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Chapter 50
The administrator asked cautiously.
“Your Grace… there’s ice forming around you… are you alright?”
“…Do you hope I am?”
“Eh? Oh! Of course, Your Grace!”
They had recently conducted a thorough search to root out internal spies. Zephyrus, having reacted instinctively, overcompensated to assert his innocence, mistaking the question as part of that investigation.
“You must live long so I can continue my work! Your Grace must stay healthy and live long!”
“Exactly!”
“That ice! I don’t know why it forms, but surely Your Grace can stop it. You’re preventing it even now, right?”
All the administrators working in the mansion had signed agreements to remain silent about the mysterious happenings inside. This meant they didn’t know Zephyrus was cursed.
Sometimes, or rather often, strange freezes began near the Duke’s chamber. Seeing that the ice didn’t spread, they simply assumed he was stopping it.
The young administrator, inspired by Zephyrus’s presence, continued.
“So this is why Your Grace can confidently conduct meetings. Surely the ice in the mansion will occur less often now! All thanks to Clemens—”
“Nathan!”
The young administrator, Nathan, immediately snapped his mouth shut.
After glancing at Zephyrus and seeing his expression wasn’t bad, he timidly continued.
“I just wanted to say I’m glad Clemens came to the North, even if a little late.”
Zephyrus gave Nathan a dignified glance, then turned his attention back to the documents.
“Let’s continue the meeting.”
With the Duke regaining composure, the meeting returned to its original course.
After a long discussion, the Duke spoke.
“If you think of anything further, don’t hesitate to speak up. Your combined wisdom is what will protect Pruiina.”
For those who had exhausted themselves thinking, the Duke’s acknowledgment was a sweet reward.
For Nathan, who had only recently arrived, this single word of praise felt especially meaningful.
‘No more rumors about His Grace changing drastically, falling ill, or already being dead!’
Nathan had secretly kept that rumor in mind, just in case.
In reality, Zephyrus had been the one suppressing the mansion’s mysterious ice. He could now show himself because Clemens, with her warm body, had arrived.
There was no doubt that Clemens was helping the Duke to block the mysterious ice.
‘Since then, the mansion freezing has become rare. Almost nonexistent!’
Nathan thought as he looked at Zephyrus.
Being indoors, his skin was even paler than the average Northern person. His silver hair shone in the light, almost sacred in appearance. His cold voice contrasted with the honest, sincere gaze!
Even as a man, one could be captivated by his presence.
As the meeting ended and they headed out, Nathan asked the senior administrators.
“Was the previous Duke’s appearance really as impressive as this?”
“Not just appearance—he excelled in all ways.”
The senior administrator glanced around quickly and whispered to Nathan.
“Even though Your Grace is battling that inexplicable ice right now, he’s been in the position too long. It would have been better if he’d come out and handled it earlier.”
The previous Duke had been called a knight among knights. The dowager, who matched his strength and had even served as commander of the knight order, bore the current Duke as their child.
Had he received proper external education, he might have truly inherited his father’s talents.
‘Of course, now it’s already too late.’
The body had stiffened, even if the theory could still be grasped.
“I don’t know what the dowager was thinking. Did she not know why Your Grace stayed inside? Or did she know and still entrust it?”
“There are things people like us cannot know. Like Istas, for example.”
Zephyrus had revealed Istas’s information to those in the mansion, believing that the more minds they pooled, the better the solution would be.
“Yes. Once we have precise information on Istas, it’s up to us to find a way to utilize it. Hmm.”
He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“Your Grace seems like he will become a good lord. Asking for help, knowing his own limitations—that’s something rare among the noble class.”
And people like that develop rapidly.
“Nothing can be done about the past. Since Your Grace seems to be engaging in external relations now, we must support him well.”
“Yes!”
“I wonder how the Istas expedition is going… hmm.”
The experienced administrator expressed concern, then chatted with Nathan as they descended the stairs.
Even in the busy, urgent mansion, it was a small, fleeting happiness.
The wind blew.
Snow fell.
At times it seemed like a blizzard. Gray clouds shrouded the mountain peaks.
“Wow… this is the first time I’ve moved around outside so comfortably.”
“I’m glad you find it comfortable.”
Yet not a single snowflake fell on Clemens or her companions.
And more than that—
“Clemens… this is amazing.”
Wherever she walked, the snow melted. The ground was muddy, but it didn’t matter.
Just stepping on snowless ground felt pleasant to Rosia, like watching snow fall from a warm place in the distance.
“Wait, Rosia, Clemens. That’s not the right direction. This way.”
Gwen, searching for the path, guided them. Clemens bounced and tapped Gwen.
“How do you know? Everything looks the same!”
They had climbed one of the tallest mountains in the North. To Clemens, it was a forest full of similar trees everywhere.
No wonder she had taken so long to find a Northern village.
“Oh, you’re curious about that? Well, this is my little secret.”
Gwen’s eyes lit up as he joked theatrically.
“Ah, that’s fine. If we ever need to climb a mountain, I’ll ask Gwen.”
“If there’s time, anytime…”
Gwen’s expression was strange—part joy, part regret.
Rosia covered her mouth, laughing.
The three wandered the North as if on a casual walk, the cold and wind not bothering them at all.
All thanks to Clemens.
Rosia and Gwen once again questioned the extent of Clemens’s power. They had assumed it was just her natural constitution.
But such temperatures defied reason.
Yes, it made no sense.
Yet that was not the topic to bring up now. Even asking Clemens would not yield a precise answer.
Rosia set aside her doubts and flexed her sore ankle.
It ached, but she couldn’t show it.
Then, Gwen suddenly turned around, and at the same time, Clemens leapt backward.
“Huh? Everyone—”
“Wait, Clemens!”
Gwen, about to draw his sword leisurely, panicked and chased after her.
Screeeech!
A monster’s roar echoed from where Clemens had vanished.
Boom.
The ground trembled, and trees shook in the distance.
Worried, Rosia wrapped her cold fingertips into her palm.
Then Gwen, scolding, and Clemens, covering her ears, returned.
“See? How many times have I told you I’m here for this kind of thing!”
“When will you ever acknowledge that I want you to focus on finding the path?”
“Ughh, it’s frustrating! What if you get hurt?”
Gwen’s concern wasn’t just about Clemens; he also didn’t want to face Zephyrus’s scorn and contempt, which mattered more to him.
Clemens ignored Gwen’s concern and bounced back to Rosia.
“Clemens! That was a monster, right?”
“Yes. I took care of it before we arrived. Don’t worry.”
Clemens cockily tilted her chin, and Rosia shot her a sharp glance.
“That’s not the problem!”
“Gwen, tell me—do you think a single monster could catch me?”
“……”
Gwen kept his mouth shut, looking utterly defeated.
By the time he caught up with Clemens, the monster was still alive.
The creature that had roared at them was a Crevbear. Named for its legendary ability to crack the earth with a single strike.
The Crevbear collapsed without a single attack.
The moment Clemens lightly touched it with her palm.
Steam rose from its body as it fell backward. Though it was already warm from her presence, the fact that it still emitted steam meant the monster itself was even hotter.
With a single touch, she could roast a monster.
Clemens’s power was far more dangerous than expected.
It was clear she could handle one, or even two or three monsters, without issue—but Zephyrus preferred not to reveal that.
Otherwise, she might go off and fight monsters alone every time.
He chose to divert the conversation instead.
“According to the map, it should be nearby. We can find it quickly.”
“Oh, Master said the area would be full of fog.”
“Fog… alright, let’s check it out.”
