“Let’s go to the village first to warm ourselves by the fire.”
Ailundun laughed, then proceeded to fulfill his promise and headed toward the village.
Luofulei followed him.
The remaining princess, Isabella, and Leisha exchanged a look.
Then they too followed Ailundun.
Since there was no particularly good alternative at the moment,
it was better to do as Ailundun suggested.
At this very moment.
On the other side of the snowy mountain, on the endless white plain.
Lami’er, wrapped in a thin coat, squatted by a campfire.
It was the very campfire Ailundun and the others had used initially.
“Next, I just need to wait for them to come up the mountain to find me…”
Lami’er murmured softly, looking at the dwindling firewood.
A biting cold wind blew past, causing the already dim flames to flicker and nearly die out.
The remaining firewood was becoming increasingly scarce.
According to his initial plan,
he needed to conserve his magic power.
for the final showdown with Ailundun and the others.
Therefore, he could only rely on this last bit of firewood to get through this extreme cold.
Fortunately, everything was going smoothly.
Ailundun and the others should be itching to come up the mountain to find him by now.
Just thinking about it,
Lami’er couldn’t help but reveal a triumphant smile.
Time passed slowly.
With the village chief’s help, Ailundun had already started using the village’s hearth fire.
Behind them, the sounds of children playing and laughing could be heard.
A few shy children hid behind their parents.
Peeking curiously at these foreign visitors.
The children’s smiles and the warm firelight complemented each other, like the last barrier in this cold, snowy world.
It instantly warmed their hearts and bodies.
While Lami’er was still struggling in the icy wilderness,
they had already started roasting meat over the hearth fire.
Skillfully and comfortably, it didn’t look at all like they were here for an exam.
Next, they just needed to wait for Lami’er to get impatient himself.
—
“Huff, so cold… It’s about time. Let’s see where they are…”
Lami’er watched the gradually dying fire, estimated the time in his mind, closed his eyes, and began sensing the location of Ailundun and the others.
“What’s going on? Why are they still in the same place? Do they not want to take the exam?”
Soon, he realized something was wrong, a thick layer of confusion appearing in his eyes.
Ailundun and the others’ position
had not changed at all since earlier.
That meant they were still staying in the village at the foot of the mountain.
Only one hour remained now.
Just going up the mountain would take about ten minutes.
If they were smart, there was no way they hadn’t realized time was running out.
“Then I’ll wait a little longer…”
Lami’er watched the now-extinguished flames, the smile on his face gradually freezing.
The time that followed would be the hardest for him.
Time ticked by, second by second.
This time, Lami’er sensed Ailundun’s group’s location again after less than five minutes.
He still found no sign of them moving.
His brow furrowed, realizing something was truly amiss.
“Something’s off. They’re doing this on purpose. Leaving me alone on the mountaintop, trying to force me to use magic to warm up and deplete my magic power.”
“Too bad, it’s a good idea, but I simply won’t use it…”
Lami’er sneered, thinking he had seen through Ailundun and the others’ scheme.
A little cold on the skin was nothing.
He would tough it out through this period!
Even so, when the biting cold wind blew again,
he couldn’t help but curl his body slightly.
—
In the blink of an eye, only half an hour remained.
“What’s going on? Was my assumption wrong?”
Looking at the completely unchanged positions, Lami’er could no longer sit still.
He couldn’t smile anymore, his brows knitted tightly together.
If this continued, the exam would really end.
And he, would have done absolutely nothing.
Could they really win so easily?
But this kind of victory was not what he wanted at all.
As a rising star among the younger generation of teachers at the Weierdun Empire Academy,
his future was said to be bright.
A victory achieved by avoiding battle would be ridiculed if word got out.
It might even become a stain on his future life.
“No, no matter what, I have to take the initiative…”
Lami’er murmured softly.
As the examiner for the real combat examination, he had his own principles and confidence.
He decided to take the initiative.
To catch Ailundun and the others off guard.
As he spoke, he stood up from the snowy ground.
Feeling the cold from beneath his feet made him shiver involuntarily.
His face showed no emotion, but the chill on his forehead grew deeper.
No matter what,
his current goal was very clear.
After thinking it over, he stood quietly in place, as if waiting for something.
Then, powerful magic power gathered around him.
An indescribable force surged up, making him groan comfortably.
The magic-conjured flames dispelled the cold wind at his side, covering his body.
The flames churned and surged around him, creating a small domain within this world of ice and snow.
An invisible surge of magic power rippled out, its momentum vast, roaring as it stirred up air currents.
The ice and snow beneath his feet began to gradually melt, seemingly dissolved by the high-temperature heat wave generated by Lami’er.
Finally, his eyes holding a profound depth, he vanished from the spot.
He had used two spells in one go.
This flame magic was a minor spell, usually used for heating.
The invisibility magic was his most proficient spell, honed through thousands of training sessions, already deeply imprinted in his mind.
Therefore, neither required incantations; they could be cast instantly.