Chapter 701: Frozen Trials 11.5

Going to the forest wasn’t anything unusual for Celestine anymore.

She hadn’t thought much about it when she left the house.

After all, sneaking into the forest to practice her magic had quietly become part of her daily routine.

“I should probably change locations soon…”

She mumbled to herself as she walked through the snow, her boots sinking slightly with every step.

The forest had always been a convenient place.

The thick trees provided cover from wandering eyes, and there was plenty of open space between them to safely cast larger spells without destroying anything important.

But that wasn’t the only reason she chose this place.

Over the years, Celestine had realized something strange about the forest.

Although it looked like an ordinary winter forest at first glance, it was actually magical by nature.

The trees themselves had a high affinity for mana absorption.

It was subtle, but noticeable once you paid attention to it.

Whenever she released large amounts of mana here, the surrounding trees would slowly draw it in, dispersing the excess energy into the environment.

Almost like the forest was breathing it in.

It made practicing far safer.

Spells that might have left dangerous mana residue elsewhere simply faded here over time.

That was one of the many small discoveries she had made while living inside this trial.

And also one of the reasons her mother had strictly forbidden her from entering the forest alone.

From a normal perspective, it made sense.

A magical forest could be dangerous for a child.

Wild beasts.

Hidden mana currents.

Unstable terrain.

But what her mother didn’t know…

Was how powerful Celestine had already become.

In fact, practicing here actually helped her.

Sometimes the cold mana inside her body built up too much.

When that happened, casting high-level spells and letting the forest slowly siphon away the leftover mana felt… relieving.

Like releasing pressure from something that had been building up inside her chest.

Still, she had to be careful.

If her mother ever found out she had been secretly using magic at this level…

The scolding she got last time would look merciful in comparison.

Celestine rubbed the back of her neck slightly at the thought.

She really didn’t want to sit through another hour-long lecture.

There was also another problem.

The area she normally used for practice was already… ruined.

Or at least heavily altered.

Years of destructive ice magic had left their mark.

Tree trunks frozen solid.

Chunks of ground permanently covered in jagged frost.

Even the air in that area carried a faint lingering chill.

Finding a new spot to practice was starting to become necessary.

But the forest wasn’t endless.

There was a boundary she couldn’t cross.

An invisible limit she had discovered long ago during the trial.

Every time she tried to go beyond that point, something would stop her.

A quiet but firm barrier.

Which meant the space she could use inside the forest was actually pretty limited.

Celestine sighed quietly.

“Guess I’ll just walk a little farther today…”

She muttered, continuing deeper between the snow-covered trees.

Since there was still plenty of time before her mother returned, Celestine didn’t rush.

She walked slowly through the forest, her steps quiet against the snow as she let her eyes wander across the scenery around her.

The trees stood tall and silent, their branches heavy with frost.

Pale light filtered through the canopy, reflecting softly off the white ground.

Every now and then a cold breeze drifted through, carrying the faint scent of pine and frozen earth.

It was peaceful.

Strangely peaceful.

Back in her original life as Snow, moments like this had been rare.

As a princess—and later as someone constantly surrounded by responsibilities, expectations, and danger—she rarely had the chance to simply walk through nature without purpose.

The only times she could really enjoy something like this were when she was with Riley… and the others.

Her steps slowed slightly.

A faint smile touched her lips.

Those quiet moments.

Walking together.

Talking about nothing important.

Laughing over small things.

Those memories still felt warm, even now.

Although she was Celestine at the moment, deep down she was still Snow.

And Snow missed the people she truly cared about.

Living here for several years had made her realize something uncomfortable.

At first she believed she was only pretending to be Celestine.

Just playing the role until the trial ended.

But over time…

The lines had started to blur.

Her habits.

Her reactions.

Her thoughts.

Sometimes she would catch herself responding like Celestine would—not like Snow.

It was subtle, but noticeable.

The two identities were slowly beginning to overlap.

Merge.

And that was honestly a little frightening.

Snow didn’t want to lose herself.

But at the same time, she understood something important.

If she wanted to truly understand this trial… she couldn’t just observe it from the outside.

She had to live it.

She had to think like Celestine.

Feel like Celestine.

Only then would the trial reveal what it wanted from her.

Snow let out a quiet sigh and lightly shook her head, pushing the heavy thoughts away.

“Thinking too much again…”

She murmured.

For now, she just continued walking.

And then—

Something brushed past her senses.

Carried by the cold wind.

FOOOSHHH—

Celestine suddenly stopped.

“…Mana?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

It was faint.

Subtle enough that most people wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

But she felt it clearly.

Someone—or something—was using mana somewhere deeper inside the forest.

She focused for a moment, letting her senses stretch outward.

And then she felt it again.

Her expression instantly sharpened.

Because that energy…

It felt disturbingly familiar.

Celestine’s thoughts turned alert.

That signature…

She recognized it.

Without a doubt.

It belonged to the same kind of foul beings she had dealt with not long ago.

Demonic energy.

Which meant only one thing.

There were demons—

Or at the very least…

Demonic cultists.

Somewhere inside the forest.

Celestine’s eyes slowly turned cold as she followed the trail of mana back to its source.

She moved quietly through the trees, her presence blending naturally with the cold of the forest.

And then—

She saw them.

What unfolded before her was a scene she hadn’t expected… and honestly didn’t want to see.

Six robed men.

All surrounding a single young child.

They laughed.

Mocked.

Toyed with her like she was some kind of animal they had just caught.

One of them kicked her.

Another grabbed her roughly by the arm.

The child was already bleeding.

Tears streamed down her face as she struggled weakly against them.

Celestine stood still between the trees, watching.

She had long known that demons—and the cultists who followed them—couldn’t be considered normal humans.

Their actions alone had already stripped them of the rights most people shared.

Still…

Despite her own unpleasant experiences with them in the past, a small part of her had once wondered if they could be understood.

If there was something deeper behind their actions.

Some reason.

But that thought vanished instantly.

Because right in front of her—

One of the men suddenly slapped the child across the face.

The sound echoed sharply through the quiet forest.

The girl fell sideways into the snow.

And when another man crouched down, reaching toward her in a way that was clearly not meant to help—

Celestine’s mana reacted before she even consciously decided.

The cold surged outward.

[Mid-Level Ice Magic]

[Frost Wave]

A burst of invisible freezing wind exploded outward from her position.

The air itself seemed to crystallize.

Three of the robed men were caught instantly.

Their bodies froze mid-motion, frost racing across their limbs before they could even react.

In a single breath—

They became ice statues.

The temperature of the entire forest seemed to drop.

Step.

Step.

Celestine walked out from between the trees.

The snow crunched softly under her feet as she slowly approached.

Cold mana flowed around her body like a quiet storm.

“W-Who are you!?”

One of the remaining men shouted in shock.

Only now did they realize someone had approached them without a single one of them noticing.

The man who seemed to be their leader frowned as his eyes locked onto the small figure walking toward them.

A young girl.

White hair.

Calm expression.

She looked no older than ten… maybe thirteen at most.

Yet the spell she had just cast…

That wasn’t something a normal child could do.

Not even close.

’This child is dangerous.’

Alarm bells rang loudly in the leader’s mind.

Without hesitation, dark demonic energy began to gather around his body as he prepared himself.

Meanwhile—

The innocent look on Celestine’s face had disappeared.

What replaced it was something far colder.

The quiet pressure of someone who had once stood above countless others.

The aura of Princess Snow.

She didn’t speak.

Didn’t question them.

Didn’t ask what they were doing.

Her hand simply rose.

One finger pointing toward them.

“E-Everyone call up the—!”

The leader tried to shout a warning to his subordinates.

But it was already too late.

[Mid-Level Ice Magic]

[Ice Spears]

Dozens of razor-sharp spears of ice formed instantly behind Celestine.

They hovered silently in the air for a brief moment—

Before shooting forward.

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