"Did you just refuse?"
Surtr rubbed her horn. That grab had hurt a little, and she was about to complain when she met Hoshino's deep blue eyes, where warmth and frankness shone vividly.
"Are you a knight?"
"In my squad, everyone calls me Dawn's Glory. Of course, some call me the legendary Radiant Knight."
Hoshino nodded.
"But I'm not the kind of knight Victoria has."
She was an honest person.
And the kind who said exactly what she thought. Worried that Surtr might misunderstand, she had gone out of her way to explain. Normally, she was probably a knight who considered others deeply. No wonder she was called Dawn's Glory—she truly had the potential to become someone else's light.
That majestic flame.
Like a seed sprouting in her heart, Surtr suddenly developed warm feelings toward [flames].
"Have you thought it over?"
Hoshino stiffly interrupted that pleasant reverie, dragging her gaze back to cruel reality.
It was practically the same as asking, "Want to fight?"
Who wants to fight you?
Surtr's heart was ablaze. The icy wind swept across the snowy mountains, making her instinctively pull her clothes tighter around herself. Her scattered red hair fluttered in the wind, carrying a chilly feeling, while Hoshino tilted her head and brushed aside her golden hair.
"Once you gain power, you can ignore the cold."
"Uh..."
Was that the point?
Hoshino continued staring at her with sincere eyes. In a sense, it was a form of coaxing, cornering her until Surtr had no choice but to consider accepting the proposal of power.
She would surely make some demands—some impossible task—to buy herself a little time.
All because of Durandal's straightforwardness.
Durandal would genuinely believe her and never suspect that she was merely stalling.
"That does seem a little unfair. You have to pay