Snow fell endlessly across the North.
White storms drifted over mountain roads and frozen forests while cold winds swept through the vast northern territory beneath silver-gray skies. Yet despite the harsh environment—
Life continued moving steadily.
Villages remained active.
Trade caravans traveled under armed escort.
Border forts stood vigilant against distant monster territories.
And everywhere Kel traveled now—
One name continuously echoed across the North.
Duke Aktaris von Rosenfeld.
The Slaughter Dragon.
The black-haired young man calmly rode his horse through another northern settlement while villagers hurried through the snowy streets wrapped beneath thick fur cloaks and reinforced winter clothing.
The deeper he traveled into Rosenfeld territory—
The more ordinary his father's monstrous reputation became.
As though destruction itself had turned into common daily discussion here.
"…The duke returned from the eastern border last week."
Kel overheard several merchants speaking while unloading cargo near a checkpoint.
"They say he annihilated another monster nest entirely."
Another northern guard snorted afterward.
"When does he not?"
Laughter followed naturally.
Not fearful.
Proud.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly continued riding past them beneath the falling snow.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"Your father sounds terrifying."
Kel calmly adjusted the reins slightly.
"He always was."
Another pause followed.
Then Sairen asked curiously:
"Why do they call him Slaughter Dragon?"
The young man remained silent briefly.
Meanwhile—
Further ahead—
Several younger soldiers standing near a supply station began speaking loudly themselves.
"It's because the duke doesn't merely kill monsters."
One guard grinned proudly.
"He completely annihilates them."
Another immediately nodded.
"When Duke Aktaris fights…"
The young soldier's eyes brightened slightly.
"…nothing survives."
The freezing winds swept across the road softly.
"Monster corpses."
"Nests."
"Even corrupted land itself."
Another older knight folded his arms proudly.
"That's why border regions remain stable."
"The duke spends most of his life protecting the North personally."
Kel quietly listened while riding past them afterward.
And strangely—
Hearing ordinary people speak about his father like this felt unfamiliar.
Because his memories of Duke Aktaris remained completely different.
Cold.
Silent.
Distant.
Not this legendary figure protecting the North endlessly.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly spoke again.
"You really never understood how your people viewed him."
Kel quietly looked toward the distant snowy mountains.
"…Maybe not."
Meanwhile—
The northern roads gradually became wider the closer he approached the central regions surrounding House Rosenfeld's main authority.
Massive military checkpoints appeared more frequently now.
Ancient watchtowers stood atop frozen hills.
And occasionally—
Kel spotted enormous dragon statues carved into mountain cliffs and fortress gates themselves.
Not wolves.
Dragons.
Sairen immediately noticed too.
"…Interesting."
Kel quietly glanced toward one gigantic obsidian dragon statue overlooking a frozen valley.
The carving itself radiated ancient authority even beneath centuries of snowstorms.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly asked:
"I thought northern noble houses usually associated themselves with wolves."
Kel calmly answered while continuing forward.
"Most do."
Another pause.
"But House Rosenfeld is different."
The snowstorm intensified softly around them.
"Our first patriarch…"
Kel's dark eyes reflected faint nostalgia now.
"…tamed a dragon."
Sairen became quiet afterward.
Meanwhile—
Kel continued calmly.
"Not enslaved."
"Tamed."
"The dragon willingly served House Rosenfeld."
Another pause.
"For centuries."
The distant northern winds echoed softly through the frozen plains.
"That dragon fought beside our bloodline through wars, invasions, and monster catastrophes."
Kel quietly looked toward another ancient dragon banner hanging from a nearby fortress wall.
"Until it finally died five hundred years ago."
Silence followed afterward.
Even now—
Despite the dragon's death centuries earlier—
House Rosenfeld still carried dragons as their eternal symbol.
Dragon banners.
Dragon insignias.
Dragon armor engravings.
Everything within northern territory reflected that ancient connection proudly.
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly laughed softly.
"…What absurd irony."
Kel faintly smiled afterward.
"Yes."
Another pause.
"The cursed heir of House Rosenfeld…"
His dark eyes reflected the falling snow quietly.
"…became Dragon Emperor himself."
The silver-haired spirit laughed even more afterward.
"Your ancestors would probably lose their minds if they learned that."
Kel silently agreed.
Because honestly—
The irony itself almost felt ridiculous.
The house that once worshipped dragons symbolically…
Now unknowingly awaited the return of someone acknowledged above Dragon Kings themselves.
Meanwhile—
The roads ahead gradually grew busier.
Northern nobles.
Military officers.
Merchants.
Travelers.
Everyone moved toward the central capital region beneath increasingly strict military order.
And somewhere amidst those crowds—
Kel overheard more discussions regarding himself.
"The young master should return soon."
"I heard Duke Aktaris personally ordered preparations already."
"They say the eldest heir survived completely."
"Some even claim his curse vanished."
Another older noble scoffed quietly.
"If anyone could force fate itself to surrender…"
"…it would be House Rosenfeld."
Kel quietly rode past them without reaction.
Yet internally—
His thoughts grew increasingly complicated.
Because now—
He no longer knew what awaited him at home.
Would his father truly welcome him?
Would his siblings recognize him anymore?
Would the household still treat him like a dying burden?
Or—
Had things changed more than he originally believed?
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly spoke softly.
"You're nervous."
Kel immediately denied it internally.
"No."
"You are."
The silver-haired spirit sounded amused now.
"You've faced Dragon Kings calmly."
"You erased Divine Generals."
"You walked through other realms without fear."
Another pause.
"But returning home scares you."
Kel quietly narrowed his eyes afterward.
Yet—
He couldn't refute her.
Because she was right.
Facing monsters felt simple.
Facing expectations however—
Was different entirely.
Meanwhile—
Hours passed.
The snowstorms gradually weakened as enormous walls finally appeared distantly across the horizon.
The North Capital.
The heart of House Rosenfeld authority.
Gigantic black walls reinforced using ancient mana stone stretched endlessly beneath the pale skies while dragon banners fluttered above towering fortifications guarded by heavily armored northern knights.
And far beyond those walls—
Rested the Rosenfeld Main Estate itself.
The place Kel once left behind as a cursed dying child.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"So…"
Another pause.
"Ready to go home, Dragon Emperor?"
Kel quietly stared toward the distant capital beneath the frozen skies.
Then slowly—
A faint smile appeared.
Not proud.
Not arrogant.
Only calm.
"…No."
Another pause.
"But I'll go anyway."
And beneath the ancient dragon banners of House Rosenfeld—
The boy once abandoned by fate quietly continued riding toward the home he had not seen in two long years