My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 34Vol 2.

It looked like the footprint of a massive lizard, or perhaps a deer, or even a bear. But the fact that we couldn’t immediately identify it meant only one thing—it wasn’t an ordinary animal. It was a monster.

And judging by the sheer size of the prints, it was a big one.

"Stay alert, everyone."

We began tracking the footprints.

Not long after, we found ourselves face to face with a giant monster.

Krurrrrr—

A lizard, its entire body tinged in shades of blue, adorned with turquoise spots. Its mane, as transparent as ice, shimmered under the moonlight, and its tongue flicked out—a deep, eerie blue.

From the recesses of my memory, I barely managed to recall the name of the monster I had once seen in the Demon Beast Encyclopedia.

That thing was...

"Ice Lizard."

The name was as straightforward as it got.

A monster native to cold regions, a lizard that controlled ice.

Instead of breathing fire, it exhaled a breath of frost, capable of freezing everything in its path. It was also said that a single whip of its enormous tail could reduce an entire area to ruins.

I had once heard stories about Ice Lizards from Luna, back when I was stationed in the Snowy Mountain Battalion.

"They were an absolute nightmare to deal with. It was already freezing, and the Ice Lizards made it so much worse—I seriously thought I was going to freeze to death."

So it was a monster that targeted my biggest weakness.

A physiological fear crept up my spine, and I swallowed hard, gripping my sword tightly.

Still, having Winter’s parents by my side gave me some peace of mind. They looked like the kind of people who would be resistant to ice.

As soon as we spotted the Ice Lizard, Winter’s father immediately infused his sword with Ice Aura.

...So Winter inherited his ice affinity from his father.

Meanwhile, Winter’s mother coated her blade in Wind Aura, just like Benny.

Krurrrrr—

And the moment the Ice Lizard locked eyes with us, the battle began.

Boom—!

I had felt it during our sparring session, but Winter’s father had insane strength. Instead of launching Aura Blades, he directly brought his Aura-infused sword down onto the Ice Lizard.

Whooosh—!

Winter’s mother stayed behind, launching Aura Blades to support her husband. Their coordinated fighting style, honed over years together, was evident.

I couldn’t afford to stand idle, so I immediately flanked the Ice Lizard from behind.

"Holy shit—!"

Its massive tail swung toward me, threatening to smash me into the ground, but I kicked off the earth with all my strength, leaping just in time to dodge.

The Ice Lizard exhaled a blast of frosted breath, but Winter’s father countered with his Ice Aura, neutralizing the attack.

His Aura flared as he engaged in a fierce duel with the monster.

"Hiyah!"

Taking advantage of the moment, I slammed my sword into the Ice Lizard’s tail.

Getting rid of this annoying thing would be the priority.

Krurrrrrr—!

The Ice Lizard howled in pain, thrashing wildly. Winter’s father barely dodged its flailing claws.

Seizing my chance, I climbed onto its tail and scaled up its body.

Boom—!

I brought my sword down on its thick scales, but—

Clang!

The impact sent a jolt of pain through my hands.

Its hide was tougher than I thought. I grimaced at the sharp sting in my palms.

Sensing my attack, the Ice Lizard thrashed violently, trying to shake ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) me off.

It even attempted to bite me, but Winter’s parents kept pressuring it from the front with their Aura attacks, making it impossible for the monster to focus on me.

"Miss Salvia! Keep striking!"

"Got it!"

As they distracted the monster by targeting its head, I relentlessly hacked at its back.

And then—a sudden shift.

The Ice Lizard, in a desperate final frenzy, thrashed violently before suddenly lunging toward Lily.

"Kyaaa!"

Lily let out a scream, raising her frying pan.

Winter’s father and mother fired Aura Blades, but they missed by a hair’s breadth.

In that split second, I leapt off the Ice Lizard’s back, landing right in front of Lily.

The Ice Lizard’s frost breath came straight for us.

But—

‘It’s okay now.’

I clenched my jaw.

I had made up my mind—I would protect Lily.

Flashes of her kindness toward me ran through my mind.

Before, I would have panicked, trembled, frozen in fear at the oncoming cold.

But not anymore.

During my time in this frozen village, I had made good memories—enough to bury the nightmares that the cold once brought.

I had had snowball fights with Lily, built a snowman as tall as me.

I had seen how breathtakingly beautiful a snow-covered village could be.

I had spun around in the falling snow, laughing.

Winter’s parents and Lily had always been there for me.

They had been the hands that reached out to me in the cold.

Now, when the cold approached, I didn’t feel fear or dread.

I thought of the people I cared about.

So, instead of running away, I stood my ground, blocking Lily and infusing my sword with Aura.

Boom—!

The Ice Lizard’s frost breath clashed against my Aura, erupting in a resounding explosion.

And in that opening, Winter’s mother successfully stabbed her sword into the Ice Lizard’s neck.

Thick, blue blood gushed to the ground.

At last, I let out a shaky breath, collapsing onto the floor.

"Haa... haa...."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It had been so long since my last monster battle, I had almost forgotten what this felt like.

The rush of adrenaline. The intoxicating thrill of victory.

I didn’t enjoy fighting—if anything, I wanted to avoid battles.

But I couldn’t deny it.

The euphoria of winning was unmatched.

‘We did it.’

I couldn't help but grin.

'I told you I'd do it one day.'

I had conquered my fear of the cold. I had truly accomplished what I set out to do.

I had successfully fought a monster, I had protected Lily, and I had overcome my trauma.

In this frigid northern land where I had been forced to take refuge after failure, I had somehow gained more than ever before.

"Miss Salvia."

"Yes?"

Winter’s father turned to look at me and called my name.

"Well done."

"...Thank you."

"You’ve become quite skilled with a sword."

Hearing his praise made me smile. Getting recognition from people like Winter and his parents, who were always so rigid, was deeply satisfying.

Krurrrr—

But at that moment, a groaning sound rang out, making me tense up.

The Ice Lizard, which we had assumed was dead after having its throat stabbed, was still moving!

'I need to finish it off.'

Still intoxicated by the joy of overcoming my trauma, I stepped forward to finish the Ice Lizard off for good—

Clang—!

A sharp noise echoed through the air.

The Ice Lizard collapsed on the spot.

Lily had swung her frying pan at its head.

I blinked dumbly.

"Lily...?"

"Hehe, with a frying pan, I can do anything!"

...What the hell? Was this hidden strength?

Now that I thought about it—maybe I hadn’t even needed to step in earlier. She might have handled the Ice Lizard herself.

Looking at Lily standing there triumphantly, I burst out laughing.

It had been a long time since I had felt this fulfilled.

***

Three days before our return to the capital, a carriage came to a sudden stop in front of Winter’s estate.

"Who is it?"

I tilted my head, wondering if the estate had a visitor.

But Winter’s parents seemed to recognize the carriage.

"It seems he’s arrived."

"Yes, he has."

The person stepping down from the driver's seat was—

"Winter!"

The moment I saw his face, I shouted his name in a mix of shock and relief.

"Winter, is everyone alright? Were there any arrests?!"

The first thing that came out of my mouth was, of course, concern for my comrades.

Winter, understanding my urgency, immediately reassured me.

"Fortunately, not a single one of us was captured. Some were injured while escaping from the imperial forces, but they’re recovering. Right now, everyone is hiding in their homes, but our network remains intact, so we can still communicate."

"Ah..."

I finally exhaled in relief.

If Winter said so, then it must be true. He was always reliable.

It was only then that I noticed the carriage he had arrived in.

It seemed that Winter had driven the carriage himself.

So he could even handle horses? As expected of Winter.

Winter, on the other hand, seemed to have questions of his own. He only gave a brief nod to his parents before immediately walking up to me.

"Salvia, are you alright?"

"Yes, I’m fine. Thanks to your parents, they treated me really well..."

"They didn’t put you through hellish sword training, did they?"

"......."

I fell silent.

Winter’s expression turned into one of understanding.

So that’s why he had rushed here so quickly—not just because of concern for my safety, but because he knew his parents all too well.

"It wasn’t that bad."

"I went through the same thing as a kid."

His parents tried to downplay it, but I still felt a deep sense of injustice.

Did they even realize how brutal the training had been?! My hands were covered in blisters, and calluses had formed permanently from gripping the sword so tightly!

"Salvia, let’s leave now."

"Ah..."

I knew it was time to leave, but the suddenness of it all made me glance at Winter’s parents.

However, they simply waved me off.

"Go on now. It’s time."

"You’re welcome to visit anytime."

Hearing that, Winter murmured with a dazed expression.

"They must have really taken a liking to you..."

"Haha... I suppose so."

And then—

Bang!

The estate gates suddenly swung open, and someone came running out.

"Lady Salvia!"

It was Lily—wielding her frying pan as always.

For a brief moment, I flinched, wondering if she was going to smack me in the head with it.

But her eyes were filled with tears as she cried out.

"H-Hic... Don’t go!"

"Lily..."

"If you leave, then I’ll be stuck in this ice castle alone again... Hic...!"

"Lily!"

I knew exactly what she meant.

How lonely had Lily been in this freezing castle all this time?

I instinctively wiped the corner of my eyes.

"Thanks to you, Lady Salvia, this castle finally felt like spring... You can’t leave!"

She gathered up her skirt, dashing toward us.

"That’s right! If Lady Salvia must stay, then rather than..."

"Rather than?"

...Wait.

She wasn’t going to force me into a marriage with Winter, was she?!

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Was she about to forcefully ship us together like a typical side character in a romance fantasy novel?!

"Rather than Lady Salvia leaving..."

"Yes?"

"Lady Salvia should just take Winter’s place in this house~!"

...She was just throwing Winter away.

Winter’s expression turned into one of utter disbelief, but his parents nodded thoughtfully as if they actually considered it a good idea.

"That’s not a bad suggestion."

"Salvia is much more lovable than our son."

"......."

I was certain they loved their son.

...Probably.

"...It feels like you just stole my family from me."

"Uh... it just kind of happened...?"

Feeling a little guilty, I averted my eyes and backed toward the carriage.

It was best to get out of here as quickly as possible.