< 121. Hill of the Four Seasons (2) >
#121
“Hill of the Four Seasons. “I have something to tell you.”
“Hill of the Four Seasons?”
“huh. “It’s on the premises so it won’t take that long.”
Ronan shrugged his eyebrows. It wasn’t a very unfamiliar name. Nabirose once mentioned it when the doppelganger incident occurred.
What kind of place did you say you were doing? When the answer was not received immediately, Adeshan asked in an anxious voice.
“Do you…don’t like it?”
“No, fine. “Are you going to go right now?”
“Oh, yes. wait for a sec···!”
Adeshan’s expression brightened. thud! Suddenly, she ran to her office and closed the door. It wasn’t until about three minutes later that Ade Shan came out again and let out an awkward laugh.
“sorry. I took a moment to wipe off some sweat. Shall we go?”
Ronan nodded. Nothing much had changed except that her hair was undone.
The two left the arena and headed to the west side of campus. Adeshan, who was walking side by side, pointed to Ronan’s waist and asked.
“Right, what about that dagger?”
“It was much better than I expected. What happened to your senior crossbow? “I saw it just exploded earlier.”
“Ah, when you inject magic power, the crossbow is automatically enchanted. “I don’t know how this is possible.”
Adeshan exclaimed in admiration. Like La Mancha and Ymir, Doron gave her crossbow the strange name Arjuna.
Arjuna’s abilities were simple yet powerful. Originally, she would have had to enchant each crossbow with her magic, but if Arjuna only infused her magic into the body of her crossbow, she could imprint the desired attribute, either fire or cold, into the arrowheads. Ronan thought of Doron’s excited face and laughed.
“He is a great inspiration.”
Before we knew it, it was already evening. The vermilion color seeping from the setting sun was coloring the western sky. The campus under the setting sun was burning.
“It’s quiet.”
“huh. “I like the usual lively atmosphere, but I think it has its own charm.”
Phileon was quiet during the vacation period. In the campus where students disappeared, the sounds of nature became louder. The waves of the lake lapping with the wind, the small night song of summer birds. Ronan, who was walking with his clasped hands behind his head, opened his mouth.
“Iknow, right.”
I really liked how quiet it was. Walking west, they soon reached a hill. The site was so large that it was a place Ronan had never been to before. Adeshan froze in place.
“arrived. “This is the hill of the four seasons.”
“It’s not as big of a deal as I thought.”
Ronan shrugged his eyebrows. Other than the fact that there were four trees standing at the top, there was nothing particularly special about it. Adeshan, smiling, walked ahead.
“Hehe, do you want to go up first?”
It was a strangely confident smile. Ronan, who had reached her summit, soon learned why. He looked up at the trees and raised his eyes.
“Yeonji(連理枝)?”
“that’s right. “Four trees tied together.”
There were four trees of different species and sizes lined up. Cherry trees, crape myrtle trees, maple trees and fir trees. The wide-growing crape myrtle tree was in full bloom with purple flowers.
Ronan noticed that they were trees representing each season. It seemed clear that some magical power was being applied.
“No matter what season you come, a tree is beautifully colored. That’s why it’s called the Hill of the Four Seasons.”
“···It’s fascinating.”
“And the scenery from here is also pretty. “I think I come here at least once a month.”
Adeshan pointed down the hill. Ronan followed her, turning his gaze to her and muttering. It was a sight she couldn’t help but agree with. The campus, combined with the fresh greenery of late summer, was as beautiful as a paradise that appears in a fairy tale.
Ssaaah – The cool wind blew back my bangs. Adeshan, who was quietly watching the sunset, opened his mouth.
“···I went to my hometown this time.”
“that’s right. “You said you were going to see your father, right?”
“huh. He gained some weight, but fortunately he was healthy. “We came together to see her mother and her brothers.”
The voice was calm. Ronan’s mouth twitched slightly. He knew what tragedy had happened to Adeshan’s family.
Soldiers who died due to the command’s misjudgment. Their names, who gave the young girl the dream of becoming a general, were engraved in a corner of the memorial stone commemorating the fallen.
“You know, I used to cry every time.”
“yes?”
“Well, in front of the cenotaph. When I saw the names of my mother and brothers, tears naturally came to my eyes. But this time, for the first time, I didn’t cry.”
Suddenly, Adeshan was rummaging through his pants pockets. In her free hand, she held a small wooden box. Ade Shan frowned and continued her sentence, leaving Ronan behind.
“I thought about why I did that, and I think it was because I had hope.”
“hope?”
“huh. The hope that I might really be able to become a general. “He kept repeating that he would do it all the time, and thought it would only remain as a vague dream… but now it seems like he might actually achieve it.”
Adeshan, who had been talking for a while, raised his hand. At that moment, large and small shadows flew up from everywhere the eyes could see. Sigh! The sound of flapping echoed loudly.
“If this is the ability you awakened…”
“her.”
The shadows flew towards the hill of the four seasons. There seemed to be hundreds of them. Ronan raised the corners of his mouth when he realized they were all birds.
‘It’s amazing.’
Black mana was blooming above Adeshan’s shoulders. The level of handling general mana had long ago been surpassed. The growth rate was unbelievable.
“…You worked hard.”
Instead of answering, Adeshan let out a low laugh. The birds flocked like fog and were rotating around the hill of the four seasons. The way they maintained a certain distance without colliding with each other was like a well-trained soldier.
widely! Adeshan snapped his fingers. Sigh! The birds that came to their senses scattered. She, who had collected the mana of her shadow, held out her box.
“Thank you for letting me dream.”
“This?”
“It’s my gift. “Open it.”
Ronan opened the box. A small white sphere lay on soft silk. An indescribably clear mana was hovering within it. Ronan’s eyes widened.
“Damn, is this really the pearl from the Everlasting Tale?”
“huh. “I recognize you.”
“How can it be that even royal families have a hard time finding it…?”
Permanent tale. It was a magical flower that was said to literally live for 10,000 years. Even in the north, it was a plant that was truly difficult to see because it only bloomed in polar regions where it snowed all year round.
Like the ice of the same name, this flower, which rarely wilts once it blooms, has the habit of storing all the energy it absorbs in its roots. The roots, which at first had a similar shape to other plants, gradually transform into beautiful spheres like pearls as they contain vitality.
Perpetual tale pearl refers to a root that has accumulated vital energy for at least a hundred years. Of course, it was worth the price. Adeshan smiled.
“I found it with the animals. “You can’t tell me how lucky I was that I was able to get one before I had to return to the islands.”
“Are you serious? “Do you know how much this will cost if you sell it on the market?”
“know. It is also much cheaper than the grace I received. So just… don’t say anything and just accept it.”
After saying that, Adeshan squeezed Ronan’s hand. She was certainly a treasure that one would not have even attempted to find if it were not for her manipulation of the mana of her shadow. Perhaps the reason I summoned you today was to hand you this.
His eyes were shining with determination, so it seemed like he wouldn’t listen no matter what I said. Ronan, who was silent, put the box into her pocket.
“thank you. “I will use it well.”
“Hehe, thank you for accepting me. Shall we sit down for a bit?”
Ronan nodded. The two sat side by side, leaning against a tree. Slowly, the song of the grass bugs was heard. Ronan, who was scanning the campus, whistled. Looking again, it was a beautiful scenery.
“It would be amazing here even in winter.”
“that’s right. Very pretty. Snow fell on the roof and on every leaf…”
“You don’t have to explain. “Let’s come back together then.”
“···huh. good.”
The conversation between the two stopped for a moment. A darker sunset enveloped Phileon. Adeshan was the first to break the silence.
“I think I know now what my mother said.”
“yes?”
“Because you liked sunsets. “It’s great to see them fighting to survive.”
It was an incomprehensible sound. The world, reddened by the setting sun, shimmered in her eyes. Ronan shrugged her shoulders.
“You’re fighting?”
“My mother, who was a soldier, told me that the sunset was the sun’s last battle. It takes place before the sun sets at the bottom of the mountain and our lives run out. After struggling like that, we are ultimately defeated and night comes.”
“… That sounds profound for my young daughter to understand.”
“huh. But now I understand. “The fact that we fought, not just won or lost, was a beautiful thing…”
Adeshan trailed off. Ronan suddenly felt her left shoulder becoming warm and turned his head towards her. Ade Shan’s little head was leaning against her.
“senior?”
“In order not to die, I am pulling in all the light in the world. “Like a dying fire reaching out for firewood…”
Adeshan muttered quietly. I couldn’t see her face because her long hair was blowing in the wind. Ronan, who was silent for a moment, gently stroked her head.
“It’s a fight… it definitely looks that way.”
Ronan’s gaze turned towards the sunset again. I didn’t understand it very well, but it seemed to make sense. The struggle for life is beautiful, no matter what form it takes.
After flinching for a moment, Adeshan leaned closer. The weight on my shoulders increased. It was transmitted through the area where the warmth and pulse touched.
“right.”
Adeshan nodded slightly. The two stayed in that position for a long time and came down from the hill only after the sun had completely set.
****
There was about a month left of vacation. After returning to the system, Ronan focused on the work he could not normally do due to his academic schedule.
Whether it was going to a distant mountain to dig up herbs to eat with the Perennial Alabaster Pearl… or visiting the Archipelago Police Department to collect information on Nebula Clage… Of course, I didn’t forget to take some time off from time to time.
“It’s not a joke, this bastard did the whole desert trip last time. “If I hadn’t taken him, I would have been in big trouble.”
“really? “What happened?”
“We killed the bad guy who tried to steal our stuff with a single blow. “The one who was about fifty meters away.”
“Wow, you were that far away? how?”
Iril asked with sparkling eyes. Ronan invited Schlieffen to dinner with her sister. It was a kind of repayment to her for using her strength. Ronan was talking about what happened in Dainhar in a somewhat simplistic manner.
“That’s it. therefore.”
Schlieffen was repeatedly cutting the steak and putting it in his mouth in a consistent motion. His movements without any errors made him look like a well-made doll. Schlieffen, who was staring at Iril as if fascinated, barely opened his mouth.
“···It wasn’t a big deal. “I just came to a miserable realization.”
“Hey, don’t be expensive, just show me once.”
Ronan stabbed Schlieffen in the side and pointed to the watermelon lying on the table in the distance. Normally, I would have yelled at him and asked if he was treating me like a clown, but today was different. Ronan whispered to Schlieffen.
“I think my sister really wants to see me.”
Schlieffen pulled the hilt of the sword without hesitation. Suddenly! As if a gust of wind blew, the watermelon split into eight pieces.
The sword spirit that had disappeared reappeared. Clap clap clap! Iril, with his eyes wide open, cheered.
“Wow! “It’s amazing!”
“Anytime you want. “I can show you.”
Schlieffen said and started cutting the steak again. Then a drop of sauce splashed onto his cheek. Iril suddenly took out a handkerchief and leaned over.
“Oh, I buried it here!”
“······!”
“Ehehe, you seem to have a surprisingly clumsy side, Duke Little.”
Iril gently wiped the sauce from the corner of his mouth. Schlieffen’s time stood still. His complete stiffness lasted for almost ten minutes, to the point where it was suspected that he might be dead. Ronan, who had put five layers of his meat in his mouth, shook his head.
“Do the damn thing. “f*ck you.”
Anyway, time passed. When Secrit returned, it was right before his first day of school.
As soon as Ronan heard the news, he rushed to his office, Sephardio. Ronan’s eyes widened at the sight of the girl sitting in the middle of the study reading a book.
“Secret…?”
“Oh, Ronan. “It’s been a while.”
“…How did it end up like that?”
Ronan’s face distorted. To her surprise, Sekrit, whom she saw for the first time in two months, had become a woman. Fortunately, only her hair had grown a little longer so that I could recognize it from the boy’s Secrit.
“Ahaha, this is what happened when I put the curse I found in the north into my body. “I never would have thought it was a curse that reversed genders.”
“Damn it, can it go back to normal?”
“You will find out through further research. “Don’t worry too much.”
Secret waved his hand as if to say not to worry. I couldn’t get used to the bright voice.
Actually, when I thought about it, I thought it was pointless to worry about the fact that he turns into an old man with wrinkles at night. Ronan sighed and opened her mouth.
“You can still use magic in that state, right?”
“Hmm? Isn’t it natural? “There is no problem, just the gender has changed.”
“Then I’m glad. “I brought it.”
“You brought it. what···”
Ronan took out a black crystal from his inner pocket. Secret’s eyes widened.
The moment he saw the magic stone he brought, he realized that the Dainhar magic stones he had seen so far were nothing more than crumbs. Inside the forearm-sized crystal, a profound magical power that could only be found in the desert magic world was pulsating.
“Do it. “Is it possible right now?”
Ronan said. Dozens of questions immediately arose in Secret’s mind. widely! He took a deep breath to calm his mind and closed the book he was reading.
“of course. “Come closer.”
