So, this is how I die. Lord Marcus Mogrian felt great sorrow at his fate of being killed by goblins. He thought he was going to be the laughingstock of nobles everywhere.

I should have at least saved Lavi. Going monster hunting was purely for entertainment. He had no way of knowing this would end up ruining his clan’s future, so he hadn’t worried about it before.

“Keek!”

He saw a goblin in front of him, but it looked different. It had pink skin, was tall, and looked like a respectable fighter. It could even control other goblins. The hunting party had been ambushed and lost because they were outnumbered.

I have to tell the people... He had seen hundreds of goblins, and this pink one seemed able to organize and control them. These creatures were no longer prey—they had become a threat, just like brigands.

As he finally gave up all hope, he heard a boom and the echo of something falling.

A voice said, “Frost Nova.”

It was a boy’s voice. The lord tried hard to open his eyes, and he was able to make out a silhouette of a child’s back.

That boy is... An ice hell started spreading in all directions. Before he knew it, the goblins were trying to run away, screeching desperately. As the lord tried to understand this commotion, the child looked back.

“Father.”

But it wasn’t the voice of the boy in front of him. So, where was this voice coming from?

“Father!”

The lord’s eyes flew open. He no longer saw the boy, the goblins, or the ice. He was in his bedroom.

“Margaret...?”

Having noticed that he was conscious, Margaret was calling him desperately.

“What.. what happened?” He asked a question with many possible answers.

“The mage saved you. You and Lavi.”

“What about everyone else? Are they still alive?”

“Well...”

All the people who had been captured were alive. Unfortunately, some people had died during the ambush. Not even mages could revive the dead.

“How long was I out for?”

“You’ve been sleeping for two whole days. We’ve been so worried...”

“Call Hogar.”

Hogar was the old butler.

“Huh? My mother and brother are so worried...”

“I’ll see them soon. There’s just something I have to do first.”

Margaret didn’t reply. Instead, she got up and left to call the butler.

“That’s quite a sight. Margaret being obedient?” the lord muttered, confused.

Shortly, Hogar, the gray-haired butler, came running. “My lord! Thank goodness you’re awake!”

“I must thank you for all the trouble you must’ve gone through.”

“P-pardon me? It was no trouble at all.” The old butler was overcome with emotion, and his master patted his shoulder to console him.

“How many casualties?”

“My lord...”

“Just tell me. It’s okay.”

“Twelve soldiers and Sir Rothen...”

Those precious lives, too many of them, had been lost because of something he did for entertainment. What if the goblins had just killed them on sight? Everyone in the hunting party would have been dead.

Dreadful. The lord kept his silence for a minute. He was a calculating person, but the welfare of his land was paramount to him. Loyal people had given their lives for him and his estate. His heart was heavy.

“Well then. Have you compensated the families of the deceased?”

“As much as possible, my lord.”

“Good job... Urgh!”

The feudal lord nodded before he was struck with pain. His blackout had given him a lingering headache. The old butler gave him a concerned look, but the lord waved his hand and continued, “A mage saved us. Was it Marco?”

He thought it must have been Marco. Although he first suspected it was Ian, he couldn’t trust his fleeting consciousness at that point. On top of that, how could a young boy have saved all of them? This was beyond his talents...

“No, my lord. Mage Marco was busy outside our estate so we asked Ian for help.”

So what he had seen was right.

“Ian saved all of us.”

The lord remained silent. He couldn’t have even imagined that Ian had brought the ice hell. Finally understanding the situation, the lord nodded.

That’s why he’s the center of attention. That was why both the imperial family and the Ivory Tower wanted Ian and why the Mogrian family was ordered to protect him.

Everyone wants him on their side. After the last war, the three countries had been ruling independently for the last sixty years. All three of them tried to amass more mages in case another war started. They had spies everywhere.

They wouldn’t try to assassinate him. They’ll try to get him on their side. Mages could change the tide of war, so they were often the target of assassins, especially if they had huge potential. Yet, Ian was only twelve, so attracting him to one side or the other was still possible.

I owe my life to someone who’s bigger than I could imagine. With that concluding thought, the lord asked, “Where is Ian? I would like to see him alone.”

“Well, I’m afraid you can’t see him right now.”

“Why? Did he suffer injuries to his body?”

“No, my lord. He’s fine. But...”

The butler abruptly stopped before hesitatingly saying, “He went to... sell things.”

“Sell things?”

* * *

Ian was back on Mount Mogrian when the lord finally came to. He was at the hiding spot of the goblins with some people he had just met.

“These are all the best quality! I’ve never seen anything like this before!” the middle-aged, extravagantly dressed man exclaimed, bowing to Ian.

“I would hope so. I froze them before I killed them.”

“Right! What a great choice!” The businessman was the owner of Forian, the largest trading company in the area.

“How much are you offering for them?” Ian was trying to sell the goblins as leaving their corpses here was pointless. Once the ice melted, they were going to rot. It was better to get what he could for them now.

“Let’s see. High-quality corpses of six hundred and twenty-one goblins...”

Monster corpses were valuable because every piece was used in alchemy as a raw material. They had other uses as well. Because goblins were weak and easy to find, their corpses didn’t command much money. Yet the sheer number of goblins here meant he could get a large sum of money.

“A hobgoblin as well... Oh my! I never dreamed I’d see a hobgoblin’s corpse. Is this a dream?”

Ian agreed. He knew that hobgoblins were rare, so much so that there was a separate research for them.

“So, at least three thousand gold pieces...” The merchant trailed off as he eyed Ian. Despite his age, he was a mage who could kill hundreds. The man didn’t want to make a petty offer and possibly risk his life. A big profit was attractive to him, but it was more important to stay alive.

“Of course, this is the minimum amount.” Ian’s face remained expressionless as if the price didn’t impress him.

“L-let me reiterate, it’s at least...”

“That’s not the problem.” Ian was happy with the offer but was wondering what to do with the money. “Maybe...” After a moment, Ian made up his mind and asked, “Is there a skilled alchemist in the area?”

“A skilled alchemist?”

“One who is good at making elixirs.”

When Ian had had no money, there had been no way for him to get elixirs. But that was about to change. He still didn’t have enough money for the highest quality elixirs, but he could get a few bottles of fine elixirs nevertheless.

“Of course there is. He lives in Lloyd Village and he used to work in the capital. He’s only here for some medicinal herbs. His name is...”

The merchant trailed off again, trying to remember the alchemist’s name.

“Ah! Ratheo. His name is Ratheo.”

Ratheo the Alchemist. Ian mouthed the name and tried to see if he could remember anything about him, but he was a stranger.

“Would you like me to arrange a meeting?”

“It’s okay, I’ll visit him myself.”

As the conversation ended, Ian left the valley alone. It was almost dinner time at the Mogrian castle. The castle’s occupants were in a gloomy mood—people had died, and their lord was unconscious.

I hope he wakes up soon. Just the thought of eating there felt like a burden, but he couldn’t let his mother be alone amid all the distress. Ian picked up his pace.