Chapter 83
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Epilogue - Luca (1)
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Crunch!
"Huh."
Every time I swung the axe, the tree spat out rough bark, but in the end, it seemed to get annoyed and swallowed the blade whole, refusing to let go. It wasn't my first time dealing with this, so I didn't panic, but I have to admit, these situations were starting to wear on me a bit. After a moment's thought, I finally grabbed the stump.
"Hup..."
Riiip.
Twisting the stump around the cut surface, the tree snapped off easily, sending a cascade of snow tumbling down from the branches above. Coughing as the snow piled up to my mouth, I lowered the chopped log to the ground. I'd been as careful as I could, but when it hit, the snow on the ground puffed up in a white mist, scattering everywhere.
Thud...
"Hoo..."
I brushed the snow off my hands and let out a light sigh. Using an axe as a tool instead of a weapon still felt so awkward. At first, I couldn't get the hang of it and ended up smashing several trees to splinters.
What excuse did I give Eli back then? Something about a crazy bear doing it. She didn't seem to buy it, but thankfully, she let it slide.
I wasn't sure how long I could keep getting away with excuses like that.
I slowly raised my head. The world was blanketed in white from the snow that had fallen all night. The sky, the trees, even my hair was buried in pure white powder, slowly melting away.
The past few months hadn't given me time to just sit and admire the scenery like this. Marriage, moving, surviving winter—countless problems had come crashing down like the snow, and navigating them had taken quite a while. But once I'd pushed through it all and lifted my head, a changed world greeted me. A peaceful kingdom of white. Being in it made all of reality's troubles feel like they scattered away with the wind.
With some leisure in life and more time standing still, inevitably, the worries I'd been putting off came creeping in. Things I knew I'd have to face someday, but wanted to delay as long as possible. These days, my routine was stopping still, embracing those thoughts, then letting them go again.
But the conclusion was always the same. No need to worry about it right now. Yeah. That's definitely it.
Because just savoring the happiness of the moment was overwhelming enough.
Rustle. Rustle.
"Haa... Hoo..."
The sound of crunching snow came with someone's weary sigh. I knew exactly who it was, so I deliberately didn't turn my head.
Instead, I smiled, imagining the scene I'd see in a moment. Her cheeks would be bright red from the cold, for starters. Probably snow piled up in her hair. And maybe, since I'd taken the only pair of snowshoes, she was knee-deep in the snow.
"Lucaaa...!"
Soon, a panting voice came with labored breaths. I casually turned my head and burst out laughing at the sight of Eli, exactly as I'd pictured.
"Ahahaha... Hey, Eli."
"Haa... Ha... Why'd you come all the way out here...!"
Eli was too exhausted for jokes; she stopped the moment she saw me and caught her breath. She'd probably been dragging her feet the whole way. I shook my head and walked toward her.
"Did you walk all the way here like that?"
"Haa... Haa... See? I told you to buy another pair. Why do you have to be so stubborn."
"I can just make more. No point wasting money."
"We have plenty of money, so why? And if you're gonna say that, hurry up and make them, you idiot...!"
Eli pouted, rubbing her flushed cheeks with her hands. Buried between her new fur coat and the snow, she looked even smaller than usual. Her petulant complaints were so cute that I couldn't stop laughing.
"I was gonna head back soon. You should've stayed home. Unless... you missed me?"
"Of course. I was curious what nonsense you'd be up to with the trees this time."
"Jealous?"
"Yeah. Worried you'd do something weird with a tree and freeze your junk off... Achoo!"
Mid-sentence, Eli sneezed and rubbed her nose furiously with her arm. Her nose turned bright red, and something dirty smeared all over her cheeks.
So that's how she always ends up covered in dirt. Witnessing Eli's filthy face in real time, I shook my head and extended my hand.
"Sigh. Come here."
"Ack, that's cold."
My hands were chilled from the winter wind, but her soft, warm cheek filled my palm. It might hurt her to be touched, but I couldn't resist the hot sensation flowing along her skin, so I kneaded it roughly for a good while.
"Ow... Yaa...!"
"What, too cold?"
"Nooo... It stings."
Finally, Eli grabbed my hand and pulled it away. Then she massaged my slightly warmed hand and said,
"Look how rough your hands are. You have gloves—why don't you wear them?"
"Didn't feel that cold. And they get in the way when I'm working."
"What if you get a splinter?"
"It's fine. Won't happen."
"No one's immune to that, Luca."
Her voice grew a bit heavier, carrying more than just worry. But I brushed it off with a smile and nodded.
"Got it. I'll be careful."
"Want mine?"
"No, you wear them. I'm good."
"How about we share?"
"I'm fine, Eli."
"Sigh. Okay."
A slightly bitter response slipped out. Eli rolled her eyes, pondering something I couldn't guess, then suddenly stretched both arms wide. She stared at me silently. It took me a while to get it, and I opened my mouth.
"Want a hug?"
"What else would it be?"
"Got it."
I laughed and hugged her tight. Eli grinned broadly and rested her head on my shoulder, whispering softly,
"You worked hard today, Luca."
"Touching. I wondered when you'd say it."
"Thanks for coming out in the cold. Next time, let's come together."
"No need. It's not like I'm the only one suffering."
"But if I don't come..."
Eli slowly pulled away from my embrace and looked at the fallen tree. She lightly brushed its rough surface and chuckled.
"You'll just brute-force it like this again."
"Not taking it all, so don't worry. Just chopping a bit."
"We already have more firewood than we need for winter."
"Can't have too much."
"True, as long as it doesn't mean you're suffering."
Eli winked and lightly brushed my cheek. I couldn't feel her hand through the glove, but her body heat came through clearly.
"Alright, let's hurry and finish. You must be tired, right?"
"Yeah... I guess."
"Good. You chop, I'll load the cart."
"Wow... You don't have to."
How small do I need to chop them? Looking at her slender arms, I let out a hearty laugh. Eli, oblivious or not, stretched vigorously and stood straight by the cart. With snow piled on her head, gazing at me, she looked too small and delicate to inspire much confidence.
"No way. It was too boring alone at home. Helping will make it faster, right?"
"I work better alone."
"Then you shouldn't have left me by myself. Think of it as punishment. Boring stories, complaining about life..."
...
...even curses, all prepared. So take it sweetly.
"Uh..."
A sudden unpleasant sense of déjà vu shot through my body. Cold. Snowy field. Eli. The three elements mixed inexplicably, making my heart race. Seizing the chance, memories only I knew surged from my dormant consciousness into my mind.
Handsome big bro. What're you doing out here alone?
Luca. You listening?
...Feels like there's a hole in my chest.
...
Painful past memories kept flooding in. I knew it wasn't real, but my mind rewound time on its own, trying to relive that feeling.
No. Stop. This won't do any good. I scolded myself, struggling to calm my growing anxiety. Calm down. Calm down. Forget it all. Now this is just...
Just a nightmare.
Thinking that, I planted my feet back in reality. Shaking off the faintly resurfaced memories, I refocused on the current Eli. Unlike then, she smiled vibrantly and pointed somewhere.
"Luca. Look. There's a rabbit over there..."
Rustle.
"...!!!"
In that instant, my body moved before my mind. I kicked off the snow and dashed, pulling Eli into my arms, then tore off a chunk of tough bark and hurled it with all my might toward the sound. It flew more like a shot than thrown—so fast the bark shattered in midair, scattering snow and blood. Before that dispersed from my view, I yanked the axe from the tree trunk like ripping it out. With a crack, the tree split in two, and the axe soared high.
"Ngh...!"
"Stay still, Eli!"
I clutched Eli, who felt like she might shatter any moment, and checked her over repeatedly. Any injuries? Stab wounds? Magic traces? Every nerve on edge, I could hear her breaths, heartbeat, even our skin brushing. With my mind full of her condition, I scanned the surroundings warily.
"Haa... Haa...!"
"Ngh... Uh..."
Short of breath, Eli squirmed in my arms. But I only held tighter. A flash burst before my eyes, weapon clashes echoing around. The metallic tang, blood scent, familiar heat, and nightmarish tremors hit with chills.
Damn. Would've been better with a sword than an axe. Bad situation. Surrounded by trees, poor visibility, and night falling. Should I get out of the forest to a nearby village? Even if guards aren't combat help, tactically smart. At least I could get a proper weapon. If no time...!
"Luca."
"Haa... Haa..."
"Luca. Calm down."
"Haa..."
"Calm down and look at me, Luca."
"Ha..."
"Look at me. Okay?"
A glove came off with a pop, and her warm hand climbed my neck. Only then did I lower my gaze to meet Eli's eyes. Astonishingly calm, she stroked my cheek and stared straight into me.
"That's it. Good. Now breathe. Got it? One. Two. One. Two."
One... Two... One... Two...
My chest rose and fell to her rhythm. As my breathing slowly steadied, she gripped my chin, turning my face forward.
Only then did I see the rabbit corpse shredded by wood shards.
It was just a rabbit. One that had come out of its burrow in winter for air. Torn apart by overwhelming force and killed—it was utterly ordinary.
Facing reality, the flashing lights and heat in my head vanished without a trace. My legs gave out, and I collapsed right there.
"Ugh..."
"Luca."
"Ah... Haa... Ah..."
With tension gone, emptiness and self-loathing flooded in. What the hell am I doing? And what excuse now?
"My god, Luca."
"I'm fine, Eli. I'm fine."
To her shocked voice, I repeated "I'm fine" like a parrot. But Eli shook her head and crouched beside me.
"You know you're sweating buckets, right?"
"Me...?"
Realizing it, I felt thick sweat drops trickling through my hair. Head bowed, I let them drip from my chin. Eli's finger gently wiped them away.
"Out in this cold, and you didn't notice the cold sweat?"
"..."
"Luca."
"..."
"Luca. Look at me."
A gentle but firm hand lifted my chin. Her chocolate-brown eyes bored straight into mine.
"You really calm now?"
"...Yeah."
"For real?"
"Yeah. I'm really fine now, Eli."
I took her hand and slowly pulled it down. Unconsciously averting my eyes, I spoke.
"Just... the rabbit startled me out of nowhere."
"..."
Eli clamped her mouth shut and lowered her hand. But her gaze stayed on me. After staring long, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke seriously.
"Really? Just scared of a rabbit, Luca?"
"Yeah. Didn't expect it myself. Maybe I'm tired lately—jumpy over little things."
"Is that so?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Then came a strange question.
"Want me to show you something really surprising?"
"Huh?"
As I blankly echoed her, Eli removed her glove and raised her hand. Her pale palm briefly glowed white, faintly shimmering. For a moment, the space around seemed to warp—or was it my imagination?
The next instant, as she clenched her fist powerfully, a massive force wave began crumpling space.
"...!!!"
I looked up in shock as a roar echoed, and towering trees bent toward one spot, sucked in. Like a giant hand grabbing the upper space and crushing it brutally.
But no debris fell on us. Of course not. It wasn't just pulling trees—the entire space converged to one point. Before this godlike absolute power, the trees offered no resistance, ripping free effortlessly.
"Hnnngh..."
"Eli..."
When the captured space shrank to a dot, I cautiously spoke. But Eli ignored me, gritted her teeth, and clenched her open hand tighter. Then, an impossible sound tore from the space, shattering everything above in an instant.
Shatter!
"Eli!"
Tree fragments, piled snow, and spatial debris poured down. Horrified, I lunged to shield her, but she shoved me away and sprang up, grabbing the sky with all her might and ripping it apart.
"Hnnnngh...!"
"Eli...!"
I tried rushing again but crumpled to my knees, overwhelmed by the torn rift overhead. The debris got sucked back in rapidly. Eli watched, teeth clenched, then pulled the tear together, sealing it. Her ragged breath billowed blue smoke as the hole in the sky vanished in a flash.
...
"Haa... Hnnngh..."
"Ah..."
The forest fell utterly silent, as if the chaos never happened. With trees gone, only Eli's heavy breathing hung in the air. Watching blue smoke rise from her, I asked worriedly,
"Eli. You okay?"
"Haa... Hoo..."
Exhaling blue breaths, Eli staggered and collapsed. Looking at me with weary eyes, she spoke with startling clarity.
"You don't seem surprised."
"..."
"You went to the academy, so you know what that means. But no shock at all. You were trembling over one rabbit, though."
"..."
"...Luca."
Her cold tone softened suddenly, warm touch on my cheek. Now close, she held my face, eyes locked on mine.
"I love you so much. And I know you love me a lot. But we can't live like this. We're together for life now—we can't hide things from each other. Right?"
"Yeah."
"So I showed you. My secret I've hidden my whole life. As friends, I thought no need to reveal it. But now, you need to know."
"...Yeah."
"So tell me, Luca. I get it—it's a hard secret to share. Seeing you suffer to keep it hidden, I know it's not easy. But now I have to hear it."
Her deep brown eyes, near chocolate, pierced between mine. My hands trembled faintly. Eli watched, enunciating each word deliberately.
"What the hell happened to you, Luca?"