The Mother of Ice Rises
“Wow. I still find it hard to believe… You have a Guardian Spirit—and now you made a contract with Zeraff.”
“What can I say?” I grinned. “I’m just lucky like that.”
We left the cave after sealing the contract and followed the stony path back through the trees. Training had started the moment Zeraff’s power settled into me—and ended almost as quickly, like a door opening just to show there was more on the other side. Now the sun sat high and warm; the shadows under the boughs thinned to lace. Our footsteps brushed through dew-dark ferns as we made for the house on the plateau.
The air felt light. So did I.
“What happened to the samurai?” Asahi asked.
“Oh—Death’s Mercy?” I said. “He went back when training started. Something about recharging and… evolving.”
"Evolving?" He raised his eyebrow.
A voice behind us answered, calm but edged like a blade kept close.
“Guardian Spirits like Death’s Mercy grow with their master. If you’ve grown, he must as well. It won’t do for the guardian to lag behind the guarded.”
I didn’t need to turn to recognize the confidence in that voice. Still, I glanced over my shoulder.
“Tessa,” I said, brow lifting. “What are you doing here?”
She offered the faintest smile. “Coming with you, of course.”
“I can see that,” I muttered, “but why?”
“Didn’t you hear what Lord Zeraff said?”
I stared. “…”
“As the next ruler of this nation, you must be protected.”
The words landed like stones dropped into a pond—no splash, just ripples spreading beneath my ribs.
“I’m sorry—what did you say?”
Back in the cave, I’d heard Zeraff speak of magic, of contracts, of power. Those were the words that stuck. The rest slid past like mist.
“You heard me,” Tessa said, faintly irritated. “Don’t act clueless. You agreed to it.”
“The only thing I agreed to was learning magic in exchange for coming back,” I shot back.
“Exactly.” She passed me without a glance. “Why do you think you were asked to return here?”
“...ah.”
She went ahead, stepped through the door beside Asahi, and vanished inside.
The moment my brain remembered to argue, she was already gone, and I was left stunned in place.
Ruler? Me? No, thank you. I just want Miss Mary back. I just want the mansion whole again.
Why does every answer turn into ten new problems?
I rubbed my forehead, feeling the weight of the responsibility crashing down on me.
Relax, I thought. You'll deal with Zeraff later. Saving Miss Mary comes first.
I exhaled, and followed them in.
The dining room was the first room off the hall; I pushed the door open—and froze.
“Oh, you’re back.”
The voice was muffled by a mouthful of food, familiar enough to knock the breath from me.
“Master…?” My eyes burned. “You’re okay!”
I didn’t walk—I ran. Reina sat there at the same table where Asahi and I had eaten, her posture relaxed, her hair short, her shirt’s empty sleeve dangling at the shoulder. I wrapped her in both arms and squeezed like I was afraid she might vanish if I didn’t hold tight enough.
She set her spoon down, patted my head with her right hand, and smiled. Tears slipped free from my eyes—quiet tears, the kind a fourteen‑year‑old tries to pretend aren’t there.
“I’m so happy you woke up,” I said.
“Oh? Look at you crying for me,” she teased, voice light.
I ignored the bait. For now, it was enough that she was warm, and real, and alive.
Reina eased me back to arm’s length—and her smile faltered.
“…Your hair.”
“Huh?”
“It's crimson,” she murmured, eyes narrowing. "What happened?"
She brushed my bangs aside with two fingers; they paused at the corner of my forehead. “And this—” A tiny ridge, almost invisible unless you knew where to look. “A horn too?!”
I scratched the spot reflexively, heat rising to my cheeks. “It, uh… showed up after the contract.”
“As expected,” Asahi said, calm as ever. “Post‑contract resonance. Zeraff’s mana weaves through the mana yit ou share with Mercy.”
Tessa folded her arms, satisfied. “Acceptable. A lord should be noticeable.”
"What contract?" She asked, puzzled.
"Oh ah, I made a contract with Zeraff," I paused. "...The flame dragon."
She gasped, almost popping her eyes out. "What?!"
"Yeah. Hehehe," I laughed lightly.
Reina’s gaze lingered a beat longer—measuring, worried, then something like pride. She flicked the tiny horn with a knuckle, gently. “Doesn’t change anything. You’re still my student. Also—don’t go head butting people with that thing.”
“Noted,” I muttered, trying not to smile.
"Krai..." She smiled at me warmly. "Congratulations on your first contract."
I was stunneyou d by that reaction. And those words—those words left me with even more questions.
But, I let slide and just say, "Thank you, Master Reina."
For a heartbeat, the room felt brighter than the sun outside.
When the joy settled, we took our seats: Asahi to my left, Reina at the head, Tessa across from me. A dark‑elf girl moved between us with a tray, quiet as a whisper, placing dishes one by one. Steam drifted up in ribbons.
“Thank you for taking care of my master, Airi,” I said, meaning every word.
She gave me a soft, shy smile and inclined her head before returning to her work. Reina’s long-sleeved shirt hid the missing limb; the cloth of the opposite sleeve hung loose and empty, a quiet flag I couldn’t ignore no matter how hard I tried.
“Master, are feeling all right? You’ve been asleep for two days,” I said.
She filled her spoon and only then answered, tapping the empty sleeve with the back of her hand.
"Yes. As you can see, I’m all–right.”
Two words. A joke, but not really.
Asahi chuckled under his breath. I was not.
“If you’re punning, you’re probably fine.”
“Hey—loosen up,” Reina said, lips quirking.
I couldn’t. My gaze dropped to the food. Somehow her missing arm felt like it was staring straight through me.
“Aside from losing my arm, there’s nothing to report,” she added.
“Good,” I said quietly. “I’m… glad you’re okay.”
She studied my downcast eyes for half a heartbeat, and something in her expression shifted—so small it would be easy to miss.
“Hey,” she said. “Don’t make that face. This isn’t your fault. Even with one hand, I can still beat some sense into you.”
She raised her fist close to my nose. I huffed a laugh I didn’t quite feel yet.
“No. I was just… thinking about the others.”
“Oh, right. Is the old man dead?” she asked. Straight to the worst possible outcome without hesitation.
But in that situation, it would be appropriate to assume he was dead.
“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s the reason I escaped with you.”
“I see.”
We fell quiet. My silence was heavy with guilt. Hers was calm, but not cold. Asahi and Tessa ate and listened, their presence steady as the table between us.
“There’s something else,” I said. “Miss Mary and the others at the mansion… they’re in danger. Men attacked the estate.”
Reina’s spoon paused. “What?”
“I don’t remember everything—there was smoke, soldiers—probably an army. When I reached the mansion, Vevil tried to strike me down, but Miss Mary used her magic to teleport us here.”
Reina resumed eating, controlled, measured, like bracing herself against a cold wind.
“Why are you acting like this?!" I blurted. My palms hit the table with a dull thud. “How can you be so—calm—when they took everyone?!”
“Hey!” she snapped back. “I’m pissed off too.”
“Doesn’t look like it!”
“Getting riled up won’t fix anything,” she said. “Save the anger for when we save them.”
A low growl slipped out before I forced myself to sit again. She was right. It still set my teeth on edge.
“Besides,” she added, “if there was an army—and Vevil is involved—then I might know who did it.”
“Who?” I shot upright. “Tell me.”
“Vismagia’s Lord.” A beat. “Count Juliq Herlon.”
“The count—why?”
She remained quiet and chewed on her food.
That irritated me, and I shouted. "Master!"
"Calm down, Ryū. There's no need to get riled up," Asahi lectured.
"Calm down? Look at her," I pointed annoyingly.
She didn’t react. She lifted the teapot with one hand; the lid tipped and clattered, and hot tea sloshed over the lip and onto the table. I stood so fast my chair scraped.
“Master—are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, wincing at the heat. She slid back to dab at her shirt. Airi was there in a blink, pressing a cloth into her hand. “Thank you.”
Reina’s composure settled back into place like armor. Then she turned to me.
“So,” she said, tone cool but curious. “Krai—who are these people?”
I drew a breath, forcing my shoulders to loosen. “This is Asahi—he healed you and owns this house. And this is Tessa, the dragon attendant. They’re… friends.”
“Already making friends,” Reina said, genuine warmth bleeding into her grin. “That’s my boy.”
“Hello, Asahi,” she added, offering her hand. “Reina Stacia—master of this buffoon. Thank you for healing me, and allowing us to stay at your house."
“It was my pleasure, ma’am,” Asahi said, taking it.
“So polite,” she mused. “Why can’t you be like your friend?”
“Tch,” I muttered. She doesn’t know him like I do.
Reina’s palm lingered in Asahi’s for a second longer than courtesy required. Her eyes narrowed just slightly—measuring. Human, but the mana felt… wrong for a human. Not in a bad way. In a rare way.
I sense great mana in this boy too. Summoner? Or—no. Another Arch Human.
“So this is your master,” Tessa said at last, voice cool and sharp. “She looks weak to me.”
Reina’s smile dropped. She released Asahi and stepped toward Tessa, who sat with her back straight and eyes unblinking.
It was as if she had waited for her to speak.
“Krai,” Reina said, never looking away from Tessa, “who’s this scrawny-looking woman? She smells like fire. My archenemy.”
“I already told you—she’s Tessa,” I said. “And how is fire your archenemy. You use fire magic too.”
Reina continued. “Got a bone to pick with me, Flatty?”
Tessa rose. "Depends."
The air turned thin. They stood eye to eye, smiling without warmth—two storms pretending to be weather.
Asahi cleared his throat and leaned toward me. “So what’s the plan? If the Count is involved, nobles are in play.”
“I don’t know,” I said, dragging my gaze away from the impending explosion. “But at least we know where to start.”
“I might have a plan for how to deal with the count,” Reina said.
Her words sliced cleanly through the tension. The smiles dropped. Both women sat.
Reina reached for one last bite, chewed, swallowed, then looked at me—calm, certain, and very awake.
“We don’t have the luxury of time,” she said. “If what you said is right, Count Juliq will move fast.”
I nodded. My chest felt tight. Mary’s face flickered behind my eyes. Airi’s ears twitched at Reina’s tone; even Tessa’s fire cooled to embers.
"Then let’s move,” I said. “Tell us what to do.”
Us.
I included Asahi into the plan without even asking.
Reina smiled—the smile she wore before a fight.
“The Mother of Ice rises,” she murmured, almost to herself. “Count Juliq Herlon will rue the day he nessed with my people.”
Her gaze cut to the window. Beyond the glass, the forest held its breath.
“Let's head to Vismagia’s guild.”
She tapped the table once, gentle, final.
“And after that—” her eyes flashed, rage simmering, “—we go get our family back. The count will pay.”
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