Volume 6 Chapter 30 Glacier
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ah-Lord Kororon. Don’t push yourself,” Karin said, her voice strained against the wind. “If it’s getting too tough, please let Master Sharlin give you a lift.”
[Knock it off, Karin! Don’t treat me like some decrepit fossil,] Kororon snapped. [The Spirit Clan’s¹ village gets snow like this every few years! This is nothing noja!]
”I know, I know… it’s just, I have a feeling it’s only going to get deeper from here…”
”Oh, please, ‘Primeval Spirit,’” Yasura chimed in, her voice dripping with mock concern. “If you’re using all your strength just to stay upright, you won’t have any left to trace the Mana². Why not just swallow your pride and hop on her back?”
[Eeei, Yasura! You’re supposed to be the High Elder of the Elven mages, aren’t you? Stop talking and start finding that Mana flow!]
”My, my. Can neither of you feel it yet?” Yohaku-sama asked, looking toward a nearby cluster of frozen brush. “I think I’ve caught the scent of it over-“
Before Yohaku-sama could finish, they stepped forward and vanished with a soft foomp, buried head-first in a massive snowdrift.
”Waaaaah! Yohaku-sama!!”
The bodyguards scrambled toward the pile of white, frantic…
* * *
As Claudel had warned us, the sun only graces these Vaulted Peaks³ once every few days when the blizzards take a breather. We were using this precious window for the Three Elders to scour the drifts, searching for any thread of Mana that might lead back to Yggdrasil. Under normal circumstances, we’d have mobilized a small army of mages-like we did back in Tokura Village when we hunted for those natural Gates-but in this godforsaken cold, numbers meant nothing. It was more efficient to rely on the raw, high-level intuition of the Three Elders.
Even so, the snow was a nightmare. Every step was a battle, and one wrong move meant ending up like Yohaku-sama-buried and blinded. A small squad of soldiers moved ahead of us, desperately stomping down a path so we could follow. Claudel had already headed back to the Royal Capital; she had her own duties to attend to, promising to check in on our progress when she could.
”Hey, Karin. Haven’t we gone far enough?” Yasura asked, huffing slightly. “Isn’t it about time for lunch? I’m starving.”
”What are you talking about, Yasura-sama? Look behind you. We’re barely away from the camp, and it’s nowhere near noon yet.”
Yasura turned around, blinking. The exploration base was still clearly visible, barely two hundred meters away. Still, I couldn’t blame her. Moving in this biting chill burned through energy fast.
”Alright, how about a quick break?” I suggested.
At my signal, the soldiers cleared a small patch of ground to create a makeshift plaza. They laid out heavy, insulated rugs, and Lady Beyond immediately set to work preparing tea.
[Phew. It’s a bit nippy, but there’s a certain beauty to a landscape like this,] Kororon remarked, settling onto a rug.
”Don’t get too comfortable, Kororon-sama,” I teased. “We’ve only moved two hundred meters. At this rate, we’ll reach Yggdrasil by next century.”
[Hahaha! Patience, Karin, patience. Haste makes waste. I might look like I’m just lounging, but I’m constantly tracing the Qi and Mana of the surrounding area noja!]
”Ah… sorry. Please, enjoy your tea.”
Suddenly, Yohaku-sama stood up, mug still in hand. Their eyes were fixed on the distance. Of the three of them, Yohaku-sama was clearly the most sensitive to the shifts in the world’s energy.
”Wait. The Mana flow… it’s strange, isn’t it?”
”Let me see… Hmm. Now that you mention it…” Yasura stood as well, pointing toward the base of the mountain. “It’s coming from down there, isn’t it?”
[Then what are we waiting for? Let’s have a look.]
We packed up the camp in record time and began the slow, precarious descent following the pull of the Mana.
”The slope is getting much steeper,” Lady Beyond noted, her brow furrowed with worry.
”It’ll take longer, but don’t try to go straight down,” Master Sharlin commanded ssu. “Cut across the slope diagonally.”
Following Sharlin’s lead, the path-clearing soldiers began a zigzagging route. It was safer, sure, but it felt like we were crawling. To make matters worse, the sky was beginning to bruise. A storm was rolling in.
”Karin. The weather’s turning,” Master Sharlin warned ssu. “We should pull back. Look-the base of the slope is already vanishing into the white.”
I looked down. She was right. The treeline we had seen minutes ago was being swallowed by a rising wall of snow.
”Damn. You’re right. Safety first. Let’s head back to-“
”KYAAAAA!”
A sharp scream cut through the wind.
”Yohaku-sama!?”
I watched in horror as Yohaku-sama lost their footing. Before anyone could reach out, they slid down the icy incline and vanished into the churning blizzard below.
”Yohaku-sama!” I screamed, lunging after them, but a firm hand clamped onto my shoulder.
”Karin, stay calm!” Lady Beyond’s voice was like a cold splash of water. “With snow this deep, the fall won’t kill them. We’re going to get them back, but we can’t be reckless. If we all go down, we’ll all get lost. Sharlin and I will handle the rescue. The rest of you-get back to the base now!”
It was the right call. The professional adventurer in her knew exactly how to handle a crisis. But I couldn’t just stand there.
”Lady Beyond! I’m coming too! I’m Master Sharlin’s top disciple-I’m an adventurer too! Three sets of eyes are better than two!”
Lady Beyond looked at me for a heartbeat, then nodded. “Fine. Soldiers, get Lord Yasura and Lord Kororon back to safety. Let’s go, Sharlin! Karin!”
With that, Lady Beyond leaped into the white abyss.
* * *
The bottom of the slope was a different world. The wind howled, whipping snow into a blinding frenzy. It was only going to get worse as the storm climbed the mountain.
”Keep shouting!” Lady Beyond yelled over the roar. “Stay within earshot of each other! Don’t let the silence take you!”
I could hear Master Sharlin nearby, her voice raised in a booming, rhythmic song to act as a beacon. I joined in, screaming at the top of my lungs as I swept the area.
The wind was brutal. It felt like it was stealing the very warmth from my bones. I prayed Yohaku-sama was still conscious. If they were passed out, buried under the fresh powder… No. Focus, Karin! Focus!
I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the blinding white and feel the world instead. I searched for a ripple, a sound, anything… There.
It wasn’t a sound. It was a presence. Something further down the valley. I didn’t hesitate. I plunged deeper into the storm until-there! A dark shape in the white.
”YOHAKU-SAMA!!” I screamed, alerting the others.
I reached them in seconds. Yohaku-sama was awake but huddled in a tight ball, shivering violently as the snow began to pile over them.
”Thank God! Yohaku-sama, you’re okay! Come on, we have to get you out of here before you turn into a human popsicle. Let’s get back to the base!”
”Wait… Ms. Karin…” Yohaku-sama’s voice was thin, trembling. “Just… a hundred more meters. Please. We have to go just a little further.”
”What!? Are you crazy? We can come back another day! We’re going to die if we stay out here!”
”But… the fluctuations… they’re so erratic. I don’t know if the signal will be the same next time. I have to see… I have to know where the source is…”
”Yohaku-sama…”
”Karin! What are you doing? Move!” Master Sharlin appeared through the haze, her face grim. “We’re retreating ssu!”
”Master, wait! Yohaku-sama says there’s something just ahead! They won’t leave without seeing it!”
”What!? In this!?”
”Let’s go, ShaSha!”
Lady Beyond arrived like a whirlwind. Without a second word, she scooped Yohaku-sama up in a heroic bridal carry.
”The Pope can’t walk in this mess. I’ll carry them. Point the way, Yohaku-sama. And… if you could spare a little ‘heat magic,’ it would go a long way.”
”Ah… thank you, Ms. Beyond. I… I can do that.”
Cradled in Lady Beyond’s arms, Yohaku-sama clasped their hands together. A soft, golden light bloomed between their palms.
”Oh, that’s much better,” Sharlin grunted. The light didn’t stop the wind, but the biting edge of the cold seemed to melt away wherever the glow touched. It was a channeled spell-something Yohaku-sama clearly couldn’t maintain while struggling to walk.
We pushed forward another hundred meters until the terrain flattened out into a vast, hollowed valley.
”Is this… a frozen river?” Sharlin muttered ssu, squinting.
”A glacier,” Yohaku-sama corrected.
”Alright, we’re here,” Lady Beyond said, gently setting Yohaku-sama down. “Now, where is this ‘source’ you were so worried about?”
Yohaku-sama stood on the ancient ice and pointed straight down at their feet.
”It lies… beneath this glacier.”
—
Summary:
The party searches for a Mana flow in the snowy Vaulted Peaks. After a humorous start and a brief break, Yohaku-sama falls down a slope during a sudden blizzard. Karin, Sharlin, and Lady Beyond successfully rescue Yohaku, who leads them further into the storm to discover something hidden beneath a glacier.
—
Trivia:
- The Three Elders have different levels of Mana sensitivity, with Yohaku being the sharpest.
- The sun only appears once every two to three days in this region.
- The party is specifically looking for a connection to Yggdrasil.
- Lady Beyond uses the nickname ‘ShaSha’ for Sharlin.
- Yohaku-sama’s heat magic is a channeled spell that requires focus and can’t be used easily while moving
—
Character Insight:
Lady Beyond shows her tactical leadership and physical strength by carrying Yohaku. Yohaku shows intense dedication to the mission, willing to risk their life to see the Mana source.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author announced a short hiatus, indicating this chapter serves as a mini-climax or turning point before a break in the serialization.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Kororon – The oldest and most powerful Shaman of the Spirit Clan. Despite being over ten thousand years old, she appears as a young girl.
• Yasura – The Eldest of the Elf Clan. Appears as a young girl. Holds knowledge of ancient Elven legends regarding the World Tree.
• Claudel – The elf captain of the royal guard assigned to Princess Asuka. At first, she had a strong dislike for Yuuta, who is human. Now, Yuuta’s saffle.
• Gates – A classmate of Halt’s who prefers American comics over anime.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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