After sensing Aesc's immense magic, Frieren and her group hurried toward the source without hesitation.
In Fern's mana perception, the entire area ahead was flooded with Aesc's magical energy, overwhelming any other traces of mana. It was as if the light of the stars had been completely drowned out by the brilliance of the sun.
Suddenly, Frieren, leading the way, stopped in her tracks.
"Be careful!"
The air ahead was scorching.
It felt like being locked inside a furnace at the height of summer while wearing heavy winter clothes.
The source of this intense heat was the waves of burning air surging toward them.
Frieren and Fern immediately conjured protective barriers to shield themselves from the heat. As mages, their bodies were far more fragile than warriors'—a fact that applied even to Frieren, despite her centuries of experience as a grand mage.
"Lady Frieren, is this…?"
Fern's gaze fell on the back of Frieren's head. Frieren, after a moment of deliberation, nodded.
"This is likely caused by one of Aesc's spells."
"…You're joking, right?"
Stark's face was filled with disbelief.
Thankfully, Frieren and Fern's barriers also encompassed Stark, sparing him from the worst of the heat. But watching the waves of red-hot air outside their shield made Stark shudder.
"If just the heat from outside the battlefield is this intense, what's it like where the actual fight is happening?! This isn't a temperature humans can survive!"
Frieren cast him a sidelong glance. "For a warrior like you, this level of heat shouldn't be a problem."
"Why are you looking at me like you don't understand what I'm saying?! This level of heat could kill me!" Stark protested, practically hopping in place.
Seeing Stark's panicked reaction, Frieren furrowed her brows in confusion.
"That's odd. I once fought a dragon with Himmel and Eisen, and its breath was far hotter than this. But after taking a full blast, Eisen walked away without a scratch… though Heiter did throw up."
"I think the fact that the word 'throw up' came into play is proof enough that the problem lies with Lord Eisen," Fern deadpanned.
She glanced at the red-hot waves surrounding them and added, "Still, I'm surprised. We're not even that close to Lady Aesc's position, and yet the effects of her spell are this powerful. She must be using incredibly strong magic."
Frieren, however, seemed unimpressed. "It's nothing special. Aesc has far stronger spells than this."
"What?!"
Fern's shock was evident in her widened eyes, while Stark's expression could only be described as horrified. But Frieren seemed unconcerned, continuing as though their reactions were perfectly normal.
"Even Eisen once said, 'If one of her spells hit me on the head, I'd have no choice but to meet the Goddess of Death a little earlier than planned.'"
Stark audibly sucked in a breath—despite the stifling heat making that nearly impossible.
"That's… monstrous!"
"Lord Stark, that's quite a rude way to describe someone," Fern chided.
As they spoke, the environment underwent another drastic change.
The searing heat that Stark found unbearable transformed into a chilling cold capable of freezing everything in its path.
Frost in an eerie shade of blue spread rapidly from around a nearby corner, climbing walls and creeping along the floor.
In the blink of an eye, their surroundings shifted from fiery red to icy blue.
Stark shivered involuntarily, his breath escaping in faint white puffs.
"What the… what is this?!"
He began rubbing his arms furiously, trying to fend off the cold. But the temperature had dropped so rapidly that Stark, already disoriented, sneezed loudly.
Fern glanced at him and offered, "Lord Stark, Lady Aesc once taught me a spell to warm the body. Shall I cast it on you?"
"Really? That'd be great! Thanks, Fern. I don't know what I'd do without you…"
"You flatter me, Lord Stark."
They pressed on, but their pace slowed as a thin layer of frost coated the ground, making each step treacherous.
Stark, too hasty, slipped and spun through the air in an awkward two-and-a-half turn before landing hard on the icy floor.
"Lord Stark, are you alright?" Fern asked, hurrying to his side.
"I'm fine… but I don't think I can stand up…"
After several failed attempts to get back on his feet, Stark ultimately had to rely on Fern's magic to float him upright.
Meanwhile, Fern noticed Frieren burning away some frost on the walls with a flame spell.
"Lady Frieren, is there something strange about this ice?" she asked.
Frieren paused, her gaze lingering on the frost. "This ice seems far harder to melt than normal. It's probably some advanced ice-elemental magic I don't recognize… I'll have to ask Aesc about it later."
"Even magic that Lady Frieren doesn't know?" Fern murmured, surprised.
When the trio finally arrived at the battlefield, the fight was already over.
The massive Gem Beetle Queen stood frozen in place, encased in a thick layer of ice. Its scythe-like forelimbs had been severed and lay discarded in a corner, while its crystalline branches were scattered across the floor in jagged shards.
The queen's enormous body bore a horrifying array of damage—cracks and holes from blunt force impacts, scorch marks from fire, scars left by lightning strikes, precise slashes from blades, and even signs of poison.
The scene was nothing short of awe-inspiring, leaving the group momentarily speechless.
At that precise moment, the Gem Beetle Queen began to crumble to ash, just like any other defeated monster.
Its massive frame disintegrated, along with its crystalline branches and severed limbs, leaving behind nothing but fine dust.
But it wasn't as if nothing remained…
"Oh? Did it drop loot?"
At the center of the room where the queen once stood, Aesc was using magic to lift a multicolored gem roughly half a meter in length, inspecting it closely.
Hearing their approaching footsteps, Aesc turned without surprise and placed the gem in front of the group.
"Looks like we got lucky. This seems to be a piece of the queen's carapace. It's said to be one of the hardest materials in the world."
"That means it's worth a fortune, right?!" Stark's eyes sparkled with the imaginary glint of gold coins.
But Aesc dashed his hopes with a shrug.
"Not really. It's not worth much."
"What?! Why?!" Stark demanded, aghast.
"Because it's too hard. It can't be melted by fire or cut by blades. While some craftsmen have tried to turn it into weapons or shields, none have succeeded. So it's mostly bought by eccentric collectors who just want it as a decorative piece."
Aesc sighed, shaking her head. "If we'd gotten some of the queen's branches instead, that would've been better. Those are much more malleable, and top-tier craftsmen might be able to work with them."
"That's so unfair…" Stark pouted but quickly perked up again.
After all, the real treasure lay in the queen's hoard—the countless riches it had collected over the years!