“Worry.”

Muttering it once more, Iscallion blocked my path and smiled broadly.

“I don’t really understand, but I think it’s a good thing. Keep doing it.”

“…Worrying isn’t a good thing, Leon.”

Seeing Iscallion unable to grasp such a simple emotion genuinely worried me. Not for him, but for the Principality of Pontos.

I sighed and asked in a somewhat softened voice.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No way a creature like that could even scratch me.”

But his shirt was soaked in blood.

Glancing down at his shirt, he casually took it off, revealing it was drenched in hydra’s blood.

“This is all hydra’s blood. My body is clean. Look.”

“Ahh! What are you doing!”

I quickly covered my eyes and turned away. Then I hurriedly picked up a jacket from the ground and tossed it over my shoulder to him.

“Stop fooling around and put it on! Don’t forget to button it properly.”

“I wasn’t fooling around. I just wanted to show you since you were worried…”

His voice sounded genuinely aggrieved, which pricked my conscience.

Yes, I had to admit it. The foolish one wasn’t him, it was my heart.

“Are you done dressing?”

“Yeah.”

I peeked through my fingers to confirm that Iscallion had properly put on the jacket.

Thankfully, he had buttoned it up completely. Though some bare skin was still visible, it was much better than before.

I tried to avoid looking directly at that spot and instead pretended to look elsewhere. That’s when I saw the coachman and the guards rummaging through the hydra’s corpse.

“Ugh, what are they doing?”

“They’re extracting mana stones. There’s one in each head. They’ll fetch a high price. I’ll give them all to you.”

The mention of mana stones made my eyes light up.

Depending on the type, mana stones generally sold for more than their weight in gold. The stronger the monster, the more valuable the mana stone.

‘Could it be that he increased the number of heads on purpose?’

Despite his young age, he seemed to have such knowledge from his mercenary days.

While praying for the hydra, which had become a mana stone duplicator, I quickly counted the severed heads. There seemed to be at least 40.

“You’re giving all of those to me…?”

“Yeah.”

“Leon, you’re such a good kid!”

Despite being the heir to a prestigious noble family, my wealth wasn’t substantial.

It was attributed to my young age, but the truth was different.

My parents hadn’t transferred their wealth to me because they feared I’d give it all to the Crown Prince.

It was a very wise decision. At the time, I was eager to inherit the family’s wealth and give it all to Pinion.

Even now, after breaking off the engagement, my financial situation wasn’t great.

I’d spent most of my allowance buying gifts for the Crown Prince, and the rest of the income from the silver mine had been poured into the temple to meet Gined.

Of course, if I explained the situation to my parents, they would gladly give me more allowance, but as an adult, I felt the urgent need for a secret fund they didn’t know about.

So, this unexpected windfall made my eyes spin.

I borrowed a dagger from a guard and joined in dismantling the hydra’s heads. The thought of it being disgusting had vanished, and I didn’t care about dirtying my dress.

After about an hour, a small pile of mana stones had formed.

Unlike the grotesque body, the mana stones sparkled as beautifully as any jewel.

I gave some mana stones to the coachman and the guards who had worked hard, and handed more than half of the remaining ones to Iscallion. It felt wrong to take all the spoils when he had done all the work.

“Take these. You killed it alone.”

“I don’t need them.”

Iscallion refused without batting an eye.

‘Even though he’s young, he’s still a high lord.’

I was reminded of his status.

If I had met Iscallion in an official setting, I wouldn’t have dared to treat him so casually.

Though I was from a high-ranking noble family, I hadn’t inherited it yet and was unmarried, making our statuses clearly different.

“No take-backs later.”

Hiding my deflated feelings, I collected the mana stones. I suddenly felt embarrassed about stepping forward and lecturing him earlier.

‘I’ll just watch quietly next time.’

However, the hydra’s last words were troubling.

Though it didn’t finish, it mentioned Mount Acheron.

This reminded me of a conversation I had with Gined.

It seemed that the transcendent beings sensitive to energy were beginning to notice Enril’s absence.

“I should inform the imperial family about this…”

Just thinking about meeting the Crown Prince again made me feel irritated.

I looked toward the direction of the imperial palace and sighed deeply.

***

Not long after collecting the mana stones and getting back into the carriage, Lou began to nod off. She had barely slept the night before, and the tension from seeing a hydra for the first time had worn her out.

Iscallion gently leaned her head against his shoulder.

As if waiting for it, Lou fully leaned into him, still clutching the coal tightly in one hand.

Iscallion, displeased by the sight of the coal, pulled her free hand toward him and gave the coal a triumphant look.

“Did you hear? She said she worries about me.”

“……”

The coal didn’t respond.

Iscallion didn’t expect an answer and didn’t mind.

Worry.

No one had ever dared to use such a presumptuous word in front of him. No one had ever blocked his path either.

Everyone in Pontos always followed his will silently and obediently.

But Lou’s words and actions didn’t bother him. In fact, a smile had been lingering on his lips since earlier.

When she mumbled in her sleep with her mouth slightly open, he found it endearing.

Iscallion adored Lou more than anyone in the world. Looking at her always eased the headaches that plagued him.

She kept mumbling incomprehensible words in her sleep, her hand gripping his tighter.

“Run, Leon…”

Finally, a coherent sentence came from Lou’s mouth.

Feeling playful, Iscallion asked the sleeping Lou,

“Where to?”

“A…safe place.”

Guessing the nature of her dream, Iscallion couldn’t help but laugh.

Even in her dreams, she seemed busy protecting him.

Lou gripped his hand tighter, urging him.

“Hurry…”

She was breathing a bit heavily, as if she was actually running hard.

Though her breath brushed against his ear, he didn’t feel any discomfort. On the contrary, he found it strange and fascinating.

It wasn’t just that he didn’t dislike it; he wanted to stay closer, for longer. It was the first time he felt this way about someone since his mother.

Iscallion closed his eyes and buried his face in Lou’s hair.

She smelled warm and soft, like sunshine. It reminded him of the scent from his mother’s embrace long ago.

For a moment, he felt like he was back in his childhood.

Despite their poor and unstable circumstances, he had never known worry because his mother protected him.

But now, he was no longer a powerless boy in need of protection.

Iscallion quickly snapped out of his reverie.

“Anywhere is safe with me.”

Lou shook her head.

“I’m your sister… I’ll protect you.”

He didn’t believe she could actually do it, struggling as she was to protect herself.

But hearing it made his chest feel oddly warm. At the same time, he felt anxious.

What he found attractive, others would too.

Many would covet Lou. Starting with her ex-fiancé, the Crown Prince, and even the unsettling holy knight, every man around her was a threat.

Moreover, Lou was overly kind and soft-hearted.

She surely wanted to protect more than just Iscallion. The fact that she clung to an ugly stone like a precious treasure was proof.

Feeling mischievous, Iscallion took the coal from her hand and tossed it into a bag.

Lou mumbled in her sleep.

“Coal, where’s my coal…”

“Don’t worry about others. Not even a stone.”

Only after claiming both her hands did Iscallion feel satisfied.

He rested his head against hers. Suddenly, he felt drowsy.

Before he knew it, Iscallion fell asleep along with Lou.