Raezel had faced gods, warriors, and creatures that could turn mountains to dust with a whisper.
And yet, at that moment, he found himself completely caught off guard by a mortal girl.
She stood before him, arms crossed, head tilted, her amber eyes filled with something he rarely saw in mortals when they looked at him—audacity.
"Are you new?" she asked, her voice sharp and direct, cutting through the thick silence of the marketplace.
Raezel blinked.
Before he could respond, she continued.
"And are you a merchant?"
Her tone was casual, as if she were questioning some traveling salesman.
Raezel opened his mouth to answer—
"No, you're not," she declared, cutting him off before he could say a single word.
Somewhere in the market, a basket of apples hit the ground.
A noblewoman swayed, barely catching herself.
Nihaga stiffened—then turned his gaze to Raezel.
Raezel stared at her, curious.
Most people barely spoke in his presence. She did not even let him speak.
"Is that so?" he mused, watching the way she scrutinized him.
Nyra nodded confidently. "Yeah. There's something off about you."
Raezel smirked slightly. "Oh? And what exactly makes me not look human?"
Nyra, completely unfazed, tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, first of all, you're too pretty."
Nihaga choked.
Raezel's smirk faltered. "...Pretty?"
"Yeah, but not in a delicate way," Nyra added, gesturing vaguely at him. "You look like one of those arrogant highborns who just exist to make other people feel average. Sharp features. Regal posture. All that noble nonsense."
Raezel let out a soft chuckle. "I see."
But Nyra wasn't finished.
"And then there are your eyes."
She pointed straight at them, ignoring the way the onlookers were sweating from sheer secondhand fear.
"Golden. Too golden," she declared. "Like, unsettlingly so. And it's not just the color—it's the way you look at things. Most people look at things. You look through them. Like you already know what someone's thinking before they say anything."
Raezel arched an eyebrow. "And that makes me not human?"
Nyra nodded. "Oh, I'm not done yet."
Nihaga, at this point, had his arms crossed, watching her with genuine amusement.
"Your hair is weird too," Nyra continued. "Dark, yeah, but those green streaks? They look like they're alive. And I swear—" she squinted at him, "—they moved."
Raezel glanced at Nihaga.
Nihaga said nothing, but the corners of his lips were definitely twitching.
"And your ears!" Nyra pointed accusingly. "A little too pointed. Not like an elf, but just enough to make me question things."
Raezel sighed. "I see."
Nyra tilted her head. "See what?"
"That you speak before you think."
Nyra crossed her arms. "Thinking takes time."
Raezel chuckled. Nihaga, standing beside him, suppressed a smirk.
Nyra, completely unaware of the tension she had created, shifted topics without hesitation.
"Hey, do you know what happened to Velmor?" she asked suddenly.
Raezel tilted his head slightly. "What?"
Nyra nodded, a smirk forming on her lips. "Velmor became strong. That's what my father and the others say."
"Your father?" Raezel asked.
Nyra grinned, puffing out her chest with pride. "Yes! He's an army commander of Velmor!"
She said it with such confidence, completely unaware that she was bragging about her father's position to the Son of Medusa.
Raezel glanced at Nihaga. The silent guardian's expression remained neutral, but Raezel could feel his amusement beneath the surface.
Then, Nyra suddenly lifted the collar of her shirt, revealing a mark on her neck.
A coiling snake.
"Everyone in Velmor got these marks," she stated.
But Raezel noticed something.
Her voice—though still confident—held dissatisfaction.
It was subtle, but it was there.
He exchanged a glance with Nihaga, who had noticed the same thing.
"Are you not happy with your mark?" Raezel asked.
Nyra hesitated. Then, with complete childlike bluntness, she answered—
"Hmm… I don't like snakes."
She wrinkled her nose, as if the very thought of it annoyed her.
"I like rabbits," she added with complete seriousness.
Raezel blinked.
Nihaga stared.
The entire marketplace, still watching the exchange, was now caught between horrified shock and morbid curiosity.
Did this girl just... casually dismiss the blessing of Medusa because she preferred rabbits?
Raezel stepped forward.
Before Nyra could react, his fingers brushed against her neck, his thumb grazing over the snake mark.
A warmth spread from his touch, and for the first time since she began speaking, Nyra's face turned red.
She stiffened slightly, blinking rapidly. "W-What are you doing?"
Raezel simply smiled. "You like rabbits."
Nyra nodded hesitantly.
Raezel snapped his fingers.
Before Nyra's eyes, the snake mark coiled and reshaped itself.
Into a rabbit.
Nyra stared.
Then—
A brilliant grin broke across her face.
She beamed up at him, her amber eyes shining with childlike amusement.
"I knew it!" she declared. "You're a magician!"
Raezel chuckled.
Nihaga, however, choked on air.
Nyra, completely serious, continued, "But you came to the wrong nation. People here can at most give you a loaf of bread and a cloth for your magic tricks. Velmor isn't wealthy like Arathis."
Nihaga froze.
His prince—a street magician?
For the next few moments, Nihaga's mind spiraled.
He imagined it.
Raezel, dressed in a ridiculous cloak, standing in the middle of a marketplace, performing cheap tricks for bread and old clothes.
The Son of Medusa, the one feared by gods, being rewarded with stale bread.
The image was too much.
Nihaga collapsed, clutching his stomach, shaking with uncontrollable laughter.
Raezel exhaled sharply. "Really, Nihaga?"
As they continued walking, Raezel noticed Nyra was looking for something.
"Are you searching for someone?" he asked.
Nyra nodded. "Yeah. A giant snake."
Raezel and Nihaga froze.
"...A what?"
Nyra turned to them. "The being who gave us these snake marks! And made Velmor strong! I heard she left her son here to live with us. I want to meet him!"
Raezel opened his mouth—
And Nihaga collapsed again, rolling on the ground laughing.
Between gasps for air, he wheezed, "A—A giant snake—!" He pounded his fist against the ground, his entire body trembling with uncontrollable laughter. "She thinks you're—she thinks you're a—pfft—a giant snake monster!"
Raezel blinked. His expression deadpanned. "Excuse me?"
Nihaga clutched his stomach, his laughter turning absolutely ridiculous. "I—I just—" He gasped between laughs, wiping the tears from his eyes. "My prince! The almighty Son of Medusa! Feared across realms! But no, no—" He let out another wheeze. "To her, you are just a... giant... slithering... snake beast!"
Raezel ran a hand down his face. "You are enjoying this far too much."
Nyra, watching the spectacle with a raised eyebrow, muttered, "Is he okay?"
Raezel sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, yes."
Finally managing to compose himself (barely), Nihaga took a deep breath and stood. He wiped his face, still grinning, and with a dramatic flourish, he gestured toward Raezel like a grand performer unveiling the greatest masterpiece of all time.
"The Son of Medusa... is standing right in front of you."
Nyra stared at Raezel.
Raezel stared back.
A long silence.
Then—Nyra's eyes flickered to his hair.
"...Well," she said.
"That explains the hair."