Chapter 14: Ice Princess
by fnovelpia
The Kikl was traded at a high price.
Wizard slaves are rare, and spatial magic wizard slaves are even rarer.
Thanks to that, my pockets are full.
So, first things first—let’s buy some clothes.
“It’s freezing to death.”
The Land of Ice, Gleisia, is an insanely cold place.
Without an item to ward off the cold, even a hero would freeze to death—it’s that brutal.
…Or so they say, but Ria was perfectly fine.
“Master.”
“Doesn’t this make you warm?”
She was calm enough to share her body heat with me.
Thanks to her unique trait, <Nature Immunity>.
[A great trait that nullifies all natural environmental damage.]
She can ignore the cold, the heat, and even breathe underwater.
She can swim in lava, withstand lightning strikes, and even survive meteor impacts.
No natural environment can harm Ria.
…Which is why Ria is perfectly fine.
‘But me? Not so much.’
I’m holding on by using fire magic, but I can only last about 30 minutes.
If I don’t buy warm clothes, I’ll really freeze to death.
“Master.”
“If it was that cold, why didn’t you buy clothes first instead of going to the slave market?”
“That’s not how it works.”
“Huh?”
“That guy was a spatial magician.”
“If he recovered from his <Near Death> state, he could escape.”
“Ah…”
“So that’s why you went straight there.”
“He’s a criminal who would be hard to catch again if he escaped.”
“Exactly.”
Besides, I needed the money from selling Kikl to buy warm clothes.
So, visiting the slave market first was the only option.
…After explaining, Ria looked puzzled.
“Are warm clothes that expensive?”
“No.”
“Normal clothes are pretty cheap.”
“Then?”
“The problem is that non-standard clothes are ridiculously expensive, so I needed more money.”
As soon as we entered the clothing shop, I picked out an outfit.
The <Glay Robe>.
A specialty of the Ice Land Gleisia and considered the ultimate defense against cold.
It’s a top-tier item.
Not only does it completely block the cold, but it also boosts both ice resistance and physical defense.
‘The best part?’
It’s a long coat with a hood that can be worn over armor, providing extra defense without sacrificing protection.
Most cold-resistant gear requires removing armor, but the <Glay Robe> preserves armor while adding more defense.
Of course, Ria doesn’t need it.
She’s already immune to the cold and doesn’t need defense since she’s an invincible cheat character.
But I’m different.
Maintaining both defense and warmth is crucial.
Also, it’s a good item to have, considering it keeps me warm all winter.
…I thought all that as I checked the price tag.
“Damn…”
“That’s some outrageous price.”
In the mid-to-late game, it would be pocket change, but in the early stages, it’s a heavy burden.
If I were Kain, a D-rank adventurer, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it.
But I can buy it.
Why?
Because Kikl sold for an insanely high price!
…Thinking that, I bought it right away and put it on.
“Ah…”
“Now I finally feel alive.”
As soon as I wore the Glay Robe, I felt warmth—not just preserving body heat, but like sitting by a campfire.
That’s because it’s a magical garment.
It has temperature maintenance magic, auto-repair magic, lightweight magic, and defense magic—basically a premium enchanted armor.
“Whew…”
“Now that we’re geared up…”
“What’s the next step?”
“The next step?”
“We meet our first companion.”
“A…Already?!”
Ria looked surprised, but the earlier the better for this kind of thing.
We went straight to our destination.
***
In a secluded part of the Ice Land Gleisia, there was a small cabin.
Our first companion, known as the Ice Princess, was inside.
She’s a tank, but also capable of fulfilling a damage-dealer role—a versatile character.
In terms of combat power alone, she’s considered the strongest among the hero party candidates.
She should be here at this time.
Knock, knock!
I knocked lightly.
Then, I sensed movement from inside.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Kain.”
“I’m here with the hero.”
“The hero?”
Creak—
The Ice Princess slowly opened the door and looked at us.
“Beautiful…”
She had long white hair tinged with a hint of sky blue and cold blue eyes.
She had a decent figure and a well-proportioned body.
Though she gave off a cold and haughty vibe, once you got to know her, she’d often show a cute side.
However, at first, she was nothing but hostile.
She just glared at us.
“No need to glare like that.”
“We’re here to recruit you as a companion.”
“A companion?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t hang out with people weaker than me.”
“You want proof of strength?”
Nod.
“Alright.”
“Let’s fight.”
The Ice Princess stepped out in her white uniform, holding only a single sword.
“Come at me.”
“You heard that, right?”
I looked at Ria as I spoke.
“Huh?”
“Just lightly put her in a <near-death> state.”
“Then the recruitment is done.”
Our ice princess has the lowest recruitment difficulty among the hero party candidates.
If you fight and win, it’s over.
It’s super simple. Usually, the hero has a higher level, Since the hero is S-rank, And the ice princess is A-rank.
So if you fight, the chances of winning are almost 100%.
‘Especially since I have a cheat-level trait.’
‘There’s no way I can lose this fight.’
…Or so I thought when I told Ria to fight.
“Aren’t you going to fight?”
Ria took a step back.
“M-Master…”
Ria looked at me with teary eyes.
‘Ah…’
‘Right…’
Our Ria is easily frightened.
It makes sense that the cold, piercing gaze of the ice princess would scare her.
But, If you get to know her, she’s actually a good person.
So there’s no need to be so scared…
“Waaah!”
“Master!”
“I’m scared!”
Ria, in a frightened state, jumped into my arms.
“Uh…”
“Ria?…”
“I’m scared!”
Ria was now unable to fight.
‘Tsk…’
‘Can’t be helped.’
I had expected that Ria might end up crying and running away.
***
Time for Plan B.
“Ria.”
“Just watch from the back.”
“Huh?…”
“I’ll fight in your place.”
The hero doesn’t necessarily have to fight.
Even if someone else fights and wins, the character can still be recruited.
So, I’ll take her place.
‘Heh heh…’
‘If I win here, I’ll have a lifelong story to brag about.’
The ice princess— In the future, she’s known as the strongest among those who aren’t heroes.
But, Right now, she’s in a vague state.
She hasn’t properly leveled up, And her skills are still rough.
On the other hand, I’ve made thorough preparations.
I’ve hunted the bonus monster Kyuring and defeated orcs and goblins, significantly raising my level.
I even got the Gleisial Robe, boosting both ice resistance and physical defense.
I also gathered items specifically to counter the ice princess.
Of course, Even with all that, there’s still a significant difference.
The ice princess is A-rank, and I’m D-rank.
Even with all these preparations, it’s barely enough to face her.
But, It’s enough.
Actually, This is the only moment where I can beat an A-rank.
‘This is the one chance I’ll have to win against an A-rank.’
If I win, I can proudly tell the strongest A-rank, “You totally suck at fighting!”
‘I can’t pass this up!’
My mouth watered at the thought.
‘Even if I lose, it’s fine.’
There’s still a way to recruit her even if I fail.
So there’s no pressure.
…Thinking that, I drew my sword.
“Should I make the first move?”
Nod.
“Alright.”
“Ria! Watch from over there!”
I smiled.
“I’m about to show you a seriously cool technique!”
I took my stance.
“Water Sword Technique 3 – Waterfall”
I gathered water around me, creating a shield as I charged forward.
It’s a technique where I become the water stream, a raging waterfall crashing down.
Inspired by the ‘Aqua Jet’ move from Pocket Monsters.
Waterfall.
“Here I go!”
The ice princess silently released a freezing aura.
‘Planning to immobilize me by freezing me?’
‘Too naive.’
Crack!
The water shield started to freeze.
But, That was all.
“???”
The surface was frozen, But the inside remained intact.
An application of fire magic.
‘Freezing aura?’
Just emit heat and melt it.
Of course, It won’t last long.
An A-rank’s freezing power, Versus a D-rank’s heat.
No need to say which is stronger.
But, It can hold for a while.
And, that short time is enough.
“Water Sword Technique 3 – Ice Waterfall”
Instead of a body slam wrapped in water, It’s a body slam wrapped in ice!
Thanks for freezing me!
You’ve made me stronger!
Crash!
I rammed into her with an ice chunk.
But, She wasn’t the kind of girl to go down that easily.
Time for a follow-up attack!
“Water Sword Technique 2 – Shower”
I unleashed the gathered water as a torrent of sword energy, Relentlessly striking down with my sword.
I swung down, again and again, continuously attacking.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, ice pillars shot up, pushing back my attack.
The ice princess, wrapped in an ice shield, calmly watched me, While scattering countless ice pillars.
Bang! Bang! Crash!
This is insane.
Shooting 10-meter-thick ice pillars 100 or 200 times is totally over the top.
‘But it’s still early in the game!’
‘Why is she this strong already!’
No wonder they call her the strongest among hero candidates.
She’s truly powerful.
But, I wasn’t just dodging mindlessly.
“Fusion!”
“?”
I combined the countless ice pillars she launched into one.
“Ice Crafting Magic – Ice Guntam!”
The ice merged into a giant robot.
“Heh.”
“That’s why I practiced ice model battles with Ria like crazy.”
It wasn’t just for fun.
It was all intense training to defeat the ice princess.
Though…
I do feel a tiny bit guilty…
But that’s the truth.
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