The Banished Villainous Noble Son Who Was Used as a Stepping Stone in the Original Work Awakens to Combat and Destroys the Laws of the World - Episode 33: Ice and Mystery

Episode 33: Ice and Mystery

—Morning at the temporary base. 

It was different from the day before.

Sunlight streamed down from the sky. But the atmosphere in the area carried a distinct sense of urgency.

Some people were lining up documents on makeshift desks. Others were coming and going in outdoor gear. And — among the voices — a clear tone of “tension” could be heard.

(As I thought… the ice attribute—that must’ve been the trigger.)

The report Lucrane brought back had clearly stirred things up inside the base.

In this world, “ice” is a rare attribute. Just confirming its presence is enough to get multiple departments moving.

Still…

“Are we proceeding as planned today?”

When I asked, Lucrane gave a slight nod while continuing to sort through his documents.

“Yes. The base’s reaction is understandable. But our investigation policy remains unchanged. We’d like to revisit the location from yesterday — the area where we believe the ‘ice attribute’ was detected — and reassess the situation on-site.”

“Understood.”

As we exchanged words, the surrounding bustle gradually faded into the background.

Lucrane and I gathered our gear and set out on foot. We left the base behind.

To return once more to the place where the ice chunk had flown toward us.

◆

As we moved deeper into the area, everything suddenly grew quiet.

Leaves swayed in the morning light, the sound of soil crunching underfoot, the murmur of the wind — all these sounds felt strangely distinct.

(No signs of life. But still…)

With each step, I felt a subtle, growing tension in the air. Lucrane silently swept his gaze across the surroundings.

“The spot from yesterday is just ahead… That area, I believe.”

Before us spread a sloping terrain — the very place from which the ice chunk had flown out yesterday.

We needed to confirm that presence once again.

Carefully stepping forward, a familiar landscape came into view.

(This is definitely the place.)

Yet, no matter how hard I looked, there were no traces of anything. No monsters, no footprints, no drag marks.

Lucrane observed the surroundings intently. I scanned the area. I then approached the rocky surface.

I extended my hand cautiously. My eyes were searching.

“…The ice chunk came from that crevice in the rocks, right?”

Lucrane nodded immediately. His calm voice was steady.

“Yes. No doubt about it. I saw the moment clearly as well.”

Beyond that rocky crevice — the terrain dipped slightly. It formed a small hollow.

It resembled an open fissure, like a shallow cave. Sparse grass grew inside. And the area further in was obscured from view.

Yesterday, from that spot, an ice chunk had come flying at us. Then, a monster with a bluish-white glowing body had appeared.

I stepped to the edge of the crevice and peered inside.

Light didn’t reach far — it was dark.

But there was no scent, no humidity.

“If something *was* here, there should be some kind of trace.”

I muttered under my breath. I squinted deeper into the rocky hollow.

“Hmm… some monsters do have the habit of erasing their traces, but…”

Lucrane added. Though he sounded unconvinced.

“Yesterday, it was as if the monster had completely erased its presence — it just appeared out of nowhere.”

“Erased its presence, huh…”

I placed my hand on the hollow and carefully slid my body inside.

The ground was dry—no risk of slipping. The space went back about three meters. It was just enough for one monster to hide.

(Still…)

The ground felt off. There were no signs of trampling, no droppings, no saliva — no biological traces whatsoever.

Yesterday, we clearly saw it:

A monster covered in ice. It had sharp fangs and a crystalline body — a creature we’d never seen before.

(And now it’s vanished without a trace?)

As if it had never existed.

Even so, the “sensation of the ice” it left behind was real.

Proof of that: I now had the skill “Frost Resistance: Lv.1”.

“…I can’t believe that was just an illusion.”

Lucrane nodded. He pulled a small measuring device — a kind of magical tool — from his coat and waved it over the ground.

“A residual mana reaction — faint, but definitely present. Though it’s already starting to dissipate. There’s evidence of magical manipulation. But the details are unclear.”

(A monster that manipulates magic… Not unusual — in the game, advanced monsters used magic too.)

I stood still for a moment. I then quietly knocked on the back wall.

A muffled sound echoed back — no sign of hollow chambers or traps.

“If this wasn’t a ‘nest’… then the creature was probably hiding here temporarily.”

“So, a highly mobile individual, then?”

“Right. But even so, it showed hesitation. Remember yesterday — after launching the ice chunk, it seemed to ‘observe’ us.”

Lucrane furrowed his brows and asked,

“You mean, instead of defending territory… it was just watching us?”

“If that was deliberate… then we might have a problem.”

The creature didn’t follow up with more attacks.

But its eyes had certainly locked onto us.

(As if it was evaluating us…)

Was it trying to judge whether we were enemies — or whether we met some unknown condition?

That kind of “scrutiny” hung in the air.

“As a research subject, it’s incredibly intriguing. If its behavior follows a pattern, maybe we can predict it… But that also means the risk of future encounters has increased.”

I placed a hand on the sword at my back and slowly stepped out of the cave. My eyes were still scanning the surroundings.

I called out without looking away,

“Lucrane. Let’s widen the search area a bit. I think there’s something further out from here.”

“Understood. Let’s proceed with caution.”

We both naturally fell silent.

To push any deeper would require resolve.

Even so—

(We have to move forward.)

The monster had definitely been here.

But now, even its traces had vanished.

What does this “absence” mean?

To find out, we pressed on with our investigation.

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