Frostfire Legacy

"T-Training...?"

After a few seconds of pause, Aster's mind began turning once more, though that didn't stop him from feeling utterly confused.

[Huh? Oh, it looks like my time's almost up. That was fast.]

The Goddess Michelle glanced at her hand, which was slowly fading away.

[You must have a lot of questions, but I can't answer them all. Instead, this child here will clear your doubts.]

With her words, a portal appeared a few meters before Aster. Unlike the murky black dungeon portals, this one radiated pure white light.

"..."

Aster watched as a figure emerged from within it. As the portal's brightness faded, he quickly assessed the newcomer.

A head of pink bob-cut hair, large red eyes, small lips, and puffy cheeks. Clad in armor that covered only the vital parts, she looked fierce. However, her height—barely reaching 1.2 meters—made that impression difficult to sustain.

On her back, a long tail the same color as her armor, shifting between pink and red, along with matching wings, made her identity clear.

'Is she a dragonkin...?'

Aster's thoughts got stuck. The dragonkin he knew, like Liz or the Dragon's Roar's Leader, Ragnaros, felt very different compared to this one.

"I-I'm Ardra, a dragonkin governing the fire element and serving under Lord *BEEP!*... Uhm, as Lady Michelle told you, I'll be the one in charge of your training!"

"..."

Aster stared, feeling as though he was watching a little girl nervously introducing herself. It was undeniably cute, heartwarming even! If not for the pressure radiating from her, making him fall to his knees again, he might have walked over and pinched her cheeks already!

[Ardra, I'll leave him to you then. Mortal, Aster Mistral—son of Roger and Mary Mistral—I pray that the next time we meet, you are worthy of becoming that person's Avatar.]

With those parting words, Michelle's golden, glowing figure vanished. It was as if she wasn't there in the first place, disappearing instantly and leaving no traces behind.

Aster remained, half-kneeling before the little girl. But as he continued to stare at her face, changes began to appear in his body. His heart pounded hard, his vision suddenly awash in a flowery filter, making him see her as a woman worthy of lifelong devotion...

'Wait, when did I become a lolicon?!' He quickly snapped back to his senses.

The feelings he had looking at Ardra felt almost identical to when he first met Lorelai! 'Brainwashing?' he concluded.

"Uuu, i-it's not brainwashing..." The little girl sniffled, faint tears pooling in her eyes. "Even with Lady Lilith's help, I couldn't fully control my constitution, so anyone who looks at me gets charmed unconditionally..." she explained guiltily.

"Charm..."

Ignoring how she "heard" his thoughts or the mention of another unfamiliar name, Aster stared at her with curiosity and wonder.

"But—huh? Y-You're not affected by it...? Wait, you possess a fragment?!"

Her sudden shout shook him a bit, delaying his response by a beat. "Huh? Y-Yeah..."
Your journey continues with empire

Aster remembered the God's Fragment that Nefra "lent" him. Placing a hand on his chest, where the fragment entered, he nodded.

"I see! Then there's no need to worry about you succumbing to your desires! That's a relief~!"

"...?"

Ardra's dragon tail swished left and right in excitement, and Aster tilted his head. She wasn't shy; she was embarrassed because of her uncontrollable charm causing trouble wherever she went. Now that she knew the God's Fragment neutralized it, her guilt disappeared.

"Oh, by the way, I'm not a kid, okay? Even though I look like this, I'm older than you!" Ardra puffed out her nonexistent chest with pride. "You should call me Elder Sister from now on!"

Aster had the odd feeling that she wasn't referring to his apparent age of 18 years, but rather his current age—2518 years. A being that lived for over a millennia! Though she looked like a child, Ardra must have seen countless centuries pass by, which meant her strength and knowledge probably far surpassed what her small frame suggested.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Aster noticed Ardra's expectant look. Even without her saying anything, he knew what she was waiting for.

"Yes, I understand, Elder Sister!" he said in a clear voice, standing stiff with respect.

The moment his words reached her ears, a wide smile spread across her face. "E-Ehehe~! I'm an older sister now!" she whispered softly.

"Good!" She quickly resumed her haughty pose—looking cuter in the process—and exclaimed, "Before I explain our training, do you have any questions? I'll answer up to five since I'm in a good mood~!"

"Five..."

Aster muttered, quickly sorting through the questions in his mind. Honestly, he wanted to ask more though.

"Then, first. Regarding my class, do you know how or why I got it?"

"Your class? Ah, right. In your world..." Ardra mumbled to herself, too softly for Aster to hear. "Yep! I don't know!" she answered cheerfully. "Next question!"

Aster wanted to argue that it didn't count since she hadn't answered. But "I don't know" was still technically an answer, and he didn't want to risk upsetting her, so he held his tongue.

"Then, second question."

Aster thought hard, trying to find something she could reasonably answer. From the way Michelle spoke, and how Ardra called her "Lady Michelle," both seemed connected to the dungeon.

"Is there a shortcut to reach the 1,600th floor?" he asked.

"Ah, that? There is, but you can't use it. It's limited to dungeon entities and administrators."

Her response was clear and concise, but Aster picked up on a few things. Nodding, he digested the information before continuing.

His next two questions were both met with, "I don't know," wasting his chances. He wasn't sure if Ardra truly didn't know or just couldn't tell him, leaving him shaking his head in disappointment.

"Last question. I'm in a hurry to return, so... how long will this training take?"

He hoped this one would be within her knowledge. Ardra smiled before replying.

"That depends on how quickly you improve. But since you've already proven yourself by getting a God's Fragment, it shouldn't take longer than a month."

"That's—!" Aster began, but Ardra raised her hand to stop him.

"... But in your world, only one second will pass. So don't worry and train to your heart's content!"