The Silver Wolf pack gradually closed in around Noel, who, using alchemy, had erected wall after wall until he'd essentially created a small fortress.
There was no way he could fight directly against those colossal beasts; his only option was to settle in for a war of attrition.
With the terrain now in his favor, he could hold out for a while. But what would happen after that? Who knew?
"Awoo—"
Judging by the sound, one of the Silver Wolves was already very close.
Yet oddly, he hadn't heard the wolves cry out in pain. Did my traps fail?
Suddenly, a massive Silver Wolf appeared before his barricade, towering even higher than the walls Noel had painstakingly built.
This must be the Silver Wolf King… Only it could be this enormous. Why did I have to provoke a monster like this…?
"Rooooar—"
Even its howl generated a powerful shockwave of wind. Noel lifted his eyes to the towering beast.
He had to crane his neck back to look up, but even then, he couldn't see the wolf's entire head—it was simply too large.
Noel could sense the faint hostility radiating from the Silver Wolf King, whose bared fangs showed its growing agitation.
Perhaps it was the Silver Wolf blood splattered across him, but Noel did not flinch. Even before the Silver Wolf King, he would not yield.
"All right, let me handle this. Little White."
A sweet, gentle voice soothed the Silver Wolf King, and, to Noel's astonishment, the massive beast calmed instantly.
It was nothing short of miraculous that a single sentence could pacify such a beast.
"Carry me down. I wish to speak with him."
The same sweet voice spoke again.
The Silver Wolf King nodded, rising on its paws, revealing a figure of icy blue atop its head.
She wore a blue dress, her pale face almost sickly white, her lips devoid of color.
But what stood out most were her ice-blue hair and eyes, so perfect they seemed sculpted, an exquisite piece of art.
Noel found himself staring, unable to tear his gaze away.
"Isn't it a bit rude to keep staring at someone like that?"
Her voice carried a subtle enchantment, leaving Noel momentarily speechless.
"Hello, human. I am the guardian of the Ice Spirit Tree. My name is Elizabeth (OC). I am an Ice Spirit."
Elizabeth's voice was warm, with no hint of hostility—relieving Noel's fears.
An Ice Spirit? Encountering one in the snow-capped mountains wasn't exactly unheard of, but…
Ice Spirits typically did not appear before humans. Noel had truly stumbled upon incredible luck.
Better still, Ice Spirits were generally very friendly toward humans.
"Hello, I'm Noel Manchester. Pleased to meet you."
Noel bowed politely, maintaining composure.
"That's a lovely name," Elizabeth praised without hesitation.
"But what brings you here? This place is dangerous. No one usually comes here."
Elizabeth had not seen a human in thousands of years, and she was genuinely curious about this sudden visitor, studying him as if examining a rare creature.
"I came to the mountains to search for alchemical materials. Due to some complications, I lost my way and ended up here, where I saw the Ice Spirit Tree. I need the Ice Spirit Fruit."
Noel stated his purpose honestly. There was no point in hiding anything now.
"I see… However, regarding that Silver Wolf you injured earlier, I believe we have something to discuss."
Elizabeth's smile remained sweet and serene, but her words sent a chill down Noel's spine, as if laced with killing intent.
But what choice had he had? In that situation, it had been a fight for survival.
"I will take responsibility. As for the wounds I inflicted on the Silver Wolf, I will treat them."
Noel didn't try to shirk accountability. He would not let others bear the burden of his actions.
"You're quite brave. I'm beginning to admire you."
Elizabeth's eyes softened, her interest in Noel growing.
He realized now that he should have guessed: the Ice Spirit Tree was under the protection of the Ice Spirits.
Given their friendly nature, obtaining a single Ice Spirit Fruit would not have been difficult under normal circumstances.
But the problem was the severely injured Silver Wolf.
Still, he owed Elizabeth a debt of gratitude for stopping the wolf pack; if she hadn't intervened, he would have died today.
"Let's restore the terrain first. It's not good to leave it damaged. I understand you did this for defense."
Elizabeth had seen through him in an instant.
"Understood."
Seeing that she held no hostility, Noel quickly used alchemy to restore the terrain. The towering barricades vanished in an instant, leaving behind smooth, untouched snow.
Elizabeth was visibly impressed. "It's all flat again…?"
"You're an alchemist?" she asked, suddenly recalling something.
This made her more hopeful about Noel's promise to heal the Silver Wolf; after all, alchemists often possessed strange, miraculous medicines.
"Something like that," Noel replied with a nod.
"Alchemists are rare. Would you be interested in forming a contract with me?"
Elizabeth's eyes glimmered with curiosity.
"I've already formed a contract with Sylph."
"…I see."
Elizabeth gracefully let the matter drop.
She then mounted the Silver Wolf King and gestured for Noel to follow as the pack began its retreat.
They returned to the earlier battlefield, which was now pockmarked with deep scars from wind blades and stained with Silver Wolf blood.
The Silver Wolf he had fought lay curled up in the snow, whimpering in pain. A twinge of guilt struck Noel.
This is the creature I fought so desperately against?
As he approached, the Silver Wolf bared its teeth, ready to attack.
"He's here to heal you. Trust me."
Elizabeth's calm words soothed the beast, transforming it from vicious to gentle in an instant.
Noel rummaged through his pack, retrieving a small vial of green potion.
It was a high-grade healing elixir he had crafted, containing a single drop of the Water of Life, capable of swiftly healing severe wounds.
He had made only a limited batch, meant for emergencies, but now it would go to the Silver Wolf.
Using a dropper, he carefully fed a few drops into the wolf's mouth.
The wolf licked its lips, letting out a low "Awoo…" as if complaining about the taste.
But the effect was instantaneous: before their eyes, the wolf's wounds began closing, fur regaining its pristine luster.
Even Elizabeth's eyes widened in astonishment. "That's… incredible."
Noel simply nodded, watching as the once-wounded wolf slowly regained its strength.
"Come with me," Elizabeth said softly, her tone warmer than before, the last traces of hostility gone.
She mounted the Silver Wolf King once more, the rest of the pack falling in line.
Noel, pushing himself to his limits, hurried to keep up—he didn't know the way back and had ended up here by sheer accident.
Elizabeth remained silent as they traveled, snow falling around them.
"Is the Ice Spirit Fruit very important to your people?" Noel asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"It is important, but it's also a symbol of friendship."
Elizabeth smiled faintly. "It's actually an old tradition of our kind. When someone gets lost and wanders into our territory, we gift them an Ice Spirit Fruit as a token of friendship."
"We Ice Spirits are reclusive, living deep in the mountains, so very few ever find us."
Noel nodded in understanding. In the outside world, Ice Spirits were considered legends, rarely if ever seen.
Ancient texts told of spirits dancing in blizzards—this, he realized, must be what they were referring to.
As they moved, the Silver Wolves picked up speed, and Noel struggled to keep pace.
Seeing his labored breathing, Elizabeth turned and offered, "Would you like to ride on the Silver Wolf's back?"
Riding a creature like this…? The thought was terrifying. If it got annoyed, it could swallow him in one bite.
Noel was about to refuse, but the Silver Wolf suddenly stopped, causing him to crash directly into Elizabeth.
The first sensation was her smooth, icy cold touch, so different from a human's.
His hand brushed against hers—and in the next instant, his hand froze stiff.
For a brief moment, Noel sensed that her hand was not merely cold, but rigid and stone-like.
His heart skipped a beat. Is this a unique trait of the Ice Spirit race…?
Elizabeth, too, seemed flustered, unsure of what had just happened.
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