Benny and Sanchez, who had been standing beside them, exchanged a quiet conversation of their own.
“Look, Sanchez. Those who kidnap and exploit children deserve nothing less than the worst punishment. That’s justice.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind today as well.”
“The state would probably just throw them in prison, but that seems too lenient, doesn’t it?”
Benny spoke in a low, heavy voice—one she rarely used in front of Salvia.
“Aquila, I think breaking at least one of their legs would be appropriate.”
“...Yeah.”
Aquila nodded at Benny’s words, then turned his head toward Karon.
“What do you think, Karon? Want to do it yourself?”
Karon hesitated for a moment before cautiously approaching the dark mage.
Moments later, as the dark mage’s screams echoed through the air, Aquila knew without a doubt—Karon’s trauma regarding dark mages was completely gone.
Salvia told me to look after him.
If it was something Salvia wanted, Aquila would do it—whatever it took. That’s why he had been watching over Karon for five years now.
If it’s for Salvia, then there’s no helping it.
***
As we traveled toward Winter’s home, I stole a glance at his face.
Isn’t he even a little excited?
Strictly speaking, this was practically a vacation for him—getting leave and going home. It was an opportunity most Arkons wouldn’t even dream of.
And yet, despite the situation being one that should have made him excited, Winter showed no particular emotion about returning home.
If it were me, I’d be dying to see my family the moment I set foot in my hometown.
...Not that I had any family to see. Ha-ha!
...Thinking about it, that wasn’t funny at all. XX.
As I mentally cursed this world for the 332nd time, we continued our steady march toward Winter’s castle.
We pushed through the rain with quick steps and finally arrived at the gates. Winter stopped and turned to us.
“We’re here.”
“...Oh.”
At the entrance of the small fortress stood a grand door adorned with ornate carvings. Without hesitation, Winter pushed it open and stepped inside.
Beyond the doors lay a small garden. It looked just like the kind of setting I had imagined when I first thought of this world as a rofan novel. It was a shame the rain was obscuring my view.
As I stood there, hesitating, Winter strode forward and led me into the building.
The moment we entered and turned a corner in the hallway—
“Who’s there?”
“Holy—!”
I jumped back in shock at the sudden appearance of two figures.
A middle-aged man and woman, each holding long swords, their sharp auras piercing the air. The energy emanating from their blades was so intense it felt like they could strike at any moment.
My instincts kicked in, and I reflexively reached for my gun—but before I could react, Winter greeted them with his usual calm demeanor.
“Good evening, Mother. Father.”
“...Son?”
Oh. So these were Winter’s parents.
I should have figured, considering they were the only ones here. But their presence was so overwhelming that I hadn’t even considered it.
Now that I got a good look at them, they were unmistakably Winter’s parents. The man had black hair and gray eyes, while the woman had black hair and blue eyes. And, of course, they carried that same chilling aura Winter always had. Cold expressions. And most of all—
Wow. Even their silent movements are exactly like his.
The way Winter would suddenly appear without a sound—it had to be something he learned from them.
As I cautiously observed them, Winter and his parents began conversing.
“Son, what brings you here? Did you desert?”
“A deserter? And still alive? I wouldn’t have taken you for the type.”
...Do they not get along?
Was this one of those rofan male lead backstories where he received no affection from his parents?
“I’m on external duty. We just finished capturing a dark mage, but there’s some time before the transfer, so I dropped by. I have something to ask you both.”
“I see. We thought you were an intruder. No one ever visits, but suddenly the door opened.”
“The villagers won’t come near us since we’re hetero sapiens, so we assumed it had to be an outsider.”
“I understand. I won’t take up much time—I’ll just ask my questions and leave.”
“Is that so? You could stay longer if you wanted.”
“Dear, he only has a few months left until discharge anyway.”
...So they’re just naturally like this.
It seemed like Winter’s entire family spoke exactly like him.
Listening to them all exchange stiff, formal sentences with emotionless expressions made the whole situation feel incredibly awkward.
They really are like northern dukes out of a novel.
Looking at Winter’s family, I couldn’t help but picture a classic rofan scenario—a cold, barren northern land where a warm-hearted, frail southern lady marries into the family and transforms the entire household.
“Madam! Ever since you arrived, it’s as if spring has come to the North!”—the kind of thing a maid would say in a story like that.
As I was indulging in my little rofan fantasy, suddenly, all their gazes turned toward me.
“This one’s your junior?”
“Yes.”
“...Greetings.”
I awkwardly greeted them, my voice stiff.
Winter’s mother tilted her head slightly, then turned back to Winter with her usual icy tone.
“You’re as heartless as ever, but your junior is freezing in the rain.”
You don’t seem to have much warmth yourself, ma’am...
“Oh. That’s true. We should continue this conversation somewhere warmer.”
...And so, I ended up following Winter’s family into the drawing room.
***
As Winter’s mother had pointed out, I was soaked to the bone and freezing. After accepting a large blanket to wrap around myself, I was led into an elegant drawing room.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.
Seeing the plush sofas—something I’d never once encountered in the Border Defense Army—I hesitated, wondering if I should really sit on them in my drenched state. But Winter’s parents were watching us with their characteristically cool, minty, icy gazes, so I decided to just follow their instructions.
Even that expression is hereditary, huh...
Drinking the warm tea Winter’s mother had brought me, I felt some of the cold seeping out of my body.
“Winter, aren’t you cold?” I asked, noticing that, unlike me, he hadn’t taken a blanket.
Winter’s father responded instead, his voice utterly matter-of-fact.
“My son is strong. He doesn’t catch colds.”
Well, he certainly knows his child...
I reflexively made a face of disbelief at his comment, and suddenly, Winter’s parents turned to stare at me in unison.
“Hm.”
“Interesting.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Have you seen people like us before?”
“Now that I think about it, you don’t seem afraid of Winter at all. That’s... unusual.”
That’s when I realized why their conversation pattern felt so familiar. It was exactly the same as the one Altair and Winter had had about me before.
Well, of course. I’ve read more than ten rofan novels featuring northern dukes... I’ve probably seen at least twenty covers with guys who look just like Winter. Why would I be scared?
“Winter, you’ve found yourself a strong junior.”
“They’re not always strong. You two might see them that way, but—”
“You understand your subordinate well. You’ve grown into a fine senior.”
“We’re proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
...Wait, was that supposed to be a warm conversation?
As I alternated glances between them, unsure what to make of the exchange, Winter abruptly brought up his real reason for visiting.
“Have there been any unusual shifts in the country’s political situation lately?”
“What’s this all of a sudden?” his mother asked.
“I found letters while searching the dark mage’s home. They were correspondence with another dark mage, and they mentioned instability in the nation. More specifically, they suggested that the government is beginning to need hetero sapiens.”
“If they’re at the point where they need us...”
Winter’s father furrowed his brow as if something had occurred to him.
“I’ve heard that relations with the Pelloni Empire haven’t been good lately. There have been provocations on both sides—my friend stationed near the border told me.”
The Pelloni Empire was the neighboring country along the southeastern edge of the Empire.
“So if what Winter is saying is correct, the royal family might be preparing for war, and they need hetero sapiens to fight it,” his mother concluded.
...War?
The scale of the conversation had just exploded. My eyes widened in shock before my emotions quickly shifted to something far more bitter.
So now they’re planning to use us for war, too?
As I reeled from the implications, Winter continued discussing the contents of the letters with his parents.
“If the royal family previously tolerated dark mages, it’s likely because they wanted hetero sapiens to slowly disappear from the Empire. And in reality, there are barely any pureblood hetero sapiens left now.”
“As you said, the hetero sapiens in the Border Defense Army nowadays are only slightly stronger than regular Imperial citizens,” his father noted.
“So the government originally intended to reduce our numbers, but now that war is on the horizon, they’re reversing course—cracking down on dark mages so they can use us instead.”
I listened in silence, my mouth slightly open. I had never considered the possibility that the Empire was deliberately trying to cull the Arkon population.
As my eyes burned with anger, Winter glanced at a nearby clock and then turned to me.
“We should go. Was this helpful to you?”
“Ah...! Yes, thank you very much.”
I quickly stood up and gave a polite bow to his parents. Meanwhile, Winter exchanged a few more words with them.
“By the way, can I get access to the bank vault?” he asked.
“I believe you already took the key when you enlisted,” his father replied.
“You don’t seem like the type to misplace things,” his mother added.
“I’ll need a new one.”
A short while later, Winter received a golden key—a beautifully intricate design, straight out of a fantasy novel.
“What’s that?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
Winter answered in a casual tone. “A key to the family’s vault. We have assets stored in a bank in the capital.”
“Oh...”
That really does sound like something out of a fantasy novel.
As I stared at the key with fascination, Winter’s parents commented in turn.
“You’re a curious one.”
“We hope you make it through your service safely.”
...Was that a warning that I might get silenced for prying into state secrets?
But as soon as we stepped out of the building, Winter made a comment that took me by surprise.
“They seemed to like you.”
“...Excuse me?”
“They don’t usually take much interest in people.”
So those icy stares, which felt more like threats than anything else, were actually their way of expressing interest?
I really don’t understand northern families at all.
Outside, the rain was still pouring. What I had assumed was just a passing shower was lasting much longer than expected.
“Ugh, I just dried off,” I muttered.
As much as I didn’t want to get soaked again, we had no choice. We stepped into the downpour and started the journey back to base.
***
On our way back to regroup with the others, we ran into Ishina before even reaching the dark mage’s house.
“Ishina!” I called.
“Salvia?”
Ishina, who seemed to be out on an errand, looked back and forth between Winter and me.
“Winter, where have you been with Salvia?”
“I dropped by my home.”
“...What?”
“I had something to ask my parents, so we stopped by.”
“...Ugh!”
“Ishina?!”
Suddenly, Ishina clutched the back of his neck, and I panicked, rushing toward him.