That evening, in my dorm.

  Irene and I had just finished dinner.

  "Rid, why were you summoned by the principal? What did you talk about with the principal? Sorry if I felt like I was nosy about your problem," Irene said.

  "It's okay, the principal summoned me because he said he wanted to see what I was like. Maybe he's interested in me, since you know what I've always been like," I lied.

  "I see. I thought something was up," Irene said.

  "Nothing," I said.

  "By the way, this afternoon I felt a very strong aura of pressure, and the other students felt it too. Are you okay, Rid?" Irene asked.

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "You were talking to the principal when it happened, right? And from what I understand, the aura pressure was caused by the principal being very angry about something. Even I, who was far away from her? felt the strong pressure, let alone you who were close by. That's why I asked if you were okay?" Irene asked.

  "Ah, it's okay, but you're right, the pressure was very strong," I said.

  "How could Miss Karina make up such a ridiculous excuse? I left her while she was racking her brains over the aura pressure Her Majesty had created, and this is the excuse she came up with," I thought.

  "I see. Anyway, since it's already this late, I'll take my leave and return to my room, Rid," Irene said.

  "Okay," I said.

  I walked Irene to the front door of my dorm. Irene opened the door and prepared to leave.

  "Good night, Rid," Irene said.

  "Good night too, Irene," I said.

  Then Irene left my dorm and closed the door behind her.

  "I'm sorry for lying, Irene. When you proposed to me as your partner, you didn't seem to consider the possibility that I would be hunted down. If I tell him about this now, he'll definitely feel guilty for not thinking about it and will ultimately end the relationship. So, it's best not to tell him about this,"

  "If Senior Nadine and Her Majesty the Queen's suspicions are correct, it seems someone wants to carry out an evil plan and use Irene as the key. Of course, as his current partner, I am an obstacle. When will they come to me? I'm really looking forward to it because this situation could give me a lot of experience to change this world in the future," I said.

  -

  Meanwhile, somewhere in the snowfall, a man was sitting in a pile of snow. Suddenly, a light flashed in his pocket. He immediately checked his pocket and took out the thing that was emitting the light. It turned out to be a communication crystal. Then he held the crystal and began to speak.

  "Hello, what's up, Dad?" the man said.

  "Hello, Asier. I can finally contact you. Where have you been all this time?" said the person behind the communication crystal.

  The person behind the communication crystal was Duke Louis of San Lucia. The man Duke Louis was contacting was his eldest son, Asier Emerald San Lucia...

  "Sorry, Dad, I was on an exploration mission and forgot to bring the communication crystal to contact you. I only returned from this mission yesterday," Asier said.

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  ...Or better known as Commander Asier, Commander of the "Frost Wolf" Warrior Troop, the troop that handles surveillance and defense in the western part of the San Fulgen Kingdom. The San Angela region falls under his jurisdiction.

  "I see. I thought you were fine. But I heard the sound of snow falling where you are now. Are you in San Lucia?" Duke Louis asked.

  "No, I'm in my guard area in San Angela," Asier said.

  "I see, don't overdo it, Asier," said Duke Louis.

  "Okay. By the way, what's wrong Dad's calling me so late at night? You also tried to contact me while I was on duty earlier," said Asier.

  "Ah yes, I just wanted to let you know that I received news from Nadine at the academy. Nadine said that Irene now has a partner at the academy," said Duke Louis.

  "Is that true?" asked Asier.

  "Yes, that's true. It seems you don't believe this," said Duke Louis.

  "Well, it can't be helped, we're talking about Irene. So I was a little surprised to hear that she has a partner. But since Irene now has a partner, doesn't that mean Irene no longer needs to attend that event?" asked Asier.

  "Yes, that should be the case. But for some reason, King Albert chose not to cancel the event, even though he knows Irene is currently engaged. The event currently only has one participant, Amelia of the San Quentine family," said Duke Louis.

  "It seems our suspicions about the event haven't been dispelled, huh, Dad?" asked Asier.

  "Yes, you're right, that's why I'm still asking you to be wary of any strange movements in the San Angela region. Perhaps the Duke of San Angela is doing something suspicious in his own territory," said Duke Louis.

  "You don't need to worry, Dad. Without your asking, I'm always on standby to monitor my own command area. But what about the other territories?" asked Asier.

  "Don't worry, for the other territories, I've placed spies in every troop guarding those territories, and I've even stationed some in the residences of the three Dukes," said Duke Louis.

  "So you're already prepared, Dad," said Asier.

  "Of course, who knows, they might be planning something secret and that event is their goal. Besides that, have you gotten any information about 'that thing'?" Duke Louis asked.

  "Unfortunately not, Dad," Asier said.

  "I see, that's fine. Then, I'll end it—" Duke Louis said.

  Before Duke Louis could finish, a shout was suddenly heard.

  "BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU KILL ALL MY MEN!!!," a man shouted.

  The man ran through the snow, intending to attack Asier from behind. However, Asier casually held the communication crystal with one hand, while the other formed a pointing pose. Initially, he pointed forward, but then he immediately changed direction and pointed upward. Then, a large spike made of ice emerged from beneath the man and pierced his body through. The spike rose upward, and the man's body became caught in it. Blood coated the tip of the large spike. The atmosphere fell silent.

  "What happened, Asier? Were you just attacked by someone?" asked Duke Louis.

  "Just a small disturbance, Dad," said Asier.

  "I see. I didn't know you were on duty, so I apologize for disturbing you. Then let's end this conversation. I'll contact you later," said Duke Louis.

  "Okay, Dad," said Asier.

  Then the communication crystal stopped glowing. Asier, who had been sitting, began to get up and looked at the man impaled by the thorn. The man was still moving and trying to free himself from the thorn, even though his body was covered in blood from the large hole in his body, and blood was also oozing from his mouth.

  "So you're still alive. I'll hasten your death because I don't like torturing others," said Asier.

  He extended his hand forward, clenching it into a fist. Then he unclenched it. And suddenly, the man's body was pierced by numerous small thorns originating from the large thorn that had pierced him. The man's body was riddled with holes from the small thorns. The man died instantly.

  Shortly after, a woman arrived.

  "So you're here, Commander," the woman said.

  "Sara, huh? I didn't expect you to find me," said Asier.

  The woman who met Asier was named Sara Veldavana, Vice Commander of the "Frost Wolf" Squad.

  "Because the snow here is so striking. It's not winter, and this isn't San Lucia, how could there be snow here. I know this snow came from your power. So, who was the man who died so horribly?" Sara asked, looking at the man still caught in the large thorn.

  "The leader of the group I attacked," said Asier.

  "The leader? And where are his men?" Sara asked.

  "Look around carefully," Asier said.

  Sara began to look around, making it a bit difficult to see clearly due to the snowfall. But finally, she could see it, many people had frozen to death. They were all trapped in the ice.

  "I see, so you killed them all, huh? I didn't expect you to come here yourself, considering you have subordinates at your disposal. Well, whatever, so is this group connected to 'that organization'?" Sara asked.

  "No, they're just a bunch of ordinary bandits. I haven't gotten any information about 'that organization' from them," Asier said.

  "I see. Okay, then let's return to headquarters, Commander. Many of your subordinates are looking for you. Just leave their bodies here, they'll be eaten by the wild animals around here," Sara said.

  "Okay," Asier said.

  Then the two of them walked back to their base. Along the way, Asier seemed to be thinking about something.

  "So Irene already has a partner, huh? I wonder who this person is," Asier thought.

  -To be continued