The moment Kase looked back, Colin understood what the Half-Orc was thinking.

He was hesitating.

Kase no longer trusted any promises from Lady Rime or Her followers. He was likely debating whether to pretend to accept her offer, only to find an opportunity later to lead his Orc Tribe away from this place.

If everything went smoothly, they wouldn’t be harassed by Lady Rime’s followers for the rest of their journey.

’Honestly, the plan has some merit.’

’And judging by the scale of that Illusion Technique just now,’ Colin thought, glancing at a nearby rock crevice, ’that Druid probably used the Tier Four Magic, Illusion.’

’Being able to use that kind of Magic means she could take down a Winter Wolf single-handedly. She might even be stronger than the Skeleton Centurion we ran into a few days ago.’

’Pretending to agree to her terms isn’t an irrational choice.’

’But we have too little information right now.’

’And besides,’ Colin told himself, ’think about the Rime Ritual we saw a few days ago! We don’t know what trouble the Frostland Druids are in, much less whether the Orc Tribe is safe... The only thing we know for sure is the pure, unadulterated malice Lady Rime and Her followers hold for every living creature.’

Colin whispered to Kase, "If you tried to negotiate with a bear for its fur, do you think it would agree, Kase?"

"You can’t trust bad guys!" Orelia chimed in.

Ale, meanwhile, said nothing. She simply stood her ground, carefully studying the Half-Orc’s expression.

After a moment of silence, Kase spoke.

"So, what do you think we were punished for in the first place?"

As he spoke, Kase set the Insect Shell Shield down by his feet. With a flick of his toe, he kicked the fallen Longbow into the air and snatched it.

"Can’t you feel it?" the Druid shouted. "The Lady’s Power has reached an unprecedented level! The cold winds are spreading south... Only by embracing the ice can you have a future!"

Judging by her expression, she seemed genuinely surprised that the Half-Orc would make such a choice.

’Come to think of it,’ Colin mused, ’Lady Rime’s Curse has afflicted Kase for so long. For one of her Druids to actually come asking him for help now must mean they’re in trouble they can’t solve on their own.’

’So,’ Colin thought, ’she was just bluffing from the start. That Illusion Magic was just an attempt to intimidate us!’

Kase, standing nearby, nocked an Arrow to his bowstring.

With a WHOOSH, an Arrow sprouted from the Druid’s shoulder.

The Druid suddenly threw her head back and let out a sound like a wolf’s howl. Immediately after, a giant white bear appeared high up on the valley side. The beast charged madly toward them, icicles of frozen drool hanging from the corners of its mouth.

’No time to worry about that thing now!’

Colin and the others began chanting a Spell, while Kase nocked another Arrow to his Longbow.

Facing their hostility, the Druid remained unflinching, reciting a prayer in a northern tongue.

WHOOSH!

The moment the Arrow flew, the spellcasting finished.

A golden fireball and a red one flew alongside the Arrow, speeding toward the Frostland Druid.

In that same instant, a powerful gust of wind, visibly laced with countless white threads, materialized out of thin air. It blew the Magic and the Arrow aside, and only Sacred Flame managed to hit its target.

Before Colin could even react, he felt a heavy impact on his right side. A violent gust of wind immediately followed, knocking him to the ground. Countless tiny pellets of snow struck his hood with a sharp RATTLING sound.

Colin quickly yanked his Helmet on.

At the same time, the Half-Orc’s burly arm shot out, grabbing Colin by the collar and yanking him forward. Colin, in turn, grabbed Orelia, who was behind him, and the group staggered forward a few steps.

After they had taken just two steps, the gale blowing from the side abruptly subsided.

Colin looked around through the visor of his Helmet.

At some point, a visible gale laced with white threads had formed a wall, completely encircling them.

The swirling snow was like a thick fog, making it impossible for them to see anything beyond the wall of wind.

As he recovered from the shock, Colin felt a throbbing pain in his arm.

He looked down to see his forearm bent at an unnatural angle, with an odd lump swelling on it.

"Your arm is broken, Colin."

"I’ll drink a Potion. Help me set the bone." Colin reached for the Weak Healing Potion on the bandolier strapped to his chest.

The Tiefling quickly complied.

A pulsing pain from screaming nerves shot up his arm to his brain. Colin frowned, bit open the cork attached to the vial by a small chain, and downed the Potion in one gulp.

The throbbing pain vanished, replaced by an unbearable, numb itching.

Orelia, unable to take the strain, coughed up some blood and quickly drank a Healing Potion of her own.

"It’s a special Tier Three Magic, Wind Wall," said Ale, who had somehow managed to get outside the vortex. She patted down her skirt and elegantly dropped her pack on the ground. "Its range is larger than normal. Our Magic will have a hard time reaching her."

The spell had left a small bruise on her face.

Kase lowered his Longbow. "She’s a skilled Druid. We..."

"This was a decision we made together," Colin interrupted. "If we had agreed to her terms, it would have been even more trouble when you tried to lead your tribe away. Besides, those scoundrels probably would’ve just stabbed us in the back while we were ’helping’ them!"

Colin continued, "I know this spell! We just have to charge through it! We can’t let that Druid keep Casting!"

Before they could finish, the Druid’s voice echoed from outside the Wind Wall.

"Since you refuse to cooperate, I’ll just have to sacrifice you, you foolish ’Cursed’ one! The Goddess will grant me even greater favor for it, and I’ll be able to complete my mission all the same!"

The next moment, a sharp crackling sound echoed from high above their heads. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Looking up, they saw a pale vortex swirling in the air.

The light snow that had been drifting through Snow Deer Valley was violently drawn into the whirlwind, where it condensed and coalesced into sharp, crystalline icicles. The icicles covered a circular area fourteen meters in diameter, hanging over their heads like a Sword of Damocles.

’Dammit, another Tier Four Magic!’

"It’s Ice Storm! Use your necklace and Potions!" Colin yelled.

With a mere thought, he activated the ability of his Winter Wolf Necklace.

The hanging icicles were now fully charged. Propelled by a white vapor coalescing behind them, they began to shoot downward one after another like sharp, icy arrows.

Kase and Orelia raised their Shields. The Half-Orc also found a moment to gulp down an Extremely Weak Cold Resistance Potion.

Colin and Ale huddled beneath their respective companions’ Shields.

Icicles exploded all around them.

Colin felt a series of stinging pains as shards of ice, like shrapnel from a grenade, peppered his body and cut into his flesh.

The frigid wind that propelled the icicles surged past him. He could clearly see Kase’s skin begin to frost over where it touched the white vapor. This was obviously a magical frost wind that could inflict real Damage on living things!

According to the books he’d read, this frigid air was actually the primary source of the spell’s Damage.

With their gear, Colin and Orelia were immune to this type of Damage, but the other two...

"ROAR—!"

Before Colin could even begin to worry about his other two teammates, a bear’s roar echoed from beyond the barrier. The massive white bear from before tore through the snowy Wind Wall and charged straight for them.

Colin watched the menacing beast and let out a deep sigh.

’This damn Druid, can’t she give us a moment to breathe?!’