Chapter 195
Chapter 195
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Surprise in Ivana's Tent
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hehe...."
The outside was bustling in all sorts of ways.
The inside of the castle was noisy enough already, but the clamor beyond its walls was far more intense, something I could feel all too clearly.
If I opened a window up here on the highest floor of Nordal Castle, the sounds of battle from afar rang out sharp and clear.
It was definitely coming from some distance away.
Even so, the volume and variety of the noises drew my attention without me realizing it.
"Rozalin did nag me not to go out...."
But opportunities like this weren't common.
Besides, I had no intention of joining the fight directly anyway.
I slowly climbed over the window ledge.
-Shwaaaa....
"Whew."
Being at the top of the castle meant the wind was much stronger up here, and the temperature felt lower too.
That might have been part of it, but it wasn't a big issue.
[Advanced Magic: Invisibility]
The moment I cast the spell, my body and clothes turned transparent.
Confirming the magic worked properly, I began descending slowly from the castle's summit.
I used various spells along the way, of course.
The castle's surroundings were chaotic in every direction, but my goal was to check out the Monster Wave.
I started moving with quick steps.
"Kraaaah!!!!"
"Large entity ahead! Mages!!!!"
"30 seconds to ready!"
"Keep it from reaching us for those 30 seconds!!"
"Oh."
I'd arrived at a spot where the battle was even fiercer than I'd imagined.
I'd sensed from afar that the clash with the wave would be intense, but this level of ferocity was something else.
"Hmm...."
I'd already noted the large number of knights, but the monsters were no slouches either.
Thousands of them, truly living up to the name "wave."
Culling numbers like this every winter must be how they turned monster kills into profit.
It felt a bit too businesslike to view it that way, but what could I do?
After all, in this life, I'd been raised from childhood to think in those terms.
"Hmm...."
Of course, despite the intensity, there weren't many casualties among the knights.
Their systems and formations were just that solid.
"Shall I look for Ivana?"
I was up on the battlements, so there were no real issues.
Sure, there were plenty of mages and archers up here with me, but as long as I dodged them carefully, it was fine.
"Hmm-hmm...."
I strolled slowly along the battlements, scanning the knights fighting below for any sign of Ivana.
But she wasn't easy to spot.
Maybe she was battling a bit further in.
I'd seen her skills plenty of times during Academy classes, so I knew she was capable.
That said, she still had plenty of rough edges to polish.
"Umm.... No sign of her."
I'd wanted to see how she wielded that massive greatsword she always showed off.
A shame.
"Going down there directly would just cause problems...."
It was probably best to pull back now.
Rozalin was likely starting to wonder where I was, safe inside the castle....
"...No."
There was a way.
I might not spot her in the thick of battle, but meeting her wouldn't be hard.
"Fufu...."
Besides, rather than gawking at or interrupting her fight, this idea felt much better.
It seemed like a pretty good plan, all things considered.
*
I briefly returned to Nordal Castle before heading back to the battlements facing the wave.
Part of it was Rozalin's fretting, but it would've been awkward to meet Ivana unless she was alone anyway.
No matter how casual I felt about it, I was still a guest.
A visitor to the North—and a guest of the Nordal Lady, no less.
"Her tent really is on another level."
Back outside, I'd found my way to one of the tents inside the battlements.
Ivana's, specifically.
It was imposingly large—no way it belonged to an ordinary knight.
Plus, there were women's items inside.
Not that I could confirm they were hers, but still.
"Whew.... Comfy."
I lounged on the plush mattress inside.
I'd already cast spells on myself like I had that morning, so no worries.
When Ivana came in shortly, I could just dispel them then.
"Wonder when she'll show."
Given her personality, she probably wouldn't bring anyone else to her private tent.
Even at the Academy, she spent most of her time alone.
If I had to compare, unlike Karen, she was more like a voluntary loner?
"Karen's just a loner, period."
Yeah, Karen was straight-up a loner.
To be fair, Karen had the potential to build way more friendships voluntarily....
But her personality was just... like that, purely.
Ivana, on the other hand, didn't see the need to mingle, had plenty of other things to do, and figured she was fine without it—so she chose solitude.
There was a clear nuance difference.
Of course, both got along with me just fine, so it didn't matter.
-Click, clack....
"Ah."
After waiting comfortably for about 20 minutes, I heard footsteps outside.
Not the thud of military boots—something more dignified, closer to heels.
I knew right away it was Ivana.
"...."
She entered the tent.
Her expression held... a question, sort of.
The look on her face as she came in made me wonder if something was wrong.
What had her wearing that expression?
"Haa...."
"...?"
She let out a sigh, then reached for the greatsword slung on her back.
Huh?
What...?
For a moment, I couldn't grasp why she was acting like that.
But I figured it out quickly.
"Come out."
She thought an assassin had snuck into her tent.
She must've spotted some trace I'd left behind.
With my Invisibility hiding me, it made sense she'd jump to that conclusion.
If I stayed put, that massive greatsword in her hands would come flying at the mattress, so I dispelled the spell immediately.
"Hi there?"
"...?"
"Uh.... Surprise~?"
"...?"
"Ivana?"
"......?"
"Hey?"
...?
I'd revealed myself clearly.
But Ivana just froze, not responding at all.
What was this?
Couldn't she hear me?
Her total lack of reaction left me more flustered instead.
"You okay? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"...What was that just now?"
"What do you mean?"
"You appeared out of nowhere. What was that?"
"Oh.... Magic?"
She must've been so startled she froze up.
Her blank stare had me thinking she wasn't fazed, but that was why.
Suddenly popping out after being invisible would surprise anyone.
"Just dropped by 'cause I was bored."
"I didn't hear anything about you going outside the castle. When did you slip out?"
"Snuck out?"
"......."
Being upfront about leaving would've meant enduring Rozalin's endless nagging.
So I'd snuck out on purpose.
It wasn't hard to begin with—pretty easy, actually.
Ivana stared at me with the same expression.
"Haa...."
"Eh."
Then she let out a deep sigh.
What was it?
"What's wrong? Fighting monsters wearing you out?"
"...No. Just wait a moment."
"Sure."
I stayed lounged on the mattress as she asked.
She left me there and began slowly removing her greatsword and armor.
The armor was probably heavy and uncomfortable, so that's why she'd told me to wait.
It was caked with snow and ice.
She'd likely been fighting nonstop since morning.
That must be why she hadn't cleaned it off properly.
"Hmm.... I actually came hoping to catch you in action. But no sign of you around the battlements?"
"I was fighting in the forest a ways from the battlements."
"Ah, got it."
That explained why I hadn't seen her.
"Well, beyond that, I wanted to get a closer look at the Monster Wave itself. Doing business in the North means dealing with these every winter, right?"
I chattered on as she shed her gear and changed.
Saying I'd come for no reason would've invited a lecture.
It was a legit reason, anyway.
"Since it's business-related, better to check it out myself."
"...I see."
"Yeah. By the way, Ivana, you wear tights under your armor? News to me."
"........"
I hadn't noticed under the armor, but once it was off, the tights underneath caught my eye.
Not just bottoms—top too.
"With how cold it is up here, makes sense for heat retention."
Definitely practical.
Metal armor in this chill would be freezing on its own; it'd make the cold even worse.
"Even layering clothes on top, it's brutal out there. You not cold, Ivana?"
"...Northerners run warmer. It's not that bad."
"Ah...."
Hmm....
I see....
"Hmm...."
"What's up?"
"Just thinking—back when we hugged, you did feel pretty warm. That popped into my head."
"......."
Despite her icy demeanor, Ivana's body was surprisingly toasty.
A unique warmth, different from Rozalin's soft, cozy embrace.
Thinking about the differences in women's embraces like this made me feel a tad perverted.
Not that I could deny it?