System: Daily login!!, jackpot on the first day!!!

Askara and Litani kept moving through the frost-bitten woods, their breath steaming in the air. The trees groaned under layers of ice, and the ground cracked with every step.

The temperature dropped further, unnaturally cold.

The siblings exchanged a look.

"…Kiara?" Litani asked, her voice clouding in white mist.

Askara shrugged. "You know anyone else who can freeze a forest like this? No? Then it's her"

"I was just asking"

"Don't ask something so obvious next time, Latina"

"It's Litani! Fuck! Are you even my brother?!"

"Everyone already called you that, just accept-"

"Fuck everyone!!"

"You sure you can handle-"

"STOP!!"

The voice snapped across the frozen stillness. Both siblings halted, eyes narrowing. A man stood ahead, half-hidden by the trees, sword raised, its tip trembling as it pointed at them. His breath came out in frantic puffs of steam.

"State your names!" he barked, "And declare your purpose in our territory!"

"Territory?" Askara echoed, confused. He glanced at Litani. "How long's this trial been running?"

"…Four? Maybe five hours," Litani muttered, stopping on a branch beside him.

"And already students are staking claims? What the fuck…"

"…Aska," Litani cut in, realization dawning. "You don't think it's her…?"

Askara froze. A face flashed through his mind, their sister.

"…Oh shit," Askara cursed, rubbing his temple. "Her. And her complex"

"Hey! What are you whispering about?!" the swordsman shouted again, voice cracking. "Answer me, now!"

Askara ignored him. "Lita, should we?"

"Do we have to?"

"Then maybe talk it out?"

"Sounds like a pain in the ass-"

"HEY! Are you deaf or som-"

He never finished.

One blink, and Askara was there. A fist filled his vision. Then the world turned white.

---

When the man came to his senses, Askara and Litani were already in front of him. He tried to move, but a cold band tightened at his throat like iron.

"Move and you'll be a Dullahan," Askara said, voice flat.

"Huh?" Litani mused, amused. "That sounds cool. Come on, try it"

Panic flared in the man's eyes as he realized how exposed he was. "H-how dare you, do you know who I am?!" he sputtered.

Askara tilted his head. "What did this soon-to-be Dullahan just say? Important personage, are you? Who are you, exactly?"

The man blinked, scrambled back to his footing, and then, desperate for dignity, puffed his chest out. "Be afraid! I'm Erick! Knight of Frost! Appointed by Her Majesty, Queen Kiara herself. Do you even know who Queen Kiara is? She's a princess from Saranjana. Release me at once and I will personally escort you to Her Majesty!"

Askara's inner monologue summed it up: 'Great. Kiara's Queen Complex kicks in, and a boy who thinks a title makes him scary'

He glanced at Litani. "Lita, you got a camera in your space storage?"

Litani frowned. "I do. Why?"

"We'll record this. The mothers will love it." Askara gave Erick's throat a lazy push and withdrew the blood-dark blade from where it had hovered.

Erick snatched at his uniform, vainly straightening a collar that had never been royal enough. He picked his sword up like a man clinging to a reputation and spat, "I know you're afraid! I am a Knight of Saranjana, appointed by Queen Kiara. I'll let you go this once, but next time I'll lop off your heads. Understood?"

"Sure~ sure~" Askara drawled. "You'd better tell her to fix her 'KNIGHT' temper or she'll actually have to start a funeral parade"

Erick sheathed his blade with a forced pomp. "You'll regret-"

"Yeah, yeah." Askara waved him off. "Take us to your 'Queen.' Move"

After they moved through the frost-bite trees, pale mist was clinging to the branches like cobwebs. Erick marched ahead at a maddeningly slow pace, chest puffed with pride, narrating his tale as though it were scripture.

"…It was fate, you know?" he began solemnly. "We were ambushed by a beast, massive, fangs like spears. We knew we couldn't survive. Death was certain. But then… Her Majesty Queen Kiara appeared. She defeated the beast with a single strike of her Ice Magic. At that moment, I froze, literally and figuratively! I was stunned by her brilliance. That was when I swore my life to her." He held his chin high. "At first, Her Majesty refused our service. She's humble, you see. But we persisted, and at last… our loyalty was rewarded. She accepted us. And so I was named the Knight of Frost!"

Askara blinked at him, face perfectly blank.

Inside, his thoughts burned: '…Ahhh, they triggered Kiara's Queen Complex. Just what we needed. She finally found her own cult'

Beside him, Litani pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear, if he starts writing poetry about her, I'm stabbing him before she does"

Askara smirked. "Don't. Let her do the honors. It'll be funnier that way"

"We're here," Erick announced with pomp, stopping before an ornate gate sculpted entirely from ice. He puffed out his chest. "…Open the gate! It's me, Erick, the Knight of Frost!"

The gate burst open, shards of frost spiraling like mist. Askara and Litani stepped through and blinked at the sight inside.

Dozens of tents dotted the frozen ground, occupied by men and women roughly their age. The hum of chatter, the clink of steel, the breath of frost hung in the air. But all of it paled before the centerpiece, an ice-castle standing proudly at the camp's heart. Not massive, not tiny, but carved with care, its crystalline walls glowing faintly like moonlight trapped in glass.

"Amazing, right?" Erick said, swelling with pride. "All of this, Her Majesty Queen Kiara's work! She saved us, built the gate, and built the castle. You two may rest in a tent nearby while I inform the Queen of your arrival"

He strode off with self-importance, heading straight toward the castle.

Askara and Litani drifted toward an empty-looking tent by the gate, away from most eyes.

"Kiara took this too far, don't you think, Lita?" Askara muttered.

Litani snorted. "Didn't it just make this funnier?"

"…Yeah, fair point." His grin widened. "Quick, get the camera out. Let's record this masterpiece"

Litani fished the device from her Crest's storage. The two shared a mischievous smile, already imagining the chaos when they showed this to the others back home.

But before they could start, the tent curtain rustled open.

Two girls stepped out. At first, surprise flashed in their eyes, then recognition. Their breath caught.

"Princ-!"

Askara moved like lightning, clapping a hand over the first girl's mouth. Her words smothered into a muffled squeak, her cheeks burning crimson as his mismatched eyes locked onto hers.

With his free hand, Askara pressed a finger to his lips, signaling the other girl to stay quiet. Her eyes widened, but she nodded quickly, swallowing the sound lodged in her throat.

Litani arched a brow, stifling a smirk. "Smooth, brother. Very smooth"

"Shut up," Askara muttered, then turned to the woman he still held. "I'll let go, but don't make a sound, alright?"

The woman nodded quickly. Askara released her, and she stayed quiet, though her cheeks flushed pink.

"Good. Now," Askara said, settling down cross-legged, "let's just sit and wait for the main event"

The two women exchanged uneasy glances before obeying. They sat, one on either side of him. Litani let out a low whistle at the sight.

"Well, well~ Brother, didn't know you had fans already"

Askara ignored her completely. The women stayed silent, cheeks still warm, though their eyes kept flicking toward him when they thought he wasn't looking.

"…As I said, my Queen…" Erick's voice carried from deeper in the camp. Askara and Litani exchanged one last glance before subtly lowering their heads, making sure their faces were hidden.

---

"…These two people are strong, my Queen, but their attitude is quite rude," Erick reported with dramatic pride as Kiara approached, her every step deliberate, chin lifted, posture dripping with regal grace.

"I already taught them a lesson," he continued, puffing up his chest, "so they won't dare act disrespectful in front of you"

"Oh? Is that so?" Kiara's tone was calm, but her eyes narrowed faintly.

"Yes, my Queen! With them among us, our chance of surviving three days here is certain. We'll surely pass this trial together under your guidance." Erick's words were practically worship.

Kiara said nothing, merely raising an elegant brow. "…Where are they?"

Erick glanced around, then spotted Askara and Litani seated casually beside a tent, two women flanking them. From here, only their backs were visible.

"There, my Queen," Erick pointed proudly.

Kiara followed his gesture. Her gaze landed on those familiar silhouettes, broad shoulders, relaxed posture, the tilt of the head she knew too well. Her composure faltered. For a heartbeat, the "Queen," mask cracked, a strange discomfort stirring in her chest.

"Erick," she said slowly, her voice sharper than before, "do you even know their names?"

"…Actually…" Erick scratched his cheek, his proud air leaking away. "…I forgot to ask"

Kiara's brow twitched. For a queenly facade, she hid it well, but the slight crease at her lip betrayed her irritation.

"You mean to tell me," she said slowly, her tone heavy with restrained frost, "that you paraded them here, declared them before me, and yet… you don't even know their names?"

Erick puffed up, trying to salvage his pride. "N-Names are but trivial matters, my Queen! What matters is that they are strong and will aid us-"

"Silence," Kiara cut him off, her eyes still fixed on the figures by the tent.

Erick immediately dropped to one knee, head bowed, utterly convinced his queenly goddess was only proving her majesty.

But Kiara wasn't thinking of him. Her gaze lingered on the two seated shapes, broad shoulders, relaxed postures, the way one leaned slightly as if bored of the world. Familiar. Too familiar.

Her heart skipped.

The closer she walked, the heavier her steps felt. The crowd of students gathered in the camp began to quiet, watching their Queen approach the strangers.

Askara felt it too, the heavy chill in the air shifting, pressing down like Kiara's aura was trying to suffocate the entire camp. His lips curled into a smirk.

"…Here comes the Queen," he murmured.

Litani grinned, tugging the camera higher into place. "Oh, this is going to be good"

The two girls sitting beside Askara glanced nervously between them, clearly not understanding, but staying put as instructed.

Finally, Kiara stopped a few paces away. Her voice rang, steady but tight.

"You two," she called, "raise your heads and face your Queen"

The silence that followed was heavy, the entire camp holding its breath.

Askara tilted his chin slightly, meeting Litani's eyes one last time. She mouthed the words: Do it.

His grin widened.

Slowly, almost lazily, Askara turned his head toward Kiara.

The moment their eyes met, Kiara's queenly mask cracked. Her breath caught, pupils shrinking.

"…A-Aska…? Lita…?"

The camp stirred, whispers rippling like wildfire. Erick's face drained of color.

And Litani, holding back laughter so hard her shoulders shook. While Askara's grin just grew wider.

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