Anna stared at me for several seconds, before she turned on her heel and walked away without saying a word. The adventurer in charge of the barrier around the sparring arena deactivated it, letting her through. Anna's two companions followed after her. Before they left, Corrie, the red-headed archer, threw a glare in my direction. Meanwhile, the short and cute one, Lorrie, waved at me.

Anna's sudden departure left me more than a little disappointed. Sparring with her had just deepened my interest, and I wanted to get to know her better. However, it appeared that she felt otherwise. Still, at least I accomplished one of my objectives with this bout. I doubted anyone would question my promotion to Bronze now.

After Anna and her companions left, the crowd of adventurers dispersed as well. The ones who bet on me celebrated, while those who bet against me wore miserable expressions. Several of the latter cursed up a storm and threw accusing looks my way. Guildmaster Sinclair studied me for several moments with an inscrutable expression on her face, before she left as well.

With Leroy's help, I made my way back to the Icefall Adventurers Guild's infirmary. While I won the bout, or avoided losing rather, that didn't mean I came away unscathed. Anna's Aura still damaged me, even though I avoided most of her attacks. That last blow of hers in particular made my body ache.

After a healer at the infirmary took care of my wounds, I decided to head back home. It had been a rather eventful day, one that left me exhausted. I wanted some rest. However, before I even made it out of the Icefall Adventurers Guild, a servant from House Icefall arrived with a message for me.

It was a summons from Lord Icefall. He wanted to meet with me right away. While the message was worded as a request, it was anything but. If I rejected it, I risked angering Lord Icefall. While I didn't fear him, he could make my stay in the Icefall region an unpleasant experience. I could leave, I supposed, but I didn't want to. This place was too fun.

So, with reluctance, Leroy and I followed the servant and headed towards Icefall Manor.

Leroy and I sat in a drawing room within Icefall Manor, as we waited for Lord Icefall to arrive. To pass the time, I looked around. The drawing room was well-appointed, decorated with several beautiful art pieces. The furniture was tasteful and comfortable. A floral scent, light and relaxing, filled the air. Several windows let in plenty of sunlight, while there were several brass glowstone lamps for when night fell. Overall, the drawing room earned a passing grade from me.

My opinion of House Icefall went up a notch. They avoided the trap that so many of the newer Houses fell into. The latter always assumed that more expensive was better, and decorated their homes with that in mind. However, this just made their homes look garish and gaudy, with no sense of harmony whatsoever.

House Icefall's hospitality, on the other hand, left much to be desired. After Leroy and I arrived at Icefall Manor, a servant brought us to this drawing room. He said that Lord Icefall was busy at the moment, but he would see us when he was free. With that, the servant left. He hadn't even offered us any refreshments. That was half an hour ago.

This was clearly a power play, one meant to put us in our place. Lord Icefall was flexing his authority and influence. By making Leroy and I come here right away, and then making us wait for him, he was sending an obvious message. He could make us move to his tune, and there was nothing we could do about it. Well, so he thought. I found it amusing. Leroy less so. He sat next to me with his arms crossed.

"How much longer is that insolent man going to make us wait for him?" Leroy asked in a dark tone.

"Long enough to prove his point." I said, smirking.

Leroy looked at me. I couldn't read his expression through that wooden mask he wore, but his body language spoke volumes. He practically radiated fury.

"How can you be so calm?" He asked. "This is beyond insulting. If he knew who you were-"

"He doesn't," I said, cutting him off, "And it will remain that way." I snorted. "To answer your question, I'm calm because this sort of petty bullshit doesn't bother me. Besides, he wants to rile us up. We're more likely to make a mistake that way. By remaining calm, we thwart his plans."

Leroy studied me for a moment, before he sighed.

"Very well. I shall endeavor to follow your example."

The two of us fell silent once more. A few minutes later, the door to the drawing room opened and a man walked in. He had pale skin, icy blue eyes, and short hair the color of freshly fallen snow. I guessed he was about Father's age. He wore a blue and white outfit. His expression was icy. I couldn't tell if that was his usual appearance, or a sign of his displeasure.

Lord Theobald Icefall, I presumed.

Leroy and I stood up to greet him. However, before we could, the temperature in the room dropped. That wasn't an exaggeration. Within seconds, the air in the drawing room became so cold that I breathed out plumes of smoke every time I exhaled. Frost spread across the windows.

"So," Lord Icefall said in a cold voice, "You're the adventurers who tricked my daughter and almost got her killed."

My spirits sank. If that was his opening line, then this meeting wasn't going to go well. In fact, there was a chance that Lord Icefall might attack us. With my mana sense, I saw that he was a Fourth Circle wizard. If it came down to violence, our chances of getting out of here in one piece were low. I doubted he would kill us, but still.

However, what happened next caught everyone in the drawing room off guard. A girl wearing a blue and white dress marched in. She looked fourteen or fifteen years old. Like Lord Icefall, she had pale skin, icy blue eyes, and white hair. She even had the same icy expression on her face. While young, she would become quite gorgeous when she grew up. The term "icy beauty" came to mind. Was this…?

"Father!" The girl said in a familiar voice.

Ah, so this girl was Cally. Huh. This is what she looked like. She was younger than I thought. That made her display of magic the other day, when we fought the hellhounds, even more impressive.

"Calla!" Lord Icefall said, giving her a concerned look. "What are you doing here? You should be resting! What if you strain your body further?"

Cally rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"I'm not an invalid, Father," she said, "stop being so overprotective!" She gestured to Leroy and I. "And I'm here to stop you from harassing my companions. You were going to threaten them, weren't you?"

"Of course not." Lord Icefall said, lying through his teeth. "I was just going to warn them against spreading rumors about you. You're going to the Solarian Imperial Academy in the fall. High society is vicious. If word got out that you worked as an adventurer, the other House scions would make your life miserable. I wanted to prevent that from happening."

Cally gave her father a skeptical look.

"I don't believe you. Besides, you're the reason why Brandon and Leroy found out about my true identity. If you hadn't gone to the Icefall Adventurers Guild and raised a fuss, that wouldn't have happened. We're lucky that Auntie Charity helped keep it a secret. Otherwise, the entire city would have found out!"

I glanced at Leroy for confirmation. He nodded. Huh. So that's what happened.

"How else did you expect me to react?!" Lord Icefall asked, his expression dark. "You left home without saying a word and ran off to play adventurer. Do you know how worried I was when I found out? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"If I hadn't done that, we wouldn't have found out about the demon incursion until it was too late to do anything about it!"

By this point, the father-daughter pair had long forgotten about Leroy and I. The two of us could have snuck without either noticing. While I wanted to let them sort this out amongst themselves, the temperature in the drawing room continued to drop. If this went end, Leroy and I would end up as human popsicles.

I cleared my throat. "Excuse me?"

Cally and Lord Icefall ignored me and continued to argue with one another. Right. Let me try again. I clapped my hands together.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Excuse me!"

The father-daughter pair turned towards me and spoke at the same time.

"What?!"

Heh. For a House known for their ice magic, they were rather hot-headed.

"If you two are going to keep at this," I said, "May we leave?" I gestured to the drawing room. "My friend and I would rather not freeze to death."

Cally and Lord Icefall looked around the room. When they realized that they had lost control of their magic, they wore identical expressions of embarrassment on their faces. I found it cute. The temperature in the drawing room started to rise as the father-daughter pair drew back their magic.

Lord Icefall pretended to cough to hide his embarrassment. "I apologize for the unseemly display."

"Yes," Cally said, "I'm sorry that you had to see this side of me."

I nodded.

"No need. I know how heated arguments between family members can become." I looked at Cally's father. "I understand your concern, Lord Icefall. You are worried about your daughter's safety and her reputation. Rest assured, Leroy and I have no intention of spreading rumors about Lady Calla. Guildmaster Charity already spoke with us about it. If you can't trust us, then trust in her judgment."

Lord Icefall studied me for several moments, before nodding.

"Very well." He narrowed his eyes at me. "However, if you betray House Icefall, I will make you regret it."

I resisted the urge to smirk. The way he said that reminded me of Guildmaster Charity. I wondered how they were related to one another. Cally called her "Auntie Charity", so they were close. A mystery for later.

"Father," Cally said, crossing her arms, "Enough. You should be rewarding Brandon and Leroy for their efforts, not threatening them."

Lord Icefall gave his daughter a pained look, before he let out a sigh.

"You're right." He gave me a slight bow. "I apologize for my words earlier. As you just witnessed, when it comes to my daughter's safety, I have something of a temper. Thank you for protecting her, as well as the people of the Icefall region."

It was clear that Lord Icefall cherished Cally and wanted to protect her. Maybe a little much. Even so, I wouldn't hold that against him. This time.

"I accept your apology."

"What would you like as a reward?" Lord Icefall asked. "If you wish, I can make you two retainers for House Icefall. If you are capable of dealing with three hellhounds at your current level, it's clear that you two have great potential."

I shook my head.

"As flattered as we are, Lord Icefall, we can't accept your offer. Leroy and I have our own family obligations."

Lord Icefall's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Ah, I see. You're from a Clan. I suspected as much, given what I heard, but your words confirmed it for me."

I stared at him. Did everyone know about Murim and the Clans? If so, what was the point of the Accords?

Lord Icefall smirked when he saw my reaction. "House Icefall originated from a Clan, so we know more than most about Murim and the like, including its customs and traditions." He gestured to my hand. "Besides, I recognize a disguise ring when I see one."

Well then. It annoyed me that two of the most powerful people in the region knew that I was hiding my true identity, but it wasn't the worst outcome.

"Clan Frostheart?" I asked.

"The one and same."

That solved one mystery.

"In that case," Lord Icefall said, "What would you like as a reward?"

I thought about it for a moment, before I gestured to Leroy.

"A set of enchanted armor for my companion."

Leroy shook his head.

"There's no need for that." He said. "I can do without."

I glanced at him and snorted.

"Just accept it. Remember, your strength is my strength."

Leroy hesitated for a moment, before nodding.

"Very well." Lord Icefall said. "It may take a few weeks, but you shall have your enchanted armor. I shall have a servant take your measurements before you leave."

Cally stepped forward.

"In the meantime, I will keep Brandon entertained." She gave her father a sideways glance. "He is a guest of House Icefall after all. We should treat him right."

Lord Icefall flinched at this, but otherwise didn't react to his daughter's comment. Instead, he summoned a servant, who took Leroy away. Afterwards, Lord Icefall remained in the drawing room. However, Cally shooed him away. He left with great reluctance.

Afterwards, Cally summoned a servant to bring us refreshments. The two of us sat down. We made small talk until the servant returned with tea and cookies, before leaving us alone once more. The moment the servant left, Cally muttered an incantation and formed a series of mudras. A privacy barrier sprang to existence around us, to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on our conversation.

"So," I said, before taking a sip of my tea. It tasted sweet, which I liked. "What did you wish to speak with me about? You kept me here and even formed a privacy barrier. It must be something important."

Cally studied me with a serious expression on her face, leaving her own tea untouched. I found it amusing, considering she was three or four years my junior.

"It's about the hellhounds," she said.

"Oh, right. Remind me to give you your share of the bounty for killing the hellhounds, as well as the payout for the job."

Cally shook her head.

"That isn't necessary." She gestured to the drawing room. "As you can see, I don't need it."

I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter. You earned it, and I'm no thief."

Cally made a dismissive gesture.

"We're getting off track. About the hellhounds-"

"Speaking of which," I said, cutting her off. She glared at me, "You knew about them beforehand, didn't you? Is that why you took the job?"

Cally's eyes widened. I gave her a sharp smile.

"After we killed the inferno beasts, you said that wasn't the end of it, or something along those lines. And what do you know? The hellhounds arrived right after you said that." My smile grew sharper. "I let it go at the time, but I didn't forget. You owe me an explanation, Lady Calla."

Cally heaved a sigh.

"You're right. I do. However, I will say this. When we took that job, I didn't know that there would be actual demons there. At most, I expected to find fiends."

I raised an eyebrow at her. One of the reasons why demons were so dangerous was that they could share a portion of their power with others. They did so through their blood. Any being that drank a demon's blood became more powerful. However, this also corrupted them. These twisted beings were known as fiends.

"You expected to find fiends?" I asked. "Why?"

Cally wore a conflicted expression on her face.

"Before I tell you, I need to know who I am dealing with." She gestured to the disguise ring on my finger. "Please, take that off. I need a show of trust from you. Otherwise, I can't tell you what I know."

"The problem is that I don't trust you, Lady Calla." I gave her a cold look. "Leaving aside the fact that you hid your true identity, something I am also guilty of, you hid the fact that you knew that demons were involved. We almost died because of this. While fiends are weaker than actual demons, they are still formidable foes. If you had informed us, we could have made adequate preparations. If nothing else, we could have brought Holy Water with us."

Holy Water, which was water imbued with Holy magic, was very effective against demons; hellhounds in particular, since they were beings of shadow and fire. A few bottles of Holy Water would have made dealing with them so much easier.

"I apologize for not telling you or Leroy." Cally said in a self-deprecating tone. "In my arrogance, I thought I was powerful enough to deal with a few fiends, even without Holy Water. The hellhounds caught me off guard, and you paid the price. You have no idea how sorry I am."

Her words reminded me of my own guilt.

"Even so, please trust me on this," Cally continued. "It's important."

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Why, Lady Calla?" I asked. "You and I are strangers to one another. We fought together, yes, but that doesn't make us friends. It certainly doesn't make us bosom buddies. Why is this so important to you?"

Cally looked me right in the eyes, her gaze steadfast.

"I already have an idea as to who you are. Your use of the Lightning element gave you away. If I'm right, then that could change everything. However, I need to know for certain."

I studied her for several moments. My intuition warned me that I was at a crossroads. The choice I made here could have far-reaching consequences. To trust Cally, or not?

In the end, I chose the former and hoped that I wouldn't regret it. I took off my disguise ring. When Cally saw my face, she sucked in a breath.

"I was right," she whispered, "You are a transmigrator possessing Gabriel Sturm's body."

My eyes widened. Countless questions rushed through my mind. How did she know who I was? Enough to recognize me on sight? While the scions of House Sturm were famous for our distinctive appearances, that wasn't enough for Cally to identify me as Gabriel Sturm. I stayed home for most of my life, so few people knew what I looked like. More than that, Cally and I had never crossed paths before.

"How do you know who I am?" I asked. "And what makes you think that I am a transmigrator?"

Cally gave me a sad smile.

"Kaylee is a comrade of mine, and she always carried a miniature portrait of her family with her." She paused. "At least, Kaylee was a comrade of mine. I don't know if she still is."

She knew my sister? Even to address her without honorifics? But how? While Kaylee wasn't as much of a homebody as I used to be, she never traveled to the Icefall region or came into contact with anyone from House Icefall. How…?

An idea popped into my head. An insane idea, but one that answered many of my questions. However, I refrained from voicing it out loud.

"As for how I know that you're not the real Gabriel Sturm?" Cally continued. "That's easy. The real Gabriel Sturm died a long time ago, at least from my perspective. Though, for almost everyone else, it was only a couple months ago."

I swallowed before I spoke, tasting the lingering remnants of the sweet tea I drank earlier.

"You're a regressor." I said.

Cally nodded.

"Yes. In another time, another life, I was the last surviving member of House Icefall."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.