The blizzard raged for a full two days before finally subsiding. At the same time, the plane piloted by the maid finally appeared on the horizon.
"Phew...…"
Seeing the maid finally arrive, Duanmu Huai let out a sigh of relief. Because they had set out in a hurry, the maid had only rented a small ten-seat transport plane this time. Although it wasn't large, it was more than enough for Duanmu Huai and the others. After arriving at the research station and completing a round of resupply, Duanmu Huai went to find Professor Pamar and informed him that they would be leaving the station next.
"This...…"
To be honest, although Professor Pamar had mentally prepared himself for Duanmu Huai's request, he was still somewhat surprised. After all, this was Antarctica. Not to mention Duanmu Huai even intended to bring Mary along. Frankly speaking, he truly couldn't understand what kind of "adventure" required bringing a young girl deep into Antarctica.
This wasn't some scenic exploration of a primeval forest.
"Although we did agree beforehand, sir, I still don't understand what exactly you intend to do in Antarctica this time…"
"Professor Pamar, do you believe that some things are better left buried forever and completely erased from this world?"
"This...… I'm not sure. I haven't encountered such a situation before. Besides, our profession exists precisely to excavate things that have disappeared from this world and bring them back into the light, doesn't it?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no. Of course, if it's just weathered rocks, then there's no problem."
Duanmu Huai shrugged.
"So… you mean what lies beneath isn't just rocks?"
"Heh...…"
Facing Professor Pamar's question, Duanmu Huai chuckled.
"Don't worry. Even if it isn't right now, I guarantee it soon will be."
"???"
After finalizing their plan, Duanmu Huai's group quickly boarded the plane and set off again, heading deeper into Antarctica.
At first, the weather remained stable and clear. Wrapped in a thick coat, Mary sat in her seat, nervously staring at the endless white snow below. After waking earlier, she had told Duanmu Huai about her dream, and he informed her that it was caused by a resonance between her and Charlotte's spirit. If that was the case, then it meant they hadn't come to the wrong place.
In other words, Charlotte really was here?
Mary clenched her fists and stared at the snowy plains below. A group of penguins waddled about in the distance. Under normal circumstances, she would have been delighted by such a sight, but now her face was filled only with worry, tension, anticipation, and unease.
However, it didn't take long before shadows blanketed the land. Without warning, a blizzard roared to life again. Fierce winds battered the plane, tossing it like a small boat on stormy seas.
"W-What should we do now, sir?"
Gripping the armrest tightly, Mary asked anxiously. It was her first time experiencing such a violent storm in midair. It felt as if she might be swallowed by the raging winds and hurled down into the abyss at any moment.
"No need to worry. It's just a small matter. Why panic?"
Duanmu Huai remained calm. For ordinary investigators, this would likely mean an emergency landing, followed by survival checks, setting up camp, repairs… but he didn't need to go through all that trouble. Come on—he was a God of Destruction. If he still had to rely on such old-fashioned methods, that would be downright embarrassing.
At a time like this, one should…
Thinking this, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on his cane, fixed his gaze ahead, and let out a low shout.
"Hmph!!!"
"—————————!!"
At the instant of Duanmu Huai's roar, Mary felt as though she had heard rolling thunder exploding endlessly in her ears. She instinctively covered them. At the same time, the dense storm clouds ahead were blasted apart as if struck by an invisible shockwave. In the blink of an eye, the wind ceased, the snow stopped, and the sky cleared.
"Hmm...… I'd say this move isn't much worse than Guleya's dragon roar."
Duanmu Huai rolled his shoulders, looking at the now clear and sunny sky with satisfaction. Then he glanced at the system prompt before him.
[Intimidation activated on 'Blizzard'...… Success]
['Blizzard' has transformed into 'Clear Skies']
[Weather change successful]
"...… "
Well… however you looked at it, as long as it worked, nothing else mattered.
Not long after the clouds dispersed, a massive mountain range appeared ahead, stretching like a colossal wall before them. Without needing instructions, the maid pulled up the plane and flew toward the slopes. Like crossing waves of stone, the scene beyond the "waves" revealed itself before their eyes in the next instant.
It was a vast expanse of orderly stone structures stretching beyond sight—a labyrinth built from square, curved, and angled blocks. These buildings were far larger and far more ancient than anything humanity could imagine. Any researcher witnessing this would be utterly shocked. But to Duanmu Huai, this wasn't some world-shaking discovery, nor anything particularly noteworthy.
To them, it was simply a destination.
Nothing more.
"Can you sense it? Roughly where Charlotte is?"
Duanmu Huai merely glanced at it before turning to Mary. Startled out of her awe at the massive black city, Mary closed her eyes, fell silent for a moment, then raised her hand and pointed forward.
"Somewhere over there… I have a feeling…"
"Alright. Let's go."
The plane crossed the mountains and entered the dark, massive city. The entire place was deathly silent. Sunlight cast eerie, writhing shadows across the twisted stone structures, making them seem like grotesque living things.
Soon, the plane descended into the shadows and landed near what looked like the entrance to a gigantic, half-collapsed temple. Duanmu Huai pushed open the hatch and stepped out. Mary and Lorena followed him. Then Duanmu Huai issued an order to the maid.
"Maintain circling. Wait for my command."
"Yes, Master."
The maid nodded, then piloted the plane back into the sky. Meanwhile, Mary stood there blankly, staring at the surrounding city as if in a trance. Only when Duanmu Huai patted her head did she snap out of it.
"Alright, let's move."
"Ah—okay."
Walking through such a city was undoubtedly a strange experience. Holding a flashlight, Mary stepped on the snow and looked around. Completely unfamiliar murals, architecture, and writing she had never studied before—all of it gave her the illusion that she was walking on a cold alien planet, wandering through a city built by an extraterrestrial race…
"Ugh...…"
A wave of dizziness hit her, forcing her to lower her head. Duanmu Huai reached out and patted her back.
"Don't think too much about this stuff. Don't take it so seriously. No matter what these things once were, now they're just a pile of trash."
"Y-Yes...…"
"Oh right, how about I tell you an interesting little story?"
Perhaps the silence of the ruins was too oppressive—only footsteps and flashlight beams filled the darkness—so Duanmu Huai decided to speak.
"I'll tell you how the original inhabitants of this place went extinct. You'll find it quite interesting."
"Huh? Knight-sama, you even know that?"
"Really??"
As expected, both girls perked up in surprise. Duanmu Huai nodded and continued.
"Long, long ago, before humans existed on this planet, a race of extraterrestrials called the Elder Things arrived here. As for them… well, let's just say they were incredibly tough. To put it simply, they could traverse the vacuum of space with their physical bodies alone, traveling from one planet to another without any equipment…"
"That's amazing! I wish I had that ability…"
Lorena looked envious, while Mary listened in confusion.
"Then… why did these Elder Things come here?"
"No idea. Probably for vacation. You know, maybe their home was too hot and they wanted somewhere cooler, or too cold and they wanted somewhere warmer—perfectly normal, right? So they came here, thought the climate was nice, and decided to settle down."
"...…Nice climate???"
Mary glanced around at the frozen wasteland.
"Back then. Back then. Definitely not now."
Duanmu Huai laughed and waved his hand.
"So, because the climate was so good, they got comfortable. Thought, 'Ah, this is great, no need to leave.' Then after a few million years… well, you know—ice ages happened. The climate got colder. At that point, they wanted to leave… but couldn't anymore."
"Huh? Why?"
Lorena asked curiously.
"Simple. They'd grown too comfortable. Their bodies degenerated, and they lost the ability to travel through space like before. That meant they were stuck on this planet with no way to leave. So they pitifully stayed here, freezing and starving. Then a few minor issues happened… and they went extinct."
At this point, Duanmu Huai spread his hands.
"Born in hardship, die in comfort. Well? Interesting, right?"
"Indeed! One must never neglect training!"
Lorena clenched her fists and nodded firmly, completely convinced. Meanwhile, Mary looked back and forth between them, her head full of question marks.
But… this was just a story Mr. Duanmu made up, right?
After all… according to him, this all happened before humans even existed.
How would he know?
…?