Chapter 16: I Won’t Let You Disappear

That sigh in the wind and snow took many things away.

The gasps of the crowd, Lu Mo’s shock, and…

The stagnant frost filling the sky suddenly exploded.

Elia reappeared before everyone’s eyes, slowly walking toward Kalin.

She was no longer covered in wounds. Instead, she was perfectly intact, her skin as white as the snow itself, as if she had undergone a rebirth.

Countless flows of frost swirled around her, submitting to her, trembling for their previous insolence. In this instant, she had transformed into the Empress of Frost within this world.

As she took a step forward, Kalin felt her own frost talent being suppressed with extreme force.

‘A servant… how is this possible —’

Elia ignored Kalin’s shocked expression and continued forward. The frost power that originally belonged to Kalin seemed to be stripped away by her in that moment.

Finally, the tree of frost in front of Kalin began to crack before shattering completely!

“It seems you cannot kill me,” Elia said, looking at Kalin. Her gaze was icy, and her voice was cold and clear. “If that is the case, then you have no right to see Sister Lu Mo.”

“I don’t believe it!”

For the first time, panic and anger appeared in Kalin’s eyes. She lunged at Elia with her sword, but she was immediately blocked by a sudden wall of condensed frost.

Elia swung her sword. The blade’s glow tore through the air, sending Kalin’s body flying backward.

The match, and perhaps even the fates of these two people, underwent a massive reversal at this moment.

A moment ago, it was the genius Kalin punishing the mortal Elia. Now, it was Elia, acting as an Empress, passing judgment on a transgressor.

“Is this… a dual-attribute talent of wind and ice? How terrifying…”

“Even from here, I can feel my own special talent being suppressed.”

“A servant, how could she —”

Exclamations of wonder broke out continuously.

Lu Mo retracted her weapon amidst the horrified crowd and sat back down.

‘Is this the Frostspeak Bloodline?’ she thought quietly.

She had known from the beginning that Elia possessed the Frostspeak Bloodline, but since it hadn’t awakened yet, she wasn’t overly surprised.

‘As expected of a top-tier royal bloodline…’ she marveled.

However, this was only the initial awakening. Elia’s Frostspeak Bloodline was not yet in its complete form. Lu Mo could see that her quest to help Elia fully awaken her bloodline was still not marked as complete.

But it was a good start, wasn’t it?

Now that the bloodline had stirred, Elia’s cultivation speed would inevitably increase.

The people of this Great Domain hadn’t realized yet that what Elia had awakened was the Frostspeak Bloodline. Moving forward, she only needed to find another explanation for Elia’s talent, give it a different name, hide it well, and lay low until she turned 18.

By then, all the tasks of this Simulated Reincarnation would be finished.

And when that time came, would she be able to obtain a special talent during the settlement phase?

She suddenly felt a bit envious of the current Elia. Watching the young girl’s figure from a distance, she eventually smiled.

There was no jealousy or hypocrisy, only pure happiness and blessings.

It was like the first light of dawn on the horizon. The seed buried deep underground had finally broken through the soil to take root and sprout leaves.

In the future, it would surely bloom into a magnificent flower.

*Clang —*

By now, Kalin was at a complete disadvantage. She no longer possessed her previous coldness or composure. Her hair was disheveled, she was covered in blood, and her rhythm was entirely shattered. She swung her sword wildly in the air like a madwoman.

She was bleeding.

She was about to lose.

Her dignity, her talent, and everything she was proud of were being effortlessly crushed by Elia.

“I don’t believe it… I DON’T BELIEVE IT!!!”

She roared, putting all her strength into a thrust with her rapier toward Elia, but the frost power she could muster was pitifully small.

Elia simply stood amidst the falling snow and slowly brought down her final strike.

*Whoosh —*

The fierce wind and blizzard split the arena in two. As the storm passed, Kalin appeared outside the boundary, looking barely human as she collapsed in a pool of blood.

Only Elia remained, standing alone upon the high platform.

A long time passed before a massive roar of cheers erupted from the audience. It was more deafening than anything that had come before. The entire arena was as lively as the coronation of a new ruler.

Elia had become the new, untouchable genius in their eyes.

At this moment, however, what Elia cared about most wasn’t her newly awakened talent. She lifted her head, her gaze scanning the crowd for a familiar figure.

‘Sister Lu Mo, did you see? I did it!’

She couldn’t wait to share this victory with Lu Mo. Finally, she saw Lu Mo sitting there with a smile, slowly clapping her hands.

Lu Mo was smiling, just as she always did—gentle and beautiful.

Elia’s eyes crinkled into a smile in return. She hadn’t smiled this happily in many years.

There was no time to mourn for Kalin. Elia was the one rising now, the one who had dominated the examinations. She could even defeat Kalin with ease.

To Elia, who had partially awakened the Frostspeak Bloodline, the subsequent battles weren’t even worth mentioning. Many people even chose to stay behind closed doors on the day of their matches against her, choosing to concede immediately.

In the end, Elia entered the Advanced Class with the rank of first place.

However, how could a servant awaken such a powerful talent? And what was the name of this talent? Many people were pondering these two questions.

Later, Lu Mo took the initiative to find the Dean and explain the situation.

She claimed Elia came from a family that had long since collapsed. Her grandfather and Elia’s grandfather were old acquaintances. Years ago, Elia had come to her family seeking asylum, carrying a token gifted by her grandfather. Thus, Elia had become her servant.

The school administration believed Lu Mo’s story. When the official notice for the Advanced Class promotions was released, it mentioned this background. This made Elia’s status more legitimate and dispelled many people’s doubts.

The Frostspeak Empire was separated from the Ice Orchid Institute by several Great Domains, and they knew nothing of the Frostspeak Bloodline. Lu Mo also instructed Elia to hide her talent as much as possible during normal combat to further reduce the risk of exposure.

Elia did not become arrogant because she had stepped into the realm of geniuses. She simply nodded obediently. Rather than being looked up to as a genius by the masses, she preferred the time spent with Lu Mo.

***

It was another evening at dusk.

Lu Mo and Elia walked together along the academy’s small paths. The figures of other students were sparse along the way. Many were still discussing the previous promotion exams. They seemed unable to recover from the shock Elia had given them.

“Help me, classmate! Please save me! The Necromancer is here to collect my debt! I don’t want to hand over my soul, gah!”

There were also those who had previously bet their entire fortune, and even went as far as selling their souls, to bet on Kalin winning. One such student ran past them at full speed, followed by several burly men chasing him.

Watching the boy run for his life, the two of them shared a bitter smile.

They once again reached the deserted plains and sat down, looking out toward the massive, fiery clouds in the distance.

“It feels just like a dream…” Elia spoke softly. “Taking first place in the promotion exam, awakening a talent, defeating Kalin… I got everything so easily.”

Even now, she felt a sense of unreality.

“I have to thank Sister Lu Mo for all of this,” she said from the bottom of her heart.

Lu Mo had reached out to take her hand during the most desperate moment of her life, never letting her go or giving up on her until now.

“I only played a role in encouraging you,” Lu Mo replied. “The one who truly walked the path and followed through on her convictions was you, Elia.”

Lu Mo recalled the final request of the woman in the blood and fire 4 years ago, hoping she would accompany Elia for a part of the way until Elia could be independent.

Looking at things now, that day was fast approaching. Once the mission was completed, it would be time for her to leave this Simulated Reincarnation.

Thinking this, Lu Mo said, “Because of that, even if I were to suddenly disappear one day…”

“No!” But in the next second, Elia shouted, her voice tinged with a hint of anxiety. “Sister Lu Mo won’t disappear!”

She spoke again, sounding a bit huffy this time.

“Alright, alright, I was just joking,” Lu Mo said with a laugh. “I won’t disappear. I’ll stay with you.”

“Hehe…” Seeing that Lu Mo was no longer talking about disappearing, Elia began to smile again.

The two of them looked up, watching the night fall and swallow the final remnants of the sun. But neither was afraid. Because they knew the sun would always rise again.

“Sister Lu Mo.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember our promise?” Elia turned her head. “If I won, you would spend a whole day with me.”

Lu Mo nodded. “Of course I remember.”

“Then shall we set out tomorrow?” Elia asked tentatively.

“Sure.” Lu Mo did not refuse.

Watching Lu Mo’s profile, Elia summoned her courage and quietly shifted her position. She moved a bit further forward and a bit closer to Lu Mo. Their shoulders were now more aligned.

‘She won’t notice my little movement, right?’

Her face flushed slightly, looking like a child who had done something naughty and was afraid of being caught. When several minutes passed and Lu Mo showed no reaction, a wave of joy filled her heart.

She was closer to Sister Lu Mo!

This was a good start. If she could maintain this momentum, she would definitely be able to say that sentence tomorrow!

She sat beside Lu Mo, carefully hiding that greatest joy of a young girl in the depths of her heart. She looked forward to tomorrow coming early, yet for some reason, she also wished this night would never end.