Episode 290: Ice Kingdom
“This is…”
Yuma swallowed hard. The massive Ice Gate slowly creaked open.
Slightly bewildered, Yuma and Rui followed the soldiers who entered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Though the fog obscured the view, there were many soldiers inside the gate. All of them wore black masks and black military uniforms.
Andrew gave a brief greeting and walked ahead of the soldiers.
After a short distance, a small building made of ice came into view. Andrew urged them, “It’s over there,” and Yuma and Rui entered through the front door.
It seemed Andrew’s role ended here. The soldiers who had been outside turned on their heels and disappeared.
Yuma and Rui were unsure of what to do, but for now, they decided to proceed inside the ‘Ice Building.’
“The inside is normal… rather than an ice building, it’s more like ice is covering a building,” Yuma muttered, looking around curiously.
“That’s right. They’re probably using Water Magic to increase the strength of the building and the gate, so they won’t be destroyed even if attacked by Monsters.”
“I see.”
As Yuma nodded, a person came jogging from the back of the floor.
A tall, lanky white man. He was wearing a suit and was clearly not a soldier.
“O-oh, I’ve been waiting for you. Are you the pair who came from outside England?”
The man approached Yuma and Rui and offered them business cards. It was all written in English, so Yuma couldn’t read it.
“Well, well, I was surprised to hear the news just now. There haven’t been any people coming from outside England for months. Ah, I’m sorry for the delay. As it says on my business card, my name is Oliver Wilson. I work for the National Security Agency…”
The man who identified himself as Oliver continued to speak one-sidedly, like a dam bursting. Yuma and Rui could only listen in silence.
“…That’s the situation. By the way, why did you two come to England? No, more importantly, how did you get here?”
Finally, a chance to speak came. Rui and Yuma exchanged glances. When Yuma nodded slightly, Rui opened his mouth.
“Oliver-san, we traveled from Japan to Germany, and from there we came here by ship. We came based on a formal request from the British government. Could you please confirm that?”
Oliver looked surprised.
“From Japan? Via Germany? You crossed the sea? I can hardly believe it.”
Oliver looked at Yuma and Rui with a dubious expression.
“The government agencies are safe, right?”
To Rui’s question, Oliver puffed out his chest and said, “Yes, of course. They are still functioning properly.”
“Then, could you please contact someone in the central government right away?”
Even though Rui pleaded, Oliver looked reluctant, saying, “Hmm…”
“Well, even if you tell me to do it right away… we’re quite busy here.
I know! How about you take a walk around the city for a while?”
“Eh!? The city?”
Rui was bewildered, and Yuma was also confused.
“Yes, yes. There are still residents in London who haven’t evacuated. The military is patrolling the city to find those people and bring them back.”
Yuma was convinced, “I see.” So that’s why they were found by the military.
“And the discovered residents are brought back to this ‘Ice Kingdom (Ice Kingdom)’ and processed as new residents.”
“Ice Kingdom (Ice Kingdom)? Is that the name of this city?”
Yuma raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Yes, well, it’s not the official name, but that’s what the residents call it. In any case, we will carry out resident procedures for you two as well, so please spend your time in this city with peace of mind.”
“Eh!? Wait a minute. We came here to fight, not to live in the city!”
Even though Rui protested, Oliver shifted his gaze to the wristwatch on his left hand and exclaimed in an exaggerated voice, “Oh, it’s already this late!”
“I’m sorry. I have a prior engagement after this. Please ask Eliza-san over there for more details. She will also give you a tour of the city.”
When Rui and Yuma turned around, a young woman in a gray suit was standing there.
She seemed to be a government official as well. Oliver said, “Well then, I’ll be going!” and hurried away.
There was no time to complain.
As Rui and Yuma were dumbfounded, Eliza approached. Partly because she was wearing heels, she was quite a tall woman. Her gaze was higher than Yuma’s.
“I’m Eliza Hamilton from the National Security Agency. I will be in charge of the procedures for you two. We will also prepare a simple living space, so this way, please.”
“No, we don’t particularly want to live here… we came to fight alongside the British Seekers!”
Yuma tried to press Eliza, but Rui grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
“What’s wrong, Rui!?”
“It’s no use telling that to her. Let’s just do as we’re told and see what happens.”
Yuma was frustrated, “Ugh…” but he thought it was no use arguing here, so he decided to follow Eliza’s instructions.
◇◇◇
“This is the city center.”
Rui and Yuma’s eyes widened at the place Eliza had brought them.
Buildings and shops lined the streets, and many people were coming and going. It was a scene that hadn’t changed from before the Monsters had engulfed the world.
The only differences were the thin layer of ice covering the buildings and the haze floating in the sky.
People were enjoying shopping with their lovers and families.
“Amazing… to think that daily life is being maintained to this extent,” Rui said, Eliza smiled brightly.
“This is also thanks to England’s latest Magic Enchantment technology.”
“Magic Enchantment?”
Yuma asked Eliza in return.
“Yes, it’s a technology that applies Magic Enchanted Armament. It artificially extracts the Magical Power of Magic Gems so that even non-Seekers can use it. The city’s barrier is constructed with that power.”
“The entire city…?”
Rui looked at Eliza in surprise.
“Yes, that’s right. There are a large number of Water Monsters in England. That means that Water Magic Gems are readily available. Using those Magic Gems, this Ice Kingdom (Ice Kingdom) is built.”
Hearing Eliza’s story, Rui was convinced, “I see.”
Covering the entire city with Ice Magic from the Second Stratum was something that ordinary Seekers could not do.
“Here, the weapons that the soldiers have are also imbued with the effect of Magic.”
Yuma and Rui shifted their gaze to the soldiers patrolling the city. They were soldiers wearing black military uniforms.
“Even the guns those people have?”
“That’s right. Lightning Magical Power is infused into the bullets. When sea travel was still possible, a large number of Lightning Magic Gems were imported from neighboring countries. Thanks to that, this country has a large number of Lightning Magic Gems.”
Yuma was startled by that story. The Magic Gem storage in Germany. There were no Lightning Magic Gems there.
He understood, he was convinced.
As they were walking down the main street while listening to various things from Eliza, a person coming from the opposite direction raised his voice, “Ah!”
Rui and Yuma wondered, “What is it?” and turned their gaze to see a familiar face.
“You… aren’t you Amasawa Rui!?”
A large man called out to Rui.