Lera Gracias, the adventurer known as the Icefield
I struggled to fight the drowsiness that threatened to pull my consciousness away at any moment.
I had used two grand spells: Absolute Zero, which halts all functions of its target as if freezing time itself, and Ice Coffin, which protects and preserves the person inside for a hundred years—or until I, or someone I permit, dispel it.
I granted Calika permission to dispel it at any time.
Looking at the ice coffin, I sighed, thinking of Calika' s sister.
For a living being to be freed from Absolute Zero and awaken, their body must be strong and healthy enough to withstand the extreme cold of the ice magic. If the body is weak, dispelling the spell would only result in them failing to wake and dying instantly from being frozen.
As I explained to Calika, there are only two ways to heal her sister: an Elixir or an S-rank Healer.
Elixirs are incredibly rare. The 100-floor dungeon isn' t something you can just conquer easily, so they' re outrageously expensive. Most kings hoard them for their own use, and the [S-rank] adventurers who obtain them either keep them or sell them exclusively to kings under contract. So, that option is out.
As for an [S-rank Healer] , this kingdom doesn' t have one. The nearest kingdom with one is at least a month' s journey away. And even with money, getting their help isn' t guaranteed.
Rumor has it this healer is a vile person who heals based on whims, makes unreasonable demands, and takes pleasure in crushing the spirits of those who beg for help. The king protects them fiercely, and people from all over flock to seek treatment. But without connections, you can' t even get close to the palace gates.
That kingdom is filthy rich from the influx of people waiting for help—money flows from lodging, food, taxes, and even scams claiming to have connections to get you in. People practically throw money at them, making it one of the wealthiest kingdoms around.
The king cherishes and indulges this [S-rank Healer] , letting them get away with anything, no matter how wrong.
In the end, all I could do was buy time until Calika could find the strength to let her sister go.
After rushing back, I arrived at the branch guild, but I couldn' t get in. Three guilds had people blocking the entrance and exit.
The kids from our guild were stationed, holding their ground.
If I had accidentally killed someone while helping Calika, it' d probably be chaos by now. So, they could only pressure us at the gate, shouting for me to come out.
They probably thought I was already inside the guild. Then they spotted my carriage.
BB, Istaf, and Ethos quickly moved to block my path.
I opened the door and shouted at them, as my time was running out.
"I' m keeping Calika' s sister alive with Absolute Zero. If you keep delaying me from resting to recover my mana, you can explain it to Calika yourselves."
They hurriedly peered into the carriage. Not seeing Calika, only me and the ice coffin, they didn' t know who was inside but quickly ordered their people to clear the path and back off from the gate.
The carriage moved forward, but they didn' t stop asking questions.
"Please tell us, Lady Lera, who dared to harm Lady Calika' s sister?"
"Who was it, Lera? I' ll drag them to grovel at Calika' s feet and torture them in the cruelest way."
"No forgiveness for this! How heartbroken Lady Calika must be! Lera, describe the culprit!"
BB, Istaf, and Ethos shouted almost in unison, deafening me.
"Already dealt with," I said.
I was about to cut the conversation short, but then I realized that, despite my soldiers guarding her, the slums are full of unpredictable dangers.
So, I needed to stir up some chaos to keep Calika from being too much of a target.
"Calika still hasn' t found her younger sister in the slums. I' ve got ice soldiers protecting her, but I had to rush back to restore my mana so Absolute Zero doesn' t fail."
That did it.
"Send someone to report to Lord Jaigia immediately. We need a high-level healer at this guild. The rest of you, go help Lady Calika in the slums!"
"Hire the best healer and bring them here. You, take my orders: gather all the slaves and conduct a blanket search in the slums. Capture every young girl you find, but absolutely no violence until we' re sure which one is my wife' s sister."
"We' ll focus on protecting Lady Calika, ensuring she can search every corner of the slums for her sister."
They issued orders swiftly and left at once.
They knew Tiara couldn' t be healed by their healers, but they probably did it to make Calika feel grateful.
Whatever they do is their business, but this keeps Calika safe.
Once the carriage entered the guild, the guild kids swarmed to protect it tightly. Everyone asked how I was, but I brushed them off, saying it was urgent. They cleared the path immediately.
The carriage sped to the main building. I got out and used magic to make the ice coffin float behind me.
When everyone saw the ice coffin, the newer kids were excited and admired my power.
But the older kids I' d trained looked tense or outright sorrowful.
I headed to the back building, straight to the innermost room.
Inside the office were just two assistants.
The moment they saw it was me, they bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Lady Lera."
"Is the guild master or deputy master here?"
"No idea, Lady Lera. I just got here myself. Fina, you know anything?"
The one who answered was Laswin, a tan-skinned woman with long black hair. She dressed modestly, but her curvaceous figure always made her look alluring.
"The guild master' s out on a personal request outside the city. The deputy' s probably training newbies in the dungeon," answered Fina, a pale woman with creamy hair, slender build, wearing gaudy clothes and adorned with ancient jewelry.
"Should I fetch the deputy master?"
Laswin was ready to bolt, but after seeing the ice coffin, her face grew grim.
Fina, just noticing it, looked the same.
"I' ve thought it through, don' t worry. Fina, Laswin, help me. I' m out of time."
"Absolutely, ma' am."
Fina responded, and together with Laswin, they supported me to a sofa.
I closed my eyes as Fina touched my forehead and asked, "May I see?"
"Granted."
Her skill lets her see the thoughts of those who consent. Whatever they think of, Fina sees it too.
I pictured Calika—her face, mannerisms, voice—then stopped and opened my eyes along with Fina.
Fina withdrew her hand and looked at me with sympathy.
"She' s like your adopted little sister from back then… isn' t she?"
I nodded. If she' d grown up, she' d probably be as beautiful as Calika.
"That' s why, when I passed by and saw the plea in Calika' s eyes, I couldn' t help but step in."
Fina' s eyes welled up, and she reached for Laswin' s hand.
"See it."
"Granted."
After Laswin received Calika' s image, she looked at me, crestfallen.
"Don' t be sad, you silly girl."
"I' m not… sad."
"If Calika hasn' t found her sister, please help search and protect them both, bring them back here."
"Yes, ma' am," Laswin said, her voice tinged with sorrow, before rushing out to hide her tears.
"Sob… Lady Lera…"
Fina knelt and hugged me tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, followed by other kids who couldn' t hold back and rushed into the room, surrounding me.
"Stop crying, you silly kids."
I patted Fina' s head fondly and spoke to everyone in the guild with affection.
I lied to Calika about needing to recover mana, so she wouldn' t feel guilty, thinking she caused my death.
I' m still surprised I used magic on someone beyond saving without regretting my life.
If I were younger, casting Absolute Zero would' ve just drained my mana, knocking me out for months.
But at my age, nearing the end, after my mana ran dry, to sustain Absolute Zero, it drew on my life force instead.
Since I' d gone that far, I used the last of my life force to create the ice coffin too—good for a hundred years, enough time for Calika to make peace and move on.
Then, creating fifty ice soldiers to guard Calika pushed me past what an old woman like me could handle.
Making it this far was a miracle. I could feel my organs slowly shutting down.
Knowing you' re dying is terrifying, but for some reason, I felt an indescribable calm.
Probably because I couldn' t bear seeing Calika grieve.
Is this what they call going senile in old age? Haha!
"I' ve lived long enough. It' s a shame I didn' t get my revenge."
I looked at my hand, which should' ve clenched in rage at the thought of the one who killed my little sister, Narin.
"But now, I feel like I can let go."
It hit me that Narin would be sad seeing me like this.
All this time, I trained, trained, and trained some more, ignoring my body, ignoring life itself.
All to become strong enough to kill them. I never cared about anyone, never minded anyone' s feelings, my heart numb.
Until one day, the guild gave me the title Icefield, based on my skills and my cold nature.
But when I faced the truth—that they were too high up for me to touch—I nearly lost my mind.
Even sacrificing my life wouldn' t get me close.
I lived like a madwoman for years until the master of the [Resonant Magic] guild found me.
After defeating me soundly, she invited me to join the guild.
She told me, "One day, you might find a way to let go."
With nowhere else to go and convinced that day would never come, I joined to prove her wrong.
My heart, frozen solid, slowly thawed as I taught the new kids, learning new fighting styles.
A faint hope grew that I' d get strong enough to take my revenge.
My [A-rank] status, stagnant for so long, might' ve climbed to [S-rank].
But the older I got, the more I realized my chance was gone. My peak strength was long past.
Now, I just vented my anger on dungeon monsters, imagining they were them.
But the more I did, the emptier I felt. No fulfillment.
I always thought the only way to let go was to kill them, to be ready to join Narin.
But after helping that girl who reminded me of Narin, it filled the void in my heart.
My gut told me I couldn' t let Calika fall into their hands.
Whichever side got her, she' d just be a trophy for their pleasure.
Calika must walk her own path, not be chained and controlled.
That' s what I wanted for Narin when she grew up.
And then, a miracle happened right before my eyes.
I saw Narin, translucent, standing beside me. She held my hand and smiled wide. Her hand, cold since the day she left, felt warm.
My trembling other hand reached to pat her head as I cried with joy.
I missed you so much, Narin, more than anything.
"Don' t tell Calika about my sister. Let her grow into who she wants to be, do what she wants. Tell the deputy master not to bind her. Cover all compensation with my assets."
"Yes… I promise, sob…"
Fina and the others wept uncontrollably.
"Silly kids, stop crying. Send me off with laughter instead."
But they forced laughs through their tears.
"Take care of yourselves. And tell the guild master—tell him this guild is truly great. Thank him for reaching out to someone like me."
"Yes… Got it, haha…"
I chuckled at their forced laughter. Silly kids, haha.
"I' m sleepy now."
Everyone bowed and said in unison, sending me off:
"Thank you for everything, Lady Lera."
I' m coming to you now, Narin.
That day, Lera Gracias, the [A-rank] adventurer known as the Icefield, member of the [Resonant Magic] guild, one of its strongest forces, passed away, never to return.
She slipped into eternal rest, a peaceful smile on her face.