Free Web NovelVieya had not wanted to perch on Aislin’s neck like some child, but thick fog had risen all around.
The fog was so dense that if they lagged just a few steps behind, they would lose sight of one another.
In order to resolve the matter quickly and see her daughter as soon as possible, she had let go of a great deal of unnecessary restraint... or perhaps it would be better to call it the dignity of once being the First Hero.
Dignity could not be eaten, nor would it bring good luck.
Staring at the endless expanse of pale-white mist, Vieya could not help but sigh.
They had been walking across the frozen surface for quite some time. The ark behind them, tall as a high-rise, was already faint and on the verge of vanishing from view.
Half an hour ago she had still been sitting in a warm, safe cabin, nibbling on little cakes while fretting about how to mend her relationship with her daughter once they met...
And now she was walking across icebound waters, breathing in the icy fog, the wind slashing her face like knives, trudging along a path with no end in sight.
Everything felt like another lifetime. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
This was when the advantage of having formed a Hero Squad without any weak links truly showed.
Unlike now—on this massive ark, the one with the deepest magical knowledge turned out to be Aislin, an elf bard specialized in playing and singing. Her magic and swordsmanship were only for self-defense during her journeys.
“Below the ice are swarms of giant jellyfish,” Rotisha said with some concern. “If we want the ark to move again, we must thaw the surface, so it can recondense the ice tracks for sailing. But once thawed, we will face ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) the mass of monsters beneath.”
“Killing them would not be hard, but it would take a great deal of time. The more time we lose, the greater the chance of accidents at the war zone. And besides...”
Rotisha continued as she walked, “I strongly suspect something even more dangerous is lurking down there.”
“Something more dangerous?” Aislin thought back to her travels. “Like when you finally beat one enemy and are ready to claim victory, the enemy’s father shows up. You beat the father, then the grandfather comes, then the ancestor, then the great ancestor—”
“...”
Rotisha gave the elf girl a sidelong look, her dark red eyes full of speechless disbelief. Your experiences really are something...
“It won’t be quite like that.”
She shook her head and added, “Ordinary monsters cannot stop the Starbell Lily. Anything below Tier Six is as fragile as an egg before it. Even if piled like a mountain, they would only be crushed.”
“Then how was it stopped?”
Aislin twitched her pointed ears, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she raised a finger. “So this is the more dangerous thing you meant? I’m curious! What sort of marvel will it add to my journey—”
“Don’t go expecting such trouble for fun!”
...
On the deck of the Starbell Lily, the white fog coiled thickly, visibility less than a meter.
The gold-armored knights who remained aboard were gripped with unease, as if venomous snakes hidden in the mist already had them in their sights.
An unseen shadow loomed over the ark, circling like a ghost upon every heart.
The longer the Hero squad sent to scout did not return, the larger that shadow grew.
Many people carried only their small personal packs onto the deck, abandoning the rest of their luggage in the cabins.
Clinging to the last of their reason to suppress their fear, no one shouted, no one screamed. They stood in the fog like statues, heads bowed, eyes vacant, as if already mourning their tragic fate—to die on the way before even reaching the war zone.
The fat first mate silently looked upon them, feeling suffocated beneath the crushing weight of despair.
Perhaps most had already prepared themselves to die gloriously at any moment, but only he knew that from the instant the ship had suddenly stopped, it had already been forgotten by time. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Every piece of equipment aboard, every emergency magical tool, had been frozen as if by a pause button.
The magical hourglass no longer flowed. The molecules of blueberry pie scent hung suspended in the kitchen, half-baked. Flames no longer flickered. Butter bubbles froze at the instant of bursting. In the ticket box was stuck a boarding pass not belonging to this era...
The sacrifice now was destined to be meaningless. Their records would bear nothing but the word “missing.”
Even before Hero Rotisha had gone out to scout, she had left them with the grimmest of reminders: If I return as a comet flowing against the current—forge my remains into a new compass, to mark the dangers for those who come after.
She had gone forward ready to meet disaster.
But the first mate could not tell this truth, or the last fragments of reason among the people would shatter.
Lowering his telescope, he turned from the lookout. Nothing could be seen through the fog now. He meant to return to the control room to see if the captain could restore any equipment.
At that moment.
A thread of sea-salt-tinged blood scent drifted from the fog. The first mate whipped his head back, pupils shrinking—bang! The corpse of a knight long dead crashed down at his feet.
...
“Wait—are we just going in circles?” Vieya suddenly asked.
“Surely not?”
Every few steps Aislin pulled a few rainbow-colored stones from her pouch, placing them at the roadside as markers. This was a basic skill for any traveler, so she was certain they were not circling.
But since the little human had spoken, she did not dismiss it. She carefully checked the surroundings.
“Mm. Check complete. I’m sure we’re not going in circles.”
She dusted off her hands and looked to Rotisha, who stood staring blankly into the distance, lost in thought. Aislin raised her brows.
“What is it? Has Hero discovered something new?”
“Perhaps... Miss Vieya is right.”
Rotisha spoke slowly, her dark red eyes shifting between Aislin and Vieya.
“We may have been circling in the mist all along.”
Aislin froze, eyes widening. “What?”
“But this is not your fault.” Rotisha went on. A black spear appeared in her hand. To the others’ astonishment, she suddenly hurled it with force!
The spear vanished.
But seconds later, it inexplicably returned to Rotisha’s hand. She nodded, comprehension dawning.
“You see, we are trapped in a cage called ‘time.’ Everything here is... seeds of causality that can be chewed.”
Time?
Aislin faltered, quickly groping through her traveler’s cloak until she pulled out a pocket watch—long since stopped.
“I see... Something is stealing our time! This kind of monster, I’ve never seen before!” She grew anxious. “I don’t have the intel or the preparations to deal with this—”
No matter. I will act.
Vieya opened her mouth to say the words, but a serious problem struck her. She cautiously asked:
“Then how much time have we wasted here? Don’t tell me that in the blink of an eye, ten years have passed?”
Rotisha shook her head. She was no expert in this domain and could not answer directly.
“Do not worry. Not much time has passed. If too much had, you would already feel hunger.”
