Perhaps it was due to witnessing someone experiencing the same thing, but her fear subsided slightly.

At that moment, a portion of the scene before her eyes seemed to gradually shift, limited to the expanse of mana Rosha had amassed.

And then, an inexplicable chill began permeating the air.

‘…Huh?’

It wasn’t the coolness generated by mana.

The overlapping vision had faded, restoring her normal sight.

She sensed the God’s power receding as Froy slowly released her hand.

Yet another surprise awaited.

Within the mana construct Rosha had manifested, pristine snow now blanketed the landscape.

“Ah…”

“No way, this is…”

If a bitter winter came to the Atica Kingdom, would this be the result?

Icicles clung to the jagged coastal cliffs, while thin ice coated the sea. Even the gradually rising terrain above the shoreline remained as it was.

And atop that terrain stood a magical city, beautifully adorned in snow.

The ice palace too, erected on the highest ground.

It was unmistakably the same palace she had seen before.

“…”

The Queen, who had been gathering mana to attack Rosha, was seen coming to an abrupt halt.

The Queen had intended to approach from the side, avoiding Rosha’s vast mana construct.

Understandably so, as entering that space would ensnare her in the magic.

Yet for some reason.

The Queen deliberately stepped into Rosha’s mana construct.

Slick-

In that fleeting instant, the Queen’s persistently clouded azure eyes regained their clarity, a transformation the white serpent seemed to notice as it briefly glanced her way.

“…I see.”

Froy, who had shared Rosha’s ability, softly murmured as if already discerning the nature of this scene.

Of course, Rosha understood as well.

This was likely the kingdom the Queen had once ruled.

Presumably during the ancient era.

‘While I don’t know much about that ancient time… this city does resemble the carved relief on the marble door from the sacred artifact trial.’

Was this the God’s power?

The Queen within her mana construct seemed to be gradually regaining her higher magical stages.

And the more she did, the sharper her azure eyes became, akin to how they had appeared in the ice palace.

However, the Queen took no action, merely gazing wistfully upon that land – the snow, the prosperous city, and the ice palace.

So wistfully.

It was around then that people, regaining their senses one by one, began unleashing attacks in unison.

“Now, now’s our chance! Attack!”

“We can’t let this opportunity slip by!”

For whatever reason, with the white serpent monster and monstrous Queen having fallen still, an onslaught of spells, arrows, and spears imbued with a desperate desire for their demise rained down upon them.

The Queen and serpent were clearly defenseless.

Yet the barrage inflicted mere scratches, failing to inflict any significant wounds.

‘It seems they’ve reached a stage where such attacks can no longer easily kill them.’

Simply leaving them be was no longer an option. Koko softly whispered to Rosha as well:

“A magician must be put to rest by magic, that’s the way it is.”

Not that she hadn’t already been considering the same.

If possible, she wanted to bid them farewell respectfully, using the highest stage magic she could currently wield.

An appropriate spell soon came to mind.

‘That should do it.’

Faaah!

The light of her ability once more guided Rosha into the 6th stage.

While her eyes ached from the excessive strain today, she could endure this much at least.

Unlike the spell she had barely managed earlier, this time her mana flowed as naturally as breathing itself.

The perfect flow that might only manifest once in ten attempts of the same spell.

Soon, an intricate white sphere gradually extended forth from her hands.

Swooosh-

Its advance was excruciatingly slow.

The densely contained white flames rippled calmly.

Despite a grand spell of the opposing element approaching, the Queen appeared disinclined to take any action, her mana-infused azure eyes simply gazing upon the city before her.

The white sphere, having seamlessly integrated into that landscape, gently came to rest upon the Queen’s arm like a descending snowflake.

Fwooosh-

Immediately after, its shell peeled away, and the inner flames began pouring forth.

What should have been a spell surging outward in crashing waves instead remained contained this time.

The grand spell ‘Sea of Tepid Flames’ consumed only those standing amidst that wintry ocean – the Queen and serpent. Crimson and azure flames clung to the Queen’s form, utterly devouring them without a trace.

Within that lukewarm blaze, unprotected, they turned to white ash.

Not a moment was wasted futilely as they simply gazed upon the city and each other.

The fleeting glimpse of the Queen’s azure eyes revealed them brimming with affection.

As if love could conceal suffering.

Fwsssss.

Eyes, skin, hair – every lingering memory they harbored.

It didn’t take long for their every aspect to dissipate into white, the pale ashes dancing away like embers on the wind.

Coinciding with the complete depletion of mana, the wintry scene gradually faded as well.

“…”

Yet Rosha silently gazed upwards, tracing the dissipating remnants with her eyes.

She had a premonition that this moment’s sky, temperature, and light would linger in her mind for some time.

With the ‘Master of Trial’ defeated, the third trial has concluded.

Individual rewards will be distributed after tallying contributions.

As the notification sounded, time seemed to resume its flow.

One by one, people dropped their weapons and collapsed to the ground. Lysithea could be seen distributing the stored life force to the injured, indicating some still remained.

By Rosha’s side, Froy suddenly murmured as if realizing something:

“Now that I think about it… your mark has disappeared too.”

“Has it?”

Glancing upwards, the diamond-shaped mark had indeed vanished without a trace. Amidst the bitterness, a faint sense of relief washed over her.

To experience conflicting emotions simultaneously – how devious a creature is humanity.

Yet this too was proof of being alive.

Unlike those whose time had stopped with death, the survivors felt everything around them, pulsing with vitality by the second.

It was then that Koko’s murmuring voice drifted over.

“The Guide God got penalized again. Seems like a heavy sentence this time. And me too…”

“Hmm?”

“Looks like I got penalized too. For aiding and abetting… I’m feeling a bit woozy…”

Catching the parrot as he tumbled from her head, Rosha lifted her gaze skyward.

As if the passage of time must continue despite the numerous events of the previous night…

Dawn was gradually breaking.

* * *

Fortunately, the Guide God possessed a conscience.

While demonstrating unbelievable power, it seemed to have borne the full brunt of the backlash itself, sparing Rosha’s eyes from any significant strain.

‘Then again, if he had directly unleashed that level of power through me, I might have lived the rest of my days blind.’

Her eyes merely ached from borrowing the ability’s aid to wield two 6th-stage spells.

The state of her mana reserves was reasonably manageable too.

While she had expended her entire mana supply, she hadn’t pushed herself to the point of depleting her lifeforce.

Moreover, this time she hadn’t lost consciousness after the trial’s conclusion – a first since returning to this world!

“…Is that something to celebrate? You did black out, you know.”

“Huh, when? Oh, when the palace collapsed and I fell into the sea?”

“Yes.”

“But that was only around 5 seconds at most.”

“…”

“…8 seconds, maybe?”

Froy, who had tucked the blankets up to her chin, now wore a strained expression.

However, upon feeling her forehead with the back of his hand, his demeanor became quite serious.

And understandably so, for-

“Ah, achoo!”

The arduous exertions of that night had left Rosha bedridden with a severe cold.