Chapter 705: Frozen Trials 12

Since Riley had plans of his own, he didn’t particularly mind Gallan’s proposal.

Even if what the Frost Giant chieftain was planning could be considered betrayal, Riley couldn’t exactly say the Frost Queen had the moral high ground either.

After all, she herself was planning to abandon the dungeon once Snow inherited her position.

In a way, Gallan was simply preparing for the inevitable.

Still…

’I don’t think Snow will abandon this place once she becomes the Frost Queen, but…’

Riley continued walking through the frozen corridors as he thought about it.

The truth was, there weren’t many clear benefits to owning a dungeon like the Frozen Castle.

It was filled with frost-born monsters, creatures tied to the cold lands of the north.

And even though many of them appeared civilized—or at least capable of reason—they were still monsters at their core.

Their instincts.

Their nature.

Their loyalty.

All of it ultimately revolved around power.

Unless Snow planned to use them as a personal army, there was a good chance she would decide the most practical choice would be to destroy the dungeon entirely and absorb the dungeon core herself.

Doing so would allow her to inherit its power directly without having to manage an entire ecosystem of monsters and politics.

The Frost Queen herself likely understood this outcome.

And if Snow truly became the next Frost Queen, that decision would naturally fall to her.

Still…

’The generals could be useful.’

Riley considered the individuals who stood at the top of the dungeon’s hierarchy.

Aside from the now-unpredictable Frost Giant chieftain, Gallan, the other generals might actually become valuable assets.

Powerful monsters.

Experienced leaders.

Beings capable of commanding the creatures of the frozen dungeon.

If they could be brought under Snow’s command, they could serve as a strong foundation for whatever she chose to build in the future.

Of course…

Whether they would willingly swear loyalty to Snow was another matter entirely.

’Though monsters inherently worship power…’

Riley thought quietly.

’It might be possible.’

After thinking about it for a while, Riley eventually let the thoughts drift away.

There was no reason for him to decide these things.

In the end, all those decisions would belong to Snow once she returned.

’I just need to do my part.’

Riley continued walking through the icy halls, his footsteps echoing softly.

Originally, they had only come to the north for a simple reason.

To make Snow stronger.

To allow her the opportunity to stand openly at his side without restraint.

But somehow…

Things never stayed simple around him.

It seemed fate had a strange habit of entangling Riley—and everyone connected to him—into far more complications than necessary.

…

High above the sky, a small red portal shimmered faintly in the cold air.

It rippled like disturbed water.

Then—

A cat’s head slowly popped out.

Emerald eyes glowed softly as they scanned the surroundings, shifting between blue and red for a brief moment as if analyzing everything in sight.

’She’s gone?’

Cheshire wondered silently.

He cautiously pushed himself a little further out of the small portal he had created. The grayish fog that constantly trailed around his floating head drifted and curled like a living thing, lightly wiggling as if confused by the sudden calmness of the area.

“I was pretty sure she was watching…”

He muttered under his breath.

“…but I guess she had enough?”

The name that lingered in his mind was one he had no desire to encounter again.

Liyana Heavens.

Although Cheshire had never truly interacted with her directly, he knew enough to understand one thing.

That monstrous fiancée of Riley was not the type to be satisfied with crumbs when it came to satisfying her curiosity.

If she had really been observing something here…

Then simply leaving so easily didn’t make sense.

Back then, the moment Cheshire sensed her presence, he had hidden immediately.

No hesitation.

No pride.

Just pure instinct.

And now that her presence had completely vanished…

He somehow felt even more uneasy.

“Sigh…”

A long sigh escaped him as he felt a headache forming.

Riley had called for him personally.

That alone was suspicious enough.

Out of all the people Riley could rely on, Cheshire was probably one of the least trusted options available.

So the fact that Riley specifically summoned him meant something unusual was happening.

Cheshire didn’t know exactly what the situation was yet.

But judging from the environment he was looking at now…

It was definitely serious.

’Should I report this to Alice?’

The thought crossed his mind briefly.

Alice would definitely want to know if something related to Riley was happening.

But Cheshire quickly shook his head.

That would be a terrible idea.

Alice was not the type to sit still after hearing something like this.

If she found out Riley was involved in some unknown situation again, she would most likely rush here immediately.

And that would only make things worse.

The real reason Cheshire dismissed the thought so quickly was something else entirely.

This situation felt far more dangerous than he initially expected.

And more importantly—

He could sense that unnecessary conflict between the girls was the last thing needed right now.

’Now that I think about it…’

Cheshire slowly floated a little higher, his glowing eyes scanning the frozen landscape below.

’Where is Riley?’

At first, Cheshire had immediately noticed that he was near the dungeon the moment he arrived earlier.

The cold air.

The strange pressure in the surroundings.

The unmistakable magical signature of a dungeon.

Those things were impossible for him to miss.

But now…

The presence he had been searching for was nowhere to be found.

Riley’s aura, which had been faintly detectable earlier, had completely vanished.

“Hmm…”

Cheshire floated quietly in the air, his emerald eyes narrowing slightly.

’Did he go deeper?’

That was the most likely explanation.

After all, Riley was exactly the type of person who would walk straight into the heart of danger if it suited his plans.

Cheshire tilted his head slightly as he thought about it.

For a being known for whimsical tricks and mischievous games, he rarely looked this serious.

But after a moment…

He slowly nodded to himself.

The probability of something unknown—and dangerous—happening inside that dungeon was already high.

And if Riley was involved?

That probability skyrocketed.

“Ah well…”

Cheshire stretched lazily in midair.

“They say curiosity kills the cat~”

He chuckled softly.

“But I’ve never been a normal cat anyway.”

With that, he floated straight toward the dungeon entrance.

Since he had already come all the way here to help Riley, he might as well fulfill his end of the agreement.

As he drifted down toward the entrance, the battlefield below him came into clearer view.

The ground was covered in blood.

Monster corpses lay scattered everywhere, frozen into grotesque shapes by the cold northern wind.

Cheshire hummed lightly as red magical energy seeped from his body.

Thin trails of crimson mist spread across the battlefield.

As he expected, one of the reasons Riley had summoned him here was probably to clean up the aftermath.

Slowly, the corpses began dissolving.

The blood soaking the snow faded away.

Everything was devoured by the creeping red mist Cheshire released.

Within minutes, the battlefield started returning to an eerily pristine state—as if no battle had ever happened there at all.

“Seriously…”

Cheshire sighed dramatically as he floated toward the dungeon entrance.

“I’m such a hard-working cat~”

…

Meanwhile—

Back inside the trial of the Frost Queen.

Snow—or rather, Celestine at this moment—was facing one of the most difficult decisions she had encountered in her years living as Celestine.

“This is mine!”

“No, it’s mine!”

“You don’t even like blue things! THIS STAFF IS MINE!”

“No! I like it now!”

“You know you don’t!”

“You have white hair, choose the white one!”

“You also have white hair!”

Inside the small room, two girls were loudly arguing.

Several years had passed since the day Celestine saved the young dragon named Anica.

During those years, the two had lived together under the same roof.

They trained together.

Played together.

Ate together.

And slowly…

They had come to see each other as sisters.

Which meant—

Arguments like this were inevitable.

Right now, inside Celestine’s room, those very sisters were in the middle of a heated dispute.

Over something surprisingly trivial.

Two magical staffs.

One blue.

One white.

“Now, now~ you two shouldn’t argue like that,” Elea said gently, trying to calm them. “I’m sure both staffs would suit each of you perfectly. Besides, the only difference is the color—the quality and craftsmanship are exactly the same—”

“But this one is mine, Mother…” Celestine insisted, holding the blue staff tightly.

“No! It’s mine too, Aunty!” Anica protested immediately, hugging the white staff against her chest as if someone might steal it from her.

Elea blinked.

She had expected a small disagreement, but it seemed this little conflict would last for a while.

Maybe I should’ve just made both of them white…

She thought with a hint of regret.

Looking at the two girls, she let out a soft sigh and lightly shook her head. Although they looked like they were about to start a serious fight, the truth was quite the opposite.

If anything, the two cared deeply for one another.

Arguments like this weren’t new either.

Ever since Anica had started living with them, the two girls had been inseparable. And like most siblings, they often found themselves bickering over the smallest things.

A piece of bread.

A blanket.

A book.

Or now—

Two staffs that were almost identical.

Still, those little disputes never lasted long. After a while they would always make up as if nothing had happened.

Knowing this, Elea decided not to worry too much about it.

She nodded lightly and began walking toward the door.

“Alright then,” she said as she opened it. “You two decide which staff you want before late afternoon. We still have our daily practice to begin later.”

She glanced at them one more time.

“I’ll leave you two to settle this yourselves, okay?”

Then she added with a playful smile.

“And remember—no violence.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Sure, Aunty!”

Both girls answered almost instantly.

As Elea stepped out of the room and gently closed the door behind her, she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

Still…

A small thought lingered in her mind.

Watching the two of them constantly argue like that…

She sometimes wondered—

Were they truly that close…

Or were they simply that comfortable with each other?

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