"A personal item of the Icefield Witch?"
When Kurose Akira noticed the additional task reward, a flash of astonished brilliance passed through his eyes.
Among all witches, the Icefield Witch stood firmly at an uncontested T0 tier—one of the absolute strongest beings in the witch hierarchy. Anything she personally cherished would be extraordinary beyond measure, its rarity impossible to quantify.
"Deal! I can provide you with even more blood!"
Akira agreed to the Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy's terms without hesitation—but…
"No~"
The Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy gently cupped Akira's face, her pale violet eyes locking deeply onto his. In a serious, almost reverent tone, she said,
"I can sense that flowing within your body is a source of life magic far more powerful than blood itself."
"…?"
Akira's heart jolted.
Something more saturated with life magic than blood?
His gaze sharpened.
So that's how it is.
He had been generously offering his blood, yet what she truly coveted… was him.
"…Alright. I accept."
After weighing the pros and cons, Akira ultimately agreed to her request.
At once, a long-lost, radiant smile bloomed on the Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy's lips.
"But—"
Just as she was about to proceed, Akira abruptly changed tone. His expression hardened as he raised a condition.
"I have one condition."
"…Please, speak."
The Flower Fairy paused briefly, then cast him a cool glance and waited calmly.
The situation had completely reversed.Now she was the one asking for something. Lowering her stance was unavoidable if she wanted Akira to comply.
"I want to know more about the Icefield Witch."
Akira stated his demand plainly.
The Icefield Witch—one of the supreme witches of the Arcane Continent. While she might have been slightly inferior to the Radiant Pope or the Elven Queen, she was undoubtedly a demigod-level existence.
She had once gone mad and sealed an entire human kingdom in eternal ice, striking terror into countless hearts.
Akira had long been curious about her—why she froze that kingdom, and how she ultimately met her end.
These were ancient mysteries. Even now, very few knew the Icefield Witch's origins—or her true name.
"You…"
After a brief hesitation, the Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy finally spoke.
"I can tell you some things about the Icefield Witch. But not everything. I hope you can understand."
"Deal."
Akira smiled faintly.
Then—without delay—he activated Half-Dragon Transformation.
His body expanded instantly, swelling until his size nearly matched that of the Flower Fairy herself.
"What are you doing?"The Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy frowned slightly, confused by his transformation.
She still didn't know where that life magic—denser than blood itself—originated. She could only vaguely sense it.
What she didn't realize was that once Akira entered Half-Dragon form, the purity of his life magic would rise yet another level.
"Fulfilling your request, of course," Akira replied calmly."Providing you with a richer source of life magic."
As he spoke, the final veil was lifted.
In the next instant—
Brilliant radiance erupted forth.
The dazzling light was so intense that the Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy had to shield her eyes.
Her pale violet pupils trembled violently.
Unbelievable.
A human… possessing such overwhelming brilliance?
That blazing, radiant life force—
"This life magic… it's this powerful?!"
Only now did she truly understand the source of that terrifying vitality.
Her gaze burned with naked desire, as if she wanted to seize it and make it her own.
"But…"
Confusion suddenly appeared on her face.
She didn't know how to extract it.
Ever since her creation by the Icefield Witch, she had lived alone atop this snowy peak. Her understanding of the world came solely from fragments of her creator's memories.
And those memories contained nothing about a situation like this.
This was her first time encountering anything of the sort.
"…What should I do?" she asked hesitantly.
Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with expectation and dependence, as though instinctively seeking Akira's guidance.
Akira froze for a moment.
He realized that he might actually have to teach her step by step how to collect life magic.
…Way too troublesome.
"Got it."
A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
Akira transmitted a strand of memory directly into the Flower Fairy's consciousness—scenes involving him and Ivsha, including methods of collection.
"These images are…?"
The Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy's eyes flew wide open as she absorbed the memories, staring at Akira in shock.
Yet there was no disgust in her expression.
Only curiosity.
This was knowledge the Icefield Witch had never taught her—something entirely new.
"I see… I understand now."
She nodded, then stepped closer to Akira.
"…No, that's not it."
She frowned slightly, adjusting her posture and approach, experimenting as she searched for a more effective method.
Akira, meanwhile, stood perfectly still, allowing her to do as she pleased.
After all, the initiative was firmly in his hands.
The Flower Fairy was the one in need—there was no reason for him to take the lead.
Besides, the memories he had given her were Ivsha's exclusive techniques.
If she mastered even a fraction of them, it would be more than enough.
"…This might work?"
At last, she seemed to find the optimal method.
Compared to Ivsha and the others, her natural advantages were even greater.
However—
Akira had no intention of letting her succeed so easily.
"Eh—?!"
The Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy's eyes widened instantly, her pupils trembling.
Fortunately, her body was composed of petals, not flesh and blood—
But Akira's questioning was only just beginning.
"Answer me," Akira said calmly, placing his hand gently against the two petals on her back."Why did the Icefield Witch freeze that human kingdom?"
"B-Because… because Lady Witch was…"Her voice shook."She was taking revenge. But the exact reason… even I don't know…"
At the same time, she slightly turned her head to look at Akira behind her.
What puzzled her was—
Why did it feel as though thunderous power was hidden within him?
Why…?
"Revenge?"Akira was surprised by her answer."Then why did the Icefield Witch die?"
"Lady Witch didn't die at all~"
The Flower Fairy hurriedly corrected him.
"She's merely sleeping… waiting for… mmm~ for an awakening thousands of years from now…"
"She'll awaken?" Akira asked."And when she does—what will she do?"
At that moment, the Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy hesitated.
As the Icefield Witch's creation, she could not betray her master.
Some things… simply could not be spoken.
Akira understood this, so he didn't press further.
But—
A faint smile curved his lips.
Suddenly, he tightened his grip, lifting her slender waist and pulling her into his arms from behind.
"Y-You… what are you doing?"She turned her head in shock, confusion filling her eyes.
Akira replied calmly,
"You're too slow. I'll show you a more efficient way to collect it."
"…Huh?"
"Eek!"
(What follows is a plot description. Ten thousand words omitted…)
One hour later.
"So… this is your life magic?""…It's truly astonishing…"
Yet at that moment, a satisfied smile curled across her lips.
The process of harvesting life magic had been difficult—but in the end, she succeeded in obtaining enough.
With a gentle flick of her finger, a Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower appeared out of thin air before Akira.
Its petals were coated in crystalline frost, radiating boundless magical power.
"This is the Violet Snow Ice Emperor Flower you wanted," she said softly."It carries a trace of Lady Witch's aura."
Then, with another graceful motion, a treasure chest shimmering with mysterious light descended slowly to Akira's feet.
"These are some of the things Lady Witch left to me," the Flower Fairy explained."Now… they all belong to you."