The morning sky above House Rosenfeld was painted in pale silver.
Snow drifted lazily through the cold northern winds.
The massive estate stood proudly beneath the mountains, its towers shining beneath the early sunlight.
Servants moved through courtyards.
Knights changed patrol routes.
Carriages were being prepared.
Horses were saddled.
The estate was unusually busy.
Because today—
Two members of House Rosenfeld would begin new journeys.
The eastern courtyard bustled with activity.
Several large carriages stood ready.
Knight escorts checked equipment one final time.
Servants loaded luggage.
At the center stood Aria.
She wore a beautiful winter traveling cloak lined with white fur.
Silver embroidery decorated the edges.
Her long hair had been carefully tied behind her head.
A noblewoman preparing to enter one of the greatest academies on the continent.
Aetherial Institute.
The academy that governed its own island.
The academy where nobles and commoners studied together.
The academy where future legends often began their journeys.
Several family members had gathered to see her off.
Aria smiled while receiving farewells.
Yet occasionally her gaze drifted toward one person.
Kel.
The young heir stood nearby.
A dark traveling coat rested over his shoulders.
Snowflakes landed briefly upon his hair before melting.
Unlike the others, he carried no visible luggage.
Which was normal.
Nothing about Kel had been normal for a long time.
As departure time approached—
Kel stepped forward.
Something appeared in his hand.
A silver ring.
Simple.
Elegant.
Yet faint spatial distortions occasionally appeared around its surface.
Aria immediately noticed.
"So this is my farewell gift?"
A small smile appeared on her face.
Kel nodded.
"Something like that."
Aria accepted the ring.
The moment she touched it—
Her eyes widened.
Because she could feel the enchantments.
Layers upon layers of incomprehensibly advanced enchantments.
"This..."
She looked toward Kel.
"...what exactly is this?"
Kel answered simply.
"A storage ring."
A pause.
Then added:
"A large one."
Several nearby knights nearly choked.
Because when Kel described something as "large," it was usually terrifying.
Aria activated the ring.
The next moment—
Her expression froze.
Because what she saw wasn't storage.
It was practically another world.
An enormous pocket dimension.
Large enough to store supplies for entire expeditions.
Large enough to hold buildings.
Large enough to make royal treasuries jealous.
Aria slowly looked at Kel.
Then looked at the ring.
Then looked back at Kel.
No words emerged.
Eventually she managed:
"...this is excessive."
Kel tilted his head.
"Is it?"
Everyone nearby immediately agreed with Aria.
Yes.
It absolutely was.
The young heir appeared genuinely confused.
Then simply shrugged.
"If you ever need something while studying, it should help."
The statement sounded absurd.
As though giving someone an entire pocket dimension was completely reasonable.
Aria eventually smiled.
A warm smile.
Then carefully placed the ring upon her finger.
"I'll treasure it."
Kel nodded.
The farewell remained brief.
That was simply how they were.
Not dramatic.
Not overly emotional.
Yet everyone present could see the trust between them.
Soon the departure horn sounded.
The academy escort began moving.
Aria climbed into her carriage.
The wheels started rolling.
The convoy slowly left the estate.
For a brief moment—
Aria looked back.
Kel remained standing in the courtyard.
Watching.
Then the distance grew.
And eventually—
The carriages disappeared beyond the snowy roads.
A new chapter of her life had begun.
Several moments later—
Kel turned away.
Because he also had somewhere to go.
The Heir's Departure
The northern wind grew stronger.
Another horse awaited him.
Unlike Aria's academy journey—
Kel's destination was far more dangerous.
His territory.
The territory gifted to him by Duke Aktaris.
A vast land at the northern frontier.
A place where monsters roamed freely.
A place abandoned by most nobles.
A place that would become one of the richest territories in the future.
At least—
According to memories from his previous life.
Inside his mind—
Sairen spoke.
"You're smiling."
Kel mounted his horse.
"Am I?"
"A little."
The Guardian laughed softly.
"You enjoy challenges."
Kel did not deny it.
Because she was correct.
Several knights joined him.
An escort assigned by House Rosenfeld.
Experienced.
Reliable.
Loyal.
The gates opened.
Snow-covered roads stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
And the journey began.
Along the Road
Hours passed.
The estate gradually disappeared behind them.
Mountains dominated the horizon.
Ancient forests stretched endlessly across the north.
The cold intensified.
Kel rode at the center of the formation.
Then eventually asked:
"What is the name of my territory?"
The lead knight immediately answered.
"Frostbound Coast, my lord."
Kel nodded.
The name sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
Because it existed within the game's lore.
The knight continued.
"It occupies much of the far northern coastline."
"The territory stretches across both northeastern and northwestern frontier routes."
"It directly faces the Frozen Ocean."
Kel listened quietly.
The escort continued.
"The territory is enormous."
A pause.
"But difficult."
That earned Kel's attention.
"Explain."
The lead knight nodded.
"Pros first."
Kel listened.
"The territory contains countless monster resources."
"Rare ores."
"Ancient ruins."
"Magical herbs."
"Hunting grounds."
"The coastline contains valuable fisheries."
"Several guilds maintain small outposts there."
"The monster population generates enormous quantities of monster cores."
Kel nodded.
Everything aligned with his memories.
Then came the disadvantages.
The knight sighed.
"Cons."
"The weather."
Several escort knights laughed bitterly.
Because everyone from the north understood.
Nature itself was the first enemy.
"The winters are brutal."
"Snowstorms can last weeks."
"Entire roads disappear."
"Settlements become isolated."
"The sea freezes."
The knight continued.
"Second problem."
"Monsters."
Kel smiled faintly.
Expected.
The knight nodded.
"Many monsters migrate through the territory."
"Several dangerous species have established nests there."
"Most nobles avoid the region because maintaining control is expensive."
A pause.
"Third problem."
"Population."
Kel already knew.
The knight continued.
"There aren't enough people."
"Most settlers leave."
"Merchants avoid permanent residence."
"Development remains slow."
The road grew quiet.
Snow crunched beneath hooves.
The northern winds howled through distant forests.
Kel thought carefully.
Inside his mind—
Sairen suddenly laughed.
"Your father gifted you a frozen wasteland."
Kel smiled slightly.
"No."
The Guardian became curious.
"He gifted me an empire waiting to be built."
Sairen became silent.
Several moments passed.
Then she laughed again.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The reason every constellation answered you."
Kel looked toward the distant horizon.
Toward endless snow.
Toward monster-infested wilderness.
Toward forgotten lands.
A place most nobles saw as worthless.
A place he saw as opportunity.
The cold northern wind swept across the road.
And far ahead—
Beyond mountains and frozen forests—
The future territory of Count Kel Rosenfeld awaited its lord.
A frozen frontier.
A land of monsters.
A land of opportunity.
And perhaps—
The place where another legend would begin.