The winter market remained lively beneath the pale northern sky.
Snow drifted gently between merchant stalls while countless voices blended together into a living symphony of commerce and daily life.
Children laughed.
Merchants shouted advertisements.
Travelers exchanged stories.
And somewhere among the bustling streets—
Kel and Aria slowly wandered toward the weapon district.
Unlike the cheerful atmosphere of the food market, the weapon district felt heavier.
More serious.
Rows of swords gleamed beneath sunlight.
Spears lined wooden racks.
Shields decorated with household crests hung proudly before blacksmith workshops.
The rhythmic sound of hammer striking steel echoed through the district endlessly.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
A sound familiar to every northern citizen.
After all—
The North survived through strength.
And strength was forged by steel.
Aria paused before a weapon stall displaying beautifully crafted swords.
Her silver eyes carefully examined the craftsmanship.
Meanwhile—
Kel's attention drifted elsewhere.
Toward a nearby group of travelers gathered around a fire barrel.
Their expressions were troubled.
Tired.
Concerned.
One of them spoke.
"The monster situation is getting worse."
Another traveler nodded immediately.
"Three merchant caravans disappeared this month."
A third man sitting nearby tightened his grip around a warm cup.
"I barely escaped myself."
His voice sounded shaken.
"That beast wasn't normal."
Several others quietly listened.
The traveler continued.
"We lost half our guards."
A heavy silence followed.
Another merchant slowly spoke.
"The roads are becoming dangerous again."
"Especially near the western forests."
A hunter nearby nodded grimly.
"Monster sightings have doubled."
"Even experienced adventurers are avoiding some routes."
The atmosphere around the fire grew darker.
Meanwhile—
Aria also overheard the conversation.
Her cheerful expression faded slightly.
The North had always struggled against monsters.
But hearing ordinary people speak about it directly felt different from reading reports.
Much different.
Kel remained silent.
Listening.
Observing.
Processing.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly spoke.
"The monster population is increasing."
Kel internally replied.
"I noticed."
The Guardian of Scarder Lake remained quiet for several moments.
Then she added.
"Something is pushing them."
Kel's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had already reached a similar conclusion.
Monsters rarely moved without reason.
Especially not on this scale.
Eventually—
Aria quietly turned toward him.
"We should leave."
Kel nodded.
There was little else to gain from remaining.
The travelers had unknowingly already provided useful information.
So the pair returned toward the inn entrance where the escort team waited.
The lead knight immediately straightened upon seeing them.
"My lord."
"My lady."
Kel handed over several shopping bags.
The knight accepted them instantly.
Then preparations for departure resumed.
Within minutes—
The Rosenfeld carriage once again rolled through the snowy city gates.
The escort formation reformed naturally.
Four mounted knights ahead.
Four behind.
The carriage in the center.
The road toward Rosenfeld Estate stretched endlessly beyond the horizon.
And thus—
The journey resumed.
Inside the carriage—
Warmth returned.
Aria sat beside the window observing the passing scenery.
Snow-covered forests.
Frozen rivers.
Ancient pine trees.
The North unfolded endlessly beyond the glass.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly rested with one hand supporting his chin.
His eyes remained half-closed.
Almost appearing asleep.
Almost.
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly spoke.
"Three hundred meters ahead."
Kel opened one eye slightly.
"Normal?"
"Normal."
Kel closed his eye again.
Outside—
Moments later—
A group of wolf-type monsters emerged from the forest.
The escort knights immediately responded.
Swords unsheathed.
Commands issued.
The formation adjusted smoothly.
The monsters charged.
The knights intercepted.
Steel flashed.
Snow scattered.
Minutes later—
The wolves lay dead.
The carriage never even stopped.
Inside—
Kel remained seated.
Aria wasn't even surprised anymore.
Normal monsters were no longer threats to Rosenfeld knights.
Hours passed.
The road continued.
The sky gradually darkened toward evening.
And monsters continued appearing intermittently.
A snow bear.
Several ice lizards.
A pack of horned wolves.
Each encounter ended similarly.
The escort knights handled them.
The carriage continued moving.
Life went on.
Then—
Near sunset—
Sairen's voice returned.
This time more serious.
"Something larger."
Kel opened his eyes completely.
"How large?"
A pause.
Then—
"Big enough to flatten the escort."
Inside the carriage—
Kel quietly looked outside.
The surrounding forests had grown denser.
Ancient.
Dark.
Silent.
Even the wind seemed uneasy here.
Aria noticed his expression.
"What is it?"
Kel calmly answered.
"Something interesting."
Aria sighed.
Whenever Kel called something "interesting"—
It usually meant danger.
Outside—
The lead knight suddenly shouted.
"Formation!"
Immediately—
The escort shifted.
Weapons drawn.
Horses became restless.
The forest itself seemed to tremble.
Then—
A monstrous roar shattered the evening silence.
BOOOOOOM!
Birds exploded from treetops.
Snow cascaded from branches.
And from within the forest emerged a giant creature.
Nearly fifteen meters tall.
Covered in dark ice armor.
Its glowing blue eyes radiated primal malice.
The monster's sheer presence froze the surrounding air.
Several horses panicked immediately.
The escort knights gripped their weapons tighter.
Even experienced veterans felt pressure.
Because this wasn't something ordinary soldiers could defeat.
Inside the carriage—
Kel sighed softly.
Then spoke.
"Stay inside."
Aria immediately understood he wasn't speaking to her.
He was speaking to the entire situation.
Inside his mind—
Sairen laughed.
"You're becoming dramatic."
Kel ignored her.
Then—
Without leaving his seat—
He raised one finger.
A tiny strand of aura emerged.
Beautiful.
Pure.
Refined.
Then—
The aura condensed.
Compressed.
Refined further.
And finally—
A sword appeared.
Not a physical sword.
A floating aura blade.
Brilliant silver.
Sharp enough to cut moonlight itself.
Outside—
The escort knights felt it immediately.
The pressure.
The aura.
The impossible refinement.
Several knights unconsciously turned toward the carriage.
Meanwhile—
The giant monster roared again.
Preparing to charge.
Kel lazily flicked his finger.
The sword vanished.
A moment later—
The monster stopped moving.
Silence spread.
The forest became completely still.
Then—
A thin line appeared across the creature's neck.
The next second—
BOOM!
The enormous head separated from the body.
The corpse collapsed.
Trees shattered.
Snow exploded upward.
And everything ended.
Just like that.
Silence returned.
The escort knights stared.
Even though some had witnessed Kel's strength before—
Seeing such a monster die instantly still felt unreal.
Meanwhile—
Inside the carriage—
Kel simply closed his eyes again.
As though nothing had happened.
Outside—
The lead knight immediately shouted.
"Recover the core!"
The escort moved quickly.
Several knights approached the corpse.
Others maintained formation.
Within minutes—
A massive monster core was extracted successfully.
The knights returned carrying the glowing crystal carefully.
Inside the carriage—
Aria quietly looked toward Kel.
"You aren't even getting out anymore."
Kel calmly replied.
"It saves time."
Inside his mind—
Sairen burst into laughter.
"You sound like a farmer dealing with weeds."
Kel internally answered.
"The road is long."
Night gradually approached.
The sky darkened.
Stars appeared overhead.
And the Rosenfeld carriage continued traveling toward home.
Whenever ordinary monsters appeared—
The knights handled them.
Whenever something dangerous emerged—
A single condensed sword would leave the carriage.
And moments later—
Another monster core would be collected.
The escort knights gradually stopped being surprised.
Aria eventually stopped asking questions.
Even Sairen simply laughed whenever another monster unknowingly crossed their path.
And beneath the ancient northern heavens—
The future heir of House Rosenfeld traveled onward.
Seated comfortably inside a warm carriage.
Reading the passing landscape.
Talking occasionally with Aria.
While monsters powerful enough to destroy armies quietly disappeared from existence one sword at a time