KONDO was sent flying by the blast and crashed far across the ground. The massive body of flames surrounding Kint slowly turned completely into ice. Cracks spread across the frozen figure before pieces began breaking apart and falling to the ground.
Kint himself had also been frozen solid. The ice covering his body started cracking as steam rose from him.
Once all the ice shattered away, Kint collapsed onto the ground as well.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
No one spoke.
Everyone simply stared in shock, because what they had just witnessed was something they believed to be impossible. KONDO lay fallen in the distance, while Kint had collapsed nearby.
Then suddenly, the monsters erupted into loud cheers.
The battle had finally come to an end.
Queen Melonda, King Rose, and Agru quickly rushed toward Kint. Melonda immediately knelt beside him and carefully checked his condition, making sure he had not suffered any injuries.
King Rose spoke in a lower voice.
"Is Kint alright?"
Queen Melonda examined him closely before replying,
"Yes. There are no signs of injury on him. He's simply unconscious."
King Rose burst into laughter.
"HAHAHA! I knew my son would be fine!"
Queen Melonda shot him a serious glare, instantly making King Rose quiet down.
"…Did I say something wrong?"
King Rose looked toward Agru, only to see him placing a hand on his forehead as well.
Meanwhile, Kim, Shin, and Label hurried toward KONDO.
Kim and Shin immediately knelt beside him. Kim gently placed a hand on his face before checking his breathing near his nose.
"…KONDO is back to normal."
Shin quickly unbuttoned part of KONDO's shirt to check for injuries, but her eyes widened in shock.
"Oi, Label… you saw it too, right? That sword pierced straight through KONDO… but there isn't even a single scratch on him."
Label silently stared at him as well.
She had expected KONDO to still remain in that transformed state, but he had completely returned to normal. Only his torn shirt remained as proof of what had happened.
Shin then noticed Kim carefully supporting KONDO's head. She was about to say something when Agru approached from behind.
"Princess."
The three girls turned toward him.
"We need to take this boy to the palace so he can receive proper treatment."
Kim immediately nodded.
"Yes, of course."
Agru stepped forward and lifted KONDO into his arms.
(If you think about it… he's much younger than me, yet far stronger.)
Agru began walking away with KONDO when Kim suddenly called out,
"Wait. I'm coming with you too."
Kim hurried toward Agru, and seeing that, Shin and Label also followed after him.
Agru spoke respectfully,
"Princess, forgive my words, but right now you should stay with Prince Kint."
Shin also added from the side,
"Yes, Princess. You should go check on your brother."
Kim immediately raised her voice.
"Oh, don't worry about my brother. He'll be perfectly fine. And if you're so worried about him, then you go stay by his side."
Label watched the two argue before sighing.
"Shin, just let it go."
Shin puffed her cheeks in annoyance, while Kim did the exact same thing in return.
Later, Agru brought KONDO into a luxurious room inside the palace.
Kint rested on one side of the room while KONDO lay on the other, both covered beneath warm blankets. Between them sat Queen Melonda, King Rose, Kim, Shin, and Label, while Agru stood nearby.
Kim and Shin were seated beside KONDO, though both still had puffed-up faces from their earlier argument.
After a while, Kim looked toward KONDO and gently touched his face before silently standing up and walking out of the room.
Watching her leave, Shin spoke up.
"Was Kim always like this since childhood? She doesn't even seem worried about her own brother."
Queen Melonda lowered her head slightly before speaking softly.
"Kim has always been like this. Ever since the day she was born, she was different from the other children. Normally, babies cry the moment they leave their mother's womb… but Kim was completely silent. Not a single cry or sound came from her mouth. She simply stared at everyone around her."
A faint smile appeared on Melonda's face.
"But Kint was the exact opposite. The moment he was born, he never let anyone rest in peace. The two were born together, yet their personalities were completely different. Kim…"
Melonda looked toward King Rose.
Hearing her words, King Rose gently placed a hand on her shoulder before continuing,
"When Kim was little, she was far more mature than children her age. While other kids were still learning how to walk, Kim had already started learning magic."
Agru nodded after hearing that.
"His Majesty is correct. Princess Kim's magic is extraordinary for someone her age."
King Rose suddenly became emotional.
"I'm happy… For the first time… for the very first time, my daughter asked me for something."
Shin looked confused.
"For the first time? What do you mean by that?"
Queen Melonda answered quietly,
"Since childhood, Kim barely spoke to anyone. She always seemed lost in her own world. Kint was always beside her, but whenever he wasn't around, she wouldn't even speak normally with anyone else."
Melonda lowered her gaze slightly.
"She wouldn't even properly talk to me, her own mother."
The room became quieter.
"Sometimes we even saw her crying alone. But whenever we asked what was wrong… she never told us anything."
After hearing all this, Shin fell into thought.
(Seriously… this girl is really strange. But what did she see in KONDO that changed her this much?)
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Shin asked directly,
"If Kim has always been like this… then what exactly did she see in KONDO that made her change so much?"
Even Queen Melonda had no answer.
She quietly looked toward KONDO.
"We don't know either… honestly, even her change feels strange to us."
At that moment, the room's door opened.
Kim entered carrying a large tray. On it rested a bowl of water, an orange shirt, and a towel.
She silently placed the tray beside KONDO before sitting next to him and beginning to unbutton his shirt.
Shin immediately blushed.
"Ahhh… w-what are you doing?!"
Kim ignored her completely.
She lightly wet the towel before carefully cleaning KONDO's body. After that, she used the dry side of the towel to wipe him off.
Kim gently helped KONDO sit up slightly.
Shin could only stare blankly at the scene.
Kim suddenly grabbed KONDO's hand and placed it into Shin's hands.
"Wah— what is this?!"
Kim glanced toward her calmly.
"Stop shouting over every little thing."
"…Okay."
Shin quietly held onto KONDO without arguing further.
Kim removed KONDO's torn shirt and dressed him in the orange one she had brought. Once she finished, she carefully laid him back down before taking the tray and leaving the room again.
Shin remained frozen for a moment before turning toward Label.
"…Label, what just happened?"
Label looked back at her calmly.
"She just cleaned KONDO's body."
Shin became frustrated.
"That's not what I mean! Why is she doing all this herself?!"
"How would I know?"
A few moments later, Kim returned and quietly sat beside KONDO once more.
The room fell silent.
No one spoke.
Everyone simply sat there quietly, occasionally glancing at one another.
Then suddenly, Kint slowly began regaining consciousness.
He opened his eyes little by little.
"Ah… my head hurts so much… and why does my jaw hurt too?"
Queen Melonda immediately grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.
"How many times have I told you to be careful while using your powers? But you never listen to me."
Kint scratched his head awkwardly.
"What happened, Mom? I don't remember anything…"
He paused as his memories slowly returned.
"Ah! Right! I was fighting KONDO. How did I end up here?"
Agru, who stood nearby, answered calmly,
"Prince Kint, just like before, you lost control over your power and went on a rampage."
Kint made a shocked expression.
"Seriously?! I did that again?!"
King Rose also spoke up.
"You're usually aggressive, but this time you went far beyond that. You almost killed KONDO."
Kint immediately turned toward KONDO.
A troubled expression appeared on his face as he quietly muttered,
"…Really? But he's alright now… right?"
He continued staring at KONDO with guilt-filled eyes.
He knew it was his fault for dragging him into the fight.
Seeing Kint's expression, King Rose laughed lightly.
"Yes, he's fine. Don't worry. He's only unconscious right now."
Hearing that, a small smile returned to Kint's face.
But another question continued bothering him.
"So… who won between us?"
The moment Kint asked that, he suddenly felt the temperature around him drop.
A cold, deadly stare was directed straight at him.
Kim spoke in an icy voice.
"Big brother… don't you think you should focus on resting instead?"
The freezing pressure coming from Kim instantly terrified Kint.
"H-ha… yes, Kim… whatever you say. Please calm down."
Kim quietly calmed herself.
King Rose then spoke,
"By the way, neither of you won. Both of you collapsed at the end, so the match ended in a draw."
He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully before continuing in a serious tone.
"Still… the way KONDO fought against you surprised me greatly. Once he wakes up, I'll have to ask him a few things."
Kint looked toward KONDO with a happy expression.
At the same time, KONDO slowly began regaining consciousness.
Kim immediately noticed his eyes starting to open.
KONDO slowly looked around the room.
Kim, Shin, and Label were sitting beside him.
He stared at them silently for a few moments before speaking weakly, he realise something.
"…Huh? Why can't I move my body?"