She instead strided forward slowly with poise, distinguishing herself through the dragon¡¯s eyes as a formidable (or alternatively¡ªfoolish) opponent. Readying itself, the dragon spreaded out the entirety of its awe-inspiring wingspan, and bellowed out an excruciating roar. The rocks within the enclosure visually appeared to vibrate, and the air in the room shook violently.


    In an instant, the crimson reptilian eyes stared down the intruder threateningly¡ªand charged. Defying its colossal stature, the dragon had charged down the entirety of the room at beyond breakneck speed; if the room were long enough, a bystander would be seeing afterimages of something black. Besides just the unprecedentedly shocking display of speed, the dragon had something else up its wing: agility. To prevent bashing out its own head against the gates, the dragon was able to impressively come to a near full stop almost immediately, and quickly extended its neck to chomp down at the intruder. An explosion was brought forth amidst the site of impact.


    ¡°If you wanted to eat some dirt, you could¡¯ve done it right where you were, geezer.¡± Unexpectedly¡ªas if already there in the first place¡ªthe woman had emerged completely unharmed behind the magnificent dragon. An aggravated snort could be heard coming from the black mass as it rearranged itself to once again face the intruder. Its eyes stared down coldly at the woman before it began spreading out on all four limbs and inhaled. Something dreadful could be faintly heard stirring and sizzling within its behemoth body.


    It had wasted little time since the first attack, and now, in mere moments¡ªthe room was set ablaze. Engulfing almost the entirety of the cavern instantly was an outstanding conflagration, relentless in its inferno wake, which rendered the surrounding area completely devoid of color except for the macabre cloud of red. The heat (if any beings were still alive to experience it, of course) was extraordinarily intense and all-consuming, reaching newfound proportions of incandescence; it was more than capable enough to turn skin to charred parchment, meat to black substance, and bones to absolute cinders. Amidst the raging hellfire, the walls themselves seemed ready to melt while drips of rock were forming from the ceiling. As a final conclusion, the air itself was glowing with an eerily bright intensity.


    It had felt like a ceaseless amount of time, but the seemingly endless flames had finally dispersed. There was still some slight fog, suffused through the air, which remained as an aftermath of the dragon¡¯s unforgiving barrage of heated breath. As for the user of the breath attack, it stood up attentively: no time was taken to commence a celebration, for it knew something amiss. Like a hunter enclosed by foliage, awaiting an attack from the enemy, the dragon remained on guard, scanning the fog with avidity.


    ¡°Usually by now, you¡¯d be greeting me properly, you know?¡± Displacing the fog around her as she walked, the woman made a lazy grand entrance after having apparently survived the inferno. She took languid strides, and her everlasting composure made one wonder if she¡¯d even begin to take action against the dragon.


    There was no civilized response from the beast, of course; instead, there was another harrowing roar as it began to ready for another seismic charge. The woman¡¯s expression tightened. Something wasn¡¯t right about this old dragon and its behavior. Reinforcing her suspicions, the hardened reptilian eyes which stared her down never wavered, meeting the woman¡¯s own as if she were a stranger.


    ¡°Hey, hey!¡± she started. ¡°What happened to the geezer who claimed to be the most¡ª¡± Her eyes opened wide. Almost robotically, the dragon went limp, and immediately collapsed on the ground, completely cessating any form of assault it was about to attempt. In quick succession, it began coughing repeatedly in an extremely coarse manner, of which each puff of air was accompanied by faint traces of smoke from its previous attack.


    It took no more than a few seconds for the woman to appear by the dragon¡¯s side. Hurriedly, she strided further until she was able to meet the weakened dragon¡¯s face. The reptilian eyes were closed, fully concealed by enormous, dark eyelids. Two grainy coughs later, and the eyelids peered open slowly, revealing vertical pupils encompassed by deep crimson irises. It let out another slow, wheezing cough before its eyes fixated on a familiar figure. The pair of blood-red eyes opened wider, and ever so slightly¡ªin a manner of which the opposing member was barely able to pick up¡ªthe dragon smiled.


    ¡°...Heh, come on now. That look you¡¯re giving me doesn¡¯t fit your usual composed self,¡± it managed to say with some trouble. ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t even greet my friends as properly as I could the last few times anymore, eh?¡±


    ¡°Old man! You still haven¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°And who do you think you¡¯re still calling an old man?!¡± the dragon exclaimed with surprising vigor. It didn¡¯t take long until he fell into another coughing fit. ¡°Anyways¡ªyou¡¯re here now. If anything, it¡¯s a nice change to see you, so let¡¯s settle down and talk.¡±


    ¡°As if that¡¯d happen so casually, you bonehead lizard!¡± she replied abruptly. ¡°It¡¯s worsening quicker than I thought, isn¡¯t it? Old man, if I can go and find Yuf¡ª¡±


    ¡°Listen to yourself talk! If anything ever manages to surprise you¡ªthere¡¯s a reason for it. I sure as hell can tell that this sudden turn of events isn¡¯t natural.¡± His voice gradually cleared, and his body was quickly recovering from the effects of weakness, albeit temporarily. As one would expect from such an intimidatingly massive dragon, each word it spoke was far down in the octave, and exhibited itself sonorously within the confines of the cave. ¡°Besides, I already owe you all a great debt: if you were to interrupt her travels and bring her here for my sake, I would no longer know how to express my gratitude even with all the years I¡¯d be granted.¡±


    She clicked her tongue briefly. ¡°It¡¯s fine, you damn mossback! She¡¯d be more than happy to see us again.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s eyes lighted up for a moment. Afterwards, he stood up from the hard ground and laid himself down in a more comfortable position, one which was reminiscent of a curled up dog. Filled with more life and animation this time, the dragon spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to that topic later: it¡¯s been some time since your last visit. Not to mention,¡± his eyes almost seemed to beam, ¡°my nose is picking up on something rather pleasant.¡±


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    The woman simply smirked. ¡°Now that you mention it, I do remember carrying along some sort of reunion gift. It might get some life back to that sour mouth of yours.¡±


    Several hearty draconic laughs rang out and echoed through the expansive interior of the cave, and the dragon grinned. ¡°Respecting your elders for once, are you? Let¡¯s hurry and get it started, then. It¡¯s been a while since I have had anything fulfilling to drink.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve more than enough for the both of us, old man. I chose to be more spoiled this time, so don¡¯t hold back,¡± she said, ignoring the fact that the dragon admitted to its weakening, old age.


    And just like that, they settled down. The supposed ¡°drink¡± that was to be divvied up between the monstrously large dragon and the relatively tall woman was only contained within a single wine bottle¡ªand a normal sized one, at that. Regardless, eyes of lively anticipation made itself known upon the dragon¡¯s face.


    At some point during their easygoing conversation, the woman had seemingly pulled out an empty bowl from nowhere, and followed it up by bringing to life¡ªfrom nothingness¡ªan enormous circular container of what appeared to be water. The water was nearly filled to the brim, and the container¡¯s liquid capacity reached to almost the size of the dragon¡¯s head.


    ¡°Heh, it seems you¡¯ve upgraded since last I saw. That¡¯s rather good of you,¡± the dragon remarked, grinning slightly more.


    Then, with calculated precision, the woman uncapped the wine bottle and poured approximately three-fourths of the liquid into the water. She didn¡¯t make any motion to stir the mixture, and instead waited patiently for several minutes. The eager dragon brought forth its nostrils to the newly formed concoction, basking in its aroma. Similarly, the woman brought her empty bowl to the massive container, filled it up with the liquid contents, and brought it closer.


    ¡°Hmm, not bad at all. Good enough to leave an old lizard like you more than satisfied, no?¡± the woman remarked.


    ¡°You can wipe that damn smirk off your face already: you won¡¯t receive any praise from me when I expect no less,¡± the dragon sneered.


    ¡°Seems that¡¯s the most thanks I¡¯ll be getting, then,¡± she muttered. ¡°If you ever plan on acquiring some for yourself, old man, then give it up¡ªthe cost of each bottle would make your eyes pop.¡±


    The dragon delighted itself upon the wondrous beverage, and gave a puff from its nostrils after hearing the woman¡¯s comment. ¡°Now if only there were any individuals willing to peacefully make exchange with an elder dragon...¡± he said. ¡°Thinking about it, how were you able to get your hands on them all this time?¡±


    ¡°Well, making money has never been my strong suit, so you can imagine my more preferred method,¡± the woman said, grinning. ¡°It¡¯s more complicated trying to get it by hand, but that¡¯s only because the government has control over the plant¡¯s growth region. Those greedy bastards are especially protective of this species. Feeling more grateful yet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than a good drink; don¡¯t get too full of yourself,¡± the dragon remarked. Although he appeared overly pompous and kept to himself, there wasn¡¯t anything the woman missed as she caught the slightest hints of the dragon¡¯s mouth (which continued depleting away the contents of the liquid container) curving upwards ever so slightly. ¡°How about you go run a country, relax for a spell, and put some sunscreen on at the beach? Maybe with a lifestyle like that, you¡¯d stop sleeping on the streets.¡±


    A challenging smirk unraveled itself upon the woman¡¯s face, and she spoke with extra oomph. ¡°As usual¡ªconfronting as always when it comes to me but not with the others. I¡¯m sure rulers don¡¯t enjoy such carefree lives anyways, and I sure as hell don¡¯t enjoy being involved in half-assed politics. Also¡ªI¡¯m not that poor, you damn geezer!¡±


    Once again, the dragon committed itself to erupt into a burst of heartfelt laughter. ¡°And here I thought you always enjoyed being in the presence of challenges! I guess when it comes to mental tasks like being a leader, you¡¯re more of a lazy simpleton than I thought!¡± he roared. After some time, he managed to settle down, and switched his voice to that of something more sincere. ¡°Now that you mention it¡ªI¡¯m interested in hearing about those two.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes sparked a little, and she stood more upright to present herself in an esteemed manner, smiling ever the more. ¡°Right, I almost forgot you were a mossback hermit,¡± she said mockingly. Her spirited lips moved slowly and gracefully towards the bowl in her hand, and she finally began indulging in the drink. ¡°Well, the trouble girl¡¯s been traveling around the world¡ªand still is, in fact. Improving even more in healing and light magic, from what I heard. Plans on setting up her own magic school once she¡¯s done traveling. As for the kid¡ªhe¡¯s off doing some impressive things. He¡¯s been busy, but so far he¡¯s landed himself in an influential spot, and he¡¯s only rising higher. Maybe he¡¯ll land himself in a position near the Emperor...¡±


    The dragon¡¯s voice lowered, and he spoke with teeming interest, almost as if in a trance. ¡°Hoh? It seems that I¡¯ll live to witness some revolutionary things by you lot, then,¡± he said. He raised his body majestically like any enormous, regal dragon would, and eyed the woman with his crimson sockets. ¡°Well? You wouldn¡¯t think I¡¯d forget to inquire about any updates from yourself now, would you?¡±


    In retrospect¡ªand to the dragon¡¯s amusement¡ªthe woman had previously described her old party members as the ¡°trouble girl¡± and the ¡°kid¡±, although the dragon knew better. He wouldn¡¯t ever say it aloud, but he knew that the woman herself¡ªof all people¡ªhad actually been (and probably still is) the most troublesome and childish of the trio. Again, he wouldn¡¯t start anything trivial by announcing that to her.


    ¡°Hey, old man, give me a break. I don¡¯t plan on doing anything big like you¡¯d expect me to. I guess I¡¯ve been doing more solo traveling, if that counts as anything in your books,¡± she responded. For the first time since arrival, the woman broke character: she was rubbing the back of her head, and her eyes steered away from the dragon¡¯s own as if somewhat abashed upon having nothing more noteworthy to add.


    As for the dragon himself, he understood perfectly: the woman was at an impasse. An impasse of which, given an entity of her calibre, could only be surmounted through methods other than force; which, in this case, the method was seeking out the fundamental pleasures of life via traveling. This came to be of no mild surprise to the dragon, as he knew the lax workings of the woman. By her characteristics, he always knew her to be more on the hedonistic side of things, but he couldn¡¯t help imagining how perfect the image seemed to fit her: a lone woman, with the power to (and who had already) changed the world, simply choosing to travel the lands in search of nothing else but what her heart desires, bound by nothing.


    The woman readjusted, returning back to her usual composed self, as the dragon would put it. ¡°Hey, old man,¡± she started slowly, ¡°...a few months back, I paid Phestus a visit.¡±


    For a brief moment, the atmosphere tensed: a shift was beginning to take form in their conversation.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time for the both of us, so she was extra happy to see me, and we shared drinks. At some point during our reunion, I noticed something odd. She explained that she hadn¡¯t been feeling well: almost a year prior, she was suddenly afflicted with something which caused minor weakness. The problem is¡ªit never stopped.¡±


    The dragon blinked, visibly awed and confused. ¡°Hmm, if it¡¯s meant to cause only minor weakness, then it makes sense as to how I wasn¡¯t able to notice it. If it were something like my curse, then...¡±


    The woman also blinked, nodding before she continued. ¡°I¡¯ve also visited Sanguis and Pentrale. They both described having felt the same thing. Lastly, during my short time on the Southern Continent, I met up with another one of your guys¡¯ kind, but he reported having felt nothing that I had mentioned. Do you know what this means, old man?¡±


    She was evidently rushing the story, but both parties understood that it was only as a basis to prepare for the true conversation to come. Questions would come later after having laid the topic, and this was something the dragon understood mutually.


    ¡°How irregular this all is. So this continent¡¯s the only one experiencing such a phenomenon, huh? This certainly isn¡¯t natural, I¡¯ll tell you that,¡± he said.


    ¡°There¡¯s also one more thing¡ªunrelated to all of this,¡± the woman began slowly. ¡°It¡¯s about Caladbolg...¡±


    Perhaps born from the weariness of his bitter days, the dragon¡¯s eyes proclaimed themselves with a new spark of apprehension. In his endeavor towards hopefully seeing off the last of his draconian days in unperturbed peace, the fates have only accompanied it with plight; this time, however, one of which possessed unprecedented abnormality on an unbenign scale. Seemingly cursed even in his potentially final moments, the dragon only snorted his displeasure.


    ¡°It seems¡­ we have a lot to talk about,¡± he spoke deeply, nearly in a whisper; although, whispers of such magnitudes were rather unrestrained on human ears. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, I guess...¡±


    The conversation¡¯s turning point, of which had hitherto been set aside, emerged on the two entities like a soggy, dirt-breached blanket. Indeed, there was plenty to talk about; and indeed, there was plenty more to figure out. Together in an artificially lighted cave preposterously deep beneath the earth, the strange duo finally began their true discussion.

 Chapter 1

    ¡°Somewhere in this direction¡­¡± a soft voice spoke. The voice belonged to an isolated woman, currently scouring a small map. Her delicate hands trailed the map as if simulating herself within it.


    ¡°Potential shortcut through the forest,¡± she said to herself. Each word spoken was gentle¡ªalmost like snow. For each breath she took, there was an enticing trail of frost following along its wake. She stood taller than the average woman, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily her defining point; in fact, it was far from it. For one¡ªshe possessed unnaturally pale skin.


    Concluding her decision, the unnaturally pale woman began embarking on an insignificant journey through the forest. Although insignificant in the sense that it wasn¡¯t anything noteworthy, it would save the pale woman some time: an opportunity she was more than willing to grasp.


    For each step she took, the grass only became cooler, succumbing to the strange aura of frost emanating from her body. Although alone with no companions, the woman was level-headed and didn¡¯t appear rushed at all; in fact, she strided forth in a manner reminiscent of seasoned travelers.


    With each exhalation, more frost emerged, permeating the air with a frosty-but-gentle breeze. The forest was thick, providing newcomers with solace in the form of shade; although, there was little difference for the frosty woman. Incidentally, her hair was also reminiscent of frost, although it didn¡¯t really mean much. Really¡ªit didn¡¯t mean much.


    After some more walking, there came the obstacle of a wildly tangled barrier of foliage, sticks, and branches¡ªall of which hindered her path forward. It was a small ordeal: she¡¯s ran into such situations plenty often. In mere moments, the cluster of obstacles shifted colors, transitioning into white. They froze into statues of untainted ice. The shockwave of what coincidentally appeared to be frost was sent forth in a calm flurry, freezing all in its path. This was all achieved through the use of her frosty breath. Like extra-fragile pieces of raw spaghetti sticks, the frozen branches and foliage disassembled at her touch, and the frosty woman was on her way just like that.


    For those who¡¯ve yet to grasp it¡ªall those frosty descriptions weren¡¯t entirely coincidental!


    Currently, she was draped in an elegant apparel colored a frosty light blue, almost as if forged from the very essence of winter itself; it had several other intricate indents of color, all of which belonged to the ¡°cool¡± side of the color wheel¡ªpredominantly blue. Similarly, her skin wasn¡¯t simply pale¡ªit was pale beyond natural comparison, matching only that of the purest soft snow; it as if she recently awoke from a deep, frozen sleep. Complimenting everything else, her waist-length hair was pristine; an appealing site of beauty bathed in the most gentle tone of frosty white, dazzled with a slight tinge of blue. Finishing it up, the two mesmerizing eyes embedded on her alluring exterior were yellow¡ªa radiantly enticing yellow, which greatly contrasted with her ghostly pale exterior, but did little to take away from her overall appearance.


    It perhaps might¡¯ve been strange to witness someone clad in such snug attire during the heat of day, but one might admit that it matched her well. The single robe she wore was sashed at the waist, reaching down to her ankles. In an elegant manner, her sleeves extended downwards superfluously beyond the actual length of her arm. Indeed, the apparel was rather exotic¡ªbut who¡¯d deny the elegance?


    The frosty woman stopped, peering ahead in slight displeasure. ¡°River¡¯s too long to hop¡­¡± she calmly noted to herself. More frost parted from her lips.


    Almost as if on cue, she continued forth again, creeping closer to the river until finally pausing. It took only a brief moment¡¯s time until an encompassing spherical aura of ice formed from where she stood. Having summoned it, the aura resembled a mini-blizzard, swirling around her in an entrancing dance of ice and snow. She soon allowed herself to walk forward slowly with leisure, ignoring the coursing river beneath her feet.


    No longer was each step only an effort to cool down some grass, for as of using the technique, it was now able to freeze over the water completely as she walked on!


    Truthfully¡ªshe didn¡¯t enjoy resorting to mid-tier magic in such a manner. Back then, she had used ice magic of a lower tier, but it was simply to break through an obstacle made of leaves and sticks. By freezing up the river¡¯s path, she certainly didn¡¯t feel as if she was going green for the environment, nor did she think any environmentalists would approve of her actions.


    She was on the other side now, stepping once more on the lively green grass of the earth. Little¡ªif any¡ªwater was currently passing through the newly formed sheet of ice in the middle of the river. The ice itself was thick, but it wasn¡¯t overly surprising considering fourth tier magic¡¯s involvement.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to let her guilty conscience linger. Out of tradition, she¡¯d break the ice afterwards to rejuvenate the river. Not withdrawing from that tradition, she turned around, preparing to undo the effects of her spell; that is, if she wasn¡¯t flabbergasted by what she saw.


    It was slow¡ªalmost like a feather gracefully gliding amongst the gentle breeze of the wind. Such an analogy would¡¯ve been perfect, but if only in different context; for, of all things, the subject wasn¡¯t a feather¡ªand it certainly wasn¡¯t graceful.


    It was a body. Seamlessly flowing across the river in all its disglory was¡ªof all things¡ªa body. Thunk, it went as it made contact with the unbroken ice. Bright, golden eyes stared widely at the spectacle, and soon the woman moved to disassemble the ice. But first¡ª


    ¡°...Surprisingly heavy,¡± she noted. Before, a list of priorities had flashed into her mind, and she settled on them. Firstly¡ªwork on putting strength towards retrieving the body, then drag it back to land. Secondly¡ªdestroy the ice, of course.


    There was a pulse¡ªthe body was still alive. Of course, no one knew exactly how long that¡¯d last: the river¡¯s temperature was nearly freezing due to yours truly, and it was unknown as to how long the body was left afloat. Soon afterwards, she shattered the blockade of ice, and proceeded to tend to the body.


    ¡°Seems I can¡¯t just leave them alone this time,¡± she said to herself. Her voice was lackluster compared to how she usual spoke¡ªit was missing her usual impassive tone as she realized the situation.


    As a matter of fact¡ªthis wasn¡¯t the first time she had encountered bodies in the wild. For each encounter, there was the usual routine of tending to the person¡¯s wounds and giving them directions to a safer place. Most of them were uneventful, but there were some rare cases where it had backfired. So what if they were actually injured bad guys? What if they were faking it? What if they were bandits? What if they were wounded for having attempted something with malicious intent? It didn¡¯t matter, for the woman¡¯s logic followed something simple¡ªanyone inexperienced or weak enough to fall prey to the wild or highwaymen couldn¡¯t possibly pose such a large threat to herself. There was also something else.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll hear your story once you wake up, then,¡± she said.


    With some minor trouble, the wintry woman slung the taller, limp body over her shoulders like a worn-down sack of potatoes, and treaded off in search of a clearing. From there, the construction of fire should be an easy ordeal once the task of acquiring firewood was fulfilled. Speaking of heat, she wondered¡ªit probably wasn¡¯t the best idea moving forward like this: after all, her body was naturally frosty, and the rescuee was making direct contact with it. There was no choice, so it had to be done. It shouldn''t be too bad, hopefully...


    Time after time, event after event, and time had flew by. What was originally a sun-drenched day was now a cool orange evening with the sun setting low against the horizon. There, in the small clearing of a forest, lied two bodies: one awake, and one laid down slump on the ground. Both were positioned near an open fire, with the two parties opposite to one another. Truthfully, setting up the firewood took longer than expected¡ªand not for the reasons one would think. Up until now, the frosty woman had neglected paying too much attention to the actual person she was rescuing, and simply ventured off in search of firewood, coming back to the body afterwards. When she returned, curiosity had overrode her.


    The original plan was to set fire to the wood gathered; that is, if she wasn¡¯t flabbergasted by what she saw. Clearing away some of the long black tendrils of hair from the body¡¯s face¡ªshe was rather impressed. If it wasn¡¯t for some grime here and there, the person¡¯s pale skin would¡¯ve otherwise been unblemished¡ªsmooth to the touch, like the frosty woman¡¯s own. Long, graceful lashes embellished their way along what appeared to be calm, but alluring eyes. Even from these simple features shown through an unkempt state, the frosty woman had to admit¡ªshe was rather eye-catching.


    Kept next to the conscious woman¡¯s side was a basketful of unassorted wild fruits and berries, specifically chosen with care so as to be edible (and at least somewhat fulfilling). For all of that food, however¡ªit was only for herself. It was strange seeing such large servings for a single woman, but if one considers it¡ªthe frosty woman exhibited only features of uniquity; she¡¯s permanently frosty, after all! With that said, the cover of night was quickly closing in on the two women; it was time to cease all action and wait for the break of day to rise upon the horizon once more.


    For most, the emergence of night was an opportunity to sleep it all away. For the chilly woman, however¡ªit was boring. While an extremely beneficial trait to inherit, the fact that she only required two hours of sleep per day had always left her with little to do during the night¡¯s dormant slumber. On the contrary, she felt somewhat special in the sense that she¡¯s been able to witness events and phenomenons only displayed during the peaceful, dark canvas of night; plus, the stars were always an enchanting sight to behold! At times like this, she would either lay down and rest, or travel on if she didn¡¯t feel that progress was substantial. Right now, she had no choice in the matter.


    The fire had burned out. What followed afterwards was the shuffling of a certain frosty woman positioning herself to lie down on a newly-formed roll of blanket, without any other blankets covering herself. Although the opposite woman was cocooned in a cozy sleeping bag, there was no need for someone as frosty as herself to be comforted by simple blankets, although they did feel nice to the touch.


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    Presently, the frosty woman was laying low¡ªresting, if she¡¯d say so herself. During times like these, a plethora of various things would come to her mind, creating boring¡ªbut sometimes interesting¡ªdistractions to take away some of the time. Speaking of time, today was an interesting day. What would the woman have to say once she wakes up? How did she end up in her situation? Where was she from? What was she trying to accomplish? All this was for an interesting story the frosty woman was simply curious about, and then she¡¯d guide her to a nearby city or town and continue on with her travels, like usual.


    About two years ago, she stumbled upon an inanimate body while trodding through an arid desert. There, she provided the man with sufficient supplies including lighter white garments to protect from the sun¡¯s rays, and plenty of water. In the end, the man was actually a no-name wanted criminal who barely escaped arrest and attempted to flee to another country through the desert. Given the size of the desert, it would¡¯ve been an uncomplicated ordeal to partake if one was properly geared for it; ultimately, however, the man wasn¡¯t geared, and so he suffered the consequences. He was hostile and malign, but the man was weak and foolish for having been so incompetent as a criminal to be chased through the desert by the authorities, and for thinking it was a decent idea to pass through such an unfriendly wasteland without the means to survive it. In the end¡ªthe man lost an arm to frostbite for attempting something truly foolish.


    There was also another time within the past year when, on an airy night like this, an unexpected little girl approached her with teary eyes. At the time, the woman was walking through the dimly-lighted streets of the city shortly after having been done with restocking her supplies for travel. The little girl was hard to comprehend through her sobbing, but the woman patiently played out the situation with care. The little girl was was lost; far too young to remember anything complicated like addresses, and within such a large city, finding her parents would prove to be wearisome. The frosty woman was naturally alluring, and also gave off a dependable cool-headed aura; most likely, the little girl was too scared to approach anyone until someone as gentle in appearance showed up. Hand in hand, the little girl was guided the entire way through with the wintry woman questioning anyone she could. Luckily, the enforcement didn¡¯t have to be called for a search initiation as the two of them eventually found their goal. She remembered the tinge of relief and indescribable humanity in her frozen heart as she witnessed the reunion of the family¡ªof daughter, mother, and father, all hugging each other in a tight embrace. That night, she felt somewhat moderately good about herself for once. Little did the frosty woman know, however, that there was another reason the little girl approached her¡ªshe reminded her of her mother.


    This continued on for a while, and before she knew it, the night was nearly over as the slightest streaks of blue revealed itself upon the edge of the horizon. Phlegmatic bright yellow eyes moved towards the scene of a figure enclosed in a sleeping bag across from the burnt ashes of the firewood.: not much to worry there. Perhaps she had stayed up longer than she had intended to, somehow delving deeper into her trance than usual. It¡¯d be best to sleep for now. And so she slept.


    Less than two hours later, and the sun was almost fully exposed amidst the vast skies of morning. One pair of eyelids freed themselves from slumber, and so one pair of bright yellow eyes revealed themselves to the newly lighted world. It was usually like this¡ªwaking up peacefully and ungroggy as naturally as blinking. She had many unique characteristics, and to her fullest enjoyment, she didn¡¯t need to take showers often due to the fact that she naturally produced less waste, chiefly sweat. Of course, there were some downsides to being what she was; although, such things couldn¡¯t demean her in any way, for she wouldn¡¯t let them.


    It was strange. Even after waking, she¡¯d still preserve some of her wandering thoughts from the hours before. Amidst these thoughts, she remembered that she had brought company along with her; the same company who delayed her journey to instead spend the night in the middle of the forest. As for that company¡ªthey were gone.


    Bright yellow eyes expanded wide as the frosty woman darted her eyes around to search for the missing woman. The sleeping bag was currently empty, and even more strange was the fact that her food basket was missing. This was mysterious indeed. If she was planning to ditch her rescuer like that, why bother with the empty basket? What condition was she in to be able to move like that already? For such a flabbergasting turn of events, she didn¡¯t actually know where to go from here. Just as she was thinking that¡ª


    ¡°Yo, frost lady,¡± a voice spoke. The voice most certainly belonged to a woman, but nonetheless sounded masculine. It was deep; quite deep, and¡ªto the frosty woman¡¯s surprise¡ªcarefree.


    There was an immediate response. Slightly shaken, the wintry woman gasped briefly, her eyes expanding all the wider as she backed away from the source, turning around to meet the voice¡¯s owner in a grand surprise.


    Surprisingly, the newly emerged woman was also surprised. Vibrant, deep sanguine eyes stared back and opened in astonishment.


    ¡°Eh? Did I scare her?¡± she muttered quietly to herself.


    ¡°W-what are you doing?!¡± the frosty woman exclaimed. She instinctively brought her long sleeves up to her mouth, covering her soft, cold lips with the smooth, silky fabric. Truly, what a preposterous woman! After having saved her from the verge of death, only confusion and an unexpected wake-up call was received in return!


    ¡°What am I doing? Now that I think about it¡­¡± She trailed off. There seemed to be a moment of focused thought as she pondered the question, but the thought was quickly dispersed as the next question came through in a split-second.


    ¡°W-what were you doing while I was asleep?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡ªI went fishing,¡± she answered.


    Casual. A response so casual, it¡¯d make one question her state of being. So many questions to ask, and many more things to figure out¡ªyet so little basis as to where to even start! Firstly, there came the issue of how she was able to move around in the first place, not even considering the fact that she spoke as if last night¡¯s near-death experience had never occurred. Secondly, there was the part about fishing.


    ¡°F-Fishing?¡± she began. ¡°But you¡­how are you¡­ feeling?¡± she found herself asking slowly. She had regained her cool, no longer overly surprised by the woman¡¯s presence. If anything¡ªit was the least she could do after taking care of her to ask about her well-being; although, an explanation from the woman would be a satisfactory reward in return.


    ¡°Heh? So you really did stand watch all night and morning for me,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different, except¡­¡±


    Composure really seemed to be her strong point as far as the frosty woman could presume, followed by slipshod displays of breeziness which rivaled the chilly woman¡¯s own imperturbable persona. Truly¡ªif she were anyone else, she¡¯d most certainly never bring up the topic of fish immediately following her recovery from near death.


    ¡°...I have all these fish, but there¡¯s no fire,¡± she finished.


    Up until now, the snowy woman had thought she could preserve her endeavor towards remaining calm and collected; that is, if she wasn¡¯t flabbergasted by what she saw. There, upon the slightly taller woman¡¯s hand, was a familiar-looking basket, but no longer was it empty! Instead, there were piles upon piles of what was most certainly¡ªfish!


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ understand,¡± she said, eyes wide in amazement. ¡°Why take the leisure time in catching¡­ fish?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because I was hungry,¡± she said, breaking into a smile. ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to have anything on you to eat, so I went and caught something for us.¡±


    Again¡ªher naturally casual demeanor was almost too down-to-earth. The frosty woman caught the other woman¡¯s smile, and she observed her. Matching her deep voice, the woman¡¯s stature was slightly taller than the frosty woman¡¯s own, of which the latter happened to be taller than average. And then there were the eyes¡ªfilled adequately to the brim with sharpness and power; although, the frosty woman found it arguable that it made her looked lazy. Bright yellow eyes found themselves becoming accustomed woman¡¯s character. Usually, people like her brought trouble along with them...


    ¡°Caught something? There¡¯s more than plenty, though; excessive, if I¡¯d so add,¡± she said. ¡°Without any tools either¡­ I suppose you must¡¯ve used magic, then.¡±


    For self-explanatory reasons, ice magic remained extremely inefficient for tasks such as fishing: the water would freeze over, leaving the prey stuck in chunky blocks of ice. It also didn¡¯t help that fish were cold-blooded, rendering it futile to slow them down through the ways of the cold. There was fire magic, of course, but it didn¡¯t leave any desirable aftertastes. Interestingly, there were some slight scorch marks on the fish, which only served to increase the snowy woman¡¯s curiosity. But wait¡ªeven more interestingly, the other woman had said she went and caught something for us. Were they this well-acquainted already? Such a question raced through the frosty woman¡¯s head, but with the way the other woman was acting, she might as well be convinced that they were.


    Footsteps paved the grass, making each strand of greenery all the more frosty as they approached the woman. ¡°Hey,¡± she began softly. ¡°are you... really feeling perfectly fine?¡±


    Bright yellow eyes peered at the opposing woman¡¯s own crimson ones. Her superfluously lengthy sleeves remained on her brisk lips, blocking out any frosty breath that¡¯d otherwise cause others discomfort. After asking, the frosty woman realized something¡ª


    ¡°Oh, I forgot,¡± she said. Shuffling, she moved slightly closer to the woman, staring into her eyes. ¡°You can call me Alice¡ªI¡¯m the one who took you in. What¡¯s your name?¡±

 Chapter 2

    An intrepid traveler knows quite well the prospects of danger, yet it also remains factual that their dauntless nature has them well-prepared for any conceivable outcome. If, by the luck of the devil, any such traveler were to encounter something beyond conceiving, it was up to the unassuming choice of either their own individual power, or of all things¡ªluck.


    Currently, an intimately-known frosty woman by the name of Alice found herself within an inconceivable predicament. Debatably, if an abominable demon overlord or heavenly behemoth king were her actual adversaries, she¡¯d have better notions as to what to do.


    ¡°H-huh?!¡± Alice exclaimed, nearly in a gasp.


    Today, there were no solutions to her particular problem; after all, it was an inconceivable one! Seen only once an aeon, the amount of chill and natural levelheadedness of the frosty woman had failed to prevent her from achieving incorporeal meltdown.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just my name,¡± an untroubled deep voice spoke. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of other things I can¡¯t seem to remember.¡±


    Flabbergasted! Within less than twenty-four hours, the frosty woman named Alice had been victim to numerous occasions of unintended flabbergasts! In her whole life, the record for the amount of flabbers being gasted within a single day amounted to merely two! For such an exceptional record to be overthrown so contemptuously in less than twenty-four hours¡ªand by one woman, no less¡ªwas truly preposterous!


    ¡°W-wait, please,¡± Alice said, attempting to calm herself down, ¡°what are you trying to say? Who are you? What happened to you? Where did you come from?¡±


    Alice¡¯s effulgent pair of shocked yellow eyes beamed towards the woman still, with the same silky sleeves unparted from their owner¡¯s frosty lips.


    ¡°Oi, slow down with the questions,¡± the woman replied nonchalantly. ¡°...Well, it¡¯ll come back to me anyways. For now¡ªcall me whatever you want.¡±


    There it was¡ªthe familiar stroke of casualness bursting forth from the woman.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s far too ridiculous!¡± Alice said, moving closer. ¡°Could it be amnesia? How much do you remember? What happened to you before yesterday?¡±


    A slightly irritated, but mostly amazed expression formed on the woman¡¯s countenance as Alice failed to withdraw from her barrage of questions. ¡°Oi, speed it down, would you? Besides, those are questions I should be asking myself.¡±


    It would seem that at some point, Alice had closed their distance to far less than an unrequited meter. ¡°R-right... that was rather unbeseeming of me,¡± she said, slightly taken aback by her own inquisitiveness. Clearly, today was full of surprises. ¡°I was just¡­¡±


    ¡°No need to feel so dispirited, either,¡± the woman said coolly. ¡°You took care of me, after all.¡±


    ¡°W-who said I was dispirited?¡± Alice replied, attempting to revert back to her even-tempered ways. ¡°...Was just¡­ unaware of my own impertinence, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Hehhh? It¡¯s sort of strange seeing you flustered yet still keep the same manner of speech,¡± she remarked, smirking.


    ¡°Well, but... that¡¯s¡­ not¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was only silence now. Not even the afternoon had come to pass, yet an unexpected turn of events had unfolded, of which the end result was one woman¡¯s bewilderment.


    ¡°...The fishes... are beginning to smell.¡±


    With that, the silence was there no longer. The noises of nature restored itself to human ears, with the birds themselves chirping away from the background.


    Vibrant sanguine eyes lighted up, and stared down at the basket. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    The basketful of the smelly creatures were already met with their fate, evidently shown by their lack of movement: something the crimson-eyed woman was somehow able to do. Firewood was gathered within good time, and it didn¡¯t take long until a vigorous flame bursted forth into existence. There, within the clearing of an unremarkable forest, the two women sat beside the roaring flame, delighting themselves in some half-adequate fish.


    ¡°Heh? I¡¯m amazed you¡¯re still going,¡± the woman said, staring at the remarkable scene opposite to her across the fire. Witnessing the frosty woman¡¯s continued feast, she decided to make note of her surprisingly voracious appetite. ¡°Even though I was the one who caught this much in the first place because I was hungry¡­¡±


    Of course, there wasn¡¯t anything to be unduly surprised about. Alice, as anyone would eventually come to know, wasn¡¯t an orthodox being, shown manifestly through her unique characteristics related to frost. Besides her naturally disparate exterior, she also possessed the inner workings of an accelerated hummingbird; that is to say¡ªher metabolism was several times higher than that of the average human. Naturally, such an idiosyncratic trait had incited an ardently burning passion for good eats within the frosty woman¡¯s inner being; although, she mostly had to remain content with cheaper food. Fortunately, her natural frostiness prevented any shortcomings of hygiene issues related to excessive sweating, and low blood sugar miraculously wasn¡¯t an issue. Still, nothing could prevent others from feeling an unexpected chill when being around her.


    ¡°It¡¯s enfeebling otherwise, since I¡¯m not your ordinary human,¡± Alice said, picking out another cooked fish. ¡°...There¡¯s also the fact that I¡¯m planning ahead by eating an extra amount; that way, I¡¯ll need to eat less once I enter the next city.¡±


    Having seen her unrestricted table manners, the woman somehow wasn¡¯t convinced about the last part. If anything, the part about ¡°planning ahead¡± felt like an excuse for her ravenous appetite, though she wouldn¡¯t say it aloud. Alice had currently devoured six meals, leaving behind the woman who only made it to her third course. If this was only her average feast, what manner of beasts would she consume once imbued with hunger?


    ¡°Anyways, continue on,¡± Alice said, finishing one of her piscine breakfast. ¡°What other things are you capable of?¡±


    Upon meeting bright yellow eyes, vibrant sanguine ones complied with the request. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know what sort of weapons I¡¯m skilled with. If I had them in my hands... I think it¡¯ll come to me naturally. ¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Alice hummed interestedly. ¡°If I recall, you can also use magic. What elemental flair is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± she said. ¡±Well, I¡¯m only proficient with one type.¡±


    One type, then. There wasn¡¯t anything wrong with being adept at only one category of magic. With the way the world works, no one is ever entirely the same¡ªtherefore, anyone can be proficient within one category of magic, or any other number of categories. Either way, no one remains truly limited by their natural magic affinity. Someone with extremely high appetence for fire magic, for example, would almost always be less adept at the other categories of magic; therefore, they¡¯d train their whole lives in the ways of fire. Contrastingly, someone with good overall appetence for earth and light magic could choose between learning some of both, or simply choosing one over the other, increasing their capabilities and effectiveness for that one category by magnitudes (the latter being overwhelmingly prevalent). Essentially, those with initially higher appetence or affinity for multiple types of magic have more choices as to which type they¡¯d like to master, while those born with one affinity had to stick with that specific one.


    ¡°Other than that, lightning¡¯s my elemental flair.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why there were some scorch marks on the fish,¡± Alice remarked. ¡°You must¡¯ve electrocuted them through the water.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. Then, her lips curved upwards. ¡°Good thing I wasn¡¯t a fire user.¡±


    Being only proficient in ice magic, Alice had to give up any thoughts of capturing the fishy creatures with it, relying instead on tools and her own experience. If the nameless woman had been affiliated with fire magic, there¡¯d most certainly have been one or two extra servings of fish saved from Alice¡¯s stomach acids. It would seem that both parties have had experience with tasting fish caught by the ways of fire magic.


    ¡°Yes, I agree,¡± said Alice, nodding because she was too busy finishing her meal. ¡°But that means you know what fish caught from a searing river tastes like. Did you happen to travel with the company of others?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right,¡± she said, seeming to have remembered something. ¡°I remember now¡ªwhen I tried crappy fish, that is.¡±


    ¡°Remembering already?¡± Alice said, eyes brightening up. ¡°How did it proceed?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think it was at the base of some mountain, but I remember running into an old man in the middle of the woods.¡±


    ¡°Old man? How peculiar¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡ªan old man, I think. He was weird, but he offered me some fish, saying they were ¡®fresh from the source¡¯ and that it¡¯d help me cross the mountain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ obviously fishy. Did you two engage in conversation?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡ªhe was weird, and a conversation would¡¯ve been even weirder.¡± The woman was now finished with her fishy breakfast, deciding afterwards to lean back, laying down flat on her back with both hands behind her head. ¡°The fish didn¡¯t look so bad, and he told me he personally caught and cooked them. Once I tried them, I learned that he actually caught and cooked them at the same time using fire magic.¡±


    ¡°So he was roaming the woods in search of taste-testers for his deplorable food?...¡±


    ¡°Beats me. Guess you could say that,¡± she said, recalling something else. ¡°Strangely¡ªhe was surprised when I tried them. Or maybe it was after I tried them?...¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ strange, but interesting,¡± Alice said, now also finished with her breakfast. ¡°Oh¡ªI forgot to ask,¡± she began, ¡°What would you prefer I call you?¡±


    The crimson-eyed woman barely flinched, staring towards the sky while equipped with an all-too-familiar carefree look, slightly satisfied after having filled her stomach. ¡°Beats me,¡± she said in her casual voice. ¡°I¡¯m not too good with names, so¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, both parties were uncreative in the ways of bequeathing names. If it were up to Alice, she was hoping she could rely on the woman to conjure an imaginary name into existence for the time-being¡ªclearly something she could rely on no more.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Alice began, ¡°may I suggest something of you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Sure, go ahead,¡± she responded, closing her eyes relaxedly. It was almost like she was sleeping, her back straight and face pointed towards the sky.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel inclined to accept because of what I did for you, but¡­¡±


    More and more did Alice begin to get accustomed to the woman¡¯s carefree ways. Somehow, she always manages to make light of any situation; it was an obvious fact that Alice found herself entranced by. Combined with her mysterious background, the frosty woman¡¯s curiosity expanded beyond her usual borders, wanting to hear more about the woman¡¯s story; although, there came the fact that she most likely had amnesia. Of course, the woman¡¯s amnesia itself was also an extremely interesting topic. She wondered if she was actually asleep right now, unable to hear her next words.


    ¡°...how about you travel with me until we get your memories back?¡±


    Frosty demeanor, as well as coolheadedness and an everyday-composed countenance¡ªall of these things were recovered by the frosty woman. She was able to think like she usually did, no longer having her flabbers being gasted. She was now back to her direct, practical ways.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she responded, still relaxed amidst her sleeping form.


    Simply with that one word, the morning was now bathed in momentary silence. It was as if the very word itself carried weight, causing all in the world to freeze, along with the birds, river, insects, and animals. The only thing set in motion was the breeze of the wind against Alice¡¯s face.


    ¡°Are you... sure?¡± she managed to say, her bright yellow eyes having expanded once more in surprise.


    ¡°What would make me unsure?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re¡­¡± she quickly lost her thought, ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯m, I¡¯m planning to go to the city soon!¡±


    ¡°Ah, sure. We could probably find something there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a traveler, so we won¡¯t be staying long! We¡¯ll be running into plenty of danger!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡ªsince you¡¯re a traveler, it¡¯d be even more convenient for us to find clues across the continent.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­¡± At that point, something had clicked within Alice. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re leaving now! You¡¯ve not misheard me¡ªwe¡¯re packing and setting off to the city henceforth!¡± Giving off one last puff of air, she set everything aside and began doing just that. Truthfully, she couldn¡¯t attempt to sound mad¡ªher voice still held itself with its natural softness, and not to mention she was practically pouting.


    ¡°E-eh? Sure, but how come all of sudden you¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the city, then we¡¯re going to figure out what do from there!¡±


    Her new record was now incomparable to all previous records. The past twenty-four hours had never been more comically bizarre! Nothing, Alice thought, could ever come close to her leakage of emotions today; no, she wouldn¡¯t allow it! She remembered something now. The woman said she was free to call her whatever she desired for the time-being. Names were something Alice was never good with, but today¡ªshe found one.


    Indeed, there were many questions to ask, and many more things to figure out. The truth of the matter now was solely based on the fact that everything happened by chance; an exemplary stroke of serendipity, if one might say. From here and forever onwards, there¡¯d be no telling what might happen, or what the future had in store. For one frosty woman and one crimson-eyed woman, an endless link of potentials were to take form.


    Bustling. As far as the eyes could see, and as far as the ears could hear¡ªthere was bustling. Of course, such an exquisite bustle was to be expected when one was within the city plaza. Today, however, the proportions of bustling and jumbling of business was to increase.


    ¡°Eighty! So far, eighty contestants have failed to bring down today¡¯s top contender! Is there anyone strong enough to put an end to Oaks¡¯s rampage?!¡±


    The plaza was large¡ªas expected of such an enticing city. Everywhere you¡¯d go, there¡¯d always be the presence of vendors and stalls, as well as street performers playing their fine instruments to entertain the ongoing populace. While there was an exceptionally large amount of showcasing and hustling of wares, there was also an exceptionally-gathered crowd of people encompassing an unassuming game¡ªarm-wrestling.


    ¡°Heh? Something interesting seems to be going on over there. What do you think, Sedes?¡± an excited voice asked.


    Amidst the background of the large crowd, two men dressed in bright white plate armor stopped to observe the unfolding scene.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter; not what we¡¯re here for. Whatever you do is of no concern to me,¡± the other man said, with far less interest than the other. ¡°Although¡ªhe does seem to be getting a little cocky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking that as an expression of approval, then,¡± he said, grinning.


    There was an exceptional record amongst the arm-wrestling community today, with the top contender boasting eighty consecutive wins, thus the uproar. The last time anything of this scale occurred was at least several months ago, so the crowd was fired up for new entertainment.


    ¡°It seems Oaks will continue being the reigning champion today! It certainly doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s going to stop anytime soon! As an experienced veteran of the Adventurer¡¯s Association, he¡¯s been taking his days off since his last mission, coming here today to show us what true strength is!¡±


    The two men stared ahead at the unfolding scene of cheers and lined-up contenders. They didn¡¯t pay attention to any one thing in particular, instead observing the scene as it was whole.


    ¡°Oi, did you hear that, Sedes?¡± the man asked interestedly.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± he replied.


    ¡°What do you think? He was here to show people ¡®true strength¡¯, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s of no concern to me,¡± he replied, turning around. ¡°As long as I¡¯m here, you¡¯re not allowed to make any trouble. That¡¯s why,¡± he walked away from the crowd, ¡°I¡¯ll be going on ahead. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks, Sedes! I¡¯ll owe you one!¡±


    There was another round of cheers and more uproar as the eighty-first victim came crashing down from the extremely hard block of material where the contestants¡¯ arms met. The contender who went up against Oaks was an Adventurer of three years, but even that didn¡¯t prevent his weakness from getting to him as the crowd cheered on for the opposing man.


    The arm-wrestling platform was simply an ordinary raised platform¡ªsolid and filled with smooth concrete. Fixed on the center of the platform was an extremely tough block of what resembled white quartz, serving as the main arena for the wrestling to take place.


    ¡°Oiii! Here! I¡¯d like to go up against him, please!¡± a cheery voice yelled.


    Silence suffused amongst the crowd like wildfire as an armored young man made his way through the crowd to meet the adjudicator. Before he knew it, the adjudicator¡¯s palm was opened up, and something was placed upon it.


    ¡°Here. It should be more than enough admission money for a match of this scale. In exchange, I request that the loser pay back the amount tenfold.¡±


    If Oaks was the size of an eagle, then the newly-arrived man was only an ordinary pigeon, even though both men were extremely fit. What stirred up within the crowd now was newfound excitement as an unexpected turn of events took place. There was no telling whether any newcomer was weak or strong, but what the crowd did know was that the current champion, Oaks, wasn¡¯t anything to be looked down upon.


    The adjudicator of the arm-wrestling campaign did a doubletake. ¡°Um, sir, we don¡¯t have any rules against bets, but the opponent has to accept the offer. Also, you need to wait in line like the re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let him off. I¡¯ll accept his offer,¡± Oaks interrupted, his voice booming.


    What an auspicious day! Who knew that an intimidatingly daunting person such as Oaks could be such an outstandingly tolerant guy! One man couldn¡¯t help but express himself.


    ¡°Ohhh, straight to point! I like you!¡± the young man said, cheery as ever. ¡°My name¡¯s Altus, nice to meet you.¡±


    And so, Altus walked towards the platform, with the excited crowd clamoring away at whatever it is they were thinking of the match to come. Oaks was clad in an unremarkable leather vest, and didn¡¯t seem to be particularly noteworthy besides his size. If one saw, they¡¯d think his sharp eyes to be rather hard to approach.


    ¡°Hmph, welcome, Altus,¡± the large man spoke, his voice intimidating. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting fellow to have done what you did.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± he asked rhetorically.


    ¡° I¡¯m not one to underestimate those who declare challenges publicly with such confidence; people who miscalculate others are fools. Interestingly, you don¡¯t seem like a fool to me. So what could you be?¡± Oaks said.


    The two contestants were now faced opposite to each other, their right arms flexed on top of the hard platform. Perhaps also serving as an extra form of greeting, their hands enclosed into hardened grips, preparing for the event to come.


    ¡°What could I be? If anything, I think I¡¯m going to be one to break either your record¡ªor your arm,¡± Altus said, challenging Oaks with an upbeat grin. ¡°Heck, why not both!¡±


    With simply those few lines, he left an aftershock which only served to further incite the crowd, inviting all forms of cheers and awed expressions. The adjudicator himself had initially been unconvinced by Altus, but soon came to also be in awe and satisfaction; after all, the young man was garnering lots of attention to the show.


    ¡°...It seems I¡¯ve mistaken,¡± Oaks said, his face becoming stern and his eyes growing ever so sharper. ¡°It seems you¡¯re just a fool, afterall.¡±


    The two men formed eye contact. One pair of eyes were demeaning, sharp, and seemed to look towards their destination with scorn and derision. On the other hand, another pair of eyes were unflinching, robust, and seemed to be in anticipation for the match¡¯s commencement; they were confident.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait and see.¡±

 Chapter 3

    Money¡ªone of the most important thing in the world. Well, not entirely the most important, but it¡¯s definitely up there. It allows one to acquire lots of things, such as good food, an extravagant house, well-crafted gear, an escort team, the latest in technology, and good food. It¡¯s the prime necessity for all civilized beings, the main influencer of economy, and incidentally¡ªsomething Alice was running low on.


    ¡°To think I¡¯d forget to take into account such a thing¡­¡± she said, letting out an icy sigh. ¡°Forget searching for clues¡ªthere¡¯s barely enough to last us for more than three days¡­¡±


    Having traveled for many years, Alice was more than capable of managing her own materials and resources for each expedition, but it was different this time. Rarely had she ever traveled with the company of others, but when she did, it was short-lived and both parties would separate upon reaching their destination. This time, however, there came the unexpected event where Alice found herself personally accompanying someone else¡ªthroughout their entire journey, no less¡ªand providing for them. Obviously, her traveling companion of whom she had found floating along the river didn¡¯t possess anything of value.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to do some job-searching, after all,¡± she said, sighing once more. ¡°But what would she be fine with?¡±


    Alice always had the necessary amount of things on her, with money being the most controlled variable among her travels; it was the balanced quantity¡ªnot too much, not too little¡ªand allowed her to go to cities and stock up for the next travel with frugality. That balance, of course, was disrupted by an individual who was currently in another room.


    ¡°She¡¯s at least capable in magic, so it¡¯s possible for us to take on subjugation quests at the Adventurer¡¯s Association,¡± she said, thinking up some solutions. ¡°But I¡¯m not even sure if she¡¯s registered¡­¡±


    Currently, she was sprawled across the soft bed inside the cozy room of which she had checked out at an inn. After traveling for most of the afternoon, Alice and company had finally made it to the city of Rebus, with the first priority being to book somewhere to sleep for the next few days. The room Alice had booked out contained two other rooms¡ªthe shower and bathing room, and the toilet and sink room. Her company was currently showering.


    There came the turning of something squeaky, and the sprinkling of water came to a stop. She was done showering, presumably, and was most likely changing into her new clothes. If she were to come out right now, what should Alice say? The topic certainly wasn¡¯t anything fun to discuss, and the woman didn¡¯t seem the type to stick around for ordinary day-jobs. Maybe the solution was to partake in quests from the Adventurer¡¯s Association after all? Perhaps they could sell whatever they could for the moment? Perhaps they could work as barmaids, serving tables and customers? Of course not. For one moment, Alice jokingly thought of participating in some sort of tournament. It was only in jest, but the reward for coming in first place was rather extravagant. They say that whoever triumphs in the annual continental tournament¡ªthe Ludus Equester¡ªreceives enough prize money to purchase their own mansion, along with an artifact of untold value. While thinking of this, the door to the shower and bathing area sprung open.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m surprised you managed to get something like this,¡± the voice said, focusing on sashing up their robe. ¡°It fits me quite well.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Alice managed to utter. The woman who walked out of the shower¡ªwas she even the same person? ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡­ agree¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? This does seem familiar, though,¡± she said, plopping herself on the other bed. ¡°But I can¡¯t pinpoint it¡­¡±


    ¡°Could it be¡­ another flash of memory?¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe. If it is, it¡¯s probably not an important one.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±


    Alice tried, but she had no control over her eyes at the moment. On the other side of the room, positioned lazily on top of the other bed, was someone who Alice thought she knew. They had luscious jet black hair tinged with the slightest hue of dark blue, reaching down to nearly her waist, almost as long as Alice¡¯s. Exceptionally striking while bearing peerless refinement, her exterior radiated an attractively luscious shade of pale white, although obviously nowhere near Alice¡¯s level of paleness. Her eyes, of which both were now clearer to the eyes, were something meant to pierce the hearts of demons, possessing undeniable allure while being sharp and keen amidst its sanguine wonder. Her stature was relatively tall, to the point where if both parties present within the room were to stand face to face, Alice¡ªwho was taller than the average woman¡ªwould only reach up to meet the beauty¡¯s nose at eye-level.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling hungry again,¡± the beauty said, stretching on top of the bed. ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Oh¡­ I¡¯m¡­ moderately hungry, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still some time left before nightfall. How about we get something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Oh, about that¡­ we need to discuss something first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You did say you wanted to discuss what to do once we arrived.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s only¡­ somewhat related to that.¡±


    Alice felt a tinge of guilt. If it¡¯s about food, then their current funds would never allow them anything of restaurant-quality. Combined with the fact that one woman was still hungry from her incident while the other was always hungry because of her body¡¯s inner workings, there was little hope in the way of sustainability. This was problematic¡ªbut it¡¯s because this was problematic that Alice had to discuss it with her. And so, Alice discussed it with her.


    ¡°Hmm? So it¡¯s money we¡¯re lacking, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°For some reason, that brings back some bad memories¡­¡±


    ¡°Money? How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure how to describe it, but it¡¯s kind of¡­slightly evocative¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡­ Could it be that you were also penniless within your previous life?¡±


    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t phrase it like that! It¡¯s just feels like¡­ I wasn¡¯t ever too well-off.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ that so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Well, I¡¯ve some suggestions to help us get started.¡±


    For some reason, Alice always felt that the woman wasn¡¯t incredibly well-versed in the art of money-making, although she didn¡¯t know exactly why. At times, an inkling of her intuition would leak through the precipice of her mind, helping her perceive what normality couldn¡¯t. Significantly more often than not¡ªher intuition would be correct. But moving on, the current problem was finding something both parties would be content with, and so Alice had to bring forth the topic of viable jobs.


    To be an intrepid traveler meant that you were also part of the top ten most prevalent professions among all denizens of the earth (albeit an informal one), but there also came something else along with it. Among travelers, an incredibly overwhelming majority of them were also enlisted as adventurers within the ubiquitous Adventurer¡¯s Association. In almost any conceivable city or town you could find, regardless of which continent, there¡¯d always be the presence of an Adventurer¡¯s Association Guildhouse, or Guildhouse for short, in each city. Of course, Rebus wasn¡¯t exempted from this. Because of its omnipresence and perks, the Adventurer¡¯s Association remains an extremely applicable system for travelers to become united with.


    For starters, applying as an adventurer for the association would bestow upon the applicant the rights to participate in the highly esteemed quest-and-reward system. Among your travels, there¡¯d be the option of filling out requests to acquire certain minerals, plants, artifacts, or monster loot, allowing you to receive rewards upon turning them in at the next city. Alternatively, for those who aren¡¯t traveler-adventurers, but are simply normal adventurers, there¡¯d be access to the Guildhouse¡¯s bulletin board, which allowed one to accept any quests provided by clients or the association itself. Among other things, there was also the adventurer card, which signified your rank and gave discounts for exclusive inns and blacksmiths, and the activity-benefit system, which gave you weekly payments depending on how active you were; that way, it encourages more quest-taking, benefiting those who do lots of work while giving none to those who don¡¯t. Of course, Alice herself wasn¡¯t exempt from being part of this system.


    ¡°Heh? Now that you mention it, that does sound like an easy way to earn money.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but it can also be dangerous. If we were to go to the Guildhouse, we might be able to find records about you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t recall much about adventuring but¡­ maybe I¡¯ve done it before.¡±


    ¡°The association should have records on every adventurer who ever joined, so it¡¯s plausible to investigate.¡±


    ¡°But can we really find records when we don¡¯t even know my name?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but we should be able to pinpoint your record with other information. Do you remember exactly when you signed up as an adventurer?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but it was their best lead. If they could only precisely pull out her record from the association, there¡¯d be plenty more details about her¡ªincluding her name. With that said, money was currently top priority, so it¡¯s entirely possible that Alice would have to help set up an alias to register her into the association for the time-being.


    Speaking of names¡ªAlice almost forgot that she gave her one.


    Of course, the name wasn¡¯t to be used in actual conversation, but only for when Alice needed to call for her. Her name was truly mysterious indeed.


    The rest of the day continued uneventfully towards the night. Alice had finished some trips through the city, shopping for what she could while the woman chose to nap at the inn¡ªsomething Alice was somewhat amused (and slightly annoyed) by. They made plans to accept quests from the Guildhouse tomorrow, but maybe it felt like she was being too relaxed and carefree about her situation. Was she that self-assured? Alice had to presume that it was her personality and that it¡¯s simply how she worked; but then again, people like her tended to bring trouble along with them¡­


    ¡°She¡¯s still asleep?¡­¡± Alice whispered to herself as she opened the door to their room.


    And indeed she was. Several hours had already passed since her departure into the world of dreams, with the break of night having already arrived. The atmosphere was rather darkly cozy, shown through the room¡¯s dim lighting and the lack of sunlight entering through the windows; although, Alice couldn¡¯t physically feel the coziness. Was the woman extra tired because she¡¯s still recovering? In the first place, she seemed completely fine, but maybe it wasn¡¯t as simple as that? Thinking of this, Alice allowed herself to walk inside, closing the door behind her gently so as not to disrupt her traveling companion¡¯s slumber. The bag of groceries which had been kept by Alice¡¯s side was now placed on top of her own bed, with Alice herself following the same procedure soon afterwards.


    Again, it was time for another one of those boring nights; the same nights where she¡¯d enter into her trance of deep thought, hacking away at them until it was time to resume activity. If she were to walk and loiter around the city during the dead of night and into the morning, she¡¯d obviously be coming forth as an extremely suspicious figure, or end up becoming some sort of urban legend related to ghosts. The previous night, where Alice had slept beneath the sky within an enclosure inside the forest, had provided something that Alice currently didn¡¯t have¡ªthe view of the stars.


    It was disappointing, but at the same time her current situation was objectively better; after all, she had proper bedding, soft pillows, and safety within the walls of Rebus. Still, she liked the stars¡ªthey were dazzling to the eyes, and made it easier to pass the time by wondering at them. Something of such beauty as to draw the eyes of all beings towards it; something of such resplendent brilliance; something of such inspiring breadth¡ªwhere else would she find something of such star quality? Without much more to think, Alice turned her gaze¡ªand found the woman¡¯s sleeping form. Her character, as she understood it, was gruff and implacable, but what Alice currently saw was contradictory to all of that. What the lamp¡¯s dim light managed to reveal, within the simple room of an unassuming inn, was something surprisingly filled to the brim with what Alice would call ¡°grace¡±. If it were anything but the stars, then the center of attention now would certainly be what Alice was observing. Who knew that she was even more alluring in her sleep?


    Still, the fact remained that the woman slept for longer than she should. Shuffling from the bed, Alice stood up and walked over to the other woman¡¯s bed, bringing along with her the bag of groceries. Gently, she placed her hands on the woman¡¯s shoulders, and lightly shook them.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Hey, wake up,¡± Alice said softly, bringing her sleeves to her mouth to block off any frost. ¡°I¡¯ve bought something for us.¡±


    Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t wake up with any signs of lethargy. In fact, her eyes bolted open as naturally as blinking, leaving one woman slightly amazed and bemused.


    ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± the woman asked, sitting up on the bed. She didn¡¯t appear tired at all; almost as natural as her everlasting composure, her instant attentiveness within such a context was astounding. For reasons unbeknownst to Alice, however, she still yawned, stretching her arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it should appeal to hunger for the meantime,¡± Alice said, digging through the bag of groceries. Besides water, there were numerous packages of cream-filled buns, along with some tidbits of jerky. The jerky was mainly for Alice. ¡°Here, eat this.¡±


    ¡°Heh? You remind me of most mothers,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Besides the part about waking someone up at night.¡±


    ¡°Huh? W-well, that¡¯s because¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you not want to eat alone, perhaps?¡± she remarked out of humour, holding her playful smile.


    ¡°You were¡­ you already slept for a prolonged duration, so I thought that¡­it¡¯d be appropriate to wake you¡­¡±


    The woman was in thought. Even though Alice wasn¡¯t making eye contact, she couldn¡¯t help but make out something in particular about her. From only the short time they met, she found herself easily getting accustomed to her frosty companion, but something else was beginning to shine from her¡ªsomething the woman couldn¡¯t help but notice.


    ¡°Yesterday, you didn¡¯t sleep at all because you were watching over me, right?¡± she said, opening up packages of cream-filled buns from the bag. ¡°And now, you woke me up and told me to eat, because you were worried, no?¡±


    ¡°Eh?! I-I was, I was just¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± she said surprisingly softly, albeit still naturally deep. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me so much¡ªI¡¯ll be able to protect myself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehhh? These are some pretty good buns. Where¡¯d you get them?¡±


    ¡°¡­The convenience store.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s filled with red bean paste, too! Must¡¯ve been a pretty good deal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ it was¡­¡±


    ¡°Although just water is a bit boring¡­¡±


    ¡°W-well, if that¡¯s all, then I¡¯ll be returning to bed!¡±


    And with that, Alice slowly returned to her own bed, taking with her the rest of the remaining food. She ate four red bean paste buns within record time, and then delighted in some jerky. As time eventually came to pass, what followed next was silence once more as the other woman fell asleep, resuming her dreams and leaving Alice to herself.


    So it was another night¡ªnow what? What would be the topic of interest? How to pass the time? Before starting up her trance, however, Alice realized that, for once, she wasn¡¯t necessarily alone. That¡¯s right. Mystery was with her.


    Yes¡ªMystery was the whimsical name of which Alice bestowed upon the woman. The reasoning behind it was simple¡ªit¡¯s because she was a mystery.


    Mystery was currently asleep. Thinking about it, would she sleep for longer than usual again? It¡¯d be best to start off early tomorrow, preferably before noon, but Alice didn¡¯t want to wake her if she needed the sleep. What were they going to find at the Guildhouse? What records would they unravel about her? Did she really register in the Adventurer¡¯s Association? What level of quest from the bulletin board would be the most suitable? How much money should she account for in order to move on with the journey? Amidst all these questions, Alice realized that she was thinking about¡ªof all things¡ªtomorrow. It was strange. Travel and travel; discover and discover; such is the life of an intrepid traveler such as Alice. But as for Alice, her own journey wasn¡¯t about the future or anything as perplex as that. It was simply about herself¡ªherself and the world as it was. Why was she thinking about tomorrow? Her nightly trance would always be about her experiences and the past; they didn¡¯t usually swing this way towards tomorrow¡ªtowards the future . Was tonight¡¯s session of deep thought simply an arbitrarily offbeat one? Did she simply think of the past too much, and her subconscious redirected its thoughts to topics about the future? Or perhaps¡ªwas it because she now had someone who was able to confide with her? Someone who, of all people, chose to partake on an emprise with Alice through the continent to search for what she¡¯s lost? Someone who she needed to consider and take into account for? Who knows? For now, Alice slept.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you managed to wake up in time. We¡¯re making decent progress,¡± Alice remarked, her sleeves covering her frosty lips. ¡°There¡¯s still half the city to travel until we reach it, though.¡±


    ¡°Half the city, huh? That¡¯s rather inconvenient,¡± the woman next to her said. ¡°Were there no other cheap inns that weren¡¯t located in the backwaters?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s where you¡¯ll usually find better prices¡ªsomething we¡¯re currently in dire need of. For now, we should be thinking objectively.¡±


    ¡°Objectively, huh?¡­ For some reason, that way of thought doesn¡¯t really click with me.¡±


    To Alice¡¯s surprise, she didn¡¯t find herself being surprised at all. Knowing the woman¡¯s relentlessly breezy and insouciant demeanor, she was able to piece together the (now confirmed) theory that she was anything but objective.


    ¡°Regardless, the thing about objectivity is that it¡¯s factually sensible and practical to what¡¯s important. You should start being more prudent, too, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well... things will get better, eventually¡­¡±


    ¡°''Things will get better'', huh? By the way¡­aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Alice asked, observing the distance between her and Mystery. She asked because it was still morning, with noon gradually closing in and the sun having yet to emerge from the clouds. There was that, and the fact that Mystery was most certainly within range of Alice¡¯s permanently frosty aura.


    ¡°Oh, me? It¡¯s nothing at all, really.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you sure? But you¡¯re wearing such light clothing, too...¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m beginning to think I usually wore light one-piece garments like this one.¡±


    ¡°H-hoh¡­ usually most people would be find it uncomfortable to stand too close to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehhh? It¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle. If anything, I think it¡¯s quite nice¡ªalmost like a gentle breeze,¡± she said, smiling.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s getting louder?¡±


    Without even realizing it, Alice had covered more distance than she initially expected. Time seemed to have flew by while she was engaged in her conversation with the woman.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the city¡¯s center. The amount of bustle there remains sky-high throughout most of the day.¡±


    ¡°Heh? We¡¯re cutting through the city plaza, then. Wonder what it¡¯s like?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s like any other big city plaza¡ªlots of business and recurring events, but not much of anything new. Did you forget that, too?¡±


    ¡°Well, for me, at least¡ªeach one is different in its own way.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that so.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think everything is different in its own way. The world¡¯s far too big for anyone to stop running out of encounters with people you¡¯ve never met, food you¡¯ve never tasted, items you¡¯ve never touched, and cultures you¡¯ve never experienced. I think... every new experience is something waiting to be grasped.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Alice blinked, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ rather profound of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, that was profound of me?¡± she broke into a smile, ¡°What kind of standards about me did you have before this, then?¡±


    ¡°E-eh?! Oh, I¡­ that wasn¡¯t what I meant¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hehhh? That¡¯s one big crowd gathered over there. What could be happening?¡±


    Alice tried, but she had no control over her slight irritation at the moment. For companions, she sure wanted to abruptly rectify the woman¡¯s blitheness and breezy attitude, albeit slightly.


    ¡°We need to register you to the association first,¡± Alice said, taking a short glance at the large crowd gathered at one particular corner of the plaza. ¡°We¡¯ll come back and shop around after earning money, if you¡¯d like.¡± Then, she resumed walking towards the Guildhouse.


    The woman¡¯s profound words that ¡±everything is different in its own way¡±¡ªit had Alice thinking. The more she thought, the more realizations she made. The world was indeed incomprehensibly vast, so much so to the point where no amount of scrutiny directed towards any map could allow the scrutinizer any indication as to the beauty of the world¡¯s grandeur. Indeed, nothing truly ever remains the same¡ªnot even emperors or empresses. Eventually, there¡¯ll always be someone else¡ªsomething else, to take over, but heavens know when that time will come. Alice was an intrepid traveler whose purpose was to journey the world in satiation of her wanderlust, yet it was her companion who had to spell it out for her that the world was big; that things were always changing. It was her companion who had to tell her¡ªan intrepid traveler¡ªthat there was always the opportunity to look forward to food you¡¯ve never tasted, items you¡¯ve never touched, culture you¡¯ve never experienced, and people you¡¯ve never met. All those things listed¡ªweren¡¯t they something an intrepid traveler should have already known by heart? Something any traveler should have known by heart?


    Amidst her thoughts, she began to notice that she was walking alone.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Alice managed to utter, searching around for her companion. It didn¡¯t take long until she found her, not far away, striding towards the previously-mentioned large crowd of people. The woman certainly wasn¡¯t thinking objectively. Considering their distance, Alice had to almost shout. ¡°Mystery, where are you going!¡±


    ¡°Hah? Oi, oi, we¡¯re barely several meters away!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s too much background noise!¡± Alice remarked, walking up to her companion.


    ¡°Still¡­ you didn¡¯t need to use that name. ¡°


    ¡°It captured your attention, didn¡¯t it? Besides, you said I could call you whatever I want.¡±


    ¡°Yet of all names, you had to choose that one¡­¡±


    ¡°W-we already talked about that on the way to the city! What were you planning to do, anyways? You¡¯re worsening our situation by wasting time.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ something really interesting seems to be going on over there.¡±


    Alice stared at her, her bright yellow eyes filled with contemplation as she exhaled frostily. ¡°Fine. But we¡¯re only getting hungrier every minute by staying here, you know!¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why you¡¯re in a rush. I didn¡¯t even realize that. My bad, Alice.¡±


    ¡°J-just ignore what I said! Let¡¯s hurry up with it.¡±


    And so, they walked towards the large, cheering crowd of onlookers. While Alice walked with her sleeves unparted from her lips still, her companion walked with an all-too-familiar smile on her face, obviously having been amused by her frosty companion. Once the two women were able to circumnavigate the immense crowd of fired-up spectators, they came to witness the reason for all this uproar¡ªan arm-wrestling match. In particular, there was one eye-catching man, bulging with muscles visible through his simple leather vest, who stood proud as the single victor emerging from the previous match.


    ¡°Eighty! So far, eighty contestants have failed to bring down today¡¯s top contender! Is there anyone strong enough to put an end to Oaks¡¯s rampage?!¡±

 Chapter 4

    It was now known that Oaks was the name of the triumphing man at the arm-wrestling stand. Indeed, he was rather demeaning, already seeming to emit a form of confidence which felt more closely tied to conceit¡ªfar different from Mystery¡¯s own form of composure. Afar from that, he was obviously bulky, and it might not just be brawn he possessed, for his sharp eyes seemed able to pierce through any contestant.


    ¡°Heh? Impressive,¡± Mystery said, although her eyes didn¡¯t show much interest. ¡°Eighty victories, huh?¡±


    ¡°Eighty,¡± Alice said, somewhat surprised by that number. ¡°That¡¯s extraordinarily rare to see in these kinds of matches.¡±


    The nature of arm-wrestling lied in the fact that anyone could participate. Each passing individual waltzing past the plaza at this moment could either be an adventurer, an experienced adventurer, or an adventurer beyond the skills of others. To have survived eighty consecutive matches and still reign supreme was something heard of only once in an indigo moon.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because all the actual strong people are busy adventuring instead of wandering around looking for an arm-wrestling match, right? But still, eighty victories¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, that¡¯s a good point. Still, to acquire eighty consecutive victories, that¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably earning him a lot of money.¡±


    Alice¡¯s ears almost perked. Was Mystery not impressed in the slightest? More importantly, why was her initial reaction so bleak? The man named Oaks clearly separated himself from the rest by achieving eighty consecutive wins, yet she only chose to wonder at the amount of money he was producing from displaying his strength.


    ¡°It seems Oaks will continue being the reigning champion today! It certainly doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s going to stop anytime soon! As an experienced veteran of the Adventurer¡¯s Association, he¡¯s been taking his days off since his last mission, coming here today to show us what true strength is!¡±


    The man who acted as the announcer for the game was also the adjudicator of the arm-wrestling premise. His role was to ensure that proper rules and procedures¡ªsuch as only being allowed to use physical enhancements, no magic¡ªwere being conducted, as well as handling each game¡¯s prize pool and pitting opponents against each other. The arm-wrestling platform itself wasn¡¯t necessarily owned by anyone, thus the adjudicator was more like someone who worked part-time overseeing the matches.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mystery uttered with an unexpected edge in her voice.


    Alice couldn¡¯t help but notice her companion¡¯s remark; something about it was strange. She sounded slightly¡­ irritated? But why? Was it because Oaks had all that money to himself? Was it because he was being impudent? Or was it because¡ªthe adjudicator mentioned that Oaks was here to show people "true strength"?


    The eighty-first contestant against Oaks entered through from the line of about ten to fifteen people. He handed over the admission money, with the adjudicator giving the bills a cursory glance, and was then asked if he wished to place any bets. And so, obviously without having added any pretense of betting, the middle-aged contestant stood up to the platform, locking his elbow in place to the sturdy quartz-like rectangular block which acted as a table, joining his hands with Oaks¡¯s proportionally larger one. Eighty was an impressive landmark number, but eighty-one was not; therefore, the crowd was less fired up for the event to come, albeit still in awe at Oaks himself.


    It was like an unwieldy boulder; the contestant stood no chance. This was Oak¡¯s personal form of condolence. Making no move to try to win the game from the start, he instead allowed his opponents a chance to budge his arm by keeping it still. By now, the eighty-first contestant¡¯s face was bathed red like an apple, trying his absolute best not to lose dignity when given his chance to prove his worth. Each muscle in his body; each direction of his being; everything was working towards the one specific goal of turning his opponent¡¯s arm to the winning side. Of course, that didn¡¯t happen. Ultimately, his chance at overcoming the challenge in front of him was no longer apparent, for before he knew it¡ªhe lost. Oaks only gave each person one chance, and the contestant had lost grasp of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s one more for the big fish! He¡¯s on to eighty-one total consecutive wins now! Truly, a man like him knows no limits to what he can do! Will today end with no force able to overcome the champion known as Oaks?!¡±


    But the truth was, it wasn¡¯t because the contestant was weak. Oaks was simply far stronger than anyone present within the plaza; in fact, he might¡¯ve belonged considerably high on the local adventurer rankings within the city¡¯s Guildhouse. Regardless, there came more cheering as the eighty-first victim came crashing down.


    ¡°Seems he is a strong adventurer with free time. His arm didn''t even budge,¡± Alice remarked, observing the match with some interest. The fact that Oaks''s arm wasn''t able to be moved by any conceivable amount only showed the disparity between him and the opponent.


    ¡°Oi, Alice,¡± Mystery began, smirking assuredly, ¡°I know how we can make some really easy money.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Is that so...¡± she regarded her, ¡°What¡¯s your plan? I''m presuming we can continue now?¡±


    ¡°Give me some cash. I¡¯ll admit myself in and earn us money by beating him. He¡¯s confident, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll accept any bets.¡±


    ¡°H-hah?!¡± Alice exclaimed, attempting to channel her inner calm. Did she hear her correctly? Truly¡ªhow was she able to say such things with perfect composure? ¡°W-what are you saying?! Even I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d be able to win against him; not in physical strength, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m telling the truth¡ªI¡¯ll kick his ass for sure,¡± she said nonchalantly. ¡°We only have one shot at this. After I beat him, do you think anyone else would be willing to go up against the person who took down Oaks?¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡ªno one would. For now, there¡¯s no one as strong as Oaks, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! Why¡ª¡±


    Before Alice was able to finish her sentence, there was an interruption from the crowd.


    ¡°Oiii! Here! I¡¯d like to go up against him, please!¡± a cheery voice yelled.


    And then there was silence. Silence was the only aftermath of that single voice, excluding one woman¡¯s irritation.


    ¡°Hah? Which bastard is that?¡± Mystery muttered to herself.


    Almost as if on cue, an armored young man shuffled his way through the crowd uncaringly and took the adjudicator¡¯s palm, opening it up and placing something on top of it.


    ¡°Here. It should be more than enough admission money for a match of this scale. In exchange, I request that the loser pay back the amount tenfold.¡±


    The crowd stirred! No, it was more appropriate to say that they were beaming with excitement and newfound anticipation as the unknown man in white plate armor presented himself in the most abrupt manner! It was much like kindling fire by adding in firewood, except the firewood was one man¡¯s action¡ªchallenging Oaks.


    ¡°Oi, oi, that was the same bet I was planning to place!¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re kidding, right?¡­ I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t fall for your convincing confidence¡­¡±


    In the end, the young man¡¯s efforts were successful. Although there was initial doubt, Oaks had personally taken up the offer, clearly amused (and amazed) by the man¡¯s sudden appearance and brimming confidence.


    ¡°So his name¡¯s Altus, huh? He¡¯d better not leave after this¡ªhe¡¯s my new target.¡±


    Alice made no comment.


    The heated match was to commence. The two contestants¡ªOaks and the armored young man¡ªwere now facing each other from opposite sides of the sturdy table, their arms flexed upon it. Soon, their hands met, and their fingers followed up by entwining together into grips of adversity tighter than a compressed book. While their right hands were locked together, their left hands were laid flat on the counter. Traditionally, matches would begin whenever the adjudicator sent forth a wave of electricity via lightning magic through the table; this signals the official start of the match where contestants would use their reaction times to release their left hand and go all out.


    ¡°For some reason, I can¡¯t tell who¡¯s going to win,¡± Alice said, her voice slightly muffled by her sleeves. ¡°That Altus person¡ªhe¡¯s different. What do you think?¡±


    Alice turned, and found Mystery tuned in to the match. Her naturally sharp eyes were staring down the two contestants who stared down each other. Although nearly unnoticeable, her eyes showed slightly more interest¡ªinterest in a cool and relaxed manner. ¡°...If seventh tier''s his limit¡ªhe¡¯s not going to last.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Seventh tier? But for who?¡±


    And then, with his hand on one side of the wrestling table, the adjudicator sent forth an electric shock. The match officially began.


    There was nothing.


    The contestants¡¯ arms didn¡¯t move. The table didn¡¯t move. Nothing moved. Silent like a butterfly; silent like a tree; silent like the sound a wall makes when nobody''s around to hear it. Upon this puzzling sight, the entirety of the crowd presumed it to be Oaks¡¯ doing once again, but only the two men currently contesting¡ªand one other woman spectating¡ªknew what happened instantly. Before long, it became evident to everyone else that it wasn¡¯t just Oaks, but both of them! Both of the men refrained from taking the preemptive strike to thwart their opponent¡¯s arm.


    ¡°¡­Are you messing with me?¡± Oaks asked, his voice deep and intimidating. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°My, my, I guess this became awkward all of a sudden! Who knew that we were both trying to test each others¡¯ strength!¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re achieving anything by doing this?!¡±


    ¡°If you actually want to achieve something¡ªyou better start trying with all your might.¡±


    ¡°What was that?!¡±


    Oaks couldn¡¯t comprehend the young man in front him. His attitude thus far was anything short of pesky and unreadable. How annoying. For being one of the first person to place such an amusing bet and presenting it in such an amusing style, he was disappointing. So, Oaks decided to end it; or at least, he thought he could end it.


    His right arm moved, turning Altus¡¯s arm to the side, but then¡ªhe struggled.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    With all his being¡ªOaks struggled. An iron grip clung tighter to his hands with each passing moment that his muscles attempted to tear away at an attempt to struggle; to struggle so that the opposing arm would at least budge from where it was. Of course, that didn¡¯t happen. His mind became tunnel-visioned to only one train of thought as he continued¡ªbut failed¡ªto swing the limb of which he currently grasped to the side. His breathing slowly tipped to the edge instability, and sweat began forming from his face as all the gears in his head worked itself to concentrate on overcoming the task at hand. He had to do something.


    In this world, one¡¯s physical strength depended primarily on two things¡ªmagic capacity, and physical enhancements. Physical strength could naturally be obtained by increasing one¡¯s magic capacity, where physical strength would increase proportionally in relation to one¡¯s magical capacity, or mana. Physical enhancements, on the other hand, aren¡¯t classified as magic, but act as something in their own category¡ªit allowed one to greatly increase their physical capabilities temporarily. Similar to the fact that anyone could pick up and master magic, anyone was able to pick up and begin learning physical enhancements. Without being overly complicated, physical enhancements essentially worked the same way as magic, but provided an entirely different category of effects all relating to, well¡ªanything physical.


    Up until now, Oaks had been using numerous physical enhancements to bolster his overall body strength, muscle endurance, body stamina, and arm strength¡ªall of which were of the fourth tier. Before his current match, Oaks had been presented with quite a few opponents where fifth tier physical enhancement was needed, and even fewer where sixth tier was needed.


    Altus was on a different league.


    Altus was currently trying to one-up him. He sensed that Oaks was attempting to go for the win, thus he had instantly activated a high tier of physical enhancement, forcing the larger man to struggle. Before he was to let Altus take the lead, he had to do some damage. For Oaks, the limit of his physical enhancement was the seventh tier. Letting no opportunities slip by, he simultaneously casted all upgraded versions of what he already had. An invigorating surge of energy passed through and shook throughout his inner being, and the effects were made immediate. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Oaks was brought forth anew with something reminiscent of adrenaline and newfound purpose to crush his opponent.


    There it was again¡ªOaks was taking the lead. Altus¡¯s arm had no choice but to bend towards the direction of which the larger man¡¯s arm took it, with Oaks obviously planning on taking it down to the tabletop. The victory was clearly his, with Altus¡¯s hand coming down swiftly. It was almost there. Just one more push from Oaks, and then the very hand he grasped would face the same fate as the other eighty-one contestants before him.


    And then¡ªhe struggled. Again, his efforts were put to an abrupt stop.


    ¡°Damn it! Why?! Why won¡¯t it move?!¡± Oaks shouted.


    The crowd now clamored even more than it had when Altus declared his challenge to Oaks. Mixed amongst all the clamor was whispering, gossip, and bewildered expressions as everyone came to witness the unexpected scene of a wildly struggling Oaks. For Oaks, he was struggling as if to lift an entire building; for the audience, Altus was simply taking his time, sweat clearly having not formed on his face. The young man had yet to make a single movement of his arm.


    ¡°Eh? It seems that¡¯s the best you can do.¡±


    ¡°Tch, y-you! You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll still have lots of money left over, so don¡¯t hate me for this.¡±


    With one rapid movement, calm and flowing like that of a river, Altus turned the tides of the battle. More appropriately, the young man overwhelmed the battle not by turning the tides, but by summoning forth a raging flood of strength.


    ¡°So, he actually won,¡± Alice said, thinking back to the aftermath of the fight.


    By now, the dark horse contestant named Altus had already taken down Oaks; in fact, he was currently collecting the pool money of which the adjudicator had prepared beforehand. The initially loud uproar which formed from the results of the match¡ªnamely, Oaks¡¯s defeat¡ªhad gradually simmered down to excited whispers of the mysterious man and chatter about Oaks¡¯s thunderstruck record.


    ¡°Hey, kid. I want to ask you something.¡± the big man spoke, directing his questions towards one person in particular.


    ¡°Hmm? Sure, what is it? If it¡¯s anything too personal, I won¡¯t be able to answer it, you know!¡± Altus said, cheery as ever.


    ¡°Spare me most of the crap. Who are you? You¡¯re not going to convince me that you¡¯re just some guy from the street who decided to worm your way in, are you?¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that? Did I need to be someone specific in order take you down?¡±


    ¡°You with your damn mouth! Answer my question already!¡±


    ¡°But, If I remember correctly, you called me a fool. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason to answer to someone who still hasn¡¯t even realize that they¡¯re the fool.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, Oaks, was it?¡± he asked, his voice suddenly becoming serious. His smile faded. ¡°You¡¯re not as dumb as I think you are. You said that those who miscalculate others are fools, which isn¡¯t bad¡ªbut what did you do when I acted against you? What did you do when I made myself annoying through your eyes?¡±


    ¡°So what if you were just¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that all it took was just one miscalculation, and your career would¡¯ve been over. It¡¯s a big world out there, in case you didn¡¯t know, and the amount of people who sit above you are literally countless. You¡¯re a prideful adventurer among adventurers, but what you probably haven¡¯t considered is that strong people can be found anywhere. You won¡¯t be able to expect them, whether they¡¯re an adventurer, traveler, or just someone walking along the street. In fact, one of the strongest person I know isn¡¯t even an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Tch, are you my damn philosophy teacher, now?! Couldn''t even answer a damn question! Fine, take your smug smile and be happy with it,¡± Oaks said, walking away.


    ¡°As long as you at least learned something, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do fine!¡± Altus shouted to him, resuming to his jovial ways.


    Ignoring the exchange between Oaks and Altus, there was currently something bothering Alice. She most definitely recalled Mystery¡¯s ¡°prediction¡± for the match before it began, where it was mentioned that one person was to fail because seventh tier physical enhancement was their limit. How accurate was she? If so, how did she know?


    ¡°Hey, Mystery,¡± she asked, turning her bright yellow eyes. ¡°How did you know Oaks was going to lose?¡±


    With Alice¡¯s intuition and experience from traveling, she was able to make out that something about Altus clearly separated him from the rest, although that was the extent. Because it wasn¡¯t entirely plausible to evaluate someone¡¯s strength and ability once they¡¯ve shown it to you (or use it on you), people had to come up with different ways to assess power. In Alice¡¯s special case, she simply only needed to rely on her unique innate ability, although it worked quite differently.


    ¡°Well, it was intuition, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Is that... really it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s not really reliable¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I still need to challenge him. You need to help me with this, Alice,¡± she said casually. Then, without waiting, she began walking towards Altus.


    ¡°H-hey, hold on a moment! Didn¡¯t you see what he just did?!¡± Alice exclaimed, walking behind Mystery.  ¡°You know, you''re really starting to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll make us some really easy money. All I need is the admission money.¡±


    Should she grab her? Maybe she should grab her. Alice naturally learned to prevent herself from coming into physical contact with people and acquaintances, but for the current situation¡ªshe was tempted.


    ¡°W-why are you so insistent on doing this to me, geez!¡±


    ¡°Eh? ¡®Geez¡¯,?" she remarked amusedly. "That''s rare coming from you. I didn''t realize I was pushing you that far. My bad, Alice.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that! What makes you think I¡¯d give you the money if you walked up to him, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll work out, somehow.¡±


    Alice was exasperated! And by this one woman in particular. Truly, how preposterous! Maybe she should buy her less food next time! Maybe she should replace her robe with something less attractive! Or maybe she should make them sleep in the same bed at night so she¡¯d be discomforted by Alice¡¯s cold aura! Yeah¡ªthat¡¯ll teach her not to behave like this anymore!


    It was too late, for Mystery had already appeared behind the man known as Altus with great speed!


    ¡°Oi, Altus, was it? I''ll be challenging you, so let¡¯s work something out,¡± she said, her voice completely devoid of hesitation. She was still composed as ever.


    Alice finally caught up, but again¡ªit was too late!


    ¡°Hmm? Yeah, that¡¯s my name, but wh...¡± He stopped. Upon turning around to meet the owner of voice which declared the challenge, he stopped. Immediately afterwards, he managed to utter one thing. ¡°Eh?¡±


    Preposterous! Altus¡ªthe one who defeated Oaks as if he was an ant armed with a toothpick¡ªwas currently sweating from his temples. It was the kind of sweating one would have from finding out that their steak had been cooked ultra-rare. From no more than just a few seconds after having turned around to meet Mystery, Altus seemed to have comically shrunk into a lifeless doll whose soul was barely attempting to contain itself. His hands only froze, not moving an angstrom as his mouth inadvertently fell open. More and more was his demeanor reminiscent of a slug in comparison to the woman who¡¯d be the oncoming boot that¡¯d stomp it.


    ¡°E-eh?!¡± Altus uttered once more.


    For once, it wasn¡¯t only Alice who was in surprise as her companion''s eyes also lighted up. This person¡ªwhy was he so surprised?


    ¡°M-master?! W-why are you here?!¡±