< 131. Unseasonable Winter (1) >
#131
“······It’s been a really long time. Ronan.”
“Secret?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Hers was the voice of a child whose gender was difficult to discern. Has she been freed from the curse of turning into a woman? Ronan immediately looked around her, but there was no sign of her Secrit.
“What, where are you?”
“I’m sorry. I have some work to do. “Would you like to look on my desk?”
“table?”
With all the lights turned off, Sepparachio was immersed in darkness. Only the fragment of the crystal that Ronan broke was emitting a bluish light. Ronan carefully placed her hand on the crystal and tilted her head.
‘What is this really?’
The unidentified crystal was very hard yet light. It looked like it was at least 20cm thick and couldn’t be broken by any significant impact. The question was why this substance was covering him.
‘Something happened while I was gone.’
Fortunately, the sword and other belongings remained intact. Ronan picked up a reasonably sized fragment and walked away.
I couldn’t get used to the raised standard at all. Before long, he arrived at his desk and caught a strange object in his field of vision.
“This···.”
“I see you found it. Yes, we are communicating through that familiar.”
Inside the hemispherical glass tube, an eyeball was floating. The blue pupils followed Ronan whenever he moved. Secret’s voice was coming from the hole behind the eyeball.
“Because I ended up being away longer than expected. We’ve taken steps to detect movement and notify you if you wake up. Hehe, your voice has become more adult.”
“What on earth happened?”
“There isn’t enough time to tell everything. “The familiar will soon disappear after it has served its purpose, so let’s come out and talk.”
As if to disprove his words, the body of the familiar was gradually expanding. The veins sticking out seemed like they were going to explode at any moment. Ronan, who brought his mouth close to his, nodded his head.
“great. “Let’s do that.”
“I will tell you the order to go out from there, so write it down somewhere. Delphirim, Lunajie, Kashipa. “You just have to point to the bookshelf where the ten books are missing and memorize it.”
“Ten volumes. all right.”
“okay. “I’ll come find you as soon as I finish work.”
It was simple, no need to write it down. Suddenly, Ronan, who was looking at the desk, raised his eyebrows. There was a thick layer of pale dust.
‘How long have you been neglecting it?’
It seemed like frost had fallen all night long. Secret’s favorite feather pen was covered in thin spider webs, so it seemed like he hadn’t been away for a day or two. At that time, Secret’s voice began to break up.
“Anyway, I’m really glad you came back… yes… you’re tall…”
“Secret?”
“I’ll see you outside.” Ronan…letter….”
No voices were heard anymore. Communication was cut off with a sound similar to steel scrubbing pads being rubbed. pop! The eyeball, which was gradually expanding, exploded. The inside of the glass tube was covered with green bodily fluid.
“eww.”
Ronan bit his tongue in disgust. When I looked closely, I saw that dust was covering not only the desk but the entire study.
‘It’s not unusual.’
He was just driving around looking for a bookshelf. A chest I had never seen before caught my eye.
It was something I had never seen before. The chest with its lid not closed and its mouth half open was lying right next to where Ronan was lying.
“This···.”
Ronan approached with a slant and opened the chest. Papers that were pressed down came pouring out. Most of them were well-sealed envelopes.
Ronan randomly picked up an envelope he could find. Ronan’s eyes widened when he saw the writing on the cover. It was definitely Adeshan’s handwriting that was fluid and flowing.
– To Ronan. Adeshan. / 9th day of Red Wild Bird Month, 1051 Imperial Calendar.
“what is this.”
Ronan began hastily examining the envelopes. There were a lot of letters from not only Adeshan but also other people.
– Wishing you luck. Marja Karabel.
– Read Ronan. Butterfly rose.
– To my beloved brother. This is it.
Ronan twisted his lips after seeing the letter his sister wrote. There was an It seemed like he had recently learned how to write from someone.
“Hey, it’s useless.”
The tip of my nose suddenly became sore. I wanted to take it apart one by one, but unfortunately I didn’t have time right now. A single line written in Adeshan’s letter pierced my cornea like an awl.
[Imperial calendar year 1051. 9th day of Red Wild Bird Month.]
“f*ck.”
Ronan’s face hardened. It was the fall of 1050 when he entered Haeju.
The fact that a letter written last year was buried so deep in this chain meant that at least a year had passed. Ronan hurriedly gathered up the letters and placed the chest next to her. I was able to quickly find the bookshelf with the ten books missing.
“Delphirim, Lunajie, Kashipa.”
He leaned on the bookshelf and chanted a spell. Kugoogung…! The bookshelves were pushed back and a long hallway appeared. He stepped into the darkness without hesitation.
Somehow, the more I walked, the more the air around me seemed to get colder. Every time I took a breath, pure white breath came out.
For a moment, I thought my vision was going dark, but then my vision cleared up. Whoa! The cold wind blowing from the front flipped Ronan’s bangs. Foreign matter blown by the wind penetrated between my eyelashes.
“Damn, what?”
I don’t know what it was, but it was extremely cold. The foreign substance melted and disappeared as soon as it touched the skin. Ronan, looking at her pure white sleeves, tilted his head.
“···eye?”
The identity of the foreign object was a snowflake the size of a fingernail. Whoa! The cold wind blew again and hit Ronan’s face. When she raised her head, a world completely dyed white came into her eyes.
It was difficult to open my eyes because of the thick snow. Ronan soon realized that this was Phileon’s plaza.
‘Is it winter? Still, this is a bit harsh.’
Heavy snow, the kind you would only see in the north, was falling on the campus. Students wrapped in thick coats were walking around the square. Wearing a fur hat made of leather, it really reminded me of the northern residents.
‘sister.’
Suddenly, Iril’s smiling face flashed through my mind. There were many questions, but the most urgent thing was to check on my sister’s safety. She had to quickly check to see if anything special had happened to her over the past year.
Ronan walked toward the front door. At that time, a sharp scream rang out from not far away.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Oh, it came out today too!”
Ronan turned his head. Students were running away, throwing away the luggage they were carrying. In the middle of the blizzard, something was stirring.
“hmm···?”
Ronan narrowed his eyes. The cold was all mixed up in one place. Snow and ice gathered on top of it, forming a skeleton and flesh. There were many different types, including giant bears, deer, and flying fish.
Pot! Soon, blue light emanated from the eye sockets of the fully formed ice creatures. The bear made of ice let out a harsh roar.
“Kwoaaaaaak!”
“What the f*ck is that again?”
The students’ screams grew louder. Judging by the reaction, it didn’t seem like it was a field training. Ronan frowned at her, suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu.
‘This situation. It feels somehow familiar…’
Perhaps because I had just woken up, my mind was confused. I’ve definitely seen snowfalls that were strangely strong, and beasts made of ice jumping out of the snowstorm, I’ve definitely seen them somewhere before.
It seemed like something would come to mind if I thought about it a little, but I didn’t have time to do so. The attitude of the fielders did not seem very favorable. The ice bear was looking around and started running towards the nearest student.
It’s a monster in the middle of Phileon, it’s a sight. Ronan muttered and put down the chest. When the hilt of the sword was pulled, a black and white blade appeared.
‘Let’s relax somewhere.’
It was a feeling I felt for the first time in a while. I could clearly feel the curve of the handle. Blame it! Ronan immediately kicked the ground and ran out, making her eyes widen.
“uh?”
My body felt light. It wasn’t an illusion due to the longer stride. It felt like I was flying in the sky, mixed with a half lie.
“···what?”
“Kruk?
Ronan reached the front of the ice bear in an instant. The bear, embarrassed by the sudden appearance, hesitated. Ronan, who had taken the same stance, made a large rotation and swung his sword.
Suddenly! A wide slash cut across the transparent body. As soon as a pure white line was drawn, the glow in the bear’s eyes faded. Ronan laughed.
“her.”
It wasn’t just my body that became lighter. It was an unbelievably fast and precise slash that did not cost mana. Paang! A belated sound was heard.
‘What happened to my body?’
The bear’s torso, cut in half, fell to the ground. Cheer up! The body made of ice shattered. The attention of the beasts around him was focused on Ronan.
“Kihaaaaaak!”
“Kuh?!”
In the meantime, Ronan stood dumbfounded. I couldn’t really adjust to the changes in my body.
But that only lasted a moment, and then my heart started beating faster. Even if you just swing it with force, it’s this much, but I was curious what the results would be if you used mana.
“This is fun.”
Ronan grabbed the hilt of La Mancha’s sword. The black sword body turned red. It was completely different from before, a rich, blood-red color running down the back of the sword.
“right?”
“K, krrrr…!”
The corners of Ronan’s mouth rose. The beasts, sensing something ominous, took a step back. He was just about to fire his sword energy. A woman’s voice rang out from beyond the snowstorm.
“Stay back!”
“uh?”
It was a familiar voice. A sound reminiscent of a whistle rang out from somewhere. bang! Suddenly, the ice reindeer’s head exploded. A thin crossbow was stuck in the head of the reindeer as it fell down, creating smoke.
“Is that…?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. The whistle sounded again. The crossbow that flew through her blizzard struck the heads of other beasts. pop! pop! Big and small explosions occurred one after another.
‘It’s amazing.’
He was an amazing marksman. His crossbow hit only the beasts’ heads as if they were being sucked in. He seemed to keep changing the direction he was coming from, so he was circling around and shooting.
Cheer up! The sound of ice breaking filled the campus. In an instant, more than ten beasts were all annihilated. The crossbow no longer flew. At that time, a loud scream rang out from beyond the blizzard.
“Aaaah! “Go away!”
“Holy shit.”
Ronan frowned. She was too distracted by his shooting skills to pay attention. The fact that the beast may have appeared elsewhere as well.
Ronan immediately ran towards the direction of the sound. Before long, the sight he had expected unfolded before his eyes.
Boys and girls who had not yet lost their breast fat were hugging each other. They looked like freshmen who had just entered Phileon. Five ugly ugly ice wolves were creeping towards them.
“Krrrrrrr…”
“Oh, don’t come… please…”
The wolves crouched as if they were about to leap. Ronan was just about to fire out his sword energy. fault! A woman who appeared from the snowstorm blocked the students’ path.
“f*ck, what?”
Ronan hurriedly withdrew his sword. The woman in her long coat was taller than most men. Her fiercely narrowed eyes were as sharp as her cut.
A pitch-black crossbow was held in her left hand. Ronan recognized the woman and laughed.
“under.”
“Kaaaaak!”
At that time, the wolf approaching from the front opened its mouth and leaped. It was a huge creature, possibly 4 meters long. The woman slowly raised her arm and chanted lowly.
“stop.”
At that moment, the wolves stopped. It seemed as if something without moving an inch had turned into a real ice sculpture. The wolf, which stopped in the air, fell straight onto the floor from its back. Kwachang! Large pieces of debris slid across the ground.
“Grrr.”
“Okay.”
Despite the death of their comrade, the remaining wolves could not move. Only painful moans were coming out between the transparent fangs.
The wolves’ blue eyes had changed to a dull gray color. The woman wordlessly took out the staff from her belt.
She took long strides and waved her cane. A staff stretched like a snake swept past the wolves.
“Aaaah!”
The startled students screamed. Kwajangchang! Four heads shattered as if exploding. The woman let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the wolf was no longer moving.
“···after.”
Sigh! The staff shortened and returned to its original form. She said, turning to her students.
“It’s okay now.”
“Thank you!”
“You’re a freshman, right? “I should have come sooner, I’m sorry.”
The sharp eyes had softened as if they had never been like that. She soothed her new students with a friendly smile that even Ronan was familiar with.
Eventually, the students who repeatedly bowed their heads in gratitude left. Ronan, who was just brushing her bangs for no reason, opened her mouth.
“senior.”
“···uh?”
Adeshan turned his head. The long coat that went up to the neck looked quite good.
Even though she made eye contact with Ronan, she just kept blinking. Her black hair, which had grown to her waist, was fluttering like a flag. Finally her lips parted.
“Ronan.”
“long time no see. “My skills have improved a lot.”
Adeshan’s face, which I saw for the first time in a while, had noticeably matured. The youthful look has almost disappeared and the appearance of a young lady has appeared. Pure white snowflakes were falling on my darkened eyelashes.
Adeshan did not answer. She was frozen in place as if she had been rooted. The sound of his breathing gradually becoming heavier could be heard even from here. Ronan, feeling somewhat embarrassed, continued her words.
“how have you been doing?”
Only then did Adeshan slowly move forward. She came right in front of Ronan and stopped again.
Now their eye level was almost the same. Adeshan slowly raised his hand and began to caress Ronan’s cheek.
“senior?”
It seemed like he was trying to confirm that Ronan really existed. Before long, a single tear rolled down her pale cheek. She said in a trembling voice, removing her hand from Ronan’s face.
“···It’s been two years.”
