“Huh?”
“My goodness.”
Rok and the Servants froze at the sight before them.
The unfocused eyes of the Deathfrost Dragon that had nested in the mine and caused such devastation were staring directly at them.
“…!??? Thank you!”
Only then did Rok grasp the reality of the situation and bow respectfully.
He had never expected Young Master Rodos to actually subjugate the Deathfrost Dragon.
No matter how much he thought about it, it was difficult to believe, but the Deathfrost Dragon’s severed head forced him to accept that this was real.
“Thank you so much. If not for you, Young Master, our territory would have been reduced to poverty!”
Rodos ignored his excitement and said what he had come to say.
“As stipulated by the mission, I have subjugated the Deathfrost Dragon. I will take its carcass and the subjugation spoils.”
“Of course. What are all of you standing around for? Prepare a banquet!”
Rok raised his voice and ordered the Servants to begin preparations.
However, Rodos grabbed Rok by the shoulder and spoke.
“I must decline. I will be leaving immediately.”
“You are truly leaving right away? You could rest here first. We have the finest accommodations prepared.”
“I have much to do.”
Rodos refused firmly.
“You resolved a calamity that threatened our territory, yet I feel I have failed to properly receive you as its lord.”
Rok could not hide his disappointment.
The Rodos before him was nothing like the frail Young Master he had heard about in rumors.
He was a capable warrior who had returned after severing the Deathfrost Dragon’s head in a single stroke.
Rok wanted to establish a connection with someone like him.
‘He is worth investing in.’
Rok was a merchant at heart.
Investing in something with future value was only natural.
He handed Rodos a small box.
“It is modest, but please accept this as a token of my gratitude.”
Inside the box was a ring shimmering with a mysterious light.
“It was made from a Cold Mana Stone produced in this territory. I believe it will prove useful.”
However, Rodos shook his head.
Now that he possessed the Essence of Cold, he had no need for anything else.
‘Nothing good will come from getting unnecessarily entangled with him.’
Rok’s actions were not motivated purely by gratitude.
He clearly wanted to create a connection through patronage.
‘The nobles who came to the North were the same. They wanted warriors they could use as mercenaries whenever necessary.’
Rodos had no desire to become entangled in the House’s complicated politics.
Such things would only interfere with his path toward greater heights.
“I will accept the sentiment.”
“I hope we meet again someday.”
Rok bowed with lingering regret.
Rodos stepped onto the Teleportation Magic Circle and vanished in a brilliant flash of light.
***
At the House’s Teleportation Magic Circle.
Kshar was waiting there.
He had received word that the Head of the House, who had gone to the Empire, would soon be returning.
At that moment, the Magic Circle flashed.
‘He has arrived.’
Kshar prepared himself to receive Marcos.
However, the people standing atop the Teleportation Magic Circle were Rodos and an Apprentice Knight whose name Kshar did not know.
“It has been a while.”
Rodos greeted him calmly.
His body looked no different from usual, but his clothes and equipment were covered in scratches and cracks, as though he had just emerged from a fierce battle.
“You have worked hard.”
Kshar bowed.
Rodos had undoubtedly returned after successfully completing his mission.
Although Kshar’s expression remained unchanged, inwardly he was surprised.
‘To think he has already completed the mission.’
Kshar was impressed.
He had expected Rodos to succeed eventually, regardless of how long it took.
But to return after completing the mission this quickly….
He wondered how the Head of the House would react.
“You did well, Richard.”
“I should be thanking you.”
Richard offered the formal respects of a Knight in gratitude before leaving for the Training Grounds.
“Where is the Head of the House? Let us go to him.”
Rodos gestured toward Kshar with his chin.
However, Kshar shook his head.
“There is no need. The Head of the House will be arriving shortly as well. He has finished his schedule in the Empire and has just departed.”
FLASH!
The moment Kshar finished speaking, the Magic Circle flashed and Marcos appeared.
“Greetings, Head of the House.”
Kshar paid his respects to Marcos.
Rodos immediately bowed as well.
Marcos looked down at Rodos with a cold gaze.
“What is it?”
“I have completed my mission and came to report.”
“Oh?”
Could it be…?
He had never expected that frail boy to finish his mission and return this quickly.
A faint trace of interest passed through Marcos’s eyes.
“Show me the proof.”
At Marcos’s request, Rodos took something from a sack and placed it on the floor.
THUD!
The Deathfrost Dragon’s head struck the ground with a heavy sound.
“As required by the mission, I subjugated the Deathfrost Dragon occupying the Glaci Mountains. This is its head.”
“…….”
Marcos did not answer.
He carefully examined the Deathfrost Dragon’s head.
It had not been severed with magic.
It was obvious that Rodos had cut it off with the two axes strapped to his back.
“Impressive. You have produced results twice now.”
Even at Marcos’s praise, Rodos remained motionless with his head bowed.
Unlike before, he did not openly display his emotions.
It seemed the boy was finally becoming somewhat useful.
“You completed the mission successfully, so I should give you the promised reward.”
Marcos snapped his fingers, and a palm-sized token appeared above his hand.
Kshar moved quickly and received it.
“A Gold Token. Use it as you see fit.”
“Thank you.”
With that, Marcos left.
“Please remember that this is a Gold Token and use it with due consideration.”
Kshar offered Rodos a word of advice as he handed over the Gold Token.
Rodos accepted it and tucked it inside his clothes.
He had no intention of using it immediately.
He did not yet know the full extent of what could be obtained with this token.
There was no need to rush.
He could observe the situation a little longer before deciding how to use it.
‘Something else comes first.’
After putting away the Gold Token, Rodos quickly moved on.
The House was quiet.
Most of the Young Masters and Young Ladies were away carrying out their missions.
Only the Servants moved busily about, maintaining the buildings and gardens.
“What? He is already back?”
“Someone said they saw the Head of the House give him a token.”
“Then he completed the mission.”
“Young Master Rodos completed a Gold Mission? Is this actually real?”
The Servants whispered when they saw Rodos, but he ignored them and headed toward his room.
***
After firmly locking his door, Rodos moved the furniture to one side.
He did not want the spreading Cold Energy to damage anything.
After clearing a small space in his room, Rodos sat down on the floor and took out the Essence of Cold.
At the same time, the memories belonging to his current body surfaced.
‘Something even Mages consider precious.’
The Essence of Cold.
Essences were so difficult to obtain that even Mages specializing in Cold-Attribute Magic rarely possessed one.
If installed in a Magic Staff, it could dramatically increase the effectiveness of Cold-Attribute Magic.
To Mages who would gladly spend a fortune for even a one-percent improvement in efficiency, Elemental Essences were materials akin to an ideal treasure.
Of course, they were dangerous.
Each Elemental Essence granted tremendous power, but the danger it carried was equally great.
Because they consisted of highly concentrated elemental energy, mishandling one could cause a catastrophic accident.
It was commonly believed that the human body could not withstand Cold Energy.
One would mutate like a Deathfrost Dragon and remain frozen for the rest of one’s life.
Yet Rodos picked up the Essence of Cold with practiced ease.
Cold Energy spread outward, covering the surroundings in frost.
The right hand holding the Essence became painfully numb from the cold.
‘This will be the second time.’
This was the second time Rodos had swallowed an Essence of Cold.
He had already swallowed one in the past, during his days as the Great Warrior.
‘Although I had no idea what I was doing back then.’
Of course, that time had been an accident.
A vicious chill had engulfed Rodos, and he had spent an entire month hovering between life and death before finally recovering.
‘But thanks to that, I gained the ability to wield the power of cold.’
It had not merely brought him close to death.
Afterward, he had become capable of controlling cold.
That was why he intended to swallow the Essence of Cold again.
There was no inherently bad power in the world.
What mattered was how that power was used.
Without hesitation, Rodos brought the Essence of Cold to his mouth.
‘I have Life Force now.’
There was one difference from the past.
Rodos’s current body overflowed with Life Force.
The Life Force would protect him from the vicious cold.
Rodos placed the Essence of Cold in his mouth and swallowed.
GULP.
The moment he swallowed the Essence, the intense cold made his head ache.
Mist began rising from his entire body, and ice started spreading outward from his chest.
“!”
Life Force immediately surged forth and enveloped Rodos’s body.
A warm breeze seemed to flow through him, restoring warmth.
However, the Cold Energy responded by releasing an even more intense chill.
Rodos frowned at the piercing cold spreading throughout his body.
‘There is no growth without pain.’
Rodos gritted his teeth and endured.
The cold traveled through his blood vessels and spread from the top of his head to the tips of his feet.
Frost formed across his skin, and each breath he exhaled released a bitter chill.
Rodos could feel it.
He was rapidly approaching the limit of what he could endure.
The instant the cold began freezing his heart, white energy flowed from Rodos’s body.
It was Aether.
‘Not bad.’
The Aether ignited and began thawing Rodos’s body.
He immediately felt more comfortable.
The Aether was protecting him.
“!”
Of course, it was still painful.
But it was pain he could endure.
At that moment, the world before Rodos changed.
He found himself standing in the snowy field where he had fought the Deathfrost Dragon the day before.
An illusion had unfolded around him.
‘Interesting.’
Rodos did not panic.
Had the same thing not happened when he consumed the Horn of the Divine Beast?
“SKREEEEEE!”
Sure enough, an illusion of the Deathfrost Dragon roared at him.
‘Let us finish this quickly.’
Without hesitation, Rodos charged toward the illusion.
“SKREE!”
The Deathfrost Dragon charged as well, but Rodos easily avoided its teeth and claws before swinging his tomahawk.
SLASH!
With a single swing, Rodos split the Deathfrost Dragon in half.
At the same moment, a soothing sensation washed over him, and he opened his eyes.
It was morning.
‘Refreshing.’
Rodos felt a pleasant coolness circulating throughout his body.
The power of cold had become a part of him and was now flowing through his body alongside his blood.
Rodos focused his mind.
At his will, Cold Energy flowed outward, and frost spread throughout the room.
CRACK.
The glass sitting on the table could not withstand the cold and shattered.
Rodos nodded in satisfaction.
The power of cold now responding to his will would prove useful in battle.
***
As the sun began to rise that morning, Rodos headed toward the Training Grounds.
He wanted to practice controlling the power of cold he had acquired the previous day.
“HAH!”
“HYAH!”
The Knights were training at the Training Grounds, swinging their swords.
Richard was standing in one corner.
His expression remained indifferent, but his sword strikes had become noticeably sharper.
‘Richard will do.’
With that thought, Rodos exchanged greetings with Igrun, who was observing the training.
“I am back.”
“So you are. Good morning.”
Igrun greeted him with a slight nod.
He did not bother asking about the mission.
Richard’s condition told him more or less everything he needed to know.
They could discuss the details at their leisure later.
“Are you here to train?”
“That’s right. But I would like to train with Richard.”
“Go ahead.”
Igrun readily nodded.
Rodos had not only returned Richard unharmed but had even helped him grow.
As Knight Commander, granting something this minor was the least Igrun could do.
“Thank you.”
After expressing his gratitude, Rodos walked over to Richard and spoke without preamble.
“Richard, starting today, you will train with me.”
“What? Knight Commander, is this really happening?”
Richard grimaced and looked toward Igrun as though asking what in the world Rodos was talking about.
‘Good luck.’
Igrun answered only with a smile.
Richard looked up at the clear sky.
Clouds drifted peacefully overhead.
After everything he had endured, he had planned to take things easy for a while….
But now that he had caught Rodos’s eye, there was no escape.
“Raise your sword.”
Rodos grabbed Richard by the shoulder as he spoke.
“Understood! So please let go of me—AAAAAGH!”
Richard’s scream echoed throughout the Training Grounds.