Night, in a hotel room.
I vented my frustration on the annoying girl standing in front of me.
"Naaaiiiraaa!"
"Aaah! It huuurts! Stop choking me! I—I can't breathe!"
"This is your punishment for sending that weird report to Sister Jasmine!"
"But Sister Jasmine already gave her approv— ah! Give up, give up, give up!"
Instead, my grip tightened even more. This brat really needed to be taught a lesson.
"O-Okay, that's enough, you two!" Dania cut in with an exhausted tone. "Weren't we supposed to talk about tomorrow's plan?"
"Ah… right."
I released my hold. The moment she was free, Naira collapsed onto the bed, gasping for air while clutching her neck.
"I almost died, you know…"
"Then just die already!"
I opened the holographic menu containing the address I had obtained earlier that afternoon. At the same time, Dania and Naira also brought up the results of their own searches.
"There's some information we found yesterday," Dania said, sliding the holographic display. "Back then I was looking for an old article about Carina's father. Take a look at this, Azca."
She pushed the holographic screen toward me.
I skimmed through it quickly, picking out only the important parts.
"A monster attack in Orion City… almost all residents were killed. Only seven survivors in total?"
"Carina was one of them," Naira said from the bed. "She was found in the basement of her house. According to the report, her father hid her there himself to protect her from the monster attack."
"And her father…?"
Naira sat up while rubbing her neck.
"He died during the area neutralization process. They used ReleaseEnergyCore."
"…!"
The words struck my head like a hammer.
ReleaseEnergyCore.
Suddenly, the world around me felt quiet.
A faint image crossed my mind—a flash of light, a sky fractured by energy, and something collapsing within a blinding white blaze.
Fragments of the dream that had been haunting me all this time… as if they were finally beginning to take shape.
"Azca?" Percy's voice sounded distant.
I didn't answer.
"… Azca?"
"Huh—?!" I jolted.
"Ah—no, Percy. I just… zoned out for a moment."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
Naira stared at me for quite a while, as if trying to read something from my face. But eventually, she simply shrugged.
"ReleaseEnergyCore is the maximum energy release of an Ultimate Core," she explained. "It's usually used for large-scale attacks or the complete eradication of a region in order to neutralize the area."
She raised a finger.
"And it's only carried out under high-level emergency conditions. It requires approval from the royal authorities involved."
Percy's round eyes blinked. "Which Ultimate Core did they use?" he asked.
"Core-3rd; Trishula," Naira replied without hesitation. "It belongs to Wolvord. Now it's in Barner's hands."
"…Barner," I murmured quietly.
Dania then added, as if she had just remembered something.
"By the way, Naira. I read some news saying that Princess Avra's arrival here has something to do with regional defense."
"Defense?" Percy asked.
"Yeah. They say she wants to build additional defenses around the fortress."
"Huh? Additional?" I frowned. "Isn't the fortress already fine?"
"It is," Dania replied. "But Princess Avra wants to reinforce it using the power of her Core."
"Reinforce it…?"
Now I was a little interested.
"Why?" Naira smirked slightly. "Are you curious?"
"Yeah, a little. I also want to see what her ability is like." I sighed. "But tomorrow we're starting the research."
"That's not a problem," Naira said casually. "Apparently Princess Avra will do it quickly."
"Huh?"
She smiled with quiet confidence.
"You'll definitely be surprised."
"…?"
Naira got up from the bed and stretched her body.
"Before you head to Mr. Elderfield's house tomorrow, go take a look over there first."
She glanced back at us.
"As for me, I'll be heading to the ruins of the laboratory."
—
※※※—※※※
—
Southern Border Region of Orion City.
Deep within the dense forest, Dania and I perched on the branches of towering trees, watching a fortress that stood not far from the edge of the woods.
According to the information we had received, Princess Avra would be arriving here to reinforce its defenses.
To be honest, I still didn't fully understand what that "reinforcement" actually meant. That was precisely why I came—simply to satisfy my curiosity.
"By the way, how can she reinforce a fortress that big in an instant?" I asked.
"Hmm… how should I explain it?" Dania tilted her head slightly, thinking for a moment. "All I know is that Princess Avra has done something similar before. But I don't really remember the details."
"...."
"You know, Azca? Princess Avra's Ultimate Core is famous for being extremely powerful. She can freeze thousands of soldiers in a single moment. Honestly, it's even more terrifying than Barner's Trishula."
"T-That powerful?" I said, a little surprised. "But I still don't quite get it. Is she going to coat the fortress with a thick layer of ice or something?"
"Umm… I think it's much more terrifying than that."
"…?"
"Ah, their convoy is arriving!" Percy suddenly said.
From the distance, a line of vehicles could be seen moving along the road toward the fortress. The soldiers guarding the area quickly lined up in formation to welcome them.
One of the soldiers approached Princess Avra. They exchanged a few words before the soldier issued orders for the guards stationed atop the steel fortress to retreat and create some distance.
I sharpened my vision using Zoom Assist, focusing on Princess Avra as she stood quietly after her escorts stepped a few paces away.
By the way… it seemed Carina wasn't with them.
A moment later, a bluish-white glow began to emanate from Princess Avra's body.
At first it was only a faint shimmer. But gradually the light grew brighter, as though the air around her were filling with sparkling frost particles.
A projection of light appeared behind her back, forming the pattern of an enormous snowflake.
Its lines were intricate. Perfectly symmetrical. Beautiful… yet somehow alien to this world.
Slowly, the light began to condense.
Light became crystal.
Crystal became ice.
And in the end, a Core was formed—glittering like a sculpture of snow carved from the winter sky.
I found myself staring.
Without realizing it, my breath had caught in my throat.
It was the same feeling of awe… the same one I had when Princess Jasmine first showed me Sylphina Angel.
"That's…"
"Ya," Dania said softly. "The manifestation of the Sixth Core — Snowflake."
"…Their Cores are the same type. And both are incredibly beautiful," I murmured.
"I agree. It suits its user perfectly."
"So what exactly does that Sixth Core do? Ice manipulation, obviously, right?" Percy asked.
"That's part of it. But it's not that simple. Just watch."
Princess Avra slowly began to rise into the air.
There was no violent burst of energy.
No trembling ground like I had expected.
Her body simply… floated upward, as if the world itself were gently lifting her into the sky.
Snowflakes began drifting down from the Core behind her back—tiny shimmering particles carried by the wind. From afar, she looked almost like a snow fairy descending beneath the bright sunlight.
She stopped once she reached the height of the fortress walls.
Her hand slowly extended forward.
Then her lips moved softly.
"
Through Zoom Assist, I could read the words clearly.
The moment the skill command was spoken—
'Whoosh!'
A spiral of wind suddenly formed around her.
The freezing current danced elegantly in the air… yet the power within it was terrifying.
Her shimmering white dress fluttered softly.
Her long black hair flowed through the air like a curtain of night caught in a winter storm.
Princess Avra kept her eyes closed. Focused. Energy began gathering around her. Slowly—but steadily increasing.
Then her hand moved. A single sweeping motion from left to right.
It looked like a simple gesture.
Yet at that very moment, the massive fortress seemed to be coated by something invisible.
Once again, I waited for something spectacular.
A burst of ice.
A colossal crystal barrier.
Anything.
But… none of that happened.
The fortress only looked slightly shinier than before. Around it stood a transparent wall rising high into the sky.
"Huh? That's it?" I muttered.
"Look more carefully at that transparent wall," Dania said.
I narrowed my eyes.
Several birds flying around the fortress seemed about to pass straight through it.
They had no idea the wall existed. And the moment their bodies touched the invisible surface—
'Crush!'
They froze instantly.
There was no gradual process. Everything happened in a single moment.
One touch—and their bodies turned into solid ice. Then cracks spread across them.
They shattered. Breaking apart into fragments of snow carried away by the wind.
"…Alright," I said quietly. "I take back what I said about 'that's it.'"
"What did I tell you?" Dania said proudly.
"…Dania."
"Yes?"
"Can you make a wall like that?"
"Of course not," she replied lightly.
"But you can control ice too. Actually… all elements."
"Yup. But compared to Snowflake, my power is still far below it. Especially when she can spread that level of power across the entire Asteria Fortress."
I looked back toward Princess Avra.
She had already landed on the ground and was speaking briefly with the guards, likely giving them instructions before leaving.
"Let's go back, Azca."
"…Yeah."
Even so, I found myself glancing at the princess one more time from afar.
A chill slowly crept through my body—the same feeling I had when I saw Barner in the southern region during yesterday's mission.
Her power… was truly terrifying.
And yet, strangely enough, part of me also felt comfortable around her.
Maybe it was because of what she did for me yesterday. Or maybe because she reminded me too much of Princess Jasmine.
I didn't know.
But my heart was restless. Questions kept appearing in my mind.
What if one day I had to fight her?
Would I truly be able to see her as an enemy?
Or would the image of Princess Jasmine continue to haunt me?
Honestly… I don't want that day to come.
I'm not ready yet.
Not in terms of strength.
Or… emotions.
With those thoughts still swirling in my head, I finally turned away and left the place behind.
—
※※※—※※※
—
[POV: 3]
Princess Avra and her escorts began to leave the fortress. Her business in the city of Orion was finally finished.
At the very least, she could allow herself a small sense of relief.
Now it was time for the princess to continue her journey to the next border fortress.
One of the guards promptly stepped forward and opened the car door for her.
And then—
"..."
The princess suddenly fell silent.
Slowly, she turned her gaze toward the distant forest.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness?"
"...No… it's nothing."
Princess Avra turned her eyes away.
"Let's go."
※※※ (Chapter—17) ※※※