The northern road stretched endlessly beneath the twilight sky.
Golden magical streetlights had begun awakening one after another.
Their warm radiance illuminated the snow-covered landscape.
The convoy moved steadily forward.
No panic.
No disorder.
No unnecessary noise.
At the front rode Kel Rosenfeld.
His black warhorse moved with practiced confidence.
Behind him sat Lyra.
The ancient serpent woman remained unusually quiet.
For most of the journey she had been observing.
Observing the roads.
The knights.
The territory.
The strange young Count she had chosen to follow.
Everything about Frostbound Coast felt unusual.
No.
Not unusual.
Impossible.
Roads that glowed at night.
Magical heating systems.
Disciplined military units.
Monster domestication projects.
And now...
A fifteen-year-old Count who somehow managed all of it.
The more she observed.
The more confused she became.
Far behind them.
Mana crystal wagons rolled steadily across the road.
The harvested treasure from the mine reflected moonlight and lanternlight alike.
The evening wind blew gently.
Cold.
Sharp.
Ancient.
Everything appeared peaceful.
Then the earth trembled.
BOOM.
The horses immediately became restless.
BOOM.
A second impact followed.
The road shook.
Snow fell from nearby cliffs.
Birds fled into the sky.
Every knight instantly became alert.
Hands moved toward weapons.
Eyes scanned the horizon.
Then it appeared.
From beyond a distant ridge.
A colossal silhouette emerged.
Lyra's eyes widened.
The creature towered over the surrounding forest.
At least thirty meters tall.
Its body resembled a monstrous hybrid between a bear and an ape.
Black fur covered its massive frame.
Its crimson eyes glowed like burning coals.
Each step caused the earth itself to tremble.
The air pressure changed.
Monster aura.
Ancient.
Violent.
Overwhelming.
Several horses snorted nervously.
The giant monster let out a roar.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!
The sound echoed across mountains.
Even Lyra felt tension.
Because she recognized it.
A Mountain Tyrant.
A monster capable of wiping out villages.
A creature strong enough to massacre ordinary armies.
Her expression immediately changed.
"I'll handle it."
She prepared to move.
Prepared to leap from the horse.
Prepared to transform.
Because in her eyes...
None of the humans present could survive such a battle.
Then suddenly—
A warm hand rested upon her thigh.
Lyra froze.
Her body instantly stiffened.
Her mind stopped working for half a second.
Kel's calm voice reached her ears.
"Calm down."
The serpent woman stared.
"...What?"
Kel's gaze never left the road ahead.
"Sit."
The command was simple.
Lyra blinked.
Then pointed toward the approaching monster.
"That thing is a Mountain Tyrant."
A pause.
"You and your knights cannot defeat it."
The young Count remained calm.
Almost annoyingly calm.
Lyra couldn't understand it.
Was he underestimating the monster?
Did he not recognize the danger?
She immediately turned around.
Expecting panic.
Expecting fear.
Expecting retreat.
Surely the knights would stop.
Surely they would form battle lines.
Surely they would prepare for combat.
Yet—
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Not a single knight stopped.
Not a single horse slowed.
Not a single soldier appeared concerned.
The formation continued moving forward exactly as before.
Lyra stared.
"..."
The serpent woman looked at the giant monster.
Then the knights.
Then the giant monster.
Then the knights again.
Her mind couldn't process it.
"These humans are insane."
That was the only conclusion.
A monster capable of flattening mountains stood ahead.
Yet nobody appeared worried.
Not even slightly.
One knight was casually eating dried meat.
Another adjusted his saddle.
A third appeared more concerned about paperwork.
Lyra genuinely began questioning reality.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren laughed.
"The new one is finally experiencing what everyone else experiences around you."
Kel sighed internally.
"Confusion?"
"Precisely."
Meanwhile.
The Mountain Tyrant charged.
Its massive feet shattered stone.
Snow exploded into the air.
Trees were uprooted from the ground.
The monster roared once more.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!
The road trembled.
The sky itself seemed to shake.
Then Kel moved.
Not dramatically.
Not explosively.
Simply.
The young Count raised one hand.
Mana stirred.
Aura gathered.
The surrounding air distorted slightly.
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
Then widened.
Because she felt it.
Aura.
Pure aura.
Yet unlike any aura she had ever witnessed.
Two streams of condensed energy emerged from Kel's body.
Silver.
Brilliant.
Beautiful.
The aura rapidly compressed.
Folded.
Condensed.
Refined.
Then—
Two swords appeared.
Floating swords.
Perfect swords.
Each blade radiated overwhelming sharpness.
The edges seemed capable of slicing reality itself.
The swords hovered silently beside Kel.
Like loyal retainers awaiting command.
Lyra froze.
"What..."
She couldn't finish the sentence.
Because the swords changed again.
Lightning erupted.
Crackling blue arcs danced across both blades.
The surrounding air exploded with electrical energy.
The road illuminated.
The snow glowed.
The atmosphere trembled.
The Mountain Tyrant continued charging.
Then Kel pointed forward.
The command contained no words.
None were necessary.
The swords obeyed instantly.
BOOM.
The world exploded.
The two swords vanished.
Not literally.
They simply moved too quickly.
A sonic boom erupted across the northern plains.
Lightning carved through the sky.
Blue streaks crossed hundreds of meters instantly.
The Mountain Tyrant never reacted.
Never defended.
Never understood.
For one brief moment...
The giant monster stood motionless.
Then—
A line appeared.
Across its body.
Perfectly straight.
Perfectly precise.
Then the line split apart.
The entire upper torso slid sideways.
The Mountain Tyrant's body collapsed.
THOOOOOOOM.
The ground shook violently.
Snow erupted.
Trees shattered.
Silence followed.
Absolute silence.
The monster was dead.
Instantly.
The entire battle had lasted less than three seconds.
The two swords calmly returned.
Floating beside Kel once more.
Like loyal subjects returning to their king.
Lightning continued crackling around them.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Majestic.
Lyra stared.
Completely stunned.
The ancient serpent woman had lived for centuries.
She had witnessed magic.
She had witnessed cultivation.
She had witnessed monsters.
She had witnessed countless battles.
Yet never—
Never once—
Had she seen something like this.
Not swordsmanship.
Not magic.
Something beyond both.
Something that didn't belong within common understanding.
The swords floated quietly around Kel's horse.
As though what had happened was completely normal.
Meanwhile.
The knights finally acted.
Not to fight.
Because the fight was already over.
Several knights rode forward.
One dismounted.
Another extracted the monster core.
A third recorded the kill.
Within moments they returned.
The formation never stopped moving.
Not even once.
The convoy continued toward Frostbound Coast.
As though nothing significant had happened.
Lyra remained frozen.
Her gaze never left the floating swords.
Then finally—
"What was that?"
Kel looked ahead.
"Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts."
The answer came casually.
As though discussing the weather.
Lyra continued staring.
The swords reflected moonlight beautifully.
Then gradually...
The aura began fading.
The lightning disappeared.
The swords dissolved into particles of silver light.
Returning to their master.
Vanishing completely.
Yet the image remained etched within Lyra's mind.
Those blades.
That speed.
That power.
And suddenly she understood why the knights weren't afraid.
Why nobody panicked.
Why nobody slowed down.
Why everyone trusted the young Count riding at the front.
Because when Kel Rosenfeld led the road...
Danger was usually the thing that should be afraid.
And as the convoy continued beneath the glowing streetlights of Frostbound Coast...
The ancient serpent found herself even more curious than before.
Just how many secrets was this fifteen-year-old Count hiding?
For the first time in centuries...
Lyra genuinely wanted to find out.