The tension rose as Lorenzo glanced at Theo, supporting his stand.
"You're calling me incompetent? Do you think you're stronger than me?" Zhilov narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward, planning to confront Theo.
"I don't need to say some flowery words. You're not my boss or something. You don't respect me and feel offended when I do the same? Do you have some screws loose in your head?" Theo wasn't afraid of Zhilov even with his background.
"In that case, shouldn't we get an explanation from the leader of this group?" Lorenzo glanced at Ana.
Even Ana didn't expect that Lorenzo would openly protect Theo. She had no idea that Lorenzo had a close relationship with Theo.
That was why he felt offended when Zhilov spouted all those words. He stated with a firm tone. "I don't mind if we stop the cooperation right now. Obviously, my War God Family will take everything.
"Don't forget that it's you who need us, not the other way around." Lorenzo placed his left hand on the handle and flicked his blade, preparing to draw it if necessary.
"That's enough." Ana sighed and glared at Zhilov. "If you're planning to embarrass yourself, you can do it alone. If you are going to continue with this pointless statement, I have no choice other than to expel you.
"What you need to face is not me or anyone in this place, but your own family back home. You will need to explain your own stupidity."
"What did—" Zhilov clenched his fists.
"What? You can't even defeat Alea… Are you planning to challenge me?" Ana's tone became colder and colder. "Your family has granted me the full right to expel you. If you can't obey me, get lost."
Zhilov gritted his teeth and turned around, snorting.
After that, Ana raised her hand as a silver-colored staff appeared on her hand. She then waved her fingers upward as the snow was pushed away and ice blocks began to appear, gradually forming an igloo.
"I hope this is enough for an apology."
Lorenzo paused for a moment and glanced at Theo.
Seeing he had already stepped back, Lorenzo sheathed his sword until a clicking sound echoed in their ears.
He stopped pursuing the matter.
"I guess it's time for us to discuss how we should deal with this." Ana sighed and waved her hand again, forming another igloo. "We can talk inside there. The rest can go to their respective igloo to hide from the snow."
"Okay." Lorenzo nodded. "Theo, with me."
"Got it." Theo then glanced at Agata and said, "Take care of the rest for me."
Agata agreed and stepped back. Ava also leaped from Theo's shoulder to Agata's palm as she brought her inside.
Alea's eyes were locked on Agata and Ava since she had never seen them back in Thersland. Ava aside, she never thought Theo would be accompanied by a woman.
From how she behaved, they didn't seem to be in a relationship. Even then, it was weird for Theo to take an interest in women, especially a random woman.
Unfortunately, she couldn't ask anything for the time being.
"Alea." Ana raised her eyebrows as if asking her to come.
She nodded without hesitation since this was the time she could be away from others.
The four of them entered the third igloo with nothing in it. Theo and Lorenzo put down their bag and placed a warm mantle on the ground for them to sit.
"Wait, you're not going to give us something…" Ana asked with a teasing tone. "We're just poor women who—"
Before she finished her words, Theo had already taken out another mantle but gave it to Alea, not Ana, as he didn't know her.
"Thanks." Alea made a small smile and received Theo's kindness.
Ana glanced at Lorenzo as if asking for the same treatment as Alea. However, Lorenzo stood firm and ignored her.
"Tsk. You're so cold to a woman." Ana clicked her tongue and sat directly on top of the ice while complaining, "Whatever. It's not like I'm affected by this."
As if she didn't like Lorenzo's treatment, she couldn't help but say, "Lorenzo, are you obsessed with me? To think you pick a woman with ice affinity as your assistant."
"Not at all. She is different from you." Lorenzo shrugged. "You should fix your shitty character or you won't have a husband."
"Hmph. I am the one who chooses, not them." Ana waved her hand as if telling him that she didn't care about it because she could pick whoever she liked.
"Whatever. I don't really care about your life. Aren't we here to discuss the problem?"
"Still, isn't it more interesting to see the reunion?" She smirked and glanced at Alea and Theo.
"What's there to discuss?" Alea shook her head. "With just a single glance, I know he's led a good life in Italy. Besides, talking about random things in a serious situation like this will be useless, right?"
"Agreed." Theo didn't hesitate to admit and said, "Though, I never expected us to meet again in this situation."
"Yeah. It just happened that way… Thanks to you that is."
Theo closed his eyes, connecting the dots. He soon understood that Nina was the one introducing Alea to Ana's influence. No, his parents might be involved too.
Either way, she didn't seem to be controlled by the Griffith Family anymore since she was now under the empress.
Ana and Lorenzo didn't know what to say about their conversations. Both of them seemed close but far at the same time.
Lorenzo sighed and said, "Anyway, we have three stages for our plan. First, I am going to teleport us. I'm sure you know that this place is surrounded by monsters, right? We will eliminate them until I can use my teleportation again.
"We will continue doing this until we reach our first checkpoint where we can only go by foot afterward. This is going to be troublesome because we need to fight monsters on the way…
"Usually, we will drag them outside the Poison King's detection range before killing them, but this year, we're going to loop around them."
"Loop around?" Ana furrowed her eyebrows.
"We will have Theo lead the way. His rabbit can locate the monsters in the surroundings, so we should be pretty safe. After that, we grab the fruit and flee from the scene."
The tension rose as Lorenzo glanced at Theo, supporting his stand.
"You're calling me incompetent? Do you think you're stronger than me?" Zhilov narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward, planning to confront Theo.
"I don't need to say some flowery words. You're not my boss or something. You don't respect me and feel offended when I do the same? Do you have some screws loose in your head?" Theo wasn't afraid of Zhilov even with his background.
"In that case, shouldn't we get an explanation from the leader of this group?" Lorenzo glanced at Ana.
Even Ana didn't expect that Lorenzo would openly protect Theo. She had no idea that Lorenzo had a close relationship with Theo.
That was why he felt offended when Zhilov spouted all those words. He stated with a firm tone. "I don't mind if we stop the cooperation right now. Obviously, my War God Family will take everything.
"Don't forget that it's you who need us, not the other way around." Lorenzo placed his left hand on the handle and flicked his blade, preparing to draw it if necessary.
"That's enough." Ana sighed and glared at Zhilov. "If you're planning to embarrass yourself, you can do it alone. If you are going to continue with this pointless statement, I have no choice other than to expel you.
"What you need to face is not me or anyone in this place, but your own family back home. You will need to explain your own stupidity."
"What did—" Zhilov clenched his fists.
"What? You can't even defeat Alea… Are you planning to challenge me?" Ana's tone became colder and colder. "Your family has granted me the full right to expel you. If you can't obey me, get lost."
Zhilov gritted his teeth and turned around, snorting.
After that, Ana raised her hand as a silver-colored staff appeared on her hand. She then waved her fingers upward as the snow was pushed away and ice blocks began to appear, gradually forming an igloo.
"I hope this is enough for an apology."
Lorenzo paused for a moment and glanced at Theo.
Seeing he had already stepped back, Lorenzo sheathed his sword until a clicking sound echoed in their ears.
He stopped pursuing the matter.
"I guess it's time for us to discuss how we should deal with this." Ana sighed and waved her hand again, forming another igloo. "We can talk inside there. The rest can go to their respective igloo to hide from the snow."
"Okay." Lorenzo nodded. "Theo, with me."
"Got it." Theo then glanced at Agata and said, "Take care of the rest for me."
Agata agreed and stepped back. Ava also leaped from Theo's shoulder to Agata's palm as she brought her inside.
Alea's eyes were locked on Agata and Ava since she had never seen them back in Thersland. Ava aside, she never thought Theo would be accompanied by a woman.
From how she behaved, they didn't seem to be in a relationship. Even then, it was weird for Theo to take an interest in women, especially a random woman.
Unfortunately, she couldn't ask anything for the time being.
"Alea." Ana raised her eyebrows as if asking her to come.
She nodded without hesitation since this was the time she could be away from others.
The four of them entered the third igloo with nothing in it. Theo and Lorenzo put down their bag and placed a warm mantle on the ground for them to sit.
"Wait, you're not going to give us something…" Ana asked with a teasing tone. "We're just poor women who—"
Before she finished her words, Theo had already taken out another mantle but gave it to Alea, not Ana, as he didn't know her.
"Thanks." Alea made a small smile and received Theo's kindness.
Ana glanced at Lorenzo as if asking for the same treatment as Alea. However, Lorenzo stood firm and ignored her.
"Tsk. You're so cold to a woman." Ana clicked her tongue and sat directly on top of the ice while complaining, "Whatever. It's not like I'm affected by this."
As if she didn't like Lorenzo's treatment, she couldn't help but say, "Lorenzo, are you obsessed with me? To think you pick a woman with ice affinity as your assistant."
"Not at all. She is different from you." Lorenzo shrugged. "You should fix your shitty character or you won't have a husband."
"Hmph. I am the one who chooses, not them." Ana waved her hand as if telling him that she didn't care about it because she could pick whoever she liked.
"Whatever. I don't really care about your life. Aren't we here to discuss the problem?"
"Still, isn't it more interesting to see the reunion?" She smirked and glanced at Alea and Theo.
"What's there to discuss?" Alea shook her head. "With just a single glance, I know he's led a good life in Italy. Besides, talking about random things in a serious situation like this will be useless, right?"
"Agreed." Theo didn't hesitate to admit and said, "Though, I never expected us to meet again in this situation."
"Yeah. It just happened that way… Thanks to you that is."
Theo closed his eyes, connecting the dots. He soon understood that Nina was the one introducing Alea to Ana's influence. No, his parents might be involved too.
Either way, she didn't seem to be controlled by the Griffith Family anymore since she was now under the empress.
Ana and Lorenzo didn't know what to say about their conversations. Both of them seemed close but far at the same time.
Lorenzo sighed and said, "Anyway, we have three stages for our plan. First, I am going to teleport us. I'm sure you know that this place is surrounded by monsters, right? We will eliminate them until I can use my teleportation again.
"We will continue doing this until we reach our first checkpoint where we can only go by foot afterward. This is going to be troublesome because we need to fight monsters on the way…
"Usually, we will drag them outside the Poison King's detection range before killing them, but this year, we're going to loop around them."
"Loop around?" Ana furrowed her eyebrows.
"We will have Theo lead the way. His rabbit can locate the monsters in the surroundings, so we should be pretty safe. After that, we grab the fruit and flee from the scene."
