Note: Changed "Mystical Treasure" to "Mystical Artifact."
===
"Hmm?"
Just as Sigmund's heart gave rise to malice, the cold woman, sensing something, suddenly turned her head and looked straight at him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Her pair of ice-blue eyes locked onto Sigmund, making him unconsciously hold his breath.
He had to admit, this woman was still the same as before—her sixth sense was frighteningly sharp since she could always perceive things that even he himself had not noticed.
Ever since entering this ancient ruin, she had already demonstrated that ability more than once. Of course, if she were merely sharp in perception, it would not have mattered much—the real problem was that this woman's strength was equally extraordinary.
Although she was only twenty-five years old, she had already ascended to Sword Saint three years earlier.
Before the rise of Riezel Brynhart, she had been hailed as the youngest and most gifted Sword Saint on the Akasha Continent, and in those three years, she went on to create one shocking record after another.
Two years ago, she defeated a veteran Sword Saint.
One year ago, she fought two Sword Saints alone—and in the end, she actually emerged victorious.
In her own country, she was known as the Valkyrie, not only enjoying immense popularity but also possessing a lofty status, with countless supporters.
Because of her inhuman growth speed and terrifying record, she had even been granted the position of captain of her country's knightly order, commanding all the knights under the crown and making her truly second only to one, with tens of thousands beneath her.
In truth, Sigmund did not have the confidence to defeat this woman, especially since she carried on her body a mystical artifact of terrifying power.
At this thought, Sigmund cast a discreet glance at the weapon at the woman's waist, his eyes filled with caution.
If this woman had not been so difficult to deal with, how could he have allowed her to appear in Sinielle again and again?
For him personally, the presence of another Sword Saint within Sinielle besides himself was by no means a good thing, let alone one who had her eyes on this ancient ruin. If he had been capable of subduing her, he would have long since acted against her, rather than waiting until now.
Now, with the fire dragon before them, Sigmund dared even less to make a move against this unfathomable woman, lest something unexpected happen.
In the end, Sigmund could only suppress the thoughts in his heart, turn his head away, and remain silent, which made the woman give him a deep look without saying a word.
A moment later, she withdrew her gaze and continued watching the work of the magic dolls.
However, the atmosphere between the two now began to grow subtle, as though an invisible barrier had formed. Only the magic dolls still labored diligently, gathering the golden dust from the Nibelung Pillar.
Looking closely, they sometimes avoided the runes on the golden pillar and sometimes scraped one or two runes away as well.
Because of this, the light radiating from the pillar seemed to dim slightly, causing the draconic might emanating from the dragon suppressed below to grow even denser.
"...Are you sure this is really safe?" Sigmund asked, his expression already uneasy. "Won't it undo the dragon's seal?"
"It won't."
At Sigmund's anxious question, the woman replied coldly, her eyes locked firmly on the dragon.
"According to the ancient texts collected by the Heavenly Hunt, the seal on the Fire Dragon Lord did not rely solely on the Nibelung Pillar—it was only one part of the seal."
"What truly binds the Fire Dragon Lord is this ancient ruin itself, built at the command of the last queen of Reinnail before her death."
"This place is a massive mystical artifact with the true function of sealing the Fire Dragon Lord, while the Nibelung Pillar merely pins it beneath the earth. Even if the Nibelung Pillar were destroyed and the Fire Dragon Lord awakened, it still could not leave this ancient ruin."
In other words, unless the ruin itself was destroyed, the dragon could never break free.
Of course...
"However, although the seal will not break, once the Nibelung Pillar is damaged, the Fire Dragon Lord may very well awaken. Just in case, you'd better be mentally prepared to run for your life at any time."
Upon hearing these calm words, Sigmund's eyes widened in anger.
"You didn't mention that before coming in!" Sigmund glared furiously at her.
At this, the cold woman looked at him with utter disdain.
"It's only a possibility, not a certainty. Besides, you're at least a longstanding Sword Saint. Don't tell me you can't even take a small risk like this?"
Hearing this, Sigmund nearly burst out swearing aloud.
'Damn bitch! Small risk? Small risk, my ass! This is a deadly one! Damn it, I never should've worked with her!'
While Sigmund fumed inwardly, the magic dolls finally finished their task.
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
In the next moment, they cut through the scorching air and flew over, stopping before the woman to hand her a box.
"Did it work?"
Her eyes lit up as she reached for the box.
Sigmund first glanced at the ancient dragon, and seeing no sign of it stirring, he finally felt reassured.
Just as the woman's hand was about to touch the box, her motion froze—then, without warning, she swung it to the side instead, where another hand had silently appeared.
*BANG!*
In that instant, the two hands collided fiercely, erupting in a muffled explosion and a shockwave that blasted them apart.
The woman was forced back several steps on the spot.
The owner of that sudden hand was also knocked away, finally revealing themself before everyone's eyes.
"What?"
Sigmund hadn't even reacted yet, though his face darkened.
Meanwhile, the magic dolls shuddered all over and began to retreat.
Only after a while did everyone present realize what had just happened.
"Who...?"
Holding her reddened wrist, the woman stared coldly forward.
Sigmund quickly looked as well, and in that instant, his expression changed once again.
"RIEZEL BRYNHART!"
Indeed, the one who had suddenly struck was Riezel, who had been hidden in the shadows.
"Riezel Brynhart?"
Hearing Sigmund's angry roar, the cold woman was stunned, her ice-blue eyes flickering slightly.
"You're Riezel Brynhart?"
At the woman's question, Riezel said nothing and simply lifted his head to look at her, and then at Sigmund.
In his arms, Lizbeth had already been set down and was now looking nervously at the slumbering fire dragon.
"Why are you here?" Sigmund asked in a deep voice.
As the saying goes, enemies meeting always burn with fury.
Seeing Riezel suddenly appear in such a place, right before his eyes, Sigmund's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
"Why shouldn't I be here?"
Riezel calmly asked back, raising his eyebrows.
"Does the Great City Lord truly think I'd be scared off by something as laughable as a so-called taboo?"
"But you—after placing a ban forbidding anyone from setting foot in this ancient ruin, threatening harsh punishment for violators—you sneak in here yourself with some suspicious guys. What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do as you say, not as you do? What a great lord."
Upon hearing this, Sigmund's expression turned ashen.
Of course, Riezel had not actually refuted him.
In Sinielle, Sigmund's words were law—an absolute decree no one could defy.
Who dared to publicly accuse him of wrongdoing?
As the one who set the rules, he naturally was not bound by them.
If he wanted to enter the ancient ruin, then he would.
Who could say otherwise?
What truly rattled Sigmund was not Riezel's toothless words, but his calm, dismissive attitude, as though he were beneath his notice—that was what made him seethe with rage.
Yet at this moment, Riezel no longer paid him any attention.
As if he had lost interest, Riezel turned his gaze toward the cold woman, who was also watching him.
As their gazes met—one calm, one cold, both young and strong—an invisible pressure formed between them, making it hard for others to breathe.
After a while, Riezel finally spoke slowly.
"Ice Maiden?"
Ice Maiden—the moment this name was spoken, the cold woman's fine brows twitched.
"You... actually know that name?"
Her gaze toward Riezel shifted slightly.
"Well, that wasn't hard to guess."
Riezel replied faintly and shrugged casually.
"I once entered Yarakulon's body, reached that ancient city, and met Maya—thanks to you people."
"Maya told me long ago that before we went in, she had been deceived by seven mysterious people."
"Heavenly Hunt, Giant Soldier, Tyrant, Bashe, Giga, Fire Princess, Ice Maiden... those were the names they called themselves."
"And you clearly aren't the woman Maya mentioned, the one who liked chatting with her. So naturally, you must be the so-called Ice Maiden who always followed behind the Fire Princess."
From her personal traits, this cold woman matched Ice Maiden very closely.
According to Maya, Ice Maiden was a beautiful young woman of about twenty, cold as ice from beginning to end, unwilling to speak to anyone—this description clearly fit the cold woman before him perfectly.
For that reason, when Riezel had seen the magic dolls and learned of her existence from their memories, he had already guessed that this cold woman must be Ice Maiden, one of the seven thieves Maya spoke of.
Now it was clear his guess had been correct.
"Maya... huh?"
Remembering the guardian of that ancient city, the woman known as Ice Maiden spoke in an emotionless voice.
"So you got your intel from that woman. No wonder."
"Even though that kind of information wasn't supposed to be so easily known, you still managed to obtain it."
"All thanks to that bastard Giga causing trouble. Once I get back, I'll make sure he pays for it."
Needless to say, this was as good as an admission.
In other words, this cold woman truly was one of the masterminds behind the magic dolls, and at the same time, she was also the enemy Riezel had been seeking.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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