The moment Elizabeth touched the Ice Spirit Fruit, her entire aura suddenly shifted.
Seeing this, Noel couldn't help but feel worried.
But it wasn't his place to interfere forcefully, so he simply stood nearby, quietly observing the changes overtaking Elizabeth. For now, it didn't seem like there was anything visibly wrong.
He knew that some rituals involved summoning spirits to descend into one's body, and that could explain the sudden change in aura. Perhaps it was the result of overlapping souls.
Next to her, the Silver Wolf King kept sniffing at Elizabeth, though Noel couldn't tell what it was trying to convey.
Suddenly, the Silver Wolf King let out a long, piercing howl, its cry echoing across the snowfields. Noel didn't know why it was howling, but it was clear this was something it only did when it was extremely uneasy.
Noel had no idea how to calm down a Silver Wolf King, so he clamped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sharp, ringing sound.
"Stop howling!" Noel shouted, but the Silver Wolf King paid him no mind.
It was like the beast was possessed. Something was definitely wrong, or perhaps it was trying to signal something.
After a while, the Silver Wolf King finally stopped howling. It brought down its massive front paw and slammed it into the snow right in front of Noel.
Noel jumped, startled. Was this some kind of personal grudge? If that paw had actually hit him, it would have taken his life, if not half of it.
Seeing Noel frozen in place, the Silver Wolf King lowered its massive head and grabbed the hem of Noel's coat with its teeth.
Noel was terrified. Now he was face-to-face with the giant wolf's massive jaws.
From afar, the Silver Wolf King's presence was intimidating enough, but now that its huge head was right in front of him, Noel's heart felt like it would stop from sheer fear.
But Noel wasn't inexperienced. He had seen plenty of terrifying creatures illustrated in alchemy handbooks. Even if they were only in pictures, it still helped build some mental resilience.
He wanted to communicate with the Silver Wolf King, but how was that possible? It wasn't like he could just have a conversation with an animal.
The Silver Wolf King kept tugging at his coat. It was strange, as if it were trying to tell him something. But what was it trying to say?
Meanwhile, Elizabeth, who was in the middle of what looked like a ritual, seemed to have completely changed into another person. Her aura was completely different.
Noel's previous assumptions were immediately overturned. Even if another spirit had descended, it shouldn't have been enough to change her so drastically.
"Are you telling me to stop her?" Noel asked aloud, pointing at Elizabeth.
The Silver Wolf King nodded, then licked Noel's face with its broad tongue.
Noel couldn't handle this sudden shift. For a moment, he thought the wolf was going to bite his head off, but now it was showing him affection?
It turned out this was just the Silver Wolf King's way of expressing friendliness, indicating that it no longer saw Noel as a threat.
Noel moved closer and tried to shake Elizabeth to snap her out of it, but the moment his hand neared her, an intense cold began to seep into him.
The chill crawled from his fingertips up through his arm, flooding into his entire body, forcing a violent shiver out of him.
"This is insane. It's so cold I can't even get close," Noel muttered helplessly. "What am I supposed to do?"
The Silver Wolf King's gaze remained locked on the Ice Spirit Fruit, unblinking, as if trying to convey a message.
"You're saying the problem is with that fruit?" Noel asked, pointing at the Ice Spirit Fruit.
The Silver Wolf King, surprisingly, seemed to understand human speech, reacting immediately by wagging its tail.
Its tail, like a giant fan, stirred up a strong wind, whipping snow into the air around them.
But at least now it was clear—the problem lay with the Ice Spirit Fruit.
So if he could just deal with the fruit, everything would go back to normal.
The Ice Spirit Fruit was undoubtedly a precious alchemical material, but he couldn't justify letting others suffer because of his personal goals.
Which meant… it had to be destroyed. So be it.
Noel fired a Wind Blade directly at the Ice Spirit Fruit, fully expecting it to slice the fruit cleanly in half.
But as the Wind Blade struck the fruit, it simply stopped, dissipating into nothing.
Useless.
Noel gritted his teeth and prepared an enhanced Wind Blade.
This improved version was larger and faster, incorporating a vibration effect that significantly increased its cutting power.
But when it reached the Ice Spirit Fruit, it too vanished without a trace.
What was this? It was just a fruit—how could his magic be ineffective against it?
Noel glanced over at the Silver Wolf King, hoping for another hint.
But the Silver Wolf King merely watched him, lying in the snow.
It was clear that the Silver Wolf King had nothing more to offer. From here on, Noel would have to figure it out himself.
Should he try the Storm Cannon? But using such a powerful wind-based spell here would be dangerous.
If it triggered an avalanche, he wouldn't be able to escape.
That option was quickly ruled out. But there had to be another way to separate the Ice Spirit Fruit from Elizabeth.
Noel ran through simulations in his mind and suddenly came up with an idea. He could encase the fruit in frozen soil, then lift it using wind magic. That way, Elizabeth wouldn't be in direct contact with it, which might break the link.
He immediately put the plan into action. Earth elements gathered around the fruit, layer upon layer, encasing it in a thick shell of frozen earth.
The fruit then hovered in the air, just as before. But this time, Elizabeth's demeanor changed. She no longer seemed possessed, a trace of clarity returning to her eyes.
"…What happened to me?" Elizabeth looked around, her gaze falling on Noel, confusion clear on her face.
"There was just a minor hiccup, nothing serious," Noel deflected quickly. He had no intention of telling Elizabeth what had just happened.
"I feel like I just had a dream… I saw my ancestors…" Elizabeth mumbled, her expression still dazed, her words incoherent.
She couldn't even fully describe her dream, a clear sign of mental instability.
"You need to rest now, Elizabeth," Noel urged gently.
"No, the ritual isn't over yet," Elizabeth suddenly insisted.
"There's no point in continuing. You've done enough," Noel countered, concerned after seeing her state earlier. Something was definitely wrong with this ritual.
"In my memory, once this ritual begins, it cannot be stopped," Elizabeth said, her voice firm.
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