episode_0003

Today, Rachel’s mood had been far from pleasant since the morning. It was because she had to test her youngest son, who had begun to change today.

Normally, she was a fearsome woman who deceived others with a face as cold as ice and extracted information from them. However, as it led to the relationship between a mother and her son, the icy wall of this woman began to gradually crumble.

Especially considering her youngest son, who had not received proper education due to his delicate health, rejected everything around him, and suffered from mental illness. Finally, he seemed to have regained his senses and was releasing his magical power without causing any problems.

It was remarkable. She hoped it would continue like this. Her wish as a mother made her hesitate about the current test.

“…Ian hasn’t resolved his sexual desires at all right now. Perhaps he’s suffering greatly after the rude remarks about the maid rape incident last time.”

If this state continued, and if for some reason he awakened to his magical power, he could be tormented by a succubus or an incubus.

She didn’t want to doubt, but judging by how well he handled his magical power, it was possible that some kind of succubus had already taken over her son’s mind.

It was a rational suspicion. Ian had been a human who lacked perseverance and showed no sign of wanting to do anything, receiving scorn from his siblings. If someone changed so drastically overnight, anyone would have doubts.

Nevertheless, she found this method extremely disillusioning.

Her unique magic, illusion.

Misleading and disturbing the opponent, making them feel various emotions.

Undoubtedly, the easiest way to obtain information here was through the emotion of love.

However, this was not the love between a mother and her son but an illusion of a romantic relationship.

Divine punishment might come down upon her.

It wasn’t entirely… unblemished, but testing her youngest son, being a married woman, was akin to seducing him. If one only considered this aspect, even other succubi wouldn’t have a leg to stand on when refuting her actions.

It was something she could easily have done to her husband, but Rachel had an obligation to do it herself.

“That child has committed many sins.”

She also thought of atoning for herself.

However, it was too late.

Thunk!

“Are you okay…?” Ian’s breath reached her neck, and the familiar scent of a man enveloped Rachel, making her nose tingle. The clattering of falling furniture almost hit Rachel’s head, but thanks to Ian’s outstretched arms, they missed her. His arms were thinner than those of other knights, delicate like a young girl’s, and his white skin resembled a pure white flower. He was different. He seemed like a different person from the crying child who had hurled insults at her. Unfazed by defeat, adept in diplomacy, and protective of others, he was far better than the man she once loved, even if not in appearance. But this, too, was fleeting. As Rachel slightly pushed Ian’s chest with her palm, he immediately caught her. Because what had yet to fall completely now crashed down on her. The increased swaying of the carriage was another reason, and perhaps because she, a top-tier user, would have been able to handle it, but the multiple spells made it tough, risking potential scarring. Furthermore, there was no time for the coachman to apologize or explain the situation as he hastily embraced Rachel. The sound of their breathing quietly filled the room. It was Rachel’s voice that echoed from the dark corner without a single ray of light. “…Ian.” “Yes?” Instinctively meeting Ian’s gaze, she found him looking back with an unaffected expression. Thankfully, there was no such emotion. With certainty, Rachel managed to steady her trembling voice. “…Your, your hand. Let go of my hand.” She looked down at the large, fleshy hand she held. It was warm and filled with an inexplicable heat, like a freshly steamed dumpling. It was Ian’s hand. “I-I’m sorry.” “There’s no need to apologize. You were trying to save me, weren’t you? First, let’s deal with those attackers.”

It seems like Rachel’s face turned red, and she hurriedly left the carriage.

[ Rachel’s favorability has increased to 63!! ]

Ian, who had been silently staring at the hologram window, becomes dumbfounded.

…Is this for real?

It can’t be Emi either.

M… Mom…

Ugh. No way. Is this crazy guy, the author, really raising favorability because his son touched a breast?

There it is. It exists.

Here.

….

The creature that pulled the carriage was none other than a Rhinoceros commonly seen in the Suhwon region.

It was a C-rank monster in the shape of a rhinoceros.

In terms of hierarchy, one could say it was at least third rank or higher.

Originally, it should have been wandering around in the forest, but creatures raised by human hands become the main means of transportation for thieves due to their resistance to cold.

“…Brittany’s carriage doesn’t even have basic artifacts.”

As expected, the thief who attacked Ian and Rachel also looks down on the carriage from the back of the rhinoceros.

He chased them from Brittany’s back door all the way to the end.

It’s common to find foolish bastards among slaves who steal valuables, secretly leave behind hush money, and try to escape from a nobleman’s mansion with a simple protective artifact-less carriage while gambling.

“Sir, remember that woman who escaped from the Brittany family because of the incurable disease patient?”

“So what?”

A thief riding on the same rhinoceros scratched his ear with his index and middle fingers, opening his mouth as if something caught his attention.

“Oh, no… The maids from noble families are quite different. Since things have come to this, could you provide us with a little help…?”

The thief made a gesture of putting his finger between a circle made by his thumb and forefinger.

In short, it was about that matter.

“Hmph, I’ll just take the maiden, the rest is yours. First, let’s tear apart this old carriage.”

With these words, he cracked the whip and tried to hit the rhinoceros’s head against the carriage once more.

-Clang.

The sound of hooves came rushing in.

Reflexively, he raised his right arm against the sudden icy wind.

The sound of footsteps following Rhino’s movements, and even the common chatter, could not be heard. Only the sensation at his fingertips gradually faded, as tiny wounds froze and spread, creating a gap between them.

Between eyelids that had swollen to the point of popping out, only the sound of wind echoed in his ears as if he had entered a tunnel.

Ten seconds that felt like sixty passed, and finally, the wind that had filled his ears faded away. No, it became inaudible. At the same time, without any room for resistance, a sharp pain surged through his body, shattering his nerves like glass breaking, overwhelming his mind with agony that was previously unfelt, awakening but erasing his senses, rendering them unable to take a single step.

It was truly overwhelming. Even in his memories of years of leading raids as a thief, there was no recollection of being overwhelmed to this extent, to the point of defeat. If there were, he wouldn’t have survived until now.

“Hmm, I suppose it’s necessary to investigate the maid who escaped last time.”

Rachel, stretching with a yawn, her hair dyed pure white.

She was the renowned Ice Palace Lord of the North Sea.

As she scrutinized the frozen figure of the thief, an expression of interest crept onto Rachel’s face.

“Oh? Still alive, are you? Ian, come here for a moment.”

“An excellent battle.”

Contrary to the thief’s expectation of horror at the grim sight upon emerging, the nobles looked on with a very cold gaze.

As if it were a familiar sight, eight thieves peered down at the frozen place.

“Oh, this one’s eyes are moving?”

“Hmm, yes. You know well.”

Then, the Ice Palace Lord’s leg kicked the thief’s calf, and with a clatter, like a shoddy statue, it collapsed.

There was no blood flowing. Hence, despair set in.

This must be the first experience of having one’s gaze lowered to this extent.

“Perhaps judging by the conversation, it doesn’t seem like someone ordered this… Ian, can you kill a human?”

“……….Of course.”

The raiders attacking the Brittany Island disappeared that day, and strange rumors began to circulate in the slums.

…

The sensation of killing a human.

He also thought of this as Rachel’s test.

Upon returning by carriage, I found myself pondering my own humanity for quite some time. If I were still the me from my original world, at the sight of a human corpse, I would have immediately convulsed and taken steps backward to regain composure. Perhaps the human body would freeze and shatter, and the only remaining ruby-shaped ice sculpture of a human, with only the eyes moving, would be kicked by human legs, and the experience of stepping on the watery eyeballs left between the stiff ice was an unpleasant experience to say the least. It wouldn’t be strange to vomit. “It’s strangely peaceful.” Even when witnessing that spectacle, and even afterwards, there was no end to the tranquility within my heart. Instead, my mother praised this aspect greatly, promising to appoint a talented individual as my combat maid, but… After acquiring a new carriage, my mind was restless until we arrived at the slave market.