Chapter 145: Lingering Fragrance of Winter
It was early in the morning when Evelin Droza opened her eyes. The ceiling she looked up at seemed unfamiliar. It felt like she had slept for a very long time.
“Where am I…?”
She slowly raised her upper body. The blanket covering her emitted a warm scent. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a glow across the room.
The room was tidy, with plush beds lined up. It was a vaguely familiar scene. It was undoubtedly the infirmary of Philleon Academy.
‘Why am I… here?’
Evelin furrowed her brow. Memories were sporadically fragmented. Meeting a completely white woman in the snowstorm, embracing her, those were the recollections that came to mind, but what happened afterward was not clear. At that moment, a familiar voice spoke right beside her.
“Are you awake?”
“….Senior Elizabeth?”
Evelin turned her head, her eyes widening. The girl clenched her fist, looking down at her.
The clear imprint of the wound she had received was visible in the middle of her pure white neck. Elizabeth spoke.
“Hmph, now you’re calling me Senior. You don’t even know what you’ve done, do you?”
“…What happened? Did I… make a mistake?”
“You did. A big one. First of all, thank this person. He is your benefactor.”
Elizabeth gestured, and behind her stood a young man. With both hands in his pockets, he stood tall, with striking features – tall stature, dark hair, and eyes that shimmered like crimson. Despite a fierce appearance, he was remarkably handsome. He spoke nonchalantly.
“Hey, you feeling any pain?”
“Yes? Uh, no.”
Evelin quickly nodded. That’s a relief. She then turned, belatedly remembering Elizabeth words, and muttered.
“Uh, um… thank you…!”
But the young man had already left the room. She couldn’t figure out what on earth was going on. However, it seemed clear that something big had happened. Elizabeth sighed lightly.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just the way he is.”
“Wh-what exactly happened…?”
“I came to explain that. Here, take this.”
Suddenly, she noticed the warmth spreading through her perennially cold hands and feet. The chill that had resided in the center of her heart was dissipating. Seated on a makeshift chair, Elizabeth extended a mug towards her.
“Y-You intend to tell me directly? No, there’s no need…”
“Stop being noisy. Since you need to rest for stability, just listen quietly. Won’t accept it?”
“Ah, I’ll, I’ll take it. Sorry…”
Evelin accepted the cup. Inside the mug, steam rose from the hot lemon tea.
“So, you’re the being known as the Winter Witch…”
After clearing her throat, Elizabeth began recounting the events of the past year. Watching from the doorway, Ronan spoke up.
“We might not be needed, right? If Senior goes in, I doubt she’ll be able to focus.”
“Yeah. Eli is truly kind.”
Adeshan nodded in agreement. Instead of a long, thick leather coat, she was wearing the uniform of the Martial Arts Department.
As soon as she heard that Evelin had woken up, she rushed over immediately without even combing her hair. Ronan bowed his head toward her.
“The funny part is how you seem eager to deny it. Just being straightforward would suffice.”
Whether it was helping Shullifen’s younger sister before or simply being inherently kind, he was naturally good-hearted. Why be embarrassed about that? Adeshan, glancing back at Ronan, flashed a smile.
“Yep. Just like someone I know.”
“Who?”
“There’s someone like that.”
Despite Ronan’s repeated inquiries, she didn’t reveal more. In any case, it was fortunate that Evelin had regained consciousness. The two relieved individuals moved away. Adeshan asked a question.
“So, what are you going to do today? It’s still morning.”
“For now… I want to rest a bit more. I’ve been through days and nights of torment, so I’m really tired.”
Ronan grimaced as if he were tired just hearing about it. For the past few days, he had been visiting various places and receiving praise. Despite the detailed testimony from Interrogator Karaka, it still took a long time for everything to be resolved.
After completing the pilgrimage and returning to Philleon, it didn’t end there. People from all walks of life came to express their gratitude, and they received an overwhelming number of gifts. The face of the merchants who had been babbling about erecting a statue of the hero who ended the endless winter stuck in his mind. Ronan said.
“At least it’s resolved. It’s a relief.”
“Yeah, truly.”
Evelin and Aselle were found not guilty. This was largely thanks to the defense provided by the Great Mage Lorehon.
Of course, he had a lot of responsibility, and it would be difficult if the talent he wanted to recruit as a disciple turned out to be a criminal. Given the magnitude of the crimes committed, he had expected the explanation to take much longer. However, it was a fortunate turn of events.
“That’s right. I heard you also received an invitation to the Imperial Palace. When are you planning to go?”
“Ah, they say any time is fine as long as I contact them three days in advance.”
“I see. Just let me know approximately when. I’ll adjust the time accordingly.”
“You’re adjusting the time?”
“Yeah. You can’t just go in your usual attire when you’re meeting His Majesty the Emperor.”
Adeshan offered to make a dress for the occasion. Even though Ronan insisted it wasn’t necessary, Adeshan remained firm in her stance.
As they exited the Gallerion Hall, a belated arrival of spring caught the attention of the duo. The air still carried a slight chill around them, with the faint chirping of birds echoing in the hazy light.
Fresh grass, newly bloomed leaves, and spring flowers exuded a refreshing scent all around. Ronan, yawning lazily, was about to head back to the dorms when Adeshan grabbed his sleeve, speaking up.
“Ronan, could you spare me a bit of your time?”
“Huh… hmm? What’s up?”
“I can’t explain it in detail… let’s go, I’ll tell you. It snowed yesterday.”
“Snow? Isn’t it already fully spring?”
“I thought so too, but it briefly snowed yesterday at dawn. We need to go before sunrise.”
Ronan, with a tired expression, followed her. Her firm grip on his sleeve indicated it was probably something quite important. What could it be this time?
Led by Adeshan, Ronan walked towards the west of the campus. It was early enough that there were hardly any students wandering about.
Well, this time of day might be suitable for hanging out with the student council president. Thinking various thoughts, they soon reached their destination. Ronan raised an eyebrow as he looked up the familiar hill.
“The Hill of Four Seasons?”
It was the hill he had climbed with Adeshan before entering the Mental World. Memories of them leaning against each other, watching the sunset for a long time, flashed back. Four trees were gathered in one spot.
“Looks like it did snow for real. Strange.”
“Yeah, let’s climb up.”
Adeshan’s words were true. Perhaps due to lax maintenance, the hill and its surroundings were completely covered in white snow.
Adeshan firmly grabbed Ronan’s hand, leading him up. As they neared the top, cherry blossoms in full bloom came into view. Come to think of it, she had said that at least one of the three blooms every season.
They soon reached the summit. As Ronan turned his head in the direction indicated by Adeshan’s finger, he froze in place.
In an instant, all the random thoughts in his head vanished. With a confident smile, Adeshan spoke.
“Remember what I said? About it being beautiful in winter?”
“Well, technically, it’s spring…”
“But it snowed. Today is still winter.”
Ronan slowly nodded. It suddenly struck him that they had promised to come up here together when winter arrived.
He couldn’t deny it. It was a beautiful sight.
The cherry trees, in full bloom belatedly, clustered on the east side of the campus. White snowflakes gently rested on the delicate pink petals. The pale sun slowly rose in the distance.
Whoosh…!
Suddenly, a spring breeze swept through the trees. Countless petals fluttered in the wind, dancing alongside the snow, soaring towards the two figures.
“Waaah…!”
It felt as if a million butterflies had taken flight simultaneously. When the wind changed direction toward the hill, the petals continued to soar towards them.
Ronan, mesmerized by the spectacle, heard Adeshan’s laughter beside him.
“Ahaha, Ronan, look at this.”
He turned to see her, balancing her chin to prevent the cherry blossom perched on her nose from falling.
A few petals had already stuck to her black hair like stars in the night sky. Looking at Adeshan, who gazed at him with a smile, Ronan remarked.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Hehe, right?”
It seemed like a day he would never forget. They descended from the hill only after the sun had completely risen. As they walked down the hill, Ronan spoke up.
“By the way, thank you for the Everlasting Snow Pearl. It was thanks to it that I managed to survive. Senior, you’re the hero who saved the world.”
“Hmm…? Hero?”
“Yes, if it weren’t for that, there might have been a war with the dragons.”
“I’m not quite sure what you mean… but anyway, I’m glad it helped.”
Adeshan chuckled. Their hands were still held together. There wasn’t any particular reason besides wanting it that way.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
The incident occurred the next afternoon. A shrill scream echoed through the corridors of Navardose Hall. Recognizing it as Aselle’s voice, Ronan rushed straight into his room.
“What the hell is going on?”
“R-Ronan…! What do I do? Am I turning into a monster?”
Aselle, in pajamas, stood in front of a full-length mirror, gasping for breath. He had his hands covering his forehead, seemingly trying to hide something. Ronan furrowed his brow.
“What nonsense is this all of a sudden?”
“L-look at this…!”
Aselle slowly moved his hands. Part of his forehead was dyed white, forming a bridge. It was so white that it perfectly matched the color of a witch’s hair. Ronan’s forehead creased deeply.
“What is this? It’s seriously creepy.”
“I-I don’t know. I woke up, and it was there.”
Aselle, with a tremor in his voice, explained that he usually looked at himself in the mirror after waking up and found this on his head. Ronan started inspecting his hair.
“Is this a side effect from being possessed by the witch? Let’s see…”
“Eeek!”
Ronan grabbed the hair Aselle was fiddling with and gave it a strong tug. Pop! The clump of white hair was pulled out. Aselle clutched the spot where the hair was pulled, wincing.
“Ow, that hurts…!”
“Look at this.”
The white hair quickly grew back into the empty spot. Pop! Pop! No matter how many times Ronan pulled, the result was the same. He chuckled dryly.
“This is ridiculous. I feel like it would fetch a good price. Shall we pull out enough to fill a pouch?”
“Nooo! Please don’t!”
Aselle waved his hands frantically, and at the same time, something cold and sharp grazed Ronan’s cheek. Thud! It sounded like a knife piercing wood. Ronan turned his head slowly.
“This is…”
His eyes widened. A sharp ice spike was embedded deep in the wood. Aselle rushed towards him, panting.
“Oh no! R-Ronan, are you okay?”
“You little…!”
Though a drop of blood trickled down from the spot where he was grazed, that wasn’t his concern at the moment. The ice emitted a cold white aura.
The stone wall was slowly transforming into ice. It resembled the ice manipulated by the Winter Witch. Ronan asked.
“Can you control ice now?”
“Th-That’s…”
“Speak up straight. This is a clear attempted murder. You don’t want to be ‘stripped and chased down the hallway’, do you?”
“Heeik! No, it’s not like that! Actually, it wasn’t long after I returned…”
Aselle hesitated as he continued to explain. He discovered his new power the morning after returning from Rodolran. Wondering if any power remained, he tried, and indeed, ice manifested.
“So, was it you who made it snow yesterday?”
“Y-Yeah… I was so scared… I couldn’t tell anyone about it.”
Aselle hesitated in his explanation. Sometimes, mages acquired new attributes later in life, but this felt different. It was more similar to Ronan, when he had absorbed the power from Vijra by chance, creating his own core.
Aside from that, yesterday’s appearance of that spectacle was all thanks to him. Ronan laughed and lightly flicked Aselle’s nose with his finger.
“Ouch!”
“Alright, I’ll forgive you.”
“Ugh… thank you… but why all of a sudden?”
“Thanks to you, something enjoyable happened.”
Ronan smiled. The attempted murder was just a joke, and he didn’t feel bad at all.
He was actually quite delighted, almost enough to throw a lavish party. Being a guy already dealing with magnetic powers, combining it with the Winter Witch’s abilities could be an incredibly powerful force.
-Knock, knock.
Suddenly, a knocking sound came from behind. Ronan turned his head. He wondered who on earth was knocking on the open door, but there stood a familiar face. Ronan met eyes with Shullifen, who spoke up.
“It’s quite noisy here. What’s going on?”
Seeing his serious expression, he must have been bothered by the sudden scream. Ronan gestured for him to take a look.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s something good. Go and finish what you were doing.”
This matter could be conveyed to the club when they gathered, and it wouldn’t be too late. Shullifen slowly nodded.
“I didn’t come because of the noise, Ronan. I happened to stop by while searching for you.”
“Huh?”
“I need you to come with me right away.”
His voice was solemn. He was always like that, but today felt different. It seemed a bit tense, to say the least. Ronan tilted his head curiously.
“What’s going on?”
“Instructor Navirose has summoned you. It’s about the Festival of Swords.”
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