They seemed to have hurriedly entered deeper into the forest to avoid the hail, but apparently, it hadn’t helped much. They still got hit by hail, the carriage was damaged, trees shook and scattered snow, and it was colder and chillier inside the forest.

If they had known the weather would be this bad, they would have used a different route.

‘No, we wouldn’t have departed at all…..’

While breaking through the snowstorm, that’s when it happened.

They heard a cracking sound and human screams from beyond.

“Aaaaah!”

It seemed some accident had occurred because of the snow.

“Sir Rupert. You heard that? Let’s go that way.”

Now that they knew, they couldn’t just leave.

“You are my priority, Miss.”

“I’m fine for a while. I’m just cold, not in mortal danger.”

“…Understood. But if there’s even a slight sign of danger, I’ll take you away immediately.”

“Do that.”

They had the horse carrying Smila continue on. Though they had wrapped her in blankets and shawls, she hadn’t been able to change clothes, so the wet parts were probably freezing moment by moment.

“When you see a village, go to any house and warm up. Say I’ll compensate them later. And let them know help is needed here.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Smila answered barely with blue-tinged lips before leaving with the coachman.

Saena and Rupert hurriedly rode toward where they had heard the screams. Their hearts grew more urgent hearing the continued cries and shouts of children.

When they arrived, they found what appeared to be a cabin used as a rest stop by herb gatherers and hunters had collapsed under the weight of snow. The central region where the capital was located didn’t usually get much snow. As a result, it seemed the building’s flimsiness had led to the accident.

“How many people were inside?”

As soon as he dismounted, Rupert asked various questions.

An old man and young boy were crying while clumsily clearing the building debris, and hearing their story, two people were trapped inside.

It seemed the boy’s father and younger sibling had been inside before it collapsed. The old man and the boy’s father were from the same village.

“Miss! Sir! Please save my dad and sibling!”

The child pleaded crying.

“Your cheeks will freeze if you cry, making you colder. Let’s quickly clear this together.”

Saena said as she approached the child. With no one else to help, she would need to lend a hand too.

Rupert began work while giving priority instructions to the old man and child. He warned them to be careful of one section where only one wall barely remained standing, as it could cause a secondary collapse.

Meanwhile, the snow continued to pour down like it was being dumped, already past their ankles. It was literally pouring down.

The rain from earlier had frozen, sticking to the pile of building materials. The debris wouldn’t separate, making it even more difficult.

“Ah.”

Saena’s hand was badly cut while forcefully pulling at a board.

‘Ah, this….’

Perhaps because her hand was frozen, it didn’t hurt as much as expected.

Drip drip. Blood fell.

‘Are they still alive?’

Saena wrapped her hand with her sleeve and picked up the board again. Her hands seemed to slip more as her heart grew urgent.

Though they thought they could clear the small cabin quickly, progress was very slow. It seemed worse because Sir Rupert was the only able-bodied man.

Though there were three more people, one was an elderly man, one was a young child, and one was a noble lady with no muscle — what help could they be?

Their hearts were urgent but their hands grew steadily slower. Their fingertips and lips were turning blue. They could feel their senses gradually becoming duller.

‘Of all days to come out without gloves….’

Meanwhile, the snow accumulated at a breathtaking rate, enough to cover traces of the collapsed cabin. The shapes of the building debris became obscured under the piled snow.

Because of that, she didn’t realize she had stepped into a gap between the debris piles. Crack — her body sank as her foot got caught between the wood. At that moment, Saena lost her balance.

“Aah!”

Just before falling toward an area full of pointed and sharp wood pieces, though hard to see through the snow—

“Again…”

Someone wrapped around Saena’s waist and lifted her up.

“You’re about to fall again.”

It was Duke Kramer.

“……D-Duke?”

No, how did he appear in such a remote place?

Saena stared at him with shocked eyes, like someone who had seen something they shouldn’t.

“You’ve turned blue.”

The Duke examined Saena with furrowed brows.

“And you’re injured……”

His brow furrowed deeper as he saw her reddened sleeve.

“Miss!”

Noticing the emergency, Rupert quickly approached.

The Duke knelt in front of Saena and carefully examined around her feet.

“Your Grace!”

Surprised by his lowered posture as he knelt before her, Saena tried to stop him, but he only held her more firmly.

“Stay still, you could get hurt by the fragments.”

With his hands, her oddly caught leg came free smoothly. The feeling of his large hand firmly wrapping around her ankle under her dress was very strange.

“Ah!”

It was even stranger when he put his arm behind her knees and lifted her. Saena grabbed his shoulders as her body suddenly tilted back, losing balance.

The Duke set Saena down a bit away from the cabin then returned.

“Why are you clearing this? Are there people inside?”

The child and old man hesitated, unsure how to react to the huge man who suddenly appeared who seemed to be of high status.

“Yes. This child’s father and sibling were inside, they say.”

Rupert answered. Seeing Saena was safe, he explained the situation.

“Hmm. I see.”

The Duke slowly looked around.

“Step back.”

Then he gave a short command.

When they asked where to step back to, unsure, the Duke told all three to go where Saena was.

After the people moved, the Duke stood in front of the debris.

As he extended his left hand and muttered something quietly, black energy rose from behind him and flowed along his left arm, stretching forward. Multiple streams of black energy spiraled out and spread, first blowing away the thickly piled snow.

Whoosh — the snow flew away, becoming a white wall as it spread.

Next was the debris. Swish, the intertwining black lines wrapped around the wooden boards and logs, lifting them into the air before throwing them far away.

The rescue work that had been difficult even with four people using all their strength was instantaneous once the Duke stepped in.

Everyone’s jaws dropped at the amazing sight.

‘This is… the power of a Guardian Spirit.’

She felt she had glimpsed a bit of the foundation of the Four Ducal Houses’ power.

“Dad!”

Where the debris had been cleared, they could indeed see the shape of a person curled up. The man called Dad seemed to have been buried while protecting his young son in his embrace.

Rupert quickly went and turned the man over to check his breathing.

“Thankfully, they’re alive.”

“Uwaah! Dad……”

The child ran over crying his sibling‘s name and Dad.

“Thank goodness……”

She had been worried inside since the rescue took so long, but fortunately, they seemed alright.

“Sir, lead these people to safety and take care of them. I will escort the lady.”

Constantine spoke to Rupert who was checking on the rescued people.

“Huh? But……”

A black form rose again behind the Duke and instantly took the shape of a lion. It was the Guardian Spirit Morev.

“You’ve turned so blue, you look about to collapse.”

The Duke lifted Saena and placed her on Morev.

“Y-Your Grace?!”

To ride on a Guardian Spirit…..

Though she tried to hold it in, Saena’s eyes went wide with shock enough to momentarily forget the deadly cold.

“I understand. I leave her in your care.”

Seeing Saena’s pale complexion, Rupert’s expression hardened, looking truly serious. The Duke nodded briefly and mounted behind Saena.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah!”

Morev suddenly sprang forward. The momentum threw her body back, nestling her completely in the Duke’s embrace.

“Your body is far too cold.”

The Duke wrapped his cloak from behind around her front, holding her tightly to eliminate any gaps.

“Too… too…”

“Stay still. The wind is cold.”

Morev’s speed increased further. The surroundings literally whizzed past. Her body automatically tensed at the tremendous speed that felt like she would be thrown far if she fell.

Morev, running almost as if flying, seemed barely affected by the accumulated snow.

“Hold onto me.”

The Duke spoke, perhaps sensing her tense body. Saena hesitated slightly but, scared and dizzy from the whizzing speed, turned and grabbed his waist.

He flinched slightly then wrapped her well in his cloak again (this time up to her head) and held her tight.

Being firmly secured in his embrace definitely made it less frightening. With the cloak wrapped up to her head, the wind was somewhat blocked, making it feel like being inside a tent.

Saena tightly closed her eyes in that state.

Her body froze stiff from the cold. The fatigue accumulated from tension suddenly rushed in like a wave. Though she only meant to keep her eyes closed, it wasn’t working as intended. She felt her consciousness sinking beneath her closed eyes as she drifted into a daze.

* * *