Power related to time…
Rotissa stroked her long spear, slowly infusing the power of “Backtrack.” As the spear tip touched the thick fog ahead, it seemed to plow through a gelatinous time-space.
But in just an instant, that gelatinous time-space closed and healed again.
“Eternal and Golden Demon King… Lord of Ten Thousand Times.”
Rotissa suddenly spoke, her dark red eyes turning grave. She stared at the spear tip that could go no further, muttering to herself:
“Such power, enough to twist the time and space of such a vast expanse of water… I suppose only that Demon King could wield it. But… wasn’t she already dead?”
“…Oh!”
Aiselyn’s eyes lit up. “You mean the one hailed as the strongest and wisest Great Demon King in history? Among the Seven Demon Kings, she’s the only one worthy of being called ‘Great Demon King’!” She took a breath, then eagerly added:
“But the stories and poems I’ve heard during my travels all say the Great Demon King and the First Hero perished together, both falling at Mount Aisa…
Sigh, what a pity that when all that happened, I was still traveling near the Western Territory, with no chance to witness a battle worthy of being etched into epic legend…”
After finishing, the Elven girl felt a little strange. She looked at the blue-haired, red-eyed Hero and asked:
“You say the power here is related to the Great Demon King? But after the First Hero died, nothing was left behind at all. Then how… did the Great Demon King leave behind such a vast domain of magic creatures?”
“That… I can’t draw any rash conclusions.” Rotissa looked around, but could find no further clues.
After all, there were many doubts about that great battle back then. The team the First Hero formed had gone through that battle with him. Though they returned battered and wounded, they made it back alive.
Yet after returning, they all kept silent about the details of the battle, not saying a word. All they said was that the Great Demon King was far too formidable, and the First Hero had to give his life to slay her…
“You’re both wrong, you know.”
Suddenly, Vyea, who had been silent all this time, spoke. One hand on her hip, the other propping up her chin, she smiled at the two girls’ gazes:
“This world may be more complicated than you imagine. Many things are not as simple as they appear. But, the Great Demon King Flavail’s power really is related to time.
The Demon King’s titles are all passed down through inheritance, so the authority Flavail possessed can indeed be traced.”
“Then…” Rotissa hesitated, about to speak.
“I know what you want to ask, but the power here really wasn’t left behind by Flavail.”
There was something Vyea would never tell them—how she used to go to Flavail for relaxation whenever she was exhausted from work.
Don’t misunderstand, it was just normal, relaxing magic, not that kind of relaxation that would make her even more tired.
It was a little curious magic Flavail named “Ennui Cocoon.”
A clock-shaped bud would sprout above the target’s head, swelling bigger and bigger until it bloomed, wrapping them in an Amber Time Cocoon.
Inside, time flowed a hundred times slower than outside. The cocoon wall would play the laziest moments of the target’s life—like sunbathing afternoons spent skipping class, or the first tipsy dusk after sneaking fruit wine…
But Flavail would secretly add in her own adorable Q Version image into the memories, holding up a cheer flag reading “Rest is Legal.”
Vyea liked that feeling—she couldn’t help but smile gently at the thought.
But she quickly regained her composure, cleared her throat softly, and looked seriously at the other two girls:
“Don’t look at me like that… I just happened to experience the Great Demon King’s time magic once by chance, and combined with all the Magic Studies tomes I’ve read, it’s only natural that I’d know these things.”
Vyea lied. If she had truly read that many old tomes on magic, she wouldn’t still only know a handful of spells even now.
“Hehe, you’re amazing, you know so much.” Aiselyn gave Vyea a thumbs up, her eyes sparkling. “A clever and brave little one like you is rare even among us of the Elf Tribe!”
“…I’d honestly prefer you not praise me like that.”
Luckily, Slime-girls excel at changing their color, otherwise Vyea’s young face would have gone bright red.
On the other side, Rotissa seemed to grasp something after hearing Vyea’s words, just about to speak.
Boom!
A huge cannon blast came from the direction of the Starlight Lily of the Valley, sending ripples through the thick mist like sound waves!
Boom!
Boom!
“What happened?!”
In that instant, all three froze.
The cannon fire didn’t stop. Vyea looked up in surprise, paying no heed to the terrifying tremor beneath her feet, hurrying to look toward the Ark.
One blue meteor after another shot out from the Starlight Lily of the Valley, falling at random onto the surrounding ice sheets, erupting into violent explosions.
“Something’s happened on the ship…” Rotissa’s face darkened. They had already reached the border of this Magic Creature Domain; if they’d had a little more time, they might have uncovered the mastermind’s trail.
But now, of all times, something happened on the ship.
It was hard not to suspect that something was deliberately stopping them from investigating further.
“How about this? Elf Sister and I will stay here to keep exploring, and Hero Sister, you go back to see what’s happened, okay?” Vyea proposed, offering a logic Rotissa could not refuse.
“Just like you said before, I have strong power. But now, neither side can be abandoned, so we have to split up.
It’s better for the weakest Elf Sister and me to continue exploring, and if you—whom the Gold-armored Knights know best—lead the group on the ship, they’ll be able to bring out even greater strength, right?”
“Then I’ll leave it to you two.”
Rotissa gave the two across from her a deep bow, then shot away across the ice like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
“Truly a decisive Hero.”
Aiselyn finished her comment, then lowered her head to look at Vyea, her ears drooping and eyes sorrowful.
“Do you really think I’m that weak? That really hurts an elf’s feelings, you know!”
“…”
Vyea pursed her lips, saying nothing.
Aiselyn sighed, but just as she lifted her left leg to step forward, she suddenly froze midair, her expression changing drastically.
A huge shadow shot up from the waters beneath the ice, growing larger and larger!
“Watch out!”
Even after years of decadence, Vyea’s combat instincts remained. The moment she saw Aiselyn’s expression change, she reacted—leaping forward with force.
Smack!
Aiselyn braced herself, borrowing Vyea’s heavy weight, her face bitter—this little girl is so heavy! No wonder she eats so much!
But there was no time to think about that mess. She grabbed Vyea, wrapped the Traveler’s Robe around them both, and immediately rolled across the ice!
Boom!
A giant creature burst through the ice, sending shards flying everywhere, pounding giant pits into the surface with crackling crashes.
Amid the cold, ashen ice mist, two massive eyes like golden lanterns slowly appeared, fixing their gaze on the two tiny figures huddled together like ants atop the ice.
Vyea looked up at this never-before-seen monster, thinking silently to herself: “Appraise.”
[Race: Time Empress (Heavily Polluted) Level: ???]