Volume 4, Chapter 36 – A New Asset

Putting the escaped Sandra out of her mind, Yisi turned her attention to the Frost Giants. Contrary to her expectation that they would be running amok, the Frost Giants were obediently staying put.

“Are they being restricted by mind magic?”

Although the information from Samael suggested that a pact was more likely between the fallen angel and the Frost Giants, Yisi didn’t believe for a second that the Frost Giants would listen to a fallen angel.

“After all, they came roaring and charging at me the moment they saw me.”

Plus, their appearance, covered in thick white fur, made them look more like Frost Apes than Frost Giants, lacking any of the rationality of an intelligent species.

“Well, I’ll know for sure after another look.”

As for Sandra, based on their previous encounter, she didn’t seem to possess any offensive abilities, only being able to use spatial teleportation and create illusions. If Sandra were a combat-oriented fallen angel, her first reaction upon seeing her should have been to fight, not to flee.

And her final attack method was quite cute.

Yisi glanced at her wrist—not a single scratch. Then she took out a small, hard white object from her inventory. It was a small piece of Sandra’s tooth that had broken off. Feeling sorry for her at the time, Yisi had picked it up for her, but the other party had run away too fast for her to return it.

If I were to return it, Sandra would probably see it as a mark of shame.

For some reason, Yisi had the urge to deliberately return it.

Although they hadn’t exchanged many words, Yisi was already certain that Sandra was very fun to tease. If she were to become flustered and angry, she would surely make a “nununu” sound.

The image of her trying to act tough with a red face and tears welling up in her eyes was just too irresistible to even think about. ¹ /bonk

“No, wait… I’ve definitely been influenced by Edith.”

I’m not that much of a sadist… or rather, I don’t have such peculiar tastes.

Quickly denying it, Yisi rubbed her face and returned to her normal expression.

[Advanced Teleportation]

…

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A total of four Frost Giants stood in the depths of the valley. Their ten-meter-tall bodies and white fur were extremely conspicuous, and Yisi spotted them at a glance.

“Although burying them all here would be the best option, I really can’t bring myself to kill them…”

It was mainly their humanoid appearance that made it difficult for her to act.

Yisi crossed her arms in a troubled manner.

“Hmm… I’ll just throw them back into the sinkhole. I’ll set up some magic arrays, the kind that even a fallen angel can’t get through—huh?”

As she was muttering to herself, she felt Edith waking up in her mind. Since using magic would forcibly sever Edith’s connection with the outside world, Edith couldn’t even enter the Magic Fairy in that state. Yisi descended from the sky to the ground and then dispelled her [Third Form Awakening]. She was over a hundred meters away from the Frost Giants, and with the cover of the trees, they hadn’t noticed her.

‘Phew… My waking hours are getting shorter and shorter…’

Thinking Yisi was asleep, the count’s eldest daughter’s phantom muttered to herself in Yisi’s mind.

Catching this important piece of information, Yisi couldn’t help but ask in her mind.

‘Waking hours?’

Yisi’s sudden question made Edith look up. The brief look of surprise on her face quickly vanished.

‘It’s nothing, just some trivial matter.’

‘This isn’t a trivial matter, is it? I was originally going to observe for two more days before asking you, but now you’ve noticed it yourself. Are your sleeping periods getting longer and longer? I heard from Refina that two and a half months ago, before I woke up, you would often fall asleep suddenly. At first, you could be active from sunrise until late at night, but later your active time became shorter and shorter, to the point where you would be in bed before the sun even set.’

What was even more serious was that Edith might not even have eight hours of waking time now, and normally, even if Yisi forcibly occupied the body, Edith should still be able to speak in the conscious space of her mind.

Compared to Yisi’s concern, Edith acted as if nothing had happened.

‘It’s just that my soul is a bit unstable. It’s no big deal.’

‘Soul instability?’

‘If you want to know, find the clues yourself. Don’t ask me everything.’ Clearly not wanting to reveal more, Edith pouted. ‘So? What are you up to now? You’re still awake at this hour. You’re not trying to relieve your loneliness by yourself, are you? I don’t intend to interfere with you using this body to vent your desires, but you could just find Camilla for that kind of thing.’

‘Who would do that kind of thing!’

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Probably only Edith could talk about erotic topics without batting an eye.

Yisi waved her hand in annoyance, dispelling the [Mind Control Immunity] barrier to let the count’s eldest daughter see the outside environment.

As expected, the emotion that came from Edith turned to confusion.

‘Is this… a Frost Giant? Judging by its height, it’s at least an elder-level adult. It also has blue crystals on its arms, so it’s the type that can use magic. Is this the far north?’

‘No, this is within the Pescia territory.’

‘How is that possible,’ Edith raised an eyebrow slightly, her voice a notch louder. ‘The northern defensive line would never allow Frost Giants to sneak into the territory.’

‘But as you can see, this isn’t the snow-covered far north, but the forested Pescia territory. This group of Frost Giants was brought here by a fallen angel with teleportation abilities, with the intention of destroying the cities and villages within the territory.’ To make Edith believe her, Yisi deliberately added, ‘They are the group of missing Frost Giants that Samael mentioned.’

‘What do you plan to do with them?’

There was a hint of probing in Edith’s words. Yisi shrugged frankly.

‘Throw them into a sinkhole they can’t climb out of.’

Although she was displeased, Edith let down her guard. For her, as long as Yisi didn’t say she was going to release the Frost Giants, it was fine.

Seeing no response from Edith, Yisi sighed softly and slowly walked towards the distant Frost Giants.

The undisguised footsteps quickly attracted their attention. At first, they let out low growls from their throats, and their upturned nostrils snorted hot air as a warning. But when the Frost Giants saw that it was a vampire who had walked out, and that her figure was very similar to the person who had thrown them into the valley yesterday, they all subconsciously took a few steps back.

“You… are…”

“Huh?”

The sudden, muffled voice made Yisi let out a light “eh.” If she wasn’t mistaken, the voice just now had come from a Frost Giant.

But they weren’t supposed to be able to talk.

“You… are… yesterday’s…”

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Like a child who had just learned to speak, the Frost Giant threw a question at Yisi with a halting and very non-standard pronunciation.

These guys can actually talk!

A huge wave of shock washed over her.

Sensing Yisi’s surprise, Edith snorted.

‘Frost Giants disdain to use the Hyurent language of the blood clan, but if they are facing someone of equal status, like Father, they will show their respect for the strong. They have acknowledged you.’

Rather than acknowledging, it’s more like their life in the sinkhole has traumatized them…

After all, the only food in the sinkhole was insects.

Sticking out her tongue inwardly, Yisi leaped onto a tree. The Frost Giants were over ten meters tall; it would be tiring to always have to look up at them.

And because of Yisi’s action, the four Frost Giants all looked up, and at the same time, they fearfully shielded their faces with their arms.

Yisi didn’t notice, but Edith’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

“Since you can speak, perhaps we can sit down and have a proper talk.”

The Frost Giants looked at each other for a moment, then, as if by agreement, they all prostrated themselves, their bodies in a five-point bow.

“Th…ank… you…”

‘What did you do to them?’

There was a clear sense of disbelief in Edith’s voice.

‘What do you mean, what did I do?’

‘That is a posture of allegiance. Frost Giants are tribal creatures. They will only treat the one who has defeated them as their tribal leader and pledge their loyalty to them.’

‘Even if you say so… all I did was throw them into a sinkhole.’

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‘Tch.’

Temporarily ignoring the incomprehensible click of her tongue, Yisi suddenly had an idea. After blinking, she began to speak cautiously.

‘How about handing them over to Refina? Since Frost Giants only pledge allegiance to the strong, Refina can also become someone they pledge allegiance to, right? This group of Frost Giants are all around level 25. If I make a better weapon for Refina and enhance her with magic, she should be able to win in a one-on-one fight.’

Contrary to her expectation that Edith would show a thoughtful expression, Edith just let out a disdainful snort and waved her hand as if shooing away a fly.

‘After Refina subdues this group of Frost Giants, she will naturally order them to help me. Your way of doing things is so roundabout it amazes me.’

She saw right through me.

Yisi gave a perfunctory, bitter smile. If she had directly told Edith to subdue the Frost Giants, it would have surely made Edith feel like she was being given a handout, which would have led to her refusal. That’s why she had suggested having Refina do it. But now it seemed her little trick had been seen through by Edith at a glance.

However, Edith, who should have been angry, instead showed a confident smile.

‘Although this feeling of being given something makes me uncomfortable, it’s better for me to do it myself than to have the weak Refina deal with them. Taking on an elder-level Frost Giant as an opponent is a kind of fun in itself.’

She actually agreed.

Suppressing her inner surprise, Yisi tried her best to remain calm.

‘Then, after I’ve finished my explanation, I’ll hand the body over to you. I’ll take back the time I’ve used today, tomorrow.’

‘It’s fine.’

◇

After explaining to the Frost Giants that another version of herself would be commanding them shortly, they, as expected, showed their displeasure and refused to be commanded by anyone else. So Yisi naturally proposed the pre-prepared suggestion—as long as Edith defeated their strongest member, they would have to obey her commands. Unsurprisingly, the situation developed into a one-on-one fight between Edith and the strongest Frost Giant.

The battle took place in the valley. The strength comparison was a level 22 Edith against a level 28 Frost Giant. The six-level difference would make one think that Edith was bound to lose, but in actual combat, it wasn’t all about levels. Combat skill was also a key factor in determining the outcome. Edith possessed a variety of magic that the Frost Giants did not, and she was familiar with their attack patterns. Coupled with the innate advantages of her pureblood lineage, all things considered, the two were not that far apart.

As if sensing the atmosphere of a great battle, the surrounding birds and beasts all hid in their nests. The only sound in the valley was the evening wind blowing through the leaves.

After both sides were ready, Yisi, in her Magic Fairy form, announced the start of the duel.