The ritual did not stop; it continued to progress, and Elizabeth's condition grew increasingly dire.
Noel watched Elizabeth, anxious and helpless, completely unable to do anything. He couldn't harm Elizabeth, either—if he tried, the Silver Wolf King beside her would immediately jump in and tear him to pieces.
All he could do was watch Elizabeth's changes, telling himself that as long as things remained within a controllable range, it would be fine.
"Ah."
Suddenly, Elizabeth lost her strength and collapsed to the ground, letting out a small sound. Fortunately, she fell against the Silver Wolf King beside her.
Elizabeth's eyes opened slightly, and she saw Noel's shocked expression, unable to comprehend what was happening.
Why was she lying on the Silver Wolf King?
Why did Noel have such an expression right now?
It was completely unlike someone who was worried about her.
Noel clenched his teeth. He didn't know Elizabeth well at all, but at this moment, his heart was in turmoil.
Elizabeth had ended up like this because she had touched the Ice Spirit Fruit, and he held some responsibility for that.
Yes, he absolutely could not run away; he had to take responsibility for the mistakes he had made.
"Noel…" Elizabeth dragged out his name, speaking with great effort.
Noel leaned closer to Elizabeth. He knew a bit about medicine, and maybe he could help in some way, though he had never treated a spirit before.
When Elizabeth saw Noel in her line of sight, she relaxed, letting out a soft sigh, her body easing into a state of deep calm.
"...I'm sorry," Elizabeth suddenly blurted out.
Noel didn't quite understand what she meant by that. Elizabeth had nothing to apologize for; if anything, it should be him apologizing for disturbing her.
Elizabeth had only just regained consciousness, her mind still hazy and foggy, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Noel didn't know what to say either, so he forced himself to act as if nothing had happened, so that Elizabeth wouldn't notice any other emotions from him.
For a brief moment, he couldn't hold it in, but he quickly bit down on his lip, not knowing if this method would work.
In the end, Elizabeth didn't notice anything, and he managed to maintain his original expression.
"Nothing actually happened," Noel said in a calm, relaxed tone.
"Really?" Elizabeth accepted Noel's explanation, but a part of her still felt that something was off. This was a spirit's intuition.
Suddenly, a flood of inexplicable memories surged into Elizabeth's mind, and her head began to ache.
"Ah, my head hurts so much…" Elizabeth moaned in pain.
At some point, Noel felt a strange, heavy sense of guilt pressing down on him, as if all of this was his fault.
He wondered how Elizabeth saw him now. Was he the source of all this suffering?
The Silver Wolf King simply lay quietly in the snow, watching Elizabeth's pain with helpless eyes.
"I will save you. There has to be a way to save you now."
Elizabeth was in immense pain, yet she smiled—a bright, beautiful smile, so perfect it seemed like it would shatter at any moment, but she still smiled.
Noel couldn't comprehend it. Was it because of his words that she trusted him so completely? It was strange, too strange.
For someone like Noel, who always thought with cold logic, it was impossible to understand such behavior, but he came to a realization.
Since all of this had started because of him, he should take responsibility for it.
Perhaps it was the weight of responsibility pressing on him too heavily, but at this moment, did it really matter what was right or wrong?
Was that even important? Sometimes, cold kindness was more terrifying than true evil, and now he couldn't even save a single spirit, completely useless.
When had he come to bear the label of uselessness and evil, hidden beneath a veneer of false kindness?
Elizabeth continued to struggle in pain, until finally, she lost all strength and collapsed onto the Silver Wolf King.
Elizabeth lost consciousness, lying peacefully in the Silver Wolf King's fur, like a doll.
"But…"
This wasn't the ending he wanted.
Looking at Elizabeth before him, Noel clenched his fists.
"No matter how good the ending may be, I will want to change it."
Noel bit down on his lip, so hard that he tasted blood.
Was this outcome set in stone? He was unwilling to accept it. Was there really no way to stop it? Was he truly incapable of doing anything?
Just as Noel was sinking into despair, he sensed a subtle disturbance around him. Was he truly out of options?
No, he might have a way! He was an alchemist—how could he be powerless against a condition like this?
The person lying before him wasn't just Elizabeth; she was now his patient, waiting for treatment.
The thought flashed through Noel's mind: since it had all started with the Ice Spirit Fruit, then the Ice Spirit Fruit must also be the cure.
Perhaps it could be used as a key ingredient in an alchemical concoction. This was often the case.
Noel carefully wrapped the Ice Spirit Fruit in wind magic, creating a faint, invisible wind layer around it.
However, the Ice Spirit Fruit seemed stuck to Elizabeth, and even though Noel poured nearly all of his magic power into it, it did not budge at all.
Would he have to touch it with his hands? No, that was impossible. He would freeze instantly, and then all hope would be lost.
Suddenly, Elizabeth's eyes opened, and she slowly stood up, her entire aura completely different.
Yes, the ritual had begun again. Noel didn't know what this meant, but it definitely wasn't a normal ritual.
From the moment earlier, he had sensed a hint of danger—an alchemist who had spent years in experiments, his instincts were never wrong.
Noel then shifted his gaze downward, unable to look directly at Elizabeth's face.
But what he saw next was something he shouldn't have seen, and Noel's face flushed red with embarrassment. It was an accident, completely unintentional.
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