From the capital, Entoshi

Preparing for departure.

Packing belongings and loading them onto the sledge.

Most things are packed away—now only the sledge and the dogs need to be connected. So I bring the dogs over. Their tails wag energetically, full of life despite the biting cold.

But suddenly, the dog freezes in place, staring at something. Its tail stiffens, and its body stops moving.

Curious, I look in the direction it's staring.

And I, too, freeze—unable to move.

"Is something wrong?"

Alek approaches, adjusting his gear. But Alek, too, freezes in place. Though perhaps it's better that he only reaches for his battle axe—still better than being completely immobilized.

It was a snow leopard so breathtakingly beautiful it felt like my breath had stopped.

A snow leopard strolling leisurely across a naturally formed snowfield. Its eyes crimson, as if stained with blood. Two tails swayed behind it. Its fangs were pale blue, and a matching blue horn protruded from its head. A demon beast...?

The leopard wasn't looking at us. Yet we couldn't move.

Our bodies froze under a pressure we'd never felt before. A suffocating fear of the unknown consumed us.

The leopard glanced our way. Then, without a word, it turned and walked away. Two, three steps forward—it seemed it would simply leave us here.

My eyes dried up. I blinked.

Before I even realized it, the leopard was gone.

I stared around in shock. But it was gone. It wasn’t anywhere. Once I realized that, my legs gave way and I collapsed onto the ground.

Alek is on one knee. Sweat beads like pearls on his forehead, despite the freezing snowfield.

"What the hell was that?! Can something like that even exist in this world!?"

I couldn’t help shouting out loud.

"I don’t know! I’ve never seen anything like it before. I couldn’t see any future where we could win. Was that a demon beast?"

A monster beast? Could it even be classified within the realm of demon beasts? The sheer gap in power was so vast that it wasn't even acknowledged as an opponent.

It might be at the ultimate peak of biological existence—just seeing it once was enough to make me believe that.

I'd believe it was a legendary divine beast, if that's what it's called. Legendary? The legend of the hero.

"Alek, didn't the hero legend we saw at the Royal Library mention something like that?"

"Wait! I do feel that’s the case. But it should’ve been defeated by the hero... At a speed impossible to follow with the eyes. It truly evokes the legend, doesn’t it?"

To encounter something like that while researching the hero’s legend—was it good luck or bad?

The dogs pulling the sled had completely lowered their tails, trembling in fear. We ourselves felt drained, collapsing from exhaustion.

After a brief rest, we resumed our journey.

Once more, we continued toward the port from the capital, guided by Entoshi.

Throughout the journey to Entoshi, we remained silent.

It wasn't that we had nothing to say.

Conversation simply faltered on its own. We kept glancing around, unable to focus, afraid that it might appear again.

In the end, nothing went wrong—we progressed smoothly and without issue.

We passed through Entoshi's gate, and instinctively exhaled a long breath. My body had been tense the entire time. That snow leopard wouldn't leave my mind.

It seems Alex is the same way.

Alek, let's eat something good today. We need to switch things up before we end up breaking down.

You're right. I'm honestly worn out. I'll eat properly and hit the gym.

Still the same, I see.

Pay more than usual to eat better at a guild-run inn.

Despite there being only a variety of options, it felt like an exquisite delicacy.

As I ate heartily, I overheard a conversation between others.

"Hey, you hear about the young lady from the Rolling family? They say the demon's curse has been lifted. Apparently, a descendant of the hero showed up and broke the curse. And it seems the young lady has developed a strong affection for that descendant."

"What? That's some old-fashioned fairy tale nonsense. Even a kid could come up with something better. Try to make it more original."

"Apparently, a young lady who's grown into a real beauty was seen strolling outside with a maid in tow. My wife said she saw them when she was delivering goods to the mansion."

"Isn't a maid just someone the eldest son of the Rolling family has around to look good? Isn't that young lady just a maid in disguise, really?"

"Still going on with that nonsense? Sigh... just look at this town—our lord sees nothing beyond his nose, the eldest son's chasing women, the young lady's whereabouts are unknown, and the genius younger son we were counting on is still just a child."

"Absolutely, I'm done with nobles. Well then, shall we head back? Got work tomorrow morning."

Alek seemed to have overheard the gossip as well.

It seems they're already circulating right away.

"That seems to be the case. The petrification hasn't recurred. I'm glad you're feeling better. Honestly, I didn't have any idea how to solve it while I was dealing with it—it was painful—but luckily, I managed to find a solution. I was really fortunate."

It's because Taro never gives up and tackles anything with determination. Honestly, I'm always amazed at how well he does. Going so far as to continue researching the magic stones until he collapses—now that's truly beyond reason.

"Well, that's just his nature, you know."

"He hasn't changed at all."

The meal continued on. It had been a long time since I'd enjoyed a truly satisfying one.

I can't stay here much longer. After restocking the supplies I've used, I'll need to leave right away.

It's already nighttime. I can't possibly go see Linah now. Still, I wish I could at least check on how she's doing...

I reached a weak point in the manor's outer wall. This was the route I'd used during my previous nighttime infiltration.

From this vantage point, I should be able to see the tall tower. I don't know if she's still there, but I wave my magic stone lamp anyway. Naturally, there's no response.

I should stop.

It's too reckless. I can't help but worry. I've heard rumors that she's been out and about—hopefully she's safe. I still regret giving back the voice-altering gem the day I stopped her petrification.

I should've thought ahead. Regretting my actions, I return to the dormitory.

The next day, I spent the morning restocking supplies.

"Taro, what's wrong? You don't seem yourself today. Still haunted by yesterday's monster? Worrying about things you can't change won't help anything."

Alek was completely back to normal.

"It's not that. But yeah, I guess so. I'll be heading out into the snowy plains again from today, so I need to get myself in the right mindset."

"That's right. There are other guards with us, so don't make such a grim face. We're heading to the port now, joining up with the guard unit that's been repairing the ship, then returning together. You remember, right?"

"Yeah, no problem. Let's hurry with the supplies."

After finishing our resupply, we climbed back onto the dog sled and headed toward the gate. But there, standing at the gate's exit, was a maid I recognized.

I asked Alex to stop for a moment.