On the fourth floor, where everything was in flas, steam blocked one’s eyesight most of the ti.
"Was this really a good idea...?" Tija muttered concernedly.
In her vicinity, the ground was wet due to the many puddles she had previously created. Furthermore, big water bubbles floated in the air.
Tija herself put on a water layer on her body to fight against the heat and fire.
Because of the steam, she slowly lost the overview of the field.
"!"
She quickly turned her head around and instinctively slashed a small monster that was trying to ambush her.
"..."
She heaved a sigh.
"Just how many of them are here...?" she wondered.
It was not visible but around her were countless dead bodies of middle to low-ranking monsters. There were even a few high-ranking ones, who Tija managed to kill without too much trouble.
Tija spread her fingers with her palm facing the ground.
Then, water appeared from beneath and started to rise slightly up to one to two inches.
She remained still for a mont, focusing on her ears.
"Alright, seems like I’m done here."
If there were any beings in the vicinity or if a monster wanted to ambush her again, then she would have heard the sound of water splashing when sothing would have moved on that water field.
Now, she was about to move forward, or rather, head towards Sylvia, who ended up on the sa floor as Tija.
The two initially walked around together. But after dealing with small monsters for a long ti on their way to the floor boss, they suggested splitting up for now. Sylvia volunteered to head to the floor boss, whereas Tija would keep the other monsters at bay.
Since then, a long ti already passed. And as Tija ca closer to her destination, the temperatures dropped. In addition, traces of ice and even frozen flas were spotted alongside the way.
With a stern expression, Tija decided to pick up her pace, in case Sylvia was fighting the floor boss and was struggling against it.
However, she could not be more wrong.
"What the..." she murmured stunnedly when she arrived at a large and vast spot, which was surrounded by weak flas and icicles, which erged from the ground.
In the center was a dog-like monster, which was as big as a house with three stories. It had three heads, who were all baring their sharp fangs.
But it was already frozen and because of the thick ice layer, only its silhouette could be deducted.
Sitting on a small ice block in front of the frozen monster was Sylvia, whose robe was partly burned.
"!"
Tija widened her eyes once again upon the sight of Sylvia’s face, which she saw clearly for the first ti.
"You are..."
Tija flabbergastedly walked over to her.
"..."
Sylvia nervously averted her face from her. She was not heavily injured from her fight against the three-headed monster, which was this floor’s boss. There was just another reason, why she did not want to be seen by her.
"White or silver hair... A strong ice mage... Pale skin..." Tija muttered open-mouthed.
"You are... You are from the North, aren’t you...?" she asked.
After getting busted by an authority, Sylvia could not help but grit her teeth in nervousness.
"So that’s why you always wore that robe in Youra..." Tija realized.
"I-I apologize..."
"N-no, there’s no need for that..."
It appeared like Tija did not know how to handle the situation at first.
"I..."
Even though she still sounded sheepish, Sylvia opened her mouth.
"I am indeed from the North, however..."
Her eyes would still not et Tija’s eyes as she got hung up on her own words.
"However... I cut my ties with them already..." she added.
"If... If it’s possible... Then, I would like to be seen as just a student from Loogam..." she pleaded.
"..."
"I know that my folk is currently causing trouble to you but... But I swear that I have nothing to do with them!"
Sylvia raised her voice desperately as she finally turned to Tija.
However, at the sa ti, cracks started to appear on the frozen monster. The crack widened until eventually, the middle head was free.
"!"
It let out a wrathful roar, shattering the ice layer on the other two heads.
"Tch!"
Tija drew her sword imdiately.
But there was no need for that.
After all, Sylvia calmly pointed her hand at the monster.
"..."
A cold breath escaped her mouth.
And with an apathetic expression, a handful of ice pillars erged beneath the monster’s belly, piercing through it from various angles.
"Amazing..." Tija mumbled stunnedly.
The monster let out an agonizing death scream as the ground-erging ice pillars kept on rising higher to the indiscernible ceiling.
But before it would actually et its demise, it decided to struggle one last ti as flas gathered in each one of its mouths.
And yet, Sylvia was unfazed.
After all, it ceased its attack quickly. Its body beca motionless with its three heads hanging low. Before it could attack, it died.
"That should do it..." Sylvia stated.
"!"
Her apathetic expression changed when she heard Tija dropping her sword.
Tija began to clap her hands.
"H-huh...?"
"Splendid! Just splendid, Sylvia!" she applauded despite still being in shock.
But Sylvia was as shocked as her.
"I knew that you were strong but not that strong! Did you train in secret?!" Tija asked with her expression lighting up.
Taken aback, Sylvia nodded her head once.
Aside from Ophelia, her teacher, no one knew yet that she was training in secret with Elsa, a mber of the Grand Order and a fellow ice mage.
"You are not angry with ...?" Sylvia wondered, pointing at herself.
"Why should I?"
Tija tilted her head.
"B-because I was hiding the fact that I’m from the North..."
With a wide smile, she approached Sylvia and put her hand on her shoulder.
"?"
"Didn’t you just say it yourself? You’re a Loogam student, right? Nothing more and nothing less!" she chuckled.
"..."
Sylvia widened her eyes.
"And furthermore..."
Tija leaned closer to her ear.
"...I’m one of the few people in Grat, who don’t dislike the north." she whispered.
She pulled away from her and grinned.
"It’s the contrary. Knowing about your real identity, I wish to express my desire to beco friends with you!" Tija declared innocently.
"O-okay...?"
Sylvia was still overwheld by the situation and Tija’s unexpected reaction.
"It doesn’t hurt to have more allies, am I right?"
She was smiling but that smile did not reach her sharp eyes, which gave off a threatening vibe.
"What do you a-"
However, before they could finish their conversation, they were engulfed by a strange light again.
"Tch! Are we getting warped sowhere again?!" Sylvia stated.
"Maybe we will move to another floor?" Tija pondered sternly.
Still, they had no ti to think about it as they disappeared from the fourth floor imdiately.
anwhile, outside the Unnatural Dungeon.
Unbeknownst to Cylia, the queen of Grat, the northern troops succeeded in taking over the first towns in the middle of Grat, coming closer to Youra, the capital.
They already had managed to secure the towns near the border, where they prepared themselves in the last weeks for their next targets.
And in addition to the newspaper, reporting the accident in Loogam and the arrival of Loogam’s strongest class in Youra, the people from the North beca even more impatient.
It would not take long anymore until they would enter the final stage of their plan
Now, sowhere else.
"..."
Elsa sighed.
She was currently sitting at the sa table as Cylia.
The two were in Cylia’s private chamber in the new palace, which was not completely rebuilt yet. They were drinking tea together but Elsa, who did not wear her robe, which she usually wore in public, had a tired expression.
"This question again...?" she muttered.
"I’m sorry but it’s important for to know your opinion." Cylia replied with a slight smile before she took another sip.
"Will you take our side or will you join the North?" she asked.
Just like Sylvia, Elsa was from North Grat and she, too, originally cut ties with them a long ti ago.
"I plan to distance myself from any political or international affairs as much as possible. That’s one of the rules I have to stick to as a mber of the Grand Order." Elsa responded, shaking her hand in front of her face in denial.
"..."
Cylia narrowed her eyes.
"However."
Elsa put down her cup of tea as her voice turned stern.
"I would lie if I would say that I wouldn’t care about what will happen to this nation."
Their eyes t.
"The students, who ca here from Loogam are very strong, you know? I may be currently only training Sylvia Pyril but each one of the students has enormous potential."
"You’re training one of them?"
"Yes. She is showing great progress."
She folded her hands together.
"But we should focus on Mika Elbar."
"!"
"Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to witness him during the invasion in Loogam but I know that he’s on another level." Elsa stated.
"What’s your point, Elsa?"
Cylia grew impatient.
"My point is, why don’t we fulfill the North’s wish?"
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