The comfortable life of the best swordsman

Cladia's scream echoed, prompting Eimme and Luther to sprint towards the source of the sound in panic. They found Cladia sitting on the ground, visibly shaken, in front of a massive block of ice. She had clearly fallen. 

"My love, are you alright?" the elf cried out. Eimme, the silver-haired elf woman, rushed to Cladia's side, holding her in an attempt to calm her down. Of course, she first needed to calm herself. She had noticed the massive block of ice but paid it little mind. Her priority was Cladia. 

"I-inside the ice..." Cladia stammered, barely managing to speak. She pointed at the ice with trembling fingers. 

Luther glanced briefly at Cladia before turning his full attention to the ice block. It emanated an immense coldness, but he wasn't sure if his trembling was due to the icy chill or what he saw within it. 

Luther's concern for Cladia faded. A single glance told him she was uninjured, just terrified, which was perfectly reasonable given the situation. It wasn't his place to comfort her; that role fell to Eimme. 

What did surprise him, however, was a single word: "My love." Luther had always suspected there was something between Eimme and Cladia. It was hard not to notice. Normally brash and arrogant around everyone but, Emu, Eimme transformed into the gentlest and most caring person when she was with Cladia. But he hadn't realized their relationship had progressed to this level. When had they started dating? 

*** 

"So, Luther, you're saying that the elves inside this ice might still be alive if we can extract them without causing harm?" 

"Yes, essentially," Luther replied. 

"I agree. Even though their consciousnesses are dormant, I can sense their life forces." 

"How do you know, Dia?" 

"Through my telepathy. I've tried communicating with them, but there's no response. Their minds are shut down, but they're definitely alive." 

"But I'm surprised, Eimme," Luther said with a knowing smirk that irritated her. "Normally, you'd just ignore something like this and move on. What's gotten into you?" 

A faint blush appeared on Eimme's cheeks, barely noticeable unless one looked closely. "I haven't changed. Among the slaves we rescued, there were many half-elves and elves, weren't there? If we can save this village and its people, we could relocate them here. That's why I want to free them from the ice." 

Cladia, meanwhile, gave Eimme a goofy grin before turning serious. "So? How are we going to get them out?" 

"Isn't it obvious? We need to melt the ice. Eimme?" 

"I can't return to my original form here, so don't expect me to breathe fire. And you know I'm not good with effect magic." After pausing to think, Eimme turned to Cladia. "But maybe you could try, my love." 

"Effect magic?" 

"Didn't my sister explain it to you? I thought you were taking magic lessons from her. What do you do during all that time you spend with her?" 

Cladia was visibly embarrassed, unable to respond. Her embarrassment wasn't about talking to Emu but about what they discussed. She couldn't tell Eimme that, of course. When she didn't answer, Eimme shrugged and began to explain. 

"There are three types of magic. The first is Body Magic. As the name suggests, this type affects the caster's own body, like healing wounds or enhancing physical strength." She paused before continuing. 

"The second is Effect Magic. It doesn't affect the caster but instead impacts inanimate objects, like lifting and controlling a distant stone or, as I'm asking you to do now, heating an object to make it melt. Remember how your sword melted during that fight?" 

"What's the third?" 

This time, Luther spoke up, his passion for the subject evident. "Circle Magic. This type doesn't rely solely on the caster but on external elements, like a circle drawn on a wall to create a barrier around a building. The beauty of Circle Magic is its lack of time limits; as long as the magic circle remains intact, the spell persists. However, it continuously drains the caster's magic power." 

"And, as you might guess, Dia, I'm only proficient in Body Magic. I'm not skilled in Effect or Circle Magic, and I rarely use my Body Magic." 

"So, you're the only one who can melt the ice right now," Luther said confidently, his faith in Cladia unwavering. 

"O-okay. What exactly do I need to do?" 

"It's simple. Magic is fundamentally about visualization. Focus your energy, point your hand at the ice, and imagine it heating up and melting." 

Cladia followed his instructions, pointing her hand at the ice and closing her eyes to visualize it warming and melting. But nothing happened. The ice remained solid, showing no signs of heat or melting. Their goal wasn't to completely melt the ice but to test if they could. 

Luther grew suspicious. He could sense Cladia's magic flowing into the ice. Her spell should have worked, and the ice should have heated up. He stepped closer to examine it and placed his hand on the exact spot Cladia had targeted. 

"Ahk!" A surge of pain made Luther quickly retract his hand. The ice wasn't cold; it was scorching hot. His hand had burned upon contact. Cladia's spell had succeeded, yet the ice neither melted nor stopped emitting cold air. 

"Luther, are you okay?" Both women spoke simultaneously. While Eimme seemed calm, Cladia was visibly panicked and concerned. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine. This ice must be protected by the forest's magic. That's why it doesn't melt even when heated. There's nothing more we can do for now. Let's move on." 

"Understood." 

*** 

Behind the ice, a wide path stretched forward, seemingly one of the village's main roads. Following it led them to a massive mansion. 

Though the mansion wasn't even half the size of Eimme's castle, it appeared more majestic, thanks to its Elven architecture. Elaborate carvings of trees and plants extended outward from the walls, giving the impression of a living structure. Despite being constructed from wood, the mansion's floor was made of stone—a symbol of wealth in elven culture. Walking on stone was a privilege not every elf enjoyed. 

Inside, they were met with an unexpected sight: skeletons everywhere. The mansion resembled a graveyard, with bodies left above ground rather than buried beneath it. 

"None of the skeletons appear damaged. Whatever killed them wasn't a physical attack," Luther observed. Eimme nodded in agreement. 

"Most likely, their consciousnesses were crushed by the magical energy engulfing the forest, killing them instantly. This suggests the magic didn't spread gradually but flooded the forest all at once, leaving no chance to escape." 

Deeper within the mansion, they found a well-preserved journal. It had been deliberately placed to be found, with subtle adjustments ensuring it caught attention. The journal rested upright on a table, facing the door. Despite the long abandonment of the village, the journal appeared as though it had been placed there recently, save for a layer of dust. 

The journal bore a magic circle, likely the source of its preservation. Luther carefully picked it up and opened it. The writing was in Elvish, so he handed it to Eimme. 

Eimme began reading aloud in Elvish, the journal containing only three filled pages. Then, she translated its contents for Luther and Cladia.