[Fourteenth Floor: Heaven Nyuzoma]
After the shopping back in the fifth heaven, we took the following day off. It wasn't because we were tired or anything. We discussed several facts about the Rojo Clan of Iceborns.
They weren't as noble as Nora Clan. They weren't as honest as the Mido Clan either. They bore a different sentience from those two clans.
To begin with, their aura nature was red. However, that didn't mean they would necessarily be the high-tempered type.
"Most of them were as calm as a silent sea." Shika told me the previous night when we were having the conversation, "Their red aura was the symbol of a strong sense of judgment. They don't care for optimism and don't listen to anyone optimistic. What they need is certainty. If you're proposing them, they will judge how much you can ensure—rather than how promising your proposal is."
She remained silent for a moment. Then she took a deep breath after some consideration and continued.
"Ungu Clan might have convinced them in the past for being rebellious. But I have this feeling that they feel the same what the Mido and Nora Clan felt about us. If we can convince the certainty of winning against the Ungu Clan and seize the reclamation of Iceborns, they perhaps will give us the third fragment. However, they will judge us whether we're worthy or not. It's inevitable."
We were now on our way to the Rojo Clan, which was located at the far end of the northern provinces in the Nyuzoma Central Kingdom (Central City).
Thinking back, when she had told me all the details, I got this feeling that she somewhat believed in the Rojo Clan. She might've thought that Rojo Clan was reliable—or this might be just my imagination.
Anyway, after a long walk, we were near the Rojo Clan premises. To be more precise, we were at the threshold of their area. Then a sudden change of events occurred.
[Entry is prohibited]
[You cannot enter the specified section]
Strange!
We were a step away from our next destination.
Yet, we were somehow prohibited from entering.
Why?
"That has to be her." Shika's beautiful face paled and soon turned serious as if she was bearing some grudge.
"Who are you talking about?"
"You'll know eventually. There, she is coming towards us."
She pointed at an Iceborn in a human appearance. Was it me, or did she look a lot like Shika's human form?
In any case, she was elegant and graceful, albeit rather shockingly.
She walked elegantly, wearing the same attire as Yuukimura and Yuukihara—the same traditional shrine guardian's clothes.
Two guards were accompanying her and they had the same spears Yuukimura's soldiers had.
They halted before us—before the invisible shield that prevented us from entering their premises.
Odd!
There were no other players in this region as well.
"I've received words from my two brothers, both saying that they've submitted themselves to you, Shika." The woman said, wasting no time as she approached us, "They stood up to their natures, and so will I. However, I must say you should forget about the whole reclamation thing. What we've lost is impossible for you to reclaim—it's futile to even think of attempting to reclaim. The Iceborn Dynasty has fallen and we can't rise again."
She said it straight to Shika's face. She said it with a strange grin on her lips as if a witch looking at its prey.
However, Shika didn't flinch. She might've anticipated this would happen.
I on the other hand, was slightly irritated—not by her way of acting, but by the way of this game explaining details. Every time I visited one of those clans, I always got to know more contexts that only irritated me further.
Yes, I agree that sometimes things need more time to be explained. But this much? I feel like I was gathering not the fragments of the Frost Daiken but the fragments of this Dynastic Singularity Quest itself. Even the system didn't provide me with detailed information on the quest.
Then again… It's the way of unfolding the mysteries of this world. It's the relevant purpose of adventuring—not just fighting the monsters and ascending to the higher heavens that I had been on from the beginning, but exploring the hidden and knowing the unknowns as well.
I might've tried them out more frequently if my situation was any better than the usual players.
"You don't have to worry about that, Yuukina." Shika said promisingly, "Believe me or not, we will make it happen—we will turn the impossible into a reality. The Iceborns will regain their original positions once again."
"Calling your mother by her name, you sure have grown a lot, Shika."
I knew it. Here comes another hidden chunk of details. At this point I'm not even surprised that she is Shika's mother.
"And I assume the man over there is the source of your confidence."
"The name is Zanthrix," I replied as she stared at me curiously.
"Zanthrix, eh." She continued looking at me that way, "If you want my advice, leave the Mavi Clan at be. There's no greater fortune awaiting for you if you choose this path, son."
"I guess that's on me to decide, is it not?" I replied and for some unknown reason I was getting sarcastic, "You said you're Shika's mother right? Then that makes you Mr. Hiba's wife, doesn't it?"
"Supposedly, yes. But why do you ask?" she smiled.
It was strange. I didn't know why, but I couldn't stand anyone trying to break Shika's confidence. She was doing the same—and perhaps that motivated me to become sarcastic towards her.
"I hardly bother anyone's opinion. What made you think I'd listen to someone who betrayed her husband?"
"That's a misunderstanding the Mavi Clan had put into your ear, son." She kept her usual gesture and replied, "I didn't betray anyone. If I had to betray him, I wouldn't bother falling in love with Hiba in the first place. We, after all, are from a different clan. On the contrary, he was the man worthy of my love, otherwise, there wouldn't be any successor of the Mavi Clan standing next to you."
That backfired. I knew I shouldn't brag—especially when I had only a little knowledge. Even so, I did only to get eaten by my own words. She didn't stop just yet.
"The Iceborn clans collectively were a part of a dynasty. Just like this fragment." As she said that, the third fragment of the Frost Daiken floated on her palm. "It's not only a part of a great sword that once was bestowed upon us for the protection of the dynasty. It is also a symbol that represents that we once were a part of a greater existence. Whatever crap the Mavi Clans had put into your ears, judge them wisely—give them reasonable consideration, and only then decide whether to help them or forsake them as we did."
Yet, she deliberately accepted that they had forsaken them. However, that wasn't what I thought right now. I knew there were twists in this quest. Zariel had tried to warn me before. I was reluctant to consider that. I had sympathy for them and couldn't see them suffering. So what if they hadn't told me the entire story? I couldn't just abandon them like their own brethren.
"Like I said, I hardly bother anyone's opinion." I replied, chuckling as though I knew it all along, "I'm here to retrieve the fragment, and that's the only thing that matters right now."
She took a deep breath. The smile had vanished. She stared at me with those curious eyes and finally decided to speak.
"If you follow this path, you'll get the whole truth one way or another." She halted briefly and then continued, "Fine then, if you want this fragment, prove that you are worthy only then I'll allow the two of you into our sect."
As she said that, a system message popped out.
[Mercenary Quest has arrived]
[Clearing Condition will be updated momentarily]