Floyd thought he was dreaming.

The last time he saw this forest, it had all been burned black by Floyd’s flames. The trees were charred to ash, and no trace remained of the once-thick undergrowth. Even the fertile soil had dried up and blackened, and just by looking one could tell it had become a land where nothing could live, permeated by the smell of burning.

But what was the scene unfolding before his eyes now?

Trees as tall as Floyd, undergrowth reaching up to his waist, flowers that shouldn’t bloom in this season, and air fresher and clearer than ever before.

The plants seemed to be still growing amidst the overflowing vitality.

‘Is this possible?’

It wasn’t just looking like they were growing – they truly were growing. The tree that had been at Floyd’s eye level just moments ago was now tall enough that he had to look up slightly to see its top.

In his entire life, he had seen plants die, but never witnessed them growing right before his eyes. It was such a marvelous sight that Floyd forgot the urgency of the situation and stood still, looking around.

“Woof!”

The wolf’s howl brought Floyd back to his senses.

Was it just his imagination?

The wolf also seemed to have grown a bit, like the plants.

No, that’s not what’s important right now.

As he realized what this miraculous forest meant, his heart sank.

Roxiana had nearly frozen to death just from driving out the demonic energy from a few patients’ bodies. Then what would be the price for reviving this vast forest?

Floyd’s jaw clenched as he followed the wolf.

Soon, a wide clearing appeared. There she lay, fallen on the grass-like short plants that densely covered the area.

Her platinum blonde hair spread widely on the deep green grass was striking. As soon as Floyd spotted her, he jumped off his horse and ran towards her.

Even before reaching Roxiana, he could feel the cold. In this forest full of vitality and warmth regardless of the season, only she was wrapped in the chill of death.

Floyd embraced her without hesitation. He caressed her pale and wan cheek.

“Princess.”

A voice that didn’t sound like his own came out.

“Don’t do this.”

No life could be felt from Roxiana. A death deeper than death – though such a thing shouldn’t exist, it felt as if it had taken residence in her body.

Last time, she had at least been breathing faintly, but now her chest didn’t rise and fall, as if even her lungs had frozen. No matter how much he checked, he couldn’t feel her breath.

He could tell the situation was more serious than before. It made him even afraid to touch her. He feared that applying even a little force might cause her whole body to crumble.

Feeling a deeper fear than ever before, Floyd drew out the heat from his body. The flames that formed on his large hands seeped into her body.

Her body greedily devoured his flames as if a desert absorbing water. But no warmth returned, and her breathing remained stopped.

Floyd stroked her arms, shoulders, head, cheeks, chest, and legs with his flame-covered hands, but to no avail. Despair gripped Floyd’s heart.

“Ah, please don’t do this, Roxiana.”

He whispered in a hoarse voice, rubbing his cheek against hers.

“This isn’t right. You can’t die like this.”

Then how should she die?

He didn’t know. But dying so quickly, in this way, was not acceptable.

The flames that had only been on his hands gradually grew to cover Floyd’s entire body. The grass they sat on burned black from Floyd’s flames, then regrew with the life force filling the air, repeating this cycle. The now larger wolf sat quietly watching them, but Floyd didn’t even notice it.

He had to save this woman.

For reasons unknown, the conviction that he too would die if he couldn’t save her dominated him.

‘I don’t want to die yet, so you must live.’

Floyd pulled his cheek away and looked down at her. His face, with flames dancing on every strand of hair, slowly approached hers. Even before touching, the flames on Floyd’s face seeped into her. His lips overlapped with hers.

Her lips were indescribably cold. Frost formed on Floyd’s lips as they met hers, but he didn’t pull away and forcibly opened her mouth.

The cold air flowing from her parted lips froze Floyd’s mouth, but still he didn’t stop. He firmly embraced Roxiana with both arms, stirring inside her mouth and pouring his heat into her without reserve.

After a time that felt both very long and very short, Floyd realized that the ice particles covering his face had disappeared.

Very faintly, warmth was returning to Roxiana’s body.

+++

After Floyd had left following the wolf, the knight commanders remained behind with bewildered expressions. They didn’t know whether to follow or stay and guard this place.

Reading in each other’s eyes the meaning to wait for now, they waited for a long time, but Floyd didn’t return. After waiting for an hour and approaching two hours with no news, they naturally mounted their horses.

Arsen took the lead without anyone needing to say so.

Arsen was certain that the place Floyd and the wolf had headed was the dead forest. That small and lovely wolf only showed interest in Roxiana.

The other knight commanders silently followed behind Arsen, who rode quickly as if knowing the destination. After riding for quite some time, they witnessed an unbelievable sight at their arrival.

The horses, which had been galloping without time to look around, slowed down as if sensing their riders’ emotions. Instead of urging on their slowed horses, the knight commanders looked around with wide eyes.

“What is this…?”

Adrian muttered.

The forest, which had been blackened and dead when they saw it not long ago, was now filled with breathtaking vitality. Trees much taller than a person grew densely, covering the sky, and grass grown to waist height made it difficult to walk.

The trees were smaller than before, but the leaves hanging from the branches were much more lush and emitted a vivid green color. Moreover.

“Why are such flowers blooming in this weather?”

Wild roses adorning the bushes were luscious. Not only that, various wildflowers that could only be seen in spring and summer were blooming here and there, boasting brilliant colors.

The breeze that blew by was fresh. Despite it still being early February, it was an unusually mild wind. It was a gentle breeze that allowed the horses, exhausted from running here without rest, to stop panting.

The knight commanders had traveled to many regions for monster subjugation, but this was the first place to give them such a feeling.

“Did the Princess manage to do this after all?”

At Hexten’s words, Adrian’s eyes widened.

“No way! How could a person do something like this?”

“Have you forgotten how the Princess treated people affected by demonic energy?”

“I remember. I remember, but… this is too much!”

Adrian was right.

Treating people affected by demonic energy was something even priests could do. Purifying land contaminated by demonic energy was also something priests could do.

But this place was different.

Priests could drive out demonic energy from contaminated land, but they couldn’t revive plants that had already died from demonic energy. They couldn’t create air clean enough to stabilize the breathing of panting horses.

This kind of thing really…

“Only a god could do this…”

At Cain’s muttered words, goosebumps rose on Arsen’s arms.

-“Where is the forest that was burned when we subjugated monsters recently? And how large an area was damaged?”

-“I want to try reviving that forest.”

He recalled the conversation he had with Roxiana not long ago.

What had he said then?

He probably said it was ‘nonsense’.

It was a natural response. The reason this forest died wasn’t because of demonic energy, but because of Floyd’s fire. Even priests couldn’t revive a forest that died from Floyd’s fire. Because it had burned deep into the ground, it would take a long time of waiting before it could become a place where life could live again.

So Roxiana’s words should have ended as mere nonsense, but what was this scene unfolding before their eyes?

‘It feels like a dream.’

Arsen thought.

‘To think she really did it…’

The arrogant and inflexible silver-haired knight commander acknowledged that he had been wrong.

Roxiana hadn’t spoken nonsense. She had accomplished something so extraordinary it seemed like nonsense. A person who keeps their word deserves respect, so his attitude of treating her rudely until now had been wrong.

‘For me to be wrong.’

As Arsen, who had never been wrong due to always thinking and acting carefully, was reflecting on his mistaken words and actions, there was movement in the underbrush. Arsen reflexively put his hand on his sword and glared in that direction.

Seeing reddish-brown hair through the tall undergrowth, Arsen removed his hand from his sword.

Floyd, who emerged from the bushes, was not alone. Roxiana was cradled in his arms, and a large gray wolf was walking beside his red horse ‘Red’.

Arsen could immediately recognize that wolf as ‘Lion’, but more noticeable than Lion’s growth from small to huge was Red’s strange behavior.

For some reason, the red horse, endlessly arrogant and not allowing anyone but its master near, was acting cowed before the gray wolf.

Because the wolf was a giant predator?

No, that couldn’t be. The red horse Red would charge fearlessly towards monsters even in situations where all other horses were afraid.

‘Then why…?’

As he was wondering, Adrian shouted.

“My lord! Is the Princess alright?”