Chapter 31: Successor Trial [3]

“Enough. Don’t talk nonsense and just do your work. You’re my servant, so do as you’re told.”

With that, Alice turned her horse around and rode off without another word.

I watched her go, then let out a small sigh and shrugged.

“Yeah… that’s more or less the reaction I expected,” I muttered.

But it didn’t matter. She was already caught in the net.

From what I knew of the game, Alice Draken wasn’t someone easily swayed by flattery or manipulation.

No—she was someone who lived to prove herself. Who needed to.

All I did was stir that fire in her heart just enough. And now she was moving exactly how I wanted her to.

She just didn’t realize it yet.

Alice exhaled slowly, her breath misting in the cold air as she tried to calm herself.

She hated being like this—off-balance, reactive. She’d trained too hard and endured too much to let someone like him push her buttons.

And yet… he had. Somehow.

He poked right at the part of her she tried hardest to bury.

But there was no time to dwell on it. She had a job to do—a monster to hunt. A trial to complete.

’Focus,’ she told herself. ’Don’t let him get to you.’

She pressed forward, the silence between them growing heavier with each passing minute. The knights behind her kept their distance, quiet and alert, but their presence was still a weight on her shoulders. A reminder that she wasn’t truly alone.

And still, no monsters in sight. Not even a whisper of one.

Her grip on the reins tightened.

From my side, I could feel her restlessness growing.

It had been over ten minutes, and we hadn’t seen a single beast. That wasn’t surprising—not with a small army trailing behind her.

She wanted to prove herself, but how could she do that if the very presence of her escort scared everything off?

It was time to act.

“Lady Alice,” I said casually, pointing toward a patch of uneven snow up ahead, “do you see that?”

She slowed slightly, eyes narrowing. “See what?”

Without answering, I dismounted and trudged toward the spot, kneeling beside a small drift that had built up unnaturally against the wind. I brushed the snow aside with gloved fingers, then paused for dramatic effect.

“Wow… it’s really buried deep.”

She approached cautiously, her curiosity piqued despite herself. When she was close enough, I pulled my hand back and revealed a small tuft of fur, gleaming faintly like silver in the sunlight.

She stopped. Her eyes widened ever so slightly.

“That is…”

I grinned. “Oh, you recognize it? Of course you do. There’s no mistaking fur like this—glossy white, thick, and warm enough to survive this kind of cold. It belongs to exactly who you think it does.”

The wind rustled through the trees as Alice stared down at it, a thousand thoughts behind her sharp gaze.

“It’s fur of snow lion.” Alice slowly muttered to herself as she glanced at fur.

Alice stared at the clump of fur, her expression unreadable. The wind tugged at her cloak, and for a long moment, she said nothing.

But I could see it—the shift in her eyes. The tension in her jaw. The way her gloved fingers twitched slightly at her side.

She knew exactly what this meant.

“The trail’s fresh,” I said quietly, standing up and brushing the snow from my knees. “Judging by how deep it was buried, I’d say the lion passed through here less than an hour ago. Maybe even less.”

Alice didn’t respond immediately. Her eyes scanned the trees, then dropped back to the snow, as if trying to reconstruct the beast’s path with her mind alone.

“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice soft but edged with steel.

I shrugged. “It’s either that, or there’s another giant predator with fur like polished silver roaming around here. And I’m willing to bet we’re not that lucky.”

She glanced at me then—not with disdain, not with anger, but something sharper. Focused.

For the first time, I saw it—Alice’s mind actively working through the situation, weighing possibilities, calculating risk.

And at the same moment, a familiar, subtle shimmer flickered in the corner of my vision.

———

[Item Acquired: Snow Lion Fur Tuft]

[Quest Unlocked: Traces in the Frost]

• Track down the Snow Lion’s Den

• Locate more fur samples to piece together its trail

Progress: 1 of 4 Clumps Found

Reward: Den Coordinates Revealed

———

Finding the rest wouldn’t be difficult. This area was its territory—just a matter of time and observation. And besides, taking down a Snow Lion wasn’t just for personal glory; it would serve as a perfect offering in Luciana’s Successor Trial.

Especially considering the trouble Snow Lions had been causing in the northern regions.

Still, I could feel the hesitation radiating from Alice.

She stared at the tuft of fur in her hand before speaking.

“Well… this is something, at least. If we stay on the trail, we might actually find it.”

She was trying to sound confident, but doubt crept into her voice.

I tilted my head. “Getting hopeful from a single tuft? You think that’s enough to follow a predator across miles of snow?”

Her jaw tightened.

“And even if we did,” she added, voice low, “that stubborn old man won’t approve of us going any farther.”

Hans. Of course.

A strict traditionalist and fiercely protective of Alice.

“The Snow Lion is too dangerous.” “Leave it to the knights.” “The Successor Trial is symbolic, not suicidal.”

I could already hear his voice.

But I wasn’t about to let that stop us.

I leaned a little closer and dropped my voice.

“Then let’s slip away. Just the two of us.”

She blinked. “…What?”

“There’s no need to drag the whole unit. We both know the Successor Trial was never meant to be done in groups. Isn’t that the point of it?”

Her lips parted, but no words came out.

She wanted to argue. She really did. But the rules of the trial were on my side—and we both knew it.

Still, I could see the war in her eyes. Obedience versus pride. Responsibility versus the thrill of doing something reckless… and right.

She wanted to go.

She just needed a little push.

And I was going to give it to her.

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