I regressed and became the Sword Ice King-Chapter 437- Festival 168- The Sun Comet 17

In a distance away, farther from the others, yet not so much that they would desperately seek them, two figures sat at the edge of the pavement.

One with a solemn expression and the other with a contemplative gaze.

Around them was the stark reminder of the destruction awaiting the Academy, but that fact alone seemed deplorable to the two. Well, one.

Cricken Royce had never been on edge as he was now.

Aiding in the confrontation between the former Lecturers and the students had shown him quite a side he didn’t expect to see.

And that was concerning the Princess.

Meadow, with her luscious golden hair, dampened by the escalating rain and a gaze that seemed to look straight into the future, sat in silence.

A far cry from what Cricken had witnessed a moment ago.

’Perhaps she was mourning her death, but the Princess killing a human was not in any of our registers.’

He wondered but he shoved that thought away.

With the death of her right hand, Rana Lana, one could say that Meadow Swanstorm at the moment was...vulnerable.

And so, her death had caused a much more daunting effect than one would postulate.

Rana Lana had been a thorn in his side, but for Meadow, she was her trusted aide. Her only trusted aide.

’Well, she’s smart. She’ll figure it out.’

He glanced away without a second thought. His gaze lingered on the scene before him.

A few meters away was the Garden of Forest– or what was left of it anyway.

Consumed by the remnants of a battle of Transcendence.

Molten stone and basalt that sent steam into the air. Sending veins of hot liquid scalding on the earth.

Further away, the empty space stood. Devoid of rain. Devoid of the steam.

Encompassed only by the luminance of the moon.

The contrast sent his skin crawling.

’Just what kind of battle could cause such a scene?’ He wondered.

He felt a bit thankful for avoiding witnessing a battle of that magnitude.

The aftermath had laid the fields in complete ruins, and technically the entirety of the Academy wasn’t left untouched.

It crumbled now.

Dying as a result of a clash of Great Masters.

’It’s a scary kind of power.’ He mused when he heard the quiet princess clear her throat.

His body tensed, and instinctively, he stood to his feet and turned to her.

Bowing ever so slightly.

"Are you finally ready for departure, Princess?"

Meadow remained silent.

Her fingers fiddled with the slick trails of her hair while she continued to stare into the air. The abyss.

"My hair."

She muttered, a small smile forming on her face.

Cricken raised his head slightly. An arched brow played smoothly on his face.

"It’s wet." She completed.

A somewhat sarcastic hue was attached to her tone.

Cricken tilted his head in confusion.

’Of course it is! It’s raining!’

He screamed in his head, but he wouldn’t dare to say it more than he had.

Instead, he smiled.

"Well, once we depart, the maids will take care of that at the Castle."

His reply was sweet. Like honey.

Enough to soothe her so he could depart from this accursed school.

Cricken had had enough.

He had bided his time. Taken his task seriously, and now, he wants out.

The Academy was done for anyways. There was no need to continue with his task.

But Meadow never replied.

Instead, she scoffed.

A slight amusement on her lips.

"Rana would not have replied as such." She said silently. Tilting her head downwards as the world stilled around her.

"She would have peeled off her skin if she had to, to keep me warm."

’Well, that crazed bitch isn’t here anymore.’

Cricken chuckled in his head.

His inner voice whistled with delight.

Meadow frowned. Deeply.

Her demeanour turned cold with the already dropped temperature around her.

She snapped her head towards him, catching him off guard.

The slick-eyed boy took a step back unintentionally and bowed lower.

"I apologise for my misreply. I shall find a way to keep you warm." He said, but a reply never came.

Only the cold death stare of a lonely Princess.

Then...

"Cricken." She said slowly.

He raised his head slightly. "Yes, Princess?"

"Who is your loyalty to?"

He froze.

’What now?’ He wondered. ’What’s she trying to get at?’

"To you, Princess?"

He replied.

Now was neither the time nor the moment to start anything...the world was crumbling.

They needed to leave.

So what was she doing?

"My Princess, if you are worried that I may not attend to you as Rana did, then you should have no worries.

"I will do my be–"

"Enough of the lies."

She cut him sharply, causing the boy to shiver in the weather.

It had already been cold, but resilience to the weather was second nature to those who used mana or aura.

Even without it, the trait lingered.

For a bit, though.

"So– Sorry, Princess? I have failed to understand how I have li–"

"You’re a spy, Cricken. I know."

Meadow’s gaze cast low on him.

A frown that only grew firmer with the passing time.

The boy felt her gaze. He felt the pressure.

And he knew she was serious.

"My– My Princess? What nonse–"

"Do you take me for a fool, Cricken?" She arched her brow, now.

Curious. Terribly so, for how he still attempted to talk back even after that.

It made no sense.

But then again...for years...she had let it be.

Reading people’s thoughts had been second nature to her if she weren’t focusing against it, and she had found out on day one.

Cricken was a spy for Julian, her elder brother.

The one sibling who had nearly seen through her on multiple occasions and called her out for it.

He was the closest to figuring out her strange ability.

She couldn’t have that.

’Well, before I had Rana...’ Her thoughts trailed off.

Rana Lana’s death was not in any of her plans, and the fact that she was still in this Academy, even with the death of her personal guard, despite being Royalty, did nothing to soothe her rage.

Sadness was far from what she felt.

Only the immense boiling of rage.

She had had enough.

Tolerated for far too long.

The King needs to go. The prince needs to go.

She must start the Kingdom anew.

Corruption must be eradicated.

And firstly...she must deal with this.

Cricken, who was clearly what she referred to, remained in his position.

His thoughts began to spiral.

Accessing the box of information on what he had been instructed to do.

He was indeed a spy. How she knew was none of his business.

And how long she had known, only made him frightened.

Instead, a way out. A way forward.

If any, existed.

He bit down on his lips. Hard.

But then, he cleared his thoughts.

Memories of his training under Julian’s secret services.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he looked up at her.

"The second prince." He replied. "My loyalty is to Prince Jullian."

Tension sparked as their eyes locked at the same point.

A spark of electricity snapped to life in their midst.

Meadow was livid.

The audacity.

"Is that so?" She said as she turned away.

Her mood was completely drenched in the sombre flow of the rain.

She sat in silence.

She placed both her arms on her wet nightwear.

Unmoved. Unphased by his reply.

She had expected it.

Not the sudden bravado he used to reply, but the reply itself.

And her response?

"Kneel."

The boy flinched.

"So– Sorry, what?"

"I said..." She glanced at him. Eyes cold as ice. "Kneel."

Her tone remained passive. Not even an inch of tension in her voice.

Cricken jolted.

His entire body screamed at him to turn and run.

Senses blaring warning signals of a life threat, but he didn’t listen to them.

It couldn’t be real. It was a fluke.

His senses were simply screaming because of the way her mood changed.

Princess Meadow was known for many things, but irrational wasn’t one of them.

A spy was better alive to be used for information. She knew this.

He could serve as a double agent. A weakness. A hole in Julian’s unfractured prestige.

Cricken had more use ALIVE.

So, slowly, but firmly, he kneeled. His head still bowed.

Though Meadow was the youngest of the Royal Household, and held the least authority, if he was reported to the King for being a spy, he would be beheaded.

It would be better if he simply gave in.

Just then, footsteps echoed along the pathways.

Wet. Multiple.

Vivid figures approached the two with a silent hue around them.

Cricken flinched at the noise, but Meadow simply turned her head towards it.

She observed. Waited. Then stood.

"You returned."

Walking into their presence were Phestus, Rebecca and the others.

Raph peering by the side at the kneeling Cricken.

"Of course. A princess should never be left behind."

Phestus said with a warm smile, almost comically.

Rebecca saw this and rolled her eyes.

"Haha." She muttered.

Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

The others came into view.

Jane. Darrell. Thalia.

All familiar figures to Meadow.

She had glanced through all of them, just before landing on Raph.

The white haired met her gaze with a soft one.

"Sorry about Rana." He stated.

The others glanced at him, then at the Princess.

All tilting their heads downwards, soon after in reverence.

"May she be welcomed by the gods once more."

Jane said with a heartfelt tone.

Meadow nodded at him.

"As the gods will it."

She glanced at the others.

"Thank you."

Her voice broke ever so slightly, but the emotional dam that threatened to break quickly patched itself back.

She whipped her head at Raph.

"I want to ask for a favour, Raph."

The boy raised his brow, glancing at Cricken who visibly tilted at them in curiosity.

"Anything for you, Princess..." He paused. "...that’s in my jurisdiction."

She nodded. "Execution is in your jurisdiction, though."

Silence.

The downpour continued, cold and heavy, and with it, the shocked gazes.

Everyone, in their own right, was baffled by her words.

Cricken, especially.

Raph, though, seemed to ease that surprise.

"You want him dead? Why? Had he not served his purpose?"

Meadow’s gaze narrowed.

Ordinarily, questioning a Royalty would have been enough for jail time, or worse.

But the Great Families...didn’t really care about that.

They were on equal grounds as far as they knew, unless it came to who ruled.

"He’s useless now. I want him gone." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Raph’s pupils constricted slightly.

Then his lips turned into a smile, just before his sword took shape from a gust of cold air and ice.

"Your wish is my command, My Princess."