A faint blue chill circled around Evelyn's body, fine as drifting frost, before slowly seeping into her skin.

  As the final strand of magic energy was absorbed, her magic rank finally rose to the Sixth-tier Magic Apprentice.

  Evelyn opened her eyes slowly, a trace of satisfaction flashing through them. With the aid of the【Codex of the Primeval Frost】, her breakthrough had come faster than she expected.

  But the hunger gnawing in her stomach made her frown slightly. In her current state, she could last no more than two days. By tomorrow, she would have to venture into the forest to hunt magical beasts.

  "Perhaps I can negotiate with the villagers," she thought silently."I'll bring back the beast corpses, and they can handle the roasting. They should agree to that."

  "Try this."

  A voice came from beside her. Evelyn looked up and saw Ryan walking over, holding a skewer of roasted meat.

  "I don't eat—" Evelyn began to refuse, but Ryan interrupted before she could finish.

  "No need to be polite!" he said cheerfully. Seeing that she didn't immediately move away, he felt secretly relieved.

  Before she could react, Ryan reached out and gently took her wrist, pressing the skewer of roasted Flamefang Beast loin into her palm.

  Evelyn froze. She hadn't expected this seemingly mild young man to be so forward. She instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but just as she did, Ryan released his grip.

  Outwardly, Ryan acted as if nothing had happened, but in his heart, he was boasting to【Grimoire】: She didn't shake me off right away. That means she's starting to lower her guard.

  【Don't get too confident,】 Grimoire replied with a trace of approval.【Remember, this is your last chance. If she discovers who you really are, there will be no saving you.】

  Evelyn lowered her gaze to the roasted meat in her hand. For a moment, she hesitated. The man's actions were presumptuous, yes—but there had been no malice in them. That made her unsure of how to respond.

  "Thank you," Evelyn murmured after a pause.

  It was the first time in tens of thousands of years that she had ever thanked a stranger—let alone a low-ranked magic apprentice.

  "No need for thanks," Ryan said lightly, waving a hand before returning to the fire, leaving Evelyn standing alone in the dim glow.

  She looked at his back, then took a small bite of the meat. It had no magical spices, only the primal fragrance of fire and flesh. The tenderness was just right, far better than any food she had ever tasted.

  It suddenly struck her that, back when she was studying magic, she had always relied on magic potions for nourishment before reaching the rank of Journeyman Mage.

  After that, she had sustained herself by absorbing elemental magic crystals. She had never truly experienced the taste of real food.

  So this is what meat tastes like—it's far better than those lifeless crystals.

  The villagers by the fire stole glances at Evelyn, curiosity gleaming in their eyes. They had already recognized her as the"mummy" Ryan had brought back earlier.

  That devastating surge of ice sword energy that tore through the huts still lingered in their minds, keeping everyone cautious and distant.

  And with the aura of cold air that seemed to emanate naturally from her body, she felt like a presence apart from them all—distant, untouchable.

  Evelyn noticed their wariness but didn't care. Solitude was something she had long grown used to.

  As night deepened and the fire dwindled to embers, the villagers returned to their huts one by one.

  Barret approached Ryan with a smile and said,"I found a larger cabin for you. You can get a proper rest tonight."

  Barret pointed toward several vacant cabins nearby and explained with a smile,"These used to belong to the village's hunting team. They often ventured deep into the forest to hunt magical beasts and bring back food for everyone. But they haven't returned for quite some time."

  His tone carried a trace of sadness."Still, the villagers clean them every day. The rooms are tidy, so you can rest easy staying there."

  Ryan nodded, instantly understanding the reason behind the village's plight. The people of Shrouded Village were mostly ordinary humans without any magical aptitude.

  A few had faint magical sensitivity, but they were no more than beginner apprentices.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Let alone venturing deep into the forest, even encountering a low-tier beast would be beyond their ability to handle. The disappearance of the hunting team had clearly cut off the village's only food source.

  At least now, Ryan had gained some standing among the villagers. After all, he had brought back enough Flamefang Beast meat to feed everyone, breaking their long hunger. It was no exaggeration to say he had saved most of the village.

  "Thank you, Village Chief. Please take care on your way back," Ryan said with a polite smile, watching Barret turn to leave.

  "Don't be so formal!" Barret waved his hand dismissively but suddenly turned back after a few steps, his expression curious."By the way, who's that woman earlier? She doesn't look like anyone from around here."

  "Oh, her?" Ryan replied casually."I found her lost in the forest. She's a mage, but her magic energy's depleted. I brought her back so she could recover. I'll arrange a place for her to stay soon."

  At that, Barret's expression grew a little odd as he gave Ryan a once-over.

  No wonder the young man had specifically asked for an empty cabin—so it was for the sake of that woman.

  Still, remembering how the hut had been destroyed by a sword of ice earlier, it didn't seem like the two had gotten along very well.

  Under Barret's probing gaze, Ryan felt uncomfortable and forced a stiff laugh."Village Chief, it's getting late. You should head back and rest."

  He was terrified Barret might keep asking questions and imagine something absurd.

  Barret chuckled knowingly."Young folks' business is yours to handle," he said, before finally walking off into the night.

  Watching Barret's silhouette fade into the darkness, Ryan exhaled in relief, then turned and walked toward Evelyn.

  Keeping a respectful two-step distance, he asked,"Are you planning to sit out here all night?"

  Evelyn didn't answer. Her eyes stayed closed, hands poised in the familiar gesture of spell study, blue frost glimmering faintly between her fingers. Clearly, she had no intention of acknowledging him.

  Ryan had expected this and patiently tried again."Why not come sleep in my cabin? It's warmer than sitting here in the cold."

  The moment he said that, Evelyn's eyes snapped open, fixing on him with a piercing glare. The air around her thickened with cold energy, as if she might strike him down at any second."What trick are you trying to pull now?"

  "I'm not trying anything!" Ryan stammered, instinctively taking a half-step back.

  "I just think… if you sit out here all night, everyone in the village will see. They're already afraid of you. If they see you like a stray child with nowhere to stay, they might misunderstand even more."

  That line came straight from what Ryan had learned from【Grimoire】.

  Evelyn, abandoned by her parents as a child on the frozen plains, had been discovered by the previous head of the Glacial Arcana Academy, who took her in as an apprentice because of her rare ice-element talent.

  Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Evelyn's pupils contracted slightly, and her fingers tensed. She stayed silent for a long moment, then slowly stood up. She didn't speak, but her actions made her answer clear.

  Ryan's heart lifted. It seemed his words had worked.

  He had always known that beneath Evelyn's icy exterior lay a powerful sense of pride—she would never allow herself to be pitied.

  "Shall we go then?" Ryan asked cautiously.

  Turning toward the cabins, he started walking. He could feel Evelyn following behind him, keeping a steady two-step distance.

  Evelyn had no idea that besides this cabin, there were three more left behind by the hunting team, all just as clean and well-kept.

  And so, Ryan's little trick had successfully led her into what appeared to be the only vacant cabin.

  As soon as she stepped inside, Evelyn's gaze suddenly fell on Ryan's profile. Her brows drew together slightly before she spoke on her own initiative."You look a little familiar."

  The words struck Ryan like a bolt of lightning. His heart began to pound wildly, his fingers instinctively tightening. Could it be that Evelyn remembered him?

  Images of his deaths from the past eight lifetimes flashed rapidly through his mind, and he even tensed, ready to flee if needed.

  "But I can't quite recall," Evelyn murmured, frowning even deeper. Her eyes held pure confusion.

  She studied Ryan's face for a moment, but her mind only offered a vague, mist-covered silhouette. No matter how she tried, she couldn't grasp the exact features.

  Ryan exhaled in quiet relief, quickly putting on an expression of mild surprise, his tone carrying just the right amount of simple sincerity.

  "How could that be? I've never left this village since I was born. I hardly ever even go beyond the forest's edge. You must be mistaken! Maybe I just look ordinary, like someone you once met?"

  As he spoke, he scratched his head awkwardly, deliberately playing the part of an uneasy villager.

  He knew well that after Evelyn's Arcane Core Reconstruction, her memories would suffer temporary disarray. In particular, fragments related to"death" or"battle" would be subconsciously suppressed.

  Besides, in his past two lives he had always used disguise magic. It was no wonder she couldn't clearly recall his true face.

  "Is that so?" Evelyn muttered softly, though the doubt in her eyes didn't completely fade.

  She had lived tens of thousands of years, her memory sharper than any mortal's, yet for some reason, Ryan's face carried a peculiar sense of familiarity.

  Maybe she really was mistaken. Evelyn sighed inwardly and suppressed her unease.

  In her long life, there were few people she truly remembered: the Headmistress who had taken her in, and the man who had once kissed her on the battlefield.

  But that man had long since perished under her own magic.

  Seeing Evelyn drop the subject, Ryan silently thanked his luck and hurried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

  Pretending to glance around the cabin, he put on a troubled expression."It seems there's only one bed here."

  Evelyn shot him a cold look, seeing straight through his clumsy act. Her voice was calm."I can sleep on the floor."

  She was already prepared to endure hardship. In her current state, she couldn't even maintain the simplest magical defense barrier, so just having shelter from the wind and rain was good enough.

  "That won't do!" Ryan immediately put on a firm expression.

  "You're a guest, and a lady at that. I can't let you sleep on the floor. You take the bed. I'll lay down some hay and sleep on the ground."

  Evelyn paused for a moment, slightly taken aback. She had assumed Ryan would take the chance to suggest they share the bed, especially after all his earlier attempts to seem close to her.

  Yet instead, he offered to sleep on the ground himself—completely at odds with the scheming impression she had of him.

  "Grimoire, how's that move?" Ryan asked smugly in his mind.

  "This is called reverse psychology. Make her think I have ulterior motives, then back off first. That way she'll see me as a proper gentleman and lower her guard."

  【That was brilliant!】Grimoire's voice was filled with admiration.