The draugr died unceremoniously, its head decapitated from its body.

But what was surprising was the way it got decapitated; instead of cleaving flesh, it was like smashing through ice, and that's exactly what had happened.

On the tip of the draugr's neck was a sliver of frost, jagged like it was freshly broken.

And it was the same on the other half of the draugr's neck that was located on its head.

Her sword froze the body before it even reached the flesh; it was more terrifying than expected.

But it was also... perfect.

It was the exact skill and ability they needed to beat Ilmund.

"Thank you!"

Cassia turned around to thank Uriel, but to her shock, he wasn't there, or more surprisingly, nothing was there anymore.

Instead... it looked like she was back at the ruin's entrance, and when she turned around again, she was right.

She was now staring at the exit, but instead of night, it was now daytime, the sun creeping through the narrow exit.

"W-what!?"

She shook her head.

Was it all a dream?

She thought, but a quick look at her hand and armor quickly confirmed that it wasn't; she was still wielding her new artifacts, cold air still swirling around her like a cloak of armour.

And to her surprise, someone was already waiting for her.

"Cassia!"

It was Justinian's voice, but in a more worried tone than she was used to.

"J-Justinian?"

At the blink of an eye, Justinian closed the distance, caressing her face and checking her body for wounds or injuries.

He was worried, worried that it may have been his fault that she ran off; it didn't help their conversation from the day before already worried him heavily.

But despite the situation, Cassia couldn't help but focus on another thing...

How is Justinian getting close to her without literally freezing to death?

"J-Justinian... I think you should calm down for a bit."

Cassia replied, pushing him off softly.

And when she did, Justinian finally saw it, what had happened to her.

And he knew full well what had transpired.

"...My... my ancestor's sword?"

Justinian muttered, and when he checked his system to confirm, it was real; the quest log had completely disappeared, the quest being solved by her alone.

"Y-you... what...?"

"Surprise...?" Cassia replied lightheartedly.

Justinian laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he struggled to understand the situation, but all in all, he was satisfied with how it turned out.

Seeing Cassia happy was good enough.

"How did you even know I was here?"

"I used my ability... I thought it was strange you weren't by my quarters when I woke up."

"Oh...? Do you really want me to stay by your side that much?"

Justinian grinned.

"I'm surprised you're joking with me after disappearing like that."

"At least I'm fine... and it looks like you're not surprised at all."

Justinian crossed his arms. "Trust me, I'm surprised, but I thought it would be better for both of us if I didn't overreact."

Cassia couldn't help but smile at his reply; he acted exactly like his ancestor. They were like two sides of the same coin, except... the other one looked more like a brutal warrior than a pragmatic ruler.

"Hey... Justinian."

Cassia spoke in a soft voice, catching Justinian off guard.

"Yes?"

SLASH!

CLANG!

[Lordsworn Equipment]

The instant Cassia swung her sword, Justinian responded with a block of his own, his armor and sword materializing in an instant.

But unlike before, Cassia had the edge, something he had both expected and not expected at the same time.

He knew her new sword would grant her something powerful... but to the point it would overpower him? That was completely different.

"What's gotten into you!?"

Justinian asked with a nervous smile. He knew she wouldn't seriously harm her, but this was still shocking.

His arms were trembling from blocking.

"What about an impromptu duel...?"

Cassia pivoted, breaking from the lock as she delivered a flurry of strikes at Justinian.

"So that's your game."

Justinian's nervousness was immediately replaced with challenge; he knew the feeling of wanting to test out your new abilities immediately and to repay her for making her feel so inadequate.

He'll give her the best fight of her life.

It'll only make victory for the two sides more satisfying.

CLANG!

Justinian blocked strike after strike, but he couldn't keep it up; his hands were now trembling, causing him to switch up and be forced to dodge instead.

"Impressive!"

Cassia continued to swing, impressed at how much abuse he's sword was taking; it was quite literally not taking damage at all despite her sword's power.

It seemed like his sword itself was just as special as hers.

'Could it be... his sword and mine have the same nature?'

She theorized, but was immediately snapped back into reality as Justinian counterattacked.

"Surprised at my own equipment's durability?"

Justinian confidently remarked, taking the fight to her, in a battle of attrition, Justinian used to win, but now? It was his disadvantage.

"No... I already knew your magically appearing set of armor was special."

Cassia replied, sliding past Justinian's blade and dashing past his form, landing her exactly behind him.

"íssbrandr!"

"Shit!"

Justinian yelled out, caught off guard, but the moment he tried to block it.

His hand fully gave out.

CLANG!

He immediately lost grip of his sword, the dark ebony steel flying across the ruin and into another room.

"I'm not just going to stand idly by while you do everything yourself, Justinian."

Cassia smiled, her sword pointed directly at his neck. She had won, won against the strongest fighter in the face of the south.

She had now deserved her title once more.

Justinian laughed through his helmet, then immediately dispelled everything, leaving him only wearing his royal attire once more.

"I know that... but it seems I've forgotten about that until you reminded me."

Justinian took hold of her sword, and to both of their surprise, he was completely unfazed by its frost.

Which meant that Cassia won through pure skill alone, and... how Winterfang, despite Uriel's rambling, was still connected to his bloodline.

He lowered Cassia's sword, enough that it no longer pointed at his neck, and with a simple pat on the shoulder, finally spoke.

"You're my sworn second... are you not?"

"We're also engaged now technically..."

"That as well." Justinian laughed. "But what I wanted to say was... fight alongside me, not just as a general, but as a companion."

Cassia's eyes widened at Justinian's words, then immediately burst out laughing at his sheer audacity.

"You idiot...!" She struggled to contain her composure. "That's my job, of course, I'll do that."

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