Chapter 48 : "I won't let you escape Aley... ?"

  And, uh, time has passed:

  Time has passed... strangely fast, hasn’t it? Do you remember that famous ice statue the old lady told us about? The one that, according to legend, would grant the blessing of the snow god to anyone who managed to make it melt?

  Well, right now, the entire town of Blindrock is gathered in the city center because...

  "Listen up, my friends! The talented and oh-so-charismatic Githin has joined Novus Obris!" exclaims the new guy, creating heat as overwhelming as the damn sun with his magic, as if he’d opened a black hole that devours the surrounding cold.

  What I’m seeing... borders on madness.

  The grand statue of the man in a cape is melting, slowly but surely, under the amazed—and slightly confused—gazes of Blindrock’s townspeople, travelers, nobles, and curious onlookers. Murmurs ripple through the crowd:

  "That’s the new member of Novus Obris… He’s powerful…"

  Great. Just what I needed: even more attention. I do my best to hide in the crowd, next to Valentin, while Alfira and Elvie, in plain sight, stand beside Githin, practically singing the praises of our guild…

  The statue continues to melt, drop by drop, until I spot a familiar face in the crowd: the old lady, Matilda, the one who told us the legend.

  "By all the Saints, this ice blessed by a god is melting!" she cries, unable to believe what she’s seeing. Unfortunately for her, Githin heard her perfectly.

  "I’m simply superior, aha!" he shouts, as proud as ever, but his proclamation is met with a few raised eyebrows in the crowd.

  "... He’s got quite a superiority complex, doesn’t he… and to think Novus Obris accepted him among them," the bystanders murmur to each other.

  But of course, Githin hears it all.

  "A superiority complex? I don’t understand. There’s nothing complex about my superiority!" he declares, laughing loudly, as if the crowd shared his enthusiasm.

  A few moments later, the ancient and majestic ice statue, sacred symbol of Blindrock’s center, is reduced to a mere puddle of water.

  Cheers and congratulations erupt from the crowd, admiring but mostly… perplexed, which is understandable. Valentin and I are just as confused, for very good reasons. Meanwhile, at the center of attention, Alfira, Elvaria, and Githin are all in very, very good spirits.

  Then a noble from Voltruite who lives here approaches us to offer a reward. After a bit of negotiation, we earn the long-awaited access to Voltruite! We’ll finally be able to enter that continent and explore the fabled dungeon. Yet, a question nags at me…

  While the group discusses with the noble to sort out the details, I decide to slip away for a moment to look for Matilda, the old lady who claimed to know the emissary of humanity. Alfira knew him too—she talked about my reincarnation before the tournament, just like Mercuria, but none of them recognized me, and there’s nothing about the emissary in the library’s books…

  Strange. I search all over town for Matilda, but I can’t find her anywhere, as if she’d vanished after the statue incident.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  I finally head back to the group.

  "Aley! Everything’s ready, we can go whenever you want!" exclaims Elvie, waving excitedly. They’re all waiting for me in the town center, around the giant puddle left by the statue, as the sun begins to set again.

  "Let’s go to Voltruite and get this over with..." I say, a bit tired.

  At my words, they all nod… and, for some inexplicable reason, they all give me a thumbs-up: Elvaria, Valentin, Alfira…

  "EVEN GITHIN?!" I shout without thinking.

  "What?" asks Githin, his voice hesitant, as if he just did something wrong.

  "Nothing... never mind..." I mutter, before giving him a forced thumbs-up with a strained smile.

  "We’ll leave tomorrow! I’m exhausted!" declares Alfira suddenly, her voice booming.

  "Githin, come here... I’ll teleport you back to the house," mumbles Valentin, not very enthusiastic.

  And so, all of Novus Obris finds itself back at our guildhouse, on the top floor of a dungeon. In the middle of the second-floor hallway, right on the central door, a shiny plaque reads: 'Githin Lockheart.'

  Of course, he took the middle room. I could have worried more about it, but honestly, I’m way too tired to ask any more questions. Sleeping feels like the best choice.

  Later, snug under my blankets, I start drifting off in my room when...

  "Aley... I love you..." murmurs Elvie suddenly, lying on top of me. Yes, she’s apparently sleeping here too. In the room next door, there’s Alfira, farther down is Valentin, and in the center, Githin, whose snores fill the hallway. But Elvaria… she seems totally in her element.

  In her element… sprawled on top of me, yes.

  I pull the blankets up to cover us both. Outside, the artificial night sets in, and the blue flowers of the dungeon softly illuminate the window. It’s almost magical.

  "Aley... You didn’t answer me; I just told you I love you," insists Elvaria, snuggling up to me, slightly annoyed.

  "Yeah, yeah, great," I say in a casual tone to tease her, but she doesn’t take it lightly. She throws herself on me and kisses me.

  "Don’t mock me… or you might regret it, Aley..." she murmurs playfully in my ear, before laying her head on my chest and closing her eyes.

  Well... I guess I’ll sleep too. Even though she’s supposedly my fiancée now, I only half trust her. I just hope she doesn’t do anything weird to me tonight...

  In the morning:

  "I-I can’t get up..." I murmur, eyes still closed. I feel a weight on me, but it’s different from last night, as if it’s all concentrated in one spot… Not a good sign.

  I struggle to open my eyes, but the sunlight filtering through the dungeon window still half-blinds me. I finally manage, only to find Elvaria comfortably seated on my chest, her thighs on either side, keeping me pinned.

  "E-Elvaria, w-what are you doing!" I say, alarmed, a strained smile on my face. A cold sweat runs down my forehead as she looks at me with a suddenly... mischievous gaze.

  "Aley... you ignored me last night..." she whispers in a sweet, alluring voice, her gaze tinged with a mischief that doesn’t bode well. Oh no, this is bad, mom I’m scared.

  "Elvie, could you... maybe get off?" I try to reason with her.

  "Eheh... get off? Why would I? I haven’t made you pay for last night yet..." she replies, leaning even closer to whisper in my ear, still with that formidable smile.

  -Knock, knock, knock

  "YES, COME IN!" I shout at the door as if my life depends on it. Immediately, the door opens, and Valentin steps in.

  "Hey, Aley, about yesterday—" he begins, stopping dead when he sees the scene. Without a word, he slowly backs out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

  Elvie’s face turns crimson, and the force with which she was holding me down loosens. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I slip free with the agility of an acrobat.

  "Elvie, I’m going to see Valentin. Take the chance to get dressed, okay? Love you!" I say with a bright smile. She stays there, red with frustration, while I make a swift exit, shutting the door firmly behind me.

  In the hallway, Valentin is leaning against his room’s wall, giving me a blank stare before breaking the silence.

  "Aley, why did you ask me to come in?" he asks in a detached voice, looking thoroughly tired.

  "To save me," I answer, as seriously as possible.

  He sighs, rolling his eyes. "Alright, if you say so... Come on, let’s meet Githin and Alfira downstairs to prep for the dungeon raid."

  "I’m on it!" I reply as he heads down the stairs first. I follow him, joining everyone in the living room.

  But at that moment, I hear a whisper coming from my room. Concentrating my hearing with a slight spell, I finally make out Elvaria saying, in a sinister murmur:

  "Don’t think you’ll get away with this, Aley... heheh."

  A shiver runs down my spine, but I decide to ignore the threat and focus on the dungeon. Later, maybe… when I’m mentally prepared.