Published: July 3, 2025
After sinking into despair for a while, Ryo stood up.
This was synonymous with recovering.
"Actually, I've been asked to serve as Abel's bodyguard," Ryo decided to honestly reveal everything.
He had been told, "Be an equal friend"… So it would be easiest to make everything clear.
"My bodyguard? Instead of me protecting someone, someone will protect me?"
"Well, since Abel is technically the next king, I don't think he will be guarding anyone anymore. You've lost the opportunity to have a valuable experience forever. How unfortunate!"
"That felt like a really unpleasant way of saying it…"
Abel grimaced and said that.
"Well, fine. So, Ryo will protect me? Sure, my life will likely be targeted more from now on… But can you do it, Ryo?"
"I'm fine! As long as I'm doing it, I won't let anyone else kill Abel."
Ryo declared with a renewed sense of determination.
"Uh…"
"Now, Abel, I have an absolutely foolproof method to ensure no one else kills you."
"What? Is there really such an amazing method?"
Abel was genuinely surprised by this proposal.
If such a groundbreaking method existed, he should definitely hear about it.
"If I were to kill Abel myself, it would be fine…"
"I thought it would come to that!"
"No, that's too extreme! Of course, it's different!"
"Is it? I thought that was where you were going."
"Fuhuhuh, Abel, you're still not there yet. Let's rephrase that. There is a way to ensure Abel never dies."
Ryo confidently proclaimed.
"Oh, that sounds good. So, what will it be?"
"If we encase Abel in ice, it would be perfect!"
"…"
"If he's encased in unbreakable ice, he won't die! Since it's transparent ice, everyone can still see his esteemed face. What do you think about the title 'King of Ice'?"
Ryo said with a confident expression, like a consultant who had just made a perfect proposal.
"Rejected."
"Why…?"
Again, Ryo sank into the depths of despair.
"Because you can't sign documents like that."
"I see…"
Ryo accepted Abel's logical rebuttal.
"Then let’s make the ice movable around the arms. If we fix the pen, it will solve the problem!"
"Rejected."
The consultant who was satisfied with his perfect counterproposal was once again crushed by Abel's words.
"Why…?"
He looked at Abel, tears barely shimmering in his eyes… not really, but he asked nonetheless.
"Because it looks uncool."
"Ugh…"
For Ryo, being 'cool' was a top priority.
Abel had experienced this enough to understand the destructive power of the words 'uncool'.
"If being encased in ice doesn't work, then let's wrap it in ice instead. There's a perfect water attribute magic for that. It's called ice armor. How about covering your entire body with that?"
"Wrap it in ice, huh…"
"It would be made of thin, transparent ice. From a distance, you might not even realize it's there."
"Thin ice might break if…"
In response to Abel's concern, Ryo smirked and continued.
"It's my ice, you know? It won't break with normal attacks."
"I see…"
Abel knew that Ryo's ice was unusually hard.
He felt that this might not be a problem.
"Can you try it?"
"Alright, here goes. [Ice Armor]."
A knock came at the office door.
"Come in."
When Abel said that, the three members of the 'Red Sword' walked in.
"Abel, I'm back. It seems like things got hectic…"
"I'm back! Kona Village was tough. I heard Ryo is here too…"
"…"
Rhea, Lin, and the usually silent Warren entered the room, looked at Abel from a distance, and then tilted their heads.
"Abel…"
"Something's shining, right…?"
Rhea and Lin, not knowing the reason, saw that Abel's surface was sparkling.
The light coming through the window reflected off the armor of ice that covered Abel's surface, causing it to shimmer.
"Hm? You both figured it out well. Ryo has wrapped an ice armor around me to protect me."
"With this, no sudden attack will be a problem!"
Abel explained, and Ryo nodded in agreement.
"Ah, Ryo's ice would indeed be hard, and it seems like moving wouldn't be a problem either, but…"
"But, rejected."
Lin nodded in understanding, but Rhea shot it down.