Character Introduction
Erika-teze: The daughter of a duke from a human kingdom. After fleeing to the Demon Kingdom, she began participating in Tiselle's nation-building project.
I was once the Ice Demon God—no, simply an ice monster.
My name was Ice.
It was a name far too simple, but I had no choice but to accept it. After all, it was the name bestowed upon me by the one who had defeated me, specifically to bind me to her service.
How vexing.
However, I acknowledged my master’s strength. I didn't even think it was so bad to run wild alongside her.
But then, my master died.
Apparently, she had taken down a powerful foe at the cost of her own life in a place where I was not present. To think she would drag me around as she pleased, only to vanish on her own. At most, I thought I’d have a good laugh about it. After all, the one binding me was gone.
Or so I thought.
For some reason, I was not released.
I didn't know where my master was. she didn't answer my calls, and there were no calls from her, either. And yet, I remained bound. What was the meaning of this? What had become of her?
I didn't know. For the time being, I waited for roughly a hundred years. Since my perception of time was blurred, it likely wasn't exactly a century. It might have been a thousand years. No, perhaps two thousand? I couldn't say for sure, though it definitely hadn't been less than a hundred.
During all that time, there was never a call from my master. Therefore, I eventually judged that I was free. I decided to live however I pleased.
First... what should I do? Should I create a world that was easier to live in? Should I cover the entire world in ice? Yes, that sounded like a fine idea.
I pondered such things as I walked through a certain forest.
Then, I fled with everything I had.
This was bad, bad, bad.
What on earth was that village? There were members of the ancient Dragon Race there! There was a phoenix! And to top it all off, the Spider Queen herself was there! Why were those groups even together? Hadn't they been enemies for thousands of years? What had happened to the world?
I-I was an ice monster. Since I was a subordinate of the Ice Spirit King, was I supposed to submit to the Spider Queen? What was the relationship between the Spider Queen and the Ice Spirit King again? I seemed to recall she was disliked because the Spider Queen slept whenever it got cold.
What was I supposed to do? The phoenix was a fire-type, so it was a terrible match for an ice being like me. As for the ancient dragons... they would never even notice someone like me.
Right. I decided I would just pretend I hadn't seen anything and run away.
I had thought that, and yet, I was pursued. By Fenrirs. And multiple ones at that.
Wait, wait, wait. The Fenrir kin were subordinates of the Ice Spirit King! They were my kin! Comrades! Even though I appealed to them that way, they bit me anyway. My prideful ice armor was shattered.
My attacks did nothing. I knew why, of course. We were of the same ice element; there was no way my magic would get through. In terms of raw power, the Fenrirs were simply stronger. They must have been eating exceptionally well. As for me, I hadn't eaten a thing in a hundred years—or however long it had actually been.
I couldn't win a contest of strength. Furthermore, those Fenrirs had fangs meant for crushing me. I did not. In place of fangs, I possessed an ice sword, but there was no way it would work against a Fenrir. Just in case, I prayed for a miracle and tried to slash, but my ice sword lost to the Fenrir’s fur and snapped.
I knew that would happen.
Someone, help me! I prayed from the bottom of my heart.
Before I knew it, I was in an unfamiliar place. Was I inside a cool, stone building? Was it a labyrinth? Why was I here? Had I teleported? Had I been summoned?
There were no Fenrirs in the vicinity. For now, I set about regenerating my shattered body. It was a simple, pitiful form, but it couldn't be helped. It would likely take several years for my body to become perfect again. Well, a few years would pass in the blink of an eye.
I was just pulling myself together and trying to grasp the situation when a massive impact rocked my body from both the front and the back.
Startled, I looked down and saw a woman who had slammed into me. Behind me, another woman had done the exact same thing. Ah, I recognized this. This was no mere body slam.
It was the Tezzakkō.
It was a specific technique my master used to use often. And I had just taken it from both sides at once.
Hahaha. My newly regenerated body was smashed to pieces. Even though I thought I had escaped the Fenrirs, was my life to end here?
Fine. But I would not die for nothing! I would take one of them with me—
Wait. One of the women looked familiar. No, she looked a bit younger than the form I remembered, but... Master?
No way. Was she my master’s child? A descendant? Either way, it was a shock. To think there was actually a man who took that woman as his wife! Amazing! The world was a vast place indeed. Even though I had always assumed it was absolutely impossible—Guegh!
Wait a minute! I was in the middle of soaking in memories, so don't try to deliver the finishing blow! Even if you say I looked like I was thinking of something annoying...
Hold on. This exchange. I remembered it.
It was definitely my master. Oh, as I expected, she was my master’s descendant.
...No. That wasn't it.
I could feel it. I could perceive her magic power binding me. In other words, the woman before my eyes was my master herself. The one known as the Hero Queen, Urulbraza!
Eh? That was wrong? Your name is Urza?
A-Ah, I see.
So, Master. Who is this other woman? Erika-teze? She’s your work colleague? It is a pleasure to meet you.
I... no, I am the Ice Monster, Ice. I am your subordinate. Yes, a subordinate. I have no hostile intent whatsoever. So, would it be alright if I regenerated my body? Being just a head is quite unsettling.
I was permitted to regenerate. Thank goodness.
"You look like you're capable of speech," Urza said. "Provide a translation for us."
Translation?
"They’re over there. They’re your comrades, aren't they?"
Even if you call them comrades, I am alone—
Following my master’s instructions, I moved to a spot where I found a small fire monster warming a pot with its own flames. A stone monster was holding that pot, though it looked like a heap of broken bricks. And a wind monster, appearing as a faint whirlwind that seemed ready to vanish, was cheering the fire monster on.
They were my old coworkers.
"Master, those are all your subordinates! Why did you attack them?!"
I understood why, of course. They had become incredibly weak.
"You were the one who attacked them, Master? And Erika-teze did too... Erika-teze, please don't try to shift the blame to her to avoid responsibility."
Ah, that’s right. My master was always like this. She would act on her own even when we tried to stop her, and then she’d drag us into the mess when she got into trouble later.
How nostalgic. And how infuriating.
Good grief. Anyway, the fire monster is going to vanish at this rate, so please add some fuel. And you, fire monster, don't go warming a pot until you drain your very life! Use residual heat for that kind of thing. Residual heat!
As for the stone monster... it will recover to some extent if it’s buried in soil, but we are inside a labyrinth, aren't we? We have to go outside. Likewise, the wind monster cannot demonstrate its true potential indoors.
Anyway, let’s get out of here. You aren't lost, are you?
Why are the two of you averting your eyes?
Master aside, Erika-teze? I thought you were the one with common sense! I believed you were the person who would keep my master in check! Are you also someone who just runs wild alongside her?
Come to think of it, that was a magnificent Tezzakkō. It’s "Tezzakkō," not "Tezankotsu." It must have been passed down incorrectly somewhere along the line. Well, as long as it gets the point across, I suppose it doesn't matter.
More importantly, we are leaving. We need to find a place with soil. Yes, if the stone monster recovers a bit more, it will be able to sense the structure of the labyrinth. Getting out will be easy then. So, if we can find some soil...
Master? Erika-teze? What are you doing to the wall?
You think there might be soil if you just smash through it?
Usually, labyrinth walls are reinforced with magic power so they can't be broken, you know.
...Though it seems like you two could actually pull it off.