Without realizing it, the long gallery had come to an end. Future events would only be added to these walls piece by piece as time passed. Midir was about to call out to Aila to head back to the hotel, but he found that it was now her turn to stand frozen before a painting.
“What are you studying? Let me take a look,” Midir said, turning back to join her.
“Uh... I just didn't expect my parents to show up in these paintings! Here, look! Though this mural doesn't look quite right... didn't they make him look a bit too handsome?” Aila pointed at the mural before her, a smile on her face.
Midir followed her finger. The image depicted a young Saint Lord Roland in a desperate situation, saved by four brave adventurers.
The leader was a handsome man with dual swords, charging heroically toward a powerful magical beast. Behind him followed two elf women with pointed ears—one holding a longbow and the other a staff. Bringing up the rear was a male mage with flowing long hair, steadily guarding the group's flank.
“Haha, no wonder you've been staring for so long. It seems your claim about having a connection to the Saint Lord wasn't just a boast after all,” Midir laughed, patting her on the shoulder.
“Yeah, I'm just a bit surprised~ I have to remember this so I can tell them when I get back. Mom and Aunt Moen will definitely be interested.”
Before leaving, Aila gazed at the mural once more, as if trying to engrave every detail into her heart.
“Moen... Moon...” Midir whispered the name Aila had mentioned, his gaze suddenly turning deep.
“That's right, the one with the short staff! That's the ‘Moon’ in our adventurer group, ＜Starry Moon Shadow＞. My dad and mom are ‘Sky’ and ‘Shadow,’ respectively. Is something wrong?” Aila noticed Midir's strange reaction and looked at him with confusion.
“Ah, no, it's nothing. I just thought of something, but it didn't seem quite right... Wait, no! You mean your parents are the two leaders of your adventurer group!???” Midir's tone was initially lost in thought, but his eyes quickly lit up again as he asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, didn't I tell you?” Aila blinked, seemingly surprised by his reaction.
“Wow... your background is actually terrifying. I finally understand why almost no one in the royal capital dares to mess with you. Any one of those identities would be enough to scare people off!”
“Hmph, you finally realize how formidable I am? But my reputation was earned by my own efforts; it has nothing to do with them... okay, maybe they get ten percent of the credit~” Aila stood with her hands on her hips, a proud smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Fine, fine. We should go, Miss. Any later and the hotel will stop serving dinner, and I'd rather not go hungry.” Midir couldn't help but chuckle at her pride. He shook his head with a smile and began to walk away, urging her gently.
“You're right! Let's go! And don't forget, you promised to treat me to a meal today! Let me see... based on the intel I gathered, what delicious food does Emerald City have to offer!” Aila followed cheerfully, and together they left Miracle Avenue.
Early the next morning, when Midir woke up in the hotel, he saw a pristine white envelope lying quietly on the brown carpet, looking particularly conspicuous.
He walked quickly to the door, bent down to pick it up, and found no writing on the outside. There was only a splash of bright red sealing wax at the flap, stamped with the holy emblem of the Holy Church of Light, giving it a very formal appearance.
“I suppose this is the pass we need? I have to say, that Grey Gentleman works quite efficiently!” Midir thought to himself as he carefully opened the envelope. He quickly scanned the documents inside, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
As expected, at breakfast, Aila walked into the dining room holding an identical envelope. She waved it at Midir before sitting down gracefully across from him.
“Since we have these, when do you plan to set out?” Aila asked curiously, taking a light bite of her bread.
“If you don't have any other urgent business, I think we should leave after breakfast. The Valley of Ice is vast; starting early will let us handle things sooner.” Midir replied, though his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the window as a strange sense of unease welled up inside him.
The sky today seemed to mirror his mood. Heavy clouds obscured the sun, casting the entire world into an oppressive gloom.
After leaving the hotel, Midir continued to glance at the distant sky from time to time. Although everything appeared calm, that ominous premonition deepened like a growing shadow.
After passing through the bustling urban districts, the two finally reached the northernmost tip of the city. There stood a majestic pass named after Baldur, the God of Light. Only when facing it from a close distance could one truly feel the shock of its grand scale.
The circular mountain range surrounding the Valley of Ice split open here, and this natural exit, over a hundred meters wide, was firmly guarded by a pass of equally staggering height.
The pass was built from massive stone blocks, sealing the exit completely except for a tunnel at the base for people and carriages.
Midir looked up toward the top of the pass, where a curtain of light almost blended into the background, silently guarding the void above. He assumed this was the massive barrier left behind from the Age of Gods.
“Halt, you two!”
Just as Midir and Aila were about to enter the passage beneath the pass, a squad from the Church Army suddenly appeared. Their tone was serious and firm as they blocked the way, clearly executing an important order. “According to the Church's latest instructions, the passage to the Valley of Ice is currently closed.”
Facing this sudden obstacle, the two did not show much surprise or dissatisfaction. Instead, they calmly handed over the envelopes provided by the Grey Gentleman.
The squad leader took the envelopes with a look of doubt, but after opening them and reading the contents, his expression instantly shifted from suspicion to respect.
“My apologies, that was our oversight! You are honored guests of the Church. Please allow us to perform a brief identity verification procedure.” The squad leader spoke with a hint of apology as he took a small square box from one of his subordinates and gestured toward the two.
Midir suddenly realized that the identity badges they had received when entering the city were now coming into play.
He quickly took his badge from his coat and handed it to the squad leader along with Aila's. The leader placed the two badges into the box. After a soft glow of white light, he returned the badges to them intact.
“Identity verification complete. Everything is in order. Since you hold the Saint Lord's pass, you are naturally entitled to enter the Valley of Ice. Please wait a moment while I notify the soldiers inside to open the gate.”
The squad leader was both professional and efficient. After confirming their identities through some unknown method, he immediately turned and ran toward the heavy gate, beginning to direct the soldiers within to operate the mechanism.
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