As I turned toward the source of the sound, a thick leather strap suddenly materialized and coiled around my body.

“How dare you! You made us lower our guard under the pretense of healing!”

The chieftain held her daughter with one hand while brandishing a whip, her entire body trembling with rage as she glared at me.

“This is a misunderstanding! I truly came here to heal your daughter!”

I twisted my body in an attempt to loosen the whip while protesting my innocence, but each movement only made the leather strap constrict tighter.

“You still claim that while in this situation?”

“Ugh.”

Rather than releasing me, she jerked the whip handle back and forth, determined to bring me down. Though I tried to maintain my balance by digging my toes into the ground, it proved futile. I collapsed, rolling across the floor just as another deafening roar thundered in my ears.

“Chieftain! You must evacuate immediately!”

“No, take Kien and Lea to safety first.”

“Chieftain!”

“Now!”

The chieftain thrust her now-hysterical daughter into the arms of the struggling guards. The shaman, still unsteady from the explosion’s impact, disappeared behind the tent with the guards leading the way.

“You’re nothing but bait now.”

With those threatening words, she yanked the whip violently. The leather strap bit into my skin mercilessly. Every struggle only intensified the pain, leaving me with no apparent means of escape. The chieftain dragged me to her feet and spoke in low tones.

“Not only did you dare trespass on this sacred ground, but you’ve turned it into chaos? If you’re so eager to embrace death, I’ll gladly oblige.”

“I’ll persuade my husband. If anyone’s injured, I can heal them! The knights of the Lawrence estate will help rebuild the village. Please, just let me talk to him—”

My words were cut short as Leopold appeared, his entire body emanating a red glow, looking utterly devastated. His fur clothing had vanished, leaving him in nothing but a thin white garment as he slowly approached us.

“Leopold……”

His clothes were torn to shreds, and severe scratches covered his body. Blood trickled down from his forehead.

“Release my wife immediately. Otherwise, the entire village will be destroyed.”

“Go ahead. If you want to watch your wife die before your eyes.”

The chieftain smirked and yanked the whip harder. Though I tried to suppress my pain, I couldn’t hold back the agonized breaths that escaped through my clenched teeth.

“You refuse to listen to reason.”

He drew a dagger from his waist.

“Hazel, hold on just a bit longer.”

In one fluid motion, he hurled the dagger behind the chieftain.

Boom!

The explosion was powerful enough to shake the air itself. Everything happened so quickly that I had no chance to stop him.

“Lea is over there……”

The chieftain screamed. It was exactly where her daughter and the shaman had fled.

“I’ll say this one more time. Lower your weapon and send my wife to me. If you refuse, the next explosion will be even larger. Surely you don’t want your entire tribe annihilated because of your actions.”

His voice had never sounded colder. The previously confident chieftain could only glare at Leopold, rendered speechless.

“Fine. Then.”

Leopold dropped to one knee and reached toward the ground, clearly never intending to wait for a response. Just as he had done in the cave before, he placed his hand down as the red light began to…

“No! Leopold! Stop!”

He paused momentarily to look at me.

“We didn’t come all this way to fight like this!”

But Leopold quickly turned away.

“If they don’t release you, I won’t stop.”

“Leopold!”

There was no hesitation in his actions. A chillingly powerful magical force flowed from his hand as it touched the ground, spreading in all directions like thin streams of water. The ground began to crack gradually from the center of that power. The destructive force was astonishing, almost unbelievable even as I watched. At this rate, the entire ice land seemed destined to become a wasteland.

Thud.

“…Stop now.”

The chieftain finally surrendered, dropping the whip she held. The leather strap binding my body instantly loosened. Though utterly exhausted, I managed to stand and approach Leopold. Without shifting his stance or power, he extended his other arm to me.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

His trembling voice nearly brought me to tears. I wondered if he felt the same relief I did.

“You too…”

As I gently grasped his wounded hand, I spoke carefully to Leopold.

“…Please withdraw your power now. You might collapse at this rate.”

His body was already in poor condition. There was no way he could handle such overwhelming power. Yet, Leopold firmly shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“What do you mean, not yet?”

I asked, bewildered by his inexplicable stubbornness. But Leopold didn’t respond further, shifting his gaze to the ground. Although the cracks had stopped widening, intense red light continued to pour out.

“Why aren’t you stopping? This isn’t what we agreed to!”

The chieftain, who had been watching the situation, shouted sharply. She glanced behind her, seemingly worried about her daughter who had fled. Leopold responded threateningly.

“Don’t move an inch.”

“Why are you doing this?”

I whispered anxiously, wondering why he was threatening rather than negotiating. Leopold slowly turned his gaze to me. His reddened eyes were unsettling. Finally, puzzling words flowed from his dry, cracked lips.

“I should be the one to take you safely back to the mansion, but I don’t think I can. I’m sorry. Follow the knights well. I’ve asked Peter to handle the aftermath, so discuss any difficulties with him.”

“What are you suddenly saying…”

But he only gave a faint smile without saying anything. Just as I was about to pour my magic into him, driven by an ominous feeling, the knights burst in. It was the group we had left behind.

“My Lord!”

“We’re here!”

“My Lady! Are you alright?”

“Protect the Lord!”

They surrounded us until our view was completely blocked. Only then did Leopold withdraw his power and slowly rise. One of the knights pointed his sword at the chieftain and asked.

“My Lord, what should we do now? We’ve rescued all the captured knights. We’ve seized all their weapons, and the natives seem to have scattered and hidden. Tracking them is impossible until daybreak.”

“Take Hazel and withdraw everyone. I’ll stay behind to proceed with negotiations.”

“What? That’s impossible!”

“Why are you all standing still?”

Though I cried out in dismay, Leopold issued orders again in a cold voice. Two knights approached my side.

“My Lady.”

“You must go.”

“Take your hands off me!”

The knights reached out from both sides as if they were going to drag me away. When I shook them off forcefully, they looked uncertainly at Leopold. He gazed at me with an indifferent face before speaking as if to persuade me.

“Hazel. Don’t be stubborn. There’s nothing more we can do here. You might have heard them too, spouting nonsense about offering sacrifices. It was foolish to believe in such sorcery in the first place. So return to the mansion now.”

After finishing his words, he turned around, and his back stirred an inexplicable sense of fear in me. It felt like everything would end if I let him get away like this…

“…No, wait.”

Leopold hesitated. I impulsively grabbed his hand and infused my magic into him. He collapsed into my arms as if crumbling. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

“My Lady, what are you doing!”

“My Lord, My Lord! Please come to your senses, My Lord!”

The knights exclaimed in surprise and supported Leopold. However, he was completely unconscious.

“…He, he’s alright. He’ll be fine…”

The sedation worked too easily—it would never have affected a normal body like this. Once again reminded of Leopold’s serious condition, I pushed past the knights and approached the chieftain.

“This man is dying. If he dies, your daughter will die too. So please… please help us.”

It was a plea disguised as a threat. Eventually, my legs gave out, and I naturally fell to my knees before her. Though the knights rushed to stop me and still pointed their swords at the chieftain, she showed no sign of fear as she looked down at me directly and offered her hand.

“I’ll call Kien. However, until my daughter is completely healed, you won’t be allowed to take a single step outside the ice land. And they must leave here immediately.”

There was no reason to hesitate. I quickly wiped my eyes and grabbed her hand. The chieftain raised the corner of her mouth as if satisfied and looked toward the knights.

“If you don’t want to lose Leopold forever, leave him here and withdraw immediately.”

“We can’t, My Lady!”

“That’s right, it’s too dangerous!”

“At least let one person stay…!”

Though the knights raised their voices one after another, there was truly no time to waste arguing. When I stared at them with sunken eyes, the knights finally left, saying they would wait at the entrance of the ice land.

“Now, please call the shaman.”

Though I tried to speak calmly, my voice trembled too much. Finally, the chieftain picked up the whip that had fallen to the ground and headed toward the tent where her daughter and the shaman had disappeared. The time waiting for her return felt like an eternity.