[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game":3,"chapter-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-690":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1218909,1604,"Chapter 689: Frozen Trials 3","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-690",690,"\u003Cp>As frost and ice bloomed outward from Snow’s mana, the interior of the igloo shimmered in pale blue light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air trembled—not violently, but in quiet recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her resolute blue eyes gleamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doubt from before was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, Snow rose to her feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each movement was steady, deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She no longer looked like someone trying to survive the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked like someone who had understood it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, she stepped out of the igloo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FOOOOSHHH!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blizzard swallowed her instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wind roared like a living beast, snow lashing against her body with cutting force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Visibility vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world returned to white chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was harsh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was merciless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow did not wrap herself in mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let the cold touch her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let the wind scream around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because her answer was already there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slowly lifted her chin and looked up into the storm, even though she could see nothing but endless white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her breathing steadied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inhale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exhale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The storm was not resisting her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\".....Stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it carried absolute authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect was instantaneous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The raging winds halted as if severed mid-motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swirling snow froze in place before gently settling downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark, churning sky parted in a sweeping ripple—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sunlight burst through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brilliant. Warm. Radiant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heavy silence that followed felt sacred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath her boots, the snow began to sizzle—not from heat, but from resonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It quivered faintly, like a loyal subject awaiting its queen’s decree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow lowered her gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guide me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sizzle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp crack tore forward through the thick snowfield, racing ahead in a straight line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The layers of snow split apart, revealing the solid frozen earth beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fracture continued, widening just enough to form a visible path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A road carved by submission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow watched it unfold, the faintest smile forming on her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had misunderstood from the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was never about endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The storm was not her enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold was not her obstacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it had always been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I see now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The path stretched forward into the distance, no longer swallowed by white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow stepped onto it without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had found her answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far away, within a vast chamber sculpted entirely from ancient ice, a throne stood at its center—elevated and imposing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon it sat the Frost Queen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frost-laced crown upon her head shimmered faintly as her icy gaze observed everything unfolding within her domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the briefest moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was subtle. Almost imperceptible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the attendants kneeling below her throne, awaiting orders in silent reverence, failed to notice it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...So, you found the answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice echoed softly through the frozen hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the sovereign of this realm—and the one whose authority over frost defined its laws—she had expected Snow to suffer for days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To wander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To slowly peel back the layers of misunderstanding before grasping the truth of the trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Snow had reached that realization in mere hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frost Queen’s eyes gleamed with genuine interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To think you would arrive at it so quickly...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint breath escaped her lips, crystallizing in the air before dissolving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Perhaps you are more suitable than I anticipated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The throne room fell silent once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But within the Queen’s frozen gaze, anticipation had begun to bloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now time for the second trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huff...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint plume of mist escaped Riley’s lips as he exhaled, the cold air instantly crystallizing his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered himself onto a massive slab of ice he had sliced cleanly from the dungeon wall, shaping it into a crude seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frozen stone groaned faintly beneath his weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using a careful weave of mana—and the broken staves scattered near the dungeon’s entrance, along with splintered wooden giant clubs left behind by earlier creatures—he constructed a modest bonfire before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames crackled stubbornly against the oppressive cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t much warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blue gaze drifted toward the deepest reaches of the dungeon corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness there felt heavy, layered, as though it had depth beyond mere absence of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, his expression softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow’s presence had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had felt the shift clearly the instant it happened—the spatial distortion, the thinning of reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who entered the true trial were always transported elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A separate realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A constructed domain shaped by the will of the dungeon’s sovereign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he hadn’t panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even knowing she was meant to disappear didn’t completely quiet the concern in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You’ll be fine,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow wasn’t fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was strong—mentally, magically, and in spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trusted her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those guys really aren’t moving, huh....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words came quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was suppressing both his mana and divinity, Riley had long since reached the peak realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His senses were not so easily dulled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subtle fluctuations in the dungeon’s structure—tiny distortions in frost-laced mana currents—told him everything he needed to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frost Queen’s generals were gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clustered in a single location deeper within the dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they hadn’t made a move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even after both he and Snow entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone was strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the original scenario—the version he remembered—Snow would have faced the generals before ever reaching the true trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were meant to be her gatekeepers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her test of worth before the Queen even acknowledged her existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No interception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which could only mean one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Frost Queen herself had ordered restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing at the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it because I’m here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Queen had sensed him properly, then she would know confronting him directly would be... complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But had she sensed him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t released even a fraction of his divinity since entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mana was carefully contained. His presence subdued to the level of a strong—though not abnormal—combatant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sovereign-level being could feel disturbances within their territory like ripples across skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Did you notice me the moment I stepped in?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The possibility wasn’t low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the restraint of her generals wasn’t hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was calculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That might not be entirely the case—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley’s voice trailed off mid-thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A memory surfaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes narrowed slightly as the pieces aligned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was something that could make the Frost Queen cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something that didn’t belong in this dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something that would absolutely not go unnoticed by a sovereign presiding over her own domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark divinity of the fanatics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fragment he had absorbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he had refined and sealed it, even though it no longer rampaged uncontrollably within him, divinity was divinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And dark divinity—especially one tied to chaotic worship—left a stain in the fabric of reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk... was she watching that moment?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had observed him absorb it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then from her perspective, an unknown peak-realm individual had casually devoured corrupted divinity within her territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t something any ruler would ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was her domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laws here bent to her will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frost carried her awareness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snow transmitted disturbances like nerves across skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was more likely than not that she had noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...So that’s why you’re holding back your generals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees as the bonfire flickered in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, whichever the case, at least she wasn’t acting recklessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she made a drastic move—if she threatened Snow directly or attempted to expel them—he could respond in kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t need to release everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression darkened faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t risk using too much of his divinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he did, it could serve as a pretext.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Erebil...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That name alone felt like a shadow brushing against his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the barrier between providence or if too much divine authority leaked into the mortal plane, that ancient being would find a crack to slip through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley had no intention of giving her even the smallest excuse to re-enter the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I still have a card up my sleeve, but...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around the dungeon entrance, mildly annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where the heck is that cat now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a while since he activated Cheshire’s card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The signal should have reached him instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That mystical nuisance had the uncanny ability to appear exactly when he wanted to—or more accurately, when it would cause the greatest dramatic effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No flamboyant entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No swirling portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No overly theatrical greeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley clicked his tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t tell me you’re ignoring me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing Cheshire, that was entirely possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cat was whimsical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arbitrary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maddeningly fond of spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there wasn’t an audience or a sufficiently \"wonderous\" moment to capitalize on, he’d delay his appearance purely out of artistic preference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s probably just waiting to have a grand, exaggerated entrance...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something involving glittering portals, twisted space, and an over-the-top monologue about fate, destiny, and how lucky Riley was to be graced by his presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Unbelievable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’ll have Alice punish him later.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would straighten him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Maybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley nodded to himself, satisfied with the future retribution plan, and returned his gaze to the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes grew distant, the firelight reflecting faintly in their depths as his thoughts shifted to something far more troublesome than frozen queens or cautious generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The religion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one forming in his name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still didn’t know how it had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never preached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never declared himself divine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never gathered followers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet... it existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse—it wasn’t just harmless admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fragment of dark divinity he absorbed had belonged to fanatics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True believers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind who twisted faith into madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that even a faction of those worshippers had appeared this far north meant one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t isolated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had reached the northern territories—remote, hostile, sparsely populated—then chances were high the faith had already spread across the continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Annoying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t exactly roam the entire continent personally, hunting down every cult cell that sprouted in his name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he could, that would draw far too much attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And attention was the last thing he needed while juggling divine fragments and ancient beings waiting for loopholes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, his options were limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One possibility—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelyn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could order her to deal with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his clone, she possessed his memories, his logic, his capacity for ruthlessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eliminating a budding cult would be well within her abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression hardened faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chances were high Evelyn was already aware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the religion had grown large enough to send fanatics north, there was no way she hadn’t noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant her lack of action was deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was letting it grow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Observing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Measuring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You’re moving on your own again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley didn’t dislike that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, he had designed her to evolve independently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that independence meant unpredictability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, he couldn’t fully entrust her with something like this—not when the consequences involved his own name and divinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if everything she did was technically for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That left only a few remaining connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or the Imperial family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze sharpened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor was already aware of the sudden rise of evil worshippers across the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial authority had begun quietly suppressing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why the grand duke was here in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Riley approached them and framed this as yet another dangerous cult tied to corrupted power, their objectives would align naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to reveal everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Having them wipe out a religion born in my name,\" he muttered dryly. \"How ironic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire had reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Church...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley exhaled slowly, watching sparks rise from the bonfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could simply approach Saintess Emilia and mention the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was her, she would most likely comply without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...And something more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Riley himself wasn’t entirely aware of that part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the Church was not the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the Emperor—where mutual understanding and unspoken trust already existed—the Church demanded clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when it came to evil worshippers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this wasn’t ordinary demonic corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cult didn’t use demonic power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They used divinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twisted. Corrupted. Darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But divine nonetheless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the higher clergy examined even a fragment of that energy, they would notice the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demonic mana was chaotic and foreign to the divine spectrum. But this...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would feel like divine authority warped in the wrong direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which would raise questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncomfortable ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where did it originate?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who is the source?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How was it obtained?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Church would dig.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They always did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emilia herself might not press him—her trust in him ran deep enough that she would likely accept his word at face value—but the institution behind her would not remain idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Archbishops, inquisitors, relic scholars...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would want answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Riley wasn’t prepared to give them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With the Emperor, trust already exists,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he muttered softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With the Church... it’s doctrine first, trust later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That didn’t make them enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just inconvenient allies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thoughts spiraled further, calculating political repercussions, divine signatures, containment strategies—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fluctuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A spark in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subtle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley’s eyes sharpened instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SWIIISHH!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In less than a breath, he vanished from the ice slab and reappeared several meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sword—Valeria—was drawn in a seamless arc, its blade stopping mere millimeters from a slender neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frost-laced air trembled around the steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"W-Well now... aren’t you quite the aggressive human....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice was light. Amused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley’s expression did not soften.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who are you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him stood a young woman—beautiful, almost delicately so. Her smile was calm, almost playful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she was not human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Small curved horns rose from her temples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faint, shimmering scales traced along parts of her skin like frost-kissed patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And behind her, a slender tail swayed lazily through the cold air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand lifted slowly, palm open in a gesture of peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My name is Anica,\" she said with a courteous dip of her head. \"My queen has ordered me to come and greet you... and guide you inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley’s eyes narrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the blade at her throat, she did not flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No spike in mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No defensive reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had assessed the gap between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And accepted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief pause, Riley slowly sheathed Valeria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The metallic ring echoed softly as the blade returned home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anica took a small step back, though not out of panic—more out of etiquette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guide me?\" Riley repeated evenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile deepened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My queen has granted you an invitation. Be proud, human. You are deemed worthy to step within our queen’s castle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no mockery in her tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only formal declaration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley studied her for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that so...\" he murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The queen had invited him inside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either she was supremely confident within her domain—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or she wished to negotiate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley’s gaze drifted briefly toward the deeper corridors of ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow was already within her trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was being summoned directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Lead the way,\" he said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the queen wanted a conversation—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would hear what she had to say.\u003C\u002Fp>",2570,"2026-06-03T14:41:09.353Z",1,"novelbin.me","daca480bcc21ade36b9b5b83ca324ffe76194858b494d1b25a76347d64b2d1f9","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-691","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-689",727,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-cover.jpg"]