Ice King.

『Rivelune』

2 days had passed since the battle.

The group of heroes were amazed at the progress the village made.

The once destroyed bridges had been rebuilt, and the walls surrounding the city had been fortified.

As they walked along the streets, they saw the villagers working hard in rebuilding their homes and shops.

"A lot has been done in such a short period of time," Larc commented, looking around the village. "It's thanks to all the hardworking people of Rivelune."

Felinela agreed, adding, "And thanks to Undine too. Without her, the water would still be contaminated, and the villagers wouldn't have been able to farm or fish."

...

As they approached the Palace, they were greeted by King Luka and his Queen, who were wearing their finest royal robes.

The Great Water Spirit, Undine, stood beside them, looking as regal as ever.

"Welcome, heroes of Rivelune!" King Luka greeted them warmly, spreading out his arms for a welcome embrace.

"It's an honor to be here, Your Majesty," Archibald said with a respectful bow.

"We were only doing our duty to protect Rivelune." Rumia lowered her head in veneration of the royals.

The Queen smiled, saying, "Undine has told us all about your bravery and how you risked your lives to save our beloved village. We cannot thank you enough."

Undine nodded, her blue hair swaying gracefully as she spoke, "It is because of their efforts that the Aquos Chronicles was restored, and the water was purified. Rivelune owes them a great debt."

Rolo grumbled, "Debts mean nothing. We only did what had to be done."

"I-It was nothing, Your Majesty," said Lutessa.

"Trust me, it was our pleasure," Fatima smiled, eyes closed.

The King laughed jovially, "We understand your feelings, young lad. However, Rivelune cannot simply ignore the bravery of its protectors."

The group looked at each other and smiled, sharing a moment of pride and admiration.

They had saved a village from certain destruction and had been acknowledged by the highest authorities in the land.

The courtier entered the room.

A glass case clutched tightly in his hands.

The clink of metal echoed throughout the room as he approached King Luka.

The king raised his hand, and the courtier placed the case on the floor and opened it.

Inside, there were seven shiny medals, each adorned with a figure of a forest on it.

King Luka cleared his throat and addressed the room.

"In addition to the gratitude of Rivelune, we hereby bestow upon these brave warriors the twin forest medals." (Luka)

He gestured for the heroes to form a line, with Rolo in front and Archibald at the end.

One by one, the king awarded them medals, placing them around their necks.

"(I can't believe we're getting medals! Damn it! The suspense is killing me, the last time I got a medal for something was my por— my research website for 30 days of logging in..)" (Archibald)

Archibald's heart swelled with pride as he waited for his turn.

But as the king reached the end of the line, he looked around in confusion and noticed that there were no more medals left.

Archibald's face fell as he realised he wasn't going to receive one.

"Wait...what about mine?" he asked, feeling disappointed.

The king's face fell as well, he didn't expect to run out so soon.

"I'm so sorry, Archibald. It seems we made a miscalculation in the number of medals. There aren't any more left." (Luka)

The group burst into laughter, and Rumia jabbed him in the stomach.

"Ha, perverts don't get medals anyway." (Rumia)

"(Tell that to my Elden Annulus achievement sheet)" (Archibald)

Lamperogue remained silent, arms folded.

Felinela chimed in, "Don't worry, Archibald. If you need some extra fireworks, I can always give you a mouthful of explosions."

Despite the teasing, Lutessa patted Archibald on the back, "It's fine, Sir Knight, don't worry about it," she said, trying to console him.

Archibald tried to keep his composure, "I can wait for it, Your Highness," he said with a hopeful look in his eyes.

King Luka shook his head apologetically, "I'm sorry, Archibald. But we don't have enough time to make any more medals right now. Perhaps in the future, we can rectify this mistake."

"Wow, that's just bad luck." (Undine)

"I second that." (Siegrid)

Meanwhile, the others couldn't contain their laughter.

Rolo and Larc slumped down onto the floor as they laughed.

Archibald's eyes began to glisten with tears.

However, Lutessa saw this and tried to console him more.

"It's okay, Sir Knight, don't feel bad about it. You still did an outstanding job during the battle, and we all appreciate your contribution to our victory." (Lutessa)

Felinela and Fatima nodded in agreement, "Yeah, and who needs a medal when you have us as your comrades?" Felinela said playfully.

Archibald sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, "You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so hung up about a piece of metal."

King Luka smiled at the group, "It warms my heart to see such camaraderie among our heroes. You all have shown immense bravery and selflessness in defending our land."

He turned to Archibald, "And I promise you, Archibald, that as soon as we have more medals made, you will be the first to receive one."

Archibald smiled and bowed to the king, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness."

"....Besides, you should care more about the results than the reward, take pride in that..." (Lamperogue)

"(Son of a..)" (Archibald)

The group then left the room, with Archibald feeling grateful for his companions and the king's promises.

While he didn't have a medal to show for it, he knew that his bravery and sacrifice during the battle were still meaningful and appreciated by his fellow comrades and the king himself.

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

--- In the Rabastines mountain range, Mount Oscasis ---

The 10th Ranker, Ice King "Ciel" walked through the Rabastines.

The temperature dropped even further, and the snow began to grow heavier.

His breaths created visible puffs of white vapor as he gazed up into the sky.

He could see the immense figures of the Wyverns soaring above him.

Without missing a beat, Ciel continued on his path, leaving behind a trail of Wyvern corpses in his wake.

Each of the Wyverns had fallen prey to Ciel's devastating attacks.

Their blood staining the ground and their bodies pierced by shards of ice.

When Ciel approached Mount Oscasis, an enormous Wyvern emerged from the depths of the mountain.

It stood before Ciel, its massive body covered in thick scales that glinted in the sunlight.

The creature's wings, claws, and fangs were all razor-sharp, and it was clear that this beast was a true monster.

The Wyvern did not attack Ciel, but simply watched him, knowing full well the danger that he posed.

Ciel knew that he couldn't just leave it be - it was too boring to allow it to live.

The Ice King materialized a large shard of ice and launched it at the Wyvern with lightning-fast speed, setting the shard's hardness, spinning speed, and travel speed at maximum.

The ice shard sliced through the air, ripping the Wyvern to shreds with an ear-splitting scream.

"How distasteful.." (Ciel)

He found the noise too much and snapped his finger, causing the ice shard lodged inside the Wyvern's body to explode into a number of spikes that tore apart the Wyvern into nothing but tiny fragments.

Ciel calmly smiled to himself.

He slowly walked down the mountains, his presence cold as "ice."

"Just a few more years Lana (Rumia), and you'll be ours once again. I'll be patient and respect your father's agreement." (Ciel)