novelraw Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Ch.44 The World Turned Pure White
On the snow-capped mountain, the wind blew so fiercely it stung the skin.
“Hah… hah…”
We trudged upward, bundled in thick winter clothing.
—Pip! Pip!
Even the phoenix struggled to fly in the blinding snowstorm. Each step forward was slow and exhausting.
“Ugh! Master… are you sure this is the right place?”
I nodded at Leah’s question.
“Yeah. It is.”
Just those few words made my lungs feel frozen solid. The cold was terrifying.
Should I turn back now?
But if I did… the mother dragon, enraged that I hadn’t returned Aria, might devastate the entire New Continent.
And if I failed to get rid of Leah this time, things would get even worse.
“Is everyone really cold?”
Aria, wearing only thin clothes, remained energetic despite the bitter cold.
Was it because she was a White Dragon? Or simply because dragons had high cold resistance?
“Ugh… I really envy dragons.”
Hearing Leah’s sincere words, I silently agreed.
We walked for a long while.
“Let’s rest here a bit. Leah, hand me the shovel?”
Leah pulled a shovel from her subspace and gave it to me. I dug vigorously into the snow, carving out a snow tunnel.
This area had seen heavy snowfall for ages—the snow was deep enough that, even in the game, players built camps like this.
I laid thick blankets inside, creating a space for the three of us to rest, and we took shelter from the biting wind.
“How much farther do we have to go?”
Leah sighed, clearly exhausted.
“Maybe two more days?”
As I spoke, I took off my heavy coat.
“Ugh… I’m soaked in sweat.”
My undershirt clung to my body, damp and uncomfortable.
I hadn’t bathed in days—it felt grimy.
Leah also removed her outer layer and lay down on the blanket.
“Will we be able to bathe at the dragon’s lair?”
Her question made me flinch inwardly.
You won’t be going to the lair.
But I couldn’t show it, so I replied calmly,
“Probably? Leah, could you get some food out?”
“What should I take out?”
I paused, then remembered something.
“Cheese, wine, bread… Oh, and the pot and burner too.”
Leah quickly retrieved everything from her subspace.
I lit the burner and placed the pot with cheese on top to melt.
“Huh? Isn’t this fondue?”
“Yeah. On a snowy mountain, it’s fondue.”
In the Old Continent, people often ate fondue in winter.
Though it wasn’t technically winter, the mountain was colder than winter—so fondue felt perfect.
Once the cheese melted, I added wine and spices, and when it was ready…
“Shall we eat?”
Aria looked at it with wide, curious eyes.
“What’s this?”
“It’s cheese.”
I skewered a piece of bread, dipped it in the cheese, and handed it to her.
“It smells delicious.”
“Go ahead and take a bite.”
Aria stared at the golden cheese-coated bread…
“Ah!”
She popped it in her mouth—and her eyes widened.
“It’s tasty!”
“Yep, that’s how you eat it.”
I handed her the skewer. Though a bit clumsy, Aria managed to spear pieces of bread and eat them happily.
“Mmm… mmm… I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”
Leah fed Aria and Pipi, who watched with bright eyes.
Pipi pecked at a cheesy bread piece—and
—Flap!
Delighted, Pipi flapped its wings, expressing joy with its whole body.
Seeing the kids enjoy it, I felt glad I’d chosen fondue for dinner.
After dinner, as we prepared to sleep…
“But… does Brother Hans really know our mom?”
Aria’s question made my heart skip.
“Of course! How could I not know Lady Icira, the White Dragon? Her snow-white scales are incredibly beautiful.”
Leah gave me a suspicious glance, but I kept my expression perfectly calm.
If Aria grew suspicious, everything would fall apart.
After all, I wasn’t a kidnapper—I was just returning Hatchling safely home.
A little white lie was harmless.
But maybe I’d lied too much?
Leah’s gaze suddenly felt heavy.
“Hm. I see.”
Aria flopped onto the blanket.
I nodded at her.
“Yep, absolutely.”
“Hwaaam! I’m sleepy—I’ll go to bed early.”
“Yeah? Really tired?”
Watching Aria yawn widely, I blew out the lamp.
I lay down beside Aria, and Leah settled behind me.
Then, a whisper tickled my ear.
“Heh? Master, you’re really good at lying, huh?”
“Heh heh. Tricking kids is nothing.”
At my reply, Leah spoke playfully,
“Didn’t you lie a lot when you were little too?”
“Me? I always tell the truth.”
“Heh heh… really?”
“Of course. Where else would you find someone as honest as me?”
Liar’s rule #1: Always claim you only speak the truth.
If Leah ever caught me in a lie, I was certain I’d be roasted alive by her fire magic right then and there.
“I can think of more than a few lies off the top of my head, but that’s not important. Good night, Master.”
She wrapped her arms around me from behind.
Her hands roaming over my body sent chills down my spine, but I forced myself to sleep.
Tomorrow, I’ll finally escape Leah’s clutches…
Before I knew it, I’d drifted off.
***
“Master. Wake up.”
“Master.”
Something shook my body.
“Brother Hans? Wake up.”
—Tap tap.
Something shook me and lightly tapped my forehead.
“Ugh… I’m up. Haaam!”
I stretched, forcing myself awake.
“What time is it?”
Leah checked her watch.
“Around 10 a.m., I think.”
“10 a.m…?”
I wanted to sleep more, but we had to reach the dragon’s lair tonight.
I got up from the blanket and prepared a simple breakfast— toasted bread with butter and jam.
After emerging from the snow shelter, I scanned the surroundings.
Thankfully, the blizzard had stopped.
Just as I thought that, Leah stretched and said,
“Uuuugh! At least there’s sunlight today—that’s nice.”
“Yeah?”
The wind still blew hard, but the sun shone brightly.
It felt good—perfect weather for an avalanche, actually.
“If we do well today, we’ll reach the lair.”
She gazed toward the mountain peak.
“But Master… do dragons really live at the very top?”
“Yeah.”
I recalled that Icira, Aria’s mother, particularly disliked humans—so she’d hidden her lair far more thoroughly than other dragons.
She’d even cast an illusion spell so powerful that unauthorized beings couldn’t enter, no matter how many times they circled the same spot.
That’s why Aria was crucial to my plan.
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’ll probably realize it soon.”
Once inside Icira’s domain, compasses and directional magic became useless.
Without Aria, any human would either wander the mountain forever or eventually give up and descend.
Leah frowned slightly, but Aria grinned excitedly at her.
“Hehe! Sister Leah! Isn’t Mom’s magic amazing?”
“Yeah! That’s so dragon-like!”
“Hehe! I’ll use amazing magic like that too someday! I’m a dragon, after all. When I become an adult dragon, I’ll show you Dragonic Tongue magic, okay, Sister!”
By the time you can cast spells like that, Leah and I will probably be long dead—dust in the ground.
But no need to ruin the mood with that thought.
As we climbed, the sky suddenly darkened, and a blizzard began.
Just a few steps ago, the weather had been clear.
Such a sudden shift meant…
We must be entering Icira’s domain.
Leah looked around, startled by the strange phenomenon.
“Huh?”
I quickly said to her confused expression,
“Don’t panic. We’ve entered Icira’s territory.”
But Leah’s face turned pale—as if this defied all logic.
“Master? Magic is distorted! How is this even possible?”
She said magic was distorted, but I couldn’t sense magic at all.
Still… that’s what every mage says when they enter here.
“It’s the dragon’s illusion magic. Be careful. If you get lost here, your only way out is down the mountain.”
I deliberately hinted that descending was still an option.
“Hehe! Mom’s territory!”
Aria seemed to sense she was almost home.
Would she really be happy to return?
She just beamed, oblivious to the consequences.
I whispered gently,
“She’ll probably be thrilled… since you never told her you ran away, right?”
“Huh? Why?”
Aria didn’t understand, so I explained,
“Get ready to be scolded.”
—Hic!
Aria hiccupped in shock, and I smirked.
“I bet your bottom’s going to catch fire.”
Aria turned pale.
“No! I don’t want that! I’m going back down!”
She suddenly spun around to leave.
I grabbed her wrist.
“Where are you running off to?”
“No! Mom gets scary when she’s mad! I don’t want to! I want to stay with Raela! With Raela!”
Watching her throw a tantrum, I grinned wickedly.
“Heh heh… it’s already too late.”
“Eeek! Brother Hans! Let gooo!”
She struggled, but it was useless. I dragged her stubborn little body upward.
“No! Raela! Raelaaa!”
She screamed so loudly anyone would mistake me for a kidnapper.
Let me be clear: Aria was the one who ran away and nearly started a dragon-human war. I’m just a good citizen preventing war and returning a delinquent child home.
Just then—
—Whoosh…
A low, dull rumble echoed through the snowy mountain.
In that instant, I knew.
Ah… an avalanche.
—Kuuuuung!
A massive wall of snow crashed down from above.
“Huh? Master?!”
“What?”
“It’s an avalanche!”
I gripped Aria’s wrist tightly as the snow roared toward us at terrifying speed.
I couldn’t fail. First, I had to get Leah far away.
“Leah, use Fly magic!”
“Yes! Fly!”
As I said it, I thought desperately:
Please let this work like in the game.
If the situation differed from the game, I’d have to cancel the Fly spell—but that would raise Leah’s suspicions.
It would look like I’d deliberately triggered the avalanche. She’d definitely grow suspicious.
But maybe my wish came true—because as soon as Leah cast Fly and lifted off…
A cold, powerful gust blew her far away, just as I’d expected.
Watching her, I thought:
Okay! Just like the game!
“Kyaaaah!”
—Peeeeek!
Pipi’s cry echoed from Leah’s arms.
Good! Good job, Icira!
The game developers had installed multiple safeguards to prevent players from using magic to bypass the mountain climb.
One of them: if you used Fly magic, a strong wind would blow you away.
I remembered this well—I’d once used Fly carelessly in-game and gotten punished for it.
“Leah?!”
“Sister?!”
I called out to Leah with forced urgency, but she was already far gone.
“Master!”
—Pip!
I quickly weighed my options.
At this distance, using magic shouldn’t be visible…
I grasped Levi’s Dagger and whispered softly,
“Bone Shield.”
And then—the world turned pure white.
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