＜ 131. Untimely Winter (1) ＞
#131
“… it’s been a long time… Ronan.”
“Secret?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. It was the voice of a child whose gender was hard to tell. Have you been freed from the curse of turning into a woman? Ronan immediately looked around, but Sekrit was nowhere to be seen.
“What, where are you?”
“I’m sorry. I have some work. Can you see my desk?”
“table?”
Separaccio with all the lights turned off was engulfed in darkness. Only the fragments of the crystal that Ronan had broken out were emitting a bluish light. Ronan, who carefully placed his hand on the crystal, tilted his head.
‘What is this really?’
The unidentified crystal was very hard yet light. It looked like it was at least 20 cm thick and could not be broken by any impact. He wondered why this substance was covering him.
‘What happened while I was away?’
Fortunately, the sword and other belongings remained intact. Ronan picked up a fragment of a suitable size and moved on.
The raised eye level did not adapt at all. Before long, he arrived at the desk and saw a strange object in his sight.
“This···.”
“Looks like you found it. Yes, we are communicating through that workhorse.”
One eyeball was floating inside the hemispherical glass tube. The blue pupil followed Ronan whenever he moved. Secret’s voice was coming from the hole behind the eyeball.
“It’s because I’ve been away for longer than I thought. If you wake up, I’ve made arrangements to detect and notify you of movement. Heh heh, your voice has grown.”
“What the hell happened?”
“I don’t have enough time to tell you all. The samurai, who have used up their uses, will soon disappear… so let’s go out and talk about it.”
As if to disprove his words, Sochima’s body was gradually expanding. It looked like it was going to explode at any moment. Ronan nodded, bringing his mouth closer.
“like. We do that.”
“I’ll give you an order from there, so write it down somewhere. Delphirim, Lunagie, and Kashipa. All you have to do is point to the bookshelf where ten books are missing and memorize it.”
“Ten volumes. I know.”
“okay. Come visit me as soon as I finish my work.”
It was so simple that there was no need to write it down. Ronan, who was suddenly looking at the desk, raised an eyebrow. There was a thick pile of white dust.
‘How the hell did you leave me alone?’
It looked like there had been frost all night. The feather pen that Sekrit liked to use was lined with a thin web, so it didn’t seem like it had been empty for a day or two. At that moment, Secret’s voice began to cut off.
“Anyway, I’m really happy to be back… yes… you’re tall…”
“Secret?”
“I’ll see you outside. Ronan…a letter…”
The voice was no longer heard. Finally, communication was cut off with a sound that sounded like rubbing an iron scrubber. pop! The eyeballs, which were gradually expanding, exploded. The inside of the glass tube was covered with green bodily fluid.
“eww.”
Ronan was disgusted and stuck out his tongue. Upon closer inspection, the dust covered the entire study, not just the desk.
‘It’s not unusual.’
It was the car he was just on his way to looking for a bookshelf. A box I hadn’t seen caught my eye.
It was something I had never seen before. The chest, half open because the lid didn’t close, lay right next to where Ronan was lying.
“This···.”
Ronan approached with a smirk and opened the chest. The pressed papers spilled out. Most were well-sealed envelopes.
Ronan picked up an envelope that he could easily reach in his hand. When Ronan saw the writing on the cover, his eyes widened. It was definitely Adeshan’s handwriting that was as fluid as flowing water.
– To Ronan. Adeshan. / The 9th day of the month of the red wild bird in the 1051 year of the imperial calendar.
“what is this.”
Ronan hurriedly began examining the envelopes. Not only Adeshan, but also other people’s letters were mixed in.
– I wish you good luck. Marya Caravel.
– Read Ronan. butterfly rose.
– To my dear brother. This is it.
When Ronan saw the letter his sister had written, he twisted his lips. The letter ‘X’ was written in the ‘B’ part, and it was changed to ‘Reel’. It seemed like he had just learned how to write from someone.
“Ah, it’s useless.”
Suddenly, the tip of his nose twitched. I wanted to open it up one by one, but unfortunately I didn’t have the time right now. A single line of Adeshan’s letter pierced the cornea like an awl.
[Imperial Year 1051. The 9th day of the month of the red wild bird.]
“Shake.”
Ronan’s face hardened. It was the fall of 1050 when he entered Haeju.
It was said that at least a year had passed since the letter written last year was buried deep in these rings. Ronan, who hastily picked up the letters, put the box on his side. The bookshelf with ten books missing was quickly found.
“Delphirim, Lunagie, and Kashipa.”
He placed a hand on the bookshelf and memorized a spell. Kugugung…! The bookshelf was pushed back and a long hallway appeared. Without hesitation, he stepped into the darkness.
Somehow, the more I walked, the colder the air around me seemed. With each breath, white breath came out.
For a moment, my eyes seemed to be getting dark, but my vision was wide open. Whoops! The wind blowing from the front overturned Ronan’s bangs. A foreign object that was blown by the wind penetrated between the eyelashes.
“Damn, what?”
I don’t know what it was, but it was terribly cold. As soon as the foreign substance came into contact with the skin, it melted and disappeared. Seeing the pale white sleeves, Ronan tilted his head.
“···Eye?”
The substance of the foreign body was a snowflake the size of a fingernail. Whoops! A cold wind blew again, hitting Ronan’s face. When I lifted my head, I saw the world dyed all white.
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, which you can only see in the north, was pouring over the campus. Students wrapped in thick coats were walking around the square. The fact that he was wearing a fur hat made of leather was really reminiscent of the inhabitants of the North.
‘sister.’
Suddenly, Illyl’s smile crossed my mind. I had many questions, but the most urgent thing was to check my sister’s well-being. I had to hurriedly check to see if nothing had happened in the past year.
Ronan moved towards the front door. Then a sharp scream echoed from not far away.
“aah!”
“Oh, it came out today!”
Ronan turned his head. The students were throwing away their luggage and running away. Something was procrastinating in the middle of a blizzard.
“Well···?”
Ronan narrowed his eyes. The cold was tangled in one place. Snow and ice gathered on top of it, forming a skeleton and flesh. There were many different kinds, such as giant bears, deer, and flying fish.
Pot! Before long, a blue eye glow erupted from the eye sockets of the fully-formed ice creatures. A bear made of ice let out a wild roar.
“Woo!”
“What the fuck is that?”
The students’ screams grew louder. Judging from the reaction, it seemed that it was not a field practice. Ronan, who suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, frowned.
‘This situation. It’s kind of familiar…’
I just woke up and my mind is confused. The strangely heavy snowballs, and the icy beasts popping out of the blizzard, I’ve definitely seen them somewhere.
If you think about it for a bit, it might come to mind, but there was no time for that. The attitude of the beasts was not very favorable. The ice bear, who had been looking around, started running towards the nearest student.
You are a monster in the middle of Phileon, you are a spectator. Ronan, who was so miffed, put down the chest. When the hilt was pulled, a black and white blade appeared.
‘Where do you want to unwind?’
It was a feeling I felt for a while. The curvature of the handle was clearly felt. Blame! Ronan immediately sprinted off the ground and widened his eyes.
“uh?”
body was light. It wasn’t an illusion caused by a longer stride. It was like flying in the sky mixed with half lies.
“···what?”
“Creek?
Ronan reached the front of the ice bear in an instant. Embarrassed by the unexpected appearance, the bear hesitated. Ronan, who held the pose as it was, swung his sword in one large rotation.
Scratch! A wide slash crossed her transparent body. As the pure white line was drawn, the bear’s eyes faded. Ronan chuckled.
“her.”
It wasn’t just that the body became lighter. It was unbelievably fast and sophisticated because it was a slash that did not feed mana. Paang! A belated bang rang out.
‘What happened to my body?’
The torso of the bear, cut in half, fell to the floor. With chin! The body made of ice was shattered. The attention of the beasts around them focused on Ronan.
“Ki ha ha ha!”
“Keek?!”
Ronan stood still dumbfounded in the midst of it. The changes in the body did not adapt at all.
But after a while, my heart started beating fast. It is enough to simply wield it with force, but I wondered what the results would be if I used mana.
“This is fun.”
Ronan grabbed La Mancha’s hilt. The black sword was dyed red. A blood-red, thick, bright crimson color, which was completely different from before, was running down the back of the sword.
“Is not it?”
“Wow, Kree…!”
The corners of Ronan’s lips rose. Feeling ominous, the beasts took a step back and retreated. He was just about to fire his sword. A woman’s voice resounded from beyond the blizzard.
“Stand back!”
“uh?”
It was a familiar voice. A sound reminiscent of a whistle rang out from somewhere. bang! Suddenly, the head of the ice reindeer exploded. A slender crossbow was lodged in the head of the reindeer, who collapsed with smoke.
“Is that…?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. A whistle sounded again. The crossbow that flew through the blizzard hit the heads of other beasts. pop! pop! Large and small explosions occurred one after another.
‘It’s amazing.’
It was an amazing shooter. The crossbow hit as if sucked only into the heads of the beasts. I saw that the direction of the flight was constantly changing, so I was shooting while spinning around.
With chin! The sound of breaking ice filled the campus. In an instant, more than ten beasts were annihilated. The crossbow no longer flew. Then a shriek echoed from beyond the blizzard.
“aah! Go away!”
“Damn it.”
Ronan frowned. He was so engrossed in his shooting skills that he couldn’t pay attention. The fact that the beast may have appeared in other places.
Ronan ran in the direction of the sound. Soon, the scene he had expected unfolded before his eyes.
Boys and girls who had not yet lost their breasts were hugging each other. They looked like freshmen who had just entered Phileon. Five filthy ugly ice wolves were sneaking towards them.
“Creep rumble . . .”
“Oh, please don’t come…”
Wolves crouched as if leaping. Ronan was just about to shoot the sword. fault! A woman appeared from the blizzard and blocked the students.
“Damn it, what?”
Ronan hurriedly pulled out his sword. The woman in the long coat was taller than any tall man. The fiercely narrowed eyes were as sharp as a veil.
A black crossbow was held in her left hand. Ronan recognized the woman and smiled.
“under.”
“Aww!”
At that time, the wolf approaching from the front opened its mouth and leapt. It was a huge guy with a body length of 4m. The woman slowly raised her arms and whispered low.
“stop.”
At that moment, the wolves stopped. It seemed that something that had not moved a single inch had turned into a real ice sculpture. The wolf stopped in mid-air and fell to the floor from its back. Kwachang! Large fragments of fragments slid across the ground.
“Grump.”
“Greek.”
Despite the death of their comrades, the rest of the wolves did not move. Only painful moans were leaking through the transparent fangs.
The blue eyes of the wolves had changed to a dull gray. Without a word, the woman pulled out the staff from her waistband and lifted it up.
She strode closer and swung her wand. A staff stretched like a snake swept through the wolves.
“Aww!”
Surprised students screamed. Kwajangchang! The four heads shattered like an explosion. After confirming that the wolf was no longer moving, the woman sighed in relief.
“···after.”
👌👌👌👌👌 The wand shortened and returned to its original shape. She said looking back at the students.
“It’s okay now.”
“Go, thank you…!”
“Are you a freshman? I should have come sooner, sorry.”
The sharp eyes softened as if they had ever been. She comforted the freshmen with a friendly smile that Ronan knew well.
Eventually, the students who bowed their heads in thanksgiving left their seats. Ronan, who had only brushed his bangs for nothing, opened his mouth.
“senior.”
“···uh?”
Adeshan turned his head. A long coat that went up to the neck suited him quite well.
Even when Ronan’s eyes met, she only blinked continuously. Hui Ying- Black hair that had grown to the waist was fluttering like a flag. Finally, her lips parted.
“Ronan.”
“It’s been a while. My skills have improved a lot.”
Adeshan’s face, which he had seen for a while, was noticeably more mature. The youthful impression almost disappeared, and a full-fledged young lady was born. White snowflakes were falling on the darkened eyelashes.
Adeshan did not answer. She stayed in place as if she had taken root. The sound of his breathing gradually getting steeper could be heard from here as well. Ronan, who was somewhat embarrassed, continued.
“How are you?”
Then, Adeshan moved slowly. As she approached Ronan’s nose, she stopped again.
Now they were almost at the same eye level. 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 fell down her white cheeks. With her hands off Ronan’s face, she said in a trembling voice.
“… it’s been two years.”
