Chapter 7: The Flame Carries Love (1)

Chloe blinked as she looked at him in response to his unexpected words. The blue eyes meeting hers were serious.

Is this…

‘Is he pretending not to see?’

Chloe couldn’t suppress her laughter and lifted the corners of her mouth. This man occasionally brought unexpected amusement.

“Then, as a return gift, should I give you, my darling, a passionate kiss?”

With his usual bright smile, Tehis awkwardly supported Chloe’s waist as she leaned in. Feeling the many gazes directed their way, he looked around only to see people quickly turning their heads.

Clearing his throat, Tehis whispered quietly, leaving the clearing and the expedition members behind.

“I’m not expecting anything in return. After all, it’s yours, isn’t it?”

“I was just making an excuse too, you know?”

Tehis closed his mouth, unsure how to interpret Chloe’s playful words.

If it’s an excuse, does that mean she wants to kiss? Surely she can’t be serious. She must have said it because of others watching, right?

‘…If I accept this proposal, will we really kiss?’

While Tehis hesitated, suddenly feeling conflicted, an unusual air came from deeper within the Winter Forest.

A knight who was outside the range of the wind magic circle turned his head first, and Chloe followed. The sharp and rough mana unique to the Winter Forest was disturbed, falling within her wide sensory range.

“Over there.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure, but the air currents are strange.”

Tehis released Chloe, pretending not to feel the strange regret. When it comes to sensing nature, the mage is the first priority, so he called the knight commander without further questions.

“Can you scout that area with Team 1 while the others finish preparing? It’s the direction the ogres came from.”

“Yes, Your Grace. We’ll return as quickly as possible.”

“I’ll follow shortly, so we’ll meet halfway.”

“Then we will leave marks as we go.”

Tehis nodded in response and watched Bren hurry away before turning his gaze to Chloe. Her eyes were directed far away, with a slight frown and her head tilted.

“Chloe, if you’re concerned, you can go ahead.”

“No, let’s go together. Even for me, it’s dangerous to wander alone in the forbidden zone.”

To an onlooker, it might seem easy for her to capture an ogre, but that was only because she could focus solely on the battle. Without the influence range of the pre-laid magic circle, handling large species wouldn’t be so easy.

Even for her, this level of performance was possible, but generally, the forbidden zone was toxic even to mages.

A swordsman using internal mana, or aura. And a mage wielding natural mana.

Among these, the latter was inevitably more affected by the peculiarities of the forbidden zone.

“Still, it’s fortunate we found the direction right at the entrance. Thanks to that, we can shorten our schedule.”

“We were lucky. Let’s depart quickly, Tess.”

“Yes, Chloe.”

* * *

The Winter Forest expedition followed the heat for ten full days.

Progress was slow due to dealing with monsters driven mad by the increasingly warm air. Many rare plants had lost their functions due to the changed climate.

Chloe, stressed from discovering only unusable materials, glared disapprovingly at the source of the problem.

“We’ve finally arrived.”

“I didn’t expect there to be such a place.”

As Tehis said, the existence of a wide tunnel was quite alien. Hot air was emanating from there like a mirage.

‘It doesn’t seem like a natural space.’

Chloe carefully examined the tunnel. It was strange from the start that there was a place generating heat in the Winter Forest.

There was definitely an artificial force at work, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. If it were magic, she would understand, but there was no characteristic arrangement of a magic circle, adding to the confusion.

While Chloe was lost in thought, Tehis gently suggested.

“If there’s nothing else to prepare, let’s go in right away.”

“Sure. Actually, could we take some torches? I’d like to avoid maintaining multiple spells at once.”

Chloe, who had absent-mindedly agreed, quickly changed her words. Although she could use light magic, she wanted to reduce her workload as much as possible.

“Of course.”

At Tehis’s gesture, the ranger leader quickly brought out several torches. Dividing the torches among the teams, the expedition soon began entering the tunnel.

Hot air poured out from inside, hot enough to scald the skin. Thanks to Chloe’s magic, which she had switched to a wind barrier format as they approached the tunnel, they weren’t harmed.

‘This is really peculiar.’

Chloe observed the air currents inside the tunnel with interest. Like the characteristics flowing throughout the Winter Forest, the phenomenon was natural yet unnatural, sparking her curiosity. It was also a subject of study how the heat, not strong enough to reach a ten-day distance, was transmitted so far.

It seemed like another mystery assimilated into the forbidden zone.

“Chloe, do you suspect anything as the source of the heat?”

“Well… for now, it’s not directly related to magic. There are no traces of forcibly controlled mana—ah!”

“Careful.”

Tehis caught Chloe as she slipped due to the steep slope of the tunnel. Only after she stood upright did he release her arm and glance at the path ahead. Though he couldn’t see far due to the darkness, he could tell the steep slope continued for the time being.

“Thank you, Tess. The path is a bit rough.”

“If needed, I can…”

Bang!

Suddenly, a burst of flame interrupted Tehis’s words, hitting the protective barrier. The knights immediately assumed a defensive stance.

‘So this was what occasionally spread far?’

Chloe instinctively reinforced her magic and asked Tehis.

“What were you going to say?”

“Nothing important.”

Tehis quickly answered, enveloping his body in aura and taking the lead. In the current situation, it wasn’t appropriate for a top-level expert to carry a mage while moving.

How dull. 

Chloe shrugged and followed behind Tehis. The marching pace slowed, preventing further falls.

Deeper inside, they were greeted by increasingly hotter air. In the spacious area they finally reached, something the size of a small child was alive and breathing.

“An egg…?”

As Bren murmured, it was indeed an egg. A red egg. But it expanded and contracted slightly at regular intervals, as if breathing.

It was astonishing enough that the egg seemed to breathe, and the fact that heat was emitted with each breath was a mystery. Clearly, it wasn’t an ordinary creature by any means.

“Could it be…”

“Do you recognize the species?”

Chloe’s voice, unlike her usual self, had diminished. Tehis asked, noting her interrupted words.

Instead of answering immediately, the mage pondered for a moment before slowly sharing her thoughts.

“No matter how I think about it, only one thing comes to mind. It’s a species that should never be in the Winter Forest.”

Chloe replied, sweeping away the fire with the wind. Though the surreal situation was absurd, excitement began to mix in from the middle.

“A Phoenix. Why is a species known to live in magma here?”

“Phoenix? Weren’t they extinct?”

“As you can see, they still exist. Though they don’t seem to be in perfect condition.”

The mage’s eyes sparkled. Who would have thought a legendary species, nearly extinct, would be found in the opposite environment? Though it hadn’t hatched, if she could take it, it would be a tremendous find.

‘Did it fail to hatch because the temperature was too low?’

Chloe examined the Phoenix egg, which seemed to be barely surviving, let alone growing. She sensed the Phoenix’s struggle to survive. The constant emission of heat was proof of its efforts.

‘It’s amazing it hasn’t died until now.’

Phoenix eggs are quite affected by their surrounding environment. There’s a minimum temperature required for survival, making it remarkable that it was alive in the Winter Forest. It was a specimen that sufficiently piqued the mage’s interest.

Perhaps noticing Chloe’s expression, Tehis spoke calmly.

“We’ll have to either kill it or remove it, but if you want to take it, I’ll assist you.”

“Alright. I’ll transport it.”

“Do you have something to store a Phoenix in?”

“I’ll just float it and carry it.”

A regular pouch would burn, and a magic pouch couldn’t hold living creatures, so it was unusable. The best option was to transport it directly.

As Chloe carefully lifted the egg with wind magic, she discovered something hidden beneath it.

“Huh…?”

Phlagma. A rare plant that stores and amplifies heat. Like the Phoenix, it was a species that should never be in the Winter Forest.

‘Why on earth?’

She didn’t have much time to ponder. Separated from the Phoenix, the Phlagma quickly ignited and vanished. Simultaneously, a crack appeared on the red egg, and an immense heat began to pour out.

In the space filling with fire, Chloe yelled in alarm.

“Everyone, get out!”

“Everyone, retreat!”

Tehis’s command added force to the urgent shout.

“Yes!”

The expedition team, responding in unison, quickly exited the tunnel from the back.

Tehis stayed behind until the end, holding Chloe, who was maintaining the barrier. Just as he was about to leap out, an urgent call stopped him.

“Wait, wait! I’m staying.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m going to save and take the Phoenix with me. I can’t do it if not now.”

“It’s too dangerous, Chloe. The tunnel could collapse at any moment.”

Chloe, drawing mana from her earring, looked up at Tehis’s words. The ceiling, unable to withstand the turbulent energy, groaned ominously.

“…But I have to. I’ll find a way back, so you go first, Tess.”

Tehis closed his mouth at Chloe’s momentarily hesitant answer. While he paused, Chloe, who had descended from his arms, recited runes and cast a spell.

“Ice, bloom.”

Instead of wind, she blocked the flames with translucent ice and searched her memory. Since Phoenixes form their shape directly from the egg, the cracking shell indicated something was wrong. As a species living in magma, it seemed to be forcibly raising the surrounding temperature.

‘The problem is it’s pouring its life into it.’

Chloe clicked her tongue inwardly and took out several high-grade mana stones. Concentrating on the multi-casting, she didn’t notice the stones falling from the ceiling.

Just before a collision, an arm swiftly moved and knocked away the small stones. Tehis’s low voice followed.

“Then I’ll stay too. I said I’d assist, didn’t I?”