Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

It's best not to win over such cautious and indecisive people, nor is it advisable to make enemies, as the situation may change in the future. Melanie learned a great deal from the fact that the power dynamics in Sochi City became so volatile over a single incident.

"Kid, think about what I'm saying carefully. Young people should give themselves more options."

She held onto her mage hat, gently waved her staff, and slowly floated up.

"If you interfere with my hunting of that snow spirit again, I'll really get angry, you know."

"What if I hunt down the Snow Spirit first?" Liu Xia continued to provoke.

“That guy is on par with me, and I don’t want to see my cute little boy turn into frozen excrement on the snowfield. Besides, tracking down a snow spirit here isn’t an easy task…”

The blizzard that could strike at any moment could cover up all traces, and the Snow Spirit was not a mindless beast... But Melanie did not make any definitive statements, instead looking at Ryusha with amusement.

"However, if you could obtain those blue ice crystals, I might be willing to do something special with you~"

With that, a gust of wind rose, and Melanie's figure quickly disappeared into the snowstorm...

Ryūka's hand remained gripping the sword.

So, what should I do?

The beast was quite intelligent, but it didn't believe his intentions. However, he couldn't very well track it down, and letting Melanie hunt snow spirits and allow her strength to increase dramatically wasn't a good option either...

While pondering, Ryuka braved the wind and snow and returned to the mountain valley with the hot spring.

Despite the raging snowstorm outside, this place remained as warm as springtime. Snow wolves and snow goblins, these icy creatures, would only occasionally wander here during their hunts, never building their nests here.

However, the place where the horse was tied up was already empty.

It wasn't that Hetia hadn't kept a horse for herself... The pool of blood on the ground and the broken reins in the tree proved it all.

The horses that Hetia and I rode were tall warhorses covered in thin iron and cotton armor, making them virtually inaccessible to ordinary snow wolves. Compared to these iron cans that could injure them, roe deer were much easier to catch.

Moreover, this mark doesn't seem to be from a wolf; rather, it seems to have been left by some larger creature.

"Wait... what a coincidence!"

A possibility flashed through Liuxia's mind, and she shook her head.

A distant 'plop' sound prompted him to silently draw his longsword and tiptoe towards the hot spring.

"Damn it! How dare they kill my horse!"

This is no ordinary beast; we must strike hard!

However, when Ryūka reached the edge of the hot spring, what appeared before his eyes was a scene where wildness and sensuality coexisted...

A girl with short white hair, a fit figure, and fair skin covered in scars is frowning as she gently wipes her bleeding wounds in the hot spring.

On the stone next to her lay the emergency medical kit that Ryūka had left on horseback, along with a few simple fur coats.

The girl looked two or three years older than Liuxia. She wasn't very tall, and her resolute and wild face still had a touch of childishness. However, her waist, which wasn't thick, had a clear six-pack with defined abs, and her limbs were long and slender with smooth muscle lines.

Only the flesh on her chest, buttocks, and thighs, seemingly different from the other parts of her body, had two bright pink spots on her fair breasts, which were larger than Kania's but smaller than Hetia's.

In the hot spring that just reached above the crotch, a small clump of soft white hair could be seen floating in the water.

If her hair were a little longer and darker, and she wore a red scarf, she could cosplay the invincible Third Master... Ryuka thought to herself as she looked at the girl's figure.

His gaze, however, was fixed on the white-haired girl's high, firm breasts.

A blue ice crystal, suspended by a thin rope woven from horsehair, was squeezed between two soft mounds of flesh... along with fresh wounds and white fur...

In that instant, stories like the Legend of the White Snake, the Fox Fairy's Gratitude, Kemono Friends, and Uma Musume... seemed to have infiltrated... In short, all sorts of stories flashed through Ryuka's mind.

"Considering all the information, although it's hard to believe... this must be the situation I'm facing, right?"

Chapter 19 Vitry

Since this is a fantasy world, it's not surprising that there are races that can switch between human and beast forms. Combining the legend of the White God and Melanie's claim that she is the last descendant of the Snow Spirit Clan, a vague conjecture began to surface in Liu Xia's mind…

The current problem is how Ryukatsu should make her appearance when facing a woman who is most likely a white beast in disguise.

After all, given her previous ferocious demeanor, even if he saved her, she wouldn't immediately trust him.

And I wonder if she'll have the same sense of shame as humans after she takes human form... If I see her bathing being exposed, will I be even angrier?

Considering her terrifying combat power when she transforms into a beast, Ryuka has to take all this into account.

Even though she ate her own horse, it seems this hot spring is still her territory, considering the possibility of developing it later...

"This is really turning into a visual novel walkthrough..."

The snow-capped mountains behind Linhu Town hold such a secret, and with the princess taking a liking to this place, Liuxia feels that this little place is becoming more and more mysterious.

After thinking for a moment, Ryuka deliberately feigned surprise and exclaimed from the side.

"Holy crap~ What ate my horse! Could it be that big, fluffy white guy I just rescued?"

Ugh~ How disgusting... my own tone of voice...

Ryuka suppressed the urge to strangle herself and continued to observe the snow spirit girl in the hot spring.

Sure enough, upon hearing Liuxia's voice, she immediately panicked, frantically grabbed her clothes from the shore, put them on, and ran away...

Wearing only a white animal skin tube top and short skirt, she looked almost like a primitive person, but the outfit combined with her body gave her a wild charm.

"hiss……"

Perhaps aggravated her wound, the girl's movements were somewhat inconvenient. Just as she was struggling to move, Ryuka, who had seen her dressed, finally jumped out of the bushes, pointed at her, and shouted.

"Ah! It's the medical kit from my horse! It's a horse thief!"

"No, it wasn't me..."

"What? So she can talk?" Liu Xia looked at the snow spirit girl who avoided her eyes and stammered an explanation.

"A beast, a large one, white, not me..."

She spoke haltingly, gesturing with her hands as if pretending to be stupid, and her language was very awkward.

"Where's the first-aid kit you have?"

"This, this... I found it."

Xue Lingnu looked at the medical kit in her hand, somewhat at a loss, while Liu Xia smiled despite her wary gaze.

Hmm... I guess you could say she's a bit naive or just plain stupid; she seems easy to fool.

Liu Xia immediately sheathed her sword, an action that relieved the snow spirit. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.)

After all, she had seen Ryuka rush out to stop the female mage, and then appear here unharmed.

Could this human be very strong? That's strange, Mother said most humans are quite weak…

The snow spirit girl was still somewhat wary, but Liu Xia didn't intend to get any closer to her. Instead, she slowly sat down.

"Is that so? But the medicine is being used incorrectly. That one is for external application and cannot be used on broken wounds. That one is for oral administration. This small bottle is for treating wounds."

Ryuka pointed to the scattered medicine in her hand and said, "It seems that this girl can talk and knows a little about human society's objects, but not much."

It really looks like a savage, but it's not incapable of communication. Moreover, in its severely injured human form, it seems calmer than in its beast form.

“Ryuka, Hunter Ryuka.” Ryuka pointed to himself and said his name, then continued to ask.

"What's your name? Why are you here all alone? Were you attacked by that big white guy?"

Perhaps thinking of Melanie, the Snow Spirit shook her head angrily and nervously, but then immediately nodded, thus denying that she and the White Beast were the same person.

“Vette, Vitry…”

"Vitry...the warrior's blade?"

The girl's strange pronunciation reminded Ryuka of a language spoken by a northern ethnic group that he had read about in a book. To use something familiar to Ryuka, this ethnic group was very much like a fusion of Viking and Slavic civilizations from his original world, and their language was quite different from the common language of the Ottus Empire.

Seeing that Ryuka actually understood the meaning of her name, the girl's eyes lit up with surprise, and she nodded quickly.

"Vitry, would you like me to treat your wound?"

Seeing Vitry's momentary happy expression, Ryuka sighed that it's good to be cultured, and pressed her advantage.

But Vitry immediately adopted a wary expression and shook her head back and forth.

Her emotions changed so quickly and obviously... just like a little animal... Ryuka thought to herself, not in a hurry, but still maintaining her patience.

"Okay, then you can handle it yourself, but can I tell you the correct way to use it?"

Vitry was silent for a moment, then nodded and began treating the wound under Ryūka's guidance.

During this time, she kept observing the boy before her. He was small and didn't seem like the 'hunter' her mother had described. But he also didn't seem like a mage or shaman. How had he managed to defeat that wretched female mage?

But she didn't dare ask.

Xue Ling has a long lifespan, but in the thirty years since her birth, Liu Xia is the second human she has ever seen, while Melanie is the first...

"Vitry, are you... living here alone?"

Vitry nodded, then shook her head.

“There are deer, bears, wolves, foxes, and goblins—lots of people here.”

"Hmm~ I see~"

Ryuka appeared very interested, but she wasn't actually that excited inside.

Her parents' situation wasn't mentioned, but if no one taught her, she probably wouldn't be able to speak or have the necessary knowledge...

However, considering Melanie's words about "the last bloodline," Ryuka felt it was best not to bring up this sensitive issue for now.

“Vitry…”

"Gurgle~~~~~"

A rumbling stomach interrupted Ryuka's question, but Vitry showed no embarrassment and calmly stood up.

"Ryuka, thank you. I'm going hunting now and must leave."

She had just eaten a horse, but looking at her wound, which was already half healed, Ryuga seemed to understand where all that energy had gone.

Ryuu couldn't let her leave like that, but Vitris's attitude was very firm, as if nothing could stop her from doing her thing.

"Hunting takes time; if we don't hurry, we'll starve."

At that moment, Ryuka suddenly remembered something and asked her.

"Vitry, can we eat the roe deer that's been hit by the snow demon's poison arrow?"

Vitry stopped and blinked.

"Roe deer, delicious, poisonous, no problem."

Upon hearing her words, Ryuka took out a box of camping seasoning from her waist bag.

"How about we make a barbecue together? We'll grill it slowly over pine wood, sprinkle it with salt and spices, right here, as a testament to our friendship, okay?"

"Ah..." Vitry smelled the spices, her mouth slightly open, and saliva dripped down her cheeks.

She nodded, but her attention was only focused on the front half of the grilled meat; she couldn't hear her friends or anything else behind her anymore...

Chapter 20 The Earth's Fart

"Damn it, where did they go?"

As the snowstorm subsided, Melanie wandered through the snow-covered mountains, but the Snow Spirit's whereabouts had been concealed by the snow.

The meal she had shared with Ryusha had long since been digested, and the thought of having to eat the hard, sour meat of the snow wolf again made Melanie sigh.

"I should have asked that kid for some seasonings or something. He probably brought some with him. I've already used up all my own."

As darkness fell, it was time to find a place to camp tonight.

Melanie wasn't afraid of the cold and could easily create an igloo, but a hidden cave appeared before her eyes.

On the gray-black ground at the cave entrance, there was still a trace of blood and white hair.

"Ah~ so this is where it is."

Hunger and exhaustion vanished instantly. Melanie's staff glowed faintly, and an ice shield appeared around her as she cautiously stepped into the cave.

"So long, so deep, so winding..."

Although it wasn't the first time that Snow Spirit's cave had been discovered, those were all illusions of the cunning beast having three burrows. Half a month had passed, and Melanie still hadn't found its true hiding place.