Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Pitiful……"

Those eyes seemed to see right through a person's soul.

An unnamed rage rose in Melanie's heart. Pitiful? Why do you say I'm pitiful?

But as Vitris wept and pleaded, a burst of light emanated from the Snow Spirit statue, interrupting Melanie's rebuttal.

This power was not pure magic; its icy light carried a hint of warmth, engulfing Melanie's body and everything around her...

"Where...am I dreaming? Or am I dead?"

Liuxia opened her eyes groggily. Before her was a blue sky and white clouds, and beneath her was a soft, fragrant meadow.

"Strange... I was just..."

A battle? With whom? And who am I?

Liuxia felt her mind was in complete chaos, as if she had just woken up from a long dream, unable to distinguish between illusion and reality.

However, the cold, crisp voice interrupted Liuxia's thoughts.

"Hey, is this Linhu Town?"

A girl of sixteen or seventeen rode on horseback, her still-immature body wrapped in a dusty blue robe, and she held a simple magic staff in her hand. Beneath a wide mage's hat were waist-length blue hair, and her beautiful face carried seven parts coldness and three parts arrogance.

Melanie? No... who is Melanie?

Seeing that the person in front of her was ignoring her, the girl frowned in dissatisfaction, tapped her staff lightly, and an ice spike shot towards the boy's head, freezing his messy brown hair to the grass.

"I'm asking you a question! Can't you hear me?"

Chapter 25 Her Snow and His Blood

Looking at the domineering blue-haired girl, Liu Xia lost his temper. He was the kind of person who would not listen to reason, and even if he was both, he would not listen to reason. How could he tolerate this?

But her body broke free from Ryuka's control, and she awkwardly apologized, even showing some introversion and shyness, stammering as she answered the young magician's questions.

This is definitely not me!

Liuxia couldn't figure out what was going on, but her perspective was fixed on this body, and she could only watch helplessly as the body led the young magician to Linhu Town.

Linhu Town...is this what it looks like?

The houses are neatly arranged, the fields are lush and green, and the green wheat waves, like square matcha buds, exude a blissful aroma in the cool air.

Something feels off... Anyway, where exactly is Linhu Town?

Following the perspective of the young mage, Ryuka introduced the town to her: the inn, the shops, the town center, the church... Although her tone and demeanor were somewhat introverted, there was a hint of pride in her voice when she spoke of her hometown.

After enthusiastically leading the way and bowing to bid farewell to the young magician, Ryuka arrived at a simple cottage on the outskirts of town. Although the furnishings were old, the house was clean and cozy. A middle-aged couple was working, and several children were playing and frolicking in the garden.

They looked at themselves and laughed, but their gaze quickly fell behind them.

"Uh... Miss, why are you still following me?"

The young magician dismounted and skillfully tied the horse to someone's door. The horse playfully stretched out its mouth to nibble at the fruit trees in the garden, but was mercilessly tapped on the head with the magician's staff, making a disgruntled snort.

"Um... well, you're a nice person, although you're a little slow, so I'm going to repay you sincerely."

The young mage's eyes darted around as she glanced at the boy, who was a year or two older than her. She then crossed her arms and turned to look to the side, her foot lightly tapping the ground.

"How about trying to learn magic? It's okay if you don't have the talent; I can also teach you to read and write."

Ryuka looked at the young mage, whose arrogant expression was tinged with nervousness, and at her somewhat worn mage robes. Whether it was due to the journey or simply her appearance, even the horse beside her seemed rather thin and pitiful.

This guy, could it be that he doesn't have enough money for a hotel?

The body's owner paused for a moment, but with the support of his family, he smiled and nodded, extending a hand to the girl.

"Thank you very much, Miss..."

“￥%&·#￥%&, just call me &￥%”.

His words were somewhat unclear, but the girl moved into his house anyway...

As time passed, the scene flashed back like a camera lens. The green wheat fields gradually turned golden, and the beasts in the forest became active. Some beasts were attracted by the ripe fruit and eventually fell to arrows, steel forks, and ice blades.

"Wow, your magic is amazing. Compared to that, I can only do this much."

The young hunter held a small ice flower in his palm; its fragile chill made it seem as if it would vanish in an instant amidst the sweltering heat.

Well... it's so-so.

The girl changed out of her old mage robes and into a faded, loose-fitting summer dress worn by a peasant woman, but it still couldn't hide her youthful beauty. The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing her slender, fair forearms, unlike those of a boy.

"You have a better sensitivity to fire elements, but I only know ice and snow magic."

She kept her face turned to the side, and her tone remained as unreliable as ever.

"It's okay. I prefer ice and snow to fire."

With a deep, gentle voice, the hunter stared absently at the vanished ice flower in his hand.

"Hmph...whatever, do as you please."

……

This summer was unbearably hot; before a single drop of rain could be seen, the town's river had dried up. The townspeople, carrying offerings of all sizes, embarked on the winding mountain path under the priest's disapproving gaze.

"Does it really exist? The legendary White God?" The girl at the back of the group asked the excited young hunter.

"Of course! Lord White God is our guardian deity! When I was a child, there was a year of famine, and I survived it under Lord White God's protection! My parents said that without Lord White God, my younger siblings and I might not have survived!"

The hunter was overjoyed, his face beaming, his eyes filled with reverence and longing. Then, in a low voice, he boasted mysteriously to the young magician.

"When I was little, I saw the White God one winter night! He stood on the cliff behind the mountain, quietly watching over us under the moonlight!"

"Really? What does it look like?" Mei, are you free? Lin, are you free...?

"Well... I couldn't see it very clearly." The hunter's tone was somewhat disappointed.

"Oh~ Is that so..." The girl's voice rose slightly, her gaze thoughtful...

From then on, the magician often went alone to the high mountains behind Linhu Town.

Until one night, the hunter appeared on the mountain path.

"What brings you to Linhu Town?" The hunter's tone was still full of respect, but it carried a hint of distance and less gentleness.

"It's none of your business." Seemingly dissatisfied with the hunter's serious attitude, the girl's tone rose a few decibels.

"Are they here for Lord Shirakami?"

"I told you it has nothing to do with you!" The girl's voice held a hint of anger, then softened. "I just heard that there's a way here to strengthen ice magic, and I had no intention of disrespecting the White God..."

"Who said that? Someone from outside? Or the priests in town?" The hunter's tone became somewhat anxious.

"do not know!"

Unwilling to speak, in Ryūka's view, the atmosphere between the two grew increasingly tense, while the sounds of their argument became increasingly indistinct. Finally, Ryūka was pulled out of this body's perspective and dragged towards the dark sky…

In the darkness, Ryuka felt as if she had passed by someone, but before she could react, a sliver of light appeared in the center of her vision.

When I saw things again, I saw the young magician sitting in the reception room of the town church. Her face looked more lonely than when I first saw her, and her eyes and brows showed a touch of maturity.

There was no hunter in sight. Was this the perspective of a young sorceress? Ryuka wondered...

"My lord magician, I heard that you have been searching for the 'White God' throughout your year in Linhu Town."

The speaker was a plump priest, whose gaze toward the girl carried a hint of fawning.

"It has nothing to do with the church. This is Autus, where magicians are not subject to the control of the papacy."

“What are you saying? I didn’t mean to restrain you, I just wanted to say…” The priest’s knuckles rubbed the cross as he lowered his voice.

"How about we cooperate? You're not the only one interested in 'White God'."

"'You'?" The girl raised an eyebrow, her tone seemingly disdainful.

"Hmm..." The priest hesitated for a moment, then changed the subject, "If we can cooperate, regarding the compensation... well, the path to learning magic is quite expensive."

"I'm going back." The girl took a deep breath through her delicate nose, closed her eyes, stood up, and prepared to leave without looking back. But the words from behind made her stop in her tracks.

"Aren't you concerned about that young hunter's matter?"

"You found him?!" The girl turned around instantly, slammed her hands on the table, and looked at the priest with a murderous glare, making him tremble.

"Not yet..." the priest stammered, but seeing the girl about to leave again, he immediately changed his tune, "But it's said that some people have seen him wandering around in the mountains!"

"It's said? Someone? Where?"

"Well... I can't tell you that. In any case, he is suspected of turning to heretical beliefs."

The priest seemed to have grasped the key point, rallied his spirits, and began to speak eloquently.

“You seem to have some misunderstanding about me. Although I am very devout to the goddess, I am not like those big shots in the Holy City who are very serious. To be honest, we haven’t paid any attention to the ‘White God’ legend all these years, have we? To be honest, as long as the townspeople are happy, I will turn a blind eye as long as nothing happens.”

“But ever since the severe drought last year, when the townspeople went into the mountains again in winter and that incident happened, I’ve been a little concerned…”

"For decades, under the protection of the so-called 'White God,' the hunters had never lost their way in the snowstorm, nor had they been attacked by wolves or goblins... But that time, something really did happen. Several hunters were torn apart by snow wolves and goblins, and some perished in the snowstorm..."

"That's because someone disrespected the White God, that's what I heard," the girl coldly interrupted the priest.

"This... still needs to be verified, but it is a fact that someone died. And..." The priest stammered, glancing at the girl.

"Both the beast attack and the blizzard bypassed that young hunter. And there are also rumors that he looked at his companions coldly in the face of danger, and then disappeared into the blizzard. We treat these as things that need to be verified."

Thump! The girl slammed her fist on the table, and the cold air emanating from her fist quickly froze the entire surface.

"I mean! Heretical seduction! He's definitely been seduced! That white god might actually be some kind of heretical evil spirit!" The priest instantly tensed up, gesturing wildly as he explained.

"Many people wanted to confront his family, but I stopped them all! I didn't believe their rumors!"

As the chill gradually dissipated, the priest, panting heavily, wiped the greasy sweat from his forehead, shivering.

"In short... if things escalate and turn into a heretical investigation, his family will also be implicated. But if you are willing to cooperate with us, we can turn this action into a semi-civilian, spontaneous movement..."

"Besides, having more people would make it easier to find him, since the World's Barrier covers a very large area..."

As the priest stammered, the young magician finally lowered her eyes.

"Understood, I will cooperate with you."

"But you must guarantee his safety." With those last words, the girl left the church…

The scene shifts again, revealing a long-awaited reunion between the magician and the hunter before Ryukatsu's eyes.

The setting sun was like blood, the banners fluttered, and the hunter, still dressed in the same clothes, stood on the hillside, surrounded by a pack of white wolves, looking down at the punitive expedition below.

He had some stubble on his lips and chin, and he remained silent and expressionless as he calmly looked at the young female mage in the expeditionary force.

Perhaps to reveal her identity, she changed back into that somewhat worn blue mage robe, which now looked rather tight on her.

"What are you doing! Where have you been for the past six months! Come back now! Your family is still here..."

Whoosh! The magician was met with an arrow shot behind her, piercing the chest of the local guide who had taken the money. The arrow's fletching trembled in the silent air, warning them not to go any further.

"Let's go back."

The hunter's tone was very calm.

And so, war broke out.

On mountain paths, in dense forests, beside rivers, day and night alternate, and beast fangs and fighting spirits clash...

From early summer to late summer, the expeditionary force was constantly engaged in a battle with the hunter, unable to penetrate the deep mountains or even catch a glimpse of the White God.

In the end, it was the dying hunter, carrying a heavy cross, who walked through the streets of Linhu Town amidst curses and beatings.

"You...you promised me you'd keep him safe..."

The girl's bloodless lips trembled, and her angry, icy blue pupils seemed about to spew flames.

“But the situation is now beyond our control.” The priest stood before the crowd, smiling kindly.

"Besides, I've heard that you've been extremely passive these past few months, both in combat and in searching. Even if I were on your side, the other knights and mages wouldn't agree, considering how much blood has already been shed..."

"Execution is an unchangeable fact."

“Unless you can find the ‘White God’ before then. Some of the higher peaks are covered in snow and ice even in the height of summer… It’s a real headache for everyone…”

"I understand." The girl gripped her staff tightly, her voice trembling slightly. "But before that..."

"Ten days." Behind the priest, a noble representative from the expeditionary force said with a smug smile, "Beautiful lady from the capital, you have ten days."

"Okay, I'll leave tomorrow..."