-As you know, achieving more than six Aura Chains is a state only attained by the Imperial Sword, the 'Golden Lion'. It seems that in pursuit of this, you forcibly manipulated magic, causing a backlash.
-Such...!
-Rather than forming an Aura, it seems impossible even to manipulate magic. If you don't take action quickly, muscle necrosis will begin.
-What... What should we do?
-Arrhythmia is a disease caused by the entanglement of vital energy, disrupting the circulation of magic. Correcting this circulation is the solution.
-So, what is that method?
-That is...
The difficulty in treating Herman Vile's delirium stemmed from him possessing an excessive amount of magic power.
The abundance of magic power turning turbulent led to the body deteriorating on its own.
Therefore, it was imperative to control this immediately....
The problem was that it was by no means easy.
Items capable of suppressing the Aura of the Judge were as rare as 'treasures' themselves, if they existed at all.
Initially, requests for cooperation were made to the Towers or Academies.
However...
-Last time, there was an incident where someone from your ruling family, the 'Lion House', killed five mages in that tower.
-But our Judge had nothing to do with that...!
-Still, aren't you of the same lion lineage?
-All artifacts held by our academy are strictly managed for academic research purposes and are not permitted for external use. If necessary, representatives of the Judge may visit directly.
If the Tower holds sway over mages and summoners through magic, and the Lion House boasts leadership over knights and warriors in martial arts...
The conflict between the Tower and the Lion House has been ongoing for a long time, and even the royal family has been unable to intervene hastily.
Thus, both the Tower and the esteemed academy had no choice but to swiftly refuse the Judge's request to act as a vassal of the Lion House.
Isabelle sent people far and wide to seek alternative solutions.
Then, by chance, she stumbled upon it.
Long ago, there was a being known as the "Snow Mountain King" who lived in the yeti highlands, seizing control of the northeastern part of the continent, filling the territory with glaciers and blizzards.
And it is said that, to honor his greatness, the yetis built a tomb and securely sealed the remains of the Snow Mountain King inside.
It was a folk tale that could prevail in any region, but Isabelle, with a determination to grasp at straws, proceeded with additional investigations and came to a new conclusion.
The tomb of the Snow Mountain King truly exists!
Moreover, by combining various clues, she was able to identify candidate locations where the tomb could potentially be located.
This was the background behind Isabelle's departure from the family, accompanied by six knights she could trust.
However, the problem arose when news of her quest for a cure reached the ears of others.
'My uncle... Where does your depravity end?'
It was none other than Paul Vile, the treacherous younger brother of Herman Vile,who had been eagerly awaiting an opportunity.
The first issue was that none of the 'Experts' in the family's knights, equivalent to a mid-level officer with Triple-Aura Chain or higher, volunteered to join Isabelle.
Following the maxim 'lions follow the strong', the family's knights tended to avoid Isabelle, who had never properly wielded a sword.
Already, some had either directly sided with Paul Vile, or were at least observing the situation from the sidelines.
And secondly, there was the issue of sending assassins.
"Yan, Sion..."
Already, they had lost two knights when they set out, and even encountered them in the Dragonspine Mountains, leading to the current situation.
Fortunately, they were able to reach the vicinity where the Snow Mountain King was suspected to be buried.
However, without pinpointing the exact location, impatience continued to gnaw at Isabelle.
'In magic, they say mana streams flow into narrow and deep places, right? So, if it's a crevasse...!'
As Isabelle pondered, something occurred to her, prompting her to examine the terrain once more.
"...Lady."
Suddenly, Chen's footsteps halted.
His tone was serious.
Isabelle's expression hardened instantly.
"No way...?"
"Hide! Ed!"
"Lady, this way!"
Ed, the knight who had lost his right arm, swiftly grabbed Isabelle's arm and pulled her behind a nearby rock.
Then...
"So, this is where you've been hiding all this time."
Through the blizzard, six men revealed themselves.
Each exuded a menacing aura.
"The Blue Wolves are here...!"
Paul Vile's clandestine operatives drew their swords in unison.
"We've all suffered in our own ways, so let's not waste any time and finish this quickly. It seems the lady is also nearby, isn't she?"
Hanul, the leader of the Blue Wolves, chuckled as he looked at the footprints around.
Patoot!
Chen snarled and quickly activated his aura chain.
Despite his stamina and mana being depleted from the long pursuit.
He had to buy time for Isabelle to escape somehow.
* * *
"Wow...! It's so cold!"
When Elric emerged from the sanctuary, it had been exactly one month since the start of his training.
Unlike the cozy warmth provided by various temperature-regulating spells inside the sanctuary, outside, a fierce snowstorm was raging.
It wasn't just the rough gusts of wind typical of mountain valleys. The sky above the crevasse was barely visible through the swirling snow.
However,
"[Step]."
Elric was able to easily step out of the crevasse without any difficulty.
His mastery of mana manipulation and spellcasting had improved significantly compared to a month ago.
As he climbed up the completed ice stairs at the edge of the gorge, a completely transformed snowy landscape greeted him.
"As expected. It's not here."
Elric scanned the surroundings and let out a wry smile.
He looked around in case the chief of the 'Blue Snowflake' tribe who had guided him this far might still be around, but there wasn't a single soul in sight.
Despite loudly proclaiming that he would wait until Elric returned, it seemed he either died or simply left right away.
"Shall we take a look?"
Elric, partly to tease the guy and partly to find a guide, flew off to where the Blue Snowflake tribe was supposed to be.
Was it because he had spent too long with the Yetis in the sanctuary? Or was it because he had swallowed the Seal of the Snow Mountain King?
For some reason, Elric felt a strange familiarity with the Yeti race.
* * *
"...What's this?"
Expecting the guy to be startled out of his wits when he saw him, Elric was instead greeted by a desolate Yeti village, turned into a heap of ashes buried under the snow.
Scattered throughout were the bodies of Yetis, each wearing an expression as if they had been chased by something.
The village bore significant signs of looting and arson.
There had been a massive intrusion from the outside.
And then...
"..."
In one corner, the chief was found, his body covered in wounds and frozen stiff with blood, as if he had been in a fierce fight with someone.
His face, twisted with anger and pain, bore a chilling expression of resentment.
『Seems like they had some fun before they killed them.』
Mephisto remarked dryly.
"Fun...?"
『Yeah. Can't you see? Despite having the power to kill them instantly, they dragged out their suffering, enjoying every moment of their agony before finally finishing them off. Heh heh. I don't know who did it, but they seem to have a more wicked nature than most demons.』
If even the Demon King expressed such wickedness, it meant they were beyond normal.
'This seems a bit fishy.'
Elric clicked his tongue.
Of course, he had no right to judge them either.
After all, he had incinerated countless Yeti tribes since entering the Yeti Highlands.
But that didn't mean he ever toyed with them or had fun doing it.
Somehow, it felt unsettling.
"It's all because of the Snow MountainKing," Elric thought to himself.
To say something is 'swallowed by the Snow Mountain King' means that the entity consumes someone's entire life.
Naturally, some level of emotional attachment was inevitable.
Moreover, these Yetis had helped Elric find Angna, unlike other Yeti tribes, so he couldn't help but feel conflicted.
However...
"Eugh!"
Elric tried to calm his mind.
Yetis were Yetis. The Snow Mountain King was the Snow Mountain King.
The aid he received from the Snow Mountain King was merely to complete the seal of cruelty.
There was no need to sympathize with the Yetis, nor was it even possible.
"Crack!"
Elric fled the village as if escaping.
* * *
However, Elric didn't get far.
"Hmm?"
While descending the mountainside, he noticed an area where the snow was unusually compacted. He turned towards it and witnessed a shocking scene.
"Mingma...?"
Partially buried in the snow.
A boy with a familiar face lay collapsed, drenched in agony.
It was Cook Mingma, the talkative and carefree guide when ascending the YetiHighlands.
"Hmm."
Mephisto, who usually disliked him, remained silent, seemingly unimpressed, and kept his mouth shut.
The dead weren't just Mingma.
Alongside Elric, the monster hunters, as well as the herbalists and passengers who were traveling together, were all gruesomely murdered.
Traces of indulgence, as Mephisto mentioned in the Yeti village, were evident everywhere, indicating they were enjoying themselves before being killed.
"This..."
Elric's head tilted in disgust.
"This feels really fishy."
* * *
"From the evidence, it seems the same culprit is responsible for both locations. There were a total of ten individuals involved, each of them clearly possessing an Aura Chain."
Elric's sharp-eyedly surveyed the scene, analyzing the identities and backgrounds of the perpetrators.
Despite a considerable amount of time passing since the incident, the weather conditions preserved the scene well enough, making it relatively easy to reconstruct the events.
『You know, I've been curious about this for a while. What exactly is a 'User'?』
"Huh? Oh, I guess Mephisto didn't make that distinction."
『So, what is it then?』
"It refers to individuals who possess an Aura Chain."
『Aura Chain?』
"Yes."
Elric briefly explained to Mephisto.
Originally, mana was a blessing bestowed upon sorcerers, but as time passed, various methods of manipulating mana emerged.
In this process, martial artists like knights and warriors sought ways to apply mana to their bodies, eventually developing Auras.
While sorcerers inscribe mana circles on their hearts to perform miracles, martial artists weave Aura Chains into their muscles to enhance their physical abilities.
This process is broadly divided into five stages:
1.Users with one Aura Chain.
2.Advanced practitioners with two Aura Chains.
3.Experts with three Aura Chains.
4.Masters with four Aura Chains.
5.Superiors with five Aura Chains.
"Although advanced practitioners with three Aura Chains are often classified as sorcerer-level, there's a vast difference in skill within that category, so it's difficult to define precisely."
『Then, is five the maximum?』
Mephisto seemed intrigued by the significant changes in the martial system over the years.
"It's typically the case, but exceptions exist. There's one individual who has constructed more than that."
『Oh? Who's that?』
"The 'Golden Lion.'"
Mephisto chuckled coldly.
『What a nickname.』
"I agree. But they have the qualifications for it."
『Why is that?』
"They are currently the most powerful entity on the continent."