Chapter 155: 8-12 World of Ice

Eris’ body made a dull thud as it impacted the deck of the ship. One of the soldiers, not a knight, who had just been donating his mana, hurried to catch her. But his lethargy made him slow and for my part, I was too much in shock.

Usurper…? That was the spirit, but what’s it think I am?

Perhaps it was a bit conceited, but I wholly believed that last line had been directed at me. All that said, it appeared as though my plan had been successful; despite metaphorically gnashing its teeth, there was no sign of retaliation from the spirit, at least not yet.

“Lord Alriss! Have the captain move us closer –burn out the engines if he must, but tweak our course to collide with the Will of the Gods.”

Moving the mass of ice was an exercise in futility. It was too much mass. But, if enough force to guide it, even at the cost of our engines… I just needed to get back to my own ship. There were proper mana potions in my cabin, and the mana amplifier. If I could get there, then I could do something more.

Lord Alriss snapped out of a mental fugu at the sound of my voice and nodded quickly, “As my lady commands.”

Rather than sending a messenger, the military commander personally departed for the bridge; it would be far easier to convince the captain himself then to trust even an officer.

Right, now I have my own problem.

Discharging the mana had helped me a bit, but I still felt sick to my stomach. My hands were tightly curled around the railing of the ship. When I had done that, I wasn’t sure, but if they came loose my legs would probably give out. Using other people’s mana as my own… was not something I could do lightly.

My lungs filled slowly as my body fought to get the urge to vomit under control; it was lucky that I had just discharged prior to the spirit’s mental shout, or the shock and force of that might have caused my sick to overcome any mental blocks…

Ah, that might work.

“[Fireball]” Without much ceremony, I fired a spell into the air.

The effect was immediate; my churning stomach quelled, and some warmth returned to my limbs. The alleviation was only slight, however, and the illness soon returned. The problem was the small quantity of mana expended; compared with freezing kilometers of ocean, a measly fireball was less than a grain of sand in a desert.

Quickly thinking, I chanted, “O Ice, O Dark, wrap and hold with each other like allies; reduce the burden upon the world by a small number. [Lightening]”

There was no notable change around me, but I could feel my mana draining. Probably, this spell had only affected things by less than a percent of a percent… but it might help a bit. The idea was to lessen the effect of gravity on the ice by infusing it with the reality-denying Dark Element. Regardless of if the degree would actually help the ship tweak our course or not, it would further drain the source of my problem; lingering mana.

By taking in everyone’s mana and mixing it with my own… It’s as though I’ve corrupted my own source. Like a taint or a blemish. I don’t think I can actually get rid of everything, or at least, it will take a very long time to cleanse myself fully.

More tests were needed to be sure, but as a working hypothesis, my theory seemed valid. At the very least, expending mana was making me feel better.

“You’re insane.” Franklin had stepped closer after Lord Alriss departed, then in a low voice, he added, “You should mind your grip; the men might think you’ve gotten scared.”

Sure enough, my white-knuckled fists had gone so far as to dent the metal railing into the shape of my fingers. But that shouldn’t be enough to make the soldiers here concerned.

“It would be worse if I don’t…” I raised my voice just enough for it to carry to those nearby, “Lend me your arm, Champion of Summer; that spell has left me weakened.”

Franklin frowned, but he didn’t protest. In the weeks since his arrival, it seemed like he had done a lot of growing; he knew enough to read the atmosphere. Then again, he had always been good at playing along with me.

Before addressing the soldiers, I strained my senses; the spirit was still there. Now that I had heard it twice, I could sense the ebb and flow of its thoughts, like a current beneath the water. Was the ice acting as a barrier? Perhaps. Or it was containing itself, trying to wrap whatever constituted its eldrich mind around the notion that a mortal had just performed a feat on par with its own ability.

…Well, it isn’t like I can do anything.

“Men, this enemy…” I frowned; most of them were still in a state of mild shock. Those that did have their wits about them were glancing out over the field of ice. In short, nobody was paying attention to me.

“[##### Projection], Men, my knights and soldiers, rouse yourselves.” A spell amplified my voice, allowing it to pierce the fog gripping my men’s minds.

“This foe is beyond you, and it is beyond me. That,” My hand waved out over the ice sheet, “That is only a temporary thing. This creature that has assaulted the Will of the Gods could smash the ice easily. It will break through. Did you feel it? A foreign mind crying out in confusion, in surprise? Those emotions are the only reason we have time. Time to act. Please, do not let something like this swallow your self; resist, resist as best we can, and we might pull through.”

I paused just long enough for my words to penetrate, “I am the Champion of Autumn, and supporting me is the Champion of Summer. Ours is a diplomatic mission, but before that, a divine quest. We cannot fail here to a foe that is not even a player. This spirit is neither god nor demon. Nay, it behaves as less than a monster, a mere wild beast. Powerful, yes, but simplistic in its complexity.” 

Change Title, [Princess of the Silver Dragon]

My title changed to the one received through gaining the recognition of the Dragon who sat upon the summit of Drakas, our nation’s founder. Its effect imbued my words with a coercive force, capable of influencing any who were citizens of my kingdom.

“Stand with me! We are the ones chosen by the gods! We will prevail!”

My impromptu speech combined with the power of my title to rouse the spirits of my men. Collectively, they saluted me then began to move around the ship.

“Make the deck ready for impact!”

“Mages, get down to the engine, every drop of mana will help!”

“Find anyone who’s still incapacitated and get the on their feet!”

Officers shouted orders, and the enlisted rushed to carry them out. Franklin overlooked everything and shook his head, “You don’t change, do you?”

I raised an eyebrow, “My memories are faded, but I do not recall having the ability to inspire others.”

He shook his head, “No, but you could manipulate them to an extent… but you’re right; it was never like this.”

“Perhaps… but this is my job. Now, Champion of Summer, I need to get to the bridge.”

Below me, below the ship, below the ice, the thumbing consciousness was beginning to take on an angry shape. The spirit was preparing to act, and I could not feel the mana pulse of the engines. The Will of the Gods was growing closer as the current shifted our iceberg, but without intervention from our engines, our trajectory would not intersect. Will of the Gods herself was immobile, and when I enhanced my eyesight, a frantic movement was visible on the deck.

Franklin sighed; the moment had passed, “...Very well, if that is your wish.”

My legs still felt weak from the foreign mana and large-scale spell casting so his assistance was appreciated, even if the attitude was off. Ever since coming to Drakas, I hadn’t been paying Franklin very much attention. It was regrettable, but there just hadn’t been time. Coupled with the fact that, as Rupert’s wife, it would be socially improper for me to call on him too frequently outside our capacity as champions.

Well, there isn’t anything for us to discuss outside of our capacity as fellow champions, so.

Once everything was finished with the demons, I would assist Franklin in finding a way back to Earth; Adroni, bastard be his name, might even be willing to just snap their fingers and allow it. Claire as well, though I had a feeling she would probably want to stay… at this point, the lines between Claire and Felicity were starting to blur a bit. At the very least, it was beginning to become difficult for me to tell which one of them was speaking, if not for Felicity’s third person verbal tic.

Though, it will be interesting to see if Franklin still wants to leave by the end of this… Taya, that merchant’s daughter, even Eris, I think. He’s becoming something of a protagonist in his own right.

Maybe I should pay a bit more attention to him; if I left him entirely to his own devices, his Talent and Skill enhanced Charisma might trigger a diplomatic incident. Letting my mind wander a bit had done wonders; the lingering nausea had faded to the point where it was barely noticeable, and any anxiety over the spirit’s mental shout had faded. Just in time, as we had arrived at the bridge. From the other side of the portal, frazzled shouting could be heard.

“I should have been consulted!”

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Lord Alriss responded calmly enough, but subtle cues in his tone let me know that this had been going on for some time, “There was no time; if her majesty had not acted then the spirit may have sunk Will of the Gods.”

“And what’s to say it even is a spirit? Far more likely to be a sea monster drawn to the sound of the engines!”

That other speaker must be the captain.

“If her majesty declares that the foe is a spirit, then it is a spirit. Captain, in your folly, you have eaten the remainder of your time.” Lord Alriss declared my arrival; no doubt, he had felt my presence making its way here.

Franklin glanced at me and I nodded once before releasing his arm. For the men, holding onto his side had shown necessary solidarity. For me, it provided the support to recover more quickly. But now I was recovered, and rather than solidarity, a show of strength was needed. Franklin opened the door.

Upon entering I took a glance around. Unlike the Jewel of Gaia’s Crown, the Might of Man’s bridge crew was a mess. It was clear that the officers were frazzled and barely hanging together. Reading the air of their superiors, the regular sailors had a grim demeanor as though they expected to die any moment. I locked eyes first with Lord Alriss.

“My lady, forgive me but I have failed; this man refuses to give the order.”

My gaze shifted to the captain. Seeing he held my attention, he stretched himself up and began to preen.

“This is my ship. When she rides the waves, my word is law! You have no right to…”

I tuned out his ramblings.

Well, it’s my fault for acting without consulting him. According to maritime tradition and law, he isn’t wrong. But, this level of inflexibility… I would expect an officer to recognize the exceptionality of our predicament.

Captain Benji of the Will of the Gods, Captain Strauss of the Jewel of Gaia’s Crown, and Captain Uriel of the Might of Man. The three of them had nearly spotless records, with Benji possessing the only red mark on account of his status as a Halfblood(Human-Beastkin).

I have two options…

Kill, or not to kill. Time did not allow for negotiating. Truthfully, even if it did, I was short on patience at the moment.

If I kill him, then it will potentially sow dissent to the crew… But if I don’t, there will be questions as to why I spared him after he verbally spat in my face.

The crux of the issue was the already decided factor; in the next few moments, I was going to revoke his commission. Everyone from my party could probably see that. Lord Alriss had placed his hand on his sword, and Jacqueline had slipped her hands into the waistline of her skirt. Even Franklin, though he wasn’t ready to act, was drawing a sour face that said, “I know where this is going.”

After revoking his commission, he would be but a commoner. And a commoner who had just told the Queen of his nation that she was beneath him in station.

In the long run…

I bit my lip, as the various advises I’d received came back to me.

“Be decisive.”

Why does it feel like I’m standing on a precipice…? I’ve given these orders before.

My mind was made up, “Captain Uriel, you forget yourself. You may be the sovereign of this ship, but this ship is Drakan; after my husband, I am the sovereign of Drakas. Yes, according to tradition, you outrank me upon the sea, but in this crisis you failed to act. Perhaps you had a plan, but it was neither evident nor communicated. If you had quietly complied, or complied while voicing your dissent, I might have found it proper to bow my head and beg forgiveness after a resolution. But you dragged your feet and cried about tradition. Because of that, you have put the lives of everyone on both the Might of Man and the Will of the Gods in jeopardy.”

I laced a small amount of mana into my voice, silently invoking a spell that disgusted me, “I relieve your command. Protest further, and I will relieve you of your head.”

The Voice of the King. A spell that compelled the obedience of any Drakan citizen who heard it. It was simple to overcome if you knew how. Back in my academy days, Edith had advised me to bite my tongue hard enough to draw blood; the pain drowned out the influence of the voice. Really, anything sufficiently distracting would do the trick. Pain was just the most convenient method.

Captain Uriel was not a high noble. His family name belonged to a baron not far above the station of my own father. He wouldn’t know how to avoid the command.

Uriel’s eyes narrowed, “You do not have the right, my men-”

“Lord Alriss, your sword.” I cut him off and accepted the blade from my knight commander, who gripped it tightly before releasing it; a sign that he knew my sin.

An order that cannot be refused. In this case, “Protest further.”

An order, and a promise. I swung the sword after enhancing it with Ice Element mana. The least I could do for the condemned man was use my own hands to do it. If not for the need to demonstrate Lord Alriss’ loyalty to the onlookers, I would have gone as far as using my own sword. Captain Uriel’s body snap froze with the infusion of Ice Element. He died instantly and in a manner that would preserve his body to be returned to his family.

“First Officer, with my authority as the sovereign of our nation, I appoint you as the succeeding captain. Treat your predecessor’s body with all honors due a man of his former station, and adjust our course –even if it destroys the engines.”

The first officer regarded his former captain’s statue and clenched his fists before answering, “Aye. Captain Shepherd, reporting.”

He was subdued, but it would be too much to ask him to act happy. I nodded as graciously as I could, then used the skirt of my dress to wipe the blood from Alriss’s blade before returning it. There wasn’t much; the instant freeze-cauterization had seen to that, but there was enough to stain the cloth.

With that, I’ve done the best I can.

Tangentially, one of my goals was the reformation of the military into a more modern system. For that, the execution of the old traditions was necessary. My plan had been to do this slowly, but the situation had backed me into a corner where the most logical course of action was to execute a pillar of that tradition… It was the least I could do for the man to make use of his death.

“Lord Alriss, with me; select ten of the strongest knights as we move. I am going down onto the ice sheet.”

He fell into step behind me, and together with my retinue we departed the bridge. The exception was Jacqueline, who had at some point melted into the shadows without being ordered; she would remain on the off chance that the bridge crew and their new captain sought to countermand my orders. Though with the way I’d orchestrated the situation, that hopefully shouldn’t be necessary.

“My Lady, if I may, why are you going to the ice?” Lord Alriss asked me, himself knowing enough not to ask about the legal murder he had just witnessed.

“Because I want to converse with the spirit, if I can draw its attention, pique its interest for even a few extra moments, then that is more time we will have to act. Fighting it is futile, and so is running. Our only choice is appeasement while making ourselves look as troublesome as possible.”

Lord Alriss gave it a thought, then nodded, “Like a Spiny Bellfrog sprouting toxic spikes to dissuade predation, we cannot kill an Ancient Spirit, but we can possibly hurt it as we die.”

We continued to the top deck in silence save the sounds of our feet striking the floor of the passageway. Out of the corner of my eye, Franklin was possessed of a dour visage. That wasn’t a good sign, but I would address him later. Likely, he would protest my actions against the late Captain Uriel, but was able to hold himself back until we got out of the current predicament. That was fine; executing Uriel could be used here as well.

Franklin was with me in Zesten; he’s seen me kill enemy soldiers before, and he’s personally killed a few himself. Now, he needs to come to realize my position as well; as a fellow Champion, he cannot be kept distant to the darkness of the world, and trying will only backfire.

Claire had once mentioned it to me after we returned to Drakas, and I personally had seen the trope a few times in various games. Where the noble hero discovers their kingdom’s dark belly. I wouldn’t allow that scenario to play out when I could move early and prevent it.

Uriel’s death can be further utilized to that end.

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