Chapter 29: The Icy Pursuit

In the dark forest, Felicia walked alone, a solitary figure amidst the looming shadows. She knew neither her current location nor her ultimate destination.

“I claimed to have escaped, yet I don’t even know where I want to go or what I want to do.”

“Should I… should I really have run away?”

For the first time, Felicia felt a profound sense of confusion.

She had, undeniably, achieved her goal, successfully fleeing the confines of the castle.

But what now? Where would she go from here? What purpose would she pursue?

No one could answer these questions for her, and she herself was equally at a loss.

“I don’t even have a map. If my luck is bad, I might be trapped in this forest for months… The thought alone is quite bleak.”

Felicia wasn’t worried about immediate food or water; she wouldn’t starve anytime soon.

“On second thought, I might have to starve for months. That’s even worse, isn’t it?”

“Never mind, no more dwelling on it. I’ll just keep moving.”

Felicia glanced back intermittently, a constant fear gnawing at her—the dread that Seraphina might emerge from the darkness behind her at any moment, dragging her back to face unspeakable consequences.

As she continued walking, Felicia noticed the ambient temperature beginning to plummet, becoming even colder than deep winter.

“Is it just my imagination?” Felicia extended a hand. “No, it’s not. The temperature is definitely dropping…”

“It seems I’ve stumbled into some rather unusual place.”

Felicia had no intention of taking a detour. She possessed a certain confidence in her own strength. Should things prove truly unmanageable, she always had the option of fleeing.

Gradually, the surrounding environment transformed.

The trees and grass all around were now encased in a thick layer of ice, making Felicia question whether she was truly in a forest or perhaps in the frigid ice plains of the northern Apocalypse Continent.

Concurrently, she sensed a unique magical aura, distinct from the magic typically found within ordinary living beings.

“This is… a magical beast’s magic?”

In this world, everyone could wield magic, and beasts were no exception. Those powerful beasts capable of mastering magic were known as magical beasts.

Under normal circumstances, it would typically require dozens, even hundreds, of people to contend with a single magical beast.

However, magical beasts possessed a rudimentary form of intelligence; they understood that densely populated areas were best avoided. Consequently, they were usually only encountered in the wilderness.

She recalled the numerous protective measures within Seraphina’s castle, which had struck her as peculiar before. Now, it occurred to her that they were likely designed to repel magical beasts.

Felicia, too, began to grow wary. She had no clear understanding of her own power level in this world, but she suspected it wasn’t particularly high.

Could she truly face a magical beast alone? Felicia didn’t know.

“Regardless, caution is paramount.”

Felicia had already covered dozens of meters. The deeper she ventured into this icy realm, the colder the surrounding temperature became. A regular person might well freeze solid instantly upon arriving here.

Up ahead, she spotted a shadow.

As she drew closer, Felicia saw a wolf, roughly the size of a lion, approaching. Its fur was an icy blue, and it held a person clamped in its jaws.

Clearly, this was a magical beast.

At that moment, it also noticed Felicia. However, it did not immediately attack her, choosing instead to begin devouring the ‘meal’ in its mouth.

Observing this scene, Felicia felt no fear, merely a slight sense of unease.

It was, by all accounts, a horrifying and gruesome sight, yet her reaction remained unnervingly calm. This was highly abnormal.

She pondered this, realizing it might be due to her current draconic nature. Simply put, she was no longer human, and her thought processes naturally differed from theirs.

“I’m gradually realizing humans have limits… No, wrong channel. So, speaking of the devil, and here the devil is…” Felicia stood in a standoff with the magical beast, neither side making a move.

“Taosu, are you there?”

“I’m… Why is there a magical beast here?!” Taosu had barely emerged when she saw Felicia facing off against a magical beast.

“Oh, don’t ask about all that. Can I beat this magical beast?”

“Master, you are a pseudo-Dusk rank, and this magical beast is a Dusk rank. It will be very difficult to defeat,” Taosu replied.

“Taosu, do you know something?” Felicia suddenly asked.

“What?” Taosu tilted her head.

“Sometimes, we need to use our own two legs to create miracles. So, what I’m trying to say is… run!” Felicia grabbed Taosu and turned to flee.

At this moment, the magical beast had finished its meal and pounced towards Felicia and Taosu.

She fled, it pursued, and she had no wings to escape.

“If I keep running like this, I’ll eventually get bitten!” Felicia exclaimed, seeing the magical beast almost upon her heels. She felt her survival instincts fully ignite.

She dared not stop for a single second now, for a moment’s pause meant the beast would catch up.

“Master, why don’t you use my ability? Isn’t acceleration incredibly useful in this situation?”

“Would you believe me if I said I completely forgot in the heat of the moment?” Felicia had indeed been too nervous, completely forgetting about Taosu’s ability.

Now, with Taosu’s reminder, Felicia recalled the contractual ability she hadn’t used.

“Accelerate!” With a flash of blue light, Felicia’s speed surged explosively.

The magical beast, which had been on the verge of catching Felicia, was now left far behind, its shadow no longer even visible.

The crisis was temporarily averted.

However, Felicia did not continue straight on her path. Instead, she took a wide detour, returning to the very spot where she had first encountered the magical beast.

“Master, look! There’s something there!”

“Hm?” Felicia walked over and discovered a tattered cloth pouch. Inside were some coins, totaling three hundred seventy-two crystals.

“This seems to have belonged to that person… Is it really okay for us to just take it?”

“No, no, no.” Taosu shook her head. “He’s already reported to the underworld. This item would just go to waste here, so it’s better if we take it.”

“When you put it that way, you have a point.” Felicia agreed with Taosu’s logic, pocketed the cloth pouch, and then resumed her journey.

****

In the castle courtyard, six guards knelt before Seraphina. Seraphina’s expression remained impassive, while the guards were tense, not daring to even breathe loudly.

“Rise,” Seraphina suddenly commanded.

“Yes!” The guards meekly stood up.

“I am, by nature, a very benevolent person. Logically, I should punish you, however…”

Seraphina did not continue, instead changing the subject.

“Go to Anna and collect your month’s salary. Then, return home and stay for a few days. I have no need of you for the time being.”

The guards exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with questions, yet not a single one dared to voice an objection. In the end, they simply departed obediently.

Seraphina stepped out of the castle gates and opened her eyes, a fine thread appearing within their depths.

If Felicia had been there, she would have recognized the path of that thread as her own escape route.

“I told you, you cannot escape.” Seraphina’s steps were slow, as if she were savoring this game of cat and mouse.

How much longer could Felicia remain free outside?

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