“—A person?”
A figure writhing on the ground, struggling to crawl forward.
A young man in his late teens—on the verge of death.
The moment she saw him, Asha’s decision was made.
“Hey! Are you alright?!”
She abandoned her sword and rushed to his side.
Had he been attacked? Gotten lost? Countless possibilities, but saving him came first.
“Stay with me! What happened?!”
“…Uah… haa… ra…”
“Hara? Are you injured in the abdomen?!”
“…I’m… starving… gonna die…”
The young man slowly drank from a canteen, gulping down its contents.
“…Uu… so good…”
“P-Please drink slowly!”
Asha took out some food from her magic pouch—a bag that stopped time for its contents—and shared it with the young man who had collapsed on the road.
Wanting to avoid irritating his stomach, she handed him warm soup from her canteen. The young man drank it all down, tears streaming as he thanked her.
“Th-Thanks… I really thought I was done for…”
“You poor thing. No one could’ve predicted the forest would suddenly freeze like this.”
The young man exhaled a white breath, then eyed Asha’s attire.
His gaze wandered before settling on the crest glowing on her chest.
“…That crest.”
“Ah, how careless of me—I forgot to introduce myself. I am Asha El Griffil, the Fifth Princess of the Holy Kingdom of Griffil.”
“Th-The Fifth… Princess…?”
“Yes.”
The young man’s eyes widened in shock.
Asha, who took pride in her royal lineage, enjoyed this kind of reaction from others.
Just how far does the reputation of our royal family reach? It might be crude to admit, but the sense of fulfillment it brought to her pride was undeniably satisfying.
Yet, the young man’s response wasn’t what Asha had expected.
“Wait, there was a fifth princess…?”
“Wh…What did you just say?!”
Asha let out an uncharacteristically shrill voice, her irritation flaring as she raised her volume.
“Yes, there is! Right here! A genuine descendant of the royal family that slew the Demon King a hundred and eighty years ago! How rude!”
Placing a hand over her chest, Asha stepped closer, practically shoving her presence in the young man’s face.
Yet, he only gaped at her, his next words completely missing the mark.
“The royal family that defeated the Demon King…? What are you talking about…? And—a hundred and eighty years ago?!”
“Y-You… What exactly are you saying?”
The two stared at each other, tilting their heads in mutual confusion.
After a brief moment of thought, Asha concluded that the shock of this forest must have scrambled the young man’s memories—he was likely an adventurer who’d lost his way. Suppressing her rising frustration, she steadied herself.
(So there really is something unnatural about this forest…)
She turned a warm gaze toward the still-perplexed young man and spoke gently.
“Come to think of it, I never asked for your name.”
“…Ah, right. You saved me, and yet… I’m—”
“Don’t move.”
A threatening voice cut through their conversation.
Before they realized it, over a dozen men had surrounded them.
Swords pointed at the pair, the men made no effort to hide their grins.
Their eyes were fixed on the royal crest gleaming on Asha’s chest.
Noticing this, Asha reached for her sword—but stopped.
“Don’t move, Your Highness. This pretty boy’s life is in your hands.”
The blade pressed against the young man’s throat would bloom crimson at the slightest provocation.
The red-haired leader, watching Asha’s every move like a hawk, bared his teeth in a sneer.
“This anomaly in the forest… We caused it! Well, strictly speaking, it was our ally, an executive of [Helheim]!”
“H-Helheim…?!”
Asha couldn’t help but repeat the name.
It was the infamous organization behind the recent massacres and robberies plaguing the empire’s borders.
A group so vile they’d slaughtered knights and adventurers alike, spreading their infamy far and wide.
Asha swallowed hard, forcing herself to abandon resistance—for now.
A direct confrontation was impossible. The smartest move was to feign compliance and wait for an opening. Even in crisis, her mind remained sharp.
She raised her hands, locking eyes with the red-haired man.
“…I won’t resist. But… leave him unharmed.”
“That’s up to you, Princess.”
She glanced at the young man, offering a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let them lay a finger on you.”
The young man gave a slight nod—then, for some reason, smirked faintly.
“Helheim… huh.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The Abel Bandits.
A notorious gang infesting the Holy Kingdom of Griffil.
Thieves, extortionists, rapists, swindlers—even murderers. A gathering of irredeemable scum.
They operated from the Griffil Forest, known as the “Lost Forest,” evading the knights while committing their crimes.
But one morning, the forest had changed.
“…Boss… The forest is…”
“Frozen…?!”
A world of silver.
No other words could describe the sight before the dozen or so men, leaving them speechless.
“This is my power.”
And this—so claimed the mysterious man who had approached the bandits weeks ago, taking up residence in a cave within the forest.
At first, his refined speech had made them assume he was just another schemer, looking to manipulate them for a cut of their spoils.
But when the forest froze overnight, none could deny the connection. The bandits swallowed his words whole.
“Y-You… You’re seriously something else!”
“Bringing you into the fold was the right call, Boss!”
“Looks like our luck’s turned around!”
“Fufufu, no need for such a fuss over something so trivial. For me, this is child’s play.”
The man ran a hand through his hair, grinning smugly before setting down his staff and exhaling deeply.
“But… why’d you freeze the forest? What’s the point?”
“You still don’t get it? Use your brain for once.”
“O-Oh… Right, sorry.”
The man—who never gave straight answers—paused before letting out a mocking sigh.
“Fine, I’ll spell it out.”
“If the forest freezes, the royal family will act. And right now, the only one free to move is the Fifth Princess.”
“The Princess…? What about her?”
“Sigh… Listen closely. The Fifth Princess has never known failure. She’ll undoubtedly come to investigate, driven by duty. After all, something like this could only be the work of a Greater Demon—or me. And… she’s still young. Capturing her will be effortless.”
“W-Wait… You’re saying we’re gonna threaten the Griffil royal family?!”
The bandits’ eyes bulged in shock, the earlier excitement dying instantly.
Only the mysterious man remained smiling.
“Y-You… Who the hell are you?”
Abel, the bandit leader, eyed the chuckling man with suspicion.
In response, the man spread his arms theatrically.
“[Helheim]. There’s no one on this continent who doesn’t know that name. I am one of its executives—Lucas, the Strategist. A pleasure.”
■
“Wait here.”
Bound and gagged, Asha and the young man were thrown onto the cold ground.
Guards stood watch as the bandits shoved them into a cellar dug deeper into the cave. The ropes were tight—escape seemed impossible.
“I-I’m sorry… This is my fault…”
“…It’s fine.”
Though Asha apologized, the young man seemed distant, his gaze fixed on the guards with an unreadable expression.
Not that I blame him. Lost in the forest, stumbling upon a princess, then getting kidnapped—facing death would rattle anyone.
She was his only hope now. The thought made Asha’s throat tighten.
(I… have to do something.)
The mystery of the frozen forest could wait.
Just as she steeled herself, footsteps approached. Asha flinched.
“Asha El Griffil… You actually came.”
A young man in robes, staff in hand, stood before them.
His long, pale hair swayed as he looked down at Asha with a sneer.
“I expected it… but you’re even more predictable than I thought.”
“How dare you! To speak to royalty with such—”
“Freeze the forest, and the bait takes itself. How convenient.”
“Tch!”
He was the one who froze the forest.
Asha’s stunned reaction seemed to amuse him. With an exaggerated bow, he introduced himself.
“A pleasure. I am Lucas, the Strategist—an executive of Helheim.”
“Helheim… an executive…?!”
Not a Greater Demon. This was no natural disaster—but a man-made catastrophe.
A magical phenomenon caused by a single human being.
Asha shuddered, though she barely registered it herself.
The man’s gaze lingered on her before he kicked the young man beside her.
“Rest assured. You’re valuable—so we’ll treat you well. The bandits won’t lay a hand on you… Though I might keep you company when loneliness strikes.”
“…Disgusting. You deserve death.”
“Brave words. But once you hear his screams, that defiance will vanish.”
The men flanking Lucas brandished knives, leering at the young man with cruel intent.
In that instant, Asha ignored the chill down her spine and threw herself in front of him.
“He has nothing to do with this! Let him go!”
“Not happening. To control someone as strong-willed—and physically capable—as you, a hostage is essential.”
“…!”
Asha gritted her teeth.
She could break free anytime. These bandits were no match for her.
But she couldn’t risk the young man’s safety.
Fury boiled within her at her own helplessness.
(I don’t matter… I have to save him—!)
“Hey. Who the hell are you?”
Still lying on the ground, the young man’s voice was eerily calm as he stared at Lucas.
“…What?”
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