Surviving Winter (7)
“The remaining magical supplies in inventory have been sorted out to some extent. You can receive them by talking to the store staff. Also, most of the crafting materials you delivered have been arranged, but some of the legendary crafting materials need to be arranged. “It’s not right.”
“Are these ingredients that precious?”
“The timing is bad. I heard that the twilight sand that goes into the ‘Delheim Hourglass’ is a bit hard to find in winter like this, and the Pulan crystal ball that goes into the ‘Eye of Glokt’ is not for sale.”
First of all, it seems like estimates have been made for production recipes that can be researched right away.
‘Rake hand’, which can pull objects from a distance, ‘Craigl magic ink’, which increases the efficiency of enchantment, and ‘Light-sphere’, which serves as lighting… In fact, it is not difficult to make even without borrowing Lortel’s power. These are the things that exist.
The problem was that the magical engineering supplies were rare or higher. If you have enough materials, you can make them through research, but magical engineering supplies of ‘very rare’ or higher grade gradually require magical power. This is because there is a process involved in which certain properties must be directly assigned or removed.
The primary production target was the ‘Thousand-Year-Old Wooden Staff That Was Hit by Lightning’. Since it is a ‘very rare’ grade, a magic imprinting process is required, but the problem is that you cannot use magic power right now.
It’s not that there aren’t other tricks, but I was worried because they were quite cumbersome.
“Okay, then there’s nothing I can do. Anyway, I’m grateful.”
Suddenly, I look at Lortel and he looks very tired.
It is the time when the year is coming to an end.
Regardless of era or background, the end of the year is a hellish time for business people.
You have to finish and settle the work for the year, make plans for the next year, and still deal with the influx of work as usual.
“You’re already busy, but you even took care of my request. I don’t mind if it’s delayed a bit.”
“It was handled both as a business and as a business, so don’t worry too much. Ugh..!”
Looking at him stretching his arms out as if it was no big deal, it looks like he was sitting in his office doing work even before coming to the camp.
Lortel, sitting on the other side of the campfire and holding a wooden mug, lowers the corners of his mouth as if he has lost all strength. What looks like a smile at first glance must be quite tired.
“Why don’t you just go rest and come to tell me something? The distance isn’t even that close.”
“I came here to rest, so don’t worry.”
He looked very comfortable as he closed his eyes and drank the herbal tea.
One or two snowflakes fell calmly. I gathered up the books I was reading and put them under the blanket.
The moon smiles. The moon, which was round like a tray, now only has traces left. Anyway, as I live so hectic, time passes quickly.
At some point, I could no longer hear the sound of the rushing river, and when I looked at the river beyond the bonfire, there was thin ice.
As the camp, which I thought would last all year round, went into hibernation, it was an instant for the camp itself to be enveloped in silence.
When you sit alone at camp on a winter night, time seems to stop.
Quiet time comes equally to everyone, but the way it is received varies from person to person.
For me, this winter is a time to prepare myself and relax for the vacation, but it is also a time of ordeal when I have to protect my body from the harsh cold.
However, it is difficult to think that the silence of this winter would have the same meaning for people like Lucy and Lortel who have transcended such things.
Surprisingly, Lucy and Lortel, who do not seem to have any similarities, have something essential in common.
It’s not that great. Rather, it is a fairly universal feeling that most people live with.
Although it takes different forms, most people live with loneliness in their own way.
And this emptiness that winter gives us, ironically, encourages that loneliness.
Anyone who has ever walked alone down a quiet street on a winter night knows this. The feeling of walking through a sleeping world makes you think about your situation over and over again.
The season of winter has such magical power. It’s not a very pleasant story, though.
“You must have had a hard time.”
“Actually, there’s a lot more to talk about than that.”
Lortel spoke in a calm tone.
“Lucy… why are you sleeping there…?”
“It’s winter.”
“Does that answer…?”
As I shrugged my shoulders, Lortel sighed and took a sip of herbal tea.
And then he looks at Lucy with his eyes wide open and falls into agony. When I see him lying on his stomach and exhaling slowly… I mutter to myself that it seems a bit ambiguous… or that I’m overreacting, and then I quickly change the topic of conversation.
“Actually, if you were just going to talk about magical engineering supplies, you wouldn’t have come this far, right?”
“Do you have any other business?”
“Oh, you’re just pretending not to know.”
Lortel smiled and gathered magical power in his hands. For a moment, magical energy gathered on Lortel’s hand, and soon a rather large book was summoned and floating in the air.
Without further ado, it was the ‘Sage’s Seal’.
“I am the one who responds to this book.”
“Oh you finally made a bid.”
“Iknow, right.”
Lortel saying that and smiling like a fox was quite strange. As I was flipping the campfire with a poker and wondering why he was acting like that, a fact I had forgotten was engraved in my mind.
As soon as I woke up after collapsing from overwork, the situation changed rapidly, so I asked Lortel as an impromptu request.
I’ll give you anything, so please bid for the Wise Man’s Seal.
“It was an interesting story, right?”
Seeing him smiling like a fox, I raised my hand and glanced between his eyes. Anyway, those were the words that came out of my mouth.
“Of course, I’m not a fool, so I can’t make a huge request that would make Ed feel burdened and difficult to fulfill, but it’s a virtue as a merchant to at least receive the amount of money I spent.”
“How on earth are you going to ask for such a huge favor?”
“Please take my side.”
Lortel, who once again removed the wise man’s seal by coiling his magic, sat down across from the campfire and lowered his gaze.
“Do you want me to take your side?”
“This is just a hunch… I have a feeling that there will be a huge turning point in my life before I graduate.”
If you wonder why you’re telling me such a story now, it’s ultimately winter’s fault.
Lortel, who spoke while quietly looking up at the crescent moon, seemed like a person from a very distant world.
“Politics is ultimately about taking sides, so there may come a moment when everyone living in this academy is forced to choose one side or the other… in other words, either side.”
“What kind of absurd assumption is that?”
“That’s right. Please think of it as a ridiculous assumption and listen to it.”
I said it was absurd, but in fact, it wasn’t.
Lortel has a certain intuition.
There is a promised nemesis in Lortel’s life.
Fenia Elias Cloel, Princess of Charity. Starting in his second year, he rises to the position of student council president, takes control of the school, and delves into the darkness of the Ross Taylor family… In fact, he is the main character of Act 4.
“If that time comes, please take my side. That’s all.”
The war of nerves between Princess Fenia, who expands her role in earnest from the third act, and Lortel, who opposes her.
It is not for me to decide who the winner will be. In the end, the key will be which of the two forces Tailley takes.
“I don’t think it would mean much if I took your side.”
“That’s right. Your reputation within the university is improving, but your support won’t produce meaningful results, either politically or outside of politics. You’re just a student.”
“It feels weird to say it so explicitly.”
“Then what about it? It’s not a question of whether it’s politically meaningful or not.”
Lortel smiled and spoke.
“It’s just… it’s a matter of whether it has meaning to me or not.”
“It’s not that difficult.”
The light of the crescent moon, with its only fragments remaining, cannot be ignored; it dimly shines down on the camp.
I was quite surprised to see Lortel’s face bathed in moonlight.
Lortel often does this by flashing an alluring smile and trying to guess the other person’s intentions.
However, this is my first time seeing her smile so innocently… It can be said that she is truly a girl with a thousand faces.
“I’m glad.”
The way he spoke so plainly and gently shook his mug was very Lortel-like.
“I have one last thing to tell you.”
All we did when we came to camp was talk about various things and what was going on in the world.
Still, I was very suspicious of him saying that he was healed for the first time in a while and that he was well rested, but since he said so, I stayed quiet.
“Actually, this is the main point.”
It was absurd to bring up the main topic until it was almost time to go.
“What?”
“Senior Ed, you have a younger brother, right?”
The stories that followed while smiling were definitely something that made my head spin.
“Senior, your younger brother was grinding his teeth like this. I couldn’t tell if he really saw you as an enemy of the family or if he was just holding a light grudge as your older brother, so I left him alone for now. To be honest, he was kind of cute…”
“Tanya. ?”
“yes that’s right.”
Lortel stood up, dusted off his clothes, and smiled.
“Well… I did some light work, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I just introduced you to various people to help you feel the atmosphere of being a bachelor.”
“…okay?”
“They said that after today’s news, they will go to senior Ed and talk to him tomorrow morning… Miss Tanya is your younger sister, so you know her well, right? Is it really true that you are blaming senior Ed that much?”
Then he asks again with a slightly serious face.
“If that’s really the case, I think I need to change my stance.”
I didn’t answer that question right away… I just kept groping my chin.
This was an area that needed consideration.
*
The early morning sun is dazzling.
Since it is vacation, of course there are no classes and no scholarship work.
I thought about sleeping in leisurely, but I woke up early because I wanted to do something more while I was feeling well.
Unlike at night, the northern forest after sunrise is full of vitality in its own way.
Occasionally, the sound of sparrows chirping in the morning or the sound of leaves rustling in the light wind seeps into my ears. It feels quite different from the completely silent forest at night.
“…”
As I was dazed and intoxicated with the morning air, Lucy followed me out of the cabin.
The way he walks, fluttering in his sleep, looks more like an Ottogi than a human.
During vacation, the regulations at Ofilis Hall are more relaxed, so it seems like we spend more time in the camp than in the dormitory.
At best, all I can do is take a nap, go out to eat, share my meal, or occasionally read a book or go for a walk.
There was nothing bad from my perspective. At least during the winter vacation, Lucy’s magical powers were quite helpful, so it was a good idea for her to stay at the camp as much as possible. I’m sorry for being so dependent on Yenika.
“Light a fire.”
Lucy, who was staggering at the entrance of the cabin with blank eyes, lit the bonfire before she could finish speaking. Then, he comes down with a wobbly gait and lies down on the other side of the campfire.
The air inside the cabin must have been stuffy, so as soon as the sun rose, this guy came out to get some morning air.
After wandering around, I roughly made a cup of tea and sat down by the campfire.
As I sit still, intoxicated by the morning forest air, an important fact comes to mind again.
– ‘Miss Tanya is your younger sister, so you know her well, right? Are you really blaming senior Ed that much?’
I swallowed dry saliva and took a deep breath.
I already said it… I don’t know…!
Ed Rosstaylor in “The Failed Swordsman of Sylvania” is a third-rate villain who exits in Act 1, Scene 1.
What kind of life they lived at the time they lived in the Ross Taylor mansion… we have to rely entirely on inference.
Even at first glance, Ed Ross Taylor looks pathetic and stupid, so it’s hard to think that he lived a normal life.
If we were to guess, it is highly likely that Tanya Ross-Taylor truly hates Ed Ross-Taylor. No, I’m sure.
It is currently completely unknown how to deal with the damage or what to do about it.
There is no way to know what kind of terrible things Edgar would have done to Tanya when she was living in the Ross Taylor mansion in the first place. This means that even the size of the resentment cannot be guessed at all.
Until now, my future knowledge had played a huge role in establishing the basis for judgment, but in this case, all that reliable future knowledge was useless.
You have to deal with it completely improvisationally.
“Whew…”
I exhaled once again and swept my hair up while drying my face.
It’s embarrassing. It’s definitely embarrassing.
“What will happen if you worry about it?”
At that moment, a figure walking from afar catches my eye.
She is a girl accompanied by her friend, Neo Deom-myeong. Even from a distance, it is already clear who the girl is as she walks through the forest in the morning sunlight.
The wavy, flowing blonde hair is impressive. It is a color that is very familiar to me.
The golden eyes that are as bright as the hair color and the confident gait… are the same as those seen in Act 3.
I sat quietly on the chair in the camp and stared at the approaching opponent motionlessly.
Tanya Rosstaylor.
The biological younger brother of this body I entered.
It is completely unclear what kind of relationship they will have with me. That’s why I have no choice but to stay still for now. If you stay still, you will get halfway.
Tanya, with sharp eyes, came to the front of the camp and stopped walking. A moment of silence falls between us.
Tanya scanned the camp scenery and then turned her sharp gaze towards me.
And then he slowly opened his mouth…
“Oh, it’s been a while… Brother…”
The employee standing next to him took out a well-packaged tie pin.
“It’s been a while since I last saw you… so I brought you a gift…”
“…?”
I wiped the corners of my mouth and looked at Tanya again.
He was hesitantly avoiding eye contact with an awkward expression on his face. Looks like you’re scared of something? Or maybe he looks embarrassed…? What can I say, it looks like it has seen something scary.
“…..”
At least Tanya doesn’t seem to be holding that much grudge.
Only then could I come to a conclusion.
…okay. I see…
Awesome… Ed Ross Taylor…!
Still, while I was at Ross Taylor Mansion… I lived a healthy enough life…!!
Sorry for jumping to conclusions…!! I…I don’t even know that…!!
