Wrapping Things Up (2)
······Softly, softly.
The snow settles.
Pristine white flakes drift and pile upon the earth.
One by one, crystals that will soon vanish gather in multitudes, forming thick layers.
They blanket the ground.
They dye it white.
······Softly, softly.
The falling snow does not cease, the snow upon the ground does not melt, winter is eternal—yet still, it waits.
No, it doubts.
Will this cold ever thaw in the distant future?
If it waits and waits, endures and endures.
Will the snow become water, the water soak the earth, and someday sprout new life?
······For me, too.
Will spring come?
Julie's life began in death.
She gained her life at the cost of her mother's.
It was the original sin she committed upon being born into this world.
─Waaah······.
The Phairden estate was always locked in winter snowfall. The tiny child stared blankly at the knights' sword dance in the pristine white training yard.
Countless knights swung their blades, sweat pouring—but among them, her father and brother were the most splendid. She was proud. They were beautiful.
From afar, it looked like a play; up close, like a dance.
─······.
Then, her brother, having finished sparring, turned to look at her. The beads of sweat rolling from him had already frozen into jewels.
─Ah, um······ th-that is······.
Julie averted her gaze.
Zeit had never spoken to Julie first. No one in the family did. They insisted she had done nothing wrong, yet always drew an invisible line.
─Julie.
But that day was an exception. For some reason, Zeit looked at her with a wry smile.
The young Julie met his eyes, wide as saucers.
─Y-yes, yes, y-yes, yes, brother!
─Would you like to try holding a sword, too?
─······P-pardon?
From that moment, the dream of becoming a knight took shape in Julie's heart.
A knight serves their lord. They become a single blade to cut down enemies, upholding their beliefs while protecting the people and the nation.
There is no room for the "self" in that.
For her—the child who should never have been born, who stole her mother from family and house—it was the one dream she alone could claim.
A slightly distant, long-ago dream.
“······.”
Julie opened her eyes. The predawn sky was dark, and a throbbing pain pulsed in her heart.
Knock knock—
The maid knocked on the door. Julie rose from bed. Stiff aches spread through her body, but they would fade if she endured a little.
“Warm water has been prepared.”
“······Very well.”
Entering the bathroom, Julie stared blankly at the mirror. Seeing herself reflected there, she recalled his promise.
─If you do not become a guardian knight within a year, you may have to marry by force. So do not linger in one place. Do not stay like a fool. My heart may change, and I may not let you go.
Now, time was running short.
* * *
Side Quest: Demon Purification Support
Meanwhile, in the Drpalem Forest near Hadekan in the empire's western reaches.
Lately, demonic energy concentrations have thickened, gargoyles and other demon-related beasts have appeared—I'm here in this area that needs purification.
A purification quest requested by the church and accepted by the tower.
“······Hm.”
At first, I smashed through beasts without issue, advancing smoothly—but at some point.
I spotted an area riddled with death variables.
The entire zone was marked with death variables, a clearer crimson than anything I'd seen before.
“······.”
My instincts screamed: enter there, and you die for sure. Not just ordinarily dangerous.
Villain's Fate operates based on my capabilities.
For example, a trap set by mere goblins wouldn't even ping on the trait's radar.
But this forest is different.
Something I cannot overcome lurks beyond.
“Hmmm······.”
Of course, if the foe is a demon, I grow stronger.
But with such thin demonic energy density, there are limits. This forest lacks the thick demonic saturation of Crevasse Gorge or demon barriers.
“What is the matter, Professor?”
Terpe, the blond priest following me, asked. I stood still, searching for a suitable excuse.
A way to retreat without seeming scared······.
“We turn back.”
I reversed course without another word. Terpe seemed flustered.
“We haven't even reached the source yet.”
“Exploration and analysis are sufficient for now. The rest comes later. Thorough preparation prevents harm in all things.”
I spoke calmly as I walked.
“I could end it swiftly if I wished, but this is to teach you all a prudent method for exorcising demons.”
Terpe nodded for now, and after about thirty minutes, we exited the forest.
At the entrance, Yeriel and the retainers waited. Yeriel's plump cheeks were puffed in a pout.
“Is it done?”
Yeriel asked. Terpe shook his head.
“Today was reconnaissance. We'll plan for later.”
At that, Yeriel whipped her head to glare at me. I ignored her and boarded the carriage.
Terpe bowed.
“You've worked hard, Lady Yeriel.”
“Yes. You too, Priest.”
Yeriel gave a perfunctory reply and hurried in. The moment she sat, she wailed.
“Why! Why can't I go?!”
“Quiet.”
“You didn't even go all the way! It wasn't dangerous anyway!”
Yeriel, as Yukline's eldest daughter and Hadekan's proxy lord, had wanted to join today's "purification operation."
But I had no intention of letting her near a battlefield.
“You're a hindrance.”
“I'm Yukline too? Demons are the enemy—I could contribute plenty!”
······No.
Yeriel, you are not Yukline.
“Don't act foolish. Leaders do not lead from the front. And in future, should you ever join a battlefield, consider our agreement void. Know that.”
“······.”
Yeriel's face hardened.
“······How much of that is real?”
She ground her teeth, glaring.
“You've played the doting brother well until now, but humiliating me in front of the retainers? How am I supposed to face them?”
Today, even I could see Yeriel's eager anticipation. To assert her legitimacy to the retainers, she'd come laden with gear.
It was an incident near Yukline lands, so she felt responsible too.
I ignored that Yeriel. Rejected her insistence on coming, and in vulgar terms, slapped her down before the retainers.
“Yeriel.”
“What!”
“Yeriel.”
“······What!”
I hardened my expression.
“Yeriel.”
“Ugh, what really! ······Sir.”
Yeriel pouted her lips. Her voice trembled.
But this time, I could not yield.
“Stop being childish.”
Everything was for your sake, Yeriel······.
“No tantrums. You should know better without being told.”
“······.”
“How long do you plan to act immature?”
Yeriel knew Yukline traditions.
Her uncharacteristic stubbornness was likely to prove to the retainers that those traditions passed to her.
“Act according to your station. Show proper dignity and grace.”
Yeriel said nothing. She leaned against the window frame silently. Her face was hidden by her hair, but she seemed on the verge of tears.
Her small shoulders shook; her breaths came ragged.
“To the Floating Island. We have business today.”
I said nothing more to Yeriel.
······.
“Gone? He's really gone?”
In Drpalem Forest, where Deculein had sauntered off, Gerek—who'd been silently sharpening his dagger amid the tall conifers—asked.
His long black hair tied back, he was a handsome man unfitting his moniker Multiple Personality.
“Gone for real?”
“Yeah. Gone.”
Al Ross nodded to his question. Gerek asked again.
“Gone? For real?”
“Yeah.”
“For real?!”
“I said he's gone, fuck.”
“Ah~ No way~!”
Only after the curse did he accept it.
Thus, the Ashes Heap lot each had a screw loose.
“He didn't notice, did he?”
“Yeah, dumbass. The way you were radiating killing intent.”
“Deculein's a coward after all. I practically invited him!”
Al Ross just smirked.
She knew why Deculein avoided Gerek.
His voice replayed in her mind.
You avoid shit out of fear. You just shun the filth.
Probably exactly that.
“Ah~ This pisses me off. Aaaah~”
Gerek groaned, bashing his head against a tree.
Al Ross asked.
“But Gerek. Do you have a real reason to target Deculein?”
“Huh?”
“Not just wanting to kill him 'cause he's famous?”
Gerek innocently tilted his head. But soon he grinned.
“Nah, I got grudges against the Yukline house. They flooded our village.”
He tapped between his brows with a finger.
“Y'know how there are lots of voices in my head? They're all my family, killed back then.”
······So even his multiple personality disorder stemmed from Yukline.
A reasonable motive, in its way.
Gerek asked back.
“What about you, Al Ross?”
“None. I don't particularly want to kill him.”
Of course, there'd been an incident with Deculein, but no grudge.
Killing him would be kicking a hornet's nest—turning the entire Yukline against them was madness.
“Why? Al Ross, your parents were mages, right? Maybe you have a grudge against Yukline too?”
“······Shut your mouth.”
Al Ross's parents died before she was three.
She didn't know why, nor did she care to.
“Who knows? Maybe Deculein killed them.”
“He was a kid then. Don't spout bullshit and shut your fucking mouth.”
“No—”
Al Ross grabbed Gerek's collar, glaring murderously as she growled.
“Keep yapping like that, and you die by my hand. Before I rip out your guts······.”
“Ah, sorry~ Forgive me~ He just flew off outta nowhere~ I'm pissed too.”
“Then get to work.”
She released his collar.
In truth, they hadn't planned to ambush Deculein from the start. They just had a mission nearby.
But hearing he was coming······ Gerek, Glipper, and the others on Al Ross's team flipped out.
“Anyway, I'm definitely killing Deculein.”
Gerek leaned against a tree, grinning easily.
“My family wants it. Right, little sis?
······Yeah. Bro. They want it. You know how agonizing drowning was.
······Yeah. Dad said he knows too······.”
Ignoring his eerie soliloquy, Al Ross read the newspaper.
* * *
The Red Garnet Adventurers' third settlement, Yuren Duchy, where the wandering band now stayed.
“Alright, everyone. Read up. This is the pamphlet for this year's adventurer exam.”
Ganesha spread it open in the mansion where she stayed with the kids.
The Adventurer Guild awaits skilled challengers!
[Guild Master Gohol's Q&A starts on page 37!]
[Curious about the latest adventurer rankings? Check page 47!]
Karos, Leo, and Lia read while eating ice cream.
Ganesha, surveying the children, suddenly marveled at Lia's height.
“Wow~ But Lia, you're growing so fast. Your frame's perfect for an adventurer—not too bulky, not too frail. Nice and sturdy.”
Ganesha poked at Lia here and there. Lia shoved the ticklish hands away.
“Ah, ahn. Ah, st-stop, whyyy— ahn—!”
“In three months, you'll be taller than Rayleigh?”
“Hey. Why drag me into this.”
Rayleigh, munching potato chips on the sofa, clicked her tongue. She turned the arrows on the other two kids.
“Karos, Leo. You two grow slow? Lia's hitting 160 soon—what about you?”
The boys scowled, pride wounded.
“She's, she's originally two years older than us. That's why she grows faster······”
“True. In the end, you'll grow taller anyway. It's all genetics.”
“Whatever, Rayleigh. How's Phairden these days?”
Ganesha asked.
Rayleigh, Julie's cousin, was a fountain of imperial gossip. So well-connected, nearly every rumor reached her ears.
She shrugged.
“Dunno. Not much news lately. But I hear Lady Julie might've reconciled with her fiancé~”
“Reconciled with that professor Deculein?”
“Yeah. At least they're not fighting.”
Ganesha's eyes widened in surprise. As she opened her mouth to ask more—
“Whaaat—?!”
Lia suddenly shrieked.
Ganesha and Rayleigh turned to her in unison.
“They're reconciling—?!”
Her face was like she'd been clubbed from behind.
Rayleigh snickered. The kid reads the papers lately and now cares about gossip?
“Yeah, rumors say so. Why?”
“No way!”
“······No way?”
“It can't happen!”
But her reaction was far more explosive than expected.
No way, how, why, no, that really can't······ Lia muttered nonsense and bolted to her room.
“What? What's with her, Leader?”
“······Beats me. Did Lia eat something weird?”
The adults chuckled awkwardly, while
“Score~ Then Lia's ice cream's ours—”
Karos and Leo reached for Lia's ice cream—when
“Put it down, idiots! Give it! It's mine!”
Lia's door flew open; she dashed out, snatched the ice cream, and fled back in.
* * *
The Floating Island Mesiseion's 5th floor Grand Hall had been chosen as the venue for the floating rumor—that the symposium would be resolved here.
Deculein's solution to symposium problem 6. The full proof would unfold in this most prestigious of venues for magical scholarship.
“······Whoa. Wow. Whoa. Wow. Whoa······.”
Ifrin, lucky enough to attend, gawked endlessly.
So many famous mages. The judges' seats held two Ether-rank: Rozerio, Longdalp, plus Ruina, Beka, Ihelm······.
Even Grand Prince Kreto, His Majesty's brother?!
“What's that cat?”
A red cat lounged indifferently beside Kreto, yawning.
“Cute.”
“Quiet, Ifrin. So tacky.”
Sylvia said. Ifrin shot her a glare.
(For reference, the two had earned these tickets for resolving the Ash Baron incident.)
“Hey? You! You're Ifrin, right?”
A voice called Ifrin then.
Both Ifrin and Sylvia looked.
“Ah? P-Professor's little sister?”
Deculein's sister Yeriel, met by chance before. She smirked.
“Yeah, me. Long time no see?”
“······Thanks to you, I got demerits.”
Ifrin puffed her cheeks. Yeriel shrugged.
“Really? Sorry. But I got caught at the end too. Fair's fair.”
“Th-that— ngh!”
“Hello.”
Sylvia shoved Ifrin aside and greeted demurely. She gave Yeriel a gentle smile.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Sylvia.”
Poised and polite. Yeriel nodded awkwardly.
“Yeah······ I know. Sylvia of Ilayde.”
“Yes.”
It was then.
Sylvia's gaze, fixed on Yeriel, shifted elsewhere. Ifrin followed.
“······Huh.”
She stood out most. Even setting aside her snow-white hair and beauty, she was the sole knight in a hall of mages.
Julie, exceptionally invited as Deculein's fiancée.
Her light armor draped in a robe, she spotted Yeriel and approached delightedly.
“Lady Yeriel. I hope you've been well?”
“······Yes. Hello.”
Yeriel just twisted her lips. Julie seemed to want to say more, but Yeriel turned away as if refusing.
Resigned, Julie smiled wryly and took her seat.
─Lights out.
Just then, the moderator spoke, and the lights dimmed.
─We now commence the proof for symposium problem 6, unsolved for fifteen years.
The Grand Hall—not grandiose in name, but the most honorable venue for magical academia.
The curtain on the distant stage fell.
“Hoo······.”
Tension rising, Ifrin glanced at Sylvia beside her.
“······Sylvia. What're you doing?”
“······.”
Sylvia was off. Without reply, she ziiing—glared laser-like at something.
Following her gaze: snow-white hair.
Julie's back.