“Silver-haired fluffball, wake up.”

“Wah!”

Lonis had been fast asleep when a voice woke her.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a chibi version of Lonis sitting on a rock, smiling at her.

“It’s already ten, you lazy pig. You’re still sleeping?”

“Mmm… Huh?”

Lonis rubbed her drowsy head and got to her feet.

It was still the same crude cave. The howling wind swept along the rock walls, roaring like a vicious dragon.

Lonis stood up, only to find herself still a little unsteady. That was one downside of having a girl’s body—her head always felt too heavy for her feet, making it hard to keep her balance.

And it was even worse after putting on high heels…

“Hmm… These stockings feel kind of slippery. Can I go without them?”

“If you want to freeze to death and then have me roast you over a fire, sure.”

“Huh?”

“The clothes you’re wearing are woven from ancient super-fabric. They’re not very impact-resistant, but they offer excellent protection against piercing attacks.”

“Huh?!”

“They also have lots of tiny computers built into the lining. That’s how they connect to the Warding Warm Jade and keep you warm.”

Elucia pointed at the Warding Warm Jade, then stood up.

“Ready? If you’re fine, then hurry up and get moving.”

“Mm, I’m ready…”

Lonis had just finished straightening her clothes when Elucia picked up the collar and fastened it around Lonis’s neck.

The humiliation of being restrained made Lonis shudder. Elucia, meanwhile, looked her over as if she were admiring a work of art.

“Hmph. I have to admit… You may be a total masochist, but you’ve got good taste. You have delicate features and that pitiful look you’re always wearing. You’re perfect for being trained.”

“I-I didn’t pick it because I wanted to be trained!”

“That’s why I’ll have to train you often, until you learn to enjoy it, won’t I?”

“Huh?”

“Silver-haired fluffball, we’re moving out.”

“Mmph!”

…

…

…

Elucia led Lonis along with an air of triumph, but the silver-haired girl could tell that Elucia seemed very happy today.

The villagers didn’t come looking for them, either. The two of them pressed on through the snowy mountains. When they got tired, they rested for a while; when they got thirsty, they used the “phone” to melt snow; and when they got hungry, they ate grilled steak.

Lonis had a lot more stamina than she’d had the day before.

So the two of them made good progress that day without running into any trouble. By nightfall, they’d covered dozens of miles of mountain trails.

…

At dusk, Lonis spotted something that seemed to be standing on a distant mountaintop.

(Is that… a city?)

The blowing snow made it hard to see anything clearly.

But when Lonis looked closely, she could still make out something that looked a lot like a city.

A huge silver castle stood at the very top. Below it stretched a city district several thousand meters long. The outer walls were so cold-looking, it was as if a glacier had swallowed them whole. Beyond that, there seemed to be many more buildings, all blanketed in snow.

From this distance, Lonis couldn’t make out any more details.

…

“Elucia, what’s that?”

“That’s our destination: the Snowrealm Royal Capital.”

“The Snowrealm Royal Capital…?”

“Mm. It’s where the maker of the magitech furnace was based—a civilization that once stood in the snowy mountains.”

Elucia was in a good mood, and she had a lot more to say than usual. “But that civilization fell a hundred years ago, so this capital has been abandoned for a long time.”

“…”

“There should still be ancient magitech weapons near the main gate, though, so we’ll go in from below. The lower city was where ordinary citizens lived, and it still has plenty of underground waterways.”

Elucia surveyed the ruins of the capital, seemingly checking their route forward.

As Lonis studied the city’s layout, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu… But she couldn’t say what about it seemed familiar.

…

…

And the closer they got, the stronger that familiar feeling became.

Lonis felt as if she might have been here before, but when she searched her memories, she couldn’t find a single thing connected to snowy mountains.

(What’s wrong with me? This feeling…)

The more Lonis tried to remember, the more anxious she became.

But just then, Elucia’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Lonis, hurry up.”

“Oh…?”

“We’re going in.”

Following Elucia, Lonis entered a passage that looked like a drainage pipe.

It was spacious inside. Elucia cut through the rusty metal gate with a single slash.

Their footsteps echoed quietly through the empty passage.

…

Perhaps the sewers had once been filled with a foul stench.

But the place had been abandoned for far too long. Patches of ice covered the floor, and much of the garbage had broken down over time.

So the two of them made their way forward at an easy pace without running into any obstacles.

…

But when they passed through a small, circular chamber, Lonis jumped in fright.

“W-What is that…?”

“A weapon left over from an ancient war. Don’t touch it.”

To Lonis’s horror, a metal battle automaton lay sprawled in the middle of the chamber.

It looked like a giant praying mantis. Its two enormous forelegs were over a meter long, and looked like huge scythes that could easily slice a person in half.

Across from the metal mantis lay two bodies clad in armor.

Their muscles had long since weathered away, leaving only their bones frozen in the positions they’d held in life… The two women were huddled together, as if savoring the final moments of their lives.

“Was there a war here once…?”

“You could hardly call it a war. Just a bunch of fools getting manipulated by the evil demons.”

“Huh?”

“They activated weapons that were supposed to defend against foreign enemies, then used them to attack their own people… Hmph. They were utterly deranged, willing to do anything to win.”

As Elucia gazed at the two bodies, something flickered in her eyes.

But she didn’t try to bury them…

Perhaps, for those two, that embrace had already become eternal.

“All right. Let’s keep going.”

“Elucia…”

“Lonis, I know you have a lot of questions… But there are plenty of things you’ll learn the answers to without me telling you.”

“Huh…?”

“That’s an order from your master. No questions!”

…

…

…

As Lonis continued following Elucia, that familiar feeling grew even stronger.

Now she was sure she’d been here before!

Certain empty passageways, a symbol carved into a stone wall as decoration… Lonis only had to glance at them to know she’d definitely seen them before.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember where.

It was like remembering an adventure anime you’d watched as a child that had left a deep impression on you. You could recall some details about the characters, but not the story itself or the anime’s name.

…

“Lonis, what’s wrong? You’ve looked like you had a headache ever since we came in.”

“Ah, no… I, um…?”

“Hmph. It’s not like I’m worried about you. I’m just telling you that we’re about to leave the passage. If you don’t want to get scared out of your wits, pull yourself together.”

Elucia stopped in front of a sealed door of ice.

…

…