Yukinoshita Yukino's piercing, focused gaze was naturally noticed by Leon and the others.
Seeing the brilliant light in Yukino's eyes and the undeniable affection she was struggling to hide, everyone looked at each other in surprise.
"I say, Yukino, you haven't actually fallen for that little fellow, have you?"
Leon blinked and asked aloud.
He suddenly remembered that while Yukinoshita Yukino had a cold personality and was solitary and difficult to get along with, she seemed to be a massive cat lover...?
The favorite animal of this "Winter Flower" of Sobu High was, if he recalled correctly, a cat.
Sure enough, Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly spoke with absolute certainty.
"I want to choose it as my familiar."
In her eyes, there was no longer anything in the world except that kitten.
"Are you sure?" Although Leon had already guessed as much, he confirmed once more, saying, "I had actually picked out a very powerful existence to be your familiar, you know?"
When he heard that Yukinoshita Yukino wanted a familiar with relatively high combat power, Leon had already locked onto a target for her.
It was a Frost Dragon residing in the heart of the Familiar Forest.
Whenever combat power was mentioned, dragons were the inevitable first choice. After all, they were a race famous for their immense strength. The Frost Dragon Leon had selected was an outsider that had arrived in this forest over a decade ago. It was said to possess considerable strength; upon arrival, it had seized a small territory in the center of the forest and transformed it into a frozen tundra with a single frost breath, deterring many magical beasts from approaching.
According to the intelligence Leon had gathered, that Frost Dragon was at least comparable to a High-class Devil, and wasn't even considered weak among them.
With Yukinoshita Yukino's current strength, if she used all her methods, it wasn't impossible for her to defeat and subdue it.
With himself nearby to provide backup, there was no harm in trying.
If they succeeded, the Eligos Peerage would gain the combat power of a High-class Devil. Plus, since the dragon shared an elemental affinity with Yukino, they might achieve a "one plus one is greater than two" effect in battle.
Considering this, Leon had set the Frost Dragon as the primary target, prepared for a big fight.
But if Yukino wanted this Ice Spirit as her familiar, they would have to give up on the Frost Dragon.
There was no helping it; Yukino was still a newborn Devil. Even with her outstanding talent, as someone who had just entered the supernatural world, it would be difficult for her to control multiple familiars at once.
Yuuki Asuna and Kasumigaoka Utaha were in the same situation. All three were rookies; it was best not to overextend. It was better to contract one familiar for now and wait until they were more accustomed to things before seeking more.
Therefore, for this trip, Yukino had to choose one or the other: either this Ice Spirit or the powerful Frost Dragon.
Compared to dragons, ice-attribute spirits were relatively rare—completely different from the common fire, water, or earth spirits—but the spirit race itself was not known for outstanding combat power. In terms of pure strength, it couldn't even begin to compare to a dragon.
Leon probed slightly and found that this Ice Spirit's aura was roughly at the level of a Middle-class Devil. Its strength was likely even a bit weaker than Yukino without her Sacred Gear, let alone compared to Yukino using it.
It was naturally much stronger than ordinary familiars with no combat ability, but if it were to help Yukino in battle, it would likely only be useful in low-tier fights.
"I'll take this one."
Yukino, however, didn't hesitate for a second, looking as though she had set her heart on this Ice Spirit.
What was combat power?
Could you eat it?
How could a bulky, rough creature like a dragon compare to a cute kitten?
As a qualified cat lover, Yukino simply threw her previous requirements to the back of her mind. She only wanted the cat in front of her.
Even though Leon had said it only looked like a cat and was actually a spirit, she didn't care. As long as it was cute, that was enough.
"...Fine then."
Seeing that Yukino had already had her soul snatched away by the kitten, Leon felt speechless and let out a sigh.
"Though it can't compare to a Frost Dragon right now, an Ice Spirit does match your attribute perfectly. If you cultivate it carefully, it's not impossible for it to surpass that dragon in the future."
That was the good thing about spirits—their attributes were distinct, they were born of nature, and they were heavily influenced by their environment. If Yukino consistently provided it with high-quality frigid energy every day, the spirit would inevitably experience a massive surge in power.
This was the easiest kind of familiar to raise. They didn't eat food or meat; they could practically go without eating at all. As long as you gave them something compatible with their attribute, they would assist you indefinitely.
On the other hand, the Frost Dragon was strong, but it was still a dragon. It would probably devour countless meals of meat a day. It was undoubtedly one of the hardest creatures to maintain.
Thinking about it that way, Leon actually felt that Yukino's choice wasn't bad.
"You've memorized the contract method, right?"
Leon made one last confirmation.
"Of course."
Yukino nodded without hesitation.
She had practically finished reading every book in the estate's study; she had naturally memorized the familiar contract method. Not to mention, Leon had specifically taught everyone the method again before they set out.
"Then go ahead." Leon didn't intend to interfere, saying, "It was attracted by your power, so if it's you, you should be able to approach it and complete the contract without scaring it away."
Upon hearing this, Yukino, who was already impatient, immediately walked toward the Ice Spirit.
The Ice Spirit's pair of ice-blue eyes remained fixed on Yukino. Seeing her approach, it didn't move at all, just quietly waiting for her.
Yukino was nearly won over by this aloof posture. Her movements became cautious as she slowly walked up to the spirit. Like she was afraid of startling it, every action was deliberate and careful.
Finally, Yukino slowly reached out her hand. Under the tense gazes of the group, she touched the Ice Spirit's body.
At this contact, Yukino felt the weight of Leon's earlier words even more.
Because compared to a normal cat, the Ice Spirit didn't feel fluffy at all. The sensation against Yukino's hand was like touching a block of very cold ice—cold enough to cause frostbite to an ordinary person.
This proved that the creature before her was indeed not a cat, but a genuine Spirit of Ice.
However, as the wielder of "Eternal Ice Princess," Yukino didn't dislike this cold; instead, she felt a sense of kinship.
She believed the other party felt the same, which was why it sat there so quietly, allowing her to approach and stroke it.
Yukino petted the Ice Spirit for quite a while before reluctantly withdrawing her hand and standing up.
"In the name of Yukinoshita Yukino, I command you: become my familiar and respond to the contract—"
In the next second, Yukino suddenly released her magic power, manifesting a green glowing magic circle that enveloped the Ice Spirit.
This was the familiar contract ritual. The difficulty level wasn't high, and the magic power required to deploy the ritual circle was negligible. Even a recently reincarnated Low-class Devil could master it quickly—unless they were like the Red Dragon Emperor from the original story, whose internal magic was so weak he couldn't even perform a magic circle jump.
Yukino's magic power was undeniably a standout even among Middle-class Devils, and wasn't far off from the level of a High-class Devil. She had been studying and mastering her demonic power constantly, so naturally, she wouldn't fail at a small familiar contract ritual.
With Yukino's ability, even if the Ice Spirit showed resistance or tried to struggle, she should have been able to force the contract through.
To everyone's surprise, the Ice Spirit just sat there motionlessly, watching Yukino, with no intention of resisting at all.
Thus, the contract was successfully completed. The green magic circle suddenly shrank and turned into a small mark, flying into the Ice Spirit's body.
Yukino felt an invisible connection form between herself and the little fellow. The Ice Spirit's eyes finally showed a ripple of emotion as it looked at Yukino, and then it leaped into her arms to be held.
"It's a success!"
Yukino both breathed a sigh of relief and showed a face full of joy.
This was the first time she had been so visibly expressive, completely breaking her usual cold impression. It made everyone realize that the girl before them was, in fact, just a seventeen-year-old teenager.
"Congratulations, Yukinoshita."
"Congratulations."
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Yuuki Asuna came forward to offer their congratulations one after another.
"Thank you."
Holding the ice cat, Yukino replied with a bit of embarrassment.
Utaha and Asuna wanted to pet the Ice Spirit too. The creature didn't refuse, but the frigid air it carried instantly numbed the fingers the two girls had just extended, causing them both to gasp at the same time.
Leon, however, petted the ice cat with a normal expression, completely ignoring the cold.
As an existence about to be promoted to an Ultimate-class Devil, and as the wielder of "Zenith Tempest" which could dominate any natural element, Leon could even neutralize the cold emitted by Yukino herself, let alone the chill from a small Ice Spirit.
"Since we don't need to look for the Frost Dragon anymore, we won't continue forward. Let's go to the next destination."
Leon decisively changed course and walked in another direction.
"Where are we going next?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha asked as she caught up.
"A habitat for a group of Pixies."
Leon didn't hide it and answered directly.
Pixies, also known as Fairies, were supernatural creatures from Western folklore that were small in stature, shaped like young girls, and possessed wings.
They usually inhabited forests and were existences that could be sensed by animals but could avoid human sight. They were only slightly larger than insects, transparent in color, and possessed butterfly wings and antennae. They were very beautiful creatures.
"Pixies can also adjust their size to look like adult humans. They are very suitable for assisting Devils with their work."
Leon's words practically told everyone outright that this was the target he had chosen for Yuuki Asuna.
Asuna immediately began to look forward to it as well.