Chapter 704: A Giant Dream interlude

When the white dragon child slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a ceiling she did not recognize.

It was pale and wooden, with simple beams running across it.

Very different from the jagged black stalactites of the cave she once called home.

Back in her nest high upon the snowy mountain, the ceiling had always been rough stone and hanging ice formations that glimmered faintly in the cold darkness.

But this…

This ceiling was smooth.

Warm in color.

It gave off a strange and unfamiliar sense of comfort.

For a brief moment, the young dragon simply stared upward in silence.

Then her instincts reacted.

Her body tensed.

“Ugh…!”

She suddenly tried to sit up.

The movement was too abrupt.

A sharp pain immediately shot through her head, followed by a dull ache spreading through her abdomen. The sudden wave of dizziness forced her to clutch her head as she groaned softly.

Her breathing quickened.

“W-where am I…?”

Her hazy eyes quickly scanned the room around her.

Everything here felt foreign.

Strange walls.

Wooden furniture.

Soft blankets beneath her body.

The young dragon had never entered a human house before in her entire life. To her senses, this unfamiliar place felt just as dangerous as the snowy wilderness outside.

Her instincts told her to escape.

But her weakened body refused to obey.

Just then—

“My, my… it looks like our guest has woken up.”

The young dragon’s head snapped toward the voice.

Standing at the doorway was a human woman casually walking into the room, carrying a tray in her hands. On the tray rested a freshly baked pie, its warm scent filling the air.

The smell alone made the dragon child’s stomach tighten.

“Are you hungry?” the woman asked with a gentle smile. “Fufu… you must be. After all, you slept so soundly for the past week.”

The dragon child immediately stiffened.

Her eyes narrowed as a faint growl escaped her throat.

However, since she was currently in her polymorphed human form, the intimidating growl of a dragon only came out as a small childish sound.

Combined with her puffed cheeks and weak posture, she simply looked like an upset little girl.

“…Who are you?”

Her voice carried suspicion and caution.

The woman seemed to find the reaction adorable.

Smiling softly, she slowly approached the bed so she wouldn’t startle the child.

“My name is Elea,” she said warmly.

She placed the tray down on a small table nearby.

“The mother of the young girl next to you.”

“…Mother?”

The dragon child blinked in confusion.

Then she slowly turned her head.

Only then did she realize that someone else was beside her.

Lying next to her on the bed was another girl.

Slightly older.

Her white hair spread gently across the pillow as she slept peacefully, one hand loosely holding onto the dragon child’s right hand.

Even in her sleep, the girl’s grip remained gentle.

The young dragon stared at the sleeping girl beside her.

For a moment her mind felt blank.

But then—

Memories slowly resurfaced.

The frozen forest.

The robed humans.

The pain.

The laughter.

The collar.

And then—

The storm of ice.

Her eyes widened slightly as realization struck.

“…My saviour…?”

The sleeping girl holding her hand was the same one who had appeared in that moment of despair.

The one who had frozen the cultists without hesitation.

The one whose presence had felt absolute.

At her quiet whisper, the woman named Elea let out a soft laugh.

“Fufu… although I told her you were fine and only needed some rest, it seems she worried a little too much about you.”

Elea gently folded her hands together as she spoke.

“She’s been spending most of her nights and days waiting for you to wake up. Constantly checking your condition… making sure your fever didn’t rise, making sure some of the poison inside you didn’t worsen.”

Her eyes softened as she looked at the two girls.

“Honestly… she barely slept.”

Elea covered her mouth lightly as she chuckled again.

“Fufu~ I’m glad I raised my daughter to be such a good girl.”

The dragon child blinked in surprise.

“Your… my saviour’s mother…?”

Elea tilted her head slightly.

“Saviour is such a strong word,” she replied gently. “But I suppose what my little Celes did might look like something a hero would do in your eyes.”

She then carefully adjusted the blanket over the dragon child.

“Anyway, please try not to move too much,” she continued kindly. “You should rest a little longer. Your body is still recovering.”

“I’ll prepare some small portions of food for you in a bit.”

Elea glanced toward the sleeping Celestine.

“You wouldn’t want to interrupt your saviour’s precious sleep, would you?”

The dragon child followed her gaze.

Celestine slept quietly beside her, her breathing slow and peaceful. Even now, her hand remained loosely wrapped around the dragon child’s.

As if she had been holding onto it the entire time.

The dragon child stared at her for a moment.

Then she slowly nodded.

“…Okay.”

Elea smiled warmly.

“Oh, by the way.”

She turned back toward the girl.

“What’s your name, young child?”

Her eyes held a faint knowing glimmer.

“Or should I say… dragonling?”

The words made the young dragon stiffen immediately.

Her body tensed.

For a brief moment, instinct told her to run.

But strangely enough…

When she looked into Elea’s calm eyes, that fear slowly faded.

There was no hostility.

No greed.

No hatred.

Just quiet understanding.

After a moment of hesitation, the girl finally spoke.

“…My name is Anica.”

Elea’s expression brightened.

“Anica, hm~”

She smiled warmly.

“That’s a beautiful name.”

…

Opening her eyes—

Frosty, crystal-like snowflakes reflected within her pure white irises.

Seated alone in the quiet chamber, the Frost Queen calmly placed the teacup in her hand back onto the table. The soft clink of porcelain against the plate echoed faintly in the silent room.

Her gaze, cold and distant as ever, remained fixed on the floating arrays of magic before her

Through them, she quietly observed the events unfolding inside her trial.

“She’s nearing the Absolute…”

The Frost Queen murmured softly to herself.

Her voice carried neither excitement nor concern.

It was merely an observation.

Although she was not the type to dwell on memories of the past, the nature of her final trial carried an irony she could not completely ignore.

The trial reflected something she had long chosen to deny.

Soon, her heir—Snow—would be forced into a decision.

A decision that required Absolute.

Not hesitation.

Not compromise.

Absolute.

For a moment, the Frost Queen quietly wondered what choice her young heir would make when that moment arrived.

Would she accept the truth of the trial?

Or would she reject it?

Then—

A subtle, almost imperceptible smile appeared on the Frost Queen’s lips.

It was faint.

Barely noticeable.

An expression so rare that almost no one in the castle had ever witnessed it.

Slowly, she stood up from her chair.

After all, with her permission, Riley had truly gone ahead and begun exploring the entire castle without restraint.

“What a compact being…”

She murmured quietly, recalling the strange human

Over the countless years of her existence, the Frost Queen had encountered many kinds of beings.

Goblins.

Giants.

Dragons.

Even entities that mortals worshipped as gods—or something close enough to that title.

Yet despite all those encounters…

She had never met someone quite like Riley.

He was an anomaly.

Not merely powerful.

But condensed.

Contained.

Like a star compressed into a mortal shell.

Even now, she still found it difficult to fully grasp what kind of existence he truly was.

In truth, her original invitation to Riley had been nothing more than a trap.

At the time, she had simply wanted to examine what kind of being stood before her.

To test him.

To measure the depth of his existence.

And if he had failed to interest her…

If he had proven unimpressive…

The Frost Queen would have killed him.

Or at the very least—

She would have tried.

But now, thinking back on it, she was glad she had not taken such drastic measures back then.

Even with her generals present at the time…

The Frost Queen was not foolish enough to underestimate an anomaly like that.

….

“A new beginning will soon rise for my race,” Gallan said, his deep voice steady. “And for that to happen… your presence is not needed. Accept my offer, and I shall also not interfere with your endeavors.”

Riley stared at him for a moment.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

Gallan’s expression did not change.

“That is not for you to know, human.”

His tone was calm, but there was something firm beneath it.

“Depending on our queen’s answer… blood may be spilled.”

He paused slightly.

“But I have prepared for such a situation.”

Riley remained silent for a moment, thinking.

“…Let me think about it.”

Gallan nodded slowly.

“That is a fine decision.”

The frost giant leaned back slightly, his massive frame relaxing.

“Let us meet again at the first sunrise tomorrow.”

“Then we shall decide.”

With those final words, Riley left the Frost Giants’ mansion.

The cold halls of the Ice Castle welcomed him again as he resumed his quiet walk through its endless corridors.

He hadn’t expected the Frost Giant chieftain to be so bold.

To openly talk about something that sounded dangerously close to rebellion—especially to someone who had just recently spoken directly with the Frost Queen herself.

Then again…

Riley thought about it for a moment.

His connection with the Frost Queen wasn’t really anything special.

“Connection” was probably too strong of a word.

They weren’t allies.

Not friends.

Not even proper acquaintances.

At best, they were like two strangers who happened to cross paths briefly and remembered each other’s faces.

Nothing more than that.

And yet…

The fact remained.

If Riley wanted to, he could easily go straight to the Frost Queen and tell her everything Gallan had just said.

He could warn her.

Expose the Frost Giant’s intentions.

But Riley didn’t do that.

He simply continued walking through the frozen halls of the castle.

After all—

That queen probably already knew.

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