The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 166: Frozen Self-Defense (1)

Somewhere in the eternal permafrost of Aisengar.

An unexplored region that had remained undiscovered for centuries.

However, when all the treasures were in one’s possession and they arrived near the kingdom, a light would reveal its location, granting entry only to the chosen.

Beyond the mirage-like barrier, the blizzard suddenly ceased as if it had never been there.

What appeared next was a kingdom so beautiful it seemed to be taken straight out of a fairy tale—a winter kingdom buried in snow and history. Ashies’ homeland.

They had arrived at the Kingdom of Frisian.

The two of them wandered through the streets, exploring the kingdom. The houses, belongings, and everything else remained frozen in time, preserving the past as if it had never moved forward.

“I’ve traveled through countless cities, but I’ve never seen a place like this.”

The scenery was peaceful and stunning, unlike any other city, yet it carried an inexplicable, unsettling atmosphere.

It was because no people could be seen anywhere in this vast city. Where people should have been, there were only blunt ice pillars.

The shapes and details varied slightly, but their overall forms were eerily similar.

Ashies scanned the city, her head constantly turning as if she couldn’t afford to miss anything. Her expression, though subtle, showed a mix of confusion and unease.

“There’s no one here.”

“It’s been too long.”

Time erodes all things, even over hundreds of years.

Both body and soul.

Even if they were frozen.

Unless they had been specially preserved, like Ashies.

“Do you remember anything?”

Ashies shook her head.

“Let’s go farther inside.”

They ventured deeper.

Beyond the streets, they entered the palace.

The first thing that greeted them was the garden.

It, too, was frozen.

Ashies didn’t just pass it by. She changed direction and wandered through the garden as if entranced.

A garden filled with various flowers.

Ashies walked around, carefully inspecting each flower one by one.

“Does anything come to mind?”

She didn’t know.

As always, two conflicting sensations—both familiar and foreign—seeped into her through the flowers.

The ice flowers were identical to the frozen roses Ashies had once created. They were beautiful to look at but had no fragrance or life. The moment she picked one up, its stem crumbled helplessly.

The petals that fell to the ground shattered with a sharp, ringing sound.

What remained in her hand was nothing but emptiness.

They entered the castle.

Chilling hallways.

Ice chandeliers.

Ice decorations.

Meaningless chunks of ice.

And more chunks of ice.

Even when they opened the helmet of a frozen knight, there was nothing inside but ice.

Ashies flinched and pulled her hand back.

The sight was suffocating.

Her steps quickened, as if trying to escape it.

They searched every room.

Some were decorated in a cute, quaint manner, while others carried the stale, condensed smell of time, undisturbed even after hundreds of years.

And then, there was one particular room.

It was more luxurious than the others.

Ashies stopped in front of the frames hanging on the wall.

They were family portraits.

A married couple sitting side by side.

Between them was a small baby.

The couple smiled brightly, but the baby’s face was expressionless.

The next portrait.

The baby had grown.

She sat on a sofa with a woman who looked exactly like her.

The baby remained expressionless.

Another portrait.

The baby had become a young woman.

And still, her face showed no expression.

“Looks like the princess of the Frisian Kingdom with the king and queen. This must be the princess’s room.”

This was the room of Snow White.

“Do you remember anything?”

“......”

To Ashies, memories were nothing more than fleeting illusions, drifting beyond her reach.

Like fog, they remained hidden.

Whenever she reached out, they scattered like dreams and disappeared.

Voices that seemed about to resurface never fully emerged.

But now—

The illusions began to take form.

As if the things long buried had finally reached out to her. And when she grasped those hands, fragmented memories began rising to the surface.

What had been forgotten had not been erased.

The memories had always been within her, merely waiting.

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Staring endlessly at the portraits, Ashies finally spoke.

“...Yes.”

Her trembling lips parted as she whispered faintly.

She remembered.

Everything—without a single detail missing.

The gentle smiles, the warm touches,

And the kind voice that lingered in her ears.

And the tragedy that befell the kingdom.

The moment the realization hit, Ashies bolted from the room.

“Haa... haa....”

For some reason, her breathing grew erratic.

She hadn’t been moving intensely, yet—

It was because the “ice chunks” scattered throughout the kingdom resurfaced in her mind.

Ashies arrived at the Great Hall—the final fragment of her memories.

The hall was in complete ruins.

Its ceiling looked as if it had been bombarded, leaving it shattered.

Fragments of furniture and objects were strewn across the room, barely anything intact.

In the middle of it all, Ashies froze before two ice-covered figures.

Their shapes were curled up, arms outstretched as if trying to shield something.

Sharp spikes of ice protruded from their heads, resembling crowns at a glance.

Ashies knew who they were.

Even though their forms were so broken they were barely recognizable.

The ice-covered figures were the king and queen—stolen from Snow White by the stepmother.

*****

In the princess’s room, adorned with snow and ice—

Ashies, its rightful owner, sat on the bed hugging her knees.

Her gaze wandered aimlessly through the air, unmoving.

She was still in shock.

It was only natural.

Frozen citizens.

Their bodies and souls destroyed over time.

They were no longer frozen people.

They had become nothing more than meaningless lumps of ice.

The king and queen were no exceptions.

A reunion that came with the permanence of farewell.

It wouldn’t have been strange if she had collapsed in tears over such a cruel reality.

But Ashies only seemed slightly shaken.

Because she had only just started learning how to process emotions, she didn’t have the capacity to endure such intense feelings yet.

In a way, it could be seen as a blessing.

I decided to leave Ashies alone for a while.

With her memories and emotions flooding back, she would need time to sort through the chaos.

Having nothing else to do, I wandered through the palace while I waited.

But it wasn’t entirely aimless.

A royal palace was bound to be filled with treasures of immeasurable value.

Perhaps something like a Lazurite Chalice—or maybe even something greater.

‘This isn’t stealing.’

Ashies, the sole survivor and last royal of the Frisian Kingdom, was my slave. And I was her master.

By extension, the kingdom’s treasures were practically mine.

I was simply inspecting my belongings.

And, naturally, investing in Ashies’ future.

‘Let’s see what’s here.’

I decided to start with the library.

Libraries of this era were incomparable to modern ones in terms of value.

Rare magical tomes, historical texts—finding even one could be a massive win.

As expected of a royal library, the shelves were packed with books.

I couldn’t hold back a grin.

But my excitement didn’t last long.

‘The books are all frozen?’

Every single page was frozen solid.

The moment I tried to open one, it cracked and shattered.

Melting them would be pointless.

The ink would smudge as the ice melted.

In short, the entire library was worthless.

“Damn it.”

I tossed one of the books aside.

Instead of a soft thud, it shattered with a loud crash.

Clicking my tongue, I left the library.

It was fine.

The real treasures had to be hidden elsewhere.

I pulled out an item I had purchased earlier.

[Dungeon Map]

A map for navigating dungeons.

It cost 500 points.

I’d used it during dungeon explorations with Mirabelle before.

A dungeon map in a castle might seem odd, but the Frisian Kingdom was officially classified as a dungeon.

No monsters roamed it, but it required specific conditions for entry.

In other words, it was a hidden dungeon.

Items never lie.

The map began displaying the structure of the castle.

Clicking an arrow on the map switched between floors. It was practically magic.

Naturally, I set my sights on the underground levels.

The basement was the best place to store treasures.

With the map’s help, I found a hidden door leading to the basement.

Lighting a torch, I felt along the walls as I descended the narrow staircase.

Was this how tomb raiders felt when breaking into pyramids?

Thrill, anxiety, and excitement.

It was exhilarating.

An Eldorado filled with treasure was waiting for me!

“...Huh?”

But when I finally reached the treasure vault, something felt wrong.

‘The door’s broken?’

The massive arched door was shattered into pieces.

After hundreds of years, it wasn’t surprising for things to collapse.

But why was it only the treasure vault’s door that was destroyed when everything else was intact?

‘Could it be the Crystal Serpent?’

A guardian beast that protected the treasure vault from intruders—and sometimes devoured the treasure itself.

Maybe it broke the door while escaping with something like a dangerous chalice when the kingdom fell.

That seemed like the most reasonable explanation.

Oh well.

At least it saved me the trouble of breaking through a locked door.

With light steps, I entered the treasure vault.

As expected, gold, silver, and jewels sparkled everywhere.

Even the treasures hadn’t escaped Skadia’s influence, frozen solid like everything else.

But that didn’t matter.

They could be melted.

Unlike the books, they wouldn’t be damaged.

‘There’s so much here it’s going to be a pain to carry it all.’

Bringing outsiders in to help felt too risky.

I thought about just grabbing a few valuable-looking items and heading deeper inside.

The rarer the item, the better hidden it would be.

“Tch. I thought this would be exciting, but it’s so boring. I should’ve stayed home.”

Then I heard a voice coming from inside.

It was clear and distinct—definitely not a monster’s.

‘An outsider? Or... could someone have survived?’

The voice sounded young.

I couldn’t determine its gender, but one thing was certain.

It was mischievous.

High above the treasure piles—

A small figure flitted about.

It looked human, but the large, black wings on its back said otherwise.

A race classified as demons.

A demon had appeared.