Jeanne looked at the dead Inspection Team members, then at the ice shards shot toward her, and quickly deduced what was happening. If her guess was correct, the hidden Yeti Squad had intended to rescue her. However, they hadn't expected her to kill the captain herself, leading to a slight deviation in their calculations.
Jeanne waved her hands toward the direction the ice shards had come from, signaling that there were no other enemies nearby and that she was merely a passerby.
"Big Sis, I think we've been spotted?"
"Do you want to add extra training until you die? Don't expose yourself!"
Frostnova observed Jeanne intently, trying to find any flaw. A girl out shopping who just happened to run into them, just happened to get entangled with the Inspection Team, and was incredibly capable in a fight—it forced her to be on guard.
"You stay here. If anything goes wrong, go find the Old Man immediately. I'm going to test her."
Frostnova decided to probe the girl personally. If she was indeed a bait sent by Ursus, lingering would only lead to the Yeti Squad being surrounded. At that point, no one would escape.
"Big Sis, how about I go draw their attention while you lead everyone away!" Big Bear urged. If this was a trap, Frostnova—acting as the decoy—would surely be in danger. Even if they found Patriot, there wouldn't be enough time to return with reinforcements. It was better for Frostnova to lead the others to safety.
"Stop dreaming. If they really planned to deal with the Yetis, do you think they'd agree if I didn't show my face?"
With that, Frostnova lowered her body and sprinted in a different direction. She wanted to create the illusion that the Yeti Squad wasn't here at all.
The Encounter
Jeanne waited for a while until a large white rabbit appeared from a different direction. As expected of the Northwest Guerrillas, she thought, their vigilance is incredibly high. Even when suspecting they had been discovered, they still performed misleading maneuvers.
"Hello. Frostnova, of the Northwest Guerrillas."
"Jeanne. Of the Infected Liberation Front."
Infected Liberation Front? Frostnova had never heard the name. Was it a newly established organization for the Infected?
"A group I've never heard of. So... are you an Infected?" Frostnova asked with a hint of doubt. From her perspective, this girl looked perfectly healthy, a far cry from the state of most Infected on the tundra.
"I am not, but my friends are. We've established a settlement nearby."
Jeanne thought to herself: Of course you haven't heard of it. Talulah had only built a village and hadn't even thought of a name for it yet. As for that name? Jeanne had just made it up on the spot; giving a dry, solitary name would only arouse more suspicion.
On this tundra, trust between two strangers was practically non-existent, especially when one's combat prowess was so suspicious.
"What do you want from me?" Frostnova asked. While Jeanne's words eased some of her suspicion, she didn't let down her guard. She questioned Jeanne's motives while simultaneously implying she was just a lone traveler passing through.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to express my gratitude." Jeanne reached out her hand as if for a handshake.
"Apologies. My hands are very cold." Frostnova had no intention of shaking hands. Her Oripathy was severe; if anyone touched her, they risked frostbite.
"It's fine. This bit of cold is nothing to me."
Saying this, Jeanne took Frostnova's hand in a firm grip.
At that moment, Frostnova felt as if her Originium Art had been neutralized. The cold could not invade Jeanne's body; instead, she felt a wave of warmth flowing from Jeanne's hand.
What kind of ability is this? To ignore even my Arts? Frostnova couldn't understand what kind of person was standing before her.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going," Frostnova said, her voice devoid of emotion. But Jeanne spoke up:
"Does your Guerrilla unit have a way to stay in contact? Talulah has been looking for you."
Talulah? Another name I haven't heard. Probably the leader of their group, Frostnova thought, but she replied coldly: "No. Our Guerrillas usually act alone. We have no contact methods."
"Alright then. Take these. Dilute them in water and drink it; it will alleviate your Oripathy."
Jeanne opened one bottle and took a sip to show it wasn't poisoned, then handed three bottles of Holy Water to Frostnova. This was originally meant for Jeanne's self-defense; there were demons on the tundra, and if she ran into one, throwing this would be more effective than anything else.
Frostnova silently accepted the three bottles. Jeanne's behavior was becoming increasingly incomprehensible. "Don't you think you're being too friendly? What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Nothing special. Talulah wants to cooperate with you, so I'm showing some goodwill first. I hope the next time we meet, we can be friends."
Jeanne didn't hide Talulah's intentions. Such things would come to light sooner or later, so it was better to be direct.
"We have no intention of joining any side. We fight only for the liberation of the Infected. However... being friends is acceptable."
Frostnova finished speaking, turned around, and disappeared into the vast, snowy horizon.
"Who can say for certain?" Jeanne's voice drifted in the wind behind her. "I'm still looking forward to you joining us."
Frostnova glanced back once. Jeanne was packing her cart, preparing to leave. Soon, all traces of their meeting were buried by the falling snow, leaving only the ashes of a few incinerated Inspection Team members.
Back at the Village
That evening, Jeanne returned to the village to a warm welcome. After handing the supplies over to the distribution staff, she went back to her room to rest.
Before long, a weary Talulah returned and slumped into a chair.
"I noticed the supplies looked like they'd been searched. Did you run into the Inspection Team?" Talulah asked, noting that some items were battered and barely usable.
"Yes, I ran into them. Apparently, the Inspection Team has gone mad lately." Jeanne recounted what she had learned from the captain. "They're looking for the person selling vodka. It's highly likely they're coming for us."
Talulah pondered this for a moment. "It seems we're in quite a bit of trouble. That information must be incredibly important for them to cause such a stir. They're practically one step away from deploying the army."
Talulah thought of the ledgers. If the Emperor found out, it would mean the gallows for many nobles. The reason they hadn't deployed the army was likely because they weren't sure if the documents were burned or stolen, and they didn't want to draw too much attention.
"But that's not important right now," Jeanne said with a mysterious smile. "Guess who I met today?"
"Who? Did you run into an Emperor's Blade?"
"It was the Yeti Squad!"