"Woooo—"
A long, low train whistle snapped Rayne out of his thoughts.
The slight shudder of the train coming to a stop told him they'd arrived.
Around him, the noise of passengers gathering their belongings filled the cabin.
"Rayne, Rayne! Let's go!"
Conann hopped down from her seat, tugging at his sleeve with eager energy.
Rayne didn't resist, simply grabbing the massive sword leaning beside him and slinging it over his back.
Four months had passed since his battle with Laxus.
In that time, he'd not only grown stronger—but taller, too.
Now, the sword no longer looked comically oversized on him.
Still, its sheer weight made people instinctively step aside as they walked.
Nobody wanted to get accidentally clobbered by that thing.
Snowfall Station
The moment they stepped off the train, Conann's eyes lit up.
She tilted her head back, catching snowflakes on her tongue.
"Cold!"
Her face scrunched up in delight—until a light chop landed on her forehead.
"Idiot, that's dirty."
Rayne frowned, meeting her wide, innocent eyes.
This was a train station, after all. The snow here was mixed with soot and smoke.
While Conann wouldn't get sick (being a dragon and all), he still didn't want her eating random things.
"I'm sorry."
Her immediate, guilt-free apology left him with no room to scold her further.
"Let's go. We'll ask around in Northpeak Town first."
Glancing at the sky, Rayne sighed.
The heavy snowfall made it impossible to tell the time, but judging by the train schedule, it was probably mid-afternoon.
Finding their target in these mountains—even with Conann's senses—would be needle-in-a-haystack work.
He wasn't about to wander blindly through a blizzard like an idiot.
Better to gather intel first.
"Woo~! Forward!"
Conann pumped her tiny fist, dragging him along as they left two sets of footprints in the snow.
The Carriage Ride
In this weather, finding transport was a nightmare.
After what felt like forever, Rayne finally flagged down a horse-drawn carriage headed for Northpeak Town.
Pulling back the thick curtain, he found two passengers already inside—
A father and son.
The man had the faint aura of a mage, though not a particularly strong one.
Their eyes immediately locked onto Rayne's oversized sword.
Ignoring their stares, Rayne lifted Conann in first before climbing in himself.
"Haa…"
The relief of escaping the biting wind was instant. He brushed snow off his coat while Conann—
Was already playing with a snowball.
Her clothes, being dragon scales in disguise, naturally repelled moisture.
Rayne felt a pair of eyes on him.
The black-haired boy was staring—not at him, but at his sword.
When their gazes met, the kid quickly looked away, pretending to study the carriage walls.
"Sorry, he's just curious."
The father offered an apologetic smile.
(Truthfully, he was just as intrigued. A kid wielding a sword like that? With a horned girl by his side? Everything about them screamed "unusual.")
"It's fine."
Rayne shrugged, sitting across from them with Conann.
The man clearly wanted to avoid trouble, and Rayne had no interest in small talk.
So they rode in silence, broken only by the soft crunch of snow under the carriage wheels.
Every now and then, the boy would sneak another glance.
Rayne pretended not to notice.
Northpeak Town – Nightfall
By the time they arrived, daylight had faded.
Warm lanterns glowed along the snowy streets as Rayne stepped out first.
"Driver, where's the mayor's house?"
The father and son quickly disappeared into the town, leaving Rayne to his query.
"The mayor? Straight ahead, then left. Keep going 'til you see a fancy-lookin' place."
The driver, a seasoned traveler, gave precise directions.
"Thanks."
With a nod, Rayne took Conann's hand and headed off.
Meanwhile…
"Dad, was that guy a mage?!"
The black-haired boy practically bounced with excitement.
At his age, the idea of being a quest-taking adventurer was the coolest thing imaginable.
"Yeah. Probably here for the mayor's request. And definitely not from around here."
Now that Rayne was gone, the man relaxed.
As a local, he knew about the town's recent troubles.
And those two?
No way they were from the northern regions.
Not with how lightly dressed they were for this weather.
"So cool…"
The boy's eyes sparkled with pure admiration.
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