Clatter!
The carriage jolted violently, and Adrian opened his eyes.
"...."
"Oh, th-this is—!"
Their eyes met, and startled, Ione instinctively began to make an excuse.
Swish—
With a screeching metallic sound scraping her eardrums, he swung his sword.
Thunk!
With a chilling noise, the white blade struck the bottom of the window frame.
The blade was mercilessly embedded.
"Ugh..."
The carriage wall was much sturdier than it appeared.
It had to support the weight of people and cargo, and endure the constant vibrations from the wheels over a long time.
'But why treat this like a pudding and stab it with a fork?'
Ione recalled part of the original story:
[He was the empire's first magic swordsman. Unlike ordinary swordsmen, he could wield magical power, easily surpassing human physical limits.]
Frozen in place, Ione thought,
What on earth have I done in front of someone without physical limits?!
What's so important about having a sharp tongue!
"Please spare me."
"Help! Somebody save me!"
"I'm sorry!"
In an instant, dozens of desperate pleas for mercy flashed through Ione's mind.
She froze stiff but forced a weak smile.
"Sh-should I open the window?"
"...Don't close it."
"You'll catch a cold while sleeping—"
"Lady, you smell unpleasant, so please stay away from the window."
What?
Caught off guard by the unexpected remark, Ione hesitated briefly — and then Adrian's sword was right in front of her face.
"W-what is this?"
"Look."
Suddenly, he pointed his sword at her, and she thought her life was in danger. But looking closer, she saw something was stuck on the tip of the blade.
A droplet the size of a fist?
"W-what is this?"
At that moment, maybe because she had closed the window a little, the frozen tip of her nose began to thaw and suddenly a stream of runny nose started.
Startled by the dripping sensation, Ione sniffled loudly.
"Sniff!"
Adrian seemed to be watching her because of the noise.
But she didn't have a handkerchief.
Still, she couldn't just let it drip...
Ione sniffled again.
"....."
As if unaware of sympathy, Adrian didn't seem to intend to hand over a handkerchief and instead looked back at what he was holding.
This time, she understood.
She didn't want a snotty handkerchief either.
"Watch carefully."
"Yes."
So, she actively cooperated as he deliberately changed the subject.
"This is a mutated slime. Unlike ordinary slimes that don't usually harm people—"
Mid-sentence, Adrian bit the tip of his glove and pulled it off with his teeth, then brought his index finger to the slime.
As Adrian's finger touched it, the slime rippled and sprayed a stream of liquid that tightly wrapped around his finger.
"What, what is that?!"
"It's fine, keep watching."
Ione wasn't fine at all!
She felt confused, but Adrian remained calm.
'I haven't seen anything like this in the South… is this normal in the North…?'
She thought it was okay because Adrian showed no reaction, but that was her mistake.
The liquid clinging tightly to his skin began to ripple and turn red.
Even a fool couldn't miss what was happening.
"Sucking blood?"
"They usually feed near swampy areas, but since the North is completely frozen, there's nothing like that here."
So that's what they meant by "
modified slime."
Ione nodded but then suddenly tilted her head in curiosity.
Was she imagining it?
The slime, which had been about the size of a fist, seemed to have grown a bit.
In the blink of an eye, it grew even more.
"Uh, wait, is this—?"
Hearing Ione's surprised voice, Adrian shook his hand and easily removed the slime.
It was too insignificant to be called a monster.
'Ah, what's this? It's nothing special. Like a transparent leech.'
Just when Ione was casually grumbling to herself, having forgotten her earlier surprise, Adrian gripped the removed slime in his hand and in a somewhat stern tone, spoke.
"Do not underestimate modified slime. After all, I am not an ordinary person."
It was as if he had looked right into Ione's mind.
"For ordinary people, it's not easy to remove slime once it attaches. While feeding, these creatures grow rapidly. They may start as small as a finger, but within minutes, they can consume the entire body."
The shocking words left Ione's mouth wide open.
Her surprised expression was hard to hide.
Adrian slowly reached out and gently closed Ione's jaw.
"That's why the residents of the Northern Territories all get '
seals
'."
"What are those?"
"In short, it's a mark that shows what belongs to whom."
"Excuse me?"
Was this some kind of possession?
Adrian, while removing the slime, frowned and added,
"That's not what it means."
'I only thought it silently, but did it show on my face?'
Feeling awkward, Ione gave an uneasy smile.
"Dragons are the kings of monsters. If you bear their power, monsters fear and avoid you."
Finishing his words, Adrian bent forward.
"Like this."
His long, slender finger pressed firmly on Ione's round forehead.
"I've given this mark to all Northern residents."
The finger pressing on Ione's forehead felt cold.
"To bear the king's power."
His bright blue eyes, shining nearby, were strikingly clear and intense.
"It covers the human scent."
'It smells.'
Ah, so that's what it meant.
"To avoid becoming a target for monsters."
"…To not die?"
Ione, who had been repeating his words in a daze, finally realized.
She had just barely escaped death.
'Wow, what is this? I don't remember this part in the original story. It's so surprising.'
But then she thought it was strange.
Why hadn't they given me the mark—or seal—sooner?
Sniffling, Ione rolled her eyes innocently.
"So, what about me then…?"
"Of course, you should receive the mark as well."
But despite saying this, Adrian didn't budge at all.
I just barely escaped death, didn't I?
Though she felt a surge of emotion, knowing that the mark was serious and not to be taken lightly, Ione pleaded in the most pitiful voice she could muster.
"Then, could you do it now? I'm scared after hearing all this."
"I gave you a simple explanation for your understanding, but this is a complicated ritual to engrave the mark on a person. It requires two magicians."
"Can the Duke not do it himself?"
"I am a sword master, not a mage"
Just as Adrian finished his crisp explanation, a sudden stream of snot trickled down.
Sniffle.
Whether it was because the tension finally released, or because the door she had just closed was opened again, one thing was clear:
"It's cold. I really can't take it anymore!"
It's definitely not because I'm upset.
"Well, then, since the slime keeps coming in, maybe we could close the window a little…"
"That's not allowed."
"Why not?"
At the blunt question, Adrian's eyebrows lifted slightly.
But Ione hadn't yet realized there was another reason...
She was slightly out of her mind from the threat to her life.
What if more of those—slimes or leeches—came in?!
"Why? I'm cold and scared."