THRUUUUM!

Snow exploded upward with every clash.

Maelis stood on a broken cliff of ice, her boots digging into the ground as she spun her long white staff in a tight circle.

A heavy violet aura wrapped around her body, making the air around her feel thick, like the world itself was pressing down.

The boss, a massive wolf-like beast with bone plates on its back, roared so loud the air shook.

GRRRRAAAHHHHH!

It kicked off the ground, ice breaking beneath its claws as it lunged straight toward her.

Maelis slammed the bottom of her staff into the ground.

THOOM!

Gravity exploded outward.

The air rippled in that moment, causing the beast to crash into the force, its body suddenly weighed down like a mountain had fallen on it.

Its legs dug deep into the ice, struggling to move.

"Hmph. Stay still."

The wolf snarled and forced itself forward. Maelis twisted her wrist, swinging the staff horizontally.

Gravity curved around the creature's head like an invisible hammer.

WHACK!

Its skull slammed sideways, sending it rolling across the ice. Its thick bones cracked as it hit the terrain.

But even that wasn't enough to hurt it badly. It shook itself, blood trickling down its jaw, then charged again.

BOOM!

Another leap.

Maelis narrowed her eyes. She stepped quickly to the side, coat fluttering, then pulled her hand downward.

"Fall."

CRASH!

The beast's whole body smashed into the earth as someone dropped it from the sky. Ice shattered, snow flying everywhere as it struggled under the crushing weight.

The monster roared, forcing its legs up slowly, the ground beneath it cracking.

"Too tough…" Maelis clicked her tongue.

She raised her staff high, and almost immediately, a deep violet light spread above like a dome of pressure.

She slammed it down toward the boss.

THUD!

The gravity dome collapsed.

The wolf's bones creaked loudly, and his ribs even bent! The bone plates on its back started to split. But still, it didn't die as it rolled over violently, tail swinging.

SWOOSH!

Maelis barely dodged as the tail smashed the area she was standing in, leaving a huge crater.

Chunks of ice flew past her face.

The shockwave pushed her back a few steps.

"Annoying beast." Her teeth clenched.

The wolf leapt again, snapping its jaws at her throat.

Maelis twirled the staff, her right foot sliding backward for balance.

CLANG!

The staff blocked the bite. Sparks flew as bone teeth scraped against reinforced metal. She kicked the creature in the chest, and at the same instant...

BOOOOM!

Gravity surged from her heel.

It sent the wolf flying like a boulder shot from a catapult.

Snow exploded outward when its body slammed into a mountain of ice, carving a deep hole.

The beast struggled, slowly trying to rise again. Maelis' breathing remained steady, but her eyes sharpened with irritation.

"...Your defense is too stupidly high."

She lifted her left hand.

Gravity gathered into a single point, a tiny violet orb that twisted the air around it. The ground under her cracked just from its pull.

The wolf stared at it, eyes wide. Even if it could feel the danger.

Maelis pointed the orb forward.

"Crush."

THAAAAAAAAAM!!!

The orb fired forward like a bullet. The wolf tried to leap aside, but gravity locked its movements down.

The orb hit its shoulder.

CRACK—!!!

His bones shattered, and his flesh imploded as someone squeezed it with a giant invisible fist.

The monster howled in pain, collapsing to one knee. Steam rose from its wounds, its regeneration trying desperately to fix the damage, but slowly… too slowly.

Maelis walked toward it, one step at a time, boots sinking softly into the snow.

"Lie down."

She swung the staff down again.

BOOM!

Gravity smashed the wolf flat on the ice, face grinding into frost, its body twitching violently as it tried to lift itself.

Maelis' voice was calm and cold.

"I already won. Just die quietly."

She prepared one final orb, so heavy that the air shook around it.

"Graaahh!" The wolf's body trembled as it tried one last time to stand.

Maelis lowered the tip of her staff toward its head.

"Stop trying. You already lost."

The violet orb in her palm shrank to the size of a pea, turning quite dense, but deadly, like a star ready to explode.

She flicked her fingers.

Psshk.

The orb dropped.

CRUUUNCH!!!

The wolf's skull flattened in an instant.

Its whole body spasmed once… then fell silent, limbs twitching weakly before going limp.

Blood and bone fragments were sucked inward by the crushing force, leaving behind a deep dent in the ice instead of a corpse.

"Haah... this fight took a lot longer than I expected."

She tapped her staff against the ground again.

Thoom.

The gravity field vanished, lightening the air.

Wiping a small line of dust from her sleeve, she finally turned.

Clap… clap… clap…

Gray stood several meters behind her, his hands coming together in slow applause. His faint smile showed polite approval… but his eyes were a little colder than normal.

"That was very impressive," he said calmly.

"I wasn't expecting you to control the fight that well."

Maelis raised an eyebrow, lips curving just a little.

"You're late," she replied, spinning her staff once before resting it against her shoulder. "You could have helped."

"You didn't need me. And I wanted to see how strong you are now," Gray chuckled lightly.

His gaze dropped to the crushed crater where the wolf had been.

"No mistakes. Good footwork. Solid timing. And even when your attacks did little damage, you never lost control." His eyes lifted to meet hers again.

"Well done."

Maelis hummed, trying not to look pleased… but the corner of her mouth betrayed her.

"Hmph. Of course. I'm not like the others."

Gray nodded, stepping closer, his boots crunched lightly over the broken ice.

"Yes… I know."

'If you were like the orders, you'd be dead by now...' His eyes darkened slighly.

Maelis smiled lightly, but then she suddenly staggered.

"O-oh…" she breathed out, knees wobbling as if her strength had finally left her. "I think I spent too much mana, big brother~…"

She collapsed forward.

Gray could see the act from a mile away; her eyes were a bit too bright, her lips a bit too eager, but he let her fall anyway… straight into his arms.

His hands slid under her legs and back in one smooth motion, lifting her into a full princess carry.

"Kya!"

Her cute little scream slipped out before she could stop it, and her arms curled around his neck on reflex, face flushed like she had been waiting for this exact moment.

Gray's voice softened into something warm and falsely gentle.

"Don't scream so loud," he whispered near her ear.

"Someone might get the wrong idea."

Her heart jumped as he could feel it pounding against his chest. She stared up at him, pupils shrinking just a bit, excitement burning beneath that fake-tired look.

"It's not wrong if I want them to," she muttered quietly to herself.

Of course, Gray caught her whispers but didn't reply.

He stepped toward what remained of the wolf, or rather, what didn't remain.

The corpse scattered into dust the moment he stood over it, leaving behind only two items resting on the crushed ice: a thick collar decorated with heavy bestial teeth… and a large purple core throbbing with violent energy.

Before Maelis could even reach for them, Gray bent down, still holding her effortlessly with one arm, and grabbed both rewards.

The moment he straightened up, a red, swirling portal burst open ahead of them, glowing like fresh blood.

He looked at the drops in his hand… then at the girl clinging to him.

"Here," he said, pushing both items gently against her chest, a little lower than necessary, just enough to make her stiffen and swallow a sharp gasp.

"These are your prize for killing the big bad wolf."

Maelis pressed the items to herself, smiling like a cat that finally got the cream.

"…Then shouldn't you be the prince in this story?" she whispered with half-lidded eyes. "You did save the princess, after all."

Gray tilted his head.

"Princess? You?"

"Hm? And what else would I be?" she asked with soft, fake innocence… while tightening her arms around his neck and pushing her body just a little closer.

Gray leaned in, close enough that his breath brushed her lips, and his smile turned colder.

"A wolf in sheep's clothing."

Maelis shivered slightly at his words.

"Mhm~ then I guess," she muttered, her voice trembling with excitement, "you'll have to tame me too."

Gray looked into her eyes, seeing the twisted affection she held, and the smile he gave back was the kind that promised nothing good.

However, before he could say anything else...

"Ahem!"

Every possible romantic tension was shattered into dust.

Gray's eye twitched as he turned his head slowly.

The rest of the group stood there, staring.

Selene and Selina both crossed their arms with stormy faces, Claire glared like she was about to throw a dagger, and Lyra looked as if her soul had left her body.

Leon and Adrian looked like they were ready to snap madly at any given second.

"…Can't you see you are interrupting our moment?!" Maelis suddenly snarled, voice shaking with irritation.

Gray raised an eyebrow at her actions.

"Aren't you two brother and sister…?" Lyra hesitated, raising a hand as if she were asking a question in class.

'Besides, that's my boyfriend!' she tried not to pout in jealousy.

"So?!" Maelis practically hissed, lifting her head from Gray's shoulder like a feral cat.

"Can't a brother and sister have a moment of sibling doting?!"

"…I-I guess?" Lyra stared blankly.

No one else dared to answer.

Their brains short-circuited all at once.

"Enough."

Gray sighed as he coldly spoke.

"We're done here. Let's leave before more trash shows up."

Without waiting for discussion, he adjusted his grip on Maelis, her body pressed even closer to his chest, and walked straight toward the glowing red exit.

Maelis lifted a hand, waving smugly at the others while holding onto Gray as if he was hers alone.

"Well then, we're going ahead~ Don't be too slow, okay?"

"Guah!"

Claire let out a strangled noise.

"I'm going to strangle her someday..." Selene whispered to herself.

And Selina, who was next to her... also nodded.

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