Chapter 33: Kingdom of Snow

The cloud shattered into mist as Aria and Rikka pierced through them. As they crossed the Frosthold borderline, the temperature dropped gradually, and the sandy mountains began to cover themselves in a white sheet of snow.

While Aria was completely unbothered by the changing environment, Rikka’s breath turned to frost. She shivered violently at the sudden shift, which Aria quickly noticed.

“Are you okay? You seem to be shivering.”

“O-Of c-course I am! I’m f-freezing… Aria-sama…” Her teeth chattered as she clung closer to Aria.

“Ah… I see. That’s my fault—we should have at least packed warmer clothes for you. But don’t worry, I sense a large amount of varied mana a few miles away.”

As the distance closed, Aria scanned her surroundings. Sensing traces of mountain and tree mana, she spotted a frozen river—a perfect spot for landing—and leaned forward to descend.

“Hold on tight! We’re going to land soon!”

“Huh… Whaaaaaaaa!” Rikka screamed, closing her eyes tightly, knowing all too well how Aria’s landings usually went.

This time, however, Aria slowed down before impact and touched down gently on her toes.

“Did we land…?” Rikka opened her eyes slowly, only to find Aria wearing a smug grin.

“See? A safe landing. You can start praising me now—”

Before she could finish boasting, a sharp cracking sound echoed beneath her feet.

Crack.

Rikka peeked down to see the ice slowly splintering. She looked up at Aria, her eyes narrowing.

“Tehe~,” Aria offered a playful smile just as the ice gave way entirely, plunging them both into the freezing water.

“AAAHHHH!” Rikka panicked as the icy water hit her body. Her screams were cut off periodically as mouthfuls of freezing water choked her. The chilling temperature plummeted her body heat at a dangerous pace, slowing her movements as she struggled to swim.

Aria, on the other hand, moved gracefully, propelling herself toward the bank with smooth, powerful kicks.

Rikka thrashed her hands desperately as her limbs went completely numb. Somehow, she managed to flounder her way to the edge of the river, where a hand grabbed her collar and hauled her out.

Rikka collapsed onto her knees, panting heavily and coughing up water. Her body shook uncontrollably as her skin turned a faint blue, while Aria patted her back to comfort her.

“There, there…”

“Bwhaa… Haa… I… I will… never fly with you again…” Rikka gasped out, her voice trembling violently.

“Don’t be like that, Rikka!”

“Anyway…! Aria-sama… Why… W-why are you totally unbothered by the cold?!”

“Oh, about that…” Aria scratched her head and chuckled sheepishly. “Well, when we crossed the border, I started feeling a chill, so I just manipulated the mana around me to keep my body temperature normal. It’s a simple technique I learned back in my childhood.”

“THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THAT FOR ME?!” Rikka screamed with all her might before flopping onto the ground.

“Ah… I completely forgot about that.” Aria smiled hesitantly, raising a finger as the tip began to glow bright red. “Let me do it now. You’ll feel better right away.”

She tapped her finger against Rikka’s head, sending a warm, red wave passing over Rikka’s body that instantly evaporated the water. Rikka sat up cross-legged, glaring with narrowed eyes as Aria beamed back at her.

“Hehe…”

Rikka stood up, turned her back, and said flatly, “I quit.” She began walking away.

“Huh? Eh? Rikka… wait…”

“RIKKAAAAAAA!”

After walking for a few moments, they finally reached the walls of the Frosthold Kingdom. The massive city gates were guarded by a heavily armored patrol checking everyone who passed through.

Hiding behind a cluster of bushes, the two took a quick peek.

“One… two… three…” Rikka counted. “A total of six. It’s going to be hard to sneak past them unnoticed.”

“Sneak? Wouldn’t it be better if we just walked straight through? I mean, we don’t have weapons, and we look like commoners…” Aria tilted her head, confused.

“Aria-sama, we are wearing Sandscreech Kingdom attire! If we go over there like this, they’ll arrest us thinking we’re spies!”

“I see. Then what if we—”

Before Aria could finish, Rikka interrupted, “NO!”

“But I didn’t even say—”

“I SAID NO!”

“Just hear me out…!”

“I AM NOT GOING TO FLY UP AGAIN! I WILL SURELY DIE IF WE FLY!” Rikka yelled, completely forgetting to keep her voice down.

“Did you hear something?” one of the guards asked another.

“You heard it too? I thought it came from those bushes over there.”

“We should check it out.” Both guards began walking toward them.

“Wha… wha… whaaa!” Rikka panicked. “What do we do, Aria-sama?! If we get caught, they’ll definitely throw us in their dungeon!”

“You panic too much. Watch this.” Aria snapped her fingers, sending a soft ring echoing through the air. She then stood up and began walking out into the open.

Rikka tried to grab her. “Aria-sama, if you walk out like that, they’ll— Huh?”

Aria strolled past the guards effortlessly and turned back to Rikka. “See? We can just walk right through. Come on.”

“Haa…” Rikka ran up behind her, glancing at the frozen guards as she passed. Their bodies leaned slightly forward, their eyes completely unseeing, and they weren’t breathing or moving at all—looking for all the world like corpses.

Once they passed safely through the gate, Rikka couldn't contain her curiosity. “What did you do to them, Aria-sama?”

“I just manipulated their inner mana. I blocked the flow through their mana pathways, so their brain stopped receiving mana and blood flow. Technically, they’re dead for a few minutes. Soon, their structure will return to normal, they’ll wake up, and they won’t even remember us passing by.”

“Ehhh? You can do that too?” Rikka looked at her in shock.

How terrifying… I feel pity for whoever makes her an enemy.

As they walked further, the capital city of Frosthold finally unfurled before them. It was a beautiful place, filled with houses covered in thick blankets of snow. Unlike the people of the sandy lands, the locals here were wrapped in warm winter coats. The streets buzzed with a diverse population of elves, dwarves, and humans.

Rikka grabbed Aria’s hand as nearby passersby began to stare and whisper about their clothing, making Rikka intensely uncomfortable.

“People are staring at us. We need to change our clothes as soon as possible.”

“Hmm… Where should we start looking around anyway?” Aria asked.

“I think we should start at a tavern. A lot of people gather in taverns to exchange information, so we might find a clue about those cloaked people.”

On their way, they bought common Frosthold attire to help them blend in, then headed straight for a local tavern.

The tavern was warm and crowded. Staff scurried back and forth serving customers while people enjoyed their drinks, sang along to music, and filled the room with lively chatter.

A waitress bowed to them as they entered, and Rikka said politely, “A table for two, please.”

The waitress led them to an open table and handed them menus. As they sat down, the rich aroma of food hit them like a wave, accompanied by the heavy scent of alcohol flowing through the establishment.

“Aria-sama, I thought you promised not to stand out! Please stop staring at the counter!”

“But…!”

Rikka sighed. “Well, how about we order something first?” She raised a hand to catch the waitress's attention.

The woman walked over and bowed. “How can I help you today?”

“Ehh… could we get a glass of orange juice? And what about you, Aria-sama?”

“Do you have any kind of… alcohol?” Aria leaned over to whisper in the waitress's ear.

The waitress whispered back, “Yes, Miss, we have a wide variety of alcoholic drinks. Everything from cheap brews to luxury spirits, depending on what you prefer.”

“Aria-sama?” Rikka tilted her head, watching her suspiciously.

“Then… could you bring me a grape—” Aria cut herself off as she felt Rikka’s heavy gaze burning into her.

No matter how close you get with anyone, we need to hide the fact that you’re a heavy drinker. If anybody finds out, you know what will happen. Shawn's warning echoed clearly in her mind.

“Hmm?” the waitress prompted gently.

“…A grape juice, then,” Aria said, deflating in defeat.

“Okay, one orange juice and one grape juice. I’ll bring them right out.”

“It’s amazing how well they manage such a busy place, right, Aria-sama?” Rikka remarked, watching the staff work diligently before turning back to face her companion.

“Ugh… haa… haa…” Aria whimpered softly, dropping her head onto the table.

“Aria-sama?”

“WHAAAAA!” Aria slammed her head back up and then cracked it down onto the hard wood so violently that her forehead began to bleed, sending her reeling backward into her chair.

“ARIA-SAMAAAAA!”