Chapter 91: Sorrow and Emptiness
With each swing of her blade, an immense force of ice was expelled. The helmeted girl precisely launched jet-black ice to counter and nullify its power—no, shattering through Noel’s ice, managing both defense and retaliation in one move. The fact that their magics clashed head-on, with Noel’s being overpowered, showed that there was still a gap in strength between him and the helmeted girl.
“Marietta, help!”
The gap between himself and the helmeted girl had yet to be closed.
Reaffirming this, Noel unhesitatingly called out his sister’s name.
“My, my. To have my brother petition for aid so readily. I must thank Alfred for this.”
Marietta used her magical power to unleash the force of her [Royal Garment Ring].
“——Let’s play, [Jack Frost]!”
Ice and snow that mystically shone by refracting light danced in the air. The formless flurries enveloped Marietta’s body, constructing an elegant icy dress befitting grace and dignity.
With deft, graceful motions, Marietta manipulated the shimmering icy veil floating around her, unfurling it to envelop Noel’s body.
“……………………”
The helmeted girl froze warily at the icy veil unfurling around Noel’s body. Seizing that moment, Noel took the initiative. Before swinging his jet-black ice, he accelerated himself with magic in a straight line.
No matter how skilled the helmeted girl was, she seemed to have no opportunity to launch her black ice against Noel’s sudden burst of speed exploiting that split-second opening. She calmly received the full force of Noel’s sword strike head-on.
“Oooooooooohhhh!”
Pressured by Noel’s relentless barrage with abandonment of defense, the helmeted girl was gradually overwhelmed. However, Noel did not expect this to make her falter. In fact, she calmly dealt with even his reckless offensive.
Yes, this helmeted girl was astonishingly calm and composed—to the point of appearing like a heartless machine.
Still, Noel did not relent his assault. Shifting from the fierce barrage to compact, speed-focused swordplay with minimal openings, his blade began grazing her armor strike after strike.
Trained in the traditional swordsmanship passed down in the Ivelpe Kingdom, Noel had honed various sword techniques through practice with his beloved fiancée Liatris—from orthodox styles to the practical, savage swords of mercenaries. He would even employ kicks when necessary.
His wealth of skills stemmed from his genius; this was Noel’s strength, a gift from his most cherished fiancée Liatris.
(She’s reading through my sword patterns…then!)
Being read meant the foe had internalized his attack patterns.
By randomly launching strikes deviating from the patterns ingrained in her mind, Noel could catch the enemy off guard. This ploy proved successful, his blade gradually but surely finding its mark on the helmeted girl. Yet Noel’s true aim lay beyond that.
“——……!”
The helmeted girl unleashed freezing magic, the frigid air birthing immense obsidian ice blades that came crashing down.
An exaggeratedly wide swing, easy to evade—but likely intended to create an opening by forcing evasion, allowing her to regain her stance. Noel saw right through this.
(…………Here!)
Rather than dodge, Noel forcibly lunged forward, swinging his sword.
This unthinking advance, continuing into a collision that would cleave his torso in two, seemed sheer folly to any observer.
——Yet the expected outcome never came to pass.
“…………!”
Blood spilled, dripping and freezing into crimson frost on the ground.
“A shallow wound.”
The spilled blood was not Noel’s, but that of the helmeted girl’s shoulder.
Simply put, at the clashing of their blades, the mystically shimmering icy veil dispelled the massive obsidian ice blade. Noel’s counterattacking strike then found its mark on the helmeted girl’s shoulder.
The icy veil Marietta had woven around Noel appeared delicate yet beautiful on the surface,
but its true nature was a sturdy, defensive armor.
Moreover, against the [Sixth Attribute] power wielded by the helmeted girl, the advantageous [Fifth Attribute] veil would see its defensive capability exponentially increased.
“…………”
While even the helmeted girl was momentarily stalled, Noel would not let such an opportunity slip by.
Pressing his advantage, he swung his blade again, sparks flying as their swords clashed intensely. But now the tide had clearly turned in Noel’s favor.
With his impregnable defense, Noel could focus solely on attacking.
In contrast, the helmeted girl had to mind both offense and defense.
No matter their gap in power, it was no longer an insurmountable difference for Noel.
Just as he had prevailed through coordination with Alfred, his teamwork with Marietta would more than make up for it…no, surpass that gap.
“…………ugh……!”
The helmeted girl forcibly returned his magic-infused strike, but her attack had its power drained upon contact with the icy veil, allowing it to be easily deflected.
This was likely an attempt to gauge the veil’s power. At least to Noel’s eyes, she did not seem a warrior to waste effort on meaningless actions. And within that brief exchange of blades, she appeared to have grasped the veil’s capabilities.
Leaping back to create distance, she began concentrating an immense volume of magic into her sword.
“Here it comes……!”
A large-scale magical attack using obsidian ice, aimed at shattering through the veil’s defenses with a single strike.
The helmeted girl’s calculation was correct. No matter Marietta’s [Royal Garment Ring], this attack exceeded what the icy veil could fully block.
“Marietta!”
“I know!”
At the moment the immense magic coalesced into jet-black ice focused on her sword—
Countering it, the icy veil began coiling around Noel’s blade.
“As you can see, my [Jack Frost] wields the power of ice. It can freeze any magic received, melt it down, and convert it into my own power.”
Of course, it could not endlessly freeze magic without limit.
There was a capacity cap on how much could be frozen, and exceeding it even slightly would unleash the full brunt of the stored attacks and damage directly onto Marietta.
A power that risked self-destruction if misjudged—such was the magic of the spirit [Jack Frost] that Marietta had contracted.
“My power, your power, and yours as well—I shall return it threefold.”
The jet-black ice unleashed by the helmeted girl came raging towards them as a violent force.
But Noel had already focused his magic into his sword as well.
“[Blizzard Bloom – Thawing Solver]!”
Marietta’s magic combined with Noel’s icy blast collided against the obsidian blizzard.
The violent clash of magical forces unleashed a frigid shockwave that instantly froze the entire area into permafrost in the blink of an eye.
“……I am weak.”
Power gripped the sword in his hand.
“Lacking the strength to defeat you alone, forced to rely on others.”
Cursing his inability to avenge his most beloved by his own power.
“Which is why—I can defeat you now!”
Had he recklessly rushed ahead consumed by vengeance, he never could have reached this point.
“…………tch……”
The culmination of the clashing forces arrived.
The obsidian ice was overwhelmed by the blizzard Noel and Marietta unleashed, swallowing the helmeted girl.
The freezing magic enveloped her entire body—but it was only a surface coating. With one breath, the thin layer of ice they had managed by joining forces would surely shatter.
“——ugh……”
Yet that single moment of rigidity, that instant of freezing—to the genius prince of Ivelpe, that one breath was more than enough time. Far too critical an opening. With Noel already within sword’s reach during that breath, nothing remained between him and the helmeted girl.
“…………!”
“Too slow.”
A flash.
The ice sword swung upwards surely found its mark, the steel helmet sent soaring by the blizzard.
“It’s over.”
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Her momentary stiffness breaking was accounted for, her evasion anticipated—the true aim was exploiting the ensuing opening from disarming her helmet. Assured of delivering the fatal blow, Noel brought his freezing blade down on the girl,
“………………”
The hand that wielded the sword stopped.
“………………You, are…..”
What Noel’s eyes beheld was jet-black hair and eyes so dark they seemed to absorb all light.
The face revealed beneath the helmet was burned into his memories—unmistakably that of his beloved.
“——Liatris……?”
The countenance beneath the helmet was none other than Liatris Lilumbell herself.
“Why……Why are you…………”
“……………………”
The helmeted girl—no, Liatris—gave no answer.
Cold enough to freeze, exhibiting not a shred of heart nor emotion, a puppet-like girl.
Noel could not believe this soulless puppet was truly Liatris. Yet his mind, his heart, told him the mute girl standing before him was unmistakably Liatris Lilumbell.
“You were alive……? But……why……how……”
“…………”
“Say something……Liatris!”
No words came in return. Liatris silently lashed out with a blade of frigid obsidian energy, blowing Noel away. Marietta’s icy veil [froze] the brunt of the damage, but the distance between them had widened considerably.
“Liatris!”
His voice did not reach her. All emotion had drained from Liatris’s eyes.
No liveliness. No affection. No hostility. Not even hatred. A complete absence of feeling.
“Ah, it seems I’ve been found out.”
“”………………!””
From the direction of the shattering rumble, Loretta Garland lightly descended upon the scene.
“Those faces of yours…lovely. They tickle the delight within me, such delightful expressions.”
“What is the meaning of this……you fiend! What have you done to Liatris! What do you know! Answer me!”
“So fragile. The Snow Prince’s eyes mist over at an unpalatable reality, how convenient.”
“What are you saying!”
“With all the pieces laid out before you, can you still not see? It seems your clever sister has already arrived at the answer.”
As if confirming Loretta’s words, Marietta’s face beside her was rigidly tensed.
“Lady Liatris has… become one of the [Children of Six Emotions], hasn’t she?”
“Correct. As expected of someone called the fairy of the snow country.”
Marietta twisted her face with a distorted joy, toying with a sword enveloped in miasma.
“She is the one who governs [Sorrow]. One of the [Children of Six Emotions], our adorable little sister.”
“Even so, this is strange! I heard from Princess Luce! Weren’t you the one who said that even if one receives the Night Witch’s blessing and becomes a [Children of Six Emotions], their personality doesn’t change? It’s impossible that Lady Liatris would voluntarily lend you her power!”
“Indeed. We know her original personality. Lucille predicted this too. Even if her heart is beaten by the rain of sorrow and filled, with her strong, brilliant, and radiant will, she would cut off the path to becoming part of our family.”
This was the Liatris Lilimbell that Noel knew.
A person as bright and warm as the sun, even in the cold country of Ivelpe.
“That’s why we erased unnecessary memories.”
“……Erased?”
“Yes. We kept only what was necessary for our family and erased all other unnecessary memories. She no longer has self-awareness. She’s just a silent, empty puppet that faithfully carries out our orders.”
Loretta’s words penetrate clearly into his head.
The surrounding sounds become clear, and unwanted words are forcibly etched in.
“She no longer has any memories of spending time with you. What exists is just emptiness. And an incomprehensible [Sorrow]. I thought it was a waste, but Lucille wants to experiment with her. I don’t know what for.”
Loretta laughed happily and, for some reason, applauded.
“When you found out she was a [Children of Six Emotions], you must have been worried, right? That she might have betrayed you… The truth is different. She had already been stripped of everything. The person you thought was dead is alive, and she didn’t even betray you—congratulations. This must be joyous for you, right?”
In the moment everything went dark, the sound of applause echoed hollowly.
“DON’T FUCK WITH MEEEEE!”
“Nice. What a magnificent anger. I almost want to lament that we no longer have a seat of [Anger] in our family.”
Before Noel could step forward, Loretta, sensing something, smoothly moved away from the spot. Immediately after, the second prince’s fist spectacularly shattered the ground.
“I’m not impressed by looking elsewhere, Miss Loretta. Aren’t I your opponent?”
“Heh… you’re right. I was momentarily distracted by the joyous sight.”
The second prince Roberto’s sudden intrusion. Regardless of Noel trembling with anger, Loretta raised her sword—then lowered it.
“Sorry. It seems we’re done here.”
Immediately after, a pitch-black flash swept across the ground, as if to restrain Roberto, Noel, and Marietta.
“Hm…!”
“Ugh…!?”
Through the rising dust, two figures could be seen gathering around Loretta.
One was Liatris. The other was—Lucille.
“…………!? What is…!”
Marietta was the first to react.
“Lady Charlotte!?”
Charlotte, whom Lucille was holding carefully and lovingly, seemed to have lost consciousness. At least she was not dead, which was a momentary relief.
“You…!”
“…………Our purpose is accomplished. Let’s return.”
Lucille, who had been playing with people’s hearts, laughing, and even harboring affection.
Her face was now devoid of all those emotions, colored with a coldness that made her seem like a different person entirely. As if she had no room for anything else.
“Wait!”
Their bodies began to be enveloped in miasma. It was clear they would soon disappear beyond Noel’s reach.
Just as he felt it was too late—.
“…………!”
A gunshot rang out. Though blocked by the miasma, the magic-infused bullet prevented Lucille and the others from vanishing.
“Ah, you’ve come…………”
Lucille’s cold gaze was directed at a boy who had raised his gun with a strong will and anger.
“…………Alfred”
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