This was Winnie's first encounter with the petite witch, so she handed her the "Earth Holy Grail - Ice" Shade had left behind, without saying a word.
After marveling at what an extraordinary treasure it was, the witch nevertheless said:
"Compared to such a precious and ancient treasure, I would rather hire you to remain by my side. I can pay you, and my realm is also on this Ice Field. If you are dissatisfied, you may leave at any time."
She neither nodded nor shook her head, merely asking:
"Do you believe that even a cold heart can be melted by emotion?"
The unfamiliar witch was surprised by the question. After hesitating for a moment, she answered:
"What I seek is Eternal Extreme Cold, a chill sufficient to slow all things to a halt. I do not know whether emotion can melt a cold heart, but I do know that I will not let anyone melt my pursuit of ice and snow—this is my resolve. I will rely on this conviction to climb the steps toward demigodhood."
The icy girl looked at her, then smiled for some reason. She examined the young, silver-haired, petite witch before her once more, then gently nodded.
"Alright, I can go with you."
A delighted expression appeared on the witch's face.
"Then please come with me. I have a camp on the other side of the mountain, and we can talk there first. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself—Chloe Marcus Marcus, Thirteenth Order Witch."
"Winnie. Ice Elemental Lord, long resident here."
She then looked at the others who had arrived with the silver-haired witch. To display both sincerity and strength, the Witch Emperor's guards and attendants consisted of the Unicorn Knight Order. At the rear of the group, Winnie noticed a Little Unicorn peeking