Chapter 2 – Romel Empire

Part 1

Four pairs of wings cutting the wind.

Looking down at the scenery below, Lexia exclaimed excitedly.

“It’s amazing; I’ve never flown before! The scenery just keeps getting further and further away!”

“Kueeeeee!”

Luna looked back at Tito as she held the reins of the cheerful Vehicle Hawk.

“By the way, I was wondering, before… Tito mentioned that you were born in the North. Are you by any chance from the Romel Empire?”

“Yes. It was in a very small village in the northern frontier of the Romel Empire…”

Lexia looked at Tito with concern.

“You must have some painful memories of your hometown. Are you okay?”

In Tito’s hometown, beastmen were persecuted, and especially Tito, a rare white cat beastman with mysterious powers, was feared and treated unjustly by the villagers.

However, Tito replied emphatically, “It’s okay.”

“I’m a little nervous, but… right now, the two of you are here!”

Lexia and Luna also smiled with bright smiles.

Hearing this conversation, Noel took the reins and lined up next to Tito.

“Tito-san, are you from the Romel Empire?”

“Yes, that’s right. But… there was a girl named Emma who was the only one who was kind to me in my home village… I tried to help Emma, who was being attacked by a monster, and I ended up hurting her… The villagers kicked me out, and I never saw her again…”

Noel gave a gentle gaze to Tito, who turned her head down.

“If you saved your friend’s life, that is something to be proud of. I am sure that your friend Emma is grateful to you, Tito. Besides, in small villages and outlying areas, discrimination against beastmen may still be strong, but Schleiman-sama has devoted himself to eliminating discrimination, and you can rest assured that discrimination against beastmen has been eliminated in the Imperial Capital.”

“Thank you very much.”

Noel’s tone was indifferent, but Tito could tell that she was concerned about her, and she thanked her with a smile.

＊＊＊

“I can see it now. That is the Romel Empire.”

Exhaling a white breath, Noel pointed ahead.

The vast land below was covered with snow, and small villages and towns could be seen clinging to the ground in between. Above them, gray clouds hung thick and heavy with snow.

And.

“That’s…?”

Lexia let out a muffled murmur at the bizarre sight.

A huge gray wall was swirling around the center of the country──the imperial capital.

“It’s a cursed blizzard spread by the ‘ice spirit possession.’ Since the day the ice spirit possessed my sister, it has gradually expanded its reach, and now it is about to cover the entire Romel Empire.”

──A huge empire closed in by a cursed blizzard.

This was the stage that awaited the four of them.

＊＊＊

“From here on, the curse is strong, and the weather is rough, so it’s not safe to take the Vehicle Hawk. Let’s head on foot to the imperial capital.”

The group got off near the southernmost town.

“It’s snowing──!”

Lexia’s eyes lit up at the sight of the snow.

“Hey, look! It’s pure white! It’s so beautiful!”

“Stop playing around!”

Luna is amazed at Lexia’s excitement as she scoops up the pure white snow with both hands.

On the other hand, Tito looked around the white-tinted landscape with deep emotion.

“This scenery makes me nostalgic. But I can’t believe how deep the snow is, even in the southernmost town… The effects of the curse have reached this far, isn’t it…?”

The four of them gave the Vehicle Hawks dried meat for flying them this far.

“Thanks for the ride! You were very helpful, and it was a lot of fun! Take care.”

“Have a safe trip home.”

“Kueeeeee.”

The Vehicle Hawks rubbed their heads together and took off toward the desert.

As Lexia watched them off, she suddenly shuddered.

“A-a-achoo! Ugh, it’s so cold!”

“We didn’t feel too cold earlier, thanks to the feathers of the Vehicle Hawk, but… I think we’re going to catch a cold if we keep going like this.”

“Ugh, look how cold my fingers are.”

“Hyoowah!”

Lexia puts her cold fingers on Tito’s neck, and Tito jumps up.

This coldness was especially hard on the group that had just moved from the desert.

As they walked into town, Noel said.

“Let’s buy some warm clothes in this town.”

“Eh? But Noel is being chased, right? Will you be all right?”

“Yes, no problem. I’ve been to this area once before, but I’m sure they don’t remember my face. And even if there were a wanted list circulating, everyone would be too preoccupied with the curse that has overtaken the country.”

Once in town, they walked down the main street, which was sparsely populated due to the blizzard.

“First of all, we need to prepare for the cold! Let’s hurry up and get some warm clothes!”

The four of them went to a store and bought some warm clothes.

Lexia spun around in her warm clothes.

“How do you like it? Does it look good on me?”

“Wow, you look so cute, Lexia-san!”

“Fufu, thank you! Everyone looks great, too!”

“It’s a little hard to move around in, but it does make me feel a lot less cold.”

“I guess a little cold won’t be a problem with these.”

Lexia, fully protected and energized, stares off in the direction of the north.

“Now that we are prepared for the cold, our goal is the imperial capital! We’re going to hit the royal castle!”

“We’re not going to hit them, are we?”

Luna’s mutterings were brilliantly brushed off.

＊＊＊

The wind was blowing hard.

The group was walking through a blizzard.

“Ugh, the road is tough…!”

“The closer we get to the capital, the worse the blizzard gets. Is it because the mountain where the ice spirits reside is so close?”

Tito also agreed, looking up at the thickly hanging clouds.

“When I was here, such a bad blizzard was only a few days in the middle of winter… but I still wonder if this blizzard is the power of the curse?”

“Yes. The center of the curse──the rock cave where my sister is imprisoned──is in the mountain that rises to the north of the imperial capital. And the curse of the ice spirit that possessed my sister is growing stronger by the day.”

“If this has been going on for so long, securing food is going to be a challenge.”

Noel nodded as she stared at the end of the blizzard.

“Since the country has always had long winters, the culture of preserving food is deeply rooted, so there won’t be an immediate shortage of food, but it’s probably only a matter of time.”

The group managed to make progress through the blizzard, but the blowing ice and snow increased in strength, and they finally came to a standstill just short of the imperial capital.

“It’s dangerous in this blizzard. It will be sunset soon… and there is a town ahead of us, so let’s stay there today.”

“I-I agree…!”

“At this rate, we’ll be frozen before we get to the capital.”

The four of them entered the town, freezing, in search of a place to stay.

However.

＊＊＊

“No inn?”

Before going to the inn, Lexia stopped by a tool shop to buy some daily necessities.

Lexia and the others were surprised when the shopkeeper told them the truth.

The owner lowered his eyebrows apologetically.

“Yes, that’s right. There used to be only one inn in this town, but the blizzard cut off all travelers and tourists, and it was recently closed.”

Lexia and the others looked at each other.

“What should we do? It will be dark soon…”

“The blizzard will make it impossible to find shelter in the field.”

The owner of the tool shop looked at the four people in trouble and clapped his hands together.

He pointed out the window to a church on the west side of town.

“Then, let’s go to the church and ask them about it. Maybe they will let us stay there.”

＊＊＊

The church stood quietly in a blizzard against the whitened forest in the background.

“This is it, isn’t it?”

Noel gently opened the door.

Inside, many people were praying fervently. A cloth with a sun-like emblem on it decorated the front of the church.

“It looks like they are in the middle of praying.”

“Are they from the town?”

Noel nodded to Lexia and the others, who kept their voices down.

“They are believers in the Sun God. In the Romel Empire, where there is a lot of snow, there are many people who worship the Sun God.”

“They must be very pious people.”

“Yes. Emperor Schleiman, the head of the country, is also a devout man; especially these days, he seems to have deepened his faith in order to quell the curse of the ice spirit.”

Eventually, the people who had finished praying let out a sigh with anxious looks on their faces.

“It’s already been half a month since Flora-sama’s power went out of control…”

“I never thought that Flora-sama would end up being ‘possessed by an ice spirit.’ She was a very gentle person…”

“I heard that Emperor Schleiman has sent out an army to eliminate the ‘ice spirit possessor.’… Is there any way to save Flora-sama…?”

Lexia called out to the people with gloomy faces.

“Um, have Flora-san ever been to this town before?”

The people looked at Lexia and the others in surprise.

“Hm? Are you a traveler? Yes, Flora-sama once fixed a bridge that had been damaged by a storm.”

“She used wind magic to transport the wood and put it together. I have never seen such amazing magic before. We were all very impressed with the second-in-command of the court magician.”

“It was a cold day in the middle of winter, but she worked all night, and not only that, she was there for the townspeople who were anxious about the project. There is no other magician who is so kind.”

Even in this situation, people did not hold a grudge against Flora; on the contrary, they showed their sincere concern for her.

“She is adored, isn’t she?”

“Yes, I am proud of her.”

Lexia laughed, and Noel’s ice-blue eyes narrowed proudly.

People opened their mouths more excitedly.

“Come to think of it, Noel-sama came too, didn’t she?”

“Yes, yes. With magic tools I had never seen before, she repaired broken window panes in an instant, made stone walls out of floating stones, and revitalized trees that had been knocked down by the storm. Thanks to that, the storm-damaged plots were restored to their original state in no time!”

“Umu, it makes sense that the Magic Development Institute was founded for her.”

“…Ara? Come to think of it; you look a lot like Noel-sama. By any chance…?”

Lexia quickly interrupted the gaze directed at Noel.

“No, you’ve got the wrong person! Thank you for telling us! Come on, girls, let’s go!”

Luna exhaled as she pushed Noel back and turned her feet toward the back of the church.

“We almost got caught.”

“I’m sorry. I thought it would be okay since I had only been to this town once, but I guess I was remembered more than I thought.”

“What Noel is doing is a greater feat than you think! We’ll have to watch out for that in other towns, as well!”

“But everyone seemed to be sincerely grateful. Truly, both Noel and Flora-san are amazing people…!”

While trying to hide Noel around them, the group went to the sisters to discuss lodging.