NOVPUBThree days later.
The breeze caressed her face, carrying with it the chilly sting of snow and the harsh vicissitudes of the northern borderlands. The sensation was both a weight spanning a thousand years, and the cool freshness of the tundra.
She woke in the midst of winter, a piercing chill permeated her body, her eyes fluttering open.
She seemed to be riding in a vehicle, the bumpy route through the snowy mountains causing the seats to jolt.
Despite this, there was a touch of warmth on her left shoulder.
It reminded her of her childhood, when she was sick and her mother sat by her side in the exact same way.
Sigrid slowly turned her head.
In the biting wind, her companion sat by her side, donning a white shirt and diamond-patterned waistcoat, holding the reins with a relaxed demeanour.
"…"
The young man on her left noticed she was awake, a smile emerged as his gaze met hers.
However, his attention remained on the road ahead, steering the sleigh with the reins.
"I can’t muster… any strength…"
Sigrid’s voice was unusually weak and desolate as she wrapped herself tighter in her thick overcoat.
Who knew winter could be this cold. 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Days in the northern tundra are short, being either dawn or afternoon before plunging quickly back into harsh cold.
She disregarded her unruly hair and concentrated her gaze at Lanci.
She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, or where they were now.
Lanci’s collar, typically neat and smooth, was wrinkled because she had used his coat as a blanket.
"You’ve been unconscious for three days. During this time, Cat boss has primarily been taking care of you. We’re still on our way from North Border Province to Xue Yuan Province. I expect we still need a few days before we reach Xue Yuan Province,"
Lanci answered, as if he knew what she wanted to ask.
Although the Cat boss was weak in magic, it managed to provide some high-level healing cards, alleviating a small portion of Sigrid’s external injuries.
Sigrid lowered her gaze, noticing the little black cat sitting between her and Lanci. She knew that if this kitten could use [Transformation Technique: Human], it would probably transform into a sweet girl.
The Cat boss still trembled a bit from her gaze as before, appearing rather timid.
"Thank you, Little Black Cat,"
Sigrid thanked it.
"… Meow."
The Little Black Cat seemed hesitant to accept the appreciation from the Bishop of Hegemony, just humbly nodding and mumbling in response.
However, for some reason, it felt that Sigrid wasn’t as terrifying as before.
It didn’t know if it was because her tone had become weaker or because the formidable aura surrounding her had substantially faded.
"By the way, Sikder, there’s something I need to tell you."
Lanci pondered before speaking again.
"What is it?"
Sigrid asked.
"It seems you’ve been locked in a state by the Sealing Skill."
Lanci murmured uncertainly.
He had sensed the spell Asksan used at the end that severely damaged Sigrid. It not only delivered a fatal blow to her but seemed to almost lock her in a specific state.
The injuries on Sigrid’s back were extensive, tearing her flesh and exposing bits of her bone. Whenever her body attempted to heal, there would be faint crackling sounds. The injuries constantly opened and closed themselves - unimaginable torment that was temporarily bandaged by the Cat boss.
With her inhuman healing power, she still couldn’t recover.
The Sealing Skill was loosely relatable to the Immortal Eternal Punishment spell Lanci had previously obtained at the Sanctuary Evil Banquet. After causing harm, it hindered recovery, even preventing it’s release. It seemed to be prepared by Asksan with the intention to kill Sigrid, who possessed powerful regenerative abilities.
To remove this spell, it would likely require either a ninth-order sealing master, stronger than Asksan, or for Asksan himself to die.
"…"
Sigrid fell silent upon hearing this. She could feel her strength failing to recover, as if she was constantly on the brink of death.
At her current state, perhaps just a fifth or sixth-order Priest of Nirvana could kill her.
"Asksan and that man in the black robe should both be severely injured by now and won’t be chasing us south any time soon."
Lanci added.
But the north was still under the control of Nirvana, communication was blocked and they couldn’t get any news to the Imperial City or the other Hegemony Branches in the south. Essentially, they were isolated.
"What should we do now?"
Sigrid asked Lanci.
She roughly understood the good news - that Lanci had successfully brought her out of the North Border Province and they had successfully evaded the man in the black robe and the Bishop of Nirvana.
But this didn’t mean they could easily return to the Imperial City of Herram.
If they wanted to get back to the Imperial City now, they would likely be met with full-force resistance from the Nirvana Branch all the way to the south. Even if Asksan was currently hiding and healing his wounds, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice his subordinates.
It was inevitable that countless minions of Nirvana would try to block their way at all costs.
"Head south, back to the Imperial City of Herram."
Lanci replied with a casual smile, as if he was merely talking about a leisurely journey, in which every single day was endeavored.
"..."
Sigrid never thought that she would embark on an escape journey, not knowing what the future held.
Being removed from the once-comforting power, such a feeling was strange.
But seeing Lanci’s optimism, she became more relaxed.
It was a life that was reclaimed after all. Amidst a journey filled with thorns and snow, unexpectedly, it was quite fine. More importantly, having a companion who had shared life and death experiences with her, she didn’t feel the journey ahead to be overwhelmingly challenging.
"Saint Heir, you better protect me. I’m just a fragile girl."
Sigrid said to Lanci with a smile.
Her current state was far inferior to the pretense of Sikder.
"Let me make it clear first, I’m just your companion for now. Although theoretically, I could potentially save your life, I won’t stop you from killing yourself. I respect others’ destinies. When I judge that you’re into life-or-death attempts, I won’t accompany you anymore."
Lanci turned to look at her, showing no pity, and said with a smile.
"..."
Sigrid was still smiling, but her expression froze momentarily, as if trying to suppress her anger by biting her lip.
It seemed she had heard that line before.
"Also, when I judge that the enemy is way stronger than me, I’ll make the logical decision as a Fourth-order Sealing Master. For example, when it’s time to run, I’ll choose to flee, and decide whether to abandon you or bring you along."
Lanci closed his eyes, appearing utterly heartless, continuing to explain his operating system to Sigrid, it was also a disclaimer.
"..."
Sigrid kept silent, just smiling at Lanci. If she had recovered her strength, she really would like to strangle this hypocrite.
"So, you understand, right? My favorability rating is very important."
Lanci let go of the reins, patted Sigrid’s shoulder, and said confidently.
This quietened Sigrid for a while.
"Saint Heir."
"Hmm?"
"You better not say this to other girls."
"Why?"
"Because I’m easy-going and won’t really hurt you. But the other women? Not so much."
Sigrid replied with a laugh.
She smiled brightly, but it seemed like she was laughing out of frustration.
