Ep 143. This ot Be Mere ce. (2)

  “Hmpf!”

  In the midst of Asarda’s snowfields, an Asardan warrior leapt into the air and swung his battleaxe with all his might, its metal bde splitting through another yeti’s skull. The giant ape soon fell backward with a powerless groan, its body fading to mana and dissipating without a trace.

  Orkaan raised his head, hunting eyes keenly overseeing the battlefield. Although the current year’s Frosthunt was an embarrassment pared to their other years, the veteran warrior and his small party had still mao sy at least a few dozen mohroughout the previous week.

  But soon, Orkaan withe stra behavior he’d ever seen in a pack of yetis.

  The giant apes turheir gring red eyes in unison, specifically towards the east. Many powerlessly fell to the warriors’ attacks while their attention was occupied elsewhere.

  Then, those that weren’t attacked began to rush eastward, leaving a trail of giant footsteps behind them.

  “…What in Star’s name…?”

  Orkaan then looked towards his fellow warriors. Unfortunately, every single one of them seemed just as fused, eakly staring at the fleeiis.

  As far as they khe yetis were fierd unfiving, even amongst monsters – they weren’t oo turn away from an ongoing battle.

  So, to see them suddenly flee in unison for no apparent reason was quite the shog sight.

  “Chief Orkaan! What’s going on? Where’re they going?”

  “…I’ve no ao give you, Tannis. I’ve never seeis fleeing from battle.”

  “…Shall we give chase? If they tinue in that dire…”

  “…”

  ‘Where ARE they going?...To Chell?’

  While Orkaan and his party had departed their vilges for this year’s Frosthunt, the chief warrior couldn’t help but grow worried of his younger brother.

  Urgus able warrior himself, and Chell’s warriors were nothing to scoff at. In fact, Chell was heavily fortified from preparing against the empire’s invasion; it ractically filled with Asarda’s fi warriors. There was no justifiable reason for a small hunt party to give chase to a half-sin pack of yetis.

  Hence, as the leader of the hunting party, it was only right that Orkaan decide to ighe strange behavior and tiheir hunt. But…

  “Orkaan?”

  “…”

  ? ? ?

  Try as he might, Urgus couldn’t help the hints of despair from showing in his eyes.

  “Chief Urgus! Lady Aymeia is…!”

  “If you’ve time to talk, then swing your axe!”

  Swallowing his own fears, Chell’s chief warrior flung his hao the yeti leaping at him, burying the ht between its crimson eyes. While the monster momentarily flinched with a horrifying shriek, Urgus leapt at the furred monster’s head himself, barbarically g into the bloody gap of his axe before splitting the yeti’s skull open.

  But even as another monster fell before him, two more began to creep from the distance.

  No, two was an uatement. There were dozens more – if not, hundreds. And it wasn’t just yetis, either.

  ‘…We should’ve forced this year’s Frosthunt.’

  Urgus had always known that his brother’s party of warriors wouldn’t be able to cull out Asarda’s monsters all by themselves. With their yearly hunt being so ckluster this time around, the ing winter was bound to be dangerous.

  But evehe number of monsters gathering into Chell was far beyond the warrior’s uanding. He may as well have been on an isnd, with the o slowly creeping in from every dire.

  With the situation so dire, Chell’s octs had naturally huddled together, with warriors cirg around those who couldn’t fight themselves.

  As the army of monsters approached them, the Asardans looked to their guardiay in unison.

  With Aymeia being physically present amongst them, it didn’t seem that farfetched to expect their fervent prayers to e true. They prayed that she’d step forth and se their settlement of the surrounding horde, just as she would in the legends they’d passed for turies.

  But trary to their hopes, the sea of monsters wasn’t what Aymeia’s fmes were threatening to burn.

  “…Tch!”

  “…”

  Not far from the circle of Chell’s warriors, a steel dragon was grittieeth.

  As Aymeia wordlessly stroke the air before her, another fiery pilr erupt forth to bst at Raizel’s figure.

  C her face with both arms, the steel dragoantly retreated back a few steps, lest the former deity’s fmes melt through her skin. A low growl slithered out from between the youngling’s lips.

  But even then, Raizel refused to fight the deity in ear. She’d instead maintain a retively rexed demeanor, her expression merely annoyed as if fag an annoying i.

  And this infuriated Aymeia to no end.

  “…Step aside, dragon.”

  “Pft. Make me.”

  “If you refuse, I’ve no choice but to ie you whole.”

  “Go ahead and try, but I’ll have to transform if you do. Don’t bme me if I actally step on a couple of your followers.”

  “…”

  “You don’t want that, do you?”

  Evehe monsters had appeared around Chell, Serenis hadn’t seemed bothered.

  In her usual indifferent tohe dragonlord had ordered Ilias to take Light to safety, and defend Chell with its warriors thereafter.

  Following suit, she’d ordered Raizel to keep Aymeia at bay – which was exactly what the youngling was doing.

  If Serenis had wanted Aymeia dead, she would’ve said so.

  Hehere was no reason for Raizel to fight the former deity in ear. And with so many Asardans to hold hostage, she could practically hold Aymeia at bay for as long as she wao.

  “You know, I’m kind of gd you took your stupid Reaper’s side. Now I don’t have to pretend I like you anymore. I mean, look at you: your followers are needing you so much, and what do you do? You turn your bad ighem.”

  “…Please, let me through. I’m only trying to mediate things. There’s no reason for us to fight! If I just talk to Lord Felicir, I’m sure he’ll have the monsters disperse!”

  Having reached an impasse with the steel dragon, Aymeia began to appeal to reason instead. It ainfully clear she couldn’t just force her way through Raizel.

  Unfortunately for her, the appeal was even less effective than trying to force her way through.

  “Who cares?”

  “…Huh?”

  “Who cares if there’s a reason? I sure as hell didn’t have a ‘reason’ every time I fought someone, and I used to fight all the time. Trust me, you don’t need one.”

  “…”

  “Besides, lord told me to keep you here. That’s reason enough for me.”

  Aymeia’s jaw slowly dropped open at the youngling’s ridiculous reasoning. Although she’d never spoken much to Raizel before, she’d never expected the steel dragon to be THIS etric.

  “…Are you not worried about your lord? What if she requires your aid?”

  “Against that feathered scum? I doubt it.”

  “…It’s not just him. Lord Felicir is in trol of that body. Your precious king is fag against the Twelve’s ruler!”

  This time, Raizel burst into ughter from Aymeia’s words. The youngling gripped her belly, waving her hand as if she’d just heard the world’s fu joke.

  “Hahahaha. Hah…ah, that’s actually hirious.”

  “…Why’re you ughing? Are you not worried about your king?”

  “No?”

  Even as Aymeia angrily questiohe youngling, Raizel merely shrugged back with a rexed smile curving her lips.

  The youngling wasn’t worried o about what was going on behind their backs. In fact, she was surprised herself at how uned she was.

  “I guess I trust her more than you trust your stupid Reaper.”

  “…”

  “So gre at me all you want. You’re not getting past here.”