Rose continued her story, her voice trembling but full of determination, "My mother was a great healer, and she helped many people. I admired her since I was young, and when she passed away... she left me this necklace. It means I am the next healer. I started helping the village as much as I could. When the demons attacked, I was scared... no, the word 'scared' is too little to describe my terror. But as the daughter of the Village Chief, I had to do something. The most I could do was offer reinforcement and healing, so I tried. But I ended up being the one who needed saving, and my brother was almost killed because of me. But... ever since I saw you, I saw in you my hope to become a hero."
The Ice Lord looked at the little girl, seeing a familiar look in her eyes... that dream, that feeling he knew so well.
Hyuga said softly, "But despite your fear at that time, you stepped forward to help anyway."
The little girl looked at him with hope.
Hyuga continued, "You have the makings of a hero, but not now. You must be patient, for you are still young."
Rose asked in confusion, "Why? Didn't you say I have the makings?"
He answered strictly, "Yes, but the word 'hero' means a heavy burden that accompanies you, and a constant test."
"What do you mean?"
Hyuga said, his eyes gazing into the distance, "I mean the burden is saving people, and the test is the sacrifice you will make. A hero might sacrifice their life so that others may live. We do not save to be remembered; we save so that future generations may live. This is something you will not understand right now."
Rose said with determination, "If that is the price, then I am ready."
He asked her coldly, "Are you still persistent?"
"Yes!"
The Ice Lord suddenly grabbed the girl's hand, and with a vicious motion... he broke it!
Amidst horrifying shock, the girl screamed in pain and terror, clutching her broken arm and crying hysterically, "My hand! My hand is severed!"
Hyuga said calmly, "Ice Illusion: Dispel."
The ice illusion vanished in the blink of an eye, and it became clear that Rose's hand was perfectly intact. The Ice Lord had used a terrifying illusion to show the girl the true, harsh meaning of being a hero.
Hyuga said with a harsh tone, "Listen to your scream just now, and the pain you felt, even though it wasn't real. We endure that every day on the battlefields. This is a price we pay and bear with our bodies. You are still too young for this hell, therefore, forget this dream. Be a healer like your mother, that is better for you."
When the girl realized it was an illusion, her pride was broken; she cried bitterly and ran toward her house, fleeing from that bitter reality.
From the shadows, Volak emerged and said quietly, "There was certainly a better way to tell her that."
Hyuga replied without turning around, "Volak... so you were listening unintentionally?"
Volak answered, "You know? I thought you had actually broken it. I was about to attack you and punch you then, you know? With my apologies, of course."
Hyuga said understandingly, "Yes, no need to apologize, that is your right as a brother. But examples and words do not work with those eyes. I know them from an old friend."
Volak asked curiously, "A friend? May I know his name?"
Hyuga answered with a voice heavy with memories, "Ryuga."
Volak shuddered in shock, "Are you saying that the most dangerous traitorous hero was your friend?"
"Yes. He and I were the best of friends, brothers even. He had those same eyes filled with determination. I could list every sacrifice he made for the Kingdom, but I do not know why he joined the demons in the end. Rose carries those eyes, so I didn't want her to see the dark, real world yet, for she is just a child."
Meanwhile, the masked demon was entering the aquatic cave, descending into the deep hole seeking the legendary monster. When he reached the bottom, he was stunned by the sheer, colossal size of the beast. He almost died from the shock of simply looking at it.
The demon whispered in terror, "What is this? The monsters of the Old Covenant are absolutely massive! If I took just one tentacle from it, I could feed the demon tribe for thousands of centuries! I must stop thinking about my stomach right now. I will place the Control Stone, and this monster will become a subordinate of the demons."
The demon placed the glowing stone on the beast's scales, but... the stone suddenly shrank and shattered into dust!
The demon backed away in shock, "What? The stone was destroyed! Is your power really that great? This stone possesses immense power. Do you know how many years it took me to find it? Hey! Can you hear me?"
The beast did not stir.
The demon sighed, "Ah, yes... you do not wake up unless the Old Covenant is breached. You have a comfortable life, you know that? Sleeping all these centuries while I am still a second-rank soldier all this time! It doesn't matter, I will succeed in my mission no matter what. I will find that Dimas, even if I have to face you personally! You hear me? Good thing you are asleep, or I would be dead by now."
The demon thought maliciously, "So, Plan B. If I cannot control you, I will take the risk and lead a bait to you, something to play with until I finish my mission. And it is a very good thing that one of the Seven Knights is up there."
In the village, a warm cabin was prepared for the Ice Lord to sleep in. Hyuga slept deeply, but was suddenly awakened by the smell of something burning next to his bed. He opened his eyes to find a plate of completely charred food, and Rose standing beside him with a proud smile.
Rose said, "Ice Lord, I prepared this food specially for you!"
Hyuga sat up and rubbed his temples, "That is obvious. Didn't your father prepare anything? I wanted to eat with him and talk."
Rose replied stubbornly, "No! You will eat my food first, and then you can talk to him."
Hyuga tried to evade, "Listen, Rose, I am confident your father has more edible food, and it will be faster because—"
Before he could finish, Rose forcefully shoved a spoonful of the charred food into his mouth!
She said triumphantly, "I said no! And now, tell me, what do you think of my food?"
Hyuga chewed slowly and said with difficulty, "Do you want to know?"
"Yes! Now, yes!"
He looked at her and said with feigned seriousness, "Not bad at all." (But he screamed internally: It is absolutely terrible! Forgive me God for this lie.)
Rose crossed her arms and said seriously, "Now regarding what happened yesterday, about becoming a hero... my request still stands."
The Ice Lord put the food down and looked at her with a serious face, "Are you still thinking about that even after experiencing that terrifying feeling?"
She answered confidently, "Yes! Thanks to that feeling, I went through a terrible experience, but when I thought about it a little, I found you were right. So... I trained against that pain!"
Hyuga furrowed his brows, "What do you mean you trained against that pain?"
"Meaning I endured that pain, with an even greater pain!"
"And what is that?"
Rose smiled mischievously, "That is my little secret! And you want to know it, right? Yes! Then include me in the team."
Hyuga sighed, "I said no."
Rose shouted with childish anger, "Why are you so mean? You even let my idiot brother go inspect the villages with Iris, and they rode Sora, that cute eagle!"
Hyuga laughed sarcastically, "Cute? Are you saying Sora is cute? You certainly haven't touched his real feathers."
Rose asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Hyuga answered, smiling wickedly, "I mean that your dear brother, right now on his way back, will be hanging from Sora's talons in the air so he doesn't die. Because Sora won't hold him gently; he will leave his talons open, and your brother has to hold onto them to save his life. Sora is always looking for what entertains him, and if he doesn't find it... he invents entertainment."
Rose gasped, "And what about Iris?"
Hyuga said, "Sora likes girls, so he won't do anything to her. And that is the bad, cunning side of Sora."
Rose laughed, "My brother is an idiot, I know. But, why are you sleeping here? Why didn't you go on patrol with them too?"
He answered coldly, "I am the Commander."
She said disdainfully, "Oh, that is not an excuse."
Hyuga replied, "That is your opinion."
"Who asked for it?!"
In the demon camp beneath the ice, a soldier asked, "So, sir, did you place the stone?"
The masked demon answered with suppressed anger, "No, it shattered."
The soldier was shocked, "What? Are you saying the stone that can hold a massive amount of power was destroyed?"
"Yes. What is the extent of the power of the Old Covenant monsters? We do not know. And add to that, their size is incredibly massive."
The soldier asked worriedly, "So, what is the plan?"
The masked man smiled beneath his mask, "The simplest thing... we will attack."
"But sir, we will break the Old Covenant this way and cause the monster to wake up!"
"Do not worry, we won't be the ones facing him."
"We won't? Then who else will?"
The masked man said maliciously, "The Ice Lord, the strongest and best of the knights. He will deal with the monster, while we finish our mission and take what we came for."
The soldier was amazed, "Sir, you are a genius!"
The masked man said, looking up toward the icy surface, "Of course. So, prepare the soldiers and get ready. Ice Lord... I have prepared a surprise for you, I hope you like it."