Chapter 20 ..
Knock—knock—knock—
It was still dawn, before the first light of day.
Eric, awakened from sleep, quickly packed his belongings, left his room, and went to the next one, where his two retainers were lodging.
Creak—
“Sir Lillian, are you awake?”
“Yes, Young Master. She’ll be out soon.”
“Good. Once we’re ready, we’ll depart immediately.”
It was early, but unless they intended to camp halfway up the mountain, they had to move quickly.
He already knew roughly where the avalanche had occurred and had a good guess about the likely culprit. There was no need to search the vast mountain range blindly.
Still, with this weak body of his, climbing up and down the slippery, snow-covered peaks would take ages, even just for one ridge. Better to hurry as much as possible.
“Uaaahm… Do we really have to leave this early? The sun’s not even up yet.”
A little later, Lillian appeared in the hallway, ready to go. She stretched out a long yawn and rubbed her sleepy eyes, clearly not fully awake.
“You already slept plenty in the carriage. Why complain about being tired again? Too much lying around is bad for you. A person needs to get up and move around.”
“…I don’t remember sleeping, only passing out.”
Her head drooped as she muttered nonsense, looking quite tired, but it wasn’t much of an issue. Once she faced the cold mountain winds, her sleepiness would vanish soon enough.
Step—
Just as Eric was about to head downstairs, he froze at the sound of footsteps behind him.
“Leaving already?”
A woman stood there, dressed in a black gown embroidered with gold thread, her face hidden beneath a dark veil.
Isabella Ravencroft.
Only moments ago, the corridor had been empty except for them. Yet she had appeared without so much as the sound of a door opening or a single hint of presence.
Eric swallowed uneasily.
Damn. Part of the reason I was hurrying was to avoid running into her again.
The Inquisition—a force as powerful as the Empire itself, perhaps even more so.
And Isabella was one of their few Inquisitors. A fanatic who would commit any act in the name of the Goddess.
She held authority so absolute she could arrest even a cardinal if they strayed from doctrine. Gaining her favor could be of great help for the upcoming successor selection and the development of his domain.
But that wasn’t something he could attempt right now.
If he still had Allen Ater’s body—the one beloved by the Goddess herself, the game’s protagonist—it might be different. But now? He had nothing to boast of.
A reputation as a wastrel, and in truth, no divine favor at all. A good-for-nothing.
“…Young Master!”
“It’s fine.”
Isabella waited silently, a faint smile behind her dark veil.
Even Leona, who had sensed nothing until Isabella was already upon them, quickly moved Eric behind her and reached for her sword. Eric only shook his head and stepped forward.
“We’re pressed for time this morning. Still, I rested well, thanks to you.”
“That key… are you checking out completely? Until the avalanche is resolved, it will be difficult to secure another room. If it’s because of us, please don’t feel pressured. There are still plenty of rooms available.”
Why was someone of her stature showing so much interest in a stranger she’d only met yesterday? Her repeated kindness was… unsettling.
Had this body caused some trouble in the past?
Eric had no way of knowing. The game never revealed those details. But considering his notorious reputation throughout the Empire and the discrimination he’d faced as a useless fool, it wouldn’t be surprising if something had happened.
“That won’t be necessary. I never intended to stay long in the city. Thank you for your concern.”
Watching Isabella carefully, Eric bowed and turned away.
He wished he could at least read her expression, guess at her intentions, but the veil concealed everything.
Jingle—
Leaving the inn, he stepped into the still-deserted streets, heading toward the distant snow-covered mountains.
“Was it really necessary to return the key? Like she said, it’ll be tough to get another room later….”
Noticing Lillian glancing back, Eric answered firmly:
“No problem.”
He understood why she missed the inn already—after fainting all day in the rattling carriage, she’d finally had a comfortable night’s sleep.
But they wouldn’t need to come back for another room.
“Because we’ll finish our business today and return to the manor.”
The successor selection was only three years away, and he still had to win over the elders. There was no time to linger in this city.
The snow-covered peaks loomed ahead. The trouble within the Nivosus Mountains had to be dealt with quickly.
Eric and his companions left.
Back in the inn hallway, Isabella remained, gazing blankly down the now-empty staircase.
“Lady Isabella.”
A knight in dark armor, who had been hiding in the corner unseen, approached hesitantly.
“Shall we assign someone to follow him, if you’re concerned?”
Eric Ater.
Not even a duke, just a minor noble’s son. And far from being an heir—he was considered a burden.
Yet somehow, he had recognized the existence of the Shadow Knights, something known only to a select few within the Church.
Even the wary look he’d given them yesterday, the discomfort he showed at her kindness today—it didn’t seem like coincidence.
“…No. Let’s go back.”
After a moment’s thought, Isabella shook her head.
She was curious, yes. But there was no need to dig deeper now.
She had already requested reports from the priests assigned to House Ater. There were more pressing matters than her personal curiosity.
If there really is something, it will reach my ears soon enough.
With that thought, Isabella turned away from the staircase and returned to her room.
No matter how well hidden, a sharp needle always pierces through the pocket eventually.
Whoooosh—
“S-so c-c-cold….”
The steep, snowy mountain.
Hours had passed since they left the city at dawn.
Lillian followed cautiously behind Eric and Leona. The higher they climbed, the harsher the biting winds became, making her shiver uncontrollably.
“M-Master, are we still far from the destination? At this rate, I’ll… ugh… freeze to death before we even arrive.”
She had worn heavy layers from the start and even wrapped herself in extra clothing from her pack. It was no use.
Was this just how northern mountains were? Or was it because of the avalanche—so massive it had blocked the main path—that something was wrong with the mountain itself?
The cold pierced her skin; she truly feared she might freeze to death.
“Good grief. How long have we been climbing, and you’re already whining? How will you ever handle real combat?”
Eric scolded, frustrated at her shrinking steps.
If they didn’t want to camp in this freezing place, they had to move faster.
Even if they eliminated the cause of the avalanche, getting back down the treacherous, snow-buried slopes before sunset would be difficult.
“Th-that’s different! I don’t need to move around to cast magic!”
“You think mages just stand still on walls, tossing spells? Sometimes you have to hunt monsters for days on foot. You’ll be exploring plenty of dungeons and wandering lands in the future. Will you collapse every time?”
“That’s….”
Rustle—
Seeing Lillian struggle to even speak through her chattering teeth, Eric sighed and draped his cloak over her shoulders.
It wasn’t as good as thick clothing, but lined with fur, it was warmer than it looked. At least it would keep her from freezing to death.
“Just a little longer. We’re nearly at the peak. We should soon find our destination.”
Though he spoke harshly, he too was nearing his limit.
His body, born in the north, was resistant to cold, and the <Indomitable> trait helped reduce stamina drain. Still, his raw stats were lower than Lillian’s.
Still, what I said wasn’t a lie. If my guess is right, the cause of the avalanche is near the site where it began.
“Sir Lillian, don’t worry too much. Once we return, I’ll help you steadily build your stamina. You’ve already stopped fainting after casting spells lately. Soon you can start physical training alongside it.”
“Huh? N-no, that’s….”
“Shh.”
Eric suddenly hushed them. Peering through the thick snow, he fixed his eyes on something.
…Found it.
In the middle of the snow-covered ground, a strange rise—unnatural, with sunken spots where snow had fallen inward.
At first glance it looked like just a slope, but it was clearly the point where the avalanche had begun.
The Nivosus range stretched between the Empire’s central and northern lands, and this was the only pass through it.
An avalanche of such massive scale had started here.
“Sir Lillian. Do you sense anything unusual nearby? Somewhere with strong magical energy, perhaps?”
“Hmm… strong magical energy….”
Few monsters could cause such devastation—an entire ridge wiped out in an instant, save for one peak.
And within imperial lands, before the great monster waves had even truly begun, there was only one possible culprit.
“…Over there! I feel something strange!”
Scanning the area, Lillian pointed to a spot in the distance.
“Yes, right there!”
Following her lead, they trudged forward.
After several minutes, they reached the place and found something hidden beneath the snow.
“…This is….”
“A cave. The avalanche must have exposed the entrance.”
A cave, near the mountaintop.
Even after the avalanche had swept most of the snow away, only the tip had been visible. It had likely been buried for a very long time.
“Let’s go in.”
“I’ll take point, just in case.”
They shoveled away the snow until the entrance was wide enough to crawl through.
Leona drew her sword and carefully stepped inside first.
Thunk—
“Sir Leona, how is it?”
“No monsters nearby, thankfully. But it’s a bit steep—be careful climbing down.”
Hearing her voice echo from below, Eric nodded and cautiously leapt inside.
“Ugh, it’s pitch black. Should I light something?”
“No need.”
Already buried under snow, the cave was further darkened by the raging blizzard outside.
Though the darkness made him squint, Eric shook his head at Lillian’s suggestion.
He hadn’t dragged her here only for her to waste mana on light.
Fwoosh—
Rummaging in his pack, he pulled out a torch he’d wisely brought along and lit it.
“The cave’s larger than expected.”
“Looks like an ice cave. Watch your step; it’s slippery.”
The flickering torchlight revealed only the transparent floor. No walls were in sight, even far into the glow—it was much larger than he’d thought.
Step—
“Wow… it’s beautiful. The floor’s so clear, it’s like a mirror—ouch!”
Thud—
After wandering deeper, marveling at the mirror-like floor, Lillian suddenly bumped into Eric, who had stopped dead in his tracks.
“W-what is it? Why’d you stop—ah! Hiiieek!”
Rubbing her sore forehead, she followed Eric’s gaze downward. And then she froze in terror.
“Young Master… is that…?”
“Yes.”
Beneath the thick ice floor they stood upon… something loomed.
“A spirit.”
A spirit—normally a small, animal-like monster formed entirely of mana.
But this one…
“…It’s far too big.”
A massive, lizard-like corpse, eyes glazed and unfocused, stared up at them from beneath the ice.
