Chapter 944: Ranazera's Offer
Not to mention, those in the 9th Division capable of accompanying Izroth without dragging or slowing him down, besides Niflheim and perhaps two other individuals, there were none.
Because of this, in the end, Niflheim and Menerva had no choice but to accept Izroth's plans.
The only thing that made them feel somewhat at ease was that with his speed, Izroth should have no problem escaping his pursuers—even if he had to give up on the sixth princess in the process.
"Is this your grand plan? For us to walk all the way to Amaharpe by passing through the Tempest border and Malentansium?" Ranazera inquired with a frown.
After discovering what direction they were headed in, Ranazera got a fairly decent understanding of what Izroth had in mind.
"That's pretty much the gist of it," Izroth replied casually.
"You—are you being serious right now?" Ranazera said with furrowed brows and a clear expression of shock.
This was far too sloppy and reckless of a plan to proceed with; however, Ranazera knew that it was only because her capture was an unplanned event.
But, if he truly planned to get past the Tempest borders and into Malentansium, then...
"Hmph... Your plan is too arrogant. I want to see how you make it past the Tempest border." Ranazera thought to herself as she inwardly grinned.
"How is it, by the way? The Lady of the Black Winter's ice is quite different from anything you have experienced thus far, right?" Ranazera said with a slight smirk on her face.
Sometime after she had already been captured, Ranazera noticed the dark frost on Izroth's right arm. When she realized this, she almost wanted to cough up blood in anger. He had been bluffing that entire time! If she had known that he was wounded, she would have tried to escape or even fight back!
But, now that her power was suppressed, those were no longer options.
"You said you'd ensure my safety, but what are you going to do with only one good arm? You can probably barely even protect yourself. Why not compromise? If you let me go right now, I'll make sure you're handsomely rewarded. Since you have the strength to take down someone of Centurion Aloysius' caliber, I can even offer you a position far above that of a mere Captain of some useless war branch. My Tempest kingdom is not unkind to those with talent, especially if they are also in our favor." Ranazera said as she attempted to win Izroth over.
"Hm... You're right. It's the first time I've seen ice this ruthless in the Mortal Realm." Izroth said as he looked at his arm, which was affected by the dark frost.
The dark frost had spread from the middle part of his forearm all the way up to just past his elbow. The worst part was that it showed no signs of slowing down or dispelling.
'If it continues to spread at this rate, I'll be a frozen block of ice before I get anywhere close to the Night Lord's Crypt. I thought it would go away on its own with the help of my Might stat, but it seems I will have to think of a solution.'
After hearing Izroth's comment, Ranazera finally saw a potential opening to take advantage of. The sixth princess figured that as long as she pressed a bit harder, it would be possible to influence Izroth's allegiance.
No, even if influencing his allegiance was not possible, it may be possible to get him to temporarily ignore it for some self-benefit.
In the end, Ranazera believed that every person had their price. And, if this person was not lying about being a Captain of the General Support Unit, her offer should have proved incredibly tempting.
"Since you've kept your word up until now in regard to my well-being, I will return the favor by telling you something about that wound on your arm. After all, if you die, then I will be in danger as well with my power sealed." Ranazera stated.
Izroth inwardly shook his head. He could see right through Ranazera's hidden agenda in endeavoring to win him over using both fear and temptation.
However, how could she know that no matter what she offered, it was useless?
Izroth had close ties to Amaharpe, but even if he did not have that connection, he would still be unable to accept Ranazera's offer, and this was due to a big reason—Tempest had a close relationship with the Shadahi.
For several reasons, Izroth had an ill-fated affinity with the Shadahi to the point that neither would ever see eye to eye. There was also the fact that Izroth had a contract in place with the God of Craft Mazi that involved doing what was in his power to help protect the Mortal Realm. Naturally, siding with the Shadahi or anyone connected to them would go against that. Therefore, in Izroth's eye, Ranazera's offer was simply an unimaginable path for him to take.
That being said, he did not mind playing along for a bit to see what Ranazera had to say.
"Oh? Then, feel free to enlighten me." Izroth said calmly.
"By now, you have probably tried to dispel the dark frost but found nothing you do works. However, the approach you used was undoubtedly wrong, seeing as how that frost on your arm is not a feat of magic." Ranazera said with a slight grin.
She then continued, "But, if you want to know any more than that, then you must first accept my proposal. And, of course, remove this strange item from my wrist."
'Not a feat of magic? The unique mana signature I detected says otherwise, but...'
Ranazera's words did not seem like a lie just to throw him off.
Unless she was an extremely good actor, Izroth believed that she was telling the truth. Or, at the very least, what she knew to be true.
However, Ranazera's claim that the frost was not magic did not add up.
Izroth's understanding of magic in RML was relatively deep. This is why he knew that a unique mana signature was something that directly correlated to the use of magic. But, it was also because of his deep understanding that Izroth was aware that not everything about magic or mana had been set in stone.
'If the source of this frost really isn't magic, then it would explain why my ninth sword form was unsuccessful in disrupting it, let alone dispelling it in its entirety. Do I have no choice but to use Nullification Zone to break through it?'
Of course, Izroth was referring to the Nullification Zone that was a part of his Boundless Nullifying Expanse. Regardless of the energy source, once Nullification Zone was active, it would thoroughly nullify it.
But, with Nullification Zone having a cooldown time just shy of eleven days, his third baneful sword still on cooldown, and the Night Lord's Crypt in the near future, Izroth did not want to use Nullification Zone unless it was absolutely necessary.
'If it comes down to it, I may have no other choice but to use Nullification Zone to deal with the effects of this frost. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.'
"I appreciate your concern, but I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer. As for this frost, naturally, I have my own ways of dealing with it when the time comes." Izroth said in a carefree manner.
Ranazera's facial expression darkened as she warned, "Do not be so fast to refuse my offer. As long as I say the word, Duchess Glacia will remove the frost from your arm. The other things I promised will also be delivered upon in generous excess. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cast off the shackles of a mere Captain of the General Support Unit! To dismiss it so easily would be nothing short of foolish!"
Izroth halted his steps. This simple action caused Ranazera to also pause and even almost instinctively take a step back.
"I would rather be seen as a fool in your eyes than as a dishonest man in the eyes of those who have placed their trust in me. If you require any more reason than this, then the future of the Tempest kingdom truly died that day along with the Second Prince, Robinarzin." Izroth stated.
Ranazera's eyes widened in shock the moment Izroth mentioned the second prince. However, her expression quickly shifted to one of anger and outrage.
"What do you know about my second eldest brother?! How dare you utter his name out of that filthy mouth of yours!" Ranazera scowled as she angrily grit her teeth.
'Hm?'
Izroth turned to face Ranazera. He could clearly see the amount of unbridled rage contained within her eyes. But, to Izroth's surprise, it was accompanied by another emotion he did not expect to see from the sixth princess—anguish.
'I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction out of her for someone who should be considered a traitor by his entire kingdom. Can it be that the two of them were close? Even then, betraying one's kingdom is no small sin. How interesting. Then, shall I pry a bit deeper?'