Amid the Mountains

As darkness fell, the sky gradually darkened.

The girl seemed genuinely starving, eating even more than Soren. She probably hadn't eaten all day, wolfing down her food. Soren silently grilled the meat beside her, and only after she had finished did he slowly ask, "What's your name? Who are you?"

"Anna." The girl hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I am a noblewoman from Arendelle."

Soren turned to look at her and said slowly, "Ordinary nobles can't afford clothes like yours. You must be royalty in Arendelle, right? Arendelle is a special kingdom with very few high-ranking nobles. There are only two members of the royal family: the Princess who is about to ascend the throne, and her younger sister."

"Legend has it that the Princess of Arendelle is a very powerful Fatespinner; you must be her sister, right?"

"The Princess couldn't possibly have been forced into such a sorry state!"

Upon hearing this, the girl Anna's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Soren, murmuring, "I knew you must be a very skilled Adventurer!... They also said you were an idiot, getting yourself into such a sorry state!... You almost died in the wilderness!..."

"Um... I'm the Little Princess of Arendelle!... But I'm not as powerful as my Elder Sister, I'm just an ordinary person!..."

Soren didn't continue the conversation, and he didn't really want to talk about asceticism either.

He merely sized up the girl before him and slowly said, "Arendelle is one of the most prestigious kingdoms in the Land of Ice and Snow, Princess is one of the most renowned Legendary Sorcerer here. Any enemy who dares to attack you is definitely not simple. By the standards of the royal family in this world, your guards are at least at the third rank or higher. If we also consider the wealth and treasures of the royal family, enough to force you to wander the wilderness, then there must be Legendary Professional among those who attacked you!"

Anna's mouth dropped open. She murmured, "Amazing!"

Soren watched the other's expression, his face growing increasingly grim. He said in a deep voice, "It's impossible for local Legendary Professional to attack you, because that would lead to a Destruction disaster. I've heard of your Elder Sister. When she's enraged, she could destroy a city with her bare hands in the blink of an eye! So, the one who attacked you must be an outsider! And someone with Evil intentions at that!"

He paused here, then slowly said, "I only have one question now: were any of the Drow among those who attacked you?"

The girl's face showed disbelief as she murmured, "How did you know I encountered Drow?"

As expected, they got involved in this matter.

Soren silently poked at the campfire, his expression shifting between light and shadow. He said in a deep voice, "Those are the Chosen Goddess of Torment. I encountered traces of their activity when I came here. They dared to attack the second princess of Arendelle. I reckon only they would do something like that. Anyone else doing this would be courting death. The Princess Freeze a Thousand Miles in a fit of rage is no joke."

Anna hesitated for a moment, then looked at Soren with wide eyes and said, "My Elder Sister is a very good person, very gentle and kind. She never abuses her abilities, and she would never do something like what you said. She would never hurt innocent people."

Soren did not respond.

He glanced at the snowstorm outside and slowly asked, "What are your plans now?"

Anna hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Soren and whispered, "Could you send me back to Arendelle? I will definitely repay you! My Elder Sister will also give you the reward you deserve, and might even give you a title!"

Title?

Soren smiled and shook his head, saying, "No. At least not now."

"Since those Torment Cultist dared to attack you, they will absolutely not let me take you back easily. I don't even have a chance to fight the Chosen of Deity; they are more terrifying than Legendary Wizard! Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, they have spies on all the roads leading to Arendelle. The moment you show your face, you will be attacked!"

"Unless your Elder Sister comes to pick you up in person."

Anna looked dejected and murmured, "I don't know what happened to my Elder Sister? That wicked Drow said that if my Elder Sister saved me, she couldn't save Arendelle!..."

"My Elder Sister trapped her with ice. Then I escaped."

"I don't know how Arendelle is doing now!... I hope everyone is alright!..."

She's a very kind young girl.

Soren looked up at her and said slowly, "It's not that I can't take you back, but not now, and not by the normal route."

Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, and she looked up into his eyes.

The other person's eyes were pure. She seemed to be a girl who hadn't experienced much of the world. Soren slightly shifted his gaze and said, "Now should be their most anxious time. Those Fallen are probably desperately looking for you. So it's best if we don't leave here anytime soon. Once they reveal themselves, your Elder Sister should deal with them."

"I'll find a way to get you over these mountains and then back to Arendelle along the coast."

The girl clearly believed him, and nodded her head slightly.

Soren stirred the campfire, making it burn a little brighter, and then said, "You should get some rest. You're probably exhausted. We're going into the mountains tomorrow, and we might run into some trouble."

The girl looked at him questioningly and whispered, "Going into the mountains? Aren't we going to wait here?"

"No." Soren shook his head and said, "I need to go inside and take care of some things."

The girl was clearly very curious, blinking her eyes as she asked, "What are we going in for? It's a deserted place!"

Soren glanced at her and said calmly, "Dragon Slayer."

The girl's eyes flickered with surprise as she said, "Dragon Slayer? It seems there aren't any dragons in the Land of Ice and Snow anymore, right? They're all terrified of you, Elder Sister! They're said to have all fled to Iceland overseas."

Soren paused for a moment.

It seems the legendary Princess is even more powerful than I imagined. No wonder there are no Dragon in the Land of Ice and Snow; perhaps they were truly scared away by the Princess?

Just how powerful was this legendary Fatespinner?

"Frost Pteranodon."

Soren added firewood and said, "I need to kill some to improve my strength and then exchange them for some money."

money?

The girl quickly searched her pockets, then cried out, "My bag is gone!... There were so many valuable things in it!..."

She glanced at herself, then reluctantly took off her ring and earrings, saying carefully, "Here, take these."

"These were left to me by my mother... Can I redeem them with money after I go back?..."

His voice sounded slightly nervous, and his appearance was a bit comical.

Soren turned and glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. He didn't reach for the things, but instead said slowly, "Keep them with you. Since you saved me, I should repay you. Perhaps your Destiny truly shouldn't be this way!..."

He had heard of the Princess of Arendelle, but not the second princess. He wondered what her Destiny would have been if she hadn't met him.

The Snow and Ice Riot erupted.

The rampaging Princess Freeze a Thousand Miles, turning the land into a frozen Hell —could it all be because of her?

That seems possible.

There are only two princesses in the Royal Family of Arendelle. She may be the Princess's only relative.

"Th... thank you!..." The girl silently put away the ring and earring, looked up at Soren in front of her, a grateful smile on her lips, and slowly said, "You are a good person."

Soren's fingers trembled slightly.

Then, he turned to look at the other person with a helpless expression and said seriously, "I'm not a good person. I've killed more people than you know!"

I only helped you because you saved my life.

"Please don't say that to me again. It's considered unlucky in my hometown."

"Alright."

"You should rest now. You still have a long way to go tomorrow."

The girl seemed confused as to why a simple word of gratitude would elicit such a strong reaction from Soren. She sat up straight and muttered under her breath, "Bragging!... Trying to scare me!... You don't look like the kind of villain who's killed a lot of people!..."

Soren had a rather delicate appearance, somewhat resembling Half-Elf.

The girl clearly didn't quite believe Soren's blood-stained hands, but rather thought he didn't seem to like hearing that. He was somewhat like a character in a story who embodies darkness yet upholds Justice; otherwise, he wouldn't have saved her, right?

Did he really kill a lot of people?

The girl was clearly very tired and soon felt sleepy, tilting her head to one side and falling asleep on a rock.

Time passed little by little.

Soren took out Spell Scroll and began to analyze it. The cold wind howled outside, and occasionally he would stop to listen carefully before continuing his research.

Midnight.

The girl's sleeping expression was tinged with terror. She mumbled something unconsciously, then suddenly awoke with a start, her eyes widening as she cried out, "No!... No!... Don't kill her!..."

Soren put down the scroll, frowned, and glanced at her, saying, "Had a nightmare?"

The girl paused for a moment, seemingly snapping out of her daze, and nodded gently. Then she asked cautiously, "May I sit next to you?"

Soren nodded.

She walked over slowly and sat down carefully next to Soren. Her expression seemed somewhat frightened.

Soren reached out and touched her hair, then patted her on the back.

Seemingly relieved, the girl glanced at the scroll in his hand, then rested her head on Soren's shoulder. Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, she had gripped the hem of Soren's clothes with her fingers, her head tilting to the side against his knee. Her breathing gradually became even, and she was clearly fast asleep.

Perhaps she was truly exhausted.

It would be very difficult for a pampered princess to adapt to so many things in a single day.

Soren reopened the Spell Scroll, occasionally glancing down at her.

Since coming into this world, this is the first time anyone other than little Vivian has fallen asleep on his lap.

The cold wind was still howling outside.

He sensed the storm brewing in the Land of Ice and Snow!

...(To be continued~^~)