Broken Story: Reborn as a Villainess Author-Chapter 36: The Baron... is dead
At the sound of her voice, the dungeon surface hummed in different colors before finally dispersing and dissolving into nothing.
The dungeon was now open.
Professor Julia moved out of the way, allowing Acheron and her team to enter first.
As William, the last noble of Acheron’s team, entered the dungeon, Chiara and her team waited a while before proceeding to follow behind.
Acheron glided through the portal-like entrance... It had a smooth sensation to it.
She opened her eyes inside the dungeon... Well, it looked nothing like a dungeon at all and more like another reality.
Ice birds flew in the skies, all the trees were frost-like, even the ground was made of pure ice. The pathways split in two as Professor Julia said.
[You have entered the dungeon: Winter of the Sky]
A message popped up in front of her.
"It’s freezing in here..." Dalia wrapped her arms around herself, shielding from the cold. Even as she spoke, her breath was visible in a mist-like form.
William and Alackster weren’t affected much by this sudden climate change. William, who naturally wielded ice, and Alackster who wielded wind affinities. Sudden cold wasn’t going to affect them.
Arlo on the other hand, was shivering like hell. Even more than Dalia.
"Are you alright there, Arlo?" Acheron asked.
"N-Not really... B-But I’ll be alright!" Arlo manned up and composed himself, although he was still feeling the cold like crazy. He couldn’t act weak in front of girls. That would cost his aura.
Acheron smiled and brought out a storage relic and cast a short spell.
Thud!
Suddenly, a large bag appeared from thin air, hitting the ground with a loud thud.
Acheron opened it and brought out five fluffy jackets. She had taken her time to make similar cloth to that of the original world.
It wasn’t exactly the same but it was somewhat close.
"Here you go..." She handed them out to each of them, one for every person.
She wore hers over her outfit, dropping the hood backwards.
The others seemed confused and bewildered by the jackets. They were not sure how to put them on.
"Em, how do we wear this..." Dalia asked, turning the jacket upside down.
’Oh, I forgot...’ Acheron sighed as she zipped up her jacket.
To the others, it looked like normal cloth, but made differently. It was the first time they ever saw such a complex design of clothing.
"Follow my movements..." She instructed, slowly putting on the jacket. The rest copied her.
After a short moment of tugging and adjusting, they all successfully wore their jackets.
"Wow... I don’t feel as much cold..." Dalia was amazed by the effects, flexing her hands.
William was stunned. Although the cold didn’t affect him, it was nice to feel warmer. "This is great, big sis... I didn’t know you had a talent for sewing."
"Nice of you to come prepared..." Alackster added.
Acheron nodded as she accepted their compliments. It wasn’t just the jacket doing all the work.
She glanced at the jackets they wore. Glowing panels materialized briefly above each one, shimmering with light before fading into transparency.
[Magic Item: Cuddling Jacket]
[Effect: +25% Cold Resistance]
[Rarity: Uncommon]
Just then, Chiara stepped inside with the other four commoners. Like Arlo and Dalia, they all shivered instantly, reacting to the chilly cold.
"T-The hell... Is it this cold!" Skye shivered along with the rest of his team.
They saw the nobles and what they were wearing. They didn’t seem affected by the cold because of the "thing" they wore.
Acheron smiled blissfully and led her team down the right path, ignoring the cold cries of the opposition.
At this point in the dungeon, she saw them as rivals...
Chiara looked at her team. They were all struggling except Nieves.
She had lived around rivers her whole life. She wasn’t immune to the cold, but she had a solid resistance to it.
Chiara straightened up and shouted to them. "Suck it up! We have a long way ahead of us!"
The words gave them some sort of willpower.
They all composed themselves, enduring the condition as they descended down the left path.
...
[At the same time, Lancelot Estate...]
Duke Lancelot stood alongside Duke Silias and several royal guards out back in his large courtyard with an open field.
They all stayed silent as they monitored a particular individual who moved his hands and legs like he was performing a choreography.
"Are you sure he is the right person?" Duke Lancelot whispered to Duke Silias.
"Ha!" Duke Silias scoffed and spoke confidently. "Yes he is, the best mage detective in all of Elycia... Lucius Asura."
Lucius Asura? This was the first time Duke Lancelot had ever heard such a name. If the person was as popular as stated by Duke Silias... why hasn’t he heard of them?
"I personally pleaded with him to come review this case... Those who shamed me and my wife won’t go unpunished!" Duke Silias said bluntly.
Duke Lancelot nodded his head as they continued to watch this show... However, that was not the only reason Lucius accepted this case. Baron Shen’s butler had gone to report a similar case to the royal council.
He could not find his lord, Baron Shen, ever since the ball.
And for some reason, his memories were foggy and he couldn’t remember much of that night.
Baron Shen was a noble who oversaw a few areas in the Golden Plains. The royal council wasn’t going to sit back while a noble was missing, hence seeking out the man with the title of ’mage detective.’
"Uh...huh..." Lucius murmured, putting his face near the fountain’s base.
He lowered his head, almost reaching the ground.
In an instant, his expression changed. He got up in a daze... and leaned down to check again.
Same result.
He leaned back up and casually sat on the fountain. His eyes traced to the main back door, then to the open field.
Finally, after five minutes of unreasonable actions, he came to one conclusion.
He looked up at the royal guards, not a single form of emotion on his face as he stated:
"The Baron... is dead."
