"Father!" Arctic yelled as soon as she entered the king’s chamber.
She found her father sitting in front of a study desk. with a lot of papers on its surface.
"So you have returned, my child," the king uttered as he gazed at the woman who had entered without knocking on the door.
Arctic remained silent until she arrived right in front of her father and slamd the small piece of paper on the table.
"So how do you intend to resolve this?" She asked. Her gaze was so sharp, but the king just ignored his daughter’s ill-mannered approach.
"I already posted a mission regarding that, though, and I think the people are too frightened to approach . Not a single one has co into the castle since then," the king replied as he continued staring at Arctic eyes.
"Yes! I saw it, and why did you even put my sister as a reward for such a commission?" Arctic exclaid.
Then, the king stood up from his seat and walked towards a small cabinet, while the young lady’s eyes followed him with a confused look.
The next second, the king poured a glass of water into a cup and drank it before answering his daughter.
"Should I put you as the reward instead of her?" He asked.
Then, as he saw that Arctic’s stares were still the sa as before, he shook his head and spoke again with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"You should leave; bring Polar with you," he said.
"Nonsense! Don’t ss with !" Arctic yelled as soon as she heard the king’s words.
She stood straight and turned around to face him.
"Why did you not ask for rcenaries’ assistance? Where are those diamond classes you’re so proud of?" She asked, and now it was his father that stayed silent.
"They cut the grace period; they will return in just a few days from now." She paused, then walked towards her father. "And you know , running is never an option," she continued, leaving without waiting for the king’s response.
The king shook his head as soon as his daughter slamd the door. He felt troubled, and the little pain at his side made him rember how strong the two people who intruded on his castle were.
"You’re not getting it, my daughter; they are in another league from us." He sighed and let his mind think on how he could find the key within a short span of ti.
’Or maybe it’s who’s just getting old,’ he thought.
. . . . .
As soon as Kizeler heard the demon, he closed his eyes and erased all of his thoughts to trace the beast Zeno was talking about.
However, as usual, he failed to detect its presence, and upon opening his eyes, he saw Zeno continuing his steps and heading deeper into the forest.
’If sothing piques his interest, it keeps him moving," Kizeler thought.
"Do you know what kind of wolf that is?" He asked as he followed the demon’s steps.
Zeno put his thumb under his chin while thinking.
"It uses wind to attack, but I think it can control ice at the sa ti, and its speed is agile enough that even those rcenaries could not lay their eyes on it," he answered, then put down his hand and focused his eyes in front of him.
"It has white fur, whiter than the ice bear’s you’ve faced earlier, and a red mane. On top of its body, it has plates lining up one after another while spikes protrude from the tip of its tail. I don’t know what you humans called that creature, but I have no mory of a wolf with that kind of appearance," he added.
Kizeler nodded a few tis and gave his reply.
"From your description alone, it’s an Ivory Gale Wolf," he answered, confident in his knowledge.
As soon as Zeno heard the human’s words, he shook his head and smiled.
"What a terrible naming sense," he comnted.
"Then if you’re the one who will na it, what would it be?" Kizeler replied with curiousity.
"Hmnn, I think Crimson Snow Wolf sounds much better," Zeno answered while nodding.
"I’m not that convinced, but yes, it’s way nicer than Ivory Gale," Kizeler said, appreciating the na that the demon gave.
Then silence ca as soon as Zeno didn’t speak any further, and after a few minutes of walking, the two of them reached the destination where the rcenaries had taken shelter.
Zeno glanced at the residue of the wind energy that ca from the beast.
’As I’ve thought, it’s a lot stronger than any creature around this place, yet humans pay no heed to its existence,’ he conveyed inside his head.
Then they continued to walk and go deeper into the forest. However, after a second, a terrified scream caught the two n’s attention, and Kizeler dashed to the direction where it ca from the mont he heard the voice. If he was not mistaken, the owner of it was the mage from the party that they t a few monts earlier.
anwhile, Zeno halted on his steps and just stared at Kizeler’s figure, which soon disappeared from his line of sight. He knew that the mont he took another step forward, the monster would run again, and they would be stuck in an endless loop of chasing such a nimble creature.
"Should I pin it down from this distance?" He asked.
"But that will be too botherso to do so," he sighed, answering his own question.
However, he still pulled the black dice from his coat’s pocket and tossed it in mid-air. Then a jet-black bow appeared as soon as the dice spun and the surface with six white dots lit up.
Zeno caught it mid-air, and even though there were nurous sets of trees obstructing his vision, he still pointed it at them and aid with one of his eyes closed.
"To think that I will still end up saving those souls," he uttered as he pulled out the string and a jet-black arrow materialized on his hand.
However, when he was about to fire his shot, he heard a loud howl, and the topography of the forest changed; thick walls of ice thicker than the trunks of the trees erged; it even created a ceiling that blocked the light of the sun from touching the ground.
’I’m mistaken; it already sensed my presence,’ Zeno thought upon seeing the changes in the surroundings.
Then he put his aim to a halt and spoke with a wide, vicious smile.
"Now, this will be fun," he said, excited as he realized that the entire forest had turned into a giant labyrinth.
. . . . .
A few monts ago, despite the anomaly that the group of rcenaries experienced, they still marched deeper inside the forest to look for the monster they were looking for.
However, doubts were now circulating in their minds. The fear of dying without having any way to fight back gave them a horrible feeling.
"I think we should forfeit this mission," Aryx said all of a sudden.
Then he halted his steps and turned around to face his comrades.
"Even if we manage to capture the monster but one of us dies, it’s not worth it. A few hundred golds could not suffice for a life," he added.
A smile blossod among the rest of the group upon hearing Aryx’s statent. They felt that a thorn struck on their chest was pulled out, and their breathing returned to normal.
However, what ca next betrayed their expectations. The wind began to blow again, and fear started to eat their minds once more.
"Keep your focus; we’ll get out of this alive," Aryx yelled.
Upon hearing him, the group nodded, and like what the mage did earlier, she invoked a defensive buff while Froy got wary of his surroundings and positioned himself in front of rv.
Then Aryx, along with their group’s archer, pulled out his weapon.
’I still can’t keep up with its speed,’ Aryx thought.
The next second, several wind blades rained down on them; they had no specific trajectory. Though they managed to deflect most of them, one managed to slip and severe their archer’s arm despite the light armor enveloping him.
He yelled due to the sudden pain he felt, but it didn’t last long as rv healed him without wasting a second.
Then a hailstorm ca after, and every single pellet of it was sharp enough to pierce them. The huge man, Froy, raised the shield above him and activated his Legacy. The large piece of tal beca even larger, protecting their party from the extre climate. Then, all of a sudden, blood splattered from the pile of snow.
"A-Aryx, h-help," rv stuttered.
The rest of the group froze as they noticed the state their healer was in: a white spike pierced his chest, and then he was hurled into a nearby tree. None of them managed to react; it happened in just a blink of an eye.
Afterward, an enormous silhouette ca into their view—a wolf with fur as white as snow, while a red mane encircling its neck gave it a lithe appearance. Then the white plates at the top of it made it so unique from the other species of wolf.
The rcenaries were shocked upon noticing the monster they were facing right now. It fit the description of the wolf from their mission.
"N-no, h-how can soone even think of capturing this being alive?" Aryx murmured, still stunned by the majestic beauty in front of them.
Then, Anj failed to control her emotions after seeing the creature that killed her friend; she scread at the top of her lungs while the rest gulped, staring at the wolf.
Soon after, the monster let out a howl that reverberated inside the whole forest and brought drastic changes within.
Aryx, who saw the sudden rise of thick walls of ice around them, spoke with a worried voice.
"We’re dood," he said.
. . . . .
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