“Sneaking around like that, probably up to no good,” Phainon said, summoning Dawnmaker.
“March, Dan Heng, be careful.”
…
“Hey, stop hiding. You’re shivering so hard we can hear it.” March 7th stood at the front with her hands on her hips, but the person in the snow pile showed no intention of coming out.
“It won’t help to stay quiet…”
“Move aside, March.” Dan Heng summoned Cloud-Piercer.
“The best way to deal with someone playing dumb is to smash the bell right over their head.”
With that, he thrust his spear down.
“Oww!” The person in the snow pile finally couldn’t take it anymore and jumped out.
The man who had been hiding in the snow had short blue hair, slightly disheveled.
His eyes were a deep blue, gleaming with cunning and wit.
He wore a red and white jacket adorned with complex mechanical structures and metal decorations, lined with black.
His pants were dark blue with metal knee guards, and his shoes were brown with thick soles.
Two weapons hung at his waist: a scythe radiating purple light and a hooked claw attached to a chain.
“Hey, come on, was that really necessary?” The man clutched his rear, grimacing as he addressed the group.
“Hiding in the snow isn’t a crime. No need to jab me with a spear point!”
Seeing the four staring at him intently, their gazes lingering on Phainon for a moment, he continued.
“Uh, but it’s not your fault, heroes!” the man said.
“Haha, I just appeared too suddenly. That jab was well-deserved, absolutely, definitely! How else would I have met such good friends? Haha…”
“Say, is Commander Gepard around? He and I are pretty close.”
“Who?” March 7th looked at him in confusion.
“Oh, you’re not Silvermane Guards? You should’ve said so earlier! Family fighting family—what a waste of effort!” The man let out a breath.
“Sampo Koski, pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Stelle.” Stelle answered.
“Right, right, I’ll remember that. Never thought I’d run into fellow travelers in this frozen wasteland.” Sampo grinned like a sly fox.
“Business in the city has been tough lately, but don’t worry. Sampo never keeps the spoils to himself. There are plenty of treasures out there. We all get rich together, haha.”
“What are these Silvermane Guards you mentioned?” Phainon asked, his sword still on his back.
“But we really don’t know,” Stelle added.
“…You’re serious? The Silvermane Guards are Belobog’s army, law enforcement, police… Those guys have zero flexibility, and they love getting in the way of people like us.”
“Take us to Belobog.” Phainon didn’t like dealing with people whose smiles hid knives.
You never knew when they’d stab you in the back.
Seeing the golden-glowing longsword on his back, Sampo swallowed hard.
“Alright, big guy, I’ll take you there. No need for violence.”
Following Sampo, the group advanced slowly.
Walking at the rear, Phainon spoke quietly to Dan Heng.
“Keep an eye on this one,” he said, pointing at the path Sampo had walked.
“No footprints in the snow. Combined with what he said earlier, it’s not hard to figure out what he does.”
“If he’s not a thief, he’s a merchant,” Dan Heng caught on.
“Right. And probably one who deals in illegal goods.”
As they followed Sampo, they encountered several people in uniform carrying long-handled axes.
“Who are they?” March 7th looked at Sampo.
“Uh, remember those Silvermane Guards I mentioned? That’s them…”
“Um, help me out here. I really don’t want to get caught!” Sampo hid behind Phainon, trembling.
“Stelle, March, handle this. Don’t go too hard,” Dan Heng told the two.
“These guys are relentless.” March 7th was gradually overwhelmed as several of them surrounded her.
“Try this on for size!”
She leaped into the air, her ice arrows transforming into pink rabbits that shot toward the guards.
Just as the arrows were about to hit, a man in blue-and-white fur-lined armor holding a massive instrument case raised a single hand and blocked them all.
Stepping forward with steady, deliberate strides, Gepard fixed his gaze on Sampo, who was hiding at the back.
“Sampo, you have nowhere left to run. Everyone, with me. Take down the ringleader and his accomplices.”
“Wait,” March 7th hurried to explain.
“We’re not…”
“Commander Gepard, farewell!” Sampo tossed a smoke bomb into the chaos and vanished.
As the smoke began to clear, his voice echoed from the distance.
“What more do you have to say for yourselves?” Gepard’s voice was sharp.
╰（‵□′）╯
“Take them!”
With a wave of his hand, the Silvermane Guards surrounded them.
“We have no intention of starting a conflict.” Dan Heng stepped forward.
“We are not his accomplices.”
“That’s right. We kindly pulled him out of the snowfield, and he used us to get away from you,” March 7th added.
“I am a Guard Captain, not a member of the courts As citizens of Belobog, you have the right to a defense, but that should be conducted under the gaze of the Architects, not here.”
Seeming to have made some judgment, Gepard’s tone gradually softened.
“Speaking of which.” Phainon stepped up beside March.
Gepard eyed the man who had been standing at the back warily.
He could feel nothing but pressure emanating from him.
“We are not residents of Belobog.”
“Silence! What nonsense are you spouting?” A Silvermane Guard behind Gepard interrupted.
“No, we can’t make such a hasty judgment. Look at those ancient relics they’re wearing… We’ve never unearthed anything like them. There’s nothing similar in the museum either.”
“Oh right, I have photos!” March 7th suddenly remembered the pictures she’d taken of Jarilo-VI from the parlor car.
“You’ve never seen what your own planet looks like, have you? Let me show you.”
A blue-white snowball appeared before the guards.
“You’re saying this white ball is… here? Where we live? That’s…” A soldier stared in shock.
After a moment of thought, Gepard spoke slowly.
“It’s said that long ago, outworlders often came here… But after the Eternal Freeze descended, no one has crossed the snow plains to reach Belobog.”
“I have heard your words, but this is not something we Silvermane Guards can decide.” He looked at the four before him.
“If what they say is true, then only the Supreme Guardian can determine what to do.”
“And what we must do is bring them before the Supreme Guardian.”
“Outworlders, follow me. Belobog lies behind this curtain of snow.”