21
On a road slightly removed from the city center, a car cruised at a moderate speed.
“This job is damn easy, big bro.
Someone else set the stage for us, I just had to unleash a spell on the operation room and boom—two hundred grand in my pocket.”
“It’s big money because of the person we messed with, after all.”
“Ha, that Ice Witch is just a little lady who can manage a bit of magic.
Never seen her in any magic duels anywhere.
Wonder if that title [The Strongest Ice Sorcerer in the country Tier] is even legit.
I think the Cofords just want a foothold in the shadow society, so they spun up some fame.”
“Hmm,” the senior man didn’t object, clearly he entertained the notion since he didn’t think the Ice Witch was particularly skilled either.
Here in the city of Chiang, the reputation of the Ice Witch stood out considerably.
While her family lacked power, her personal renown wasn’t diminished.
But what frustrated other magicians was their inability to witness the Ice Witch’s battles firsthand.
Normally, senior sorcerers don’t flaunt their skills frequently, but it seemed the younger mages didn’t consider the Ice Witch as one of their elders.
In their eyes, she was a sorcerer with more fame than them, despite not showing off her abilities.
Her achievements were just tales from those who had been to the magical world before.
Obviously, Kariette didn’t participate in any magic duels because of Eris.
It was common knowledge that the Ice Witch had a child with an unknown father.
Only a handful in the sorcerer community knew with whom she had the child.
In reality, most sorcerers only knew that Ashura and the Ice Witch were old companions.
Only a few close friends were aware that they had been lovers.
To outsiders, the Ice Witch seemed to tarnish her reputation by having a child with some unknown man.
Her reputation in the community was deteriorating, and without showcasing her powers to the younger mages, it was no wonder her respect was getting undermined.
“Big bro, there’s a car tailing us.”
“Oh…daring to challenge me on this road?
What car is it to be so audacious!
Doesn’t know about Marco bursting tires, does it?”
“I recognize this car.
Lightning Queen T2500, a 2-liter engine with turbo and supercharge, 372 horsepower, and a maximum torque of 474 Newton-meters.
It’s the only one in the region.
God help us!
It’s not just the only one in Tier but in the whole region, and its owner must be filthy rich.”
“Do you remember who owns the car?
If it’s someone important, we might get a chance to save face, maybe even suck up to some big shot.”
“I can’t remember.
Let me check.” The subordinate fished out his phone, tapped for a moment, then found the answer.
“The Coford family.”
“Oh…
the Cofords.”
Hold on.
The conspiring brothers looked at each other.
Damn it!
Weren’t the Cofords the family of the Ice Witch?
They waited until they reached a brightly lit area.
Both pairs of eyes focused on the rearview mirror, until the light inside the car revealed a woman driving.
Her exquisite face, comparable to none, with white hair like snow was unmistakable!
“Damn it!
How did the Ice Witch catch up with us?”
“Big bro, you erased our tracks, didn’t you?”
“I did, meticulously!
How the hell did she find us?
And who’s that man with her?
It must be him!
He’s got to have some advanced tracking spell, otherwise, how could he follow us?”
“You’re the one who’s losing his touch.
Who could trace us so effectively?
It hasn’t even been an hour and she’s already on our tail.
Crazy!”
“I don’t know.
We just gotta run!” The older one floored the accelerator, pushing the speed to its limits.
“Looks like they’ve noticed us,” Gavin remarked to the woman in the driver’s seat.
“My car is too conspicuous,” Kariette shook her head.
Who had the idea to give her a unique car in the region?
“Your car, really?
How could a lady like you afford it?
It’s the only one in the region.
Your family deals in mining, not oil wells.
How many hundreds of thousands can you possibly spare for snacks?” Gavin teased with a grin.
“Actually, it’s Eris’s car.
Augus, your fan, sent it when Eris turned one, saying she should drive it for fun in the future.
But the child is still too young, so I commandeered it for myself.”
“…” Gavin looked at her.
Saying it was the parent’s car would still be better than claiming it was your daughter’s.
Do you have no shame, seizing your child’s property?
Even if she was just three now, may she reclaim it from you in floods of tears in the future.
Gavin felt he was understanding his ex less and less as years passed.
The car ahead gradually increased the gap, while Kariette’s speed remained constant.
“Aren’t we chasing them anymore?
It’s dangerous ahead, the road goes downhill.”
“Let them get ahead.”
The message was clear: she even if…
At this moment, the two men, aware of their recent misdeeds against her, were fully alert.
Doubting the Ice Witch’s capabilities didn’t mean they weren’t afraid of retaliation, especially after what they had just done.
They floored the gas, desperate to escape.
Regrettably, this was a downhill road, narrow and winding.
They could only shake her off with superior speed, but their powerful car was no match for her high-end vehicle, one of the top ten in the world for engine power.
“Big bro, it’s gone from the rearview mirror.”
“Huh!?
They’re not following us anymore?”
“Guess not.
Why would they bother?”
Doubt crept into their minds, and their worry didn’t dissipate, prompting them to accelerate to widen the distance.
But eventually, they didn’t see even a shadow of the car behind.
“Maybe they really gave up?”
“Big bro, we’re only halfway down the hill.
Let’s speed away once we reach the descent.
I have a bad feeling.”
“Agreed.” The two accomplices were in unison.
But just then, a screeching sound echoed across the mountain, and their mirror revealed bright car lights before a shadow veered sharply from around the bend, making them pale.
“Shit!
Taking the curve that fast, isn’t she afraid of rolling down the hill?”
“Big bro!
She just grinded along the guardrail.
She must be insane!”
“Such skillful drifting, isn’t she afraid of death?
No, isn’t she afraid of the law?
This is a public road, damn it!”
Both were startled.
Kariette’s driving speed was exceptional, and her handling seemed almost professional.
She maneuvered the car as if it were an extension of her own limbs, but that wasn’t solely due to her driving skill—it was also her magic at play.
Kariette’s forte was ice magic.
She was nationally renowned for her prowess in ice magic, adept at controlling humidity and temperature.
Her secondary strength was magic related to manipulation and analysis.
Kariette’s car engine, enhanced by magic, had to perform beyond its usual capabilities.
Even a slight boost in power meant an incremental increase in speed every second, leaving no chance for those two fools outside to escape from her.
They had been given a taste of prolonging their life.
This was the minor mercy the Ice Witch chose to grant them.
“Big bro!
It’s tailgating us now!”
“Damn it!
It’s going to hit us, it’s going to hit—Aargh!” The older man screamed as Kariette revved the engine, its roar pressuring the other car, causing them to sweat profusely.
If they slowed down, a collision was imminent.
They cursed her, questioning her fearlessness about damaging her luxury car.
If Kariette could reply, she might say,
‘My car is coated with ice.
A little bump won’t scratch it a bit.’
She gently tapped their car’s rear with her ice bumper, startling both men.
“Damn it!
Why is she harassing us like this?”
“Because we meddled with her.”
“We need to negotiate.
If there’s an accident, we’re doomed.” The older brother decided, blinking his rear lights and slowing down.
Kariette read their decision and also reduced her speed.
Both cars stopped in a forested area down the hill.
The two burly men stepped out with bravado, but their confidence waned upon seeing Gavin and Kariette exit their car.
“Ice Witch, I challenge you,” the younger one declared.
“…”
“What’s the matter?
Scared?
So, you aren’t that brave after all.”
Thump!
A fist-sized ice chunk slammed into his head unexpectedly, knocking him down swiftly.
The older man gaped in shock.
Don’t you have any dignity?
Sorcerers should engage in a magic duel.
You didn’t even agree to fight before knocking down my companion.
“Ice Witch, you have no honor.”
“Am I supposed to honor someone who dared harm my people?” Kariette looked disdainfully at the man before her.
He realized there was no negotiating.
“Ice Witch, let me go.
Otherwise, my boss’s gang will hound you for sure.”
“Do you think I’m afraid?”
“You should be.
Our gang, the Venomous Cobras, look at our proud tattoo.
If you harm us further, it won’t end well for you.
We have over two hundred members and dozens of sorcerers.
You can’t take us all on.”
“Venomous Cobras, I’ll remember that name,” Kariette raised her hands, beginning an incantation.
Ice slowly materialized into a sharp spear mid-air.
The man paled.
“Aren’t you listening, Ice Witch?”
“I’m listening,” Kariette replied, not halting her imminent action.
With a flick of her wrist, dozens of ice spears launched at her enemy.
“Damn it!
Lightning, answer my call!” The man conjured a thunder spell, believing its destructive power and speed would surpass ice.
However, his hope soon turned to despair.
The lightning and ice spears clashed, but instead of the ice being destroyed by the lightning’s heat, the lightning was absorbed into the ice spears themselves!
‘Impossible!’ The man’s heart sank as the first spear pierced his body, while others pinned him down.
Ice that lightning couldn’t damage…
What kind of ice was this?
“Did you think mere lightning could defeat my ice magic?” Kariette’s voice was chilling.
She knew the fatal weakness of ice magic well: heat attacks.
Yet, she developed a special type of ice that could absorb thermal energy for her use.
She spent twenty years in the magical world perfecting it.
Just a few years of magic training, and these fools thought they could defeat her?
Clearly, they hadn’t researched her capabilities.
“It seems like a well-organized operation,” Gavin noted.
“Hmm…”
“Satisfied with this?”
“No,” Kariette instantly replied, adding,
“They dared to undermine me, challenged my family.
They might even kidnap Eris in the future.”
“…”
Gavin was initially just there to witness minor retribution, but hearing this, his perspective shifted.
‘I won’t allow any scum to cling to my daughter’s life.’
Kariette was right.
If they dared confront her directly, they might do it again.
Why not eradicate the problem completely for peace of mind?
Gavin reached for his phone.
“Hello, buddy.
Yes, I made it.
Are you free today?
We’ve got a gang that messed with the Ice Witch.
Yes, it’s just the two of us going to have some fun.
What’s that?
You’re in a meeting…
Okay, see you in two hours.
Bring the car and equipment.” Once the call ended, both he and Kariette looked down at the man surrounded by ice spears, instilling dread, as if he was living a nightmare.
“Before Faker arrives, let’s make him spill the location of their hideout.”
“Hmm,” Kariette nodded, extending her hands to cast corrosive ice magic.
Besides driving, the interrogation was her forte.
The fool and the brave should repent for meddling with her people.
The corrosive ice slowly tortured the man, feeling like thousands of needles piercing every second.
He screamed out for help.
“Help!!”
In addition to the acidic ice, Kariette had numerous tricks up her sleeve that were unspeakable.
Importantly, she could stop the bleeding, so she didn’t worry about him dying from blood loss.
Once he fainted, she’d awaken the other who dared challenge her to face his fate.
The Cobras gang was doomed to fall that night.
Read ‘The Return of Asura Who Suddenly Becomes a Father’ before anyone else with more chapters at http://www.jinovel.com/en