The winter landscape was quiet and still—until the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
Three people ran along the snow-covered road.
"Should we stop and rest for a bit?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, we can't keep running like this for much longer. We need to conserve energy in case something happens," Sabrina replied.
"How's bandit activity been in the region this year?" she asked, glancing at Matilda, who was running beside her.
"There's been a lot more activity near the city this year, so the chances of running into bandits on the road are low—but not zero. Especially with the conflict between the kingdoms of Noveth and Dorath," Matilda said.
"Let's stop over there near the forest," Arthur said, pointing to the right.
"Do you have any information about that conflict?" Sabrina continued.
They stopped near the trees to shield themselves from the cold wind.
"It started because the king of Dorath proposed a marriage between his youngest son and the newborn daughter of Noveth's king."
"But as a dowry, he demanded the level 1 death-type dungeon located near their shared border," Matilda explained with a mocking smile.
"The king of Dorath is greedy. Not only does he want the king's only daughter, but also a rare death-element dungeon?"
"That man's got guts," Arthur said with an amused laugh.
"Compared to you, he's a very humble coward, you greedy dragon," Matilda shot back with a look of disdain.
Arthur immediately stopped laughing.
"Matilda, I told you not to call me that," he said, his eyes turning cold.
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it? You think I'm afraid of you?" she challenged.
"Alright, that's enough, both of you."
"Matilda…" Sabrina said, looking at her friend.
"I know, I know. Sorry. But he needs to learn to accept what he is—or it's going to get him killed someday," Matilda replied with a sigh, jumping up to sit on a tree branch.
Sabrina turned her gaze back to her husband.
"Dear, I know you hate your progenitor. But his blood still influences your decisions."
"No matter how much you deny it, his blood runs through your veins—and through our son's as well," she said gently.
"I know. I'm sorry, Matilda. But don't call me a dragon."
"I may have its blood, but I'm human—and I always will be," Arthur said firmly.
"Fine, I went a bit too far," Matilda said, suddenly pulling out a piece of cake and a cup of something hot.
"Back to the topic—why did the conflict start?" Sabrina asked, holding a piece of meat-filled bread and a cup of tea that appeared in her hand.
"Well, after the marriage proposal was rejected, the king of Dorath sent a group of assassins to intercept a core that was being transported to the capital."
"But the attempt failed, and one of the assassins was captured."
"That's what sparked the conflict. It's still small-scale, but with increasing tension at the border, it could turn into a war if they don't reach an agreement soon," Matilda explained, finishing her cake.
"That explains the rise in bandit activity this year," Arthur added.
"They're fleeing the conflict zones."
"Exactly. And if things escalate, food and medicine prices will rise, and villages will become less safe."
"Let's rest for another thirty minutes, then get back on the road. We need to reach the village of Green Field before nightfall," Sabrina said, leaning against Arthur, who was resting against a tree.
Matilda glanced toward the darker part of the forest.
"So… what are we going to do about our visitor?" she asked with a sly smile.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed deeper into the forest.
"Well, how rude—leaving without saying goodbye. Would you mind inviting him to join us?"
"Of course. It'll be quick," Matilda replied with a sinister smile.
The next instant, she vanished from the branch.
...
After lunch—
The sun was high in the sky, and the village felt a bit warmer.
Six children were playing in the snow.
"The rules of the contest are simple," Aron said, sitting on a small stool outside Sophie's house.
"First: everyone builds their own snowman—no interfering with others."
"Second: you can only use materials you find around here."
"The most beautiful snowman wins."
'Man… I never thought tricking kids would be this hard. My sister was way easier to deal with,' Aron thought as he watched them gather snow.
At first, they wanted to have a snowball fight.
'That would've been a massacre.'
'Those two would definitely stick with me,' he thought, glancing at Sophie and Kelly clumsily forming snowballs.
'Two girls and a guy who can't even throw a snowball more than a meter… against three healthy boys? Yeah… total massacre.'
Aron sighed.
'Now I just need to keep them entertained without getting involved.'
"When the sun reaches this mark," Aron said, pointing to a stick planted in the snow, "time's up. No more touching your snowmen. Then I'll judge them."
"What does the winner get?" David asked.
"Hm… how about this candy?" Aron said, holding up a small paper-wrapped sugar treat.
"You have sugar?" Jhonas asked, shocked.
"Matilda gave it to me," Aron replied with a smile.
Everyone looked at him with envy.
Sugar wasn't rare—but it was expensive.
"That's a good prize," David said greedily.
"I'm going to win," Jhonas declared.
"You boys don't understand beauty—I'm winning," Kelly said confidently.
"But only two of you are actually building snowmen," Aron pointed out.
"What?" they all said at once.
Seconds later, they were all back to work.
"What are they doing?" Geovana asked, stepping outside.
"It's a contest to see who makes the best snowman. Want to be a judge?" Aron asked.
"Of course. But why aren't you participating?"
"They needed a judge," he said with a smile.
"I see. Then I'll judge, and you can join them."
"No thanks. I prefer staying here," Aron said, picking up a book.
"You're an interesting boy," she said, watching the children.
...
A few minutes later—
"Time's up! Step away from your snowmen," Aron announced.
He evaluated each one carefully, giving scores while Geovana generously gave almost everyone a perfect score.
'Looks like she's giving everyone a 10…'
In the end, Sophie and Kelly tied for first place.
Aron handed out candy to everyone—including Geovana.
"You're very clever," she said.
"Thanks."
"Alright, children, time to go home," she called out.
After everyone left, Geovana turned to them.
"I'll heat up water for your bath. Come inside."
Aron and Sophie followed.
"Tia Geovana, where am I sleeping?" Aron asked.
"You'll be sleeping with Sophie."
"Yay!" Sophie cheered.
'…Yeah. That's exactly what I was afraid of,' Aron thought.
...
Deep in the forest, around noon—
A body hit the snow with a dull thud.
Matilda dropped the unconscious man.
Bound.
Helpless.
"He was alone. Probably a scout," she said, leaning against a tree.
Arthur stood and kicked the man in the stomach.
The impact echoed sharply.
The man groaned and woke up.
Arthur smiled.
"Wake up, friend… let's have a little chat."