Is That My Alter Ego

32 – The Frost Family

“………..”

The knight, who had been looking at the children with an icy, impassive expression, shifted his gaze to me.

-Waaah…!

-Mom… Dad…

-Brother…

The sudden threat of the knight brought into view the children sitting and crying.

Crack-

“….Kids!”

I gritted my teeth and, anticipating the attack that was about to come at me, I crouched as low as possible and then dashed past the knight to the children.

“……….”

Contrary to my expectation that the knight would draw his sword and swing it, he simply kept silent, watching me.

…Is he going to spare us? Damn it.

“Big brother…”

“Sob sob… Sob sob..!”

With trembling hands, the children clutched tightly at my clothes as I shielded them from the knight, glaring at him.

“Why are you doing this! What wrong have the children done…!”

“………..”

I shouted, consumed by rage, but my words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the knight maintained his impassive facade.

Crunch-

‘…The moment there is even a slight movement, I’ll pierce through the heart.’

The cries of the children, still gripping my clothes, echoed through the old orphanage, and the emotionless giant looked at me.

Unseen by the knight, I was ready to summon the Dark Spear at any moment.

“Black hair. Red eyes…..”

“….You. Are you Venice?”

“….What did you say?”

I had no choice but to ask back as the tightly closed mouth opened and the words sprung out.

“Are you Venice, I asked.”

“…Yes, I am.”

“Hmm. That’s good.”

What’s good about it? But wait… he’s not attacking? Then why threaten the children…

….No. I can’t trust him. Must not let my guard down.

Unable to discern the knight’s actions and intentions, I continued to glare at him with undiminished hostility, clutching the summoned Dark Spear hidden behind my back.

“What do you mean by ‘that’s good’? Appearing out of nowhere… and then threatening the children!”

“….Threat? I never did such a thing…”

“Surely, you’re not going to say it wasn’t threatening, right? It was obvious to anyone! Even the kids were terrified like this…!”

As I held the children close and spoke, they either felt relieved or still found it frightening, bursting into louder sobs.

“Ah… no. I meant to say…”

“….Hmm.”

Yet, despite the unchanged expression, there was a noticeable hint of surprise in those eyes.

Was it really not intended as a threat? Could that expression be false?

“So, you said you were looking for me. Why?”

“I am a knight of the Frost lineage. From the noble heart of the North, the shield of the Empire. I seek you.”

“…Me? Suddenly… me?”

“Yes. The esteemed one seeks a person. With black hair, crimson eyes. And the name Venice… it seems to match you.”

…What on earth is this about? What heart? Why would someone so great be looking for me?

Have I done something wrong? I can’t think of anything at all… Ah, did I do something before I entered this body?

“Well… let’s assume that’s me. Then… what am I supposed to do?”

“You just need to follow me. Head towards the castle of Frost territory. Right now.”

Frost territory? Is he talking about that large territory I visited yesterday? Right now…?

“…Right now? I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Why not?”

“There are these children here. Besides me, there’s no one to take care of them.”

Though he claimed to be a knight of Frost, I had some trust, but… I couldn’t leave the children alone and go by myself.

“Hmm. I see. Please wait a moment then.”

The knight, having said so, suddenly left the orphanage.

…What kind of person is he?

“Sniffle… Brother, has that bad man gone now…?”

“Yes. It seems so. And he might not be… such a bad person after all.”

“But… he looked at us so scarily, didn’t he?”

“…It’s not good to judge people by their appearance.”

I said this to calm the children, but honestly, the moment I saw his menacing look, I too thought he was threatening the kids.

…No, he looked like a murderer, and since he seemed utterly devoid of emotion, I couldn’t help it.

Even to someone like me who doesn’t usually judge by appearances, he felt threatening, let alone to these innocent children.

Creak-

A little while later, after I had finally calmed the children, the knight opened the door and came back in.

“Tomorrow morning. I have found people to take care of the children. After that, we will head to the estate.”

“Can we trust these people?”

“Of course. I assure you on the honor of the Frost family, they are trustworthy.”

Hmm… If he speaks with such confidence.

If he’s staking ‘the family’s honor’, it seemed like he really had found reliable people.

Normally, mentioning a family’s honor is akin to staking one’s life, right? A single word could disgrace the entire family’s honor.

“Yes. If you say so… we have no choice.”

“Hm. I’ll come back tomorrow. Then.”

With those words, the knight left without looking back. Still… an incomprehensible and peculiar person.

Just for today, I must spend the entire day with the children.

***

The next day. The day foretold by the knight arrived.

Although the knight confidently mentioned his family name and spoke with assurance… I was worried that someone strange might come and harm the children.

“…Oh my, are these the kids? Aww! How cute!!”

“Good thing I came. It’s so nice to see these kids after only dealing with those dull knights!”

Contrary to my worries, two very cheerful women entered the orphanage.

“Kane, did this little one make the kids cry? Tsk tsk.”

“How could you do that to children? Sigh…”

“….No. I didn’t do it because I wanted to.”

According to the women, it seemed the knight’s name was Kane. They appeared to be very close, joking with each other.

…Was it a one-sided criticism? Anyway. Seeing them laughing and talking, they seemed to be friends.

“…Hello.”

“Oh…”

“Wow…”

When I greeted them, they exclaimed as if they had seen something astonishing. What’s going on?

“Nice to meet you! I’m Lenny, and I’ll be taking care of the children from today!”

“I’m Berry. Please take good care of me.”

Having introduced themselves, the women then turned to the children, who were looking anxiously at the sudden guests behind me.

“Hello~ kids. I’m Lenny, and I’ll be with you from today! Nice to meet you!”

“I am Berya. Nice to meet you? Forget about that scary-looking man!”

Women who could easily be mistaken for kindergarten teachers approached the children with such friendliness. The children, finding their presence both familiar and reassuring, seemed to gradually take an interest.

Initially fearful, the children slowly started approaching and conversing with the kind women.

‘Thank goodness.’

I had worried that the children would be frightened or reject them, but fortunately, they opened their hearts.

“Well then. It’s time for me to go.”

“Yes… I’ll be off. After all you’ve done for us…”

“Leave the children to us!”

“…..Thank you.”

“Follow me. The noble ones are waiting, let’s hurry.”

After expressing my gratitude to Leni and Berya, I followed Kain out of the orphanage.

“Get on.”

“Uh….yes.”

Outside the orphanage, a shimmering carriage awaited us. The Frost family, I realized, was even more prestigious than I had imagined.

Seated on the stiff seat of the carriage, I gazed out the window. Opposite me, the unsmiling Kain sat upright, which, oddly enough, was comforting.

***

The carriage swiftly made its way to the gates of the Frost territory’s castle. Surprisingly, not a single sentence was exchanged between us during the ride.

…No. There was nothing to say, and every time I thought of speaking, his expressionless face made the words retreat.

He was still an unfamiliar presence, despite the time I’d had to get used to him.

“Get out.”

“Yes.”

Following Kane, who led the way, I entered an immensely grand and impressive fortress.

‘Insane.’

Though the exterior was undeniably opulent, the interior was even more so.

The castle was so vast that it housed a huge training ground, where figures who appeared to be knights were practicing.

Walking down a long corridor with a red carpet, I noticed paintings embroidered on the walls and chandeliers decorating the ceiling.

Every inch of the castle’s interior was beautifully adorned, making it a work of art in its own right.

“This is it. Go in.”

After a considerable walk within the colossal fortress, Kane finally stopped in front of a massive door.

‘Inside… lies the Heart of the North, that person, right?’

I felt a bit nervous, perhaps even a tremble, but saw no need to delay and promptly pushed the door handle.

“…….Have you arrived?”

“”………..””

Upon opening the door and entering, I saw a grand dining table with five people seated around it. Each possessed immense restraint in their mana and charisma.

They all had hair as white as pure snow and eyes of a beautiful amethyst purple.

‘Ah. That person is…?’

Among them was the woman I had encountered in the cave of the dark sorcerer, staring intently at me. Her name was… Ariel, wasn’t it?

“….Ah.”

“I am Ariel. Ariel Frost.”

She had definitely said that. Ariel Frost. And this castle belonged to the ‘Frost’ family.

…Why didn’t I think of this before?

“Pleased to meet you, Venice. You… you’re the one who saved our precious Ariel, aren’t you?”

A middle-aged man with overwhelming mana and charisma reminiscent of a white tiger spoke to me. Probably… he must be the Heart of the North.

…His immense strength is palpable, even at first glance. With my current abilities, if I were to fight him, I’d likely be dead in less than a second.

I tried to respond to his words, but suddenly my throat felt blocked, and I couldn’t get the words out. As I stood there, shuffling my feet without answering, the expressions of the Heart of the North and those seated beside him began to sour.

“…Yes. That’s right.”

Thankfully, when I was fumbling and unable to speak, Ariel spoke up for me. Her confirmation turned the sour expressions back to normal.

Phew. That’s a relief. I thought I was going to die from the suffocating atmosphere alone.

“I’m sorry. I was just so taken aback…”

“Um. That can happen. We are… not just ordinary people, after all.”

The Heart of the North nodded in understanding. Indeed, each of them looked as formidable and resilient as giants.

Their eyes, cold yet filled with determination, and their overflowing mana. That says it all.

“Thank you for saving our Ariel, Venice.”

“Ha ha… I just did what anyone would do.”

I replied with a smile to the lady who had been quietly listening to the conversation. Just like I said, I did what anyone would have done. That’s all.

“Wow… You’re quite an interesting person. Not intimidated even in our presence.”

“That’s right, ma’am. Saving Ariel, and this too. He’s no ordinary individual.”

“Ha ha…”

It was a bit embarrassing to be praised so openly. But then again… wasn’t I just an ordinary person? At first, I was a bit taken aback, but… I didn’t feel particularly intimidated or anything.

‘Could this be the influence of dark magic?’

It might be possible. The power to deny the world was never something to be ignored.

Whispering softly—

Suddenly, they began speaking so softly that I could barely hear them. Feeling perplexed, I just stood there quietly, waiting.

“I’ll ask you straight. Venice.”

“….Yes?”

“It’s Frost. Would you become Ariel Frost’s exclusive servant?”

…..What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?

Become a servant? Out of the blue?? Did I hear that correctly?

I was frozen in place by the proposal, something I never even considered.