Predictably, the ladies were not exactly thrilled about Paul going out and risking his life for two women they didn't know, and who, for all they knew, could be already dead.
-Sei, this is crazy.
Lady Peacock manifested, also not happy about the whole idea.
-Even if these two are the reincarnations of the two ice cubes, it is beyond stupid to ask Paul to risk his life to go looking for them.
-Can you all calm down?
Paul asked, as his ladies were also trying to persuade him not to go.
-With the shadow cloak, at night, it's almost impossible to find me, and if by any chance I'm detected, I can always use shadow jump or a transport spell to get back to the city.
As much as I want to help Sei and the two women who are trapped out there, I'm not going to risk my life over it.
At the first sign of trouble, I'm coming back with or without them.
That said, I also want you all and all the women in the city who agree to help to stand near the edge of the forest and at the city walls with bombs ready to be thrown.
I'll try to avoid that, but there is a possibility that I'll have some of these things on my tail while coming back.
He explained as he finished putting on his battle-gear.
Seeing that there was no way to persuade him, the ladies agreed to help.
The women in the city already heard what was going on and happily agreed to help, secure Paul's retreat if it happened to be necessary.
The five elders also reminded Paul that he didn't have to go, as he already did more than enough for all of them, and no one could demand from him to risk his life in such a way.
-Thank you, ladies, but I'm still going, and like I already said, I'm coming back at the first sign of trouble.
I also don't want to die here.
He said and left.
All the women in the city were prepared to cover for him the moment he entered the forest.
Some of them were standing twenty meters from the edge of the forest with incendiary and fragmentation bombs at the ready, while the rest had arrows notched on their bows and were ready to turn any creature that came their way into a porcupine.
Additionally, over a hundred ladies were standing on the city wall, ready to defend the first group and Paul if it was necessary.
Since his mana was almost depleted by healing the girl named Ling, Paul drank a mana potion to replenish it, as the night was the best time to use the shadow element spells.
As soon as he arrived at around two and a half kilometers away from the city, he cast the shadow cloak on himself and continued forward.
Knowing that the distance to his target was not that far, he proceeded slowly.
After reaching the three kilometers from the city, he became much more vigilant, as the last thing he needed was to be discovered and ambushed.
Progressing slowly, it took him about an hour to spot a surface reflecting the moonlight, which turned out to be the two ice pillars he was looking for.
The two pillars looked like they were made of crystal rather than ice, and each contained a blue-haired beauty within.
-Alright, we found them, and they are closer than we thought, but how do we get to them, or even better, how do we bring them back?
Paul asked after climbing the nearby tree to have a better look at his surroundings.
The main problem was that everything in about a twenty-meter radius of the pillars was frozen solid, including at least two dozen of the creatures, who chased after them, and Paul suspected that he would end up as another ice sculpture if he tried to approach the pillars carelessly.
Another matter altogether were two creatures who were very much alive and guarding the place at the edge of the ice field, and another two Paul detected hiding in the trees.
At first, he thought about luring out the creatures from the area by setting up a bomb on a rope and lighting the rope on fire to give him time to get ready, but that could bring more of them into the area, and that would not make his task easier.
-The two creatures on the trees should not be a problem since they are separated, so you might be able to kill them quietly.
As for the two on the ground, they are walking in circles around the ice field, so it would be best to wait when they are the furthest apart and take them out one by one.
However, if you fail to kill them quietly or are discovered at any point, run like hell and don't look back.
Lord Sei presented his plan of action.
Paul was actually thinking about using his bow to shoot the four of them, but he would need to make four perfect headshots, and it was more than possible for him to miss, which would end the whole rescue operation in failure.
So in the end, he did follow the reincarnation soul's plan, but adjusted it by taking out the black dagger that Mia's and Maya's mother almost used to castrate him.
He had already tested this weapon, and it was indeed cursed.
After cutting the paw of a forest rat, which he bought to test the weapon, he confirmed that no matter what he did, he could not even close the wound, much less restore the limb.
At that point, he knew that this crazy bitch either wanted to just scare him or was planning to kill him.
It didn't matter in the long run, but the weapon would come in handy right now, as Paul was not certain if the creatures had any healing abilities.
The first creature Paul targeted was the one nearest to him, and it was squatting on a big tree branch, which made it almost impossible to see from the outside.
Using the shadow jump, he materialized behind the creature, and before it even had a chance to notice him, he pierced its head with the black dagger, and at the same time, grabbed it's body so that its fall would not alert the other three of Paul's presence.
As soon as the body was secured on the branch, Paul moved to the next target.
The creature was also observing the two ice pillars from a tree, and didn't even know when it died, as the blade went through its skull like it was tissue paper, slicing its brain and silencing it for good.
-Two down, now for the hard part.
Paul thought to himself as he prepared to deal with the other two creatures.
He patiently waited until they were on the opposite sides of the ice field before using shadow jump once again and appearing behind the closer creature.
This monster also didn't even notice when it died, but this time, Paul let the body fall, as he jumped again and ended the last creature, who was distracted by the noise of its comrades' bodies hitting the ground.
Only after eliminating four opponents, all of which could most likely tear him to shreds if they fought head-on.
Did Paul fully understand just how terrifying the abilities of the shadow mages were?
-Alright, the creatures are gone, but how do you intend to take these two back with us?
Paul asked, as he had no idea which would allow him to approach the ice pillars without being frozen.
-Give me a moment.
Sei said, materializing next to Paul.
A moment later, he approached the pillars and even entered them, since as a soul he didn't have a body to be frozen.
To Paul's utter surprise, the two pillars suddenly burst into ice dust, and the two ladies trapped inside fell to the ground.
-Grab them and let's get out of here.
I think that dispelling the frost fortress made a bit too much noise.
Sei said, returning to his soul treasure.
Paul didn't need to be told twice, and immediately rushed to grab the two ladies before running as fast as he could in the direction of the city.