Belial felt the urge to move faster than ever before. It was the first time he had felt such an urgent need for strength. He followed the system radar and continued killing his way forward, believing that whatever the enemy wanted to stop him from doing was exactly what he should do.
After circling the area twice more, he casually wiped out the remaining monsters with two breath attacks. He spread his wings and flew toward the next city. The night swallowed his massive shadow as he left.
"Crunch, crunch…"
Fei'er Li worked a bit to cut through the thick steak in front of her. Juices flowed out as she sliced it, and the dish looked rough for some reason, with a texture different from chicken or duck. The fat was balanced well by a cool-tasting berry sauce, making it honestly delicious, though the portion was so large it could have been a full meal on its own.
Even so, she still was not full.
"Crunch, crunch, crunch…"
Because of her basic Battle Aura training, her body had grown stronger, and her appetite had grown with it. Still, she was just a little girl, and her appetite was only slightly bigger than an adult's. She kept eating without pause.
"Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch…"
"Ah…"
As Fei'er Li put another piece into her mouth, a white object suddenly hit her head. It was a leftover bone, which bounced twice on the floor with dull sounds that thumped straight into her heart. Veins bulged on her forehead as she froze.
The large steak in front of her was snatched away by a greasy little hand. She clenched her utensils so hard that only their good quality kept them from snapping. She turned to the side with barely restrained fury.
"Damn it…!"
In front of her sat a small ice-blue figure surrounded by mountains of food. Grilled steaks, cured fish, smoked meat, thick flatbread, and potatoes were piled high. It was easily enough to feed dozens of adults, yet it was disappearing at a terrifying speed.
Food that did not match the little girl's size at all vanished straight into her mouth. She stuffed meat in with her hands, and the cutlery might have been eaten by accident. Grease shone on her fingers as she chewed.
"Crunch… huh?"
Icelis glanced at her while chewing the stolen steak. Clearly, the person beside her was far less interesting than the food. She chose to keep chewing instead of talking.
What could Fei'er Li even say to that?
Nearby, a burly chef turned a giant beast over a roaring fire, brushing it with honey as sweet juice dripped down with a hiss. He sliced off roasted meat, added sauce and sides, and placed a fresh plate in front of Fei'er Li. The smell alone made her sigh.
"Hahahaha!"
Vann laughed heartlessly from the seat of honor. After this scene repeated several times, Fei'er Li finally ate her fill. Feeling a bit greasy, she drank some low-proof fruit wine before looking up at Vann.
He raised his arm, and the hall's windows and doors sealed shut at once. Thick iron gates fell, and barriers blocking sound and detection spread instantly. Shadows moved in the darkness, standing guard and watching every possible angle of attack.
Fei'er Li let out a breath. "My Lord, how is the Beast Tide situation now? And the Abyss Church…"
Vann stroked his beard, his expression turning slightly heavy. Icelis kept eating while listening, which at least gave the scene a hint of seriousness. It was not much, but it was something.
"With the help of the great spirit and the intelligence you provided, the wolves and the Wolf Guards did clear out several bases. We also took care of a few families I never liked to begin with."
"Mm… she said A-Wang does that kind of work… crunch…"
Icelis spoke with her mouth full of flatbread. As for who A-Wang was supposed to be, the answer came immediately.
"Aw…"
On Vann's arm, a mark like a beast's claw lit up. A snow-white wolf leapt out of empty space, its form slightly hazy yet majestic, ice-blue eyes shining as it stepped onto the floor and left plum-blossom-shaped prints of frost. The temperature in the chamber dropped, and even the fireplace flames trembled.
Fei'er Li dug the memory out from deep inside her mind. The second ice elemental spirit of the Northlands, Dotleivy. Yes, that Dotleivy, bound to the Dotleivy family through a contract.
The story had only briefly mentioned its origin. It had been created by Icelis at her peak, before she split herself into sealed fragments, to watch over and guard the seals of the Northlands. It chose Vann's ancestor long ago and was given the family name because it had none before.
As the creator, Icelis naturally sensed the familiar presence on Vann. She was the one who told him the truth about the great spirit. Now, she reached out without hesitation.
"So, A-Wang, what is it? Why are you staring at me like that?" Icelis rubbed the wolf's head without mercy. The dignified white wolf showed a visibly complex expression.
A-Wang Dotleivy. Family name A-Wang, given name Dotleivy? Seeing its long-dead master suddenly return had been joyful. But this name was unbearable.
Dotleivy really wanted to ask her to change it. It was a wolf, not some household pet, and after all these years it still cared about dignity. Yet it dared not speak up and could only answer with tears in its heart.
"Aw…"
Fei'er Li started recalling details from the story. She had read it in pieces, and too much time had passed, so her memory was blurry. Dotleivy's fate had not been good, barely clinging to life after the coming catastrophe, pointing the protagonists forward before exploding together with the returning cult and completely dispersing.
It had the ability to sniff out the deeply hidden abnormal Magic aura of the Abyss Church. Even though that aura was now concealed by unknown methods, it could still be sensed up close. Because of this, Fei'er Li had vaguely pointed out a few regions based on her memory.
By coincidence, they had actually caught quite a lot.
"According to what this young lady says, Dotleivy has always been able to detect those damned pests," Vann said. Dotleivy turned its head as well, since it was extremely sensitive to such things. "But we only got real information now, when things have already gone this far."
The enemy was practically holding a knife to their throats, already preparing large-scale rituals. They must have used some method to hide themselves, yet there was no clear lead. Fei'er Li was also curious how the Abyss Church managed this, since their power clashed with the world itself and should have been obvious.
To hide even from Dotleivy's senses was almost unbelievable. Large rituals required huge preparation and could not be done quickly. The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt.
"Icelis, and Dotleivy, please stay as calm as possible when I speak next," Vann said after taking a deep breath. He looked at Icelis with a serious expression, and she nodded.
"Mm…"
Then Vann spoke.
"According to the intelligence, the one capable of masking their aura, not to mention arranging rituals and guiding such a massive monster horde, might be her."
"I searched many ancient records. I honestly do not want to believe it, but to hide from Dotleivy's nose and raise a disaster-scale Blizzard, there is only one being."
"That would be you, the manifestation of the will of ice and snow in the Northlands, the great ice spirit, Icelis."
Vann had already dismissed all unrelated staff from the castle and set up large-scale barriers to keep the biting cold from spreading outside. Dotleivy had also moved to Fei'er Li's side without anyone noticing, ready to shield her at any moment. Vann's ancient family castle was fully prepared to be turned into an ice sculpture by an enraged Ice Spirit.
Then he simply looked at Icelis in front of him, expressionless, took another hard bite of flatbread, and mumbled, "Oh…"
"..." "..." "..." "Why are you looking at me like that? I noticed it, you know." She frowned, wearing a look that clearly asked if they thought she was foolish.
The two people and the dog stared at each other. From Fei'er Li's point of view, she was just a silly kid who was good at causing trouble, more like a warm coat made of ice than the cold, emotionless little girl from novels, and she even had a bit of a sly side. For some unknown reason, she was still slowly recovering her memories, so she was nothing like the original version at all.
She also ate an absurd amount. If it were not for the fact that even her saliva could probably be sold for money, selling herself would not be enough to pay for her food, and cooking for her could exhaust both hands without filling her stomach. In Vann's eyes, setting power aside, she was just a mischievous little girl who held grudges and ate far too much.