A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

He glanced at the person behind him.

The person following behind him was Dorothea, the empress.

He truly didn't understand why the Empress wasn't staying in the palace, but instead came out with him to fight the Aragami.

No, it should be described as a Silver-tier creature plus a Wild God.

This is what Dorothea told herself.

But none of that mattered; what he cared about was Dorothea's reason for following them.

“Why are you following me?” Bray asked.

"Because I also have to participate in the war," Dorothea replied succinctly.

Bray looked Dorothea up and down, then nodded slightly.

Indeed, Dorothea is capable of fighting against Silver-ranked beings.

She herself exudes an aura mixed with a large amount of silver, so concepts should not have much impact on her.

Based on that alone, she is more qualified than anyone else to fight against demigods.

To be honest, Bray could probably manage on his own.

But how could he possibly refuse having an extra combatant?

Even if all else fails, Dorothea can carry him back when she's tired.

Great, now Bray doesn't have to worry about running out of energy.

"By the way, do you know the way?" Bray suddenly asked.

“I can sense the aura of a Silver species,” Dorothea said, glancing sideways.

"Oh, then you lead the way, I don't know the way," he said.

Then, a silence fell over the cold air.

"Then why are you walking in front the whole time?" Dorothea couldn't help but ask.

“Letting the Queen go first…isn’t that inappropriate?” Bray said.

"..." Dorothea frowned, unable to refute Bray's words.

He was right; it was indeed impossible for her, as the empress, to go first.

but--

"So you don't know them, yet you've been walking ahead?" Dorothea noticed a crucial point.

“Yes.” Bray nodded with utmost honesty.

The Clarice family is known for its honesty.

Although Juexiang can detect the aura of silver-grade beings that are relatively close, it cannot detect those that are too far away.

Not to mention Bray, that good-for-nothing who can't even conceal his aura.

Dorothea silently walked ahead of Bray, pushing him behind her.

"I'll lead the way," she said in a helpless tone.

So that's why she felt she was getting further and further away from the demigods' auras along the way.

She thought Bray was deliberately taking a detour, but it turned out he simply didn't know the way.

"Alright." Seeing Dorothea's assertive attitude, Bray didn't try to be tough.

"By the way, why can't you find some vehicles? Walking is tiring."

As an empress, acquiring a vehicle should be a simple matter for her.

If you have a vehicle, you won't have to walk on the snow.

"You can drive?" Dorothea asked in return.

"No," Bray said regretfully. He couldn't drive or fly a plane.

It's such a pity. He really likes all kinds of vehicles, but he never had the chance to try them out.

Over the years, he has mostly used railcars; he can't possibly drive a railcar.

“I don’t know either,” Dorothea said.

Since no one knows how to drive any vehicles, there's no need to ask for them.

I'd better just walk obediently.

So, led by Dorothea, the two walked for a while longer through the snow and ice.

"Achoo!" Bray, who was freezing cold, sneezed violently.

"Your body is too weak." Dorothea even began to doubt whether Bray was really capable of fighting a demigod.

Indeed, there are very few people in this world who can stand up to a demigod, and it is incredible that Dorothea encountered one.

She began to doubt whether Bray was a rookie, even though the aura Bray exuded was something only a "strong person" could possess.

However, the possibility that he is still a novice cannot be ruled out.

“Ah, indeed.” Bray did not deny Dorothea’s statement at all.

He couldn't help being told he was weak, since he would get tired after just a few swings of his sword, let alone walking for long periods of time in the freezing cold.

This could kill someone.

Dorothea sighed, took off her coat, and tossed it to Bray.

Bray took the coat with a start, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Put this on, I'm really afraid you'll freeze to death on the way..." Dorothea said, speechless.

"Thank you." Bray put on Dorothea's all-fur coat, and whether it was psychological or not, he felt much warmer instantly.

But I still feel like something's not right about what just happened, like something's reversed.

Whatever, Bray didn't want to dwell on it too much; as long as it wasn't that cold, that was enough.

"Oh dear, are you people who got lost in the blizzard?"

While Dorothea was talking to Bray, an unfamiliar voice interrupted.

The voice sounded very "floaty," giving off a somewhat unreliable vibe.

Following the sound, you can see a clown sitting by a campfire, warming himself.

The main reason people call him a clown is because of the clown mask he wears.

But his tailcoat and top hat also made him look like an actor playing a gentleman.

Dorothea and Bray exchanged a glance, and then sat down near the campfire.

Dorothea said that she was afraid Bray would freeze to death on the way, so she chose to come here to warm up.

She herself is not afraid of the cold.

“We’re not lost, we’re just looking for something here,” Bray replied casually.

"Really? That's completely different from the little man," the clown said dejectedly.

"I'm lost and can't find my way out."

“If you want to leave, just head this way.” Bray pointed behind him; the path leading out of the forest was the opposite of the direction he had come from.

Dorothea remained silent, resting her chin on her hand as if she had nothing to do.

All she wanted to do was find those demigods as soon as possible and kill them quickly.

"Really? Thank you so much!" The clown became excited as soon as he learned the way out.

They even started dancing a ridiculous dance near the campfire.

He twirled his cane and hummed a light tune.

The dance didn't last long; the clown soon sat down, his whole body trembling.

"It's so cold. I've been exercising so much, why am I still so cold?" The clown shivered as he moved closer to the campfire to warm himself.

"By the way, my name is Jonathan," Jonathan introduced himself.

After the introduction, he started trembling again.

“Here’s a gift for you, as a thank you for telling the little man the way.” Jonathan took off his hat and pulled something out of it.

"Clang, clang, clang, matches!" He added sound effects and made exaggerated gestures, all for a box of matches.

"In places like this, you really need to light a fire."

"After all, the fire won't start out of nowhere; you have to build it yourself, one hand and one foot."

"Uh, thanks." Bray took the matchbox, unsure how to deal with the clown.

The clown's bizarre behavior left Bray somewhat bewildered.

Dorothea yawned, showing absolutely no interest in it.

But soon, her weariness was dispelled, and her pale blue eyes began to sharpen.

"Oh, it seems to have suddenly gotten warmer, and I'm not cold anymore."

"Could it be that the campfire is too big?" Jonathan said lightly, looking at the campfire.

"Great..." The clown's voice stopped abruptly before he could finish his sentence.

"Whoosh!!!!!" The raging fire dispersed all the blizzard, eroding everything in its path from afar, burning down all the trees, and evaporating the snow to leave behind dry soil.

The fire went from being in sight to reaching you in less than a second.

"It's finally here." Dorothea raised a giant shield that appeared out of nowhere, blocking all the flames.

His tone was full of anticipation, not nervousness.

The shield's temperature continued to rise, even showing signs of melting.

Dorothea showed an expectant expression.

Unfortunately, her expectant expression vanished the next moment.

Because all the flames were "cut off" by a broken longsword.

Bray, sword in hand, glanced at the campfire.

The clown vanished the instant the flames reached him.

Yes, the clown wasn't burned to ashes; he simply vanished on the spot.

The clown's words seemed to foreshadow everything that had just happened.

Bray doesn't like mysterious guys; he prefers straightforward people.

"By the way, what did you say, 'finally arrived'?" he asked after slashing away the incoming flames.

"..." Dorothea couldn't understand Bray.

This guy had just extinguished the flame ignited by the concept when he asked himself what was coming next?

Of course, it's those demigods who have arrived.

Are you naturally dense?

“How could that be?” Bray decisively rejected Dorothea’s explanation.

“The demigods have arrived,” Dorothea explained to Bray.

"I see." His sudden realization made Dorothea want to roll her eyes.

"Roar!!!!" A fierce lion's roar came from afar.

One?

No, there's more than one.

Bray looked up and saw a black dragon circling in the sky.

Just like the result Juexiang vaguely sensed in Snowwind Fortress, there were two.

Although the location is impossible to pinpoint, the sheer number is still quite noticeable.