<h4>Chapter 337 Naked maiden and the ice shafts?</h4>


    Lumiere & Lucretia Arc


    ---


    (POV: Lumiere)


    I kept on walking.


    My footsteps left a trail of melted snow behind me.


    The small sphere of fire within my palm flickered with intense heat, its radiance cutting through the wintryndscape. The snow yielded effortlessly to its touch, parting ways and revealing a path for my passage. It was a simple trick, but effective enough to ease my journey.


    "Hm." I slowed down.


    My eyes went left and right. "I guess now''s as good a time as any."


    With a moment''s respite, I activated my [World Acuity] skill, widening my senses to epass multiple dimensions. The vast expanse of information flooded my consciousness, but I focused my attention solely on the search for Lucretia.


    Her presence, or rather theck thereof, became apparent.


    The residual energy that once defined her essence had dissipated entirely, leaving nothing but emptiness for me to sense.


    "I... I failed..."


    My head bowed, disappointment settling heavy upon my shoulders.


    Once again, my efforts had been in vain.


    The mission to save Lucretia had eluded me, slipping through my fingers like sand. If I didn''t take such time to deciding on whether or not to go, it''d likely...


    No...


    She''d have died either way... I sighed.


    But amidst the turmoil of failure, I felt an unfamiliar determination welling up inside me. No, it was different from that. This feeling was something that I''d forgotten for far too long now, it was called ''Hope''. Even if she was dead, I had to hope she was alive.


    "I''m so tired..." I said.


    My body said one thing but my mind said another. I wanted to turn back and go, but then I remembered the sad look on Simone?s face. I wanted to try and make it up to her, however best I could.


    At least, bringing Lucretia?s corpse would count as something.


    Resolute, I dispelled the fiery orb in my hand, plunging thendscape back into darkness. Yet, the absence of light did little to hinder my progress. Through my [Night Vision], I could navigate the shadowed terrain with ease.


    The blistering heat of the fire had left its mark, carving a wide path in the snow. As I walked, the prospect of reaching the western expanse of the ArAuMer Forest beckoned. Within those magical woods, the snowfall would surely be scarce, as the highly concentrated magic would swiftly dissolve the frozen particles back into their base forms – water or mana.


    I continued my trek through the ArAuMer Forest''s west, the icy wind biting at my cheeks, although not doing anything to affect me.


    Then, a sudden shift in my senses caught me off guard.


    My [Enhanced Olfaction], a sub-skill of my [World Acuity], detected the metallic scent of blood mingling among the cold, snowy air. My brows furrowed in concern as I scanned the ground, where a morbid scene unveiled itself before my eyes.


    The snow-covered forest floor was littered with the remnants of gruesome battle – limbs twisted and mangled, heads severed and left discarded. The lifeless bodies of the knights of the Blue Guards factiony strewn in grotesque disarray. Some bore deep puncture wounds fromrge shards of ice, while others had suffered unimaginable attacks that had left their heads deformed. The red stain of blood?s touch painted the snow.


    "It was really as bad as he said huh..."


    A heavy sigh escaped my lips.


    Raxe called the monster that attacked them a [Frozen Lich].


    I wasn''t sure what ss it was but I doubt it''d take me much effort to kill.


    The most important thing was finding Lucretia?s corpse.


    "I should be quick," I told myself.


    With each casualty I passed, a silent prayer for their souls escaped my lips.


    They weren''t strong enough to survive didn''t mean they weren''t strong enough to try and protect.


    My prayers for them were short— I couldn''t dwell on these gory remains for long.


    "Huh?"


    Something caught my attention.


    A chasm.


    The dark crevice that seemed to stretch endlessly into the abyss.


    Quickening my pace, I rushed towards the edge of the deep crack.


    Its presence alone made me understand how Raxe and Simone must''ve felt, and its magnitude hinted at the potential danger it held. It appeared as though the forest had been violently torn asunder from this very point, the fracture cutting through the very heart of the woods.


    Or maybe the crack just went as far as "my" eyes could see.


    "Did the lich cause this...?"


    If it did, then Raxe and the Blue Guards never stood a chance.


    Squinting my eyes against the darkness, I focused my vision deep into the chasm.


    Each passing second heightened my sight, allowing me to perceive the true depth of this treacherous fissure.


    Roughly about 500 ft of ck nothingness.


    I was yet to see even one trace of Lucretia.


    I stood at the brink of the chasm, a sudden chill ran down my spine.


    Without warning, massive shards of ice burst forth from the abyss, hurtling upwards at astonishing speed.


    My instincts kicked in.


    Well, more precisely [World Acuity] kicked in.


    So, instead of retreating, I used [Magic Barrier] and calmly kept looking for Lucretia.


    The ice shards collided with the barrier, shattering into countless pieces.


    With my gaze still fixed on the gaping chasm, a deafening eruption shook the air around me. The ground trembled beneath my feet as a colossal creature, the Frost Lich, emerged with an almost primal force. I took a step back, indifferently observing. The creature''s roar reverberated through the forest, causing the very air to tremble in response. Its formidable tendrils whipped around, delivering devastating blows that ravaged the earth, leaving behind deep cracks and shattered boulders in their wake.


    So that attack earlier was from it?


    The monster really was weak. It was hard to imagine those knights died in its hands.


    Then again, the power gap between them and me was prettyrge.


    But amidst this chaotic spectacle, my attention was drawn to something else.


    Attached to the Frost Lich''s immense form were several icy cocoons, and within one of them, I could barely make out the figure of Lucretia.


    Shey amidst the frigid embrace of the ice, her vulnerable state stark against the deadly creature that held her captive.


    "Lucretia!" I shouted her name, desperation in every syble.


    However, her unconsciousness robbed her of any response, leaving me with a well of despair.


    It was hard to tell if she was dead or not. [World Acuity] was meant to sense anything and everything, and yet it couldn''t tell whether or not she was alive. I didn''t know whether there were any means to bypass its sensory abilities, but I had a strong feeling there wasn''t.


    So, was it because I was still adapting to it...?


    I wasn''t sure about anything.


    I looked at Lucretia again


    Lucretia''s delicate form was ensnared by sharp tendrils of ice, piercing her smooth thighs, while thicker cables of frozen power constricted her small yet alluring breasts.


    Frost trailed across her body like a relentless infection, its tendrils spreading further with each passing moment.


    The monster made her look indecent. She waspletely naked, her body on full disy but thanks to the ice coverages, her delicate parts were hidden.


    Now wasn''t the time, but the state I saw her body in was oddly attractive, enough that if I saw everything, I was sure I''d bepletely silent.


    It wasn''t the time.


    No, it definitely wasn''t the time, and yet I couldn''t stop looking at her body. It was smooth like butter, soft enough that it could be cut like cheesecake.


    Or maybe it was just my unfocused imagination.


    I couldn''t focus, it was hard to keep my head straight, when I looked at her, at her face.


    Yes, she drove me crazy and made me mad, which also made me say the things I didn''t want to say. But in the end, she''s the woman I fell in love with first. There was a reason that I liked her when we were kids, and she surely had a reason for liking me too.


    So wasn''t it better to just let things go, all her actions, she may act bratty sometimes and asionally like a hypocrite, but no one''s perfect.


    And trust me, I''ve learnt that lesson the hard way.


    The thought of making a mistake felt nice, it made one feel like they had more to do and ces to improve.


    Lucretia brought out the worst in me sometimes, but that''s not necessarily a bad thing.


    It just made things interesting...


    "LUCRETIA!" I cried out again.


    But her stillness remained unyielding, she just hung there,pletely vulnerable.


    The Frost Lich itself was a monstrous amalgamation, adorned with an array of cruel tendrils, wicked ws, and razor-sharp fangs. Its scarlet eyes glowed with a sinister light, radiating a malevolence that seemed to eclipse the very essence of the forest. Towering over fifteen meters in height, its vast silhouette cast a foreboding shadow, eclipsing a significant portion of the woond.


    "Let go off her..." I told the monster.


    It roared in response.


    "Fine then, I''ll just burn you to ashes..."