Even beneath Snow Country's gloomy, gray skies, the golden light amid the distant clouds was still so dazzling!
Kazahana Koyuki asked blankly, "What is that?"
Shion glanced at Kazahana Koyuki. "By the way, who are you?"
Haku introduced her, "Her name is Kazahana Koyuki. She's this country's princess—no, she should be this country's ruler now."
Staring at Kazahana Koyuki, Shion said seriously, "Even as the ruler of Snow Country, you are not allowed to leave without permission until my lord's ritual is complete!"
"I understand, I understand!"
Kazahana Koyuki hurriedly nodded.
Seeing such a display, she was not foolish and had long understood that she had most likely become entangled in a major matter—an extremely serious one.
Just one "River Lord" would be enough to sweep through Snow Country. How terrifying, then, must the lord that "River Lord" spoke of be?
And any plan carefully devised and arranged by such a great figure would obviously be anything but ordinary. She understood that this was simply not something she, or Snow Country, could interfere with.
Seeing how cooperative Snow Country's ruler was, Shion did not take any measures against her. Instead, she pointed at the golden light in the distant clouds and explained, "That is my lord's Aerial Fortress. Once it gets closer, you'll be able to see it clearly!"
Before long, the brilliant golden light amid the clouds at the horizon slowly approached the Rainbow Ice Wall.
Only then did Haku and Kazahana Koyuki finally see the true form of that dazzling golden light. It was a golden ring-shaped structure floating high in the sky.
The enormous ring-shaped building seemed to have been forged entirely from pure gold, which was why it remained so dazzling and radiant even under Snow Country's dim sunlight!
Beneath the golden ring-shaped structure hung a