How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“What?” In an instant, the air surrounding the man suddenly froze. It was not a metaphor, it was truly frozen. The air inside the store froze into snowflakes, falling like a heavy snowstorm at the man’s feet. “What is the enemy’s purpose? Have you identified their identity? What is their strength?” – We don’t know their purpose yet. Their identity is that of a barbarian, and as for their strength… it’s just one person.” I could see the woman in the crystal ball watching the man’s expression. It was understandable because the corners of the man’s mouth were twisted into a strange shape. “One person? So you’re telling me that a single barbarian managed to break through the security magic of the tower?” – You were very surprised, Master, and we were very surprised too…. We are also very perplexed that this happened while you were away. By the way, did you get what you wanted? It might have been a trap. At the woman’s words, the man glanced at the box Sage was holding. “The object clearly exists. If this is a trap, it probably wasn’t aimed at me. So what’s the situation at the tower?Have you subdued the intruder?” – Yes. The intruder was seriously injured when she first entered the tower. So it wasn’t hard to subdue. However, judging from the warrior’s tattoo on her hand, she doesn’t seem to be a shaman, and I don’t know how she managed to break through the tower’s security.… “Warrior’s tattoo?” At that moment, I met Ethan’s eyes, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one whose mind was filled with a familiar face. At the same time, Leonhard’s voice passed by my ears. “On the white Land. Catherine is there now.” If I remember correctly, the Silver Frost Tower is at the northern tip of the continent. So, on white land. My mouth started moving on its own as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place in my head. “That barbarian, is she a woman?” “What?” – Hey, Master? Whose voice is that?   Don’t tell me it’s her… “Be quiet.” – Y-Yes, Master. “Answer me! That barbarian, is she a woman? With red hair and red eyes?” Though my voice reached her, she couldn’t see me. The woman inside the crystal ball pressed her lips tightly together and darted her eyes around nervously, as if gauging the black-haired man’s reaction. I urged him for a response. With a small sigh, the man scratched the back of his neck before gesturing toward the woman in the crystal ball. – Hmm…Yes, that’s all correct. But who are you, and how do you know this? Are you the one who sent this barbarian to our tower? Master, could this really be a trap? “I said it’s not like that…. No, am I right?” The man’s gaze turned to me. But I had no time to argue with him. I went straight to him, grabbed the crystal ball in his hand, and shouted. “Cathy! Where is she right now? How badly injured is she? Did you treat her?” – Uh… we haven’t yet. “Why not? If someone’s injured, the first thing you do is treat them!” – Didn’t you hear me earlier? That barbarian, or whatever you call her, is an intruder who broke into our tower without permission. She even broke through the countless magics placed on the tower. “And did she attack you?” – Um, when you put it like that… no. There haven’t been any casualties. But all of the tower’s defensive and concealment spells have been dispelled, and now every wizard left here is scrambling to restore them—Whoah!” – Boom! Boom! A loud explosion was heard from beyond the crystal ball, along with the woman’s scream. The man narrowed his eyes and glared at the crystal ball as I flinched back in surprise at the sound. “What’s going on?” – Wait a minute. Hold on, I’m checking—what? Additional attacks by barbarians? How many? Dozens of warriors and shamans? With monsters too? Are they declaring full-scale war on us? “You. You need to answer me clearly now.” The man’s cold eyes turned towards me, but there was no sense of hostility in his eyes. But my body trembled involuntarily at the coldness, I couldn’t help but take a step back. ‘In this situation, it wouldn’t be strange to point out that I’m the culprit.’ “Did you or Ajas send this ‘Cathy’ barbarian to infiltrate my tower?” “In the name of Ajas, absolutely not.” I firmly denied it and said as I looked at the woman in the crystal ball. “Cathy is a barbarian, but she is now a knight of the Knights of Ajas. You said that Cathy was badly injured? It’s likely the work of the barbarians pursuing her.” – Even if you say that, it’s hard to believe.…” “Cathy was sent on a mission by the Marquis of Ajas. She went to the White Lands alone to carry it out. I don’t know exactly why she went there, but she is our knight. She would never conspire with the barbarians.” “That explanation is insufficient.” The man crossed his arms and gazed into the distance before running his hand through his hair with a sigh. “Hand over this ‘Cathy’, and I’ll pretend I never heard what you just said.” – Hmm, Master? “But if you insist she’s a knight of Ajas, you’ll need to prove Ajas and its people have nothing to do with this attack on my tower.” “How…?” “That’s something you should think about. By the way, all the defensive and concealment spells on my tower have been canceled—” – Boom, bang! Beyond the crystal ball, something exploded loudly, and now screams could be heard. “My tower and my disciples are under attack because of the barbarians you call Cathy. I’m sure you know how far this could go.” How can I not know? The Magic Tower was the epitome of an in-depth academic institution where leading wizards skilled in each attribute gathered to study and discuss magic. Although it is divided into each tower, if you dig deeper, you will see that each of the Magic Towers is not an independent organization. Rather, it is safe to say that they are tightly connected to each other. Of course, the situation with the Silver Frost Tower, which had cut off contact for 100 years, may be a little different… but even for Ajas, becoming enemies with the Magic Tower would be a burden. ‘Should I give up Catherine here?’ When we first became friends, Catherine’s face flashed before my eyes, as she was so happy to receive the knitted doll I gave her. And her face of disappointment at not being able to be my escort. ‘No. I can’t give up.’ ‘She is my friend. I absolutely could not give up.’ I steeled my resolve and spoke to the man. “I speak as the representative of Marquis Ajas. Neither Ajas nor Catherine, Ajas’ knight, had anything to do with this attack.” I took a small, deep breath. “To prove this fact, I will go to the Silver Frost Tower myself.” “What?” “W-wait, where are you going? No! It’s dangerous, Marquise!” “That’s right! What if they falsely accuse Ajas and take you hostage.” “I swear on the honor of the Silver Frost Tower that I will not do such a thing. Is that enough for you?” “Enough? Not at all! Absolutely not! We can’t let our Marquise go!” “That’s right. If you go, take me with you, Mother.” Noah stands next to Sage, who is blocking my way noisily. He spoke to me in a quiet voice. I shook my head in surprise. “No! Noah, you stay home.” “Wherever my mother is, that is my home.” His words, which came so naturally, caught me off guard. I opened my mouth to reply but found myself speechless, left to blink helplessly. “I won’t let you go alone. If Mother goes, I will go too.” As if to prove his determination, Noah stretched out his arms and hugged me tightly around the waist. He clung to me with all his might, leaving no room for argument. ‘What should I do with this?’ That thought seemed to show on my face. The man whose eyes met mine raised one corner of his mouth and said: “In that case, why don’t we all go together? I will formally invite all of you to my tower.” “All together?” “You’re inviting us…?” – Master! I hate to interrupt, but things are critical! The barbarians are overwhelming us! Your adorable disciples might all die if you don’t return immediately! “Adorable disciples? It’s my first time hearing that I have a cute disciple…but I can’t let them die.” The man who had been mumbling like that clapped his hands once. As the sound echoed through the air, a large magic circle appeared beneath the man’s feet. The man clapped his hands once, and a large magic circle appeared beneath his feet. The intricate geometric patterns and white glow were mesmerizing, but this wasn’t the time to admire them. The enormous magic circle beneath his feet extended to envelop not only him but also me, Noah, Sage, Ethan, and even Leona. “Wait a minute, this magic circle—!” “Whoa!” I thought I heard Sage’s panicked voice for a moment, but I couldn’t hear it properly because of the bright white light that flashed and exploded before my eyes. As I tightly closed my eyes, a dizzy feeling came over me, as if the ground beneath my feet was shaking. I almost fell to the floor, but I was able to keep my balance thanks to Noah, who hugged me tightly. I instinctively hugged the child’s small body and opened my mouth. “Noah, are you okay?” It was so bright that I couldn’t even open my eyes properly. It was fortunate that I was holding Noah. “Yes, I’m okay.” When the light faded and I finally regained my sight, the space surrounding us had completely changed. Until a moment ago, it must have been a dark brown wooden building with a somewhat messy and crowdedlandscape. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by a pure white stone wall. A small room with dozens of magic stones embedded in the walls and floor at regular intervals. “Welcome to the Silver Frost Tower.” * * *