People are at the border, but they become the incarnation of the sun

Melina took the heavy fur cloak from his hand and smiled at him. "Thank you."

"...Ugh, you're treating me differently. That's not fair, my master."

Seeing such different treatment, Ashmi pouted in dissatisfaction and looked at him gloomily.

She looked like a resentful young woman in seclusion.

"Why, you have a problem? If you don't want to wear it, give it back to me!"

He stretched out his hand as if to snatch it back, but Ashimi dodged it nimbly.

"No, no."

As she put on her cloak, her expression changed and she said to him with a smile, "Hey, dear master, why should we take back what we have given away?"

He also lifted up a corner of his cloak and took a deep sip.

"Hmm, it's the master's scent~ The master's energy is replenished!"

That intoxicated look made him look like a complete pervert.

He stared at Ashmi's abnormal behavior with dead eyes and silently complained, "...What the hell is Master Energy? And that was made by Teacher Se Lian, I haven't even worn it."

This was handed to him personally by Seren when he left the magic academy. Since then, it has been kept in the backpack behind Torrett and has never been used.

I didn't expect to use it today.

But when Ashmi heard his words, his face suddenly changed, as if he had eaten bitter melon.

He was still muttering things like "It's not worn by the owner".

It turns out that all women are transformed from eels, even slimes are no exception. The speed of their face-changing is so fast that even the master of face-changing is ashamed of himself.

After putting on her cloak, Melina watched the fight between the master and the servant from the side, and a happy smile appeared on her face involuntarily.

Even she didn't notice.

For some reason, this scene made her feel very happy.

On the top of Giant Mountain, there is an area where almost no living creature can survive.

Here, apart from the white snow and towering rocks, there are only illusory trees and only souls left, wandering souls who have died without knowing it.

It could be an animal, it could be a human.

They still maintain their habits from their lifetime.

Only in the nearby ruins, there are still some remnants of Samir who have the ability to control blizzards living here, but when they see them, they don't even need to talk to them and directly regard them as enemies.

Naturally, they all died under Ashmi's sword without exception.

On the way, Ashmi was responsible for eliminating the blockers in front, while Torret carried Melina on his back and walked with him on the snow-capped mountain, taking one step deep and one step shallow.

In addition to the trees that were like arrows stuck in the ground, they saw many dried corpses in many places along the way.

It goes without saying that these unlucky guys are the Faded Ones who want to reach the Flame Cauldron and carve out a path to becoming king.

But none of them succeeded.

But at night, they encountered a strange situation.

"what happened?"

Reinhardt suddenly reined in Torret and frowned as he looked at the scene in front of him.

Ashimi, who was in charge of clearing the way, couldn't help but stop attacking and shook off the blood on the blade.

"Master, Ashimi doesn't know what's going on either..."

No wonder they showed such expressions, so incomprehensible.

The place they arrived at ahead was a narrow passage. Whether they wanted to take the secret passage to the Holy Snow Plain or to the Flame Giant Cauldron, they had to pass through here.

Here, a group of fire monks exiled by gold are responsible for guarding and monitoring the top of the distant snow-capped mountain.

But now, when these fire monks saw them coming, not only did they not launch an attack, but they all knelt on the ground. Even the fat fire bishop with a fire cup on his head was no exception.

They didn't even care about the crackling sound of the burning scepters in their hands falling into the snow, and they all bowed down to them.

The burning flames flickered on the ground like fireflies.

"plum..."

Ok.

He was just about to ask Xiaomu about the situation, but when he saw Xiaomu's face which was also full of doubts, he understood.

She doesn't know either.

"Alright Ashmi, since they're not hostile, let's just go over there."

"Yes, Master."

Although Reinhardt said so, Ashmi still did not dare to be careless. He held the Sea of Corpses and Blood that the old man had used in his hand, constantly releasing the cursed blood on it, while being alert to the fire monks around him.

However, until they stepped onto the narrow gap, this group of fire monks still did not react at all, let alone attacking from behind.

Always maintain a posture of worship.

By now, he should have pretty much understood.

This group of flame monks worshiped sincerely, but they were not worshipping any particular person among them. Perhaps it was the flame within him and the law that was once glorious but now considered taboo.

Solar Law.

"Master, the scenery here is so beautiful."

On the narrow path of sky, Ashimi, who was in charge of leading the way, was like a little girl, expressing her admiration and curiosity about the surrounding scenery.

This is the only way to the top of the Giant Snow Mountain.

On the left hand, you can see the sea of clouds that looks like a dragon or a snake; on the right hand, you can see the snow-capped mountain giant kneeling on the top of the mountain forever as if in punishment.

On both sides of the narrow passage are abysses, and if you fall into them carelessly, you will surely be smashed to pieces.

But it seems that this threat is nothing to Ashmi.

Even though she danced on the edge of the cliff several times and the gravel fell off her feet and rolled into the abyss, she always danced happily.

Silver threads emanated from her slender fingers, swirling and fluttering along with her movements.

At the far end, the golem guard in charge of guarding the narrow passage discovered them and slowly opened his bow.

With a whoosh, the arrow, much taller than a person, pierced the rock beneath their feet, causing a tremor.

The result, of course, was that he was killed cleanly and neatly by Ashimi.

Faster than his movements, before he could make a move, Ashmi shot out Loretta's long bow that had been prepared long ago.

The azure arrow, leaving a trail, streaked across the sky like a meteor, accurately hitting the driving core of the golem guard.

In just a moment, the golem guard disappeared in the bombardment of magic arrows.

As time went by, their long sightseeing journey ended when the golden tree bloomed again.

Reached the other side safely.

But looking at the rocks around him, he couldn't help but let out a "huh".

This immediately caught the attention of Ashmi and Melina, who all focused their gazes on him.

"What's the matter, Master?"

"No... nothing, I just thought there should be a madman here..."

"madman?"

Ashmi and Melina looked at each other, and they saw each other's confusion in their eyes.

What lunatic?

Reinhardt clearly caught their doubts and shook his head, saying, "Nothing, let's keep going. We're almost at the glacier."

Once you get there, you can find the way to the Holy Snowfield.

But before he took a few steps, the corner of his clothes was suddenly grabbed by Melina.

"...Wait a minute, I have a few words to say to you...I want to tell you something."

"About my mission."

When he heard the word "mission", he stopped and prepared to listen to Melina finish.

Although he already knew what the little piece of firewood was going to say.

"Although my mission was given to me by my mother, now, fulfilling it is my own will and has nothing to do with her."

"I'm just acting to make the world a place of hope—"

“It was my heart that decided to do this.”

"...I will not allow anyone to trample on this feeling."

Melina's words were like a proverb and a warning. On this small piece of wood, he felt Marika's presence becoming increasingly prominent.

It was as if the person appearing before him was Marika, who had not yet become a god.

Everyone talked about how terrifying Michaela was, saying that Michaela was the closest god-like being to Marika, but he felt that in terms of willpower, Melina was the closest.

That persistence, that determination...

It was just like Marika resolutely smashed the Elden Ring and the proud golden law into pieces within the golden tree.

However, Melina's next words made him slightly stunned.

"...Rhine, I hope you...will not trample on this kindness."

Originally, he remembered that the words here should have been a warning to him, but they turned into a plea and a request.

This subtle change in Melina made him feel happy.

"Of course I will never trample on your feelings at any time."

This was his true feelings, but he wanted to use other ways to help Melina realize this wish.

No longer let Melina die, sacrificed as fuel to the flames.

That kind of future is not the future he wants.

"...Thank you, meeting you is the luckiest thing in my life, Rhine... Thank you so much."

As Melina finished speaking, an indescribable atmosphere spread between them. To say they were filled with excitement and relief wasn't quite accurate; it was simply difficult to describe.

There is no ambiguity at all, but it makes people feel inexplicably comfortable.

"Cough cough."

At this time, Ashmi on the side couldn't bear it anymore and coughed slightly, breaking the delicate atmosphere.

Staring at the two people with resentment, he said quietly: "Master, aren't you in a hurry? We should set off..."

Tsk, this light bulb.

Likewise, Reinhardt glared back at Ashmi.

The originally good atmosphere was ruined by this slime.

-------------------------------------

Frozen Lake is the only lake in the Giant Snow Mountain.

To be precise, the original top of Giant Mountain was not covered with snow, but full of vitality.

After the Fire Giant was defeated by Marika, ice and snow fell here, freezing everything on the top of the mountain.

Everything that once existed here has turned into ghosts, wandering here for a long time and refusing to leave, maintaining its habits in life.

Below the frozen lake, there is a river. Like the frozen lake, the river has turned into hard ice, making it difficult to walk on it.

They were walking on the river, slowly moving forward on the frozen surface of the valley river. The ice under their feet, whose thickness was unknown, was like a mirror, reflecting the figures of the group.

However, the wind and snow here are much smaller than in other places.

It was not as cold as usual, but instead there were flakes of snow falling, creating a beautiful snowy scene.

"...Master, may I bother you for a moment?"