Chapter 131: Unseasonable Winter (1)
“…It’s been a while, Ronan.”
“Sekreet?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. The voice was of a child, making it difficult to discern the gender. Had Sekreet been freed from the curse of having transformed into a girl? Ronan immediately glanced around, but Sekreet was nowhere to be seen.
“Where are you?”
“Sorry, I’ve got something going on. Can you take a look at my desk?”
“Your desk?”
With all the lights turned off, Separaciowas immersed in darkness. Only the fragments of the crystal Ronan had shattered emitted a faint blue light. Carefully reaching for the crystal, Ronan frowned.
‘What is this, really?’
The unidentified crystal was incredibly sturdy yet lightweight. Its thickness seemed at least 20cm, seemingly impervious to ordinary impacts. Ronan wondered why this material covered him while he was unconscious.
‘What happened while I was gone?’
Thankfully, his belongings, including his swords, remained intact. Ronan picked up a suitable fragment and walked away.
The sudden increase in height wasn’t easy to adapt to. Before long, he arrived at the desk and a strange object caught his eye.
“This is…”
“Looks like you found it. That’s right, we are communicating through that familiar right now.”
Inside a spherical glass container floated an eyeball. Its blue iris followed Ronan’s movements. Sekreet’s voice emanated from behind the eyeball.
“Since I’ve ended up being away longer than I expected. I arranged for it to detect any movements and alert me as soon as you woke up. Hehe, your voice has become more adult-like.”
“What the hell happened here?”
“There’s not enough time to explain everything. The familiar will soon disappear since it has served its purpose, so let’s talk after you come out.”
As if confirming his words, the familiar’s body expanded, seeming ready to burst. Ronan nodded, bringing his face closer.
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
“I’ll tell you the exit spell, please write it down somewhere. “Delphirim, Lunajie, Kashpa.” You just have to point to the bookshelf with ten missing books and recite it.”
“Ten missing books. Got it.”
“Yeah. I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done with my work.”
There was no need to write it down; it was simple. While scanning the desk, Ronan furrowed his brow. Thick, pale dust covered everything.
‘How long has everything been left like this?’
It seemed like frost had settled overnight. Sekreet’s favorite feather pen was covered in thin spider webs, making it clear that he hadn’t been away for only a day or two. Then Sekreet’s voice began intermittently cutting out.
“Anyway, I’m truly glad that you’re bac– you… tall…”
“Sekreet?”
“…See you outside, Ronan… letter…”
The voice ceased altogether. The expanding eyeball finally burst, coating the inside of the glass with green fluid.
“Ugh.”
Disgusted, Ronan stuck out his tongue. Upon another glance, it wasn’t just the desk but the entire study was covered in dust.
‘This doesn’t look good.’
He was about to move to another shelf when he noticed an unfamiliar drawer.
It was something he hadn’t seen before. The half-open lid of the drawer lay right beside where Ronan had been lying.
“What’s this…”
Curiously, Ronan opened the drawer, and papers spilled out. Most were well-sealed envelopes.
Ronan randomly picked up one of the envelopes. His eyes widened when he saw the writing on the cover. The graceful, unmistakable handwriting belonged to Adeshan.
– To Ronan. Adeshan. [Imperial Year 1051, Red Sparrow Moon, 9th day.]
“What is this?”
Ronan hastily scanned through the envelopes. Besides Adeshan, there were numerous letters from other people.
– Wishing you luck. Marya Caravel.
– Read this, Ronan. Navirose.
– To my beloved brother. Iril.
Seeing a letter from his sister, Ronan pursed his lips. The ‘la’ part was crossed out and replaced with ‘ril.’ It seemed she had learned how to write from someone during his absence.
“Ugh, this was unnecessary.”
Suddenly, his nose twitched. He wanted to examine each one, but unfortunately, he didn’t have time now. A single line written in Adeshan’s letter pierced his pupils like a thorn.
[Imperial Year 1051, Red Sparrow Moon, 9th day.]
“Fuck.”
Ronan’s face stiffened. It was the Autumn of 1050 when he entered the Mental World.
The fact a letter written one year ago was buried so deep in the pile of envelopes meant that more than a year had passed. Ronan hurriedly gathered the letters, wedging them into his side. Finding the bookshelf missing ten books was easy.
“Delphirim, Lunajie, Kashpa.”
He stood in front of the bookshelf and recited the spell. Thududud…! The bookshelf slid back, revealing a long corridor. Without hesitation, he stepped into the darkness.
It felt like the air was getting colder with every step Ronan took, his breath producing white puffs each time he exhaled.
For a moment, everything seemed pitch black, but then his vision cleared abruptly. Whoooosh! A strong gust of wind hit Ronan squarely in the face, tossing his hair. Something carried by the wind lodged itself between his eyelashes.
“Dammit, what’s this?”
He didn’t know what it was, but it was disturbingly cold. The mysterious substance melted and disappeared as soon as it touched his skin. Ronan, looking at his pure white sleeves, tilted his head.
“…Snow?”
The mysterious substance turned out to be a tiny snowflake no larger than a fingernail. Whoooosh! Another blast of cold wind struck Ronan’s face, and as he looked up, a world completely dyed white came into his view.
Because of the dense snowfall, it was difficult to open his eyes. Ronan soon realized that he was in Philleon’s main square.
‘Is it winter? But this is a bit extreme.’
It was a snowstorm reminiscent of the ones in the northern regions, with students wrapped in thick coats roaming the square. Wearing fur hats made of leather, it reminded him of the northern residents.
‘Sister.’
Suddenly, an image of Iril’s smiling face flashed through his mind. Many questions arose, but the most urgent was checking on his sister’s well-being. He needed to make sure nothing had happened in the past year.
Ronan redirected his steps toward the direction of his house. At that moment, not far away, a sharp scream echoed.
“Aaaah!”
“Oh, it’s out again today!”
Ronan turned his head. Students were abandoning their belongings and fleeing. Amidst the snowstorm, something was stirring.
“Hmm…?”
Ronan squinted his eyes. The cold seemed to converge in one spot. Snow and ice gathered there, forming structures resembling bones and flesh. There were various creatures: giant bears, deer, fish flying in the sky, and more.
Pop! Soon, blue light emanated from the eyes of the fully formed ice creatures. A bear made of ice let out a fierce roar.
“Kwaaaagh!”
“What the fuck is that?”
The students’ screams grew louder. Based on their reactions, it didn’t seem like a practical lesson. Ronan furrowed his brow, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
‘This situation. It feels strangely familiar…’
Perhaps because he had just woken up, his mind was still dazed. Strangely harsh winter and creatures made of ice jumping out of snowstorms, he had definitely seen it somewhere before.
Whether he could recall it with a bit of thought didn’t matter; there was no time. The attitudes of these creatures weren’t friendly. An ice bear that had been wandering suddenly charged toward the closest student.
Monsters in Philleon’s square, what a spectacle. Ronan murmured and set down the chest. As he pulled the hilt of his sword, the black and white blade was revealed.
‘Shall I loosen up a bit?’
It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a while. The grooves on the hilt felt distinct. Thwack! Ronan dashed forward, pounding the ground.
“Huh?”
He felt lighter. It wasn’t just a trick of the longer stride; it genuinely felt like he was soaring through the sky.
“…What’s going on?”
“Kreuk?”
In an instant, Ronan reached the ice bear. Surprised by his sudden appearance, the bear hesitated. Maintaining his posture, Ronan spun around, wielding the sword.
Swish! A wide slash cut through the transparent body. As a bright white line appeared, the bear’s glow faded. Ronan chuckled softly.
“Heh.”
It wasn’t just that his body felt lighter; the attack, done without mana, was unbelievably fast and precise. Thud! A delayed shockwave reverberated.
‘What happened to my body?’
The bear’s torso, cut in half, fell to the ground. Crumble! The body made of ice shattered into pieces. The attention of the nearby creatures was drawn to Ronan.
“Kaaaaaark!”
“Krek?!”
Meanwhile, Ronan simply stood dumbfounded, struggling to adjust to the changes in his body.
However, that was only for a moment; soon, his heart began to race rapidly. If just using his physical strength resulted in this, he wondered what would happen if he used mana.
“This is fun.”
Ronan grasped Lamancha’s hilt. The previously pale blade was now stained red. A distinct, vibrant crimson, akin to blood, flowed across the blade’s surface.
“Isn’t it?”
“Kr-krrrr…”
The corners of Ronan’s mouth rose. The creatures, sensing the impending danger, began to retreat. Just as he was just about to unleash his sword energy, a woman’s voice rang out from beyond the snowstorm.
“Stand back!”
“Huh?”
It was a familiar voice. A sound reminiscent of a whistle resonated. Bang! Suddenly, the head of an ice reindeer exploded. Amidst the smoke, a thin bolt was lodged into the reindeer’s head.
“Is that…?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Once again, the whistle-like sound echoed, and bolts shot through the snowstorm, striking the heads of other creatures. Bang! Bang! Large and small explosions erupted consecutively.
‘That’s amazing.’
It was an astonishing level of marksmanship. The bolts seemed to hit only the creatures’ heads, constantly changing direction while circling the area to fire.
Crackle! The sound of ice breaking filled the square. In an instant, more than ten creatures were utterly obliterated. The bolts ceased flying. Then, from beyond the blizzard, fresh screams echoed.
“Aaaah! Stay away!”
“Oh, shit.”
Ronan furrowed his brow, he was too distracted by the shooting skills to pay attention to the possibility of other creatures appearing.
He dashed toward the direction of the sound. Soon enough, he came across the scene he anticipated.
Young boys and girls, still new students at Philleon, were huddled together. Five disgustingly hideous ice wolves were stealthily approaching them.
“Krrrrrr…”
“No, don’t come close… please…”
The wolves crouched, seemingly about to leap. Just as Ronan was about to unleash his sword energy. Whoosh! A woman appeared amidst the snowstorm, blocking the students.
“What the fuck?”
Ronan hastily sheathed his sword. The woman, taller than most men, wore a long coat. Her narrowed eyes were sharp as a blade.
She held a pitch-black crossbow in her left hand. Recognizing the woman, Ronan smirked.
“Heh.”
“Grrek!”
At that moment, the leading wolf leaped, its body measuring about 4 meters long. The woman calmly raised her arm and muttered softly.
“Stop.”
The wolves froze instantly. They seemed to turn into actual ice sculptures. The one frozen in mid air fell to the ground on its back. Crackle! Large chunks of shattered fragments slid across the ground.
“Grrr.”
“Grrk.”
Despite the death of their companion, the remaining wolves couldn’t move. Only agonized groans escaped through their transparent fangs.
The blue glow in the wolves’ eyes turned into a dull gray. The woman pulled out a staff from her waist.
She approached, the staff stretched like a snake swept past the wolves.
“Kyaaah!”
The startled students screamed. Boom! Boom! Boom! Four heads shattered at the same time. The woman let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the wolves was no longer moving.
“…Phew.”
Swoosh! The staff shortened back to its original form. She turned to the students, speaking gently.
“It’s all right now.”
“Th-Thank you!”
“Freshmen, right? I should’ve arrived sooner. I’m sorry.”
Her sharp gaze softened. With a warm smile familiar to Ronan, she reassured the freshmen.
Eventually, the students, who were repeatedly bowing their heads and thanking her, left. Ronan, who was simply standing there smiling, opened his mouth.
“Sunbae.”
“…Hmm?”
Adeshan turned her head. The long coat that went up to her neck suited her quite well.
Despite locking eyes with Ronan, she only blinked repeatedly. Her black hair, which had grown to her waist, was fluttering like a flag. Finally, she parted her lips.
“Ronan.”
“It’s been a while. Your skills have improved a lot.”
Adeshan’s face, which he saw after a long time, looked noticeably mature. Her youthful appearance had almost disappeared, replaced by the demeanor of a young lady. Snowflakes were falling on her thickened eyelashes.
Adeshan didn’t respond. She stood in place as if rooted to the spot. Her increasingly rapid breathing became audible. Concerned, Ronan spoke up.
“How have you been?”
Only then did Adeshan slowly take her steps. She came right in front of Ronan and stopped once again.
Now, their line of sight was almost at the same height. Adeshan slowly lifted her hand and reached for Ronan’s cheek.
“Sunbae?”
It was as if she wanted to confirm if Ronan was even real. Before long, a single tear rolled down her white cheek. Letting go of Ronan’s face, she spoke in a trembling voice.
“…It’s been two years.”
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