It had been around one hour since we had left the Ice Elves’ Territory, and things were going quite well for the moment. At least, that’s what Amelia was telling us as we were simply following her blindly with little to no idea of where we were going.
Phoebe might have a slightly better idea considering that she had been to the Icy Lake before. But that was not the case for me.
“How much more time before we get there?” I asked.
“A few hours at least. The Icy Lake is quite far from our kingdom, and the current weather isn’t helping with the path we are walking. Usually, it would be much faster, but for some reason, the snow is falling like crazy and the winds are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Amelia frowned ever so slightly.
“It’s as if someone or something is causing such a thing. It’s strange. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before.”
This time, I was the one who frowned.
After all, if the queen had never seen something like this, it meant that it was highly unusual.
‘Is it because of Zero?’ I thought.
“Could it be because of the Icy Lake? Someone doing something to it?”
However, at those words, Amelia shook her head. “No, it’s not him. It’s something else, I’m almost certain. We are too far from the Icy Lake for it to be the cause. Whatever is causing this must be much closer to us… do you have a skill to check your surroundings?”
Without her even having to ask me, I activated my [Mana Sense]. It was a skill that allowed me to detect any kind of presence within a range of five kilometers.
“There’s a presence. But it doesn’t seem to be one of a human. It’s most likely a beast.”
Amelia didn’t speak up right away as she pondered on what the best decision was.
“We should go and check it out. If we fix whatever is causing this, then we will be able to reach the Icy Lake much, much faster than before. However, we need to make sure we can find our way back. Otherwise, it would definitely be complicated.”
“It’s fine. I will be able to find our way back,” I said without any hesitation. After all, I could use [Tracking] to trace our footsteps. The only problem would be if snow had covered them. “Follow me, I’ll guide us toward that strange beast.”
I hadn’t told Phoebe or Amelia, but the mana I had sensed from that beast was definitely strange, and I had a feeling that the creature causing all this was bound to be demonic. Just like the one I had found in the Royal Forest. The closer we got to Zero, the more demonic beasts there would be. I truly hoped that Ava would be able to find a solution to this problem… some kind of cure to make these beasts normal once more. However, such things were bound to take a lot of time, but I was still hoping for something once I got back to the Royal Academy.
With those thoughts, I turned to my left, where a snow hill was blocking our sight. We ran to the top of it, and in the horizon, there was nothing to be seen. There was nothing obstructing our view for hundreds of kilometers except for a few hills here and there. But no matter how hard we looked, we couldn’t see any beast. The snow didn’t help in getting a clear view, but we still managed to see somewhat clearly into the distance.
However, flight was still not an option. The combination of the falling snow and the wind made it impossible to deal with.
“Are you sure it was supposed to be this way?” Amelia asked, sounding as uncertain as I felt.
Once more, I activated [Mana Sense], and a blue ball of energy appeared before me. It was quite far away, but it was definitely there. It was just sitting on the snow. However, once I deactivated my skill, it vanished.
“I think I know what’s happening.” I sighed out of annoyance. “This beast is able to camouflage itself to perfection. I can only see it when using my skill. Otherwise, it’s invisible.”
“Can you deal with it alone?” Amelia asked me.
After all, I was the only one who could see where it was, and it would take a lot less time for me to go by myself. It would also make it easier to find our way back since both Amelia and Phoebe would be staying only a few meters from where we had last been.
“Yeah,” I said with a sigh. “It doesn’t seem all that powerful. I think it’s just special more than anything else.”
With those words, I activated [Mana Sense] and started running in a straight line, not looking back even once.
There was no time to waste with this strange beast. I would kill it and head toward the Icy Lake without a doubt.
In a few moments, I arrived a few meters away from the hidden beast. I didn’t want to get too close and risk making it wary of my presence. I needed to kill it in one swift strike. However, I had to admit that its camouflage was on another level. Even while I was standing a few meters away, I couldn’t see it clearly. In fact, I couldn’t see it at all.
However, I didn’t spend more time observing it as I simply dashed in its direction and slashed down my sword right over the aura I had sensed with my skill.
But when I opened my eyes, the aura that had just been under me was nowhere to be seen. When I tried to look around using [Mana Sense], I couldn’t detect it anymore. However, it seemed that whatever the beast was doing to affect the weather was no longer happening, as the snow and wind calmed down right away.
Still, as I walked back to where Phoebe and Amelia were waiting, I couldn’t help but wonder where this beast had disappeared to.
Thanks to the person who gifted me a castle, and with this chapter, the bonus chapters have been given.
