"Since you know I have companions, can't I face the trial together with them?"
Shade had only wanted to make one final attempt. He had not expected the seemingly easygoing maid to think for a moment, then actually nod in agreement:
"In that case, guest, from now on, each time you enter an entirely new floor, you may release one ice sculpture as a companion. It may contain one of your companions, or another intruder from the past whose time was frozen here. But more likely, it will merely be an ordinary sculpture.
"You may choose only one each time, and you must find a way to release those whose minds and bodies have been frozen. Simple flames can only free the body. If the mind cannot thaw, then the body will collapse immediately. Adding companions will not increase the difficulty of the trial, so please rest assured.
"Additionally, if the one you release is a Ring Arcanist who has remained here for over fifty years, I may allow them to survive temporarily as your companion, but they will still die afterward."
She indicated that Shade could now find himself a companion outside the castle. But the greater problem was not which ice sculpture to choose, but how Shade was supposed to free it. The maid had already rejected forcibly melting it with flames; doing so would seriously harm the living person inside the ice.
He turned to look at the identical sculptures around him, while "she" gently offered a reminder:
Don't you have a way? Thawing requires both the body and mind to thaw at the same time. The body needs flames, and the mind must be given flames as well.
"Inner Fire?"
"She" laughed lightly, knowing he was asking despite already knowing the answer. Inner Fire merely warmed