＜ 132. Untimely Winter (2) ＞
#132
“It’s been two years.”
Adesan, who released his hand, stood facing Ronan. Water dripped from his trembling voice. Taking a deep breath, she buried her face in Ronan’s chest.
“senior?”
“…hold on like this for a second.”
It was a bold move that would have been unimaginable two years ago. At the time, Adeshan was taller, so there was a position he couldn’t do.
The scent of winter flowers wafted from the hair that hung below the chin. She closed her eyes and listened to her heartbeat. Adeshan said.
“I’m really back.”
“I told you before.”
“I waited a long time.”
His coat-clad shoulders were shaking. Ronan embraced Adeshan as if hugging her and tapped her on the back.
The two remained in that position for quite some time. Adeshan finally raised his head and smiled.
“You’ve grown a lot.”
“That surprised me too.”
“My hair was also very long. Strangely, my beard hasn’t grown much.”
“hair? ah.”
It was then that Ronan realized that something heavy was covering the back of his neck. When I reached my hand, I felt a bushy-like hair grabbing hold of it. It seemed to have grown to at least the shoulders. Ronan frowned at the cumbersome touch he felt for the first time in his life.
“eww.”
“Ahahaha, if it’s uncomfortable, I’ll cut it later.”
“Damn, thank you. By the way, is what you just said true?”
“yes?”
“I mean, two years have passed.”
For a moment there was silence. Adeshan nodded cautiously. Ronan licked his lips and sighed.
‘Damn, should I say I got this cheap?’
I was prepared in advance, so the shock was less. I was very fortunate to have prepared this and that in mind that it would take a long time. Ronan managed to organize his thoughts and opened his mouth.
“How are you? How about your sister and the rest?”
“I was fine. Everyone is healthy, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“That’s fortunate. really.”
Ronan sighed in relief. These were the words I wanted to hear the most after returning. Suddenly, Adeshan’s face darkened.
“Oh, by the way, Instructor Nabirose is a little…”
“What, did something happen?”
Ronan tilted his head. It wasn’t unusual to drag a horse’s tail. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.
“Ummm… no. I think it’s good to hear this from yourself. Sorry.”
“That’s Okay. It’s not hurt or anything like that, is it?”
“yes. It is, though…”
Adeshan licked her lips. It was very rewarding, but as long as he came out like that, he couldn’t get a job. Ronan, foreseeing that the atmosphere would become awkward, changed the topic of conversation.
“Okay, what are those monsters earlier?”
“Ah, it’s a monster called Snow Beast. It shows up about once every three or four days, no luck.”
“right. That was the name. Why are they showing up at school?”
“So···”
It was the car Adeshan was trying to say. Beep! Beep! A loud alarm sounded from somewhere.
“what?”
Ronan noticed that the sound was coming from Adeshan’s wrist. Precisely, from a thin bracelet that was fastened to the wrist. Adeshan’s eyes widened.
“That’s right, I forgot…!”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a student council announcement. We have a meeting after the Snow Beast is over.”
“Student Council?”
Ronan shrugged his eyebrows. It seemed like an important place to be restless. He said patting Adeshan on the back.
“It’s okay, so let’s go.”
“Well, is that okay? Do you… remember all the school geography?”
“I don’t even have dementia. I’ll be at your sister’s house.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll go as soon as it’s over…!”
Adeshan turned and disappeared into the blizzard. There was hardly any sound of footsteps, even if he had learned the footsteps.
Ronan picked up the chest he had left on the floor. Recalling Adeshan’s face, he muttered softly.
“…you are so pretty.”
It was the first time I had received such an impression from someone other than my sister. The only thing that was different from my previous life was the dark shades of my eyes, but there would be such a difference.
I still felt the smell of winter flowers from my chest. Ronan left the campus and headed to Iril’s house.
The snow fell non-stop all the way. It didn’t seem like an ordinary winter. Surprisingly, a distant street caught my eye. Fire spirits and magic engineers were always working on snow removal.
‘Money is good. When I was a punitive soldier, I cleaned it all up.’
smart. Ronan arrived home within ten minutes and knocked on the front door. It was mealtime, and the delicious smell was wafting through the cracks in the door. Fortunately, the answer came from inside.
“Yes, let’s go!”
A little while later, a familiar young lady appeared through the open door. Her pale white silver hair was more abundant. Illyl’s eyes widened.
“Ro, Ronan?”
“sister.”
“You, you, you… you…!”
The older sister I saw was still beautiful. Iril repeated the unfamiliar sound as if he had forgotten how to speak. Before long, she burst into tears and ran to Ronan.
“Wow! You’re back!”
It fit snugly in my arms as my body grew bigger. Judging by the loud cries, he looked healthy, as Adeshan said. Ronan, who was patting her sister, opened her mouth.
“how have you been doing?”
“Yes. I’m really good… hehehe!”
Iril, who was about to say something, burst into tears again. It took her another ten minutes or so to shed tears before she was able to calm herself down.
“After becoming a younger sister, I showed an unappealing side. It’s okay now!”
“thank god. Sita?”
“Oh, wait, Ronan friends took me. It will probably come soon.”
Iril explained that Sita has been busy lately. The special adventure club seemed to be continuing its activities while they were not confident. Iril asked worriedly, holding up her claws and holding her brother’s face.
“So, have you eaten? Why do you look so skinny?”
“rice···?”
Ronan shrugged his eyebrows. Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten anything in two years. As soon as I realized that, an amazing sound resounded in my stomach.
“I didn’t eat.”
“Hey, I’ll set it up soon. I’ll be back in the backyard for a while, so wait in the kitchen!”
Laughing, Iril opened the back door and stepped out. Ronan’s eyes widened as he entered the kitchen. A familiar gnome was sitting at the table and eating stew. The combination of the dark blue hair and the napkin around his neck seemed like an asshole.
“…were you there?”
“It’s been a while, Ronan. It’s been two years.”
Schlieffen casually greeted me. It was an attitude that would be believed even if we broke up yesterday and met. Ronan stared at him, forgetting what to say. widely. The morning star of the empire lowered her spoon and opened her mouth.
“I tried to get up after eating everything.”
“…it would be.”
“You look suspicious. Judging by Ms. Iril’s reaction, I noticed that you had returned. Is it a sin not to interfere with the reunion of your brothers and sisters?”
“Who says what?”
Ronan sat down at the table. The delicious smell was emanating from Schlieffen’s bowl. When Ronan saw the stew mixed with meat and vegetables, his taste buds fell.
“Kya… it’s delicious. My sister has also improved. There are so many other ingredients.”
“Miss Iril’s cooking has always been excellent.”
Schlieffen, who met Ronan’s eyes, pulled his bowl toward him. It was like an animal that was wary of losing its prey. Ronan snorted as if he was stunned.
“Don’t steal it. asshole.”
“It’s an absurd assumption. I was just observing because my body was stiff.”
Schlieffen started eating the stew. After reading the relief on his face, Ronan shook his head. Although his appearance may have changed, his personality has not changed at all.
‘When is this bastard going to pay for his face?’
Schlieffen, who had grown up, had become a young man to the point of being annoyed. For some reason, he seemed to be more handsome than he had seen in his previous life. Schlieffen, who finally emptied the bowl, opened his mouth.
“I think it’s worth the two years investment. The aura itself has changed.”
“You’re not too strong either.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow. I could tell without paying any attention. The genius in front of me had reached a much higher level than I had seen before.
‘The initial stage of awakening must have already passed. monster child.’
The pulsating core was almost visible to the naked eye. It was questionable how many swordsmen would be able to defeat this child in a formal match. I wanted to see the sword face-to-face right away, but it wasn’t the time yet.
“Have you been here all the time? To protect your sister?”
“How could that be? I bought it because the house next door was empty just in time. Miss Adeshan and the club members took turns standing guard.”
“It’s amazing.”
Ronan chuckled. Buying a house for security. Because he was the son of a great aristocrat, the scale itself was different. After knocking on the desk for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“···Thank you. For keeping your promise.”
“I was just doing the right thing.”
Schlieffen nodded calmly. There was not even a single word of exhortation in the dull tone. Bump! Then the back door opened and Illyl came in. The basket in her hand was full of eggs.
“Voice, I’m here! I’ll do it soon, so wait a minute. Schlieffen, would you like some too?”
“If you give me . . . I will be grateful.”
“Hey, okay~”
Ronan laughed as if in shock. Even the bowl that was just emptied was never small, but he was a very consistent guy. Iril started to cook while humming.
“Ronan.”
“Well?”
Kik- Schlieffe stood up suddenly and blinked at Ronan. Hearing the signal, he stood up.
He was about an inch taller than Ronan. He followed Schlieffen to the second floor. Schlieffen stopped only when he reached in front of the balcony on the second floor. Ronan tilted his head.
“What’s going on?”
“Because it’s not a pleasant story for Ms. Ill to hear.”
Schlieffen looked out the window. Snow was pouring down the cloudy sky.
It was a well-built house, so the cold did not penetrate, but just by looking at it, I could tell how cold it was outside. With his arms folded, he opened his mouth.
“Do you know what happened to the system now?”
“What happened···?”
“Don’t panic, listen. Now is the golden plum fox month, Ronan.”
“···What?”
Ronan’s face hardened. Schlieffen let out a self-helpful laugh.
“It’s funny. When cherry blossoms should be in full bloom, you have to wrap yourself up in leather clothes.”
Ronan didn’t answer. If it is the golden plum fox month, it was the time when he had just entered Phileon. Drunk by the blooming spring flowers, wielding a black iron sword.
“…does it have anything to do with the monsters coming out of the middle of Phileon?”
“Looks like we met. Not just Phileon, but the whole island is suffering. They appear wherever it snows.”
“Fuck. What the hell happened?”
Ronan frowned. As I asked the question, a part of my brain tickled. I must have been through something similar to this in my previous life.
“This winter has been going on for a year. It is winter that only came to the islands.”
“one year?”
“Yeah… it all started with one student.”
rumble rumble. The window swayed in the gust of wind. Schlieffen, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth.
“Do you know about the existence of the Winter Witch?”
