Experiential Learning (4): The Frost Giant Slayer
Kaijid Levatein was a little—no, quite flustered. It was one thing to be suddenly asked how to make a relationship with a woman last, but the man standing before him didn't seem like someone who needed to worry about that at all.
Is this guy making fun of me?
It might come off that way when speaking to his life-saving benefactor, but it also felt like he was being looked down on. The question itself seemed like nothing more than mockery directed at Kaijid.
Seong Hyun-jin's looks were handsome even to another man's eyes. Though he still had a youthful air, his half-elf features placed him at the top tier among anyone Kaijid knew. For a guy like that to abruptly ask how to make things last with a woman—it was absurd.
Seong Hyun-jin, however, seemed puzzled by their reactions, as if wondering if he'd asked something strange.
"I just saw how close you two seem and got curious... Was that rude?"
"Oh, no, it's not that..."
Kaijid replied, still not quite grasping it.
"I just don't understand why you'd ask something like that."
"Pardon?"
"I didn't think you were the type to have those kinds of worries, Seong Hyun-jin."
Grace chimed in agreement, and Seong Hyun-jin stared at them with wide eyes, wondering what they meant. Was he coming across as someone who couldn't even get a girlfriend? Sure, he hadn't had one until recently, but that was then—this was now. He had a girlfriend anyone would envy, one he could brag about to the world.
A bit gruffly, Seong Hyun-jin said, "I do have a girlfriend."
"That's not what we meant..."
"Of course you do, but that's not the point. We're saying you have no reason to worry about that sort of thing."
Kaijid's explanation made Seong Hyun-jin's eyes widen again.
"Huh?"
Grace and Kaijid each added their thoughts, as if it were obvious.
"Come on, Seong Hyun-jin, you're handsome. You don't even have to try—your girlfriend probably adores you already."
"I agree. Whether man or woman, if you have looks that make someone fall head over heels, just treat them decently, and their heart will melt on its own. You've got exactly those kinds of looks."
Seong Hyun-jin fell silent, utterly dumbfounded. Then, he recalled what Serena had said when she confessed to him.
—Y-You're handsome! Even up close like this, you're really handsome!
He'd heard it from others too, but he'd chalked Serena's words up to love-struck bias. But with Daniel saying the same, and now Kaijid and Grace...
I guess I really am that good-looking.
His face was the type that appealed straight to the opposite sex—not just appealing, but the kind that made "handsome" pop out immediately. Confirming it only deepened his confusion.
"Then why doesn't it work on my master...?"
"Pardon?"
"Kaijid."
Now convinced of his own appeal, Seong Hyun-jin rephrased his question.
"Do you know how to win over an older woman, by any chance?"
"...?"
Kaijid stared at him in bewilderment before answering honestly.
"I'm younger than my wife, so I wouldn't know. I've never dated an older woman."
"That's a shame..."
Seong Hyun-jin sighed genuinely, prompting Kaijid to wonder.
"Is the girl you're seeing older than you?"
"We're the same age."
"...??"
Then why ask that? The more they talked, the more disoriented they felt, like they were being pulled into a whirlpool.
Oblivious to their confusion, Seong Hyun-jin suddenly remembered something.
"Oh."
"What is it?"
"I locked the girls in the carriage."
"...?"
Another curveball. Did he mean he'd left his companions shut in the carriage while he came here alone?
"Gotta go let them out quick."
"..."
Kaijid and Grace had just met Seong Hyun-jin, but they were already certain: he was the type who left people bewildered with every word. They were talking right there, yet the conversation's flow felt impossible to follow.
"Anyway, mind if we hurry?"
"...Ah, sure."
"Then, excuse me."
"Pardon?"
Seong Hyun-jin approached them, scooped up their legs, and hoisted both Kaijid and Grace onto his shoulders in a flash. It was shocking enough that his slighter build lifted two adults, but they were also carrying heavy packs—real weight. Yet Seong Hyun-jin showed no strain.
The flustered Kaijid stammered, "S-Seong Hyun-jin? What...?"
"Figured it'd be faster if I carry you and run. Hold on tight, or you'll fall."
"Pardon?... Wha—whoaaa?!"
"Kyaaah!!"
With that, Seong Hyun-jin bolted off at full speed, turning Kaijid and Grace—full-grown adults—into passengers on the world's fastest piggyback ride.
# At the very moment Seong Hyun-jin felled the frost giant and rescued the Levatein couple.
The carriage planted in the middle of the snowy plain rocked violently. And finally—
Thud!!
The carriage door, locked by Seong Hyun-jin, was forcibly ripped open, spilling out a gaggle of pretty girls. They were Seong Hyun-jin's companions, trapped by his scheme.
"Haaah!"
"F-Finally... we got it open!"
"...Thank goodness it actually opened."
Clarice, emerging alongside them, breathed a sigh of relief.
"We almost got stuck in there for good."
"Sometimes I just can't figure out what Hyun-jin sunbae is thinking..."
They hadn't broken out to chase him. At first, they'd waited patiently, assuming he'd return soon. But as time dragged on with no sign of him, they realized they might be trapped indefinitely. If Seong Hyun-jin didn't come back in time, trouble could brew—like another beast sniffing the blood of the frost younglings they'd just butchered, or something strong enough to wreck the carriage. So they'd pooled their strength to smash the door.
"We could've been in real danger if it hadn't opened."
Even then, it was only possible thanks to Serena and Clarice's unparalleled physical strength and durability. Without them, Yeonhui and Ciela would've been stuck waiting helplessly.
Serena, who'd exerted the most effort alongside Clarice, wiped sweat from her brow despite the cold and scanned the surroundings.
"At least no other beasts have shown up yet. But where the hell did Seong Hyun-jin go...?"
"No idea..."
Yeonhui trailed off uncertainly—until a voice called from afar.
"Hey, everything alright over there?"
A sturdy man in armor rode toward them on horseback, looking every bit the knight.
"Is your carriage broken down?"
"No, we're just waiting for our companion!"
"Companion? It's dangerous out here, though. Looks like you handled the frost younglings, at least..."
A flag fluttered from his saddle, and Clarice's eyes widened slightly. Others might not recognize the crest, but she couldn't miss it.
Before he fully approached, Clarice spoke first.
"Sir Josef."
"Lady Clarice?"
It was Josef Baidgen, senior knight of House Levatein.
"You're back?"
"For experiential learning."
Clarice explained that she and her group were visiting the duchy for training and recounted the situation on the way to the castle.
"I see. Then we'll wait for your companion."
"What brings you out here, Sir Josef?"
"On patrol."
Josef smiled lightly as he explained.
"You may have heard, but beast numbers have surged across the duchy lately. Even the outskirts are crawling with dangerous ones now. The duke announced it territory-wide, but I wanted to check for any citizens who might've missed it and wandered out."
Listening in, Yeonhui whispered to Serena and Ciela, a bit surprised.
"Does he patrol alone usually? Even for a knight...?"
"Not typically..."
"He's a senior knight—that's why."
Ciela had clocked it from his attire: the marten fur tassel on his sword hilt, exclusive to senior knights in the Magic Kingdom.
Senior knight—the elite equivalent of an imperial high knight. One-man armies, each worth dozens of regular knights. House Levatein, guardians of the north, had only about ten under the duke. No wonder he patrolled solo amid the heightened threats.
Yeonhui, familiar with the term, nodded.
"Impressive..."
As she admired him, Josef finished with Clarice.
"Until your companion returns, allow me, Josef, to guard you ladies."
"We can protect ourselves."
"A knight can't just leave ladies unprotected."
Clarice glanced at the others, unsure. His intentions seemed pure chivalry. Serena, Ciela, and Yeonhui saw no harm in it either—they understood knightly honor from academy lessons, even if they didn't need the escort.
"Would you mind, then?"
"Leave it to me."
Josef declared proudly—just as something barreled through the snow in the distance. Serena tensed.
"A beast...?"
"No, a person."
At Josef's clarification, the girls' expressions turned peculiar. They knew exactly who it was.
Whoosh!!
Sure enough, a handsome young man with striking cyan hair skidded to a halt, kicking up snow everywhere. Naturally, it all dumped onto the girls' heads—he'd stopped right in front of them.
Ignoring the chaos, Seong Hyun-jin grinned vacantly.
"What? You all got out already?"
"...No thanks to whoever locked us in."
"Seong Hyun-jin, where the hell have you been?!"
Serena exploded, making him flinch. He quickly set down the two on his shoulders and scrambled for an excuse.
"W-Wait... I was rescuing these folks..."
"Pardon?"
Clarice and Josef gaped at the pair.
"Brother? Sister-in-law...?"
"Young master Kaijid, when did you return?"
"Clarice, you really are here. Sir Josef too."
"How'd you end up with Seong Hyun-jin?"
Kaijid greeted Clarice warmly and recounted events.
"He saved us. We'd just returned to the territory when a frost giant ambushed us out here. Unarmed, we were helpless... but Seong Hyun-jin took it down."
"A frost giant?!"
Clarice gasped, and Kaijid nodded to Josef.
"Sir Josef, if frost giants are reaching the outskirts, things must be worse elsewhere?"
"...I just reported that to you today, young master. And this student handled it alone?"
"Indeed."
Josef openly admired him. Frost giants were high-risk beasts no lone senior knight would tackle lightly. For an academy student to solo one? He eyed Seong Hyun-jin with interest, then bowed deeply.
"My thanks. Seong Hyun-jin, was it? House Levatein will never forget this grace."
Clarice followed suit, bowing low.
"Thank you for saving them, Seong Hyun-jin. I'll repay you properly once we're at the castle."
"Uh..."
Seong Hyun-jin scratched his head. His goal had been investigating the roar and fighting whatever made it—not rescue. Saving them was a bonus. The profuse gratitude for a fluke embarrassed him.
"See? He gets all cute when he's shy."
"Look at him squirming~."
"Sunbae has his adorable side too."
"...No, I don't."
Too late to deny—Serena, Ciela, and Yeonhui were already giggling knowingly.
# The group reunited safely with the Levatein couple and raced onward, arriving at the castle soon after. Seong Hyun-jin had held the broken door the whole way, blocking wind as the carriage sped along. He'd griped that he hadn't broken it, but got no sympathy.
The sight outside drew gasps from all but Ciela and the Levateins, who'd seen it before.
"This is..."
Levatein Castle—impregnable fortress, bastion of the north under House Levatein, guardians of the Magic Kingdom's border.