Volume 3, Chapter 1 – Prologue: I’ve Come to Take You Home

After the battle at Hyjal Holy Mountain, the remaining Graveyard Undead retreated into their own plane under the leadership of the surviving Graveyard Legends.

However, because the retreat was too rushed, a large number of Undead from the Graveyard failed to return in time and were left behind in the Main World. The major factions of the Main World all sent armies to hunt down the remaining forces of the Graveyard.

Among the Graveyard remnants that stayed in the Main World, the one leading them was the Headless Knight Fischerna.

For some unknown reason, Fischerna failed to return to the Graveyard Plane through the portal in time, and in the end, she became the commander of the remaining Graveyard troops.

A few weeks later, as the whole world focused on Fischerna’s desperate resistance against the armies sent by the major factions, Tianyin was, at that very moment, traveling alone to a land sealed in ice.

“Wuu… this should be the place…”

Muttering softly to herself, Tianyin’s silver-white hair gently brushed past her ears, her delicate little face showing an expression of complete seriousness.

『Samael, Sargus said Xiaobingxue would be sleeping here. Do you think that’s true?』

「Well, isn’t this the kind of thing only Xiaoyin herself can confirm, to see if it’s real or not?」

A young girl’s voice slowly echoed in Tianyin’s mind.

『Wuu… even though that’s what you say, Sargus did tell me that after Xiaobingxue heard of his death, she would definitely come here to sleep… but I’m still not sure about it…』

「Pfft… well, just look for her. If you find Xiaobingxue, wouldn’t that be something to celebrate?」

『Well… that’s true too…』

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Tianyin couldn’t help but feel that her current situation wasn’t exactly reliable.

But looking around, she couldn’t see any sign of a Frost Dragon’s presence in this frozen wasteland.

She had seen Ysera, the Frost Dragon, Xiaobingxue’s true form, before. And considering how massive a Frost Dragon was, with wings wide enough to cover the sky, if Sargus was right that she was asleep in this frozen land…

Then, logically speaking, she should’ve been able to spot the Frost Dragon easily, right?

“Eh? Why can’t I find her? The target should be obvious, so why can’t I see anything…?”

Tianyin couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Sargus had indeed mentioned that the Frost Dragon would be asleep here, but he hadn’t said anything about the exact location or the manner of her slumber.

『Wuu… Samael, if Xiaobingxue isn’t sleeping in her Frost Dragon form, could that explain why there’s no trace of a dragon here?』

Tianyin suddenly realized, what if the Frost Dragon wasn’t sleeping in her original body?

If that were the case, then what was sleeping in this frozen land was probably Xiaobingxue in her loli form!

『…Samael, if my guess is right, then Xiaobingxue must be sleeping here in human form, isn’t she?』

「Well… that’s probably the case~」

Hearing Tianyin’s sudden tone of realization, Samael didn’t quite know how to respond.

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『In that case, I’ll have to look carefully~』

Seeing Samael somewhat agree, Tianyin felt her deduction must be right.

Still, half an hour later, the once-enthusiastic Tianyin, who had been so determined to find Xiaobingxue, now had a face full of despair.

『Why… I’ve searched everywhere… why can’t I find her?』

Indeed, in just half an hour, Tianyin had gone back and forth searching through the entire frozen land, yet she couldn’t find Xiaobingxue at all, neither her Frost Dragon form nor her loli form.

「Well, Xiaoyin, maybe you just overlooked something. Try to think, what haven’t you checked yet?」

『Overlooked…?』

Tianyin tilted her little head, her eyes wandering blankly around.

Then, when her gaze dropped to her toes, her pupils widened uncontrollably…

『Samael… I think… I know where Xiaobingxue is…』

「Mhm, so~」

In her mind, Samael’s tone clearly said, “I was about to say that too.”

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Meanwhile, Tianyin stood still, staring blankly at her feet.

『Xiaobingxue… that’s Xiaobingxue…』

Yes, right beneath Tianyin’s feet was part of this very frozen land. The ground beneath her was made entirely of ice.

Earlier, Tianyin hadn’t paid any attention to the ice itself, only searching the area above it for traces of Xiaobingxue.

But now she realized that Xiaobingxue… had been right under her the whole time!

In Tianyin’s vision, deep within the solid, frigid ice below her, a young girl with long azure hair was quietly asleep.

Though it had been a long time since she last saw Xiaobingxue, Tianyin instantly recognized that the girl sealed beneath the ice was indeed the Frost Dragon Ysera, Xiaobingxue herself.

『Samael… please… help me…』

Without hesitation, Tianyin handed control of her body over to Samael. Of course, this was only because she wanted Samael to quickly free Xiaobingxue from the ice.

「Xiaoyin, leave this to me.」

As soon as Samael spoke, Tianyin’s eyes turned a deep crimson. Then, her small hand pressed firmly onto the icy ground.

In just about a second, the ice beneath her palm began to crack, piece by piece.

Large fractures spread outward from where her hand touched the ice.

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A few seconds later, Tianyin lifted her hand, and the ground below had already split open, revealing a massive gap.

And within that gap, the young girl still slept peacefully, encased in ice.

Looking at the sleeping girl, Tianyin couldn’t help but remember what the Grand Duke Sargus had once asked of her…

That one day, if she had the power, she should help the Graveyard.

And when the Frost Dragon Ysera fell into slumber due to unforeseen circumstances, he hoped Tianyin could take her in.

Thinking of this, Tianyin’s gaze softened as she looked down at the girl.

“Xiaobingxue… I’ve come to take you home~”

Translator Note

Yay~! I knew it! This is a cheerful novel! There’s no way the author would make Tianyin and Bingxue enemies!