[Floor 12: Heaven Elzoma]
"As far as I know, the other clans of the Iceborns are known as the Gate Keeper of the Sacred Shrines located in the central cities of heaven twelfth, thirtieth, fortieth, and fiftieth." Zariel was the first person to speak that, still sitting on my shoulder with her upset face—forming a puffy impression as we walked through the snow forest. Heaven Elzoma, by the way, was also covered in snow and ice, just like the heaven Arizoma, and we, too, were teleported into the middle of a forest—rather than the central city which I had hoped for.
"Since this is the twelfth heaven, Nora Clan of Iceborns will be our enemies. Compared to the other clans, they're considered to be the weakest one, yet pretty formidable nevertheless. We need a strategic plan if we want to defeat them."
"I'm impressed, Zariel!" I told her smilingly as though I had been proud of her, "I never thought you would be this much informant. Color me surprise!"
"Well duh! I know more than you can imagine, hump!" she replied, turning her head leftwards with a mad expression.
"By the way, how did you manage to get all the information? And how far exactly do you know?"
Was that an unexpected question? No. Zariel's face said otherwise. She stared at me confusingly for a moment and then said.
"I know because I know. That's it. I don't know how I got the knowledge, nor do I know how far I know. Even so, I have my limitations that cannot be crossed no matter what. I can only give you this much intel for now."
'Does that mean she knows more than that.' I wondered but didn't ask. It was Shika who then began speaking.
"A particular nature of Seraphyll has five types. The Particle Seraphylls usually don't have any will of their own and are used by the mages to enhance their strength. They don't have any physical forms either. The next one is the Inferior Seraphylls who have physical forms, consciousness, and wills of their own and are the same size as a finger. Then there is the Superior Seraphylls who are similar to an inferior incarnation, yet they are considered ten times stronger and have the same appearance and height as myself."
The more she spoke, the heavier her tone became. I didn't know what conclusion she was leading to, so I stayed silent.
"The fourth type is called the Prime Seraphylls. While they looked exactly like a Superior Incarnation, they are considered a hundred times stronger. And the last type is the Supreme Seraphylls—the progenitor Seraphylls, the mother Seraphylls, only ten in existence. They have tremendous strength and magical ability and have limitless potential. However, one thing was common regardless of their type…"
"That is…" I spoke as Shika halted and turned towards us. Her expression couldn't be described in words. As if, she had seen the unseen—a fact that hadn't been believed in. The eerie look on her face gave me a chill through my spine.
"Regardless of their type, no one has names—"
"That's a BS!" Zariel replied, interjecting Shika who couldn't even finish explaining. "It's just a baseless fact that was passed down to generation like a folktale. I'm tired of this kind of cliché misunderstanding. Pretty much every Seraphyll has names. Thus, I, too. It's Zariel, the ruler of thunder."
"Is that so?" Shika was awestruck and embarrassed by the smug face Zariel had put on. She then immediately bowed. "Please forgive me, Lady Zariel. I didn't know that it was the actual case. I explained what I was taught too. Please forgive my rudeness!"
"Nah it's fine." Zariel's usual smiling face returned, "And you don't need to address me with the 'Lady' part. I'm not that high and mighty. Not like I'm a supreme being straight up from a fantasy novel, Kyaa-haa-haa-haa-HAA!!"
Her laughter echoed through the forest. It was good to see her usual self. I didn't know what caused her to act that way while talking to Mr. Hiba, though. In any case, everything now looked normal. Shika nodded at her words and continued showing us the path.
*****
Although I was trying my best to stick to reality, I had a few doubts—questions that I needed to get answers to.
Of course, it included Zariel, Shika, and myself. The more I thought about the variables, the more questions started popping up like the countless bubbles coming out of a soda can.
Why was my in-game title linked to the Dynastic Singularity Quest?
How did Shika manage to detect I had the title?
Why was she different from the rest of her clan?
Why was Zariel acting differently when talking to Mr. Hiba?
Why was the system providing me such a huge reward only to retrieve the fragments of the Frost Daiken?
Those questions were unavoidable. Answering them, however, wasn't simply possible. I didn't have any clue that would lead me to the answers either, making me realize how hopeless I was at a time like this.
If left in those thoughts, I might be very soon engulfed by despair—and perhaps would lose my sanity, which, by the way, wouldn't be favorable to keep my sentience, leading me to keep myself away from those thoughts from registering with my mind for the time being.
'I'll overlook the matters for now.' I thought as I continued walking with them, 'My priorities are different. If exploring those mysteries means costing more time, I might as well keep myself away from them. Though I wonder, at some point in this reality, the mysteries will be unfolded on its own.'
I couldn't explain why, but those were my honest feelings at the moment. Of course, I didn't forget my priorities. Yet again, a strange feeling residing deep inside me—though I didn't know why— seemed perturbed and eager to lean on the questions more.
[Temporary effect of the blessing of Superior Seraphyll of Ice has ended]
Thanks to the system notification, I grasped the reality soon enough. As the effect wore off, I began to feel cold again. I put on the long coat that was in my inventory.
At the same time, my senses became sharp. Not only me, but Zariel as well as Shika, too, were on their guard for some reason. We didn't even leave the forest yet, and already had a problem awaiting for us?
[Warning: Hostile intent has been detected]