Queendom of Theresis, Urvashi.
Urvashi was a capital city of ice and snow with a population of roughly four million, the majority of it standing atop a towering cliff.
Its city walls were white, and most of the buildings inside were white as well, making the entire city look as though it had been built from packed snow. In reality, however, the walls and buildings were constructed from stone bricks made of a special ore known as White Scorchstone.
It was a unique ore that naturally emitted heat, causing the surrounding snow and ice to melt rapidly.
Because Urvashi had been built using that material, the temperature inside the city was far warmer than outside. Even the interiors of its buildings maintained a very comfortable temperature of around five to ten degrees Celsius, making Urvashi a paradise in the northern polar region.
In the eyes of many people throughout the queendom, it was the finest and most comfortable place to live.
Outside the massive city gates, a broad white road extended down the steep cliffside, connecting the frozen plains below to the snow-covered city perched atop the cliff. A closer look would also reveal a faint, transparent barrier flickering in and out of sight around the capital of the queendom.
Needless to say, it was a magic barrier, one created to protect Urvashi.
With the barrier in place, the only way into Urvashi was through the city gate connected to the main road, with no second entrance. Even if someone flew in through the air, they still would not be able to enter unless they first destroyed the barrier.
Under such circumstances, a carriage pulled by three enormous beasts appeared on the steep road leading up the cliff, racing toward Urvashi at an inhuman speed.
*ROAAARRR—!*
*ROAAARRR—!*
*ROAAARRR—!*
Three ferocious roars echoed through the air, startling the guards stationed on both sides of the city gate and throwing them into confusion.
"What was that?"
"Enemy attack?"
"You dumbass, those are obviously monster roars!"
"Monsters are coming?"
"Stay alert! Stay alert!"
Amid the commotion, the gate guards quickly formed a defensive line in front of the city gate, intending to stop the approaching carriage.
Just as they nervously prepared to fight the incoming monsters, the carriage suddenly slammed on the brakes. It skidded across the snow, sending a huge spray of white powder into the air before finally coming to a stop in front of the gate.
"That's...?"
Only then did the guards finally notice the massive carriage being pulled by the three giant beasts, leaving them momentarily stunned.
In the next moment, the carriage door opened, and a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties stepped out.
"We were invited by the Beryl family. Here's our pass."
As she spoke, the young woman tossed over an emblem engraved with the Beryl family's crest.
"Let me see..."
A mature-looking man, apparently the captain of the gate guards, stepped forward and caught the emblem.
"It is indeed the Beryl family's crest..." the captain said, letting out a sigh of relief before asking somewhat uneasily, "Since the Beryl Count Family is vouching for you, you're naturally free to enter, but... are you really planning to bring those three beasts into the city? I-If something happens and they hurt someone, we won't be responsible."
As he spoke, he stammered his way through the sentence, clearly unwilling to take any responsibility.
"Don't worry. They don't hurt people. Can we go in now?"
Seeing the young woman speak while shrugging nonchalantly, the captain exchanged glances with the other guards.
"...Go ahead."
A moment later, the captain reluctantly approved the carriage's passage. After giving a nod, he waved his hand, and the guards blocking the city gate stepped aside, opening a path.
"Thank you."
Right after giving a casual thanks, the young woman immediately retreated into the carriage.
*ROAAARRR—!*
*ROAAARRR—!*
*ROAAARRR—!*
As though they had received a command, the alchemy beast and the two lesser frost dragons let out synchronized roars, causing the gate guards to nearly jump out of their skin as the three monsters pulled the carriage through the city gate and into Urvashi.
"Captain..."
Watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, one of the guards, a man around the captain's age, hesitantly called out in a low voice.
"What?"
Turning sharply, the captain shot him a glare.
"I know what you're thinking. Don't overthink it. Even if they looked suspicious, we couldn't exactly refuse them with the Beryl family backing them. Or what? Were you planning to stop them? Can you really afford to piss off the Beryl family?"
He deliberately lowered his voice as he spoke.
"Listen up, this isn't our problem. Let the people above us deal with the Beryl family. We're just following the rules. We don't know anything else. Got it?"
Hearing that, the guard hurriedly nodded at the captain, not daring to ask another question.
"Back to your posts!"
Only then did the captain relax before shouting to the surrounding guards, telling them to put the incident behind them and continue carrying out their duties.
===
"W-What is that?"
"Monsters?"
"How can there be a monster that's completely gold?"
"What are those two snow-white monsters? Lesser dragons?"
"Good heavens, don't get close to them."
When the carriage boldly entered Urvashi's main street, every citizen who saw it gasped in shock and began whispering among themselves, pointing toward the carriage.
Clearly, it immediately caused a considerable stir, which couldn't be helped.
While the north had its own unique forms of transportation instead of relying almost exclusively on horse-drawn carriages like the rest of the continent, their transportation still wasn't based on war beasts or monsters like these.
One alchemy beast and two lesser dragons openly appearing on the city's main road as draft animals—it was impossible for such a sight not to cause a sensation.
If the alchemy beast and lesser frost dragons hadn't clearly been pulling a carriage like obedient mounts, some people might have genuinely believed that monsters had invaded the city in search of a feast.
As a result, the carriage continued moving through the streets under countless curious and fearful stares, attracting even more attention wherever it went.
"See? I told you this carriage was way too eye-catching. Honestly, we didn't need to bring it into the city."
Ivy, who had just returned after presenting their travel pass, immediately complained.
"It feels like everyone's looking at us... It's kind of scary..."
Hearing Ivy's complaint, Lizbeth shifted uneasily in her seat and spoke in a small voice.
"It is a little flashy, but so what?" Riezel said, gently rubbing Lizbeth's head with a smile. "Even if we'd snuck into the city, the people who sent assassins after us would've known we'd arrived in Urvashi sooner or later. Since that's the case, we might as well come in openly and see what kinda bastards crawl out."
Yanivette wholeheartedly agreed.
"If this had been the past, my return to the capital would've been met with the grandest welcoming ceremony starting right from the city gate. Although I no longer receive such treatment, I still have no desire to sneak into my own capital."
Yanivette spoke with imposing confidence, leaving both Lizbeth and Ivy momentarily speechless.
"I don't like sneaking around either. I think this is fine," Leo said indifferently. "Besides, we're inside the carriage, so the people outside can't see us, and we can't really see them either. We can just ignore them."
"Oh? You've got quite an open mind about it this time..." Riezel glanced at Leo before continuing, "Anyway, that's how it is. I don't think anyone would dare attack us here."
While Riezel was speaking, Yanivette had already lifted the curtain and looked outside.
"Urvashi..."
Looking at the city that felt both familiar and unfamiliar, Yanivette murmured with an unusually complicated expression.
"It's been so long..."
After several hundred years, the city she had personally overseen the construction of seemed to have changed completely, yet somehow remained exactly the same.
While the people living here had changed, the buildings still retained traces of their former appearance. Now, there was no snow covering the roads, nor did snow rest atop the rooftops. Even the endless blizzards outside the city simply did not exist here.
Thanks to White Scorchstone, although Urvashi was known as the City of Ice and Snow, it was the only city in the north where blizzards never blew, where the cold never reached, and where no one ever suffered from freezing.
At first glance, it looked like a rather unique city of white walls, giving no indication whatsoever that it stood within a queendom locked in eternal winter.
"We've arrived at the royal palace."
Lilith, who had been quietly accompanying Riezel the entire time, suddenly spoke, prompting everyone, including Yanivette, to look ahead through the carriage doorway.
Soon, they saw an ice castle.
It closely resembled the ice dwellings found in the Theresis Tribe's homeland. Every brick and tile appeared to have been carved from solid ice. Its crystal-clear exterior and exquisitely elegant appearance made it resemble the sort of frozen castle where Princess Snow White might have lived in a fairy tale, giving it an almost dreamlike beauty.
"...Was this your idea too?"
Riezel glanced sideways at Yanivette as he asked.
"I merely borrowed the architectural design from our homeland."
Yanivette replied calmly, looking indifferent.
"There's nothing particularly extraordinary about it, and the technology used wasn't especially advanced. Although a defensive magic system was installed inside, it still couldn't compare to the Strategic-Class Magic Barrier protecting the royal palace of Jinas."
"Besides, the castle wasn't originally designed as a royal palace, but was meant to serve as a secluded place where the queen could cultivate in peace."
"Now, after several centuries, it seems to have become the queendom's royal palace and the center of command of both the royal family and the nation."
As they spoke, the carriage continued toward the ice castle before finally arriving at its main gate.
===
Inside the ice castle, atop one of its most prominent palace buildings, a figure quietly stood facing the wind within an open-air courtyard.
It was a woman wearing an ice-blue royal gown, with an ancient white sword hanging at her waist.
Like Yanivette, she had long ice-blue hair, but unlike Yanivette, her eyes were also ice-blue instead of gold. Combined with her ice-blue attire, she resembled an eternal block of frozen ice, radiating an overwhelmingly cold presence.
She was a woman even colder than Yanivette.
She was known as Valkyrie, a woman who seemed to have merged with the frozen world itself, reigning over the endless snow and ice.
At a certain moment, the woman suddenly sensed something and turned her gaze toward the entrance of the ice castle. Even though she couldn't actually see what was happening there, she knew that person had arrived.
"You've finally come..."
Her cold whisper did nothing to hide the blazing fighting intent burning within her eyes.
"I've been waiting a long time, Riezel Brynhart."
A few seconds later, another voice answered her quiet remark.
"Hmm, so that guy's finally here?"
Suddenly, a teasing voice came from a man who had silently appeared behind the woman.
"He kept my Big Sis Ice Maiden so obsessed... Gotta admit, I'm jealous."
At first glance, it sounded like nothing more than playful teasing, yet the trace of darkness hidden beneath his tone revealed exactly how he truly felt.
At the man's frivolous words, the woman known as Valkyrie, who was none other than Ice Maiden, gave no response and simply turned around, drew her sword, and slashed.
*SWISH!*
Her blade tore through the air with a clear, icy ring.
"W-Wait?!"
Panicked, the man immediately ducked his head just in time to avoid the descending sword, though the razor-sharp slash still grazed his scalp.
Although it failed to take his head, it cleanly sheared off a considerable amount of his hair, while the freezing aura surrounding the blade instantly covered the remaining strands in frost.
"Mercy! Big Sis!"
Feeling the sudden chill on top of his head, the man cried out in panic.
"Shut up..." Ice Maiden said coldly. "I believe I've already warned you. If you enter my palace again without my permission, I'll cut you down. And don't call me Ice Maiden here. I'm not yours. If you do it again, even if Fire Princess begged for your life, I'd still cut you down."
Her merciless words made the man hurriedly force a smile.
"I was only trying to sound affectionate."
"Not necessary," Ice Maiden replied just as coldly. "We're not close."
"H-How can you say that?" the man complained pitifully. "We grew up together, didn't we? Strictly speaking, we're childhood friends, right? If it were someone else, we might've even had kids by now—WAAAAHHHHHH!"
Before the man could finish speaking, he screamed again and rolled desperately to the side.
*WHOOSH!*
Another icy slash swept through the exact spot where he had been standing only a moment earlier, nearly taking off his head.
"Say something like that again, and I really will kill you."
As she spoke, Ice Maiden radiated a murderous aura so intense that it almost felt tangible.
"Fine! I won't say another word! I give up!"
Without hesitating, the man immediately raised both hands and surrendered.
"Hmph."
Only then did Ice Maiden sheathe her sword before walking toward the exit without sparing him another glance.
"...Where are you going?"
Seeing her leaving, the man finally dropped the smile from his face and asked.
"None of your business." Ice Maiden answered coldly without even turning around. "Remember. He's mine. Until I've defeated him, no one is allowed to lay a finger on him."
With those final words, she disappeared from the open-air courtyard.
Only the frivolous-looking man remained behind, his expression darkening as he slowly clenched his fists.
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]