The Story of Ice and Snow

I glared at Fenrir with resentful eyes, pouring every ounce of my frustration into the look. Why would you do something like that?

But that damn meddling divine beast simply snorted. She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lowered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her head and whispered directly into my ear.

"I will handle my own affairs."

I let out a sigh. Fenrir kept laughing, clearly delighted by something.

Fenrir called out to Stelle. The beasts surrounding her parted, and she approached us cautiously.

"Stelle?"

"..."

Stelle's face burned crimson. She kept her head bowed as low as possible, refusing to meet my eyes. A sharp crack rang out as my body went rigid.

This damn wolf. For real.

Zero confessions, one forced reveal. Or did that count as a confession in this situation? Either way, I made a solemn vow to get even with that wolf one day.

Fenrir watched the young girl approach. This was the same girl who had heard the boy's true feelings riding on the wind I had deliberately scattered moments ago. Her face was flushed bright red, providing endless amusement for the old wolf. There was always something delightful about watching the young fall in love.

"Y-yes!"

The girl who had once pointed a sword at me was now blushing furiously over a single sentence about liking someone. She was pure, yet strong. I could roughly see why the boy had asked for her protection.

"I want to become a hero like the ones in fairy tales."

Snow began to fall from the clear sky. The flakes melted the moment they touched skin, carrying warmth instead of cold. The sight of those gently glowing snowflakes filling the entire world was breathtakingly beautiful. Light began radiating from Fenrir's body—the precursor to bestowing her blessing.

I was genuinely thrilled that I had successfully completed the first quest.

"Yes?"

The snow began piling up on both Stelle and me. Not just her, but me too? My eyes widened.

The light exploded outward. A tremendous roar shook the air as the snowflakes burst in every direction. The white, snow-filled sky vanished, replaced by a clear spring blue that welcomed us.

We both nodded. I immediately checked the blessing I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠received.

Good grief. What was I even looking at right now? I rubbed my eyes and checked again, but the words refused to change. In Geommai, stat increases were displayed with specific descriptors: minuscule, small, slight, moderate, large, massive, and finally—overwhelming. To have every single stat jump straight to overwhelming in one go was something I'd never seen, even when I played the game.

Given that my original stats had been rock-bottom F-rank, it wasn't an exaggeration to say they'd multiplied four or five times over. Of course, that still didn't mean I'd stand a chance against S-class students, but this boost would undoubtedly make everything ahead far easier. I gazed at the divine beast with a surge of genuine respect.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. There's no way I would harbor such feelings toward you, Divine One."

I kept bowing deeply to the malicious meddling wolf... no, to the academy's great guardian, the Northern Divine Beast.

"Did you give Stelle the same blessing?"

"Thank you! Lady Fenrir!"

On top of that, Stelle had received a buff equal to mine. It was a massive step forward for my Send Stelle to S-Class project.

Stelle offered a bright greeting. Fenrir, looking satisfied, curled up and lay down.

We bowed once more in thanks and took our leave.

We headed back to the cabin. The sun was still high overhead, but after everything that had happened, we decided to return and rest.

"Stelle?"

"..."

She kept blushing furiously, head down, offering no replies as she walked. I sighed inwardly.

Damn it. I'd received a blessing, so I couldn't even complain properly.

We continued toward the cabin in silence. Thanks to Fenrir's blessing, the once-chilly spring breeze now felt pleasantly refreshing. After walking side by side through the forest for some time, Stelle was the first to speak.

"When the divine beast attacked earlier, I really thought my heart would stop."

"Ah, now that you mention it—are you alright? You took some internal damage back then, didn't you?"

"Yeah. It got better after the divine beast licked the spot."

Once the conversation started, we didn't stop. We talked about the blessing we'd received—clearly no ordinary one, probably legendary grade or equivalent. We were incredibly lucky. The walk passed quickly with all the chatting, and soon we reached the cabin.

I opened the door, eager to collapse onto my bed, but then remembered something I'd left unsaid. I turned to her.

"By the way, Stelle. Thank you for helping me earlier."

She had burst out of the bushes with her sword drawn. At the time, I'd had no way out of that situation. Her intervention had essentially saved me.

"No, you were the one who helped me first."

"That's not true. I should have prepared better before going. My carelessness put you in danger, and that's a fact."

"What? No, it's really not—wait! Look at me!"

We kept trading gratitude and apologies. Unable to stand the awkwardness any longer, Stelle slipped past me and grabbed the door handle. But just before opening it, she realized she had something left to say too. Face burning, she turned back toward me.

"Hint!"

"Yes. I'm listening."

There I stood—the boy whose thoughts remained a mystery to her. Her heart pounded so loudly she could hear it clearly in her ears as she spoke.

"I didn't hear anything today!"

She slipped inside the room and added, "See you at dinner!"

I smiled. Grateful for her considerate tact, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠returned the farewell.

"Hehe. Yes, I'll see you this evening. Shall we head into town today?"

"Yeah!"

Stelle answered energetically and disappeared into her room. The still-dazzling interior greeted her. She tossed her clothes aside and flopped onto her bed.

"There's still time until dinner..."

She'd been surviving on snacks and bread at the academy lately. The thought of eating proper food in town filled her with excitement—until she suddenly realized something important.

"Wait a second... isn't this..."

A date invitation?!

With a cute puff, steam burst from the top of her head. The boy's words from earlier, carried on the scattering wind, suddenly echoed in her mind.

Because I like you.

"Kyaaaaaaa!!!!"

No one would hear her, but Stelle still buried her face in her pillow and screamed. To a girl raised in a rural village, love was still an unknown, mysterious thing. She'd lain down to rest, but her heart kept thundering in her ears. Every time she closed her eyes, that boy's face appeared—dull golden hair, squinty eyes. At first she'd thought he looked suspicious, but the more she looked, the more handsome he seemed. He took such good care of her, too. If it was a boy like him, maybe dating wouldn't be so bad—

Wait, what am I even thinking?!

In the end, Stelle couldn't rest at all until dinnertime.