Man on the ark, forced to become king

"If you want to, then do it."

Bozokast rarely found it easy to refuse his daughter, even though he knew Yelena's physical condition prevented her from frequently using Originium Arts.

He also felt that Yelena's words made sense, and perhaps a battle could change Talulah's mind.

He excels at communicating through combat instead of words, and he believes he has a high success rate in doing so.

Therefore, he did not stop it.

Yelena is also a good match for Talulah, as they can exchange ideas and influence each other during battle.

...If he were to do this, he would only drive Talulah to despair, and might even leave her with some scars that are difficult to heal.

That wouldn't be communication, it would be a one-sided beating.

"tonight?"

"The sooner this happens, the better; there's no point in waiting any longer."

Yelena nodded, gazing at Talulah in the camp, and suddenly asked, "Dad, shouldn't Big Bear be back by now?"

"The distance is not far, seven days is enough, today is the last day."

Bozokasti's helmet swayed slightly, as if nodding.

Even when in the middle of an ice field, understanding the outside world is essential. If you are trapped in a corner of the wilderness and completely isolated from the outside world, it is like being trapped in a cage, unaware that danger is right in front of you.

Therefore, every now and then, the Yeti team would send one person to the nearest city to gather intelligence and bring back some rare and hard-to-obtain supplies.

For example, salt, and sugar.

Usually, the task is handled by Big Bear, the Yeti whose physical characteristics are closest to those of an uninfected person. He is an experienced veteran and knows the ropes very well.

If you calculate the time, he should indeed be back today. The nearest city is Chernobog, which isn't too far away. Seven days is more than enough time to go back and forth, excluding the time spent purchasing supplies and gathering intelligence.

"If I'm not finished by the time he gets back, I'll have him go to my tent."

Yelena turned and left, subtly squeezing her pocket where she kept a few candies—candies she had made herself.

As the effects of Oripathy deepened, only these strange-tasting candies, which were extremely difficult for ordinary people to swallow, allowed her to experience a little bit of what it felt like to be a normal person.

Perhaps this time, we could add some chili peppers and strong liquor?

As she silently made her plans, Yelena quickened her pace.

There's plenty of time after the sugar issue; now it's time to get down to business.

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

"You came?"

After driving the last anchor stake into the frozen ground, Talulah put down the hammer in her hand. Her fair face was covered with a little dust and a slight blush.

Even the physically strong Drak doesn't have unlimited stamina. After a busy day, fatigue is inevitable.

The white-haired dragon girl brushed a stray strand of hair from her ear and looked behind her, where the expressionless white rabbit had been standing for a while.

She knew Yelena's purpose, of course, but chose to finish her work first.

I'm here. Do you have time?

“I can do it anytime, but I need to be far away. I don’t want the camp to be affected by our spells… especially mine.”

Compared to ice, Drak's flames would undoubtedly cause more damage to the camp, and Talulah didn't want to see that happen, so she suggested that they go further.

They agreed to meet at a makeshift training ground, but the space was rather cramped and unsafe, making it prone to accidents, especially given Yelena's obvious anger.

Actually, Talulah could understand why Yelena was angry, but... she still didn't think she was wrong. Since they were compatriots, why couldn't they be more tolerant?

We all come together for survival and freedom, so why impose strict rules on everyone? What's the difference between that and those nobles?

Therefore, she had no intention of admitting her mistake or changing her mind. It was just a fight, nothing serious; at most, she would just get beaten up. She was already prepared to deliberately make a mistake in the upcoming battle and get beaten up by Yelena.

"I have no objection, let's go."

"Hey? Little Tower? Frostnova? We've already started cooking, where are you going?"

Yelena walked in front, followed by Talulah, and the two of them walked silently out of the camp, only to bump into a fawn carrying a bag of rice in its arms.

The girl, carrying a rough sack of rice, looked confused and blocked the way.

"Frostnova and I are going to have a sparring session to see how much we've improved. We'll be back before dinner, Alina."

Sorry, Alina, I can't exactly say I'm going to get beaten up, can I?

Feeling a pang of guilt, Talulah told a lie, something she rarely does.

"Is that so? Well then, you'd better be careful."

Although she didn't know why the two of them chose to practice when it was dark, since it was Talulah who said it... and since similar things had happened before, Alina didn't suspect anything.

"Let's stay here, it should be far enough."

……

After walking a long way from the camp, Talulah glanced behind her guiltily. Only after confirming that Alina hadn't followed did she breathe a sigh of relief and draw her greatsword.

The greatsword, which would be enough for an ordinary person to use as a two-handed sword, was easily wielded in her hands with one hand, and sparks ignited, setting the night sky ablaze.

Despite being prepared to be beaten, Talulah had no intention of surrendering. After all, she had to make her performance convincing, right?

"Ah."

After glancing at the dragon girl who was poised to attack, the white rabbit carefully took off her cloak, folded it up, and placed it a little further away. She was not afraid of the severe cold of the icy plains.

Because...she is colder than the snow and wind of the tundra.

Click~click~

Tiny ice crystals condensed under the control of Originium Arts, transforming into sharp ice crystals that shot out, making the already frigid air even colder.

Ding!

The greatsword, burning with flames, blocked the path of the ice crystals, instantly melting them with its scorching heat.

Sparks danced around Talulah, making her appear like a fire spirit dancing in the flames as she charged forward.

However, her movements were far from graceful; the greatsword fell with wide, sweeping motions, exuding power.

A hard, gray-black ice wall rose up from the spot, and at that moment the ice transformed into Yelena's arms, moving nimbly to keep all the flames out.

The collisions rang out one after another, and the water vapor from the melting ice swirled in the air, adding a hazy touch to the night.

As usual, their attacks were evenly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand.

call!

A wisp of fire parted the drifting mist, and Talulah, wielding a flaming sword, cleaved through the solid ice, leaving a trail of afterimages as she passed through the ice crystals. The flames wrapped around the sword suddenly surged, transforming into a continuous curtain of fire that swept towards Yelena's location like a tidal wave.

"Such power is insufficient to protect everyone."

With the sea of ​​fire right before her eyes, Yelena raised her hand and suddenly flicked it. Ice flowers bloomed from the frozen earth, shattering into countless tiny ice crystals that intertwined with the flames.

clang!

The rhombus-shaped ice crystal hovering behind them was thrown out, stopping the figure leaping out of the ice and fire.

Talulah sensed a powerful surge of magical energy erupting, the icy chill almost freezing the air itself.

"..."

The thick mist soaked her clothes, then dried them with the flames. Talulah's eyes narrowed, and flames erupted from her body, the shockwave blowing away the ice crystals and mist together.

On the tundra, the land covered in ice and snow was ignited by raging fire, dispelling the cold.

'This shouldn't be considered excessive, right?'

Talulah carefully calculated in her mind that it was about time. After the outburst, she pretended to make a mistake and get hit, so that she wouldn't lose too badly. Yelena shouldn't be able to tell.

Let's do it that way!

In the blink of an eye, the flames intensified, with sparks swirling and dancing in the air. Yelena was no stranger to this scene and had plenty of ways to deal with it.

But this time, just as she raised her palm, before the magical energy she had gathered could erupt, she caught a glimpse of a spark falling onto her cloak, which was folded in the distance, and then burned a small hole in it.

"My cloak!"

In an instant, the extreme low temperature completely extinguished the tiny flame. Yelena propelled herself across the ice crystals, hugged the cloak to her chest, ran her fingers along the hole, and a flash of heartache crossed her eyes.

Call ~

The wind and snow rose again, mixed with terrifying magical fluctuations.

After the snow, Yelena's angry voice reached Talulah's ears.

"Talulah! I'm serious now!"

Chapter Seventy: The Emperor's Blade

"Wait, wait! Yelena, calm down! I, I, I didn't mean to!"

The burning flames quietly died down, leaving only a few wisps of smoke. Talulah stammered an apology, almost dropping her sword.

She originally had no desire to fight. If it weren't for the fact that not fighting would cause even more trouble for Yelena in the future, she would not have wanted to fight at all. She came out this time prepared to be beaten up.

But who could have imagined that things would take such an unpredictable turn after just the first exchange?