Sae’s eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. Using the momentum, he leaped into Hadel’s room from the windowsill.

‘Ah! Why is he coming in here!’

Hadel’s room is like my room. The presence of a threatening person inside made my heart race and anxiety swell.

“Kyu kyu.”

I cried softly, trying to burrow further into Hadel’s palm. Hadel gently stroked my back, as if to reassure me.

‘Hadel?’

Is he really comforting me?

‘We’re close, right?’

Realizing that Hadel was trying to protect me, a corner of my heart fluttered with a pleasant sensation. It was the thrill I felt when absorbing mana from Hadel.

I wanted to dwell more on this pleasant feeling, but I couldn’t concentrate on my emotions with Sae right there.

Sae smirked and said:

“This country bumpkin seems quite capable now. You couldn’t even make eye contact with people from the capital before.”

Our Hadel was that passive? Sae continued mockingly:

“But what does it change? Still a monster who hurts innocent people and instills fear.”

“…….”

Why is he just listening to this!

The answer to why Hadel had been so timid was in Sae’s words. Everyone had pushed Hadel into the role of a potential monster.

‘But that’s not true! He was just born with the attribute of flame mana.’
From my perspective, the ice attribute that tried to freeze me felt more threatening.

Flames aren’t the only dangerous element. Any attribute can become powerful when intent on harming someone. It’s just that the intensity of flames instills greater fear.

I tapped Hadel’s hand to indicate I didn’t care about such words. Hadel’s red eyes looked down at me.

That’s when Sae crossed the line.

“Hand that ferret over to me before you burn it to death.”

“You…….”

I could feel Hadel’s emotions fluctuating wildly through his hand. His heart started to beat heavily, generating powerful flames.

Sae sneered as he sensed the mana, implying that Hadel still couldn’t control his flames.

“Kyu!”

Unable to hold back my anger, I forgot the overwhelming fear I had felt and raised my head to scream at Sae.

‘It’s mine! I’ll scratch it if I want! You shut up.’

My protest was profound, but to Sae’s ears, it only sounded like:

“Kyu kyu kyu! Kyu kyu! Kyu!”

It wasn’t my fault my vocal cords couldn’t articulate my intentions.

But maybe my protest got through, as Sae’s eyebrows twitched noticeably.

“This ferret…”

“Kyu kyu!”

Go ahead, try something! In my previous life, I once froze to death. If it happens again, it’s just my fate!

I defiantly faced Sae. He looked ready to kill me, reaching out with his hand. I could see ice crystals floating around his fingertips.

‘Eek!’

I had acted tough before, but the thought of freezing to death was still terrifying. I clung tightly to Hadel’s hand in fear.

‘Eh?’

Hadel subtly shifted his body between Sae and me, extending his hand towards Sae.

Hiss!

The collision of Hadel’s and Sae’s mana produced steam. Their contrasting mana types naturally reacted this way.

Sae, seemingly surprised that Hadel would confront him so directly, twisted his face in shock.

“Did you just shoot flames at me?”