Weather magic appearing in this forest could only mean one thing: Fio was behind it.

If he left Fio, who had no common sense whatsoever, to her own devices, she might blow this whole forest sky-high before long.

Leon decided to find Fio before she caused any serious trouble.

“Fio! Fio?”

Leon’s calls went unanswered in the silent, snow-covered forest.

There was no choice. He’d have to use a little trick. Leon closed his eyes.

“Heart of the Clear Mirror and Still Water.”

He shut out the distractions of sight and let himself slip into a half-meditative state, clearing away every stray thought until his mind was as still as a mirror-smooth lake.

“Mind’s Eye.”

His hearing and sense of smell fed him a wealth of information.

In the darkness behind his eyelids, Leon let the mirror-smooth lake he’d formed in his mind spread endlessly outward. Whenever it encountered something, ripples appeared across its calm surface.

During a battle, Leon had once been robbed of his sight. In that total darkness, the Sword Saint had awakened the Mind’s Eye and learned to read his opponents’ movements through other senses.

Right now, Leon was basically a human radar.

Is it here…?

At one point, two points overlapped in the same spot. It wasn’t far away, either—it was where he’d passed just a moment ago.

His instincts told him there was something there.

Leon opened his eyes and ran back the way he’d come. A bad feeling gnawed at him, and he ran fast.

It took only a moment to reach the spot again. Before the bushes where he’d stopped earlier lay the girl he’d been searching for.

Fio lay on the ground in tattered clothes, motionless as a corpse.

A slime was changing shape, covering the petite girl from the waist up. Its secretions had spilled over her skin and were sizzling as they corroded it.

Killing intent flooded Leon’s red eyes. The scene had been in front of him for barely a second, but before his mind could make sense of it, his body was already moving.

His blade flashed free. With a fluid motion, he sent a sword arc slicing through the air and into the slime.

By the time Leon realized what he’d done, the slime had already been knocked into the air, its blue blood scattering across the ground.

The slime let out a piteous cry and fled in terror, dragging its injured body along the ground and leaving a blue trail behind it.

Leon had been about to chase the slime down, but Fio’s faint voice reached him and brought the enraged Sword Saint back to his senses.

Leon hurriedly crouched and lifted the unconscious silver-haired girl into his arms.

He called Fio’s name several times, but she didn’t respond. Her stomach was bloated, and slime fluid was spilling from her mouth and nose. It seemed the slime had tried to suffocate her.

In that situation, he had to do something for Fio. First, he needed to get the foreign substance out of her.

Leon steadied himself, laid Fio flat on her back, then bent down and kissed her on the lips, trying to suck the foreign substance out of her.

……

“Mmm…”

The suffocating feeling was gone. Fio opened her eyes, regaining some of her senses.

The first thing she saw was Leon’s head lowering over her.

What’s this guy doing?!

Leon was actually kissing her. Their lips were pressed together, and Fio froze.

Her first kiss, kept safe all this time, was gone—given to this harem-obsessed stud.

Fio broke out in goose bumps and nearly passed out again.

For Fio, whose romantic experience was zero, kissing someone was far too much of a shock.

Leon seemed to realize something and opened his eyes. He saw that Fio had woken up, and their gazes met.

You bastard! How much longer are you going to keep kissing me?!

Fio’s eyes grew hazy with tears. She grabbed Leon’s face, shoved the detestable man away, and sat up.

Her stomach churned. Now that the obstruction in her throat was gone, her body kept bringing up the slime fluid, and Fio repeatedly spat it onto the ground.

“Ugh! Bleh! Waaah—”

Her little face had turned deathly pale, and she grimaced as if something had disgusted her.

“My… first kiss…”

It took Fio a while to calm down. Her face was ashen. She still hadn’t escaped the clutches of fate—not a bit of joy in it, either. She’d given her first kiss to this man under these circumstances.

Leon took off his coat and draped it over the silver-haired girl.

Still, she couldn’t blame Leon. After all, he was the one who’d saved her.

Fio looked up at Leon. He turned his gaze elsewhere, seeming to want to say something before swallowing his words and lapsing into cool silence.

Right, of course. This guy’s a harem-obsessed stud. How could he still have his first kiss? This was probably only my first time.

I got such a raw deal.

Her feelings were a tangled mess. It was like she’d fallen into a huge swamp called “Leon.” No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t get out. First her first kiss—and sooner or later, it’d be…

Fio didn’t dare keep thinking about it. She immediately shifted her attention and felt around her waist. She had no idea where the slime fluid she’d collected had gone.

Not only had the monster girl gotten away, the money she’d saved up for buying a little book had vanished too.

Life… really did have its ups and downs. What a thrilling ride.

“Ha… ha… hahaha…”

Fio gave a bitter laugh.

“Let’s head back for now. We’ll call it a day. I’ll figure something out with the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Okay.”

Fio nodded and obediently followed behind Leon as they returned to the City of Sunrise. Her fair little feet left one print after another in the thin snow.

Far away, a silver pillar of light suddenly shot into the sky, piercing the towering clouds. It came from the direction of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain.

A strange feeling of resonance stirred in Fio’s heart, as if someone were calling to her. She lifted her head.

Even from the forest on the outskirts of the City of Sunrise, they could hear the earth-shaking roar of a dragon coming from the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain. Like a king who had slumbered for ages, it announced its return to the world.

Life returned to Fio’s ashen face.

“Could it be…? Mother…! Heh heh heh… Hahahahahaha!”

All traces of gloom vanished from her face, and the Ice Dragon King laughed without restraint.

“Leon, submit! Lick my feet and you might still win my favor. You may yet live!”

Leon looked utterly baffled. “Fio, did that slime damage your brain?”

“Hmph, mortal… I’ll forgive your ignorance for now.” Fio flicked back a silver lock of hair. “Do you see that pillar of light? It means my mother has broken through her seal. The former Ice Dragon King, who was sealed away, is returning to the world at this very moment.”

Long ago, Fio’s mother—the former Ice Dragon King—had mysteriously disappeared. The Ice Dragon clan had taken her for dead, which was why they’d chosen Fio as their new Dragon King.

“Fio’s mother? My mother-in-law—no, the former Ice Dragon King. Is she that powerful?”

“Mother is stronger than I am, and her peerless wisdom is every bit as great as mine. So…” Fio pointed at Leon, looking triumphant. “Once Mother learns what happened to me, she’ll definitely deal with you. You’re finished, Leon!”