From what Winter can hear, thanks to her enhanced senses, the humans wish to speak with her. However, after her explosive outburst of aura and power, they have understandable concerns about the feasibility of the Mage’s plan. Jax is the first to speak up, a mocking tone in his voice. “I might not be the smartest one here, but that thing doesn’t look like it’s all that interested in talking to us.” Sparks chuckles, his voice still confident. “Sure, it looks rather angry, but it has not attacked us directly and continues approaching us without direct hostility. I am unsure what made it so angry, but I have some ideas, and the fact that it did not direct either of those attacks at us implies it can hear us talking and is at least willing to hear us out.”
Alex is the next to speak up. “I don’t know why this thing is not attacking us, but I’m not sure I agree with your definition of direct hostility. Based on the malice it’s exuding, when it glares at you, I’m quite sure it wants to kill you, at the very least, regardless of its other intentions.” Sparks chuckles wryly at the comment. “You are probably right, but in my eyes, that only confirms my suspicions that this thing is likely a remnant from the last dragon crusade. Officially, all dragons and their direct subordinates were wiped out in the last dragon crusade, eliminating the entire dragon evolutionary branch. My theory is that this thing is one of the dragonkin subordinates from back then, and with its Emperor and most of its brethren dead, it has likely taken up the role of Regional Lord. The reason it hates me so much is likely because of my hero skill.” The fact that Sparks possesses the hero skill leaves everyone speechless.
Winter finds the Mage amusing; despite her blatant hostility towards him, Sparks is still confident in his plan. Winter considers the possibility that the Adventurers are planning something she is unaware of by using a telepathy skill to communicate without her knowledge, and this display is all just for show. However, she ignores the thought, confident that if they are scheming something, it will not matter in the end. “Any possible preparations they make do not matter in the slightest. If things get too troublesome, I can use more of my power to overwhelm any plan they make.” Winter is currently limiting her strength to that of a Low S Rank, dragonkin, putting her power well below that of Frost, and is utilizing a little less than fifty-five percent of her total strength. “I am confident that Middle S Rank or High S Rank is more than enough power to deal with these insignificant humans if things become too annoying.”
Winter’s reluctance to exceed Rank S has nothing to do with her confidence in her power; it has everything to do with her sense of pride that holds her back. She will do almost anything to avoid the abject humiliation she will feel from needing her full strength to deal with some, in her eyes, lowly Rank A humans, not to mention the lecture she would receive from Frost for possibly exposing her existence to the humans. In the end, avoiding additional complications with the human world is a nice bonus that will keep the Beast Emperors off her back, considering her dislike for interacting with most of the Emperors is almost as strong as her sense of pride. Winter spins her sword, a vicious grin on her face, her body tense and ready to react to the slightest provocation; she glares at the humans, her oppressive malice hanging heavy in the air.
Winter fixes her gaze on Sparks, stopping a few meters in front of the Adventurers, her malicious aura exerting light pressure on them as she addresses them in their native language. “From what you have said, it seems you humans wish to speak with me, or at least the one called Sparks does; I’m not sure what you have to offer, but I have some free time, so I will hear you out before I kill you all.” Winter cocks her head to the side in confusion and surprise, her attention drawn to Alex, the Guardian Knight, as he steps forward, raising his shield in a defensive stance as he speaks. “We apologize for intruding into your territory; we are adventurers hired by Lord Ferris to protect this expedition. Unfortunately, the Lord lied to us about the true nature of this job, and we have no intention to honor the contract. If we had known a Lord controlled this region, we would have never trespassed into your territory. Again, we apologize for this misunderstanding and intrusion into your domain.” Winter narrows her eyes, responding to Alex, her voice cold and accusatory as she speaks. “But you did; you humans always do.”
Alex swallows audibly, tension in his voice as he continues. “That is true, and again, we apologize for trespassing into your territory, but we were unaware of your presence. We have no loyalty to this Noble, and we have already abandoned this contract and will immediately leave your territory; we swear on our honor that we will never return to this region. The only thing we ask is for you to spare our lives and allow us to pass through this barrier unharmed.” Winter directs her attention to Sparks, ignoring Alex’s pleas, and addresses the Mage, her voice full of malice and mockery as she speaks. “Why do you let this one speak for you, little Hero; it was your idea to speak with me. Why not address me yourself, or do you think so highly of yourself that you do not deign to speak with me, or perhaps you think that little of me?” Winter’s aura fluctuates, increasing the pressure on the group momentarily as she addresses Sparks.
Sparks clears his throat; an uncomfortable tension hangs in the air. “It is nothing of the sort; I have no intention to disrespect you in such a manner. Alex is the leader and speaks for our group; he has the highest presence stat and is the best at communications.” Winter scoffs in annoyance, pointing at the Priest. “That is a lie. This woman has a much higher presence stat, making her a much better choice.” Nina takes a step back in fear, hiding behind the large Berserker, trembling at the sudden attention. Winter laughs at the display. “However, she seems to be a coward; it is beyond my understanding why you would bring such an individual to a battlefield. On the battlefield, you should cast cowards aside; they provide nothing of value and will only weigh you down.” Winter turns her attention back to Sparks, glaring at him with contempt. “So, I will ask again. Why do you allow others to speak for you?” Winter’s accurate assessment of the situation and callous disregard for an individual stuns the group, filling them with horror at the ruthless nature of this creature.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Winter stares at the Adventurers in thoughtful fascination. “I have seen humans react to impending death in various ways: arrogance, pleading, begging, defiance, anger, rage, screaming, trickery, and acceptance. However, these humans are entertaining, negotiating for their lives on the back of lies.” Sparks replies to Winter, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Nina is a new member of our group; while she is skilled at delivering sermons and evangelism, she does not have the skills or experience needed to negotiate under such circumstances.” Winter bares her teeth in a vicious smile. “I see; so, you brought an inexperienced combatant to my domain in an attempt to give the girl some real combat experience by slaughtering my people on what you believed to be a safe mission. Does that accurately summarize the current situation?” Silence hangs heavy in the air at Winter’s words.
Alex speaks up, breaking the silence. “Again, I apologize on behalf of my group for any offense; we did not know the mon- they were your people. Also, everything Sparks said is true; I am the leader of this group, and I speak on their behalf, and given your apparent hostility towards him, I thought it best if he did not talk with you directly.” Winter turns her attention to Alex, her cold gaze sending a chill down his spine. “Little mice should know when to be silent lest they get devoured.” Alex’s voice fails him as Winter turns her attention towards him; her gaze forces him to take a step back instinctively, the momentary pressure from Winter’s gaze invoking a primal sense of terror. Turning her attention back to Sparks, Winter chuckles. “Now that the vermin is silent, I can speak with you without further interruptions.”
Sparks frowns, shaking his head and crossing his arms in annoyance as he addresses Winter. “As Alex has already stated, Lord Ferris contracted us to ensure the safety of the expedition and himself. The primary purpose of the expedition was to eliminate the monster camps near the border of the Ferris Duchy, while the secondary objective was to gather valuable resources from the slain monster and the crystalline forest. Had we known this area was controlled by you, we would have never accepted the contract. As long as we can leave this barrier and your territory with our lives, we will gladly agree to any terms or conditions you may have for our release, and we will swear on our honor to never return to this region.” Winter glares at Sparks for a long moment, not saying a word, her cold blue eyes sending chills down his spine.
Winter bursts into laughter, shocking all present, a malicious grin returning to her face as she speaks. “You humans must think me a fool; the word of a human is worth less than trash. You may not return, but others will. Humans are all the same, hunting down and killing any beast you view as a possible threat, sending armies and heroes after anyone with real power that could threaten your domination of this world, and this time will be no different.” Winter’s aura explodes outward, cracking the ground under her feet, causing the Adventurers to stagger back under the pressure and sending the Noble to his knees. “You humans are all the same! You are all heinous murderers, liars, and butchers; I should cleanse every last one of you from this world for the atrocities your species has committed! The only reason for your apology is because you fear for your life; you have no remorse for your actions, but rather, you regret the possibility of facing the consequences of your actions.”
Winter calms herself, raining in her raging oppressive aura, a sneer on her face as she continues, her voice calm. “Fine, if you want to leave here with your lives, each of you can pay the price for your sins, but I can promise the cost of your lives will be more than some, if not all, of you will be willing to pay.” Silence hangs in the air as the Adventurers consider what price this monster could ask them to pay in exchange for their lives. Lord Ferris, his voice full of arrogance and a sense of superiority, is the first to break the silence. “Name your price, monster; my family is wealthy. Far wealthier than a creature like you can imagine, I can pay whatever price you ask, elixirs, treasures, mana stones, whatever you wish; money is no option.” The Noble stands at the back of the group with an air of superiority and complete confidence that his wealth can solve this problem.
Winter’s attention turns to the Noble standing at the back of the group, his arms crossed across his chest, resting on his rotund gut, an arrogant smile on his face. Alex spins around, gripping the hilt of his sword as he yells at the Noble. “I told you to keep your mouth shut, or I would gut you like a pig; did you think I was kidding!? This entire mess is your fault, and I told you to do one thing, but you can’t keep your mouth shut!” Alex draws his sword, leveling it at the Lord, causing the Noble’s eyes to open wide in shock and fear. “I should have killed you earlier, but I can easily rectify that mistake.” The Noble stumbles backward in a panic, slipping and falling to the snowy ground. “You, you can’t do this; I am nobility. Monster, save me: if I die, you will get nothing.” Out of desperation, the Noble calls out to Winter in a desperate attempt to save his life.
Winter chuckles in amusement, calling out to Alex with an authoritative growl. “Alexander Lockwood, do not kill him; you are far too hasty in your actions.” Alex stops, looking back at Winter in surprise and concern, meeting her gaze, a sinister grin on her face, and after a moment’s hesitation, he sheaths his sword. “If any of you want to leave this place alive, each of you will have to meet certain conditions, and killing this little Noble will make the condition he must fulfill impossible.” Lord Ferris’s confidence returns, and he stands, brushing off his clothes. “See, even this monster knows its place; how dare a peasant like you threaten my life. I will see that you are executed for this once we return.” Lord Ferris glares at the Guardian Knight with an indignant furry.
Alex grits his teeth and shakes his head, his hand clenched into a tight fist, angry and amazed at the Noble’s arrogance and stupidity. Winter intervenes, speaking to the Lord. “Lord Ferris, there is no need to waste your breath on such a trivial matter. Shell, we get down to business?” Lord Ferris straightens his gold embroidered robes, puffing out his chest. “Of course, you are right; I will deal with these ungrateful peasants once I return. I am willing to pay any price you demand; my father has more resources than a creature like you could ever imagine.” Winter bares her teeth in a predatory grin. “Wonderful, what I want is very simple for you to provide, and I hope there will be no objections. As the instigator of this invasion into my territory and the slaughter of my people, the price I want from you is your life and soul.” The Noble stands in stunned silence for a moment, his mouth hanging open, left at a complete loss for words at Winter’s demand.