How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game - Chapter 706: Frozen Trials 13 Interlude
Chapter 706: Frozen Trials 13 Interlude
[High Grade Ice Magic]
[Frost Nova]
SWOOOSHHH!!
BOOOOMMM!!!
Like a descending comet of pure frost, the spell crashed into the ground.
A wave of pale blue energy erupted outward, devouring everything in its path.
The air froze instantly, the earth cracked beneath layers of thick ice, and even the mana in the surroundings seemed to stiffen under its influence.
In a single moment—
Everything within its range was sealed in deep frost.
Not shattered.
Not blown away.
Just… frozen.
Completely.
Utterly.
Right down to the core.
It wasn’t the fastest spell.
Nor was it the most destructive in appearance.
But its true danger lay elsewhere.
It ignored defenses.
Armor, barriers, resistance—none of it mattered.
Once caught within its range, the cold would reach you.
Inevitable.
Unavoidable.
“…So this is my limit for now…”
Celestine lowered her hand slightly, exhaling a faint mist as she observed the frozen field in front of her.
“I wanted to reduce the damage area even more…”
She frowned just a little.
“…but I guess I can’t ask too much from my body.”
Even while holding back, the spell still covered a wide area. Fine control at this level was difficult—especially with the strain her body constantly endured.
“You really are weird for a human.”
Beside her, Anica crossed her arms, staring at the frozen aftermath with a slightly unimpressed look.
“I think your magic is amazing as it is…”
She glanced at Celestine.
“…even more so if you didn’t suppress it.”
“Well,” Celestine replied casually, brushing a bit of frost off her sleeve, “complicated matters will arise if I don’t hold back.”
“Hmm…”
Anica clearly wasn’t convinced.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, tilting her head.
“Then why are you even hiding it from Aunty in the first place?”
She pointed toward the village direction.
“Are you enjoying her teaching you basic elementary stuff? Well… in your case, very basic.”
Celestine paused for a moment.
“…No, not really.”
She looked away slightly before continuing.
“It’s just that… it seems Mother prefers it if I don’t have too much talent in ice magic.”
Anica blinked.
“I don’t think that’s the case though…”
“Well,” Celestine replied with a small shrug, “that’s because you haven’t lived with us for that long.”
She glanced at her with a faint smile.
“I know Mother the best.”
“What!?”
Anica immediately puffed her cheeks.
“I know Aunty the best!”
Celestine couldn’t help it.
When it came to her mother, even the slightest provocation was enough to rattle Anica.
For a dragon, she always seemed a bit too young… too simple… too innocent.
And somehow—
That made her even more adorable in Celestine’s eyes.
Years had passed since the two of them began secretly practicing high-level magic, far from Elea’s watchful eyes.
What started as small experiments turned into routine.
What started as curiosity turned into mastery.
And now—
They were no longer children.
At least, in Celestine’s case.
Her figure had grown, her features more refined, her presence calmer. There was a quiet elegance to her now, something that naturally drew attention even when she wasn’t trying.
Anica had grown as well, though in a different way.
She was still… Anica.
Expressive.
Blunt.
Easily annoyed.
Still wearing her emotions openly.
And through all those years…
Not much had changed.
Aside from Anica’s sudden appearance back then—the day Celestine saved her—the trial itself remained almost completely the same.
The invisible boundaries still existed.
She still couldn’t go beyond the village.
Still couldn’t enter the deeper parts of the forest.
No matter how strong she became…
Those limits never loosened.
It was as if the world itself refused to let her move forward.
So day after day—
Year after year—
Celestine spent her time the same way.
Practicing magic.
Searching for clues.
And spending whatever time remained… with Anica.
In a way, it made things easier.
The loneliness.
The uncertainty.
The slow, suffocating nature of the trial.
Anica’s presence softened it.
Made it bearable.
But at the same time…
Something else had started to grow within her.
A different kind of unease.
Because no matter how much time passed—
Nothing changed.
The trial showed no signs of ending.
No hints.
No direction.
No clear purpose.
What was the key to finishing it?
She still didn’t know.
Even now.
And as the days kept passing…
Celestine began to notice something subtle.
Something she couldn’t ignore.
She was changing.
Or rather—
She was becoming someone else.
Becoming… Celestine.
More than she was Snow.
It wasn’t obvious.
Not something anyone else would notice.
But she could feel it.
In the way she hesitated.
In the way she thought things through instead of acting.
In the way her emotions surfaced more easily.
Things she had never experienced as Snow—
Indecisiveness.
Caution.
Unfiltered feelings.
Moments where her heart reacted before her mind.
It felt strange.
Unfamiliar.
Almost unsettling.
Like something was slowly eating away at who she originally was.
Not all at once.
Not violently.
But gradually.
Quietly.
Piece by piece.
And the more time passed…
The harder it became to tell where Snow ended—
And where Celestine began.
At some point she even questioned once upon who she really was….
And just by looking at the mirror—
The same mirror she always used to remind herself of her true name—
She felt it.
That slight… discomfort.
A faint sense of disconnection.
Hearing the name Snow no longer felt natural.
It felt distant.
Like it belonged to someone else.
Someone she used to be.
But what made it worse—
Was Riley.
Just thinking about his name…
Saying it in her mind…
There was nothing.
No warmth.
No pull.
No overflowing feeling that once felt endless and absolute.
Only emptiness.
A hollow space where something precious used to be.
That alone—
Made her shiver.
Her fingers tightened slightly as she stood there, staring at her reflection.
This is bad…
No—
It was worse than bad.
If this continued…
She wouldn’t just change.
She would be completely devoured by this trial.
Erased.
Replaced.
And for that not to happen—
Something had to change.
Something she had avoided this whole time.
Something she kept pushing away… because of Celestine.
Her emotions.
Her attachments.
Her hesitation.
There was a truth she never tried to face.
Her mother’s truth.
And there was an option—
An action—
She never once dared to take.
To fail the trial.
On purpose.
A quiet breath escaped her lips.
Her decision… was made.
Today—
She would choose it.
Holding her white staff firmly in her hand, she turned toward Anica.
Her expression wasn’t hesitant anymore.
It was steady.
Serious.
Resolute.
“Hm? What?” Anica tilted her head, noticing the change in her.
“Anica…” Celestine’s voice was calm. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Favor?” Anica frowned a little. “Do we really need something like that between us?”
“I appreciate your trust,” Celestine said softly. “But what I’m about to ask… isn’t something you’ll like.”
Anica’s brows furrowed.
“I wouldn’t like?”
“Yes.”
A small pause.
Then—
“What do you want me to do?”
Celestine didn’t look away.
“I want you to kill me.”
“….”
Silence.
The forest itself seemed to freeze.
The wind stopped.
The leaves no longer moved.
Even the distant sounds of life disappeared, as if the world refused to react.
Anica didn’t respond.
Didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
For a moment—
It felt like time itself had come to a halt.
….
In the past—
There was a beast of frost.
A primordial existence born from the deepest, coldest parts of the abyss.
It wasn’t just strong.
It was wrong.
Something that should’ve never existed in the first place.
Its very presence twisted the land, froze entire regions, and threatened to swallow the continent whole in an endless winter.
And yet—
It was slain.
Not by one.
But by four.
The Hero, Galahan.
The Saintess, Minerva.
The Warrior, Cedric.
And the Frost Witch… Elea.
Together, they fought.
Together, they endured.
And in the end—
They won.
But not without a price.
The Hero died.
The Saintess lived… but broken, her body crippled and her soul tainted by a curse she could never cleanse.
The Warrior survived… but lost his mind, wandering like a hollow shell of what he once was.
And Elea—
She lost everything.
Her companions.
Her purpose.
The life she once knew.
…
When Elea first held Celestine in her arms—
The first thing she felt wasn’t joy.
It wasn’t relief.
It wasn’t even fear.
It was pity.
And regret.
Why…
Why did I choose this?
Even now—
She didn’t have an answer.
Back then, in that moment…
Her mind was blank.
All she could see—
Was the child in her arms.
“Uwaahh…!!”
Crying.
Weak.
Helpless.
Cradled against her chest, still stained with blood, born in the middle of a raging snowstorm.
That small, fragile existence…
Wasn’t a monster.
She wasn’t a calamity.
She wasn’t the end of the world.
She was just—
A baby.
Even if the curse of that ancient frost beast had been carved into her soul.
Even if Elea knew what she would one day become.
Even if she understood—
Better than anyone—
That this child could bring ruin to everything.
She still hesitated.
Because in her hands—
There was no “beast.”
No “threat.”
Only a child that had just been born into a cruel world.
…
She knew what the right choice was.
End it.
Right there.
Before it begins.
Before the curse awakens.
Before the world pays the price.
Before Eternal Winter happens once more.
A quick death.
A painless one.
That was mercy.
That was responsibility.
That was what had to be done.
…
But she didn’t do it.
Her hands didn’t move.
Her fingers didn’t tighten.
Instead—
She held the child closer.
Protected her from the storm.
Shielded her from the cold.
…
Why?
Even now—
Elea doesn’t know.
She never tried to remember.
Never tried to justify it.
Because deep down—
She already understood.
There was no logic behind that decision.
No reason.
No righteousness.
Just a single, selfish thought—
She was just a baby.
Thinking back
All she could recall back then—
Was a promise.
A desperate one.
“Please… take care of Celestine… please, I beg you, Elea…”
Minerva’s voice.
Weak.
Breaking.
Clinging to something that no longer had any reason to exist.
…
Why did she accept it?
Even now—
It didn’t make sense.
Elea knew.
Better than anyone.
The child Minerva carried wasn’t normal.
From the very beginning, she knew the truth—
That the baby was born with the soul of the very beast they had just slain.
A calamity.
Reborn.
Even if she was the child of her dearest friend—
The Hero.
Even if she was the daughter of Minerva—
The Saintess.
That didn’t change anything.
Elea still had a choice.
She could’ve ended it.
Right there.
Before everything could begin.
So why didn’t she?
Was it hope?
That maybe—
Just maybe—
The child wouldn’t become that monster?
That fate could be changed?
…
No.
That fragile hope didn’t last long.
The moment Elea felt it—
The moment she saw it—
That unnatural flow of frost energy inside the child…
That overwhelming affinity to ice…
She knew.
The truth hadn’t changed.
The future was still there.
Waiting.
So then—
Again….
Why?
Why couldn’t she kill her?
…
“Ah, mother, we’re back… uhm, you didn’t wait too long, right?”
“Aunty! Let me tell you this—Celestine just asked me to—”
“Now now… hush,” Celestine leaned in slightly, whispering something into Anica’s ear.
The young dragon immediately stiffened.
Then went quiet.
“….”
Elea couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the usual sight.
“I didn’t wait long,” she said warmly. “I’m sure you two had your own… personal time in town. Girls need that sometimes, right?”
A small teasing smile formed on her lips.
“Anyways, dinner is ready. Come, take a seat.”
“Really!? Let’s go, Celestine!”
Anica dashed off without hesitation, her energy filling the room as she ran toward the kitchen.
Celestine followed behind her, slower… calmer.
And as she walked—
She smiled.
A small, natural smile.
…
Seeing that—
Elea felt something settle in her chest.
A quiet warmth.
A sense of comfort she didn’t question anymore.
…
Yes.
Maybe that was it.
Maybe—
It was because of that.
That simple, selfish reason.
That smile.
That warmth.
That life she chose to protect.
The life of her daughter.
