The forest, veiled in snow, was frozen white.
Endless snow fell from the cloud-covered sky, obscuring the sunlight.
The snow swirling in the air blanketed the earth, grass, trees, and ponds in white.
Piles of snow on crooked branches collapsed in the chilly wind.
It was a scene of the cold winter.
In the warmth-deprived forest, not even animals or monsters were in sight.
The carriage continued to move without rest, cutting through the untouched snow-covered path.
“Sigh…”
It had been three days since we departed from the capital.
En route to Mount Norstel, we were fortunate enough to borrow a merchant’s carriage.
In exchange for not paying, we agreed to protect the merchants from monsters and bandits.
However, that didn’t mean the journey to Mount Norstel was comfortable.
The cold wind seeped into the carriage.
With a harsh sound, the interior of the carriage shook.
Despite wearing a thick robe, the chilling cold pierced through the thick blanket.
“Kayla, come closer.”
“I’m sorry…”
Kayla’s body trembled uncontrollably.
As I covered her with a blanket and pulled her closer, the cold seeped through.
Since yesterday, she had been like this.
I realized belatedly that dragons were weak against cold.
Still, she never complained about feeling cold until now.
I could tell by the ice-cold touch of her hand, accidentally grasped, that she could easily catch a cold or frostbite.
There couldn’t be any injuries before starting the quest.
I tried to offer her the blanket quickly, but she refused.
Claiming to be sturdy, she insisted on giving me the blanket instead.
Eventually, Kayla and I covered ourselves with the blanket together.
We endured the cold by huddling together, arms linked.
“Are you okay? Anywhere hurting?”
“No. My body is fine…”
Tiny flames flickered at Kayla’s fingertips.
They couldn’t grow bigger, lest they set the carriage on fire. This was the limit.
We barely withstood the cold relying on the tiny flames.
Similarly, the arm on the opposite side was also held tightly.
With a clumsy movement, someone entered the blanket.
“I-I’m cold too…!”
Erina, too, approached me.
But unlike Kayla, I didn’t feel any cold from her.
In fact, she was warmer than me.
Her body didn’t tremble, her hands weren’t cold, and not even a breath came out of her mouth.
‘She must have a resistance skill against abnormal conditions.’
Erina couldn’t feel the cold.
Not only cold but also poison, burns, bleeding, and paralysis.
She was resistant to all abnormal conditions.
Even if she was good at lying, she couldn’t hide the physiological responses from her body.
Perhaps she felt jealous being close to Kayla.
But I didn’t push her away recklessly.
With my other hand, I pulled Erina’s body close to mine.
“Hehe…”
With a cheerful laugh, Erina hugged me.
‘I’m going through all this because of someone.’
For a moment, an unpleasant feeling welled up, but I decided to ignore it.
Originally, one of the plans was to visit Mount Norstel.
It just got moved up in the schedule, and suffering was inevitable anyway.
Above all, since Erina seemed to be reflecting a lot, I decided to watch her for a while.
“Still, it’s warm.”
Indeed, with three people covering under the blanket, warmth circulated.
A soft touch and a sweet scent brushed against my skin.
For a moment, I could forget the cold.
“We’ll arrive soon. Just hold on a little longer, everyone.”
“Okay.”
“Understood…”
The chosen area for our expedition quest, Mount Norstel, was indeed a rugged mountainous region in the north.
Among them, our destination was Norton Village, the only village located near Mount Norstel.
Due to the harsh weather and rugged terrain, it was practically abandoned, even within the kingdom’s territory.
“When we arrive, we’ll stop by the quest center to take on the quest. Then we’ll book rooms at the inn and warm up.”
Originally, we planned to explore the forest as soon as we arrived.
But considering the current situation, it was better not to overexert ourselves and prioritize warming our bodies.
The severe cold had taken its toll on our condition.
Especially Kayla, who was rendered helpless by the cold.
“We plan to stay in the mountains for about a month.”
“Yes…”
At my words, Erina’s expression suddenly became gloomy.
Inadvertently, Kayla’s complexion also turned pale.
To endure such severe cold for a month ahead… The suffering that lay ahead was clear.
And there was one more thing to keep in mind.
“Absolutely no causing trouble in the village.”
“Oh, okay.”
Erina stammered, seemingly feeling guilty.
In fact, what I just said was no different from saying it to Erina.
We had to keep quiet, especially in Norton Village.
If any trouble arose here, we would truly lose our place to go.
In that sense, Erina was practically the key figure here.
“This is really the last time. Please, just stay quiet.”
I hoped they would remember my words well.
How much time had passed? Finally, the carriage came to a halt.
Looking around through the window, I spotted a sign buried in the snow.
‘Norton Village’
We had finally arrived at our destination.
“We’re here. Let’s get off.”
At my words, Kayla straightened her robe and stood up.
Erina also grabbed her sword and backpack, then stepped out of the carriage.
We faced a landscape where frost fluttered in the cold wind.
Fortunately, the snow had stopped briefly, but the clouds in the sky remained.
“We’ve arrived at Norton Village, adventurers.”
We exchanged handshakes with the merchants who had accompanied us.
We thanked them for their hard work.
“If we ever meet again, I’ll treat you well.”
With those words, the merchants prepared several things from their luggage.
A bit of money and emergency rations.
And we could even take the blanket we had borrowed so far.
Every penny counted.
Gratefully, we accepted without hesitation.
Unfortunately, the merchants said they had no reason to visit Norton Village.
They said it was just a detour for us.
“Let’s meet again if we get the chance.”
“Thank you. Take care.”
After several rounds of thanks, we parted ways with the merchants.
“Thanks to them, we arrived comfortably.”
“They were all very kind. We’re lucky.”
Kayla looked at them unexpectedly with a bitter expression.
I heard she had almost been sold as a slave to a merchant before.
Perhaps she was recalling that moment.
Of course, there were many villains in the world.
As the world approached its end, people became increasingly blinded by personal gain.
Still, there are always people with kind hearts everywhere.
“Not everyone in the world is bad.”
The merchants were no exception.
In this harsh world, they helped us despite the difficulty of survival.
Without a doubt, even in tough situations, there were people who didn’t forget kindness.
“That’s right. But.”
Kayla paused for a moment, then came to my side and took my hand.
“The only person who accepted me knowing I’m a dragon is Seo-Hyun.”
If the merchants had known Kayla was a dragon, would they still have shown us kindness?
No one knew.
But she had always endured persecution and neglect.
And I was the only one who deviated from that expectation.
I could somewhat understand why Kayla had asked me to become a Dragon Knight.
“It looks like it’s going to snow again.”
Erina’s words were accurate.
Looking up at the sky, it was filled with thick clouds.
We quickly headed for the entrance of the village.
Norton Village was even more run-down than I expected.
It looked like it could collapse at any moment.
There weren’t even any guards to protect the village.
Even though it was a rural town, it seemed too vulnerable, I thought.
“Oh! Over here! Here!”
A lively voice came from beyond the fence.
A young girl was waving her hand energetically beyond the fence.
With short blonde hair and round eyes, she sparkled brightly.
She was very short, barely reaching my chest.
Her voice and appearance were very delicate and lively.
Despite being in a windy area, she seemed to have forgotten the cold as she greeted us with a cheerful smile.
“You’re the adventurers from the capital, right? I heard you’re really skilled!”
The girl reached out her hand with a bright smile.
I shook hands with her, feeling her somewhat rough hands.
“I’m Colin! I’m in charge of the quest center in this village!”
It was surprising that such a young child was in charge of the quest center.
Usually, it was mostly veteran adventurers or experienced receptionists who rose to the position of quest center manager.
But Colin seemed so young that I wondered if she had just become an adult.
“Here, give me your hand!”
She asked not only me but also Erina and Kayla for a handshake.
However, the two of them were not in a situation to shake hands.
Kayla was shivering from the cold.
She stood behind me and shook her hands.
I stopped her from shaking hands, fearing that her identity might be exposed.
And as for Erina,
“You.”
“Yes?”
“When did you see me and act like we’re close?”
Her gaze, full of suspicion, turned threatening.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and Colin was taken aback and quickly withdrew her hand.
Her awkward smile froze in a perplexed expression.
“Erina.”
“…”
Fortunately, Erina backed down at my voice of caution.
But it was natural that the first impression was ruined.
“Ahaha… Did I come on too strong?”
Amidst the uneasy atmosphere, Colin awkwardly forced a smile.
It was already showing such behavior as soon as we arrived in the village.
I had a feeling that this quest wouldn’t be easy.
