Chapter 22 : The Girl Sealed in Ice and Snow
Lonis never expected that at the deepest part of the dungeon's bottom level, there would be a crater-like pit.
Surging lava boiled on the obsidian, occasionally leaping up with crimson sparks.
A sulfurous scent permeated the air. Beside this flame lake composed of red lotuses, a pitch-black figure stood there.
Behind him was the raging firelight, while his figure was immersed in the shadow of the flames, impossible to see clearly.
......
Elucia stepped forward, her expression darkening:
"Hmph, General Kuru... I didn't expect you would actually dare to return here."
"Who are you? How could you know my plan!"
Seeing Elucia approach, the black shadow suddenly raised his head, revealing that completely disfigured face.
Protruding eyes, fangs like a wild wolf.
The black shadow looked like a monster that would only appear in nightmares, without a single piece of intact skin on his entire body.
"You don't need to know who I am... you only need to know that I've come to send you on your way."
High heels stepped on the ground, making cold and crisp sounds... Elucia's figure was so confident, like a nightingale standing under the moonlight.
And seeing the girl's such elegant temperament, the shadow figure seemed to recall something in his trance.
That blade that seemed to pierce through time, that past that seemed frozen in yesterday—only one person had survived from this royal capital.
And only one person could stop his plan.
So he spoke that name:
"You... are Lonis?!"
When she heard the figure shout like this, Lonis was stunned.
But immediately after, she realized that this call of "Lonis" wasn't referring to herself.
But to Elucia.
"Hmph, is the name Lonis something you're qualified to call?"
Elucia showed neither sorrow nor joy, just calmly stepped forward.
"Lonis, I didn't expect you're still not dead! You negligent trash princess, what right do you have to stop me?"
Recognizing the black-haired girl's identity, the figure's emotions seemed extremely agitated.
That already ferocious face became even more horribly twisted.
"So... I am no longer Lonis now, but Elucia. As the companion of the chosen hero in the 'Land of Ends,' I naturally have the right to judge you."
"『Land of Ends』... you actually survived there for a hundred years?"
"You're not qualified to know so much. You only need to know that you're about to die."
Elucia raised her head with a cold smile.
Under the firelight's illumination, her white neck was so flawless. But the black sword in her right hand was so deeply dark.
As if distorting space itself, infinite power gathered toward the sword's edge... Just gazing at this power, Lonis felt her back was already completely cold.
But this was only the beginning.
Under the illumination of the pitch-black light, Lonis felt her senses were affected: clearly her eyes were open, but she seemed unable to see anything; clearly various sounds echoed in her ears, but everything was so chaotic and noisy that she couldn't understand their meaning.
The touch sensation on her skin alternated between hot and cold, the smells before her came and went.
Finally...
A world that had never appeared before emerged before her eyes.
......
......
That was a country standing on snowy territory.
The king worked diligently for good governance, the queen was gentle and wise, and the princess, who was the crystallization of their love, had been clever and adorable since childhood, with silver-white long hair like ice and snow.
Her name was Lonis.
Lonis had shown amazing potential since childhood, able to cast 4th-tier magic at a young age, and even gained the appreciation and inheritance of the high priest, having the qualification to worship the Flame Abyss from a young age.
Yes, the reason the Snow Kingdom could establish itself in the snowy mountains was by relying on the energy of the Flame Abyss.
That was energy from within the earth's mantle, and also the miraculous power passed down from ancient times.
The magma in the earth's veins would gradually stabilize after being stabilized by the Flame Abyss. After being heated by magic furnaces, steam engines, and many other machines, it could become warm energy and be transmitted to thousands of households.
Therefore, even living in a snowy country, the residents of the Snow Kingdom felt no cold at all. They even regularly sold large quantities of Snow Kingdom weapons to other countries, relying on the abundant minerals in the snowy mountains and the furnaces fueled by magma.
Everything seemed so peaceful…
Until...
......
"What? Many magic furnaces have stopped, and the Flame Abyss's output efficiency is only half of what it used to be?"
"Yes, everyone is panicking now. Many people have lost their jobs."
......
The gradual depletion of the earth's vein power had far-reaching effects on the entire country.
At first, it only manifested as economic depression, but later it became various vicious cycles caused by supply shortages.
Princess Lonis thought it was her fault, so she very devoutly went to harmonize the Flame Abyss, working almost day and night.
But Lonis soon discovered...
It wasn't that her duties had problems, but that the Flame Abyss's power had reached its end.
Just like a pool of spring water—no matter how carefully you clear the weeds, no matter how seriously you protect the water source, if the source stops flowing, then using the spring water means less and less remains.
......
......
Powerless, helpless.
And the country's situation became even worse at this moment.
Without the Flame Abyss, the country's pillar industry suffered devastating damage. Even if people left the country with their families, they would only become homeless refugees.
Dissatisfied voices began emerging in society. At first, they only criticized the noble class for seeking pleasure, but later, the blame somehow shifted to the princess.
"It's because the princess hasn't fulfilled her duties, right? Isn't she the new high priest? How come she hasn't managed the Flame Abyss well?"
"It must be like this. Such a young princess definitely can't do this kind of work. What genius? Can a genius make it so we can't even use heating?"
Under the instigation of certain people with ulterior motives, criticism of the princess rose and fell.
There were even rumors that Princess Lonis had neglected her work because she was in love, having fallen for a girl from a foreign land.
But facing all these rumors, Lonis had no way to explain... because the matter of the Flame Abyss weakening couldn't be directly stated—this would cause everyone to panic and create chaos in order.
......
"No, I must hold on until that time... The evacuation plan has begun, we must at least persist until then."
......
So Lonis not only didn't explain to the people, but because she devoted more energy to the Flame Abyss, she appeared in public even less frequently.
This ultimately led to...
......
"Look, that's the useless princess! The idiot who makes us all drink the northwest wind."
"If you can't do it, why are you still doing it? Hurry up and change people! General Kuru seems to be able to control the Flame Abyss!"
"I'm not... everyone... I..."
The endless rumors made the princess's heart collapse.
She was clearly doing this for everyone's good...
She had clearly already given her all...
But why, why couldn't everyone understand her?
......
I clearly…
I just wanted to see everyone living happily...
Why,
why...
......
But even with her heart covered in wounds, even under enormous pressure…
Lonis still harmonized the earth's vein power, making the Flame Abyss's energy output as stable as possible, making everyone's life as much like the past as possible.
Even if factories stopped working, the heating in everyone's homes couldn't stop.
Until...
The mastermind, General Kuru's rebellion.