Chapter 72: Chapter72-It’s Good to Be Alive
Chapter 72: Chapter72-It’s Good to Be Alive
Even Daniel had to admit that Sif's talent for cooking was remarkable.
Claire's praise had even been an understatement.
Sif hadn't just learned how to make a variety of dishes; she constantly innovated, sometimes determining the best cooking method based on a spell beast's texture and flavor.
This was a talent Daniel himself did not possess. Now, whenever they killed a spell beast, Daniel would ask Sif if it could be eaten, and if so, how to prepare it.
Sif ran over to the white bear's corpse, pulled out a knife, and expertly sliced through its thick fur, exposing layers of fat and firm muscle beneath.
She quickly carved off a small piece and began testing the texture.
"So cruel…" Nina murmured from her perch on the snow eagle's back.
Though she'd seen Sif do this several times, she still found it hard to watch.
These spell beasts were already dead, yet now they were being dissected.
But later, she'd be the first to dig in.
At that moment, Nina noticed that the snow eagle she was sitting on was quietly whimpering.
"Snowy, what's wrong?" she asked.
"It's nothing… I was just feeling sentimental," the snow eagle replied. "That white bear… we've known each other for years. You could say we were friends, if only barely.
But then we discovered a cold spring here…"
The rest of the story was predictable.
Snowy and the white bear had quarreled over the cold spring, fighting to claim it for themselves.
Over time, they'd developed a rivalry, trading victories back and forth—until now.
Originally, the snow eagle had come prepared to battle the white bear for the spring.
But as it took flight, it noticed a carriage in the sky.
Snowy recognized it as a human vehicle, but… why was it in the sky?
And how could horses run in midair without wings?
Curious, Snowy decided to follow, only to be captured.
Before it knew what was happening, Nina had appeared on its back, warning it not to move.
But the snow eagle, as a strong spell beast, wasn't about to listen to a human child.
It was, after all, the king of these snowy mountains… or so it thought.
Just as it prepared to shake her off, another aura appeared—a terrifying one.
Snowy instinctively understood that if it tried to harm the little girl on its back, it would die instantly.
Choosing to trust its instincts, the snow eagle complied. In hindsight, it had made the right choice.
Otherwise, it would be lying dead on the ground, like the white bear, whose body was now being prepared for cooking.
The snow eagle sighed. Sometimes, choices were everything. At least it was still alive.
Just then, it felt a sudden tug of pain as Nina plucked several feathers from its back.
"Snowy, your feathers are so pretty.
Find adventures on ???
How about I make you a nice headdress? Have you heard of the phoenix? It has a feathered crest on its head. Want me to make one for you?" Nina asked, her hands not stopping as she fashioned the feathers together with magic, placing them on the snow eagle's head.
"It does look like a phoenix, but something feels off… What could it be?" Nina mused.
The snow eagle remained silent.
It thought about mentioning that what it lacked was a phoenix bloodline, as its own was too thin, but would that even help?
What if she decided to try using something else's blood for the crest? Just imagining the scene filled the snow eagle with dread.
For a brief moment, it almost envied the white bear.
At least now, it had nothing to worry about, while the snow eagle still had to cater to Nina's whims.
After feasting on the white bear's meat, they set off once more.
This time, Nina didn't stay in the carriage with Sif. Instead, she practiced her teleportation magic, jumping between the carriage and the snow eagle's back, claiming it helped her improve her magic control.
When she finally tired herself out, she returned to the carriage to rest.
The snow eagle sighed in relief. Nina's magic required it to stay close to the carriage, matching its speed without getting too far ahead or falling behind.
Fixed flight was no easy task for a spell beast accustomed to roaming freely, but it bore the inconvenience out of necessity.
As Nina napped in the carriage and Sif stayed by her side, Daniel noticed that they were nearing their destination.
When the Sacred Time River shattered in Voidland, he had recovered a small fragment, and within that fragment, he had seen a mysterious symbol that resembled one found in the northern snowy mountains.
He suspected this symbol might be connected to whoever had laid these traps for him, prompting him to journey here.
Daniel was not the forgiving type. Anyone who dared to plot against him would have to be prepared for his revenge.
His eyes narrowed as he spotted a small town—or rather, a settlement—below.
Guiding the carriage down, he landed at its edge. The landing jolted Nina awake.
"Headmaster, are we there?" she asked groggily.
"I'm not sure. Let's go in and ask around," Daniel replied, heading toward the town.
The town was shielded by high walls to keep out the bitter wind.
Daniel observed it as they approached.
Figures appeared atop the wall, alerted by the carriage's approach.
After all, in weather like this, a pristine carriage coming from the distance without a speck of snow on it was an unusual sight.
The guards on the wall looked on curiously, and one of them called out in a language unfamiliar to Nina.
"Headmaster, what are they saying? Are they talking to us?" she asked from the carriage.
With a wave of his hand, Daniel cast a magic array to translate their speech, turning their beast-like language into comprehensible words.
"Who are you? What business do you have here? Stop right there, or we'll shoot!" the guard warned, arrows drawn and ready.
"Headmaster, let me handle this!" Before Daniel could respond, Nina vanished, reappearing on the wall where the guards stood.
Within moments, the guards around her had slumped to the ground, unconscious. Nina reappeared in the carriage with a proud smile.
"All done!"
"Well done. Let's go inside and see if we can find any useful information," Daniel replied.
The three of them entered the peculiar town.
The streets were almost empty, and the buildings were all short, none exceeding the height of the wall.
As they walked, Daniel observed the surroundings until they stopped in front of a particular building.