It was my first time seeing such a large, grotesque, and terrifying creature. The hydra, seemingly a particularly strong one, had five heads attached to its massive body.

The coachman and the guards were all frozen in place, unable to even scream.

I wasn’t any different. It was a wonder I hadn’t collapsed.

Although Iscallion was often compared to a monster, I doubted he could handle such a fearsome hydra alone.

“L-L-Leon…”

I forced my tongue to move, trying to call Iscallion, but suddenly, all five pairs of eyes turned to me. The reptilian pupils narrowed and then expanded.

Chills ran down my spine. I clung to the carriage door, barely holding on, feeling like I might faint at any moment.

Iscallion finally looked back at me.

“I told you not to come out.”

His voice was oddly calm for the situation. At that moment, the hydra let out a chilling sound and charged at a terrifying speed.

The guards hastily assumed combat stances, but even to my untrained eyes, it was clear they had lost their will to fight.

“E-E-Everyone, run away!”

No sooner had I spoken than they all turned and fled as if they had been waiting for the command. Everyone except Iscallion. He hadn’t even drawn his sword yet.

I forced my frozen body to move and ran to him.

“What are you doing! Get out of the way!”

Just as I grabbed Iscallion’s arm, the hydra, now right in front of us, opened its jaws wide. At this rate, we would be swallowed whole.

‘No!’

“Go quickly!”

Without a second thought, I pushed Iscallion aside and stood in front of him. I couldn’t muster the courage to look ahead, so I tightly shut my eyes. I just hoped Iscallion would escape while I bought him some time.

Feeling the cold breath of the hydra, I braced myself for the end.

Memories of the past flashed through my mind like a flash of light, most of which were related to the Crown Prince, a fact I found regrettable.

But no pain came. Instead, a deafening roar shook the ground.

Instinctively, I covered my ears and fell to the ground. The wind whipped through my hair, tangling it. Then, suddenly, everything went quiet.

I cautiously lifted my head and looked around.

In front of me was a translucent shield. It seemed to block both the wind and the noise.

“Are you alright, mate?”

The coal asked.

“Did you create this shield, coal?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, coal!”

Relieved to have survived, I called him coal without thinking.

“Do you know what you’ve done?”

Perhaps because of that, the coal’s usually gentle voice was now stern.

“Why, what’s wrong? Are you mad because I called you coal?”

“Rushing in front of a hydra without a plan, how could you be so reckless? If it weren’t for me or that boy, you would have lost your life.”

I couldn’t argue with him; he was right.

What I did earlier was indeed foolish.

But the thought that Iscallion might die made me act before I could think rationally.

“I will always be by your side, but you must prioritize your own safety.”

“Yes…”

I answered obediently, but I was worriedly glancing ahead. I could see Iscallion facing off against the hydra.

“Can’t you help Iscallion?”

“As I said before, he can handle it alone.”

“But what if he gets hurt? Iscallion is only nineteen, still a minor. I know you don’t like him, but you should help him in times like this!”

Flustered by his cold refusal, I shouted anxiously.

But soon, I understood why the coal had said that.

Iscallion fought like a mad dog.

The hydra, notorious for regenerating two heads for every one cut off, had its head count increased to ten, then twenty by Iscallion’s deliberate slow cuts.

Then, like harvesting crops, he slashed through the layers of heads in one go and waited for them to regrow.

“What the…”

By now, the severed Hydra heads had piled up like a mountain.

In contrast, Iscallion showed no signs of fatigue.

“Even demons would be more merciful than that.”

The coachman, who had returned at some point, muttered in a dazed voice from behind.

I nodded blankly.

While Iscallion rampaged and attacked the hydra, the three guards, the coachman, and I crouched behind the shield, watching his performance.

Anyone watching might have mistaken the hydra for the victim.

The hydra seemed to be at a loss, unsure whether to regenerate its heads or not.

Even the strongest monsters didn’t have infinite regenerative abilities, and it seemed the hydra had reached its limit.

“Who is that boy?”

“I’d believe it if you said he was a monster…”

The guards murmured in awe, mixed with fear.

Finally, when the hydra fell, we all stood up and applauded.

Iscallion approached the last remaining head and asked,

“Why did you invade human territory, hydra?”

“A…che…”

The hydra struggled to speak, looking at me. Even though it couldn’t attack anymore, I instinctively shrank back.

The hydra died before finishing its sentence.

“What? It’s dead already.”

Iscallion nonchalantly cut off the last head and then approached me.

The coachman and the guards flinched and quickly left, saying they would take care of the monster’s corpse.

Ignoring them, Iscallion stood in front of me.

“Why did you do that?”

“What?”

“Why did you stand in front of me? I told you to stay in the carriage.”

‘Is he angry?’

At first, I thought Iscallion, like the coal, was scolding me.

But then I realized he looked more puzzled, like someone facing a difficult math problem.

“They said a hydra appeared…”

“Did you want to see the hydra?”

“Of course not. What’s there to see in that? I just didn’t want to leave you to face the hydra alone.”

“But you were no help at all.”

Iscallion hit the nail on the head.

Having just heard the same from the coal, my chest tightened.

“I know that. But how could an adult push a minor into danger and hide behind them? That’s too cowardly.”

“Is that cowardly?”

“Of course!”

If it had been Gined or Pinion, I would have obediently stayed hidden in the carriage.

But I couldn’t leave Iscallion alone.

Though he’s only a year younger, his mental age seemed much younger, making me feel like he needed his older sister’s help.

“I can handle ten of those monsters. But you can’t. It’s not cowardly for a weak person to step back.”

“Alright.”

I was about to comply quietly, as I had with the coal.

But then he continued, and I couldn’t hold back.

“Never step forward again. If you die, it’ll be a pointless death.”

His arrogant words, reminiscent of Pinion, made me suddenly angry.

Hearing similar words from both the coal and Iscallion made me feel utterly useless.

‘Well… I am useless.’

Even knowing that, I felt a surge of anger.

I stood up abruptly. It was humiliating to still have to look up at him.

“Fine, I’ve seen your skills. I know my worries were unnecessary, so I won’t overstep next time. But that doesn’t mean I’ll always hide behind you. If there’s a situation where one of us must get hurt, I’ll save you.”

“Why?”

Iscallion frowned.

“B-Because…”

If I said it was because he felt like a little brother, he would surely get angry.

After a brief hesitation, I found a suitable excuse.

“I have a duty to protect you. You’re a guest of our family. It’s dishonorable for a host to let a guest get hurt, and I won’t bear such dishonor.”

“Dishonor?”

Suddenly, Iscallion’s eyes darkened.

He took a step closer, narrowing the already close distance.

I instinctively stepped back, and his eyes narrowed. The chill of his presence weighed heavily on me.

“Why?”

“Do you think honor is more important than life?”

‘Oops.’

Having had a difficult childhood, Iscallion was known to despise the idealistic culture of the nobility.

“It’s just a saying. I don’t want you to face danger alone. No matter how strong you are, you’re not invincible. What if you get hurt? How could I not worry?”

Iscallion looked at me with a blank expression.

The chill dissipated instantly.

“Worry…? About me? Why?”

“Never mind, let’s just drop it.”

I clamped my mouth shut and turned away. Arguing with a child like him would only be a loss for me.