Tarik looked at the group of people staring at him in a daze and couldn’t help but feel confused.
“What’s going on? Why are you all staring at me like that?”
A Dragonkin pointed cautiously behind him. “Lord Tarik, please take a look behind you.”
Tarik turned around in puzzlement, only to realize there was no sign of Anya behind him at all—only an Ice Sculpture draped in a furry coat stood there.
“How is that possible?” Tarik’s face was filled with disbelief. How could Anya have disappeared right under his nose?
His gaze soon landed on the fur coat, and he immediately realized he had been tricked.
Just now, in his urgency, he’d only thought to pull the fur coat outward, never once checking if there was actually a person inside.
Besides, Dragonkin were naturally strong—whether it was the weight of an Ice Sculpture or a real person, there was no difference in his hands.
At that moment, Anya had already slipped away unnoticed to hide behind the Holy Knights, escorted by a Knight who was helping Murray retreat to the defensive line.
“Miss Anya, you truly have some clever moves.” One of the Holy Knights had already begun to praise Anya’s actions.
“Indeed, an ordinary mage could never react like that in the moment. You’ll surely become a great mage one day.” Another Holy Knight chimed in.
Anya’s cheeks flushed, and she scratched the back of her head shyly, replying casually. Her gaze then fell on Iris, who was letting out a long sigh of relief nearby.
Actually, at first, she had only thought to leave an Ice Sculpture behind and run away. It was Iris who suggested she take off the fur coat and hang it on the Ice Sculpture to fool Tarik.
Afterwards, she hid at the edge of the Ice Mist, waited for Tarik to move away, and then found a Holy Knight to rescue Murray along the way.
To be honest, escaping danger this time was all thanks to Iris’s clever idea.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Luckily, little Anya’s safe and sound.” Iris patted her Bear, wiping the cold sweat from her brow.
On the other side, Kamila was so angry she nearly ground her molars to dust, her whole body trembling with rage. “Tarik, you fool!”
Seeing this, Lina couldn’t help but chuckle. “Miss Kamila, it seems popping the champagne early is never a wise choice.”
Who could have guessed Anya would use an Ice Sculpture and Ice Mist as a diversion, slipping away while the not-so-bright Tarik fell for it completely.
“Anya really is something else.” Lina nodded in admiration.
“Now, do you have anything left to say?” Lina turned her attention back to Kamila. “I can’t guarantee this sword won’t splatter your blood right here.”
Kamila knew all too well the power of that sword. She could only kneel to the ground in humiliation and grumble, “Lina, you’ve won this battle.”
“That’s not enough.” Lina shook her head, showing no intention of lowering her sword.
“I’ve surrendered! What more do you want? Are you really going to kill me? If you do, my people will never let you go!” Kamila glared at her.
“Words mean nothing. What if you go back on them?” Lina’s eyes sharpened. “I want you to sign a Soul Contract with me. That’s the safest guarantee, isn’t it?”
“You—!” Kamila was shaking with anger, but the defeated had no right to bargain. She could only grit her teeth and agree.
Once the contract was signed, Lina finally dismissed the Giant Golden Sword and quietly let out a breath.
Honestly, if she weren’t forced by the situation, she wouldn’t have wanted to use that move. Its power was too great—if she lost control, it could even harm her own side.
In the end, she only wanted to scare Kamila.
Tarik led a dejected group of Dragonkin away. As many Dragonkin passed, they couldn’t help but glare back at Anya.
That murderous aura made Anya, already missing a warm coat, feel even colder.
Anya shrank her neck, muttering in her heart: I didn’t even do anything. Why are they all staring at me?
“Miss Kamila, can I leave now?” Lina looked at Kamila’s reluctant face and teased her on purpose.
“If you want to go, then go.” Kamila answered casually.
“But you seem really reluctant.” Lina continued to tease.
Kamila shot Lina an annoyed glare but didn’t say anything more.
Seeing she’d had enough fun, Lina changed the topic. “Kamila, I have two questions for you. If your answers satisfy me, I’ll dissolve your Soul Contract once we leave.”
The reluctance on Kamila’s face instantly froze. She looked up at Lina. “Are you serious?”
“Of course. I am a Knight—I have my own code of conduct.” Lina replied, giving a graceful Knight’s salute.
“Fine, I trust you. Ask away.” Kamila nodded.
“I only need to know two things. First, the tremors from the snowy mountain some time ago—do you know the cause?” Lina pointed to their distant destination.
“That mountain? There were several tremors,” Kamila replied. “But we think it’s because it used to be a Volcano.”
“Alright.” Lina nodded. “Second, the Dragonkin have been moving around the Northern Border a lot lately. Did you discover something?”
“Sorry, I don’t know about that.” Kamila shrugged. “The people you mentioned weren’t from my tribe. It was another tribe acting. They invited us to join their Secret Operation, but I refused.”
“Secret Operation?” Lina raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know the specifics—I don’t have the rank to hear their inner secrets.” Kamila paused, then added, “I only know they want to do something earth-shattering, something that could go head-to-head with you humans.”
Lina frowned. Clearly, if Kamila wasn’t lying, then that other tribe must have obtained intelligence about that legend.
But how did the Dragonkin come to know this piece of human history? Lina couldn’t make sense of it.
“Do you know the strength of that tribe’s chief?” Lina pressed on.
“That’s an extra question—you said only two,” Kamila reminded her.
“Don’t be so rigid.” Lina forced a smile.
“But I’m not human.” Kamila blinked innocently.
Lina was nearly infuriated, and could only bring up the Soul Contract as leverage.
Lina nearly burst out laughing from anger, so she used the Soul Contract to apply pressure.
Kamila pouted, but still answered obediently.
“The chief is called Bitan—his strength is a bit above mine, also at the fifth tier. Our philosophies don’t match, so we didn’t work together. He’s always looking to start a war. We’re conservatives; we just want to live quietly on our land. If you humans hadn’t crossed into our border and hunted so many magical beasts, we wouldn’t have come out to stop you.”
When she finished, she gave Lina a resentful glance.