The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

“Rami…?”

Ashies’ eyes widened in disbelief.
The last time she had seen Karami, he was standing at the top of the cliff. But now, he had emerged from the inner gate of Valcrash’s fortress.
To Ashies, it was as if he had teleported.

Of course, it wasn’t teleportation. Karami had entered through the underground tunnels, sneaking in as “honestly” as one could.
Calling it “honest” might seem contradictory, but given Karami’s complete lack of combat skills, it was an accurate description.
No sane person would sneak into an orc fortress.
Then again, Karami was perfectly sane—just unconventional.

“Who are you?”
“None of your concern. I’m tired of explaining myself.”
The veins on Valcrash’s forehead bulged, pulsing with rage.
A frail human dared to speak so dismissively to the tyrant of the North?

Valcrash’s murderous aura flared, threatening to rip Karami to shreds. But Karami, who had no talent for sensing killing intent, didn’t even flinch.
With his hands casually behind his back, he walked over to Ashies, smiling brightly.
“Come on. Let’s go home. We’re done here.”

“…What?”
“I’ve found everything we need. I’ll make sure to collect the music box too, so don’t worry. Let’s get out of here. It reeks.”
Karami made a show of preparing to leave, turning his back on the fortress. But before stepping away, he glanced over his shoulder at Ashies.

“Aren’t you coming?”
“But…”
Ashies’ gaze flickered anxiously toward the slaves, still surrounded by orcs.

The orcs continued pounding on the ice barrier. Its thickness had visibly diminished.
It was only a matter of time before the slaves were dragged out and slaughtered.
“Rami… Those people…”
“Oh, the slaves? They’re done for. If we try to save them, we’ll just end up in danger too. Let’s ignore them and go.”

“What?”
“Is there a problem?”
Karami tilted his head, feigning innocence.

“They’re strangers. There’s no need for you to care about {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} them.”
It was logical.
At least, based on Ashies’ experience, it was.
Karami had always been right.
When she followed his lead, everything fell into place, and every problem disappeared.

So leaving the slaves behind must be the right decision this time too.
Yet, Ashies couldn’t move.
A strange, suffocating feeling.
There was definitely a reason, but she couldn’t put it into words.

“Do you have something to say?”
“I…”
“Say it. People can’t read your mind. If you want something, you have to speak up. No one’s going to coddle you forever.”

Ashies flinched.
Karami’s voice lacked its usual warmth.
The detached tone and his indifferent gaze made her uneasy.
But Ashies didn’t look away.

There was something she had to say—something she wanted to say.
“…I want to save them.”
“Who?”

“…Those people.”
“Why?”
Ashies hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“…I don’t know. But… they’re crying. They’re begging… to be saved…”
“And?”
Her legs trembled.
Her sword was broken.
Her will had crumbled once before.

“Please… save them.”
Yet, like gathering snowflakes into her hands, she gathered her scattered will once more.
Ashies steadied her shaking legs and stood up.

She had felt powerless.
She had been crushed by her inadequacies.
But from the depths of despair, a spark of determination stirred—
Like a fragile sprout breaking through frozen soil.
She resolved to stand again in the place where she had fallen.

It was the first time she had felt such emotions.
The first ember to thaw her frozen heart.
She still saw no way forward.
Even standing up again wouldn’t change the outcome.
But Ashies knew—

She had someone who would help her.
A master who had always been on her side.
“…I need help.”
The single sentence carried a resolve as unshakable as a snowstorm.

Karami’s lips curved into a smile,
as though he had been waiting for those very words.
And yet, he feigned reluctance.
“Hmm… I’m not really feeling it. Doesn’t seem worth the effort…”

“……”
“But what can I do? When a slave asks for help, it’s the master’s duty to provide it.”
Karami’s casual response was followed by the sound of liquid pouring into the chalice he held.

The clear water turned a deep shade of purple.
Karami placed the cup on the ground and stepped back.
“Here. Drink it.”

“…?”
 
"Drink it, and it will grant your wish, Ashies."

The chalice was the third treasure, meant to be delivered per Darka’s request.
While Ashies fought, Karami had used his invisibility cloak to sneak into Valcrash’s quarters and steal it.
This chalice wasn’t just a treasure. While the tiara was ornamental and the music box a sentimental relic, the chalice was a functional artifact—a cursed magical tool.

It didn’t simply grant wishes like a fairy tale. Instead, it twisted desires into reality, no matter the cost.
A king who drank from it to gain power might become a tyrant, destroying all opposition.
A desperate lover might bind their beloved through ruin—crippling them so only they could care for them.

The chalice fulfilled desires without mercy or restraint.
Its reputation was so dark that some speculated it was responsible for the kingdom’s fall.
Perhaps a devoted subject had prayed, “May the princess live forever!” and the result was Ashies—a frozen being surviving centuries, preserved like Captain Ashies in ice.

Sealed away due to its danger, the chalice had resurfaced when the kingdom fell.
And the one who found it in the frozen wastes, moments before death, was none other than Valcrash—the Orc King.
“Human… how did you get that?”

“Let’s just say I remember things others don’t.”
In other words, if Ashies drank it, the chalice would grant her wish.
Valcrash scoffed.

“You believe such nonsense? That chalice only responds to those with the soul of a king. A frail human like her could never use it.”
Karami’s smile didn’t falter.
“I’ll bet my life on it—there’s no one more suited to this chalice than Ashies.”

Valcrash dismissed the claim. He prepared to end this ridiculous farce with his axe.
Meanwhile, Ashies gripped the chalice and stared at the violet liquid inside.
Its contents were unknown, but she didn’t hesitate.

She drank.
The thick, cold liquid flowed down her throat.
Karami crouched on the steps, watching her.

The chalice amplified desire to a dangerous degree.
It could corrupt and destroy the very soul of its wielder.
Out of a hundred who used it, a hundred would be doomed.
Out of a thousand, none would escape ruin.

But what if the thousand-and-first user was Ashies?
Someone with no emotions.
Someone without greed.
If the one desire awakened in her was pure, untainted by selfishness—
If her only wish was to protect—

Then the outcome would be entirely different.
Thunk.
The chalice slipped from Ashies’ hand, embedding itself in the snow.

A few drops of the liquid spilled, staining the white snow with violet streaks.
“…Ah.”
A faint breath escaped Ashies’ lips.

In that moment, deep within the void, she felt it—
Her own will.
A desire to save those people.
The forgotten instincts of a ruler.

Flash!
A brilliant blue light burst from Ashies, radiating winter’s embrace.
 

Far away, in Darka’s tent at Lake Fortress, the tiara he cradled began to glow.
“What’s happening?!”
Yorn burst into the tent, alarmed.

The tiara floated from Darka’s arms, shimmering with blue light before vanishing with a pop.
“O-Oh, gods!”
Tears streamed down Darka’s face as he clasped his hands in prayer, overwhelmed with emotion.

Then, leaping to his feet, he grabbed Yorn’s hands and began dancing.
Yorn stood frozen, unable to process the situation.
“Chief?”

“It’s happened! At last, it’s happened!”
“What’s happened?”
“The hero has arrived!”

The one destined to banish the frost and slay the wicked dragon had finally appeared.
*****
The tiara had reappeared—now adorning Ashies’ head.

It rested there as if it had always belonged, as if it had returned to its rightful place.
In her left hand, an ice-forged sword shimmered.
Its pommel, which had once been empty, now held a gem that mirrored her brilliant blue eyes—brimming with resolve.

Valcrash had mocked her as a weak human.
But Karami knew the truth.
Ashies was the true heir of Aisengar.

In the timeline where her destiny remained shackled, she had been called by another name—
The Frost Tyrant.