Ryan was looking at the map
A month had passed since the start of his journey, and he hadn't encountered anything strange; they either passed through cities and rested a little or continued on their way.
He whispered, placing his finger on the next town,
"Valen village is four hours away. We'd better get there before nightfall."
They were now walking along a rough road, as most roads were like this.
They were surrounded by trees; the road to the village of Valin passed through the Solaire forest.
Ryan spoke with a driver to tell him to pass through the village of Valen so they could take a break there today.
The capital was another month away, as his childhood city was located in the far south of the kingdom.
The capital was in the center and was a refuge for many nobles.
Ryan stuck his head out of the window and sighed.
"I hope they don't bother me there."
This was his biggest worry; attracting attention at the academy would be a real headache.
'Maybe I should take a nap'
Ryan stuck his head in and closed the window, resting his head against the side wall of the carriage and closing his eyes.
Ryan opened his eyes to the sound of people, touching his head in annoyance.
"Ugh, my head hurts."
He noticed the carriage was stopped, then heard a knock on the carriage door.
"It's best if you give up and leave, boy. We'll take what we need and let you go."
Ryan was puzzled.
"Are they bandits?"
Ryan touched the pendant on his neck and thought,
'I need to know how many there are and if they use the elements.'
Not everyone in the world used the elements, but they trained in swordsmanship, combat, and war tactics.
And various things that will help them survive
Even if they don't use weapons, confronting 10 people is no easy feat, especially if they are armed.
But it wasn't something impossible.
Ryan closed his eyes, focused, and began to sense the heat around him.
After a few seconds, Ryan whispered,
"Fifteen."
There were fifteen different heats, but there were heats that more than one person possessed.
Because human body temperature varies from person to person depending on the circumstances, but there are some whose body temperature is similar under those circumstances.
'About 19 people'
That was their approximate number.
'I can easily take out the one in front of the door, but the others are hiding in the woods.'
Ryan shrugged and held up his hand in front of the door with a smile on his face.
Of course, he wouldn't fight without a plan; before deciding to fight, he calculated everything.
But before he could do anything, voices began to come from outside.
"These voices..."
They were not voices urging him to surrender, but rather voices screaming.
There were screams, clashing swords, and advancing horses.
Ryan focused to feel new heats, but they were different.
The new people's body temperature was unexpectedly low, as if they had lived their lives in a very cold place.
Ryan heard a frightened voice echoing outside his car door.
The person in front of the vehicle shouted,
"Run, all of you! They are the Frost Knights!"
Ryan repeated the name curiously:
"The Frost Knights"
After a few moments, silence fell over the place, then Ryan heard his driver's voice:
"Sir, are you alright?"
Ryan replied calmly,
"Yes, is everything alright?"
The driver replied, his voice a little tense:
"Yes, but I think it's best if you get out."
Ryan opened the car door to a familiar scent; he knew it was
"blood."
The smell of blood was overwhelming. Ryan put his foot on the ground and got out of the car to see the carnage.
Bodies were lying everywhere; some had lost their heads, some their limbs, and some had been stabbed to death.
Ryan saw it, but his gaze remained unwavering; there were soldiers cleaning up the place.
The soldiers had shields the color of a pale, bluish silver, as if they were made of ice, and thick white fur covered their shoulders; their helmets had sharp angles.
They looked at the child who had stepped out of the cart, their gaze cold.
Then the soldiers made way for a person who was advancing towards Ryan; he was huge, like a snow bear, and his expression was serious.
His footsteps were barely audible as he reached Ryan and spoke in his sharp voice
"I am Froskar, commander of the Forty Frost Troops."
He looked at the boy in front of him and continued,
"Follow me, boy."
Froskar turned and started walking, followed by Ryan without saying anything; he didn't want to upset people like that.
After a short walk, they approached a carriage as white as snow. Upon seeing it, Ryan knew its owner was a nobleman.
Before they arrived, Froskar stopped, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head.
"Young lady, I have brought him."
Ryan thought,
'A young lady'