Ivy turned her head to look outside the seal. Lovene, wearing her holy robe, was curled up on the ground, white frost spreading from within her body.
Wasn't this her own cold energy?
Why was it transferring to Lovene?!
“Lovene, what's wrong with you?!”
“Don't worry about me! While you have the chance, resolve the mana backlash!”
Lovene barely opened her mouth as she spoke, her voice squeezed through her teeth. She propped herself up on her elbows, her knuckles tightening against the ground in excruciating pain.
Mia stepped forward in a panic, wanting to hold Lovene, but Lovene stopped her.
“Don't touch me! The cold energy... it will spread.”
The freezing sensation from the cold energy was indeed painful, but to Lovene, who had experienced countless agonies, this pain had not reached its limit. If she gritted her teeth, she could still endure it.
But if she did that, how could she win everyone's sympathy?
That was why she put on such a painful display.
However, the cold energy really would spread. If Mia held her, Mia would have to bear the pain as well, which Lovene felt was entirely unnecessary.
Ivy focused her attention on resolving the backlash within her body. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her back was already drenched in cold sweat. Lovene's intervention placed unprecedented pressure on her.
For she knew that if she could not resolve the backlash within a certain timeframe, the one to die would not just be her, but Lovene as well.
As time ticked by, the chill outside the seal formed a fine, thin white layer over Lovene's skin, creeping from her wrists toward her sleeves.
Her pitch-black eyelashes were dyed snow-white. She looked like a sculpture made of winter snow, covered in ice and frost.
Lailan stood a few paces away, her fingers tightly clasped in front of her as she silently waited for a miracle. At the same time, her gaze toward Lovene no longer held any of her previous contempt.
Drip, drop—
The water droplets condensed from the cold energy fell like a ticking clock. Minutes and seconds slipped away, and under Lailan's prayers, a miracle finally occurred. The mana within Ivy's body gradually stabilized.
Having barely resolved the mana backlash, Ivy immediately directed her controllable mana to suppress the cold energy inside her. Consequently, the rate at which the cold energy spread across Lovene's body ground to a halt.
The cold energy had long accumulated in every corner of Lovene's body, eroding her bones and pathways over time. Had Ivy been any slower, Lovene would have turned into a frozen corpse.
Fortunately, Ivy's mana regained the upper hand. The cold energy within Lovene, who had cast Sacrifice Transfer, also began to recede. As warmth spread through her, she finally felt her own body once more.
The white frost on the ground melted into damp water droplets. Mia was finally able to step forward and pull Lovene into her arms. However, even the residual chill made Mia feel freezing cold, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.
In that instant, the distress in her eyes grew even deeper.
Once Ivy had fully recovered, she waved her hand to break the seal trapping her. She walked over to Lovene, her gaze landing on Lovene's still-stiff body.
“Why did you risk your life to save me? I was clearly so rude to you before...”
She did not ask how Lovene had saved her; after all, everyone had their secrets. What she was curious about was why Lovene was willing to pay such a price to save her.
She knew the agony of the cold energy better than anyone. The near-fatal chill just now was painful enough to make anyone want to end their own life, yet this girl before her had still chosen to save her.
She could not understand why.
Especially considering how terrible her attitude toward Lovene had been.
Lovene smiled slightly and explained:
“Because you're not a bad person.”
She propped herself up and sat up, looking as if she had seen through everything.
“Besides, you've actually been helping us from the very beginning, haven't you? Bringing me here, saying you only wanted to make me back down to eliminate a rival...”
“In reality, you were helping us investigate, right?”
Ivy's breath hitched upon hearing this, but Lovene did not give her a chance to speak, continuing:
“Furthermore, though you claimed to look down on a mana-less Saintess like me, you've been protecting me all along. You were even worried that I might die during the investigation. This proves that you are naturally a kind-hearted person.”
“How could a kind person be allowed to sacrifice themselves in a place like this?”
Lovene tilted her head, her smile as bright as sunshine. Ivy bit her lip, a deep blush creeping over her icy, elegant cheeks.
Especially when she heard Lovene's last sentence, her face flushed redder than a ripe apple, the crimson color spreading all the way to her neck and ears.
Her voice pitched higher, sounding a bit strained.
“Huh? A kind person? Wh-what are you talking about? How could I possibly do that?”
She spoke much faster than usual, stuttering inexplicably, and as she spoke, her gaze darted around frantically, not daring to look at Lovene at all.
“What helping you investigate, what protecting you... H-ha! Lo-Lovene, you really are full of yourself. I would n-never do such a thing! You're just imagining things.”
“Kind-hearted? Hmph, a Saintess of the Church of Winter doesn't need to be kind-hearted. My heart is as cold as ice. I don't care whether you live or die!”
As she spoke, her fingers kept twisting the hem of her skirt, betraying her nervousness. Though her words were harsh, her tone was soft, completely lacking any conviction.
Lailan's lips twitched. She wanted to remind Her Highness of her embarrassing state, but before she could speak, she heard Her Highness say with a "proud" expression:
“But since you saved my life, I suppose I can share some information with you.”
Ivy let out a soft huff and looked toward the shattered seal.
Behind the seal was a small cavity containing a few scraps of paper that looked like reports. The handwriting on them was very blurry, but she had still managed to make them out.
“When I was breaking the seal, I clearly saw the secrets hidden in those reports. The contaminated monster was once human. His name was Sandy, and he was a local noble.”
“If we investigate based on this, we might find new clues very soon.”
Crossing her arms, Ivy put on a charitable air. Anyone else would have thought Lovene had begged her multiple times before she finally deigned to share this information.
“Thanks, Ivy.”
“Hmph, don't mention it.”
Ivy waved her hand dismissively.
“I only did it to repay you for saving my life. But I know this tiny clue is far from enough to repay such a debt. If you run into any trouble in the future, remember to come find me.”
“As long as it doesn't cross any boundaries, I'll find a way to help you.”
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