A flicker of surprise passed through Velin's eyes at the white-haired girl's answer.
She had the face of a minor and stood under five feet three inches tall, yet she was already nearly one hundred and fifty years old.
Still, to possess such strength, she must have been tempered through long years.
In that light, one hundred and fifty years did not seem all that long.
"She wasn't lying."
Xuemiyya leaned close to Velin's ear and whispered.
Velin gave a slight nod, then continued asking, "Astariah, please tell me why you brought tens of thousands of Ice Magical Beasts here."
At that question, Astariah answered without the slightest pause, "To make this fellow clanswoman my subordinate."
"What is a subordinate?"
A puzzled look appeared on Velin's face as he asked.
Before Astariah could explain, Zephirin answered first. "My lord, within Silfros Space, there is a rule created by the founder of this space. It is called the Climbing Rule."
"Every Ice Witch who successfully advances to Gold rank becomes a climber upon entering the world beyond the gate for the first time."
"Every time she defeats a fellow clanswoman, she may climb once."
"If she takes a fellow clanswoman as a subordinate and makes her a branch, she may gain anywhere from one to several climbs from her every ten years."
"Ruling one hundred thousand square kilometers of land for ten years grants one climb."
"Training a Gold-rank subordinate grants one climb."
"..."
"The closer one gets to the 'mountaintop,' the greater her comprehension of the Ice Law becomes, no matter where she is within this space, allowing her to understand the power of ice."
"However, killing a fellow clanswoman brings punishment from Silfros Space. At best, she will be expelled from this space and forget every memory related to