4 The Scholar Who Hate Cold

- 899 Vion-

It's cold. The weather and my fellow companion. Warm food,beverage, family, it's all just a far away dream. We've accepted the mission with full confidence, swore to our motherland and yet where are we now? Trapped in cave with 37°P temperature. The food we bought is wrap in paper, the one with least water resistant material. How we come upon this place in our long journey is something unimportant. It's not about how but what. What are we doing here? The Queen choose the finest scholar and knight in the continent. We're proud to be choosen by the Queen. When the news arrive my family held a small party for me. Bright future ahead they said if only they could see the state I'm in right now.

"Renvil please stop whispering it creep me out"

"Not so creepy when you consider the fact that the cold weather will eventually numb your tongue, rendering your speech ability useless"

Bvar start mimicking me, heh the bravest sea warrior in the history what a joke. He may conquer thousand of small island, terrorize the sea, and find every forgotten piece of history in the depth of sea yet now look what happen to him. Defeated, utterly defeated by the wrath of mother nature.

"Sit closer. I can't make fire spell continuously and this environment is scarce of mana. I'll be honest, I can only maintain the fire spell for 3 hours max beyond that I will get killed by mana exhaustion."

Dorothy the phoenix sorcerer. Phoenix dad human mom, rare hybrid the only one in the world. Sorcerer while inferior to mage in term of techniques they have more versatility. It's unknown what the sorcerer said as the source of their power but apparently she could use magic without using mana that floats in the air. Defeating dragon at the age of 6. Her reputation make her seems inhuman in some aspect. But that's what make her more attractive. While sorcerer doesn't need Mana they have limitation of how much power they can get from the source. Now in here we see the limitation of sorcerer. 8 month of firing fire spell continuously to ensure survival in this godforsaken cave, she lost connection with the source and forced to use mana like a wizard. Firewood and chimney is really more useful than this sorcerer.

"Everyone don't sounds so pessimistic. I'm sure the spirit of ancestor will protect us in this holy mission"

"Doesn't protect your kind from being wiped out though"

"What was that!?"

"I'm saying you should be ashamed working for the kingdom who commit genocide on your kind"

Darec, the last surviving shaman in this continent. Apparently somewhere between 730 Vion to 839 Vion a holy war was waged upon what the kingdom perceive as heretic. Shaman who worship the spirit of ancestor are being hunted and the practice of shamanism was explicitly forbidden. Only recently the prohibition was lifted for no reason. I know it's petty opening the history the he likely want to forgot. But, this coldness is driving me crazy, I need to release some tension.

"Renvil you bastard!" He punch me just the drive I need. I retaliate and punch him back. Honestly I'm tired of this mission I'm bored. I don't know what to do. And beating the last shaman in continent sounds like a good idea.

- 902 Vion-

We found it, finally after all this time. The secret of this world, the truth of the hero Vion disappearance and the demon king current whereabouts. Proudly as a scholar of the group I read the artifact ancient writing. The artifact is some kind of tablet made from unknown material, currently I theorize it's made from kaolin clay. Reading the artifact is hard like the attempt to found it. In total I need to dispell 25 curses and 40 censorship magic even then after I dispell it the writing is a difficult code and I need 3 language books as reference to decipher the code. Well it's not important right now what important is the content. As a read it to the group, I notice something. The history of the world and the history written in artifact is completely different. The demon king is actually within our kingdom and the hero Vion is.....

"Okay that's enough. You have lived past your usefulness now the Queen herself has deemed all of you as traitor of kingdom"

Wait why is the air talking!! The Queen must be planning to kill us from the beginning after we found the artifact. I can see Bvar firing his pistol to the voice source. Dorothy and Darec, they tried to use detection magic then it happen. Numerous swift invisible knive slashing their throat giving immediate death. I'm surrounded eventhough I can't see anyone. They must want me to stay alive after all the scholar has the least offensive ability and I have small resistance to certain method of interrogation, particularly the one using torture.

"Think! Think! How can I run from this place"

As I made fultille attempt to run away I slip from the snow and I can heard many footsteps chasing me. I cry in despair. And they just run past me. Wait a minute did they just ran past me. Yes it's not a mistake I can see their footsteps in this snow. Someone must have survive and cast invisible spell on me and my the traditional snow walking shoe make me practically untrackable. I wait untill they gone and went back to the cave. What I find is a scene of carnage and Dorothy she's still alive! I don't know how but she notice I'm here without using any spell. She tried to talk, blood flowing from her mouth as she forced herself to talk.

"I can't stay in this world for a long time. So hear me out. Take this,hide, and run for your life. One day you need to tell the truth to the world"

It's one of the tablet. She must be casting invisible spell simultaneously to me and the tablet. But, that's not important right now. I just want her to live.

"Not you to don't leave me. I love you Dorothy please don't leave me"

I hold her hand while in tear.She couldn't see me yet she looked at me. With her dying breath she spoke

"I..too...wish..the..same.."

I can't find detect any heartbeat. Her hand becomes colder untill I can't feel any warm from her hand. I hate this cold it takes everything from me.

.

(author note 37°P = -15°C. P stands for Paracelcus the standard temperature measurement in this world)

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