~Flashback~
11 years ago, in the Orokho Mountains.
Duchess Arlet and 35 of Duke San Lucia's knights were seen resting in a spot in the Orokho Mountains. They were resting near a large campfire that had just been built to warm their bodies. Several knights were chatting around the fire.
"Ugh, it's so cold. The temperature in these mountains is much colder than the temperature in the rest of San Lucia," said knight A.
"Yes, you're right. Luckily, there are some knights who can use fire magic at a fairly high temperature. With their magic, the cold temperature in these mountains can be somewhat mitigated. We can now explore these mountains without any problems," said knight B.
White smoke could be seen coming from their mouths as they spoke. This white smoke was caused by the cold air in the area.
"Even so, the cold in these mountains is still slightly noticeable, even though we've been assisted by fire magic while exploring. I'm worried about those who have been using fire magic throughout this exploration. If their mana runs out and they can no longer use fire magic, wouldn't that be very dangerous?" asked knight C.
"Yes, you're right. Even with the help of fairly hot fire magic, the cold in these mountains is still noticeable. I can't imagine if their fire magic stopped and we felt the temperature of these mountains directly. We would probably freeze to death immediately after experiencing this temperature," said knight A.
"You're exaggerating, but you might have a point. Even Miss Duchess, a member of the San Lucia family known for its resistance to cold temperatures, was seen wearing a thick jacket on this expedition. The temperature in these mountains must be very cold for Miss Duchess herself to wear a thick jacket," said knight C.
"Yes. But the cold temperature in these mountains is not a naturally occurring temperature, and neither is the snowfall, the expanse of snow, and the chunks of ice in these mountains. All of that does not occur naturally, but rather occurs due to magic," said knight B.
"You're right. I've heard about it. The Orokho Mountains were once green and cool. They were covered with lush green grass and thousands of trees. But this changed dramatically when a group of Ice Dragons arrived and made their home here. After the arrival of the Ice Dragons, the mountains were transformed into ice mountains. The green grass turned into snow. Thousands of trees died, and some turned into ice blocks. The climate and temperature in the mountains became extremely cold. Rumor has it that the creature who did this was the leader of the Ice Dragons. If that creature could do something like this, it must have possessed immense magical power."
"In addition, the changing geography and climate in these mountains also caused the monsters that live in these mountains to evolve. For example, goblins and orcs that used to live in these mountains, they evolved into frost goblins and frost orcs. Their evolution allowed them to survive the terrain and cold temperatures in these mountains. In addition to the evolved monsters, new monsters have also appeared in these mountains. One of them is the Ice Lizard and Ice Yeti. All of these monsters often come down from the mountains and go into the San Lucia region. But fortunately, the Storm Leopard knights have already finished them off before they can attack the residents' homes near the Orokho mountains,"
"However, even though the Storm Leopard knights always manage to finish them all off, their presence that always comes down from the Orokho mountains is very disturbing and dangerous. Therefore, in order for the monsters to disappear completely, we must change the geography and climate of the Orokho Mountains back to how they were before, when they were still green mountains. If the Orokho Mountains are restored to their original state, the monsters will surely disappear, either they will go elsewhere or they will not be able to survive in the changed terrain of the Orokho Mountains. Even if there are monsters that survive, we can more easily eliminate them and their nests at once. Because the changed terrain of the Orokho Mountains will be safer than the current terrain of the Orokho Mountains," said knight A.
"But to restore the geography and climate of these mountains to their original state, we must kill the leader of the Ice Dragons that inhabit these mountains. I heard that only the leader remains in these mountains, as the other Ice Dragons were wiped out by the previous leader of the San Lucia family when he joined this expedition," said knight C.
"Yes, that's true. Therefore, our chances of defeating him are very high, as he's alone, while there are 35 of us. Furthermore, Miss Duchess is also on this expedition. Miss Duchess is one of the strongest members of the San Lucia family. Rumor has it that she's even stronger than Lord Duke, and she's said to be the strongest member of the San Lucia family now," said knight B.
"However, I've heard that the leader of the Ice Dragons is difficult to find. Expeditions have been held annually since ancient times, but each time, they haven't been able to locate the leader. So, this expedition will likely be difficult too," said knight C.
"Well, the most important thing is for us to focus on continuing to explore these mountains, hoping to find the leader," said knight B.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the resting area, Duchess Arlet was sitting alone. She was wearing a thick jacket. She also carried a rapier, a combination of white and blue, which was placed beside her seat.
As she sat, a bright light suddenly appeared from within her jacket. She immediately checked it, and it turned out to be a communication crystal, signaling a call. She immediately answered the crystal.
"Hello,"
"The knights and I are currently resting in the Orokho Mountains,"
"Yes, yes, please rest assured. How are Asier and Irene?"
"I see. In the meantime, please take care of them both."
"You don't need to worry. I will definitely complete this expedition and return alive."
"Then, goodbye, dear," said Duchess Arlet.
Duchess Arlet ended the call from the communication crystal. The call seemed to be from Duchess Arlet's husband, Duke Louis. After ending the call, Duchess Arlet returned the communication crystal to her jacket. Then, she rose from her seat and picked up the rapier beside her. She then placed it at her waist. After slinging the rapier at her waist, Duchess Arlet walked over to the knights who were resting and chatting.
"Rest time is over, let's continue this expedition," Duchess Arlet said to the knights.
"Yes, Miss Duchess," said the knights.
The knights immediately stood back up and prepared to continue the expedition. However, before they could continue, two knights suddenly ran towards Duchess Arlet and the knights. The two knights had apparently been ordered to stand guard near their resting place.
"Reporting, Miss Duchess. There's a group of Ice Lizards and Ice Yetis moving towards this area. They're quite numerous," said one of the two knights.
"Hmm, so the monsters living in these mountains have begun to notice us. You all prepare to attack. Our opponents this time are only the monsters living in these mountains. Don't use too much magic on them, lest you run out of mana quickly when we fight the main target of this expedition," said Duchess Arlet.
"Yes, Miss Duchess," said the knights.
Duchess Arlet and the knights prepared to fight the monsters that had arrived. A few minutes later, a herd of lizards covered in ice crystals and a herd of Yetis of the same constitution arrived.
"Everyone, attack!" said Duchess Arlet.
Duchess Arlet and the knights immediately charged the incoming herd of monsters. The knights began attacking the monsters with their weapons and various magical attacks. Meanwhile, Duchess Arlet charged forward, directly into the incoming herd of monsters. Duchess Arlet immediately drew her rapier from her waist and wielded it.
~Ice Magic: Frozen Rapier~
The rapier Duchess Arlet wielded suddenly transformed into a frozen rapier.
~San Lucia Art: Freezing Air Slash~
Duchess Arlet immediately attacked the herd of monsters with a slash that Irene often used. However, Duchess Arlet's slash was stronger and had a wider impact than Irene's usual slash. The slash instantly split the pack of monsters in front of Duchess Arlet in two. From the split bodies, chunks of ice appeared, freezing their bodies and blood, preventing their blood from flowing out even though their bodies had been split in two. Duchess Arlet killed most of the pack of monsters with just one attack. The rest were defeated by the knights on the expedition.
-
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Orokho Mountains.
A large, throne-like chair was visible. On it sat a woman with a pair of horns on her head and a tail. The horns and tail resembled those of a dragon. The woman appeared to be asleep on the throne. However, not long after, she slowly opened her eyes. When she did, she revealed icy blue pupils. Furthermore, she had reptilian pupils.
"I sense the presence of a powerful figure coming here," the woman said.
After saying that, the woman yawned and stretched, as if she had just woken up.
"How long has it been since I last sensed a powerful figure coming here?" she asked.
She then looked ahead. In front of her stood dozens of fairly large dragons. They looked like they were made of ice, as ice seemed to cover their entire bodies.
"All of you, go to where that figure is. Attack and eliminate them and their companions," she said.
The ice dragons immediately left without another word after the woman's order. They headed to Duchess Arlet.
Meanwhile, the woman who had commanded the ice dragons remained seated on her throne.
"The presence of a powerful figure coming here is truly disturbing my rest. You three, be prepared. Once the creatures I just ordered are destroyed, you three will go straight to that person's location without further orders from me. Do you understand?" the woman asked.
After the woman asked that, a loud dragon roar was heard. It sounded like it wasn't just a single dragon. It was true, the roar wasn't coming from a single dragon, but three dragons. The three dragons were seen behind the woman's throne. Their entire bodies were covered in ice, just like the dragons heading to Durchess Arlet's. However, they were much larger than the dragons that had just gone to Duchess Arlet's.
"It's good that you understand. Then, I'll go back to sleep," the woman said.
She slowly closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.
-To be continued