Chapter 22: The Girl Sealed in Ice and Snow
Lonis never expected that at the very bottom of the dungeon, there would be a hole as deep as a volcanic crater.
Fierce lava bubbled on the obsidian, occasionally leaping with crimson sparks.
A scent of sulfur permeated the air. On the edge of this fiery lake, composed as if of crimson lotuses, stood a figure as black as lacquer.
Behind him was the surging blaze, and his form was submerged in the shadow of the flames, making him impossible to see clearly.
……
Elusia stepped forward, her expression darkening.
“Hmph, General Kru… I didn’t expect you to dare to return here?”
“Who are you, and why do you know my plan!”
Seeing Elusia approach, the dark figure suddenly raised its head, revealing a face that was no longer recognizable.
Eyes protruding from the face, fangs like those of a wild wolf.
The dark figure looked like a monster that would only appear in nightmares, its entire body devoid of even a single patch of intact skin.
“Who I am, you don’t need to know… You only need to know that I am here to send you on your way.”
High heels stepped onto the ground, producing a cold and crisp sound… Elusia’s figure was so confident, like a nightingale standing under the moonlight.
And seeing the girl’s elegant temperament, the dark figure seemed to recall something in a daze.
That sharp blade that seemed to pierce through time, that past seemingly frozen in yesterday, only one person from this royal capital had survived.
And only one person could stop his plan.
Therefore, he uttered that name:
“You… are Lonis?!”
When the figure called out the name, Lonis froze.
But then, she realized that the name “Lonis” was not referring to herself.
It was referring to Elusia.
“Hmph, do you even have the right to call Lonis by her name?”
Elusia, neither happy nor sad, simply took a step forward.
“Lonis, I didn’t expect you to still be alive! You neglectful, trash princess, what right do you have to stop me?”
Recognizing the black-haired girl’s identity, the figure’s emotions seemed to become extremely agitated.
His already grotesque face became even more terrifyingly distorted.
“So… I am not Lonis now, but Elusia. As the partner of the chosen hero in ‘Land of Eternity,’ I naturally have the right to judge you.”
“‘Land of Eternity’… you actually survived there for a hundred years?”
“You have no right to know so much. You only need to know that you are about to die.”
Elusia tilted her head back, her expression chillingly smiling.
Under the glow of the flames, her pure white neck was so flawless. But the black sword in her right hand was so deeply dark.
It was as if it was distorting space itself, an infinite power accumulating at the tip of the sword… Just by gazing at this power, Lonis’s back had already gone cold.
However, this was just the beginning.
Under the illumination of the lacquer-black radiance, Lonis felt her senses being affected: though her eyes were open, it was as if she could see nothing; though various sounds echoed in her ears, everything was so chaotic that she couldn’t understand their meaning.
The skin’s touch felt alternately cold and hot, and the scents in front of her seemed to move farther and closer.
Finally…
Before her eyes, a world that had never appeared before emerged.
……
……
It was a country standing on a snowy plain.
The king ruled with diligence, the queen was gentle and wise, and their princess, the crystallization of their love, was intelligent and cute from a young age, with long hair as silvery-white as ice and snow.
Her name was Lonis.
Lonis showed astonishing potential from a young age, capable of casting Rank 4 magic at a young age, and was even appreciated and inherited by the High Priest, qualifying her to worship the Fiery Abyss from childhood.
Yes,
The reason the Snow Kingdom could stand on the snowy mountains was due to the energy of the Fiery Abyss.
It was energy from the mantle, a miraculous power inherited from ancient times.
The magma from the earth’s veins, after being stabilized by the Fiery Abyss, would gradually become stable. After being heated by Magic Drive Furnaces, steam engines, and various other equipment, it could become a warm energy source, transferred to thousands of households.
Therefore, even living in a snowy country, the inhabitants of the Snow Kingdom did not feel any cold. On the contrary, relying on the abundant ore on the snowy mountains and the furnaces fueled by magma, they regularly sold large quantities of fine Snow Kingdom weaponry to other countries.
Everything seemed so peaceful,
Until…
……
“What? Many Magic Drive Furnaces have stopped, and the output efficiency of the Fiery Abyss is only half of what it was before?”
“Yes, everyone is panicking now. Many people are unemployed.”
……
The power of the earth’s veins gradually depleted, and the impact on the entire country was profound.
At first, it manifested as merely an economic downturn, but later, it led to various vicious cycles caused by the disruption in supply.
Princess Lonis thought it was her fault, so she devoted herself to harmonizing the Fiery Abyss, working almost day and night.
However, Lonis soon discovered…
It wasn’t her duty that was problematic, but that the power of the Fiery Abyss had reached its limit.
It was like a pool of spring water; no matter how carefully you cleared the weeds, no matter how diligently you protected the source. But if the source no longer flowed, then the spring water would only diminish with each use.
……
……
Helpless, powerless.
And the country’s situation became even worse at that moment.
Without the Fiery Abyss, the country’s pillar industries suffered devastating blows. Even if people left the country with their families, they would only become nomadic refugees.
Discontent began to surface in society. Initially, it was just criticism of the aristocracy for indulging in pleasure; but then, the focus of the criticism unconsciously shifted to the princess.
“Didn’t the princess fulfill her duties? Isn’t she the new High Priest? Why couldn’t she manage the Fiery Abyss well?”
“It must be that. Such a young princess definitely can’t do this kind of thing. What’s the point of being a genius if we can’t even use our heaters?”
Under the instigation of some ill-intentioned individuals, words attacking the princess rose one after another.
There were even rumors that Princess Lonis was neglecting her work because she was in love with a foreign girl.
But faced with all these rumors, Lonis had no way to explain… because the weakening of the Fiery Abyss could not be directly revealed, as it would cause panic and disorder among everyone.
……
“No, I have to hold on until then… The evacuation plan has already begun, we just need to last until then.”
……
Therefore, not only did Lonis not explain to the public, but she also appeared in public less frequently due to devoting more energy to the Fiery Abyss.
This eventually led to…
……
“Look, that’s the useless princess! The idiot who made us all freeze. Get rid of her and find someone else? General Kru seems to be able to control the Fiery Abyss!”
“It’s not me, everyone… I…”
The constant rumors caused the princess’s heart to collapse.
She had clearly done it for everyone’s sake…
She had clearly given her all…
But why couldn’t everyone understand her?
……
I just wanted to see everyone living happily…
Why…
Why…
……
But even with her heart scarred, even under immense pressure.
Lonis,
Still harmonized the power of the earth’s veins to ensure the Fiery Abyss’s energy output was as stable as possible, making everyone’s lives as normal as before.
Even if the factories were shut down, the heating in everyone’s homes could not stop.
Until…
The mastermind, General Kru’s rebellion.
