Chapter 92: The Threshold of Reunion

“Hic…”

I sniffled and tried to pull a handkerchief from my pocket, but my hand grabbed something red instead.

[「Blood Enchant」 – Red panties that pair with the Blood Seducer. Made of silk dyed with Nihilion’s blood.]

The status window kindly and clearly informed me of what I had just pulled out.

“Oh my…”

Nis looked at the red panties, startled.

The moment her eyes widened, they met mine exactly.

“Ah, I didn’t see anything.”

Nis awkwardly turned her head away.

Liar!

“Waaaaah!”

Of all times! Why did I have to grab my panties!

Sorrow, injustice, frustration—all my emotions exploded at once.

It felt like the world was unfairly picking on me.

I really thought this was the worst day ever.

I scrambled to put the panties back, only making things messier.

My hands were trembling so much I couldn’t get them in properly.

“This…! Waaaah!”

“Rico… calm down…”

Nis patted my shoulder with a flustered expression.

It was clear she had never been in a situation like this before and had no idea what to do.

“Rico, don’t go… no, uh… you don’t have to cry. It’s okay.”

Nis said with a bewildered look.

As I continued to cry, she seemed to grow even more awkward.

“Well… then shall we go see Frostia quickly? Frostia must have missed you a lot too.”

‘Master!’

The moment I heard that name, my tears stopped as if by magic.

My mood shifted instantly, like an emotional child.

“And… I’m sorry. It was my mistake that Frostia and I slept for three years. I didn’t know that golden wine would be so strong.”

Nis scratched her head apologetically.

“It’s okay! As long as I can see Master soon, that’s all that matters! Hehe!”

A joyful laugh burst out of me.

The loneliness of being alone for three long years seemed to vanish in an instant.

Perhaps because my crying had stopped and my head was clear, I suddenly remembered Abraxas’s request.

“Ah, Nis. I received a request from Abraxas.”

“Hmm? From Abraxas?”

“Yes, he asked me to leave the passage as it is and take you far away.”

Nis chuckled, narrowing her eyes.

“Pfft… that one still fears me, I see. It doesn’t matter, Rico. It’s fine to leave the passage open. When the evil gods eventually descend, I can have a tasty meal.”

Great!

The request I received was just to move Nis, so it’s not my responsibility if she eats them later!

“More importantly, let’s get to Frostia quickly. It’ll be too slow at this rate, so…”

Nis’s gaze drifted into the distance as if measuring the distance.

“I don’t like my true form, but…”

Nis’s body began to change.

Her elegant black dress transformed into scales, her sharp red eyes grew larger, and her human form disappeared.

Her body grew larger and larger, surpassing the size of a house and seeming to pierce the sky.

Her black scales absorbed even the sunlight, and only her blood-red eyes shone like two moons.

Just like when I first saw her after passing through the passage, seeing her again, I felt an overwhelming sense of majesty.

“Wow…”

Seeing Nis’s true form again was still terrifying.

It was no wonder the evil gods feared her.

Before such a colossal being, anyone would be forced to their knees.

As Nis lowered her gigantic head, I carefully climbed on top.

The scales were cold and hard, but strangely, not slippery.

Grrr…

The earth vibrated violently as Nis began to move.

She slithered across the land in her massive form, but she was so enormous it felt like she could touch the sun.

Startled, I clung tightly to her scales.

“Ugh!”

Every time Nis moved forward, it literally felt like a mountain was moving.

The sound of the wind rushing past my ears was like a roaring waterfall.

I was scared at first, riding a giant snake for the first time, but I soon got used to it and was able to look around.

The world seen from such a height was a sight beyond imagination.

Nis was so tall she almost touched the clouds, making me feel as if I were flying.

From up there, the sky looked bluer and deeper.

The light pouring through the clouds seemed to cover the world in gold.

Looking down, a land of death spread out below.

The surrounding forest was withered and dry, like a field of bare bones, and the streams had turned into sticky black mud.

The place where I had been was a blackened earth from which a black fog endlessly rose.

Then, in the distance, a massive expanse of ice came into view.

“Wow…!”

It was a breathtaking spectacle.

Silver spires of ice pierced the sky, and between them, a frozen world unfolded.

Sunlight reflected off the ice, shimmering like a rainbow.

This looked less like death and more like… a world of eternal winter.

‘The place where Master is!’

But then, an anxious thought crossed my mind.

What if Master dislikes the things I learned from my teacher?

What if she gets angry like Nis did…

Just imagining it made my heart ache.

The thought of Master’s disappointed face, her cold voice, her turning her back on me—it made me feel like crying again.

If she starts to hate me right after we’ve been reunited after three years, what should I do?

But I soon gathered my thoughts.

No, Master will surely understand!

Master has always cherished me.

If there’s something she doesn’t like, I can slowly change it.

The important thing is that we’re meeting again!

Alright!

‘Master, I’ve gone through so many things while you were gone.’

I organized in my head what I would say when I met her.

‘I’ve been to the Heavenly Realm and the Demon Realm! I became Mikel’s apostle and Bellona’s disciple!’

No, Master didn’t like Mikel…

And I have to talk about my teacher, and I don’t know what she’ll think…

Hmm, that might be a good opening.

And then…

‘Master, I journeyed with many people to find you!’

But then it feels like I’ll spend the whole day just explaining what I did…

‘Master, I missed you! While you were asleep for three years, I’ve become much stronger!’

Ah! That’s it!

Master will definitely praise me for becoming stronger!

Flutter-flutter!

Miel flapped her wings vigorously on my shoulder.

I noticed her indigo wings were slowly turning blue.

Returning to the human world seemed to be doing Miel good.

As if reading my mood, she flapped her wings more energetically, expressing her anticipation to see Master.

“Miel, do you miss Master too?”

Miel spread her wings wide and spun around in response.

Blue powder scattered from her small body.

It seemed she was performing the Bugz’s unique celebratory ritual out of joy at meeting Master.

Since Master is my master, the king of the Bugz, Miel must be loyal too!

Nis drew closer and closer to the icy region.

The air began to grow colder.

The closer we got, the more I felt the true, overwhelming presence of the ice region.

Ice fortresses, glaciers, and snow-covered land.

This was, without a doubt, Master’s territory.

Then I remembered the undead I saw earlier.

They were certainly quite strong.

Normal humans would faint or run away at the sight of just one of them, but their movements were so foolish.

As if something was missing…

“Nis, I saw the undead fighting earlier, and their fighting style seems a bit awkward.”

“Ssshh.”

Huh?

Nis only made a hissing sound.

Can she suddenly not speak human language?

“Nis, can’t you speak while polymorphed?”

Nis nodded her head ever so slightly.

Perhaps because I was on her head, she moved just a tiny bit.

So even Nis can’t speak while polymorphed…

I couldn’t speak when I was in my flower state either, so I felt a sense of kinship.

But a snake form must be much harder than a flower form…

I could write with my roots, but a snake…

Ah, maybe she can write with her tail…?

She only has one, so it must be incredibly inconvenient…

“Should we talk about this later then?”

Nis shook her head slightly from side to side.

I guess she meant it’s fine to talk now.

“The undead legion seems to lack tactics and coordination. They just charge forward like wild animals.”

Nis let out a short hissing sound in agreement.

“I think you need a smart commander undead. Even if other abilities are lacking, it would be good to have an undead with a well-preserved brain to be intelligent.”

“Ssshh… ssk!”

Huh…?

What does that mean?

“Have you tried and it didn’t work?”

Nis gave a short nod.

I got it right!

Is it thanks to watching the Bugz’s gestures for so long!

Nis paused for a moment, as if concentrating.

Instantly, black smoke gathered in front of me and began to form words.

She wasn’t writing with her tail!

Ah! I see.

The undead are dumb because their brains decay.

Now I get it!

Nis began to move again.

As we got closer to the ice region, the wind grew colder.

Along the way, I saw a few undead wandering aimlessly.

They were disgusting, with faces that looked like they had been rotting for hundreds of years, walking with their brains leaking out.

But… now that I think about it, there was the corpse preservation technique that my teacher taught me.

I tried hard to block out thoughts of my teacher, but this seemed genuinely useful.

Master…

A wave of emotion washed over me as I called her name in my heart.

Though it was for a short time, the care my teacher showed me was warm.

The conversations we had over tea every night, the smile she gave when she praised my work…

But at the same time, I never imagined that the ‘Art of Murder’ she taught me would make Nis so angry.

All I learned was a way to express beauty…

Why did Nis react that way?

A special preservation technique to preserve artworks for a long time…

Couldn’t I use that on the undead?

If they become stupid because their brains rot, then if I use a preservation treatment to prevent that…?

My fingertips trembled.

I didn’t want to disappoint both of them.

My teacher’s teachings were precious to me, but I also desperately wanted Nis’s approval.

Why do I have to make this choice?

I just learned a useful skill…

But… I remembered Nis’s angry face from before.

If I bring up my teacher, she might get angry again.

The wound is still fresh…

‘Still, I should tell her about this method someday. If my teacher’s technique can help Nis, maybe she’ll see my teacher in a better light?’

As I was contemplating the right time to bring this up, the air temperature suddenly dropped drastically.

White puffs of breath appeared every time I exhaled.

The sound of moisture in the air freezing sounded like shattering glass.

A normal human would have gotten frostbite instantly in this temperature, but with my immunity to freezing, I only sensed the temperature change without any discomfort.

I looked and saw that we had arrived at the center of the ice region.

A world where everything was frozen.

An endless expanse of white snow and blue ice.

The forest, the mountains, even the air itself was under the influence of the ice.

And in the distance, I saw the form of a giant dragon with silver scales and closed eyes.

[☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 【Frostia】 Ice Dragon LV]

“Master!!”