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Now, what do we do?

“That woman! I can’t forgive her, nya!”

In the end, Noche and Filia were also thrown into this pit… the Frost Hole.

In terms of combat, it seems that Katezina woman was one step ahead; as expected, Noche was outmatched on her own.

While I was unconscious, it seems Filia—who was captured first—and then Noche were dropped in, and she just walked away.

Did she spare them because her conscience wouldn’t let her go that far, or did she decide live bait was better? I don’t know.

“Sorry, Alice. It’s all because Sufi and Noche went and helped them…”
“Neither Sufi nor Noche did anything wrong.”

The problem lies with us—with Sufi’s emotional state.

There were some terrible people in Forligen, but there were also many adults who treated us well. We even made friends our own age.

So, influenced by Sister, she decided to show compassion—thinking she should help anyone in trouble… and this is what happened right after she did.

“But because of that…”
“There are plenty of good people in the world, and even more bad ones… I think you two did the right thing.”

At the very least, if it were me I’d just leave them to their death because it’d be too much trouble. But I truly think Sufi’s judgement to help was admirable. From the bottom of my heart.

“Alice.”
“Don’t let this discourage you, and don’t let a jerk like that get you down. You did it because you wanted to, right? If that’s the case, then that’s enough… really.”

There are plenty of people who repay kindness with ingratitude. There are also quite a few who don’t even recognize kindness as such, and some who simply can’t return the favor due to their own circumstances.

I’m just repeating what a hero who was detained by the Pandora Institute told me after repeatedly helping others.

“Huu…”
“For now, let’s think about how to escape safely.”

I hugged Sufi, who was on the verge of tears, tightly and helped her sit up. The hole was several meters deep, and the ground wasn’t dirt or rock—it was white… maybe ice.

According to my knowledge; in snowy regions, there are sometimes large holes, and if you accidentally fall into one, you’ll end up being chased by a swarm of worms.

They’re treated as natural traps. They’re probably connected to a burrow, and this hole itself is likely considered part of their territory.

I was only unconscious for a split second, but staying here like this is a bad idea.

“We can’t climb this height… It’s cold and slippery.”
“It’s impossible, nya… My sword won’t even go through, nya.”

I estimate it’s nearly 10 meters deep, with soft snow piled up at the bottom. The walls seem to be made of fairly hard ice; Noche tried to drive her sword into them but failed.

It certainly looks impossible to get over it by jumping or climbing the wall.

“Hmm…”

The items robbed were a tent, potions, and a few days’ worth of rations. Honestly, it’s not a huge loss.

I lit a small flame in my lantern and projected an alchemical array onto the wall of the hole.

“‘Forge.’”

I tried creating some uneven steps. It feels a bit strange, but aside from being hard, it’s just ordinary ice—I can make steps or dig a hole diagonally upward; anything is possible.

“…Whether it’s feasible or not, it’ll take time.”
“Nya…”

If we’ve already been detected, it wouldn’t be surprising if the ice worms attacked at any moment.

“‘Analysis.’”

I don’t have enough mana to scan a wide area, but… there’s a thin spot down below. Beyond that…huh. I can’t get a reading. Perhaps it opens into a cavern.

“We either take our time, fighting ice worms while digging our way up, or escape into the underground cavern through that thin spot down below.”

When I laid out my options, Noche began to agonize over them with a serious expression.

“…With this cold and these footing conditions, it’s impossible to protect Alice while fighting that slimy thing, nya.”
“Nyu…”
“……What’s it like down there, nya?”
“It’s pretty spacious—probably part of the Eternal Ice Cavern.”

It’s actually quite close to the edge of the unexplored area, but I didn’t realize the cave extended this far.

“Is it safe to go down, nya?”
“……I don’t know.”

I have absolutely no information on how dangerous it is down there, or where exactly this part of the ice cavern is located.

Maps are too expensive to buy.

Before we set out, the worst I expected was us getting lost—I never anticipated a situation like this. I haven’t gathered any information on the interior or deeper parts of the ice cavern.

“…Alright, let’s retreat down there for now, nya! Get ready for battle, nya!”
“Got it.”

As soon as the order was given, I used ‘Decomposition’ to break the snow down into hydrogen and dug straight through to the bottom in one go.

“Nyooah!?”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Wait, I’m making a hole.”

Using alchemy on the thinning ice, I cut through to the other side and built a bridge with the ice I’d carved out. I sent a lantern into the hole to illuminate the interior, revealing a vast space resembling a giant limestone cave.

Instead of stalactites, icicles hung from the ceiling, and the air was bitterly cold. It was just like being inside a freezer.

It seemed that part of the hole I’d carved out was connected to the space inside the ice cave.

“So this is…”
“Let’s climb down using the rope.”

I took the rope out of my Pocket and used ‘Transmute’ to manipulate the ice and secure it in place. Then…

“Alice, what’s that?”
“A light.”

Since I figured it might be hard to start a fire in the snow, I’d picked up a little magical item. It’s a long, thin, transparent stick; when you twist the cap, the powder inside mixes with the liquid and glows—similar to what you’d call a glow stick on Earth.

It seems they can’t consistently produce the outer transparent casing, so they’re rarely available on the market.

I twisted the caps on a few of them to light them up, and the sticks in my hands glowed a bright blue. I tossed one down below.

…The bottom isn’t that deep; the rope I’ve already let out should be plenty.

“I’ll go first, nya.”
“It’s close to the side tunnel based on the echo—it’s not that deep.”
“Alright!”

I shone the lantern’s light on Noche, who was holding the rope tightly and sliding down the wall with a kick, while I strained my ears to listen for sounds.

There was no sound other than ours.

“I’m going down, nya!”
“Alice, hold on tight!”
“Okay.”

Following Noche, who stood guard with her sword drawn, Filia went down second, followed by Sufi, who was carrying me on her back.

“What about the rope?”
“It’s fine.”

I moved the ice that had been secured by the shadow alchemy circle I’d cast, then pulled the rope to retrieve it.

I haven’t tested the maximum range yet, but I can control it just fine at this distance.

Of course, the accuracy drops with the distance, but releasing a fixed position is no big deal.

“So, what do we do next, nya?”
“If possible, we’ll exit through the main entrance. If that’s not feasible, we’ll smash through the ceiling.”
“I gotta say, nya, alchemists are amazing.”
“It’s Alice who’s amazing!”

The only problem is that I don’t have enough mana to pull off a rush job.

To be honest, getting dropped into this icy underground cavern wasn’t a crisis or anything.

Thanks to keeping a low profile, we haven’t lost anything important yet.

“We’ll have to brace ourselves for a long haul.”
“Now I get why you’re so calm, nya… Can’t we just go back and take those guys out?”
“I don’t think so…”

Filia spoke up before I could.

“I think Alice’s judgment is correct… Between a noble and an orphan, the orphan is the one who’ll get blamed.”

Her bitter expression held a sense of reality, unlike mine, which was based on mere speculation.

“…Damn it, can’t you do something with your authority as an alchemist, nya? You’re supposed to be a big shot, right nya?”
“I’m just an individual, but the nobility is a group of people in power.”

Even if I said that, I’m just an orphaned alchemist who happens to be on the Alchemists Guild’s good side. I don’t have any real achievements to speak of yet.

They can be a little flexible with commoners who aren’t related to anyone in power, but that won’t fly with the nobility.

The nobility operates not as individuals but as clans, with the backing of the state. The most the guild can do is mediate if they get into a minor altercation in town.

Trying to expose their crimes head-on is a losing battle.

“It vexes me, nya…”
“We have no choice but to get stronger—as an adventurer, too.”

Enough power to not let those unreasonable people do as they please. At the very least, a status that lets us get our way once in a while. To that end, I’ll make sure to escape this place safely.

“Let’s just keep moving for now, carefully.”
“Yeah, nya…”

And so, our unwanted adventure into uncharted territory began.