Chapter 858: Departure Across the Frozen Lands

Early the next day, when dawn broke, the blizzard outside still hadn’t let up.

Thick layers of snow had blanketed the rooftops of every building and piled up along both sides of the streets. Ice had also formed everywhere, making the roads extremely difficult to travel on.

All this was the everyday reality of Theresis.

Winter lasted through all four seasons, with snow falling year-round, making the environment so harsh that, if supernatural powers like magic and swordsmanship didn’t exist in this world, humanity would never have been able to survive or reproduce in such a place.

Mitte was considered one of the southernmost cities in Theresis, yet blizzards still raged there frequently, to the point that there wasn’t even a single carriage to be seen on the streets.

Rather, this country simply wasn’t suitable for vehicles like horse-drawn carriages. Even within city limits, they could barely operate, let alone out in the wilderness, where the terrain was even harsher, and the road conditions were far worse.

As a result, most people in this country traveled on foot. Only a handful of nobles and wealthy merchants used transportation specifically designed for snowy terrain as their preferred means of travel.

Riezel didn’t know what kind of vehicles the locals used, but as for himself, while Lizbeth and Euryale were still sleeping in, he had already finished preparing his own specially made mode of transportation.

"Well, this should do it, right?"

Standing in the inn’s backyard, Riezel clapped his hands together and looked proudly at his masterpiece.

Parked before him was an imposing mount.

*AOOOO—!*

*AOOOO—!*

Two cries, sounding somewhere between a wolf’s howl and a tiger’s roar, immediately drew everyone’s attention.

They were two ferocious beasts with snow-white bodies that stood upright on two legs like velociraptors. Each possessed razor-sharp front claws, gleaming fangs, and eyes that radiated unmistakable ferocity.

Their powerful hind legs were thick with muscle, making it obvious that they contained tremendous strength, enough to shatter the ground beneath them and leave deep craters with a single kick.

If there had been a player from YGGDRASIL present, they would have recognized these beasts immediately.

They were frost dragon subspecies, lesser frost dragons that carried the bloodline of frost dragons.

In YGGDRASIL, these lesser frost dragons weren’t particularly high-ranking monsters, but in the New World of Overlord, they were creatures that humans feared immensely.

No need to mention anything else—their level alone, Level 66, was enough to demonstrate just how terrifying they were in the world of Overlord.

In a world where reaching Level 29 was enough to earn the title of hero, a Level 66 monster was practically on the level of a demon god. Even some true dragons were no match for them.

Riezel had used Summon Monster 10th to summon these two lesser frost dragons. Not only did they possess exceptional resistance to cold, but they also had a unique ability that greatly enhanced all of their physical capabilities while fighting in frozen environments.

Although they were only Level 66, roughly equivalent to Level 5, they could contend with Level 6 opponents without falling behind when fighting amid snow and ice. Combined with the dragon bloodline’s natural anti-magic traits, if circumstances allowed, they could even challenge the Dungeon’s Monster Rex of the 37th Floor, Udaeus, in single combat.

To travel freely through Theresis’s frozen wilderness, Riezel had ultimately decided to get serious and summon these two fierce lesser dragon species to pull his carriage.

Using monsters of this caliber as draft beasts was probably something only a handful of people across the entire continent could accomplish.

Aside from that, the carriage pulled by these two lesser frost dragons had likewise cost Riezel a great deal of effort.

At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary carriage, but in reality, it was a magic item created by Riezel using Create Greater Item. He had also enchanted it with wind protection magic and warming magic. Even the wheels had been imbued with floating magic, ensuring that they would never sink into the snow or become stuck.

To accommodate multiple passengers at once, Riezel had enlarged the cabin enough that even ten people could ride inside without feeling cramped.

A carriage this large would normally be blown into the sky by a blizzard, but because Riezel had placed wind protection magic on it, that risk had been completely eliminated.

Looking at the majestic luxury carriage—or rather, the dragon carriage—Riezel nodded in satisfaction.

"With how fast these dragons are, and without having to worry about the weight they’re pulling, we should be able to make it to the capital, Urvashi, in three or four days, even if we run into a few blizzards..."

Riezel muttered to himself.

Beside him, Lilith stared at the two lesser frost dragons for a while. Only after making the two dragons visibly uneasy under her gaze did she turn toward Riezel.

"Master, you aren’t planning to send the Four-Winged Beast to establish a destination first, then use Gate to teleport directly to Urvashi?"

Lilith asked curiously.

"Nope..." Riezel shook his head. "As you can see, the weather in this country is way too harsh. The snowstorms are brutal, and there are even full-on blizzards. I’m worried the Four-Winged Beast wouldn’t be able to make it all the way out there."

"We could also send these lesser dragons ahead and have them run to Urvashi on their own," Lilith suggested. "Or I could travel there alone, using Greater Teleportation repeatedly along the way. I can guarantee I’d reach the destination within a day."

By using that method, Riezel could use his mental connection with his summoned creatures to lock onto Urvashi’s location before calmly casting Gate to travel there.

"No need."

Riezel chuckled.

"I know you’re only suggesting that because you don’t wanna see me trudging through a snowstorm the hard way, but I’m not that delicate. Since the situation lets me, I’ll just make the trip myself."

"Besides, that’s not really how teleportation magic’s supposed to be used. Aren’t you worried about ending up somewhere totally different without the right coordinates?"

Riezel’s words earned only a simple reply from Lilith.

"As long as it’s for Master, a little inconvenience means nothing."

Lilith answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Thanks for being so loyal, but there’s really no need." Riezel smiled at Lilith. "We’ll take our time and head there together. I don’t wanna waste time, but I’m not in such a rush that I’ve gotta go that far ahead. Got it?"

"Yes."

Seeing that Riezel had already made up his mind, Lilith could only lower her head and accept his decision.

"Go gather everyone." Riezel glanced up at the sky. "It’s about time we got going."

Receiving the order, Lilith immediately cast teleportation magic and disappeared to gather the others.

Not long afterward, everyone emerged from the inn fully dressed and stepped outside, where they were greeted by the extraordinarily eye-catching dragon carriage.

"T-That’s the transportation you prepared?"

Ivy stared blankly at the luxurious carriage and the two lesser frost dragons pulling it, completely stunned.

Of course, she wasn’t the only one.

Lizbeth, Leo, and the others were equally dumbfounded.

"Th-This..."

Having received word and arrived at the inn with a large shipment of supplies, Leffy and Hugh both wore expressions of utter disbelief as they stared at the two lesser frost dragons, unable to believe their own eyes.

Beside them, the plain-looking young woman dressed in simple clothes was also stunned. A trace of panic flashed across her eyes, making it obvious just how overwhelming the appearance of the dragons was.

Along the roadside, countless passersby stopped in their tracks, pointing toward the dragon carriage as they erupted into excited discussion.

It couldn’t be helped.

While using monsters to pull vehicles wasn’t unheard of on the Akasha Continent, using two obviously powerful lesser dragons as draft beasts was unprecedented.

At the very least, the people of Mitte had never seen such a thing. Neither had Leffy or Hugh, nor even the mysterious young woman.

Even Ivy and Leo could only stare in astonishment.

Of course, unlike everyone else, it wasn’t because they lacked experience. Using lesser dragons as mounts wasn’t particularly unusual to them, since they had even seen true dragons being ridden before.

What truly shocked them wasn’t that lesser frost dragons were pulling a carriage, but where Riezel had gotten these two dragons from.

"You contracted monsters like these too?"

Ivy looked at Riezel.

It wasn’t uncommon for magicians to use summoning magic to call forth monsters to fight alongside them.

Hadn’t Nibald summoned two wyverns before?

Riezel was obviously a far more powerful magician than Nibald.

Thinking about it carefully, it was perfectly reasonable that he could summon two lesser dragons like these.

What Ivy couldn’t understand was just how many hidden tricks Riezel still had up his sleeve.

Completely unaware of what Ivy was thinking, Riezel merely shrugged.

"So? Not bad, right?"

Riezel replied with a grin.

Standing behind Leffy, Hugh suddenly had the overwhelming urge to say something.

Not bad?

It was downright terrifying!

He could clearly feel an overwhelming sense of danger emanating from those two lesser dragons.

What did that mean?

It meant he probably couldn’t defeat either one of them!

What was this?

Two lesser dragons stronger than himself were actually being used to pull someone else’s carriage?

At that moment, Hugh suddenly felt like he didn’t even deserve to exist in the same world.

"Um... are you sure this is alright, Your Excellency?"

Leffy, on the other hand, looked worried.

"What’s the problem?"

Riezel looked toward the mayor.

"I mean... uh... this vehicle?" Leffy said hesitantly. "Can it really travel through a blizzard?"

Looking at the massive carriage being pulled by the two lesser frost dragons, Leffy seriously doubted whether it could withstand a blizzard. Not to mention that the carriage wheels shouldn’t even be able to roll through such deep snow.

"No need to worry. Just load everything onto it. We’re gonna head out shortly."

Naturally, Riezel understood what Leffy was thinking, but he wasn’t in the mood to explain.

"Very well." Leffy could only nod. "Then... I’ll leave this young lady in your care."

Riezel glanced at the silent girl, causing her to hurriedly lower her head after realizing she had been caught curiously watching the two lesser frost dragons.

"I’ll do my best."

Riezel didn’t make any grand promises. He simply gave that assurance.

"Load everything up."

At Leffy’s order, several knights standing behind Hugh immediately began carrying the supplies onto the dragon carriage.

Twenty minutes later, with the two roaring lesser frost dragons pulling it forward, the dragon carriage raced out of Mitte, plunged into the endless world of snow and ice, and sped north at full speed.

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[A bonus Chapter for reaching 300 Power Stones]

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