Chapter 109: At Angel’s House [3] Ice King

You’ve got to be kidding me...

This is seriously too much!

My heart was beating so fast that it felt as though I’d been using Storm Heart and Azure Flame nonstop for hours. In reality, I was sitting on the edge of a bed, staring at a tiny photo.

White hair. Blue eyes.

A Nexus that controlled ice.

A father who was a powerful Guardian.

And the Ice King in the family photo.

It didn’t take long to put together everything I’d learned. The real problem was that I didn’t want to believe the conclusion.

"You’re what?"

I raised my head.

Yukie was still standing in front of me, waiting for me to finish my sentence.

I looked at her face for a few seconds.

This girl had hugged me many times in the park. I’d held her hand, called her my angel, and once accidentally found out she’d been grounded for making a mess of her room.

Through all of that, it had never occurred to me to ask who her father was.

Great. Just great.

"Noctis? Are you okay?"

"I... need to use the bathroom."

Yukie frowned slightly.

"All of a sudden?"

"Yes."

I stood up.

First, I had to get out of this room. Then I could find a way out of the house. Something urgent, a message from Eris, a burning building... Anything would do.

I’d started toward the door when two short knocks sounded.

"Yuuu! Dad’s home!"

I stopped where I was.

Yukie turned toward the door.

"What? Already?"

She walked past me and unlocked it. Cecilia stood on the other side. While her sister leaned down to ask her something, I stared at the gap in the doorway.

I need to get out of here right now!

But Yukie had already turned back to me.

She looked a little embarrassed.

"My dad’s a bit unsociable. So don’t mind him too much, okay?"

"Unsociable?"

She nodded.

I thought of the man in the photo. I remembered a few interviews I’d seen on television and his bright smile in front of the cameras.

Were we sure we were talking about the same person?

Yukie lightly touched my arm.

"Come on. I’ll introduce you."

’No, thank you. I’m perfectly fine without meeting anyone.’

But I didn’t say that.

I followed her like a man walking to his own death.

---

When we returned to the living room, there was a new face on one of the sofas.

His hair was messy. His eyes looked a little tired behind his glasses, and he was dressed comfortably, like someone who’d dropped onto the sofa the moment he got home.

He held a huge tub of ice cream in his lap.

Cecilia slipped past me and ran straight over to him. She climbed onto the sofa, settled beside him, and took a spoonful from the tub.

My eyes settled on the little girl.

Didn’t your mom say that was off-limits just five minutes ago?

Cecilia didn’t seem bothered at all. She ate her ice cream while swinging her feet.

Yukie’s father raised his head.

Our eyes met.

I swallowed without meaning to. Just as I was about to speak, his eyes widened slightly.

The change lasted only a moment.

But I saw it.

What? What was that?

Do you know me? Do you know my father? Or did you watch my speech on television?

I squared my shoulders and bowed slightly.

"Hello. I’m Noctis Evernight. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

The man nodded.

Then he looked down at the tub and took another spoonful of ice cream.

I waited.

I waited.

Then I waited a little longer... but he didn’t say a word.

I glanced at Yukie. Her expression told me this was perfectly normal.

That’s it?

The man raised his head again.

"Would you like some ice cream?"

"Well... I’m not really a fan of cold things."

I had no idea why I’d said that.

I’d just announced that I didn’t like cold things in the Ice King’s home, right beside his daughter who used ice.

Idiot, all you had to say was "No, thank you."

The man dipped his spoon into the tub.

The conversation was over.

He neither glared at me nor waited for an explanation. While I wondered how I could possibly embarrass myself any further, he continued eating ice cream with Cecilia.

When the little girl reached for a certain corner of the tub, he turned it slightly toward himself. Cecilia frowned, and he took a spoonful from the other side.

I found myself frowning as I watched them.

I didn’t know what to do with all that worry while watching the scene in front of me.

"Yukie, could you help me set the table?"

I turned my head at her mother’s voice from the kitchen.

"Of course."

"I can help too!"

I’d said that a little too quickly.

Yukie looked at me.

"You’re a guest."

"It’s fine. I’m quite experienced at carrying plates."

A small smile appeared on her face.

Just as I was about to head toward the kitchen, small fingers wrapped around my hand.

Cecilia had climbed off the sofa and come over to me.

"Play with me."

I looked down at her. With her free hand, she pointed at the game console in front of the television.

"Well..."

"Please?"

She fixed her blue eyes on my face.

Then she tugged lightly on my hand.

I’d thought my escape would involve going through the kitchen door and carrying a few plates. Instead, I found myself being led over to the television.

"Okay..."

---

When Nexus Frontline’s character selection screen appeared, I held the controller in both hands.

At least I knew how to do this.

Cecilia quickly scrolled through the characters. After picking one, she turned to me.

"Ready?"

I shifted my eyes from her hand to the screen.

"Yes."

I picked my usual character.

That damned villain from the game.

While losing to Yukie over and over, there had been times when I wished I’d picked someone else. He was slow. His attacks took too long, and every time I missed, my opponent could beat me up with ease.

But when I landed a solid hit, it was a completely different story.

The problem was landing it.

As soon as the match began, Cecilia’s character came straight at me.

Keeping one eye on the screen, I watched the little girl’s thumb with the other. The moment I saw her press a button, I briefly activated Storm Heart.

It made sense to use Storm Heart, even for a game. After all, the better my reflexes, the better I’d play.

A faint warmth appeared in my chest.

I pressed a button, dodged the attack, and countered.

The health bar on the screen emptied in an instant.

Cecilia’s mouth fell open.

"We only just started!"

"Yes."

"Again!"

She changed her character.

This time, she tried to keep her distance. I didn’t rush either. Most of my mistakes against Yukie had come from attacking impatiently just to land a hit on her.

Seeing an opening didn’t necessarily mean I could hit her.

Now, I waited.

Cecilia’s hand moved.

A brief burst of speed, a button pressed at the right moment...

Another victory.

The little girl looked at her controller. Then she raised her head and studied me.

"Have you played this before?"

"A little."

If getting my soul ripped out of my body over six matches counted, then yes.

A few rounds later, I’d settled more comfortably into the sofa. I wasn’t keeping Storm Heart active all the time, only using it during the brief moments when I had to make a decision. Even so, being able to react to my opponent in time made a huge difference.

Cecilia pouted when she lost again.

Cedric, who’d been looking at his phone nearby, raised his head.

"My turn."

He reached out and took the controller from the little girl.

"Hey! I was playing!"

"Yeah, but you lost. Now move, shorty."

Cecilia puffed out her cheeks.

As Cedric sat beside me, she went behind him and started tugging at his hair.

His head jerked back slightly.

"That won’t change the result."

"Then give it back!"

"Losers need to keep quiet."

Cecilia pulled a little harder.

Cedric lowered his head and looked at the buttons on the controller.

I smiled despite myself.

Then he turned toward me, and I quickly composed myself.

Don’t laugh. This guy is still strong enough to stop my punch with one hand.

"Do you always pick this one?" he asked.

"Usually."

"All right."

I blocked his first attack.

Cedric played more carefully than Cecilia. He controlled the distance between us and tried to close in as soon as one of my character’s attacks missed.

I deliberately let the first opportunity pass.

At the second, I pulled back.

When he came at me the third time, my finger pressed the button.

The heavy attack landed.

As Cedric’s character collapsed, the victory message appeared on the screen.

Cedric stared at it for a few seconds.

Then he pressed the button to restart.

He changed his character for the second round.

And again for the third.

I kept using the same one.

After a while, Cedric lowered the controller onto his knee and turned toward me.

"How do you manage to play this character?"

I gave a slight shrug.

"I guess I’m lucky."

I tried to keep my voice modest.

Inside me, the Great Noctis had already raised his trophy and was looking down on his pitiful opponents.

Luck? Of course it’s skill, mortal.

After all those losses, I’d finally learned when to attack. The character’s unbalanced damage output took care of the rest.

When Cedric lost again, Cecilia reached under his arm.

"Give it back already!"

"One last match."

"You said that three matches ago!"

"This really is the last one."

"Liar!"

She grabbed one side of the controller. Cedric refused to let go of the other.

Meanwhile, I calmly watched them with my own controller in hand.

A few minutes ago, I’d been wondering whether I would make it out of this house alive. Now, two siblings were fighting over a controller in front of me.

A small laugh escaped with my breath.

Just then, a third hand reached between them.

Both fell silent.

The controller slipped easily out of Cedric’s and Cecilia’s hands.

I raised my head.

Yukie’s father stood beside us.

He’d left the tub of ice cream on the coffee table. After adjusting his glasses with a finger, he sat down next to me.

The sofa sank slightly.

My back straightened again.

The man took the controller in both hands and looked at the screen.

"My turn."