n

nChapter 77: Ice

n“Reyne.Qin.Mist, 14 years old. When her father, Kashgar.Mist died in battle, she became the sole successor of the Mist Bloodline and is deeply trusted by her people and her army.”

nThe history of this Knight Princess is quite similar to what we previously underwent. A year ago, there were conflicts on the border and the Beastman army suddenly invaded. The previous King fell in battle and this Knight Princess was sent straight to the battlefield at the last moment. Her army charged for a thousand miles, sweeping the Beastman army back to their own land.

nHowever, in that battle, there were no records of her personally appearing on the battlefield, so her fighting prowess and job are still unknown. However, regardless of whether it’s internally in the country or beyond, there are rumors spreading that compare her with the Legendary Twins, Roland and Karwenz.

nThree hundred years ago, the Holy Knight Roland from the legends grew swiftly in war, reaching Bronze by the age of 12, Silver by 13 and Gold by 14. Before his demise, it is said that the God of Holy Light seemed to have brought about a miracle which allowed him to step into the realm of Legends, giving him the power to slaughter countless enemies. However, it is a pity that he was too young and eventually died in the war.

nEven if he was a human with the greatest potential, this kind of growth rate was still unfathomable. If he were to carry on growing at such a speed, wouldn’t it mean that he would have become a SemiGod by the time he reached 20? Even more so, due to the speed of his progress being too outrageous, there were even secret rumors that his resentment pierced through the heavens, such that the God of Holy Light couldn’t even stand looking at it. Thus, he granted him the power to overcome his limits.

nFurthermore, with this rumor as the basis, there was even a bishop who proposed to canonize Roland, giving him the posthumous title of Saint Roland, However, the action of exposing their own dark history was equivalent to slapping the face of the entire Holy Church and would never be passed.

nAlright, it sounds so legendary but the truth is that in a bid to level up, a certain Transcender grinded his level up by killing mobs with a frenzy, hoping that he could reverse the situation in the end. However, he was unable to avoid the tragedies that fate had in store for him.

nAlso, if Roland is a growth-type prodigy, then Karwenz would be the incredible-type prodigy. Being both a Mage and a Warrior, he reached Gold-rank for both fields early on in his life. By the age of 12, he was already a double Legend, which resulted in the Bloodshed of Baine. If Roland is the Holy Church’s one-in-three-hundred-years prodigy, then Karwenz would be the entire Eich Continent’s one-in-a-thousand-years prodigy.

nTL: Bloodshed of Baine, refer to Chapter 61

nI’m the only one that knows Karwenz had long touched the boundaries of the Saint-rank. From the start, it wasn’t that he simultaneously studied both magic and martial arts and then broke through them both. Rather, after reaching the Legend-rank in magic, he became bored so he went to learn martial arts and eventually reached the Legend-rank for it as well.

nThis kind of growth rate is inhumane, but if the person in question isn’t human from the start, it could be understandable.

nThrough my investigations in my later lives, I managed to find out the truth. Karwenz is a Demonic Offspring. Or rather, although he is a human, he is the person chosen by the Chaos Abyss, so it isn’t possible for him to be normal. It can be said that the Demon Invasion back then was quite suspicious. Their primary objective must have been to get the Chaos Abyss’ favored one to return.

nAlso, in another one of my adventures, I accidentally discovered that there were many dark secrets behind that incident.

nA certain retarded Seer predicted that in the country of the far north, of a twin born, one will become the Prince of the Chaos Abyss. In order to prevent that kind of fate from happening, a bunch of idiots who thought of themselves as the protectors of the world first pressured the upper echelons of the Holy Church and then forced the Mist royalty to hand over their elder son to the Holy Church to serve as a hostage. They intended to resist fate by converting one of them into a Holy Knight and getting rid of the other. On many occasions, they sent assassins to get rid of the younger son. However, this turned into an opportunity for the younger son’s powers to grow and mature.

nI’ll admit it, the prophecy wasn’t wrong. With the System by my side, if I were to go all out and kill people to level up, I would definitely be even more demonic than Karwenz. Furthermore, in the ‘history’, it is indeed Roland who turns into the Prince of Chaos Abyss. If so, it isn’t wrong to say that either one of the two Princes could turn out to be the Demonic Offspring.

nHowever, sometimes I would ponder, that if the ridiculous prophecy didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be forced into such a state. Was the prophecy absolute in predicting those future events or was it that the prophecy, through the butterfly effect, resulted in it turning into reality? Probably no one can say for sure. If we were to really study it, it would be a paradox of whether the chicken came first or the egg came first. It is unsolvable and thinking about it is pointless on its own.

nOn the other hand, flies won’t be attracted to eggs that aren’t cracked. Even without schemers fanning the flames from the back, given the situation back then, under the temptation of profits, war will still be triggered in the end. Being alone, we would not have been able to withstand the invasion of the allied forces, so the ending would still probably be the same.

nAlright, back to the main topic at hand, the Princes of the fallen country, one of whom was a tragic hero who died for his country, while the other was an anti-hero who sacrificed everything just to seek vengeance for his lost country, even if this twisted history isn’t accepted by most of the masses, but even now, the Twin Princes remain the pride of the Mist Country. For this princess to be compared to the Legendary Twin Stars from three hundred years ago, it is enough to show how loved she is by her people.

nHowever, there was something else I noticed. The way Princess Reyne dressed up in the painting, and even her hairstyle was one imitating that of the Roland back then. In fact, the silver female plate mail that she wore is a feminine version of my Thorn Battle Armor from before. Also, that seemingly happy smile is a derivation of the Holy Knight’s standard smile.

n“If it isn’t that she worships those heroic characters from three hundred years ago, then the greatest possibility is that she is intentionally trying to imitate the heroic characters from legend. It might be due to overwhelming circumstances that are out of her control, that has led the princess to resort to this kind of tactics to gather the support of the people. This isn’t a good omen.”

nPerhaps all this while, I have been subconsciously trying to avoid the new owners of that land, and that is why I have been either trying to treat them as fakes or with apathy. Even when I started to gather and organize intelligence from each country, I didn’t start from the East Mist Communal Country.

nNow that the facts are thrown at my face, if I were to avoid them any further, I would really be a tortoise hiding in its shell. This isn’t my style of doing things.

nStepping into the bathroom alone, I soak myself in the bathtub. Taking off my Time Distortion Ring, I carefully set the number from 20 to 12 before putting it back on and then…

n“As expected, still exactly the same.”

nWhen my age regresses to the point before puberty, the unique traits that each gender possesses isn’t that apparent on me. The reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall, which looks almost exactly the same as the face on the drawing, crushes the final sliver of hope that it might just be a coincidence.

n“Ahhhhhhh, could it be that I really drank too much back then and got into trouble? But that shouldn’t be possible. Back then, the Holy Knight Order was full of different kinds of prohibition. Before I reached the age of 12, I led a life like a monk in Baine and after turning 12, I spent my days fighting in wars. So, how could I possibly have the time to make such a mistake?”

nWhat can be more incomprehensible than a great-great-great-granddaughter suddenly appearing? However, the only thing that was reassuring was that although they have advertised themselves as descendants of Roland, whether they really are Roland’s or Karwenz’s is still a mystery.

nAfter all, when Karwenz led the Demon army to cleanse away those who destroyed our homeland, he made many enemies and much resentment was directed towards him. Under that kind of situation, even if she really is Karwenz’s descendant, she’d probably try to avoid admitting it. So, it is natural that she would raise the flag of Roland.

n“That darned little brother. I still have to carry the blame for you, even at a time like this.”

nRemembering back then, as twins, we were totally identical. Even though I was obviously much better at talking, Karwenz was always much more popular than me. Not to mention, he wasn’t limited by the many troublesome prohibitions of the Holy Knights. At a young age, he was good at acting innocent to bypass those big sisters’ defenses. Not just the maids in court, there were even quite a few daughters of nobles that had fallen into his hands. He often bragged about this to his big brother.

nEven though I felt the urge to grind my teeth in anger, I still had to maintain my image as a member of royalty and as a Holy Knight. I had to be gentlemanly and be careful of my reputation and people’s perception of me. In the end, at the point of my death, I was still a virgin. But now, there are a bunch of people claiming to be my descendants, making me feel really wronged.

nAlright, I admit that this is the envy and hatred of a 300-year old Great Archmage (Well-known among the commoners, a 30-year old male virgin will naturally turn into a Wizard. If so, three hundred years should be long enough to create a Wizard of Forbidden Spells or Archmage right?), but when I think about the fact that I might have a great-great-great-granddaughter whose physical age is older than me (the exact relationship isn’t clear at this point), I somehow feel my head start to hurt.

n“Un? The door isn’t locked? Oh, I’m sorry.”

nSuddenly, the door opens. That mad dog abruptly walks straight into my bathroom. After looking at the me who was soaking in the tub, she immediately turns around to walk out.

nOh, no, she didn’t walk out. She went to lock the door! What does she want to do!!

n“Hehe, I knew that something was wrong. That is magic that changes one physique right? So, which one is your true age and name? Rolo? Rolande? I’m guessing that it is Rolo, otherwise, you would have already taken advantage of our Big Sister. You also wouldn’t be so mad when I talked about being sexually impotent and being underdeveloped. I’m sorry, seems like I accidentally hit your sore spot. Next time, Momo will be more sensitive.”

nAlthough what you said sounds nice, but what exactly do you intend to do? Why are you closing in on me! Why are you stepping into the bathtub! What is with that saliva drooling down your mouth!!

n“Let Momo hug you a bit, just a bit. Momo won’t do anything, I promise!”

nWipe away your saliva first before saying those words! Also, that depraved laughter, should I say, as expected of Dark Elves? What exactly does that bizarre action of you twirling your fingers mean! What do you intend to do!

n“Be good, little darling. It will hurt just a bit.” The mad dog has already turned into the incarnation of lust. I, who was dumbfounded, had already been forced into a corner.

n“Don’t even think about it! Dark-skinned Elves! Don’t you touch my man.”

n“Momo, what are you doing!”

nJust a second before Diana shatters the doorknob and enters, a burst of light suddenly shoots out from the ring on my right hand and strikes squarely on Momo. Under the rage of the Demon Marquess, she is immediately sent flying.

n“I’m sorry, Roland. The emergency rescue sequence has been activated. The energy in the ring has been exhausted. I’m afraid that we won’t be able to communicate with each other for three days. I really didn’t set the presence of water as the activation sequence. As for bathroom PLAY and bathroom peeping, I am not interested in it at all.”

nAlright, Elisa. Even if you act cute at a time like this, I won’t find you cute.

n“I’m sorry, my Lord. I will talk to her.”

nFine, you have already rushed in. Also, can you stop looking at me so calmly? Even if I am an undeveloped boy, I still have human rights!

nThe Gray Elf who came rushing in heaves up her colleague while lowering her head in apology. However, her action of covering the mocking smile hanging on her mouth after sneaking a glance at me really makes one feel infuriated.

nAlright, after the two Gray Elves leave, the bathroom becomes peaceful once more. However, I solemnly get out from the bath. The first thing I do is remove Elisa’s ring and place it below my clothes. Next, I readjust the Time Distortion Ring and wear it once more. Lastly, I retrieve the spare sword among my items and place it by the bathtub before continuing on with my bath.

nFive minutes later…

n“Un, the door is spoilt? Is someone inside? Oh, a man’s clothes. Then, since the tub is big enough, let’s all just bathe together. We can wash together and even scrub each other’s backs.”

n“Big Brother, your soap dropped. Let me pick it up for you.”

nThis time, the ones who appear are the duo brothers that I’ve been finding harder and harder to look at, Beifeng and Casio.

n“I’ve had enough of perverts! Eat my Sin-Splitting Strike!”

nHowever, due to the vast difference in power, Beifeng was able to successfully catch my sword bare handed.

nEven so, I thought that preparing the sword is a correct decision. The mistake was with this band’s name. With a name like ‘Absolute Gentleman Alliance’, can I really still expect there to be any normal people in its midst?

n“You think that you’re a normal person just because you said that? Gentlemen and perverts, they all attract one another.”

nSuddenly, from the tub, a wet little cat jumps out. After shaking off the water on her body, she struts past me and walks out of the bathroom.

n“Harloys! You were there too!”

n“Slimes have to re-hydrate themselves frequently. I got in even earlier than you. Seriously, even though you are so old, to still be so calculative with a little cat. Right, your body in your younger form is not bad, quite cute. Do you want to consider joining my harem? Although I don’t accept males, for such a cutie, I guess I can make do with a male.”

n“Harloys! Eat my Holy Light Strike!”

n——————

nThe pitch black night doesn’t mean the end of a day. In the end, the ‘accident’ during the day turns into a farce that entangles everyone within it. Feeling tired and sore all around, I wanted to take a bath to rejuvenate myself. However, remembering that the bath is the start of everything today, in the end, I could only lie helplessly on my bed.

nUnexpectedly, the cat-transmogrified Harloys also jumps into the room through the windows.

n“Hey, it is time for lessons. You probably don’t want news about a Holy Knight learning Elemental Magic to spread. It would be best for you to cut down on the freak titles.”

nShe might be dangerous and unreliable, but valuing promises and the inheritance of knowledge has always been one of the few good points of Harloys.

nRemembering the Ice Magic lessons that she promised me, my excitement suddenly surges. During my second life, I had already learned Ice Magic from Harloys. However, Harloys wasn’t that easy to talk to back then, so it’s hard to tell how much of the knowledge she imparted me was real. On the other hand, she still kept criticizing me, calling me dumb, and that’s why I wasn’t able to truly learn it well.

nBut half an hour later…

n“I said that you are a pig and you really are acting like one. There is really no way to teach such a dumb disciple. What I want is for you to feel the breathing of the Elements, not for you to control them. Communication, you get it? Communication. Not ordering them, threatening them. With you screwing around like that, let’s not mention SemiGod, how the hell did you even become a Legend Mage?”

n“Of course it’s through cheating via the System.”

nAlright, it is enough to just think about this in my mind, there isn’t a need for me to say the words out loud. However, it seems that even if Harloys were to properly teach me back then, the result would still be the same.

n“I really have no idea how you taught Elisa. She has already found her own path for her Ice Magic and her potential is limitless. As for you, your understanding of magic is still stuck at the level of an apprentice.”

n“I only threw the book about Incantation and my study notes to her, telling her to consult Magaret if there’s anything she’s unsure of. That’s all.”

nThe cat sighed helplessly. Then, in a sudden distortion of space, she warped into the form of a human. Due to me leveling up, her transmogrification abilities are getting stronger as well. The golden-haired young girl appears once again, but…

n“Puuu, how cute.”

nLooking at the 10cm-tall, tiny doll-like figure acting like a teacher, I immediately burst into laughter. The intent for vengeance is clear within the laughter.

nHarloys sighs helplessly.

n“Are you learning or not? If you’re not interested, I’m going to go sleep. If you were a little bit more capable, would I transform into a figure so small?”

nThe Magic Pet’s abilities are directly correlated with its owners. As I am still extremely weak now, she is still far from being able to transmogrify into a human.

n“Elemental Magic originates from the Ancient Elemental Gods. The Elemental Gods and Elements have their own temper. Each type of Elemental Magic has their own nature. As your understanding of Ice Magic is still stuck on the surface level, it is natural that you are unable to progress any further than that. What do you think the nature of Ice is? Why did you choose to study Ice Magic back then?”

nThe nature of Ice? Isn’t it caused by low temperatures? Why is that hard to understand?

nWhy did I choose Ice from the start? It’s all because I was born in a country of snow, making the cruelty of the frigid winter etched deep into my mind, thus making me feel that the potential of Ice Magic is limitless.

n“Actually, every top-tier Elemental Mage has their own understanding of Elements. The reason why I didn’t teach you before this is not because I am keeping the knowledge to myself. Rather, I hoped that you could discover it yourself. But, seeing how even after a few centuries, you are still stuck at this level, I know that given your talent in Magic, it would be a few millenniums before you really comprehend. I will just talk about my own understanding of it then.”

nHer small hands wave slightly and an extremely small-scale Fire Eagle soars around the room. Harloys points and a white cloud floats over to it. I thought that the Fire Eagle would explode due to the collision of Fire and Ice but what surprises me is that the Fire Eagle only turns white and slows down.

nThis totally collides with the common knowledge of what happens when Fire and Ice come together. Suddenly, I seem to comprehend a little on why Elisa is able to simultaneously control both Ice and Fire.

n“Based on my own understanding, Ice isn’t something that exists in reality. She is a kind of state and tendency that is able to slow down all matters or even stop them entirely.”

nHearing these words, I suddenly feel a surge of respect for Harloys. Temperature is a kind of energy and lowering the temperature will reduce the activity of matter. This concept of Physics is nothing for a Transcender, but for a local Mage to be able to deduce this from Elemental Magic, it would require the accumulation of countless theories and experiments. This proves that Harloys’s talent for Magic Creation is pretty high and she is indeed worthy of the noble title of The Omniscient One.

n“Every Ice Mage has a different understanding towards the nature of Ice. There is no such thing as superior or inferior understanding, nor is there a right or wrong way of understanding. Your little disciple is skilled in Ice Creation. I think she probably understands Ice as ‘The Moment of Silence’. The reason why she is able to train both Ice and Fire simultaneously is because she views Fire as ‘The Moment of Movement’, thus complementing each other to form an entire world. Warriors strengthen their physical body to change the world, while Mages use their will and imagination to affect the world. Don’t use the dumb methods of Warriors to understand magic, otherwise, you will be stuck at the level of an apprentice for your entire life.”

nLooking at the serious face of this 10cm-tall doll, for the first time, I feel that she is indeed a teacher. I silently nod my head.

n“Ice Magic, huh?”

nClosing my eyes, I fall into thought. In my hometown, during winter, the tall and steep snow mountains and the ice rivers. In the cruel elimination game of nature, all life struggles to vie for the right to survive and nature uses its own methods to choose the strong ones who have the privilege to live on.

n“Thank you, teacher. I roughly understand.”

n