Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Could it be this time? Melanie didn't know, clutching the blue crystal around her neck.

This piece was stolen from the Snow Spirit Beast; it's said that there are many more in that creature's cave.

Melanie gradually became agitated. She rarely felt this way, but along with her fluctuating emotions came the rising temperature inside the cave…

"What's going on? This is... a hot spring?"

At the end of the cave, Melanie frowned as she looked at the steaming hot pool.

She hated warm things, but that was the end of Xue Ling's trail.

The pool looked very deep, and there seemed to be other passages below... Melanie tapped the surface of the water lightly with her staff, trying to probe with her magic.

Diving into unfamiliar caves is very dangerous; even a great mage cannot survive without oxygen, since they don't know where it leads.

"Should we wait here? No, the waterways below are interconnected; perhaps it won't return the way it came..."

But a hot spring in these deep, snowy mountains? Come to think of it, what was the purpose of Ryusha and Hetia coming here...? I was so preoccupied with Xue Ling's situation that I did remember their conversation that night...

In my memory, the lewd words I heard outside the cabin, Hetia's animalistic moans and growls, accompanied by the sounds of flesh colliding and Ryusha's teasing...

Melanie wouldn't have listened for so long if she weren't interested in their actions; even now, the thought of it stirred something within the ice mage.

But after carefully searching her memory, Melanie finally recalled a fragment of their conversation.

"You're filthy, you red-haired sow! You've sweated so much water and sweat; we'll give you a good wash when we find the hot springs!"

How shameless! The dignified Rose Knights of the Imperial Military Academy would willingly be treated like that.

Melanie remembered and snorted twice more, while her gaze returned to the way she had come.

The underground waterway and Ryuka came to explore the hot springs in the snow-capped mountains...

"I see... So it leads to the exit of a hot spring somewhere on the ground..."

Melanie sang softly as a thin ice ball covered her, containing a large amount of air.

Ice magic and water magic share a common foundation, so although Melanie dislikes hot things, traveling along the waterways is not difficult.

Splash! A huge splash of water erupted as Melanie forcefully propelled the spring water to envelop the ice ball as it sank deeper, simultaneously releasing magic to reinforce the ice ball's outer shell...

Although it wasn't as swift as offensive magic, Melanie would have found it difficult to execute such a delicate maneuver without the amplification of the blue ice crystals.

We absolutely must obtain the remaining ice crystals!

Melanie took a swig of the magical potion from the water pouch at her waist, and, bathed in the light emitted by her staff, swiftly traversed the underground hot spring waterways like a fish…

They had been moving forward for an unknown amount of time when their oxygen was gradually running out, now less than half full, and their magic was being rapidly depleted in the high-temperature environment.

But Melanie didn't want to turn back. She knew from the temperature of the water that she had already passed the hottest and deepest part.

Turning back now would mean all her previous efforts were in vain, so Melanie gritted her teeth and persevered, taking another sip of the elixir.

After moving forward for a long time, the oxygen inside the ice hockey puck finally became thin...

The water temperature is gradually decreasing, and the water is gradually rising, indicating that we are not far from the surface exit...

Just a little bit more... just a little bit more... Melanie could already see the moonlight on the water above, but the lack of oxygen prevented her from properly reinforcing the ice puck, and the thin ice shell cracked instantly.

The scalding spring water instantly enveloped Melanie. Even for an ordinary person, water at forty or fifty degrees Celsius would be unbearably hot, let alone for Melanie, who was extremely afraid of being burned...

This is nothing... Melanie told herself, enduring the pain and discomfort...

Melanie has always been known for her calm and composed demeanor within the Academy. However, whenever she is compared to Hetia, the rising star two grades below her, criticisms such as being too bold or lacking courage inevitably arise.

Unlike those geniuses who are blessed with bloodline battle qi, Melanie, despite being of noble birth, has always had only so-so talent in training battle qi...

Through continuous effort and experimentation, I finally embarked on the path of magic, albeit with many twists and turns. Few people practice both magic and martial arts simultaneously; aside from the issue of talent, the main reason is that very few can practice two completely different systems at the same time and achieve any success.

Even though her talents in martial arts and magic weren't exactly outstanding, Melanie endured the ridicule and misunderstanding of others, persevering through day after day of monotonous training. She gradually lost friends and affections in the process, but ultimately, she became a formidable rival to the 'genius knight' Hetia in the academy. This required not only necessary prudence but also a necessary ruthlessness.

Forcing oneself to be ruthless.

"Ok?"

Under the moonlight by the hot spring, the scent of pine wood mingled with the flickering flames, and skinned venison skewered on branches, sizzling with fat.

Vitry was grabbing a large piece of deer leg and biting into it without caring that it was too hot for her mouth. Her mother had said that humans were very good at handling food, and it was indeed true.

The caramelized surface is sprinkled with salt and spices, while the meat inside is tender yet chewy, making it infinitely more delicious than eating it raw!

Now this is what eating is all about! Before, I was just filling my stomach! At most, I'd lick a few pieces of rock salt after eating...

"Ryuka, you're not going to eat? What's wrong?"

Vitry looked at her newly made 'good friend' across from her; the boy was staring at the surface of the hot spring water behind him with a puzzled expression.

"Was it just my imagination? I think I saw some bubbles just now..."

Ryuga looked at the water's surface; her senses were very sharp, and she could indeed hear the sound of bubbles just now.

Well, it's quite common for hot springs to bubble... after all, there's geological activity and minerals involved... although I don't really understand it...

Ryusha shook her head, picked up a skewer of meat and started eating. If she didn't eat soon, the whole deer would end up in Vitris's stomach.

However, a gurgling sound came from behind again, and ripples appeared on the water's surface.

Ryuga turned back again, looking at the large bubble that had clearly risen to the surface this time, and asked Vitry:

"Vette, is this normal for hot springs?"

"Hmm? Normal, bubbles, often, Mother says, the earth's farts."

"Cough cough cough!!!" Ryuka choked on Vitris's intermittent words...

What the heck is this earth farting?!

But thankfully, after bringing the roe deer back from the snow goblin's cave and cooking it, the girl who had transformed from the white beast had become quite familiar with him thanks to the delicious food and his patient and friendly attitude...

Although he still denies being the white beast, his words have completely betrayed him, without him even realizing it...

"Hey! Vitte! This leg is mine!"

"Legs? Where? Bones, only..." Mei, you're busy, Lin is busy...

In her panic, Vitry devoured the deer leg in just a few bites, a testament to how such a small human mouth could manage. Her cheeks puffed out as she waved the deer leg bone, still bearing teeth marks, in disbelief, indicating that there was only bone, no leg.

Ha~ Ryuka sighed, and quickly started fighting with Vitris for the last deer leg...

"You've already eaten three... this one should be mine..."

"Hmm, three, two, one, I can't tell."

Vitry held firmly to the other side and began to play dumb.

"Stop pretending! You're very smart, aren't you!" Ryuka gritted her teeth and challenged the girl with superhuman strength.

Suddenly, Vitry's eyes widened as she pointed to the hot spring behind Ryūka, gulped down the meat in her mouth, and then opened her mouth wide.

"Ryuka, Ryuka, behind you."

"It's just the earth's fart! It's common in hot springs!"

Ryuka remained unmoved. Despite the increasingly loud gurgling sounds in her ears, Ryuka knew that if she gave in now, she would probably only be able to eat a deer's rear end...

"Pfft—Haa~~~cough cough cough!!!!"

"Ouch!! It's hot!!!"

An explosive spray of water erupted behind her, followed by a mouthful of hot water spraying directly onto Ryuka's head.

As soon as Ryuga let go, the entire deer leg was snatched away by Vitry, who was laughing happily.

But the next second, Vitry and Ruka, who had turned around, saw a pair of bloodshot, ice-blue eyes...

"I'm really happy...would you mind if I joined?"

Steam rose from her body, her originally fair skin turning as red as a boiled shrimp... Melanie, like a red-skinned female water ghost, gasped for breath above the water's surface, glaring fiercely at Ryusha with eyes that looked like she was about to die.

Chapter 21 Public Opinion is Like an Ice Blade and a Snow Sword

What the hell! Liu Xia's first reaction was that he had seen a ghost. The woman's head, steaming in the firelight, moonlight, and starlight, almost made him draw his sword and chop it down.

Vitry recognized the enemy immediately, leaped backward, and landed on a rock. She pressed her hands to the ground, her arched, muscular body radiating explosive power like a slingshot.

"Hmm..."

She bared her teeth, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her short white hair puffing up like popping popcorn, and a fierce, beast-like roar came from her throat.

Melanie immediately noticed the blue ice crystal around her neck, her pristine white hair, and her wild, scarred body… Despite her dizziness, Melanie instantly understood…

This girl is the Snow Spirit.

The gushing spring water tossed Melanie's body into the air. The surge of magic instantly froze her wet, clinging clothing, shattering it into tiny ice shards, like snowflakes under the moonlight.

Although she didn't know why Ryuka was with this Snow Spirit, Melanie understood that if she made enemies of both of them at once, she might suffer a loss.

She immediately thought of a way to restrain him, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Well done, Ryuka, you really helped me fool her~"

Melanie's words caused the pupils of both Ryukyu and Vitry to shrink instantly...

This woman! Playing this trick... Ryuka looked at Vitrilis, whose expression had drastically changed, staring at her with disbelief. The wariness and suspicion that she had painstakingly cultivated over time had returned to Vitrilis's face. "Where's Mei? Mei Yong, do you want to go empty-handed? Lin Zaizai, are you there yet...?"

Vitry, meanwhile, trembled as she watched Ryūka draw his longsword.

Was I scammed... by this so-called 'friend'?

Even though her mother told her not to hate humans, that there are kind and gentle people among them...

She watched the longsword rub against its scabbard; what should have been a momentary movement appeared incredibly slow to her.

If I were to face both Ryūka and Melanie at the same time, what should I do...?

"Don't be fooled by her! Run!"

Ryuu's roar suddenly interrupted Vitris's thoughts. The Snow Spirit girl watched as the black-haired boy's crimson battle aura surged up, and he leaped high into the air, slashing a red crescent moon at Melanie in mid-air.

Ryuu understood that Vitry was both as innocent and as wary as a wild beast. No matter how she explained things to Melanie after she said that, it was useless.

A thousand words are not as good as actions. Only in this way will Vitry understand who her enemies and friends are, and only then can they form a united front against their common enemy.

"Ryuka, you know my identity..."

Ryuu's decisive words and actions made Vitry realize that he had known all along that he was a Snow Spirit White Beast... but why did he pretend not to know?

The red and blue lights clashed fiercely under the moonlight, much like Violet's chaotic mind, where two conflicting thoughts were also colliding intensely.

Trust or distrust?

Seemingly sensing Vitris's wavering, Melanie used her ice shield to deflect Ryusha's attacks while continuing to make sarcastic remarks.

"Ryuka! Are you trying to break the agreement so you can keep all those blue ice crystals for yourself?!"

"Shut up! You're just a fart from the earth!"

It was rare for Ryuu to get truly angry, after all, he rarely lost a verbal battle. But Melanie cleverly took advantage of Vitry's short time with her and her naive nature as a beast, sabotaging the bond Ryuu had painstakingly built.

Such a despicable trick! Ryuka only allows himself to use it when he's toying with other people!

With a fierce sword technique unleashed, unlike before, Ryuka had mastered the skill of projecting her battle aura into combat techniques. Her longsword relentlessly slashed out crimson crescents, frantically striking Melanie's ice shield, while simultaneously unleashing the reaction force of her battle aura to adjust Ryuka's posture in the air.

What kind of fart did the earth release? Melanie was somewhat confused, but she just kept reinforcing the cracks in the ice shield.

Perhaps it was because he had just emerged from the scalding hot spring and immediately activated his cold ice magic. The drastic temperature change caused his magic to stagnate, which put him at a disadvantage for a moment.

If it weren't for the remaining fighting spirit within her body, the capillaries in her skin would probably have burst...

That's why we absolutely cannot let Vitris and Ryusha join forces; we must create a rift of distrust between them no matter what!

"Ah~ I see~ You're after this snow spirit's human form, aren't you? Want to play out a romance between a human and a snow spirit?"

Melanie calmed her magic and slowly regained her composure, her venomous words coiling around Vitry's body like poisonous snakes.

"Just like thirty years ago, when this poor mixed-race child was born... a cursed, forbidden love? Not bad~ The three of us... subtly correspond to the three people in the story back then!!!"

Three people? What did she mean by that?! Liu Xia felt overwhelmed by the amount of information, and a sense of unease crept into his heart. He quickly looked at Vitry, only to see her eyes wide and disoriented, as if she were trapped in a long-forgotten nightmare, unable to escape, her body trembling uncontrollably…

"Ah, ah... Mother... Father... Drink!!!"

Vitry clutched her head, displaying an expression of anger and pain. White light enveloped her body, while the blue crystal on her chest shone even brighter.

"Roar!!!" A roar that shook the earth resounded, and Vitris's figure vanished in the light, replaced by a gigantic white snow spirit beast...