## Chapter 811 – Winter in the Capital

But it was so damn hard, I felt like I was going to die.

The thrill of victory that had enveloped my entire body began to fade. My rapidly beating heart returned to its normal pace, and the blood and flesh that had been burning hot slowly cooled down. The excitement that had surged during the battle was subsiding.

“Ugh, I’m really gonna die.”

And then the pain came crashing in.

During the fight, I had only felt a dull numbness, but now that it was over, I could feel the full force of the pain.

It really fucking hurts.
But I can handle this much.

“Ughhh… Yeah. It’s been a while since I used my strength, so I really feel like I’m gonna die.”

Karin also collapsed in a sprawled position. This is the first time I’ve seen this sister struggling like this in a place other than on a bed.

“Sis, you’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“Would I get hurt? I’m fine. Just a little tired. We fought hard, didn’t we?”
“That’s a relief…”

I’m worried, but I still can’t imagine this sister getting hurt. She was blasting sword energy until the very end.

She has exceptional stamina and endurance, as well as defense.

It’s just that I’ve been touching her every day since we started living together, so her erogenous zones have become too sensitive. Originally, she’s a warrior of many battles. Ah, when we get back, I have to play with her boobs again.

“Sis, what about your mana?”
“Of course, I saved some. That’s right, honey. I’m only saying this now, but it’s better to think about the future even when you’re fighting. If you win but you’re left alone, and you’ve used up all your strength and you’re exhausted, you could die.”
“Hehehe, you’re stating the obvious. Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”

I’m also really exhausted, but I still have some strength left.

Enough to smash the remaining ice knights. That’s how I can return, right?

The fight isn’t over until we return to a safe zone.

Being complacent just because we’ve won is something only amateurs do. Do you think the Heavenly Demon Kim Kat would be complacent? Even while resting, I’m still guarding my surroundings so I can react at any time.

“Haa… Anyway, you all really worked hard! We actually won like this!”
“Yeah, really… Honestly, I thought it would be really dangerous… Ah, I’m tired. I used too much mana.”
“My magic power is depleted too…!”

Hilde and Winia were also quite exhausted. They both used too much mana. They probably have almost none left.

Winia was sitting leaning against the wall, supporting her chest with both arms, probably because she had used up almost all of her mana.

“Winia! Hilde! Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“No! I just used too much magic power!”
“The darkie and the older girls are the ones who got hurt…”
“I’m okay!”

As long as they’re not hurt.

I immediately shifted my gaze to Risha, who also looked very tired.

“Risha?”
“…I am fine. However, I thought it was a bit dangerous. Perhaps because he was a Spirit King, black magic did not work properly.”
“I thought so.”

I couldn’t figure out how many Risha Death Beams he had taken and endured. As expected, the Spirit King’s magic resistance was too inhuman.

“I think we need to look into this too… Anyway, it’s over since we won. The energy that was surrounding us is also slowly disappearing… Haa. I’m killing a Spirit King in my lifetime.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Rather than good… Well, I feel a sense of accomplishment. Do you see that heart over there? It must have immense value. Thinking about it makes my heart race. I think I did well to come this time.”

Risha smiled.

She’s right.

The Spirit King’s heart… I don’t know its proper use right now, but if I take it home and leave it to Risha, she will definitely figure out its use.

“Hehe, that’s right. It’s a really good thing. I’m using my strength for the first time in a while too. These days, I only use my strength on the bed, I hardly ever use it for fighting. Anyway, everyone worked hard.”

Liz nodded and said.

“Yeah, you too, sis.”
“You worked hard too, sis. Thanks for protecting me.”
“Thank you too, Liz-nim!”
“Don’t mention it.”

She protected the mages very well.
Thanks to that, we fought without worry.

“Anyway, when we return to the city, we need to go over this and organize the situation. Let’s rest for now, and when we get back, let’s all get together and review this.”
“Okay.”

When we get back, I’ll rest for a bit and get some treatment, then we need to do that first. We learned so much this time. I need to organize it all… How should I report this? First, I need to ask the Knights Order or the Holy Knights Order about the situation.

As I was thinking that.

“More than that, you worked really hard today. Good job. Since you’re so admirable, I think I need to do something for you when we get back.”

Liz, who was squatting next to my head, started stroking my hair.

“Hehehe, I worked hard. It was all the sisters who did it. But if you want to do something for me, I won’t refuse.”
“You’re so sly.”

Honestly, it was all these sisters who caught the Spirit King. Karin was the main tank, Risha was supporting from behind by blocking magic, and Cloudie was dealing extreme damage.

The rest of us were just assisting them.

If only I was as strong as Liz, we could have won more easily. That’s a shame. But with this experience, I will become stronger again.

I have no doubt about that, and I will work hard.

Honestly, fighting the Spirit King one-on-one was a great help. I knew everything from his movements to the limits of my ability to react.

After resting for a while, I got up and went to Cloudie, who was lying a little to the side, and sat down.

“Cloudie. You were really the best.”
“Kat… Mama is so tired…”

She must have used all the strength in her body, because even her voice lacked strength.

Cloudie has truly amazing skills. It’s just that she has a lot of limitations because she has little mana, but in battles where she’s facing one enemy, she boasts a stronger power than anyone else. She tore apart something that Karin was hitting like crazy and it was still fine.

Looking back, it’s always been like that.

It’s a different kind of strength than Karin’s. The two have extremely different fighting styles. Unlike the all-around dealer tank Karin, Cloudie’s main style is surprise extreme damage.

Anyway, Cloudie used all her strength to create an opening.

“Hehehe, are you very tired? Did you use all your strength?”
“Yeah… That’s how it feels…”

It feels cute to see her so weak again after a long time.

I immediately pulled Cloudie’s head a little and made her pillow my leg. I gently stroked her ear in that state and said.

“It’s a good thing Cloudie took advantage of the opening, otherwise it would have been really difficult. You’re really my Cloudie. You were really the best. Everything from saving me to suppressing the Spirit King. Thank you.”
“Hehehe… Even if Mama didn’t do it, Kat could have done it all.”

Cloudie, who had reached out with difficulty, touched my face.

“No, this time it was thanks to Cloudie.”

That’s a fact.

“Honestly, it was because Cloudie-yang created an opening that we were able to seize the opportunity, otherwise it would have been very difficult. I was just filled with admiration.”
“Is that so?”

Karin also acknowledged it.

“Cloudie. How long will it take to recover?”
“Ugh… First, I think I need to go back and sleep for a day without doing anything.”
“Then you should do that. I’ll carry you when we go.”
“Hehehe, you’re really Kat.”

And so we rested. I don’t know what will happen to this ice palace now that the Spirit King is dead, so I feel like we should leave right away, but it’s impossible in the current situation.

It’s better to rest a little and recover our strength.

More than anything, Risha has determined that it’s okay. It doesn’t look like the ice palace will suddenly collapse like in a common cliche.

“Here… Please eat this. It will help.”
“Ah, I brought this. Thank you.”

Then, Ari, who had brought the backpack, took out the potions that she had put inside and distributed them to everyone. She had brought things from home before we set out.

As expected, it’s always good to prepare these things.

ㅡGulp.

I immediately downed the red potion. The bitter taste spread out like alcohol and pooled in my sternum after passing through my esophagus.

There are many types of potions, but the one I brought this time is effective for recovering stamina and internal injuries. Should I say it’s a potion that’s used for drinking after a battle rather than for first aid? That’s what it is.

“Aah… I feel a little better.”
“Ugh…”

Everyone drank the potion and ate some jerky. I was going to drink water, but the water in my canteen was frozen. This reminds me of when I was shoveling snow at the GOP. Back then, if you put water in your canteen, it would all freeze and you couldn’t drink it.

Anyway, after resting for about ten minutes in a state where I had drunk the unfrozen potion, I felt some vitality returning to my body.

“Let’s go back soon. First, we need to go to the accommodation and rest.”

I got up from my seat and immediately approached the ice heart.

ㅡSaaa.

A very harsh cold was being emitted from it. I immediately took out my cloak, wrapped it around the heart, and put it in the backpack where I had taken out all the potions and food.

Now let’s go back.

* * *

I carried Cloudie on my back, and Ari carried the backpack. In that state, we guarded our surroundings and went down to the first floor of the ice palace.

Fortunately, nothing attacked us.

The same was true when we went outside. We couldn’t find the overflowing spirits or the ice knights.

“Honestly, it would have been really tiring to fight. It’s a relief they didn’t come out.”

Karin said, turning her neck.

“Yeah. It’s too hard for me to fight right now.”
“Well, leave it to me if they appear. I have a lot of strength left.”

Liz said confidently.

“Hehehe, I’m trusting in my sister.”
“You should. Wow, but Karin looks so weak. Is this the first time since then?”
“When I destroyed your gym?”
“Yes. Right then.”
“Hmm… Well, that’s right. But why do you look so happy?”
“Yeah. Just because?”
“You’re so bland.”

Liz went to Karin’s side and stuck to her.
I asked Risha.

“Risha. Did they all disappear because the Spirit King died?”
“That may be the case. Since they can no longer be maintained… Perhaps this ice maze will melt normally when spring comes.”

If we hadn’t killed the Spirit King, it wouldn’t have melted even in the summer.

Thinking about it now, by that time, he might have completed all of his `plans`. Probably the work of making this land their territory. Either summoning the land of the spirit realm, or making this land like the spirit realm with overflowing power.

Either way, if that was completed, this area itself would have become a land of ice.

Thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

It hasn’t been long since he appeared, and he’s in a weakened state, but catching one Spirit King is this much. But if you think about a guy like that descending properly, there’s no answer other than ruin.

We would have had to bring an army and pour magic to fight and win.

Anyway, we diligently returned the way we came. The front yard of the palace that we saw at the beginning. The corpse was still abandoned there.

It seems like they haven’t formed a follow-up team yet, but I need to go back to the city and find out.

* * *

After returning to the city, we unpacked our luggage, did the bare minimum of cleaning up, ate and washed to our heart’s content, and slept soundly for a day. When I woke up, my body was a little stiff. First, I immediately checked the ice heart, and even though it hadn’t been subjected to any special magical treatment, it hadn’t melted at all.

“It’s faintly felt, but… There is still immense power inherent in it. This is literally the essence containing the origin of the Ice Spirit King. It will not melt even if you throw it into the furnace.”
“Is it that much?”

The ice heart that never melts.

“Okay. Then Risha. What should we do with this? What should we do with it?”
“To be honest, I think the uses are very endless. If it’s an item of this level, all the mages in this world will definitely covet it. You can say that it’s worth whatever you call it.”

A very precious item.

“So I think it’s a shame to sell it for money. Something useful. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial in the long run to use it in a way that helps us? That’s what I think.”

That was Risha’s opinion.

“If Risha says so. Ah, but first.”

We all caught it together, so we have to discuss it together. When I said that, Risha nodded. I immediately asked the girls who were lying down.

“What should we do with this? Sell it? Or have Risha handle it?”
“…Witch-nim? What exactly can you do with this?”

Karin opened her mouth first.

“I can’t say anything because I don’t know anything right now, but I can definitely do a lot of things. If I were to handle it, you wouldn’t have to worry at all.”
“Then well… I agree.”

Karin agreed.

“You can earn money, but you can’t get something like that again.”
“That’s true too.”

That’s how the opinions were gathered. Everyone thought it was a loss to sell it, so it was decided that Risha would take care of it.