Chapter 8

  Catch The Rainbow

  "We got a quest to slay an ice dragon in the far north?!"

  Zeedee could barely believe what she was hearing about what had transpired overnight.

  Before her stood Princess Nora Ophilis, her expression tense and serious—and Dan, who also looked like he wasn’t quite sure how things had escalated this far.

  "We only have three days to kill it—before the engagement ceremony."

  Dan stood with arms crossed, his face grim as he looked at Nora, the princess of Snowhaven, who sat with her hands clasped and eyes averted.

  Dan narrowed his eyes.

  "You think I don’t know you’re trying to use me as your golden ticket to success?"

  "Then let’s just charge the princess, Your Grace!" Zeedee chimed in with a bold idea in the middle of their impromptu council.

  "Killing a dragon like that? Minimum 50 million credits. No pay, no slay!"

  "I’m not opposed to clearing my debt," Dan said coolly. "But if you don’t fight for your own freedom, how will you ever understand what it’s worth?"

  Nora slowly looked up.

  "Mr. Fury…?"

  "You have to kill Iskaryx."

  "...What?"

  " 'What' What? This is your fight. You have to kill it yourself, and bring the head back to your mother with your own hands. Forget it if you're expecting to see me punch that thing's guts out."

  "Mr. Fury… there's no way I can do that!"

  "Then I guess you’re just going to be your mother’s pet for the rest of your life."

  "!"

  Dan sat beside her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

  "You’ve already taken the first step, Nora. You stood up for yourself. That was good. But this is the next step. Now you have to prove you truly want your freedom."

  "....."

  "Zeedee."

  "Yes?"

  "Pack my bag."

  "...Huh? What for?"

  "I’m going with Miss Nora."

  "?!"

  Both Zeedee and Nora whipped around in unison.

  "What did you say?!"

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Dan stood up, tugging at the collar of his winter coat.

  "I was the one who brought up strength in the first place. I’m responsible for part of this."

  "Didn’t you just say she has to kill it herself?!"

  "Yeah. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help though, did I?"

  Nora: "?!"

  "You’re going alone with her?!"

  "That’s what the terms were."

  "What about me?!"

  "Go find some grapes to snack on—urk!?!"

  Dan was suddenly crushed in a hug from Nora, in a way she’d never shown in public before.

  "...Mr. Fury… thank you. Truly..."

  "You still have to kill the damn dragon yourself, you know."

  "As long as you’re with me, I’m not afraid of anything."

  "Don’t go relying on me too much. Hmph."

  "Your Majesty, are you really allowing this?!"

  Voices of protest erupted around the Empress’s decision. What began as a mother-daughter spat had now escalated far beyond that.

  Nora Ophilis was serious. She was preparing to head north—but her mother showed no sign of changing her mind.

  "Let her. I’m curious to see how far she’ll push herself."

  And once those words were spoken, no one could object—not even Lord Glassner, who could only watch in silence.

  Well, if she wants to take Dan along too, so be it.

  No one took Nora’s proposal seriously. To most, it was suicide—nothing more.

  Iskaryx.

  The ancient ice dragon that dwelled in the far northern reaches of Snowhaven, where temperatures plummeted to -90°C.

  Equivalent to the coldest places on Earth—like the East Antarctic Plateau.

  This region was a jagged landscape of countless snow-covered peaks stacked like serrated blades, endlessly overlapping.

  The locals called it “The Silver Mountain” because the blinding whiteness of the mountains reflected silver.

  Without magical protective equipment, Dan and Nora wouldn’t survive an hour in this land.

  At -90°C, exposed skin blackens in minutes. Moisture in the nostrils and throat freezes solid. Breathing becomes impossible.

  They wore mechanical masks that shielded them from the cold and generated warmth via the evaporation of mana crystals—a fuel source that gave them a limited time to survive in the Silver Mountain.

  Their boots crunched over snow in alternating steps. Luckily, the latest blizzard had already passed.

  The sky was dim and heavy, but clear enough to navigate.

  "Where are we now?!"

  Dan’s voice came muffled through the voice-filter of his mask.

  "We’ve entered Silver Mountain, Mr. Fury!"

  "It’s kind of chill for now! But are we seriously stopping to rest?"

  "A storm hits every two hours, Mr. Fury! If we’re caught in one, we won’t be able to see anything at all!"

  "Great..."

  Their heavy boots carried them up a mountain ridge until they ducked into a natural cave, where they started setting up camp—most importantly, lighting a fire.

  "Fuuuuh..."

  Dan removed his mask. The temperature in the cave was slightly higher than outside, enough to survive for a bit.

  "I seriously wonder what the hell a dragon eats in a place like this."

  Nora pulled off her mask and answered,

  "It feeds on other legendary beasts."

  "Like?"

  "Yeti. Or sometimes mammoths—we’ve found their remains around here."

  "So we had to climb all the way up here just like when we hunted that sabertooth?"

  "Exactly, Mr. Fury. Though we didn’t come this far up back then."

  Their conversation quieted. Dan warmed his hands near the fire, while Nora lowered her gaze—then looked up suddenly.

  "Mr. Fury."

  "Hm?"

  "The story you told... about your friend’s older brother… was it true?"

  It was in Nora’s nature to be skeptical.

  "Oh… that."

  Dan let out a low chuckle.

  "I embellished it a little. Added some dramatic flair… It’s not something I experienced firsthand."

  "Then… whose story was it?"

  "Casca once had an older brother."

  "!"

  Nora’s eyes widened.

  That’s right—she had completely forgotten.

  Casca Saint-Maximin.

  She once had a brother—Christian Saint-Maximin.

  Now, Casca was the only one left in the family.

  Nora understood.

  She rubbed her pale hands together, eyes lowered.

  "Mr. Fury… if I fail—if I can’t kill Iskaryx—I don’t think I could ever go back."

  "If it were me… I’d rather die here."

  "What?"

  "Maybe this isn’t something I should say to someone who’s already struggling… but if what I’m fighting for is worth dying for, then I’ll die for it."

  Dan said plainly,

  "I respect people with convictions—whatever they are."

  "Mr. Fury…"

  "I don’t believe your mother sent you alone, you know."

  "Are you saying… someone’s following us?"

  "Could be. As backup. In case something happens to you or me… That’s what I’d do."

  "My mother wouldn’t waste her time on something like that, Mr. Fury."

  "Who knows?"

  Dan shrugged.

  "In this country, I’m the only one paranoid enough."

  "You mean Mr. Raven, right?"

  "Who else would it be?"

  "But he’s stationed way down south… Even if he picked up our signal, it’d be super faint."

  "I don’t like it… but if he’s really down there putting down rebels, then… fair enough..."