Chapter 56: The Dragon Girl of Calamity (2)

Kaaang! Kaang!

Dorara’s magic activated, and a harsh noise echoed throughout the space.

The target of the magic was an ice wall.

“Huff, ha, what on earth is this made of? Why isn’t my magic working at all?”

Dorara, wildly swinging his staff, gasped for air.

Iris’s team was now trapped on the fourth floor.

The culprit was the ice wall standing before them.

The ice wall didn’t crack or show any signs of collapsing under Dorara’s attacks.

Of course, it wouldn’t.

Lesser magic cannot overpower superior magic.

That ice wall was created by Nikita using the magic of an elder dragon.

It was not something Dorara’s magic could break.

‘It’s not just Dorara’s magic.’

Even Sharin’s magic wouldn’t be able to penetrate it.

“Damn it.”

Dorara cursed under his breath, clenching his teeth.

His hands trembled faintly.

He had been expending his mana continuously on the way here.

Desperately pouring his magic to create an escape route, he had finally hit the limits of his mana reserves.

“Dorara, that’s enough.”

Hearing Iris’s words, Dorara sank to the ground.

He knew full well that his magic wouldn’t break this ice wall.

‘This ice wall can only be dealt with by the Flame of Determination.’

That’s precisely why I joined Iris’s team.

Unlike Lucas, who can reach safety even in the face of danger, I have no way to handle this ice wall.

But since I couldn’t admit this truth, I remained silent.

Sometimes, understanding reality requires facing it head-on.

“This is quite the predicament.”

“Could this be because of the rumored upheaval in the Demonic Palace?”

Joachim and Valencia also showed signs of unease.

Until the ice wall was dealt with, they couldn’t return to the surface.

With limited supplies, anxiety was bound to creep in.

“Dorara, use the remaining mana to cast a body-warming spell for everyone.”

Before their anxiety deepened, I decided to assign tasks.

“Valencia, can you cast a curse over the entire ice wall? Use it to carve a distress signal. Joachim, please bless Lady Iris and me. We’re going to search for a safe place where we can stay for the time being.”

As I quickly gave orders, everyone snapped out of their daze and got to work.

They understood that my instructions were the best course of action for now.

“You’ve taken over my role.”

“No, Lady Iris, it’s because of you that everyone has remained this composed.”

Iris was the third princess.

In essence, she was one of the most crucial figures in the Empire.

If news spread that she was in danger, the Empire would mobilize its full power to break through the Demonic Palace.

Knowing this, everyone could cling to the hope of eventual rescue.

“Let’s go. This will be a long wait.”

Nikita doesn’t appear overnight.

She bides her time on the fourth floor of this Demonic Palace.

‘When everyone’s supplies run out, and the cold has drained them of even the will to fight…’

That’s when Nikita bares the fangs of the dragon.

After receiving Joachim’s blessing, Iris and I immediately set out to search for a safe zone.

The fourth floor marks the beginning of the mid-level areas of the Demonic Palace.

Unlike the previous floors, here the apostles and demonic beasts are far more brutal and cunning.

There’s much to watch out for, and the physical toll is immense.

Even so, safe zones exist, even in such places.

‘Since Blazing Butterfly Arc is a pixel RPG game, there are always places where characters can be checked.’

Safe zones.

These refer to areas where apostles and demonic beasts do not cunningly approach.

I remember every safe zone in the Demonic Palace.

Since they’re essential for progressing through the game efficiently, it’s impossible to forget them.

“We’ll set up the safe zone here.”

“What? This place is just an open wasteland!”

That’s the thing about safe zones—others don’t always perceive them as safe zones.

As Dorara said, this place looked like nothing more than an open field.

Snow covered the ground, and broken ice sculptures were scattered here and there.

There wasn’t a single structure that could serve as cover.

“We can put our backs to the wall, and since it’s an open field, we’ll have a clear line of sight no matter where someone approaches from.”

“B-but that would make us an easy target…”

Valencia also voiced a slight objection, but I shook my head.

“Apostles don’t perceive things the same way we do. They don’t rely on sight or hearing to recognize us, so hiding in visually concealed areas would only get us detected anyway. In fact, areas with limited visibility work against us.”

There’s nothing more dangerous than not knowing where an apostle might approach from.

“You’re absolutely right. Besides, with my holy barrier in place, even an open field won’t be as dangerous as it seems.”

Joachim added, backing up my reasoning.

“Let’s go with Hania’s plan.”

Iris finally agreed, and with that, no further objections were raised.

We quickly set up a temporary shelter.

Joachim cast a holy barrier, and Dorara added a warmth spell to the barrier.

This made the place decent enough to serve as a base.

The snowy plain, despite being an open field, was surprisingly quiet.

True to its reputation as a safe zone, neither apostles nor demonic beasts appeared.

Thanks to that, the team settled down and relaxed.

Having spent a long time traversing the third floor of the Demonic Palace, Iris’s team quickly entered a state of rest.

It was tacitly agreed that the ice wall problem could wait until after we had rested.

“Lady Iris, you should rest as well.”

“Yes, I suppose I should.”

Iris sat down beside me, placing her sword nearby.

She quietly gazed at the snowy field.

“Hania.”

“Yes, Lady Iris?”

“What do you think a third princess represents?”

It was an unexpected question.

Iris usually didn’t talk like this.

But ever since entering the Demonic Palace, she hadn’t been able to sleep, and her stress had been steadily building.

On top of that, someone had even targeted her life.

It wasn’t surprising that she might become briefly disillusioned with life.

“A noble existence.”

“Noble, you say.”

“And it seems quite burdensome.”

Iris, startled by my unexpected response, turned to look at me.

The people around Iris all admire and envy her life.

The strongest royal, a leading candidate for the next emperor, and a beauty with a decadent charm.

Iris is filled with qualities that others would covet.

She never shows her struggles to others.

This only makes her seem even closer to perfection in their eyes.

For someone like her, hearing that she seems burdened must have been unexpected.

But it was my honest thought.

Iris has lived a life that hasn’t been easy for even a single moment since the day she was born.

“As I’ve lived, I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as a completely easy life. That’s why I believe you must have your own hardships too, Lady Iris.”

“Hardships…”

Iris quietly mulled over my words, then brought her knees together and rested her chin on them.

“…Would it be strange if I said I envy you instead, Hania?”

After a long pause, Iris asked me this.

To her, I was Hanon Airei.

Though our circumstances had similarities, my position was entirely different from hers.

Looking at me, Iris must have had various thoughts.

“Everyone envies the life they haven’t lived.”

That’s just human nature.

People tend to admire and yearn for what they don’t possess.

“But I don’t think my life would be all that interesting to you, Lady Iris.”

At least, if I were the real Hanon, perhaps.

But I’m Vikarmern, not Hanon.

Unaware of this truth, Iris let out a brief chuckle.

“Yeah, you’re right. That’s probably true for everyone.”

With those words, Iris fell silent and closed her eyes.

Even if she couldn’t sleep, she was distancing herself from her consciousness to relieve her fatigue.

I quietly stayed by her side.

Someday, Iris Hyserion will become the final boss.

Even so, she was just a person, someone who also envied the life of another.

* * *

Whooooooosh-

Snowflakes scattered along with the blowing wind.

Beneath the falling snow, Iris’s team moved swiftly.

“Not even a single apostle or beast in sight today either.”

Joachim said, looking uneasy.

It had already been four days since we became trapped on the fourth floor of the Demonic Palace.

No matter how much we explored the floor, all we saw were frozen sculptures.

Neither apostles nor beasts appeared.

However, during this time, we confirmed one thing.

“Damn it, even the exit to the fifth floor is blocked.”

Dorara lowered his staff in frustration.

In front of him was another massive ice wall, bearing only faint scratches from his wind spells.

Just like the ice wall at the entrance, a similarly enormous wall now blocked the exit as well.

We were utterly trapped on the fourth floor.

“Um, isn’t it getting even colder than it was on the first day?”

Despite Dorara’s warmth spell, Valencia shivered, clearly feeling the cold.

As she mentioned, the temperature on the fourth floor had continued to drop over the past few days.

Because of this, Dorara had to cast his warmth spell more frequently.

“…At this rate, we’ll run out of mana first.”

Dorara muttered, gripping his trembling staff tightly.

The steadily falling temperature had turned the snowy ground into solid ice.

Moving around was becoming increasingly difficult.

In the end, we decided to rest in the Safety Zone more often, ensuring we wouldn’t lose precious warmth unnecessarily.

After four days of searching yielded no results, everyone began showing signs of deep exhaustion.

“Will our supplies hold out?”

Valencia checked the remaining food with a troubled expression.

The provisions we brought were visibly dwindling.

“…Oh, gods, why have you delivered such a trial unto us?”

Joachim turned to prayer, seeking solace in his faith.

With no other solutions, he sought refuge in divine intervention.

“Damn it! I’d rather keep blasting magic at that ice wall than die like this!”

Dorara shouted, refusing to accept this as the end.

However, without his warmth spell, we would freeze to death in an instant.

Wasting energy on futile efforts was not a wise choice.

Eventually, after everyone persuaded him, Dorara sank back down, frustrated.

“…Hania.”

Iris quietly called out to me.

It had been over a week since she had last slept.

Her condition was the worst among us.

“Yes, Lady Iris?”

“You have a way out, don’t you?”

She asked softly, making sure the others wouldn’t hear.

If I had to answer, yes, I did.

I wouldn’t be here without a contingency plan.

“…When things become too dangerous, take everyone and leave.”

Before I could respond, Iris whispered her request.

It was clear what she meant: if anyone were to die, she preferred it to be her, alone.

“Lady Iris.”

I gently tidied her disheveled hair.

“There’s no way I’d leave you behind.”

Hearing my words, Iris smiled faintly.

Whether those words came from Hania or me, Iris probably couldn’t tell the difference.

Time flowed on.

By the time another week had passed, even Dorara’s magic could no longer fend off the cold.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Dorara tried casting magic on the ice wall several times, but it failed.

Exhausted and drained, he was the first to collapse.

Valencia cast a self-inflicted curse, putting herself into hibernation.

She reasoned that it was better than consuming more of the dwindling rations.

She offered to cast it on anyone else who wanted, but everyone declined, so she made the decision alone.

Joachim gradually prayed less frequently.

Instead, he seemed to have reached some kind of realization about the situation.

Sitting upright, he quietly closed his eyes and immersed himself in deep thought.

We didn’t disturb him, allowing him to concentrate.

As for Iris…

‘She finally fell asleep.’

Though her sleep would likely be haunted by nightmares, it seemed that staying awake had become even more unbearable.

She leaned against me, drifting into slumber.

I could hear the sound of her uneven breathing.

Occasionally, her face would contort in discomfort, but there was no sign she would wake anytime soon.

Her body had reached its limit.

Crunch-

And then, in that moment…

Step-

At last, the long-awaited sound of footsteps began to echo.

My head slowly lifted.

Through the frost-covered lashes obscuring my vision, I saw a figure emerge from the darkness.

In her hand, she held a long sword, dragging its tip across the ground.

The chill radiating from the blade was sharper and colder than anything I had ever felt.

From her lips, a pale white mist of frost escaped.

Her silvery hair billowed softly, revealing two white horns protruding from her forehead.

They were unmistakable remnants of the world’s most dangerous magic, sealed away by the Cynthia Marquis family, the magic of the elder dragons.

Beneath the horns, her vivid blue eyes gleamed, resembling those of a lizard.

With every movement she made, the surrounding chill intensified, growing more ferocious.

The Dragon Girl of Calamity.

Nikita Cynthia.

The boss of Act 3 had finally revealed herself.

I gently laid Iris down so as not to wake her and slowly stood.

The frozen snow clinging to me cracked and fell away as I rose.

“You’ve come.”

Nikita’s gaze landed on me.

Judging by her expression, she seemed convinced that everyone else had already succumbed to exhaustion.

“Senior Nikita.”

So, I decided to greet her alone.

“My punch might sting a bit.”

It was time to wake her up.