Chapter 707: Inheritance

All her life—

The cold had always been her ally.

The biting winds that howled across the north.

The endless snowstorms that swallowed entire landscapes.

The mountains buried under thick layers of ice.

The frozen lands where life itself struggled to exist.

None of it ever bothered Elea.

To others, the cold was something to fear.

Something to endure.

Something that slowly ate away at the body and mind.

But to her—

It was different.

The cold was quiet.

It was honest.

It didn’t deceive, didn’t betray, didn’t demand anything from her.

It simply… existed.

And in that stillness—

It numbed her.

Her pain.

Her regrets.

Her desires.

Everything that made the world feel heavy.

The cold took it all away.

And for Elea…

That was enough.

It was the only thing that allowed her to keep moving forward in a world that never seemed to rest.

A continent ravaged by war.

Kingdoms rising, only to fall.

Empires built on ambition, collapsing under their own weight.

Humanity—

Always divided.

Always fighting.

Never truly united.

It didn’t matter how much time passed.

Nothing ever changed.

And because of that—

Elea had always believed in one thing.

That humanity would eventually fall.

Whether it was by their own hands…

Or by the demons that lurked beyond their borders.

It was inevitable.

A slow, certain end.

…

But then—

A miracle happened.

A young man appeared.

Chosen by the gods.

A being that shouldn’t have existed in such a broken world.

And yet—

He did.

He brought something no one had seen in a long time.

Hope.

Real hope.

The kind that didn’t feel fragile.

The kind that didn’t fade overnight.

The kind that made people believe again.

The humans who once stood divided…

Began to unite.

Not by force.

Not by fear.

But because they wanted to follow him.

His presence alone was enough.

His smile—

Simple.

Unassuming.

Yet powerful enough to quiet nightmares that had haunted the continent for years.

Battles that once felt endless began to turn.

Despair slowly gave way to something warmer.

Something brighter.

…

And before Elea even realized it—

That same person had slipped into her world.

Into her life.

Into her—

Frozen heart.

Not forcefully.

Not dramatically.

Just… naturally.

Like warmth seeping into cold hands.

Like sunlight touching frozen ground.

…

But—

His heart already belonged to someone else.

The Saintess.

The one chosen by the gods to stand beside him.

The one destined to walk with him.

And the two of them—

They didn’t just fulfill that role.

They loved each other.

Truly.

Happily.

…

Elea knew that.

From the very beginning.

And yet—

For the first time in her life…

The cold that had always comforted her—

Didn’t feel enough.

…

They say denying your feelings will break you eventually.

That sooner or later, something cracks.

But not Elea.

She had chosen this path long ago—chosen to freeze her heart, to bury everything beneath layers of quiet, unmoving cold. It wasn’t forced on her. It wasn’t a defense anymore.

It was simply who she was.

The frost answered her like it always had—pure, absolute, beautiful in its stillness. No hesitation. No pain. No longing.

And yet…

That cold she held so perfectly—

It stirred.

Something faint. Something small. Like an itch she couldn’t quite reach. It crept from the very edges of her being, slipping through the cracks she never thought existed.

Annoying.

Unnecessary.

…Unfamiliar.

So what if she couldn’t have the hero?

That was never hers to begin with.

If it was for her friends—if it was for the people she chose to protect—then nothing else mattered.

Nothing should have mattered.

“…Yes… her name… it’s Celestine… hehe… please, Elea… my little Celes… take care of her…”

Minerva’s voice.

Weak. Fading.

Warm.

That day… the saintess lay in bed, her strength already gone, her life slipping away just as new life entered the world.

And when Minerva died—

Elea felt it.

A disturbance.

A flaw.

Something in her cold, unmoving heart shifted.

Just a little.

…

“Mother…!”

“…Hng?”

Elea’s eyes opened slowly.

The first thing she saw was a face far too close to hers.

“Celestine…?”

“You’re finally awake… seriously…” Celestine let out a long breath, her shoulders dropping. “We were really getting worried, you know.”

“Yeah, that’s right, aunty!” Anica’s voice followed right after, loud as ever. “Yesterday, after dinner, you suddenly collapsed on the way to your room!”

“Ooh… really now?”

Elea blinked a few times, her voice calm, almost absent-minded.

Celestine’s expression tightened.

“You’re taking this too lightly again…” she said, lips forming a small pout. “This is why I told you to stop doing everything on your own. Shopping, housework… you don’t have to do all of it yourself.”

Elea paused.

…Ah.

It wasn’t often she saw Celestine like this.

Annoyed.

Worried.

Speaking like this.

“Aunty, are you alright now?” Anica leaned in slightly, eyes full of concern. “Maybe you should take more medicine. We took— I mean, kindly asked the village doctor to come yesterday. And we even kidnap— I mean, gently asked a traveling priest to check on you too…”

She coughed, trying to fix her words.

“…They both said you’ve been lacking energy or something…”

Elea couldn’t help it.

A small smile slipped through.

“I see…” she said softly. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

Her gaze lingered on them for just a moment longer.

“…But I’m fine.”

“Liar….”

Celestine said blankly.

“You always say that… and yet you’re always hiding something.”

Celestine’s voice didn’t shake.

It was steady. Too steady.

“Tell me, mother… you’re sick, aren’t you?”

The words came out clean. Direct.

No way around them.

Elea’s fingers twitched slightly.

“…Fufu, no, I’m not, dear—”

“You said that last month too!”

Celestine cut her off.

Her voice rose, sharp enough to slice through the room.

“….”

“….”

Silence fell.

It lingered, heavy and awkward.

Even Anica—who usually spoke without thinking, who laughed through anything—went quiet. She shifted in place, glancing between them, unsure what to do.

Celestine didn’t look away.

Her eyes stayed locked on Elea.

And now, there were tears in them.

Not falling.

Just… there.

“Tell me, mother…” her voice softened, but it hurt more this way. “What’s really wrong?”

“I told you… I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

There was no hesitation this time.

No doubt.

Celestine took a step closer.

“You know… I’ve always done everything you asked of me,” she said, her voice tightening. “I worked hard. I listened. I did my best in everything.”

Her hands clenched slightly at her sides.

“I’ve been a good girl. The perfect daughter.”

A pause.

“And I never asked you for anything.”

Elea’s chest felt tight.

“…Celestine—”

“Not even the things I chose to ignore until now.”

That—

Made Elea tremble.

Just a little.

“…So at least…” Celestine’s voice cracked, barely holding together now. “At least tell me what’s wrong this time.”

Under normal circumstances… she would’ve let it go.

This wasn’t the first time Elea had collapsed.

This wasn’t the first time something felt off.

But yesterday—

“…It seems your mother was struck by a curse.”

“Curse?”

Celestine’s voice from then echoed in her mind.

“Yes… quite a powerful one at that.” The priest had frowned, his expression troubled. “I’m surprised she survived this long. It seems her mana is… unusually dense. It’s been holding the curse back.”

Holding it back.

Not removing it.

“…But it won’t last,” he had continued quietly. “It’s only a matter of time before the curse fully takes over.”

“No… then do something!” Celestine had stepped forward without thinking. “You’re a priest, right? You can fix this!”

The man hesitated.

And that hesitation told her everything.

“I’m sorry… there are limits to what I can do,” he admitted. “To cleanse a curse of this level… we would need someone of much higher authority.”

“…Like who?”

“…The Pope. Or a Saintess.”

A beat.

“…Both positions are currently vacant.”

Silence.

“I am truly sorry.”

…

That was when it sank in.

How serious it really was.

And now—

Standing here, in front of Elea—

Celestine’s hands trembled slightly.

“…So tell me,” she said, her voice low, desperate now. “Why are you still saying you’re fine?”

Faced with that unrelenting gaze, Elea couldn’t help but tremble.

Her breath came out uneven, just slightly.

Just enough to betray her.

Crack…!

Somewhere deep inside her frozen heart—

Something fragile broke.

It wasn’t loud.

It wasn’t even clear.

But she felt it.

A thin fracture spreading through something she had kept perfectly still for so long.

…Annoying.

Unnecessary.

In a matter of moments, she buried it again.

Pushed it down.

Sealed it beneath layers of cold, like it was never there to begin with.

“Fufu… you’ve always been a smart, perceptive, beautiful girl…”

“This isn’t something to laugh about!”

“I know…”

Elea’s voice softened.

And for once, she didn’t look away.

She looked at Celestine properly.

Not as a child.

But as she was now.

Time had passed so quietly.

Too quietly.

And somewhere along the way, the small girl she once held had grown into someone else entirely.

Refined.

Strong.

Kind.

…Familiar.

Elea’s fingers tightened slightly.

That kindness.

That beauty.

That warmth in her eyes.

Even her talent… her intelligence…

She was becoming more and more like them.

Like her real mother.

Like her real father.

A child meant for something bright.

Something far beyond this small, quiet life.

…and Elea had tried to suppress that.

All of it.

Out of fear.

If only Celestine’s talent hadn’t aligned with that thing—

That existence that once tried to destroy the world—

Then maybe…

…maybe things would have been different.

Elea shook her head faintly.

No.

Inside—

Celestine was still Celestine.

No matter what slept within her.

No matter what kind of curse coiled around her soul.

She was her daughter.

That would never change.

…How much did she actually know?

Elea wasn’t sure.

But—

It was time.

At least… part of it.

“Celestine…” her voice came out quieter than before. “Please forgive me this time, alright?”

Celestine didn’t respond.

She just watched her.

“I know… keeping secrets between us isn’t right,” Elea continued, a faint smile on her lips. “But… trust me. It’s something important.”

A pause.

“…Is it dangerous?”

The question was immediate.

Sharp.

“…”

“…”

Elea didn’t answer right away.

For a brief moment—

Silence pressed in again.

“No…” she said at last. “Not at all.”

Celestine’s gaze didn’t soften.

“…You’re lying.”

Elea let out a small breath.

“…Maybe,” she admitted. “But not about everything.”

Another pause.

“I know you have questions,” she went on. “A lot of them.”

Her eyes lowered slightly.

“…Just… give me a little more time. That’s all I’m asking.”

Celestine stood there, unmoving.

Thinking.

Weighing her words.

“…Alright.”

It was quiet.

Reluctant.

But she accepted it.

For now.

A strange understanding settled between them.

Unspoken.

And right in the middle of it—

Anica, who had been awkwardly standing between the two this entire time, blinked in confusion.

“…So uh…” she glanced from one to the other. “…are we fighting or not?”

“Fufu… not at all, my dear Anica…”

Elea’s voice softened as she reached out, pulling Anica closer into a gentle hug. Her hand moved to the girl’s head, patting it lightly, almost absentmindedly.

“Celestine and I just had a small misunderstanding,” she continued calmly. “I’ll clear everything up soon, so there’s no need to worry.”

Her eyes shifted toward Celestine.

“…Think of it as a different kind of mother and daughter bonding… isn’t that right, dear?”

“…Yes.”

Celestine answered, but there was a pause before it.

A small one.

Enough to tell.

“Now both of you are lying to me!”

Anica suddenly protested, squirming a little in Elea’s arms—though not all that seriously. If anything, she leaned into it more than she resisted.

Elea let out a quiet chuckle.

“Speaking of lying… aren’t the two of you the most guilty?” she said lightly. “Especially you, my dear daughter…”

That—

Caught both of them off guard.

Celestine blinked.

Anica tilted her head.

“What do you mean?”

“What are you saying, aunty?”

“Fufu…” Elea’s smile didn’t change. “You didn’t actually think I wouldn’t notice, did you?”

A small pause.

Then—

“…The two of you practicing dangerous [High Grade Magic] deep inside the forest.”

Silence.

Celestine stiffened.

Anica froze.

“M-Mother… you knew?”

“Yes,” Elea answered simply. “I’m the one who’s been teaching you all this time, remember?”

Her gaze sharpened just slightly.

“I’m both your mother… and your teacher. No one understands your aptitude better than I do.”

Celestine’s lips parted slightly.

“Then why didn’t you—”

“Say anything?” Elea finished for her. “Because I was waiting.”

A small pause.

“For you to tell me yourselves.”

“T-That’s…” Celestine looked away, her voice tightening. “…unfair.”

“That’s right, aunty!” Anica added quickly, finally pulling back just enough to look at her properly. “If you already knew, then why did you keep holding Celestine back with those boring books?!”

Elea didn’t answer right away.

Her hand slowed on Anica’s head.

“…I had my reasons.”

Quiet.

Simple.

Then she exhaled softly.

“…But I suppose… it’s partly my fault too.”

That was rare.

Very rare.

Elea admitting something like that.

Both girls looked at her again.

And then—

A faint smile returned to her lips.

“…So,” she said, her tone lightening just a bit, “how about I teach you properly from now on?”

Just as her frost-bound fate had always been absolute—

This child’s future was never meant to be buried in that same cold.

Celestine wasn’t someone who should be protected from it.

…She was someone who was meant to stand above it.

To command it.

Elea lowered her gaze slightly.

There wasn’t much time left.

She knew that better than anyone.

And still… she had done everything she could. Every small, selfish thing to keep her daughter away from the path waiting for her. To shield her from a future filled with ruin and loneliness.

But that time was over.

It had to be.

“…It’s time,” she murmured under her breath.

Crackle…!

Deep within the frozen space of her heart—

Something was being built.

Not ice.

Not simply frost.

A structure.

A silent, towering castle formed from absolute cold, its walls layered with suppression, its foundation carved from everything Elea had sealed away.

And at its center—

A dark, orb-like mass pulsed faintly.

Heavy.

Unstable.

Chained.

Countless frozen chains wrapped around it, binding it in place as thin, invisible threads stretched outward…

Reaching.

Connecting.

All the way to Celestine.

It trembled.

Not in resistance—

But in recognition.

Elea’s eyes closed briefly.

Once this was complete…

Her final gift—

Would be ready.

Something only she could give.

Something only Celestine could inherit.

“…Just a little longer,” she whispered.

Until then—

She would stay by her side.

Even if—

Even if Celestine would come to hate her for it.

A faint smile formed on her lips.

“…I don’t mind.”

Because in the end—

She was just a mother.

One who loved her daughter far too much.

…

“My… you came to see me first this time?”

The Frost Queen sat upon her throne, one leg crossed over the other, her posture relaxed but unmoving.

The vast throne room stretched out before her, silent and empty.

No guards.

No generals.

Not even her closest aides.

She had dismissed them all.

And so—

It was just the two of them.

Her gaze settled on the man walking forward.

Riley.

Those cold blue eyes of his were the same as always—sharp, observant, as if measuring everything he saw.

“How was your exploration?” she asked lightly. “I hope you enjoyed it.”

“Well,” he replied, glancing around once more, “the castle is certainly… fancy in many ways.”

“Fufu… thank you. Everything here was actually designed by my mother.”

“…Mother.”

There was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

Brief.

But he didn’t press it.

Instead, he looked at her directly.

No hesitation.

No softening.

“…Soon, you’ll die.”

The words fell flat in the empty hall.

Blunt.

The Frost Queen simply blinked.

Then—

“I know.”

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