'Heart of Winter'.
Absolute power that surpasses the realm of the gods. The ultimate aspiration of every sorcerer. The outer part of the heart shone transparently, as if made of snow crystals that would never melt, and inside, a familiar yet unfamiliar blue light swirled. The brilliant light that had consumed countless lives possessed a bizarre quality that could not be fully contained in a few lines of explanation.
[The Heart of Winter was not a miracle that gave eternal life; it was just a blue monster that devoured someone's life.]
It was exactly as the system said. If one knew how many lives were lost to create it, they would never use the word "miracle."
'If only I could break the crystallization of this tragedy with my own hands.'
I embraced the blue heart with my entire body. I maintained my grip on the cold surface and focused on absorbing all the power dwelling within it. Then, as expected, my luck level began to rise.
[Current Holdings: ♣ ×1950] [Current Holdings: ♣ ×2600]
But was it because too much power was entering at once? My vision blurred, and my mind became disoriented.
'Don't faint here!'
I just needed to hold on a little longer. I tried my best to ignore the churning, rumbling sensation inside me and absorbed all the remaining luck.
[Current Holdings: ♣ ×3500] [Current Holdings: ♣ ×4399]
Just a little.
…In the future, just a little more.
The sound of clashing swords was followed by the tearing of clothes and flesh, and the splattering of blood, indicating an injury. I wanted to check on Kyle's situation, but the coffin was deeper than I expected, and my view was completely blocked by its wall.
As I burned with impatience, finally—
'It's done!'
All the blue light was absorbed by me, and my luck level soared all at once.
[Current Holdings: ♣ ×5432]
I let go and quickly jumped off the coffin. The effect of 'Hulle-Popping Almond Whinangsi' hadn't worn off yet, so even though I slipped a few times, I was able to climb up safely and check on Kyle's condition. He was injured, but he still seemed capable of moving.
Relieved, I shouted, "―Squeak! (Now's the time!)"
At my shout, Kyle quickly pulled out the item he had kept in his pocket. It was something I had bought for myself before entering this place, and I had eaten it before.
[Emergency Escape Pumpkin Seed Stick | Consumes 8% Miracle Points | Allows momentary teleportation within a 10m radius.]
When my cry came from the coffin, not from near him, Knox muttered in a sullen voice, "You fooled my eyes, you little pest."
It was a voice that clearly carried murderous intent, but there was no time to shrink back. I leaped from my spot and shouted to the system, "―Squeak! Snap! (Unload!)"
[(๑•̀•́)و✧]
An emoji radiating strength appeared, and a bright light enveloped my body. Just before my vision was completely obscured, I made eye contact with Kyle. He nodded slightly, and I nodded back.
This was just the beginning. Our purpose wasn't to steal the Heart of Winter, but to return safely, both of us.
"Hey, system! This is ridiculous! You should have made some adjustments yourself!"
[┗( T﹏T )┛]
Emojis that looked like they were being punished appeared one after another. I gasped for breath and clicked my tongue.
In other words, this was the situation: Immediately after the teleportation, I fell from the air in my human form, and my feet were instantly burning. This was because the location where I had materialized was precisely where Knox's servants had been turned into a chaotic mess. I hadn't known when I first designated it! I never thought I'd be so unlucky!
'Wait. Could it be that Knox did it?'
It wasn't impossible for that man. There had been several times when I felt the wave of my power, that is, my 'miracle,' and he had tried to intervene. So, it was quite possible that he had moved the servants in the direction where the 'teleportation' was released.
"Annoying!"
At that moment, the system quickly created a new item.
[Love Love Corner~❤] [Free Pull Stick | ❤ ×777] [Let's hit it lightly like a rock! But when it hits, it hurts like a rock!]
When did you make something like this?
I bought it without hesitation. It was a weapon that truly looked like a sword, but it didn't have an unusual luster. I began to diligently beat the servants with the 'pull-out stick.' Fortunately, the weapon was light, allowing me to clear a path without much effort.
However, there was a real problem.
"Oh, I'm going to die of cold!"
It was because I had been in such a hurry to 'bring it in' (teleport), that I was only wearing a thin shirt and cotton pants that Kyle had made for me. I wondered how fierce the wind was; my teeth chattered the whole time. My feet were numb, and instead of sweating, I didn't feel a drop, and my joints were stiff and hard, making it difficult to move my legs.
Thinking that I would freeze to death before being caught by the servants, I called the system and opened the store.
Whoosh!
I heard a sound cut through the air, and a sharp blade pierced through the bright blue system window, narrowly missing my ear.
"What, what, what?!"
Panicking, I twisted my waist sharply, deviating from the dagger's trajectory. It was stuck precisely in the wall, a weapon thrown to kill me, abandoned like a discarded tool.
"…Let's try it."
If it's a throw, I'm confident.
I twisted my mouth into a grin and pulled a bow and arrow from my inventory. I had practiced riding a horse and aiming at a target, but I had never shot while running.
"In the first place, when you are in danger, you have unexpected abilities, and that's what this is."
I pulled the bowstring taut and fired arrows at the servants pouring down from afar.
Thud!
The arrow, with a dull sound, landed precisely…
"…."
It was stuck against the opposite wall.
"Ugh!"
[(((φ(◎ロ◎;)φ)))]
I hurriedly swung my bow and struck the approaching servant on the head. As I stepped on the fallen servant and leaped loudly, another servant swung his sword from behind.
Are they sending armed bastards now?
There was a limit to struggling to avoid the fallen servants and those who were pressing in. I ended up stumbling heavily, unable to avoid one of the fallen servants grabbing my ankle and pulling me down. At the same time, the dagger raised high above his head also caught my eye.
I reflexively closed my eyes.
Oh, is this how I die?
Thwack!
At that moment, something spilled onto my shirt with an eerie sound. Because it was cold and damp, an unpleasant sensation spread. The servant's body with the dagger tilted at an angle and fell to the ground helplessly.
"Shu."
"…Your Highness!"
Kyle, who had kicked the servant's body dead with a single blow, grabbed my arm and pulled me up. Then he quickly examined my complexion, likely to determine if the blood on my shirt was my own or someone else's.
"I wasn't hurt." I clung to him and whispered quickly. Still, I'm glad I materialized in a similar place.
"We don't have time for this. We have to go up to the drawing room."
"Yes."
Knox and his servants would surely chase after us. Now that he knew I had stolen the power from the Heart of Winter, he would never let me go.
"If you are caught, you will surely die."
The thought resonated with me so clearly that it was chilling. I pulled Kyle along and quickly ran up the stairs. As I strode up two steps at a time, I couldn't catch my breath, and the inside of my throat felt like it was burning. In addition, I had twisted my ankle while fighting with the servants earlier, and my legs were sagging, my body even bent forward.
"Wait."
Kyle immediately noticed my change. He quickly grabbed my waist, then picked me up and increased his speed. My upper body hooked forward, and I felt nauseous, but I covered my mouth with both hands and held on.
Through my swaying vision, I saw servants who had caught up with us. Those with no blood or expression followed us at a terrifying speed without taking a single breath.
'This is worse than a horror movie.'
Just as I was thinking that, a knife flew from below. It was a white projectile. There was no room to avoid it. Because of the speed of climbing, I couldn't turn around. The target was Kyle's thigh.
I gritted my teeth and used my luck to block the sword. Clang! With a tremendous sound, the projectile trembled. I strained my eyes and glared at the bright blue shield. Hold on. I endured unconditionally. I must endure it.
"Your Highness, hurry up!"
"I'm trying!"
Kyle quickly turned. As soon as they disappeared from our sight for a moment, the projectile, unable to keep up with his speed, hit the wall.
"Hey! Knox! You unconscionable bastard! That knife was a cheap shot, a cheap shot!" I shouted downwards, then checked my condition.
[Current Holdings: ♣ ×4848]
Perhaps because it blocked a fairly strong attack, my luck value had dropped below the target value. At this rate, even if I managed to get to the reception room, I couldn't buy a compass.
What should I do?
It was time to roll my eyes and look around with an anxious gaze. A faint smile appeared on Kyle's glowing face.
"Shu, I'll let you go for a moment, so jump up as quickly as you can, as long as your feet don't strain."
"Alone?"
"Yes. Just wait a moment. Can you do it?"
Just like that?
He must have something in mind. It wasn't too late to hear the explanation later. I nodded.
"Yes."
As soon as Kyle dropped me off, I grabbed the railing and jumped up as fast as I could. I couldn't tell if the blurriness in front of me was due to the sudden increase in luck values, the abnormal interference rate, or just running to the point of exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Kyle went down slightly, killed the servants and soldiers who came closest to him, and pulled out the magic stone from their hearts.
When I was almost at the top, Kyle hugged me and handed me the things he had brought. Although it was soaked in blood, it was the 'core of the demonic beast' that never failed. I quickly absorbed the blue light.
"It's a little lacking, how did you know?"
"I know that just by looking at your face."
"You're quite the Doctor Hamster."
"It's Doctor Shu."
I swallowed my nausea and tried to laugh. It was amazing that we could share such a sloppy joke even in the midst of this chaos.
I managed to get rid of him and arrived. Without hesitation, Kyle kicked the drawing room door open. I quickly ran and lifted the carpet.
Soon, the blue magic circle that would lead us back to our hometown appeared.