Note: Replaced "Giant Soldier" with "Goliath."
===
Riezel and Lizbeth's grand yet perilous journey into the ancient ruin near Sinielle had finally come to an end.
Although their original goal hadn't been achieved, they still gained much from this trip and managed to return safely.
Naturally, the way back was far easier than the way there—there was no need to once again set foot inside the labyrinth filled with mutated monsters, nor to cross deserts and sandstorms.
As long as Gate was cast, they could easily leave the ancient ruin and return to where they belonged.
"Are we going back to Sinielle?" Lizbeth asked curiously.
Riezel thought about it, but in the end, shook his head.
"Nah, we'll go straight back to Jinas, to Yeluvia."
With Gate in hand, it was naturally best to return to familiar territory.
As for Sinielle, Riezel had originally felt a faint urge to go back, but now, he decided against it.
Of course, his urge to return to Sinielle wasn't for leisure—it was mainly to find Sigmund and demand answers regarding Ice Maiden and her people.
However, considering Sigmund had fallen out with Ice Maiden by how he abandoned her to escape on his own, it showed that their ties might not have been all that deep.
If that were the case, then little could likely be learned from him.
In the end, he decided to put that matter aside for now since it wasn't something urgent.
"For now, let's focus on your matters first." Riezel said while turning his gaze to Lizbeth and Euryale.
Now, the two of them were undoubtedly what mattered most at the moment.
"Let's go. Time to head back."
At once, Riezel cast Gate before them, one that led directly to the Frenzel residence.
*Buzz—*
A circular portal of darkness soon appeared, slowly staining the air around it black.
"Remember, unless someone attacks you first, you cannot attack anyone without my permission. Do you understand?"
Before stepping into the portal, Riezel deliberately gave Euryale a command.
Euryale, however, gave no reply—she only held Lizbeth in her arms, sniffing at her over and over, much to Lizbeth's frustration.
"Do I really have some kind of smell on me?"
Lizbeth began to suspect as much and sniffed her small, fair hands several times.
"Master…"
Saying this, Lizbeth turned to Riezel, looking as if she wanted him to sniff her as well.
"...Let's go."
Riezel forced himself to ignore the little princess's pleading eyes and deliberately changed the subject.
"Yes..."
Although troubled, Lizbeth did not defy Riezel's order, taking Euryale with her as she followed behind him.
Riezel once again confirmed his control over Euryale, sensing the far stronger bond between them compared to before.
Having finally made up his mind, Riezel stepped into the portal, with Lizbeth and Euryale following behind him.
With that, the group of three returned to Yeluvia, back to the Frenzel residence.
===
Meanwhile, in a space unknown to the world—neither vast, yet deeply shrouded in gloom—there stood a round table at its center, as though the space were some secret underground chamber, filled with an air of secrecy and concealment.
Seven seats, extraordinary in appearance, surrounded the round table, each formed entirely of crystal.
It was clear they were not ordinary furniture but magic items, crafted from massive magic crystals, faint magical energy rippling across them in invisible waves.
Before long, all seven crystal seats suddenly lit up at once.
One by one, phantom-like silhouettes appeared upon the seats, until every seat around the round table was filled.
"Is everyone here?"
From the topmost and head seat came a steady voice, breaking the silence of the underground chamber.
He was clearly the leader.
Immediately, the silhouettes upon the crystal seats raised their heads and responded to the leader.
"Goliath, present."
A voice came from the figure seated at the leader's left—it was clearly an old man's voice, aged yet carrying deep wisdom.
"Fire Princess, present."
From the leader's right came the voice of a woman, mature, alluring, and irresistibly captivating.
"...Bashe, present."
From the second seat on the left came a voice metallic and mechanical, less like a human and more like an inorganic entity.
"Tyrant, present."
From the second seat on the right came a voice coarse and forceful, belonging unmistakably to a brute of great strength and little intellect.
"Giga, here and present~"
From the third seat on the left came a voice playful and mocking, brimming with a careless air.
"...Ice Maiden, present."
From the third seat on the right came a voice so frigid that the very air seemed to chill.
Needless to say, this was the same Ice Maiden who had once crossed blades with Riezel in the ancient ruin of Sinielle and had been cast into molten lava by him.
Yet here she was, alive and well, as her voice carried no trace of injury—something that would've definitely astonished Riezel if he found out.
Goliath, Fire Princess, Bashe, Tyrant, Giga, Ice Maiden, and Heavenly Hunt—the seven who stood behind the magic dolls now revealed themselves in this secret chamber—or rather, they projected their forms here through some kind of magic item, for in truth, they were scattered across different corners of the Akasha Continent at the moment.
Of course, that did not hinder them from attending this meeting, though not directly.
However, this clandestine meeting had only just begun, yet the air was already abuzz.
"Sister Ice Maiden! I'm right here! Look this way!" Giga, seated opposite Ice Maiden, waved at her excitedly, looking like a lover reunited with his beloved.
"Shut up." Ice Maiden's voice was cold, filled with disgust and disdain.
"Ah, don't be so cold." Giga only laughed as if accustomed to it. "Let me tell you some good news. I finally took that step—I'm now on the same level as you."
Even though his declaration did not stir Ice Maiden, it did make the others sit straighter.
"You brat, so you finally stepped forward?" Fire Princess said in surprise, her allure unable to mask her aura of authority.
"Hmph. I thought you had forgotten the need to improve yourself." Tyrant snorted, mocking bluntly.
"…You should have taken that step long ago." Bashe said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"If you hadn't wasted so much effort on that mystical artifact, you could've advanced a year or two sooner." Goliath cast Giga a sidelong glance, speaking blandly.
"Don't say that, I worked hard enough already." Giga shrugged with feigned helplessness.
"In any case, that's good news." Heavenly Hunt finally spoke, offering a faint comment. "Now all seven of us stand on the same level. Our efforts—mine and Goliath's—in creating opportunities for you all have not gone to waste."
At these words, the others fell silent, tacitly acknowledging the truth.
Indeed, without the opportunities provided by Heavenly Hunt and Goliath, they could not have risen so high in their respective domains, drawing on their countries' resources to achieve their current power.
Although talent and potential had played a role, it was clear that without support, they would not have reached this point so quickly.
For this reason, among the seven, only Heavenly Hunt and Goliath stood a step above the rest.
Aside from them, Fire Princess alone seemed to hold greater standing, a fact made clear by her seat at the right hand of the head.
In such a setting, all listened quietly as Heavenly Hunt spoke.
"How are things progressing? Report your status." Heavenly Hunt asked directly, wasting no words.
"All's going smoothly on my end." Tyrant replied, becoming the first to respond.
"...No problems here either." Bashe followed.
"I've also made it out of my ruin." Fire Princess said with a smile.
"Ah, I haven't started yet." Giga raised his hand, speaking flippantly, earning several discreet glares. "I happened to hit a crucial breakthrough, so I had to delay my mission."
"You're always the slowest." Goliath looked displeased, scolding him like an unworthy grandson. "When will you ever take things seriously?"
"Come on, old man, can you understand my situation a little?" Giga smiled bitterly. "I couldn't help it this time. You can't just ignore a breakthrough, right?"
"…I'll let it pass this time." Heavenly Hunt's voice was calm after a pause. "But if you delay again, you'll go assist Bashe with the ancient ruin of Volcarion."
"Spare me!" Giga immediately yielded. "Volcarion's guys are too troublesome, nothing like Jinas or Reiburg, where you can find openings. If I go there, I'll be forced to grovel."
"And you still have the nerve to say that?" Tyrant grinned, his expression harsh. "Last time in the Mavros Territory, it was you who messed everything up. I had to not only carry out my mission myself but also clean up your mess since the old man didn't spare me at all, sending so many of my men off. If Reiburg weren't so busy with their war against Jinas, I'd have been exposed already."
"No way?" Giga spread his hands, gazing at Goliath. "You're really that ruthless, old man?"
"You think I can afford to stop?" Goliath frowned. "Magic dolls are our sharpest blade. When we eventually step into the light, few will remain loyal to us, so what we can truly rely on are those magic dolls. Until your missions are done, my priority is to craft as many as possible."
"...If manpower runs short, I might be able to arrange something." Bashe spoke suddenly. "Volcarion itself is difficult, but the smaller countries under its control might have openings to exploit."
"Really?" Goliath's eyes brightened. "If there are openings, send as many people my way as you can. I'm running out of materials."
"No problem." Bashe's voice was cold. "My mission here is nearly finished anyway. I'll help you with that."
"Good!" Goliath nodded heavily, laughing. "You're reliable as always!"
"Hear that?" Tyrant mocked Giga. "Keep this up, and the old man will lose faith in you."
"Nah, no worries." Giga replied nonchalantly. "As long as Sister Ice Maiden cares for me, I'll be satisfied."
Unfortunately, his words were wasted, as Ice Maiden wouldn't even look at him.
"Fufu, too bad for you." Fire Princess giggled, leaving Giga's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"C'mon, Sister Ice Maiden, don't treat me like this. At least acknowledge me?" Giga's forced laughter only earned him a cold glare from Ice Maiden.
"Don't talk to me." Ice Maiden said coldly, her voice truly as cold as ice. "If not for you, my mission wouldn't have run into trouble."
As soon as these words fell, everyone's gaze instantly turned to her.
"You encountered problems?" Heavenly Hunt's tone grew heavy.
"Yes." Ice Maiden did not hide it—her voice was calm as she confessed. "I was wounded. All my magic dolls were destroyed. My mission nearly failed."
At this, shock rippled across the chamber.
"You were... wounded?" Fire Princess asked, the surprise in her voice evident.
"You, of all people, got hurt?" Tyrant asked in disbelief.
"...You didn't use that sword?" Bashe asked quietly.
"I did, but it still wasn't enough." Ice Maiden answered simply, yet it left everyone even more astonished.
"Who... Who caused it?" Heavenly Hunt finally asked after a long silence.
Before them all, Ice Maiden's face remained expressionless as she uttered a single name.
"Riezel Brynhart."
===
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