Silence returned to the snowy plains as the last Ice-Toothed Tiger fell.
The cold wind howled once more, and the drifting snow gradually buried the tiger’s carcass, as if nothing had ever happened.
Anis stood in place, her chest heaving, still bothered by what had just occurred.
In her arms, Shirley was rubbing against her trembling chest with an affectionate expression, occasionally letting out heavy breaths like a total creep.
“Haa, haa… It smells so milky and sweet. It’s wonderful…”
“That’s enough out of you!”
With a dark expression, Anis unceremoniously gave her a karate chop to the head!
*Thump!*
“Ugh!”
The sound of the chop and the girl’s groan spiraled into Anis’s ears like a two-channel recording. Shirley held her small head and took a few steps back, her eyes brimming with tears that Anis was certain were as fake as could be.
“It hurts! Big Sister Anis is so cruel.”
“Stop playing the victim and get up there to pick the flower.”
She took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away the moisture in her cleavage. Just as she was about to climb the final stretch of the slope, Shirley’s knees suddenly gave out, and she collapsed to the ground!
“!!!”
Anis rushed forward to support her, only then realizing that Shirley looked terrible. Even against the backdrop of the snowy white earth, she was visibly pale.
“I just overexerted myself earlier. Just let me rest for a bit.”
Even in her weakened state, she hadn’t forgotten her original intention — her small head rested against Anis’s chest as she continued to greedily sniff the milky scent that seemed to restore her energy.
“…Tsk.”
Anis clicked her tongue. She was dissatisfied, but there was nothing she could do. After all, Shirley needed care right now.
In the freezing cold, the two of them huddled close together.
The growth area of the Frost Lily of the Valley was not far ahead.
And between them, a certain frozen boundary was quietly beginning to melt.
***
They reached the summit, picked the flowers, stored them carefully, and prepared to descend.
The path down was longer than the one up.
The biting wind stung their cheeks, showing no signs of stopping.
As the saying goes, going up a mountain is easy, but coming down is hard.
Although the direction was clear and gravity pulled their feet downward, every step was laden with delayed exhaustion.
The Frost Lily of the Valley had been properly sealed in a pre-prepared mana container. In theory, the mission was complete, but the sense of relief that should have followed did not arrive as expected.
At least, not for Anis.
She supported Shirley once more, her movements as gentle and soft as possible, as if testing a patch of ice that had just begun to thaw.
Shirley’s pace was noticeably slower than usual, her breathing was slightly ragged, and her body continued to tremble uncontrollably.
It didn’t seem like an act at all.
Anis didn’t miss these subtle details, and this time, she didn’t turn a blind eye.
“Should we stop for a bit?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she stunned herself.
‘Am I actually worrying about this person I hate so much again?’
After speaking, Anis instinctively tensed up, as if bracing herself for Shirley’s meaningful, playful smile and some bratty teasing.
But none of that happened.
Shirley simply stopped walking. She turned slightly, looking like she wanted to say something, but only shook her head gently.
“I’m fine. I can still walk.”
Her tone was still calm, no different from usual. Yet Anis heard something different in it. It wasn’t coldness, but restraint. She was pushing herself.
Anis pursed her lips and didn’t press further. She understood that if they rested any longer, they wouldn’t be able to make it down before sunset.
Spend another night on the snowy mountain?
She didn’t want to! She couldn’t!
With Shirley’s current condition, something would definitely go wrong if they stayed out another night!
Nevertheless, Anis slowed down once more, doing her best to match Shirley’s pace.
The cold wind swept past them, and the brief silence was like a thin layer of frost covering words left unsaid.
Shirley’s condition didn’t improve.
The further down they went, the more sluggish her movements became, and she stopped occasionally due to lack of strength. Yet she never showed obvious pain, nor did she ask for help.
This made Anis’s heart tighten slightly.
The sun had already dropped halfway down the horizon. At this rate, spending the night on the mountain was a certainty.
‘Is there any other way? A broom?’
With the mountain wind strong enough to pierce through clothes, it would be a miracle if she could stay balanced on a broom without falling off!
Just then, a figure appeared in her mind!
The cat!
Mimi was hiding on this mountain too!
Anis checked her location. It wasn’t far from the mine where the cat was hiding, but she needed to call it out without Shirley noticing.
This wasn’t difficult.
Shirley was currently following her lead, so it was easy to guide her off-course.
By the time they arrived, they were near the mine where Mimi was hiding.
“Anis? This doesn’t seem like the path down.”
“It’s not. It’ll be hard to make it down tonight, so I plan to dig a snow cave here on the leeward side. Regardless, we have to survive the night first.”
It was perfectly logical.
“Understood. Put me down so I can rest.”
Anis placed Shirley in a spot sheltered from the wind. By now, she had fallen into a drowsy state due to weakness and exhaustion. If no one looked after her, things would surely end badly.
But Anis wouldn’t ignore her. After quickly lighting a fire to provide temporary warmth, she left under the pretense of digging a cave, actually slipping away to the nearby mine.
After some camouflage, the sealed entrance had been covered by a layer of snow. She moved the disguising stones and called out softly toward the interior.
“Mimi~”
While calling softly, she extended a wisp of mana into the cave. “Come out, we’re going home!”
“Meow?”
A few minutes later, a soft meow came from the entrance, and a small gray head poked out.
“Meow!”
Upon confirming it was Anis, Mimi bounded out of the snow. Without even shaking off the white powder, the cat leaped into Anis’s arms, licking her cheek affectionately.
“Alright, alright, we have work to do.”
Anis nuzzled the cat briefly before setting it down. “We need your help. Shirley is very weak and absolutely cannot stay on the mountain tonight. Can you take us down?”
“Meow!”
Mimi meowed in agreement and quickly expanded in size!
The giant cat carried Anis and soon arrived at the spot where Shirley was resting.
But when she saw the scene before her, her heart instantly went cold!