Arrival at the Labyrinth

The chill of the early morning hung like an invisible veil over the simple yet sturdy stone inn of the Border Earl. Before the sunlight had fully dispelled the night mist, hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor, accompanied by Ruby's clear, slightly disgruntled shouts:

"Lady Frieren! Time to get up! The sun's already high in the sky!"

With a creak, the door was pushed open, Ruby Ruby's fiery red head peeked in. Sure enough, on the bed by the window, a silver "ball of fur" was wrapped tightly in a thick down comforter, lying across the bed without any regard for appearances, with only a few strands of hair sticking up and rising and falling slightly with her even breathing.

"Get up! Frieren!" Ruby, hands on her hips, strode to the bedside, pointing angrily out the window. "We agreed to go to Frostwhisper Canyon today to conquer that troublesome labyrinth and help Earl Shuralk solve the Yeti problem! If you don't get up now, Himmel and the others will be ready to leave!"

From under the covers came a muffled, sleepy murmur from Frieren. She stirred slightly. "Mmm... just... just half an hour more... this bed is so soft... the fireplace is so warm... I haven't slept this comfortably in ages..."

Ruby's face immediately fell, her turquoise eyes filled with the helplessness of "I knew this would happen." She stomped her foot. "No! Not even for a minute! All these years! Lady Frieren, how come you still haven't broken this bad habit of sleeping in!" As she spoke, she glanced at the other side of the room.

Lupa was wiping the fine sweat from her forehead with a towel. Her pink twin ponytails were slightly damp from her morning exercise, and her heterochromatic eyes were bright and alert, indicating that she had already finished her morning workout. Linié, on the other hand, stood quietly to the side, her deep blue eyes calm and still, as if she had been waiting for a long time. She showed no signs of fatigue from exercise, but her breathing was steady, indicating that she had also been active.

"Look!" Ruby pointed at the two of them, as if she had found compelling evidence. "Lupa and Linié have already run around the city so many times! They haven't even dispelled the Gravity Magic yet! How can Lady Frieren, as an elder, be so lazy! She should set a good example!"

Frieren seemed annoyed by the noise. She pulled the blanket down further, revealing a pair of sleepy, half-closed, emerald-green eyes. She protested in a daze, "They are warriors... I am a mage... Sleep is an important way for mages to restore their magic power..." As she spoke, she tried to shrink back under the blanket.

Ruby's eyes Ruby, and an idea came to her. She leaned closer to the bed and whispered in a seductive yet subtly threatening tone, "Lady Frieren ~ if you don't get up soon... I'm going to eat that nut tart I saved for you, the one made by the last dessert shop in town, drizzled with maple syrup? I heard that because the ingredients are so scarce, this is the last one~ Once it's gone, there really won't be any more, not even if you have the money~"

The words "Nut Tart" and "the last one" seemed to possess a magical power. Frieren's drooping eyelids jerked open a crack, a flicker of struggle flashing in her emerald pupils. She sniffed, as if she could already smell the sweet aroma, and finally, in an extremely weak, reluctant voice, mumbled, "... Get... I'll get up..."

Before the words were even finished, Linié and Lupa, who had been waiting nearby, sprang into action. Linié picked up a wooden comb from the dressing table and skillfully began to comb Frieren's long, silver hair, which was a mess from sleeping. Her nimble fingers deftly untangled the knots. Lupa, meanwhile, took out Frieren's signature white mage robe from her luggage, preparing to help her change.

Frieren sat up groggily, like a giant doll, her eyes still half-closed, letting the two men do as they pleased, unconsciously making comfortable "mmm..." sounds, as if she was still enjoying this forced "service".

Ruby watched this scene, crossed her arms, and pouted, "Hmph! They're spoiling Frieren too much! Oh well, hurry up, don't keep everyone waiting too long." She sighed and turned her gaze to another bed in the room.

Lowell was sound asleep, completely buried in the blankets, breathing evenly, showing no sign of waking up.

Ruby pouted, walked to Lowell's bedside, and unceremoniously kicked the raised part of the blanket with her little leather boot. "Hey! Lowell! Get up too! Don't be like Lady Frieren!"

Lowell was startled awake, rubbing his eyes groggily as he sat up, his black hair disheveled and his face blank. "Huh? What happened... The Demon King attacked?"

Ruby her hips, said matter-of-factly, "No way! But get up! You said it was a reward! Hurry up and get ready to leave!"

Lowell was speechless with frustration. "... I..." He opened his mouth, then remembered his previous statement about "kicking people being a reward," and suddenly felt like he had shot himself in the foot. Looking at Ruby's "I was rewarding you" expression, he could only swallow his grievances and helplessly scratch his head.

"... Okay, okay, I'll get up. I was planning to go with you anyway."

A dozen minutes later, the group finally got ready, left the warm inn, and set off for Frostwhisper Canyon. The Northern Frontier morning wind was biting, scraping their faces like knives. Lowell resignedly carried Frieren, who was still listless and dozing on his back, and trudged along the still-snowy road.

Frieren's head rested on Lowell's shoulder, her long silver hair brushing against his neck, causing a slight tickle. She seemed to be asleep again, her breathing soft.

Ruby walked beside her, looking at Frieren's state, and couldn't help but start her motherly nagging again. "Lady Frieren! Sleeping in such a cold place will really make you catch a cold! Even if you're an elf, you can't be so careless!"

Frieren seemed annoyed by the noise, her eyes closed, and mumbled a reply, "No way... that Earl yesterday... gave me a spell that 'makes my body warm'... otherwise, why do you think he could fight shirtless in this weather..."

Ruby was taken aback, but still protested, "Well, you can't neglect magic detection! Places like this, so close to Demons territory, are easy targets for lurking demons!"

Frieren snuggled closer to Lowell's back, finding a more comfortable position, her voice heavy with sleepiness and a sense of entitlement. "Anyway, Lowell's here... he's the most useful..."

Upon hearing this Himmel was walking ahead, turned around and gave a gentle smile. Heiter laughed heartily. Eisen silently adjusted his posture while carrying the battle axe. Ruby looked at Frieren's completely dependent appearance, then at Lowell's "What can I do?" expression, and finally could only huff angrily, turn her face away, and remain silent. Her little face clearly showed "I can't bear to watch" and a trace of envy that she herself didn't even realize.

After the group had been traveling across the silent snowfield for about an hour, Eisen, who was at the front on guard duty, suddenly stopped. The dwarf warrior's keen senses detected the unusual activity.

"Something's approaching," he said in a deep voice.

Almost simultaneously, from behind the snow slope to the side, came a series of heavy footsteps and a low roar. A snow monster, nearly three meters tall, covered in dirty white fur, resembling a giant ape with exposed fangs, charged out from behind the slope, waving its thick arms, its scarlet eyes fixed on the group of uninvited guests.

"Here it comes!" Himmel's eyes sharpened, her blue hair billowing in the wind as she shot out like an arrow. A flash of sword light, like a silver ribbon slicing through the snow, swiftly and gracefully grazed the Yeti's thick neck.

"Pfft!"

The Yeti's charge came to an abrupt halt. Its massive head rolled to the ground, and its enormous body crashed down, its dark red blood quickly staining the pristine snow.

Himmel landed lightly, sheathed her sword, brushed a non-existent stray hair from her forehead, and calmly analyzed, "Speed is average, strength is decent, but defense and reaction are rather slow. It seems that the strength of a single Yeti is probably only equivalent to that of a rigorously trained elite human soldier."

Eisen stepped forward to examine the yeti's corpse, nodded, his bronze face expressionless. "Indeed. Given the strength Earl Shuralk has demonstrated, dealing with one or even dozens shouldn't be a problem for him. It seems the trouble lies in their numbers, and the possible source within the labyrinth that continuously generates these yetis."

Over the next two or three hours, the team encountered and easily dealt with more than a dozen scattered Yetis. These monsters did not seem to have much intelligence, and only attacked creatures that approached them based on instinct. They posed almost no threat to the current Himmel team.

Finally, around noon, they arrived at their destination – Frostwhisper Canyon.

At the canyon entrance, a biting wind howled in, producing a mournful sound like the wailing of ghosts, hence the name "Frost Whisper." Between the snow-covered, rugged mountain walls, several dark, clearly man-made, massive openings appeared, like the silent, gaping mouths of giant beasts. On either side of each opening stood several colossal stone statues, weathered by wind and snow, yet still retaining their ancient and majestic forms. They silently gazed at the intruders, as if guarding some ancient secret.

Frieren, now fully awake, jumped off Lowell's back. Her emerald eyes swept over the statues and the structure of the cave entrances, a hint of interest on her face. "Oh? This layout... seems to be a labyrinth left over from the Unified Dynasty era. Labyrinths from that time usually had multiple entrances, but the interiors were intricate and complex, all ultimately leading to the same core area, unlike the ones we've encountered before."

Upon hearing this, Himmel's blue eyes lit up instantly, his face radiating a blend of explorer's excitement and a warrior's sense of responsibility. He stepped forward and declared loudly, "The ruins of the Unified Dynasty? How exciting! It seems we can have a good warm-up before officially entering the Demons realm! Everyone, this is our goal for this trip—to flatten this labyrinth and completely eliminate the Yeti's scourge!"

He drew his longsword, its tip pointing towards the deep cave entrance, and his voice was clear and firm. "Let's go!"