Chapter 87

Come, Spring (5)

Since it is a building that was recently renovated, there is no way the Ofilis Hall will be immune to a snow storm.

The management staff were all veterans and most of the students living there were highly talented, so the atmosphere was more peaceful than that of Dex Hall or Lorail Hall.

Heating measures are fully prepared, and most of the necessary items are provided by the maids. Therefore, the inside of Ofilis Hall felt like it was in a period of long rest rather than preparing for a natural disaster.

There are times when you feel eerie when crossing the hallway in the soft darkness that is unique to winter, but because there are soft lights in the various halls and student facilities inside Ofilis Hall, it actually feels cozy.

The student hall in the middle of each floor seems to be prepared as a free space mainly for students living in Ofilis Building. Of course, the space feels a bit spacious compared to its intended use.

Antique wooden pillars along the walls and tables neatly placed throughout the hall. Desserts and drinks that the maids always stocked were lined up between the pillars, and large wooden round tables were arranged near the large stove in the center.

Most students spend time in their rooms, but it is still boring to stay in the room.

Therefore, the student facilities inside Ofilis Hall were more crowded than usual.

There were also tables where students chatted, ate dessert, or had light reading sessions. Some students played chess, while others practiced sensitivity by lightly implementing various elemental magic.

“You want to duel?”

It hasn’t been long since Ziggs returned home with Elka.

Since I wanted to arrive before the snow storm, I was a bit tired from the hard work I had to do, so I planned to recover steadily from now on.

Ziggs, who was leaning diagonally at a table in the student hall and reading alchemy books, smiled curiously at the cheeky remark of a junior who came to greet him.

“Yes, Senior Ziggs.”

Ziggs folded the corner of the book he was reading and placed it on the table.

The junior who came was Wade Calamore. He was the valedictorian of the entire freshman class.

White hair and light gray eyes. A boy so white that I almost thought he was an albino greeted me with such confidence.

And then the request for a sparring match was made, saying, “I will do everything.”

“Of course, not right now. Isn’t senior Ziggs famous for being a strong man not only in the Ministry of Magic but also in the entire academy? He is not someone I would proudly challenge to a sparring match as he is still a freshman.”

“I don’t care about that. If you want, it’s not that difficult to clash swords with each other.”

Ziggs sat with his chin resting and answered indifferently.

“But why?”

“Of course, as a junior, I want to ask my senior for guidance.”

“That superficial reason is enough.”

When Ziggs said that, Wade smiled and nodded.

“It’s because I want to prove my worth. I feel like I haven’t been able to properly demonstrate my strength within the academy, so I’m looking for seniors who are known for being strong and applying to spar with them.”

“Hoo... Are you saying something like that after earning the top spot in your grade?”

“I really want to spar with senior Ziggs, but it seems like he’s exhausted from the journey, and more than anything, there’s an order to everything, so it would be too hasty to spar with senior Ziggs.”

Wade smiled his characteristic refreshing smile, but Ziggs felt that his inner thoughts were not as pure as his appearance.

Ziggs felt very proud of the juniors who showed their spirit, such as Tanya, who declared that she would take the position of student council president, and Wade, who said that he would defeat all the seniors in a duel.

“Among the second-year seniors, I will first defeat senior Clevius, who is also the head of the combat department, and senior Elvira of the pension department, and then send a challenge to senior Ziggs.”

“I’m not the head of the Ministry of Magic?”

“Isn’t the second-year senior at the Ministry of Magic the one that students of all grades ignore?”

Wade pulled out a chair, sat down, and asked the maid managing the hall to make him a cup of tea.

Clearly, it has become a kind of custom for Lucy Mayril to put rankings aside, whether calculating grades or sparring.

“If you think about that, I believe that Ziggs is actually the top second year student at the Ministry of Magic at this point.”

“Well, that’s right. I don’t want to win the battle like that. It’s true that Lucy is stronger than me, so I don’t want to leave it out of the question.”

“I have heard of your humble character, but the facts are true. If I can even defeat Ziggs, I will at least be able to prove that I am at a higher level than the second years.”

Do you know what you are talking about? Declaring that you will defeat the person in front of them may be seen as an act of starting a fight, depending on the situation.

However, Ziggs is not the type of person to be offended by such things. Wade probably knew that too.

“It’s hard to say whether I can win against Mr. Ziggs or not...”

“Does that mean that the rest of the second-year seniors can be defeated without difficulty?”

Wade simply responded with a smile.

“What are you going to do after you defeat me?”

“Then, we should expand to third-year seniors. Senior Yenika, who is the top of the entire third-year class, and senior Drake, who is the top of the combat club. And personally... I would like to compete with senior Ed, who is well-known among our first-year magic club members. .”

“It’s good to be motivated, but you have to be careful not to let that confidence spread into arrogance.”

It is not a word that conveys a particularly arrogant feeling. Ziggs was just telling the facts as they are.

Wade responded skillfully by saying thank you for the advice, but didn’t seem to be listening at all.

“First of all, I decided to schedule a sparring match with senior Clevius. It was a snow storm season and I had to stay in the dormitory, so I thought I had time to spare. The sparring venue could be the underground auditorium of the Ofilis Building. ”

A week is too long to spend indoors. Therefore, Ofilis Hall has prepared several measures to save time.

One of them is student sparring.

“However, I am a bit disappointed that Senior Clevius seems to be avoiding sparring with me.”

After saying that, Wade smiled happily.

It was obvious even without looking. There is no way Clevius, who is negative and gloomy in everything, would accept a sparring request from a freshman who is so energetic and confident.

Looking at Wade, he seems to be overflowing with motivation to fight and make the sparring happen somehow. He will try to beat Clevius somehow, either through appeasement or by being disgusting.

“The reason I’m greeting you like this today is to give you advance notice of the next time I apply for a sparring match.”

“I appreciate your consideration, but it is a useless consideration.”

Ziggs laughed again, picked up the alchemy book he had closed, and skimmed through it.

“After defeating me, they even try to surpass third-year seniors like senior Yenika and senior Ed... I don’t think that will work.”

“I understand. I don’t think I can defeat Senior Ziggs that easily.”

“No, that’s not true. Judging by the rumors, your confidence, and your achievements, you seem to be a very capable person... but you need to develop your ability to judge others a little more.”

Ziggs spoke casually as he turned the pages of a book.

“I don’t think you know anything, but you end up at the Clevius Line.”

“...”

“You don’t even come to my line, let alone senior Yenika or senior Ed.”

Clevius has always been a gloomy, timid, and pitiful person. Rumors were already spreading. The rumor was that they couldn’t figure out how he got the top position in the combat department.

Wade tried to express his displeasure by shaking his eyes at Ziggs’ words that concluded victory or defeat, but Ziggs confirmed without any hesitation.

“If you want to beat me, first develop a sense of reality.”

*

Therefore, the primary task was to eliminate any factors that would make the sainted woman anxious by calmly admitting that she had discovered your true identity.

After that, all you have to do is convince Edgar that he will not reveal the saint’s identity anywhere.

“As a believer in the Church of Telos, I am sorry for doing such a subversive act against a saint whom I greatly respect. However, I had a duty to inform her of the horrors of freedom.”

Dark cabin. A rushing draft. The sound of the wind occasionally hitting the ceiling.

The environment was so poor that it was completely different from the private bedroom of the saint in Seonghwangdo or the private room of Ofilis Hall.

When you look up and look at Ed sitting on the chair, the background is very scary.

An interior filled with the heavy smell of blood from the blood-stained teeth of hunting traps and the drying corpses and intestines of wild boars hanging on hacksaw hooks.

Of course, most of them were forced to be brought indoors due to the storm, but Clarice was not in a position to question such things.

However, the sight of Ed sitting with his hands clasped and his back bowed as he calmly continued his story... was overflowing with a sense of disconnect.

The first sight of Ed that Clarisse sees is him guarding the altar at the top of Mt.

He was holding a dagger in one hand and gathering magical energy with the other, looking down at the new students.

That scene seemed like a wall or an ordeal to overcome rather than a human being on the same level... Edra never thought about the burden that humans themselves carry.

“Seeing how she hides her identity and casually hangs out with bachelors... the saintess seems to have a strange romanticism towards the value of freedom. Some people admit it. It must be something of value.”

“That is...”

“I am also in the position of living freely in this forest. I also know very well how frustrating and difficult it is to live in bondage.”

Scenes contained in the song sung by romanticist Adele.

It is not at all strange to embrace romance in a world that shines with all natural colors and is filled with the scent of flowers.

However, the path to freedom is not always filled with the scent of flowers.

Rather, like the foul smell of wild boar blood in this hut... there are many times when it weighs down my lungs and makes me nauseous.

“Can you guess what kind of life I’m living?”

A senior who is two grades older. It’s a feeling that’s hard to summarize simply by saying it’s strong and scary.

Even the bleeding wound is not considered a big deal, and as he sits in the cool corner of the cabin among the horrible corpses and looks down at the girl, it is clear that the very texture of his life is different.

Believers of the Telos Church always kneel in reverence and respect when they see Clarice. The very idea of punishing and getting angry at a saint is impossible.

Nevertheless, the boy was looking down at the saint with cold eyes.

We know the meaning and value of faith, but what comes before that is survival itself. At least this boy survived in that environment.

This man’s life... is more about ‘surviving’ than ‘living’. Although the small difference in tone may not seem like a big deal, the reality is enormous.

There is light and darkness in everything. Freedom is no different.

If we say that Adele is a bard who praises the beauty of freedom.

This man is probably the one who represents the heaviness and darkness of freedom more clearly than anyone else.

“It would be best for you to pass away now and never come near the hut again. Even with the protection of the sacred law, you cannot avoid death by falling or starvation due to shipwreck.”

Ed said that and bowed his head calmly.

“I am sorry for being so harsh. Unfortunately, it seems that there is no one around you who can talk about this, so I decided to skip the topic.”

Then he stood up and quickly came to a conclusion.

“Then please go back now.”

From Clarisse’s perspective, there wasn’t even a chance to reply.

Clarice couldn’t even speak to Ed, who just turned away.

*

I had to quickly head to Ofilis Hall before the snow storm got stronger. If you follow Bell’s guidance, you will be able to return quickly.

If you return to Ofilis Hall, you will be able to warm up while eating delicious soup in a warm room.

You can sit in a well-appointed room and read a book in a peaceful mood, like talking about a snow storm in a distant country.

If you sit still in the Ofilis Pavilion, this strong snow storm becomes a ‘story outside the window.’

As Clarice left the camp, holding Belle’s hand, she looked back with difficulty.

After seeing the two leaving the camp, Ed went back into the cabin with the hatchet on his shoulder.

The inside of the hut will still be cool and the smell of blood will be thick. The weight of the chased reality will once again weigh on your shoulders. That scene is engraved in Clarisse’s mind and will not disappear.

The boy does not feel any burden from the weight. It is simply the weight of life that must be endured in order to survive.

Clarisse had read about it in a book. It is said that even beautiful swans continue their ugly kicks beneath the surface. A life of freedom is not much different from that.

Just looking at him sitting on top of the altar, blocking out new students and insensibly wielding magic, you would never imagine that there was something like that behind him.

“Mr. Bell.”

“Yes, Clarisse.”

“I’m sorry for making you go that far because of me...”

“I’m just doing my job. Don’t think too much about it.”

As they held Belle’s hand and walked through the snowstorm, Clarice looked back toward the cabin several times.

Anyway, for the first time since I came to Sylvania, I met a senior who I could respect.

At least in Seongdo... there is absolutely no opportunity to meet someone like that.

“...”

Of course, Belle, who had no way of knowing the true meaning, was only shedding cold sweat as she looked at Clarice, who kept looking at Ed, who she had left behind.

‘no way? is not it? I guess not...? Am I right? ‘Ah.. something ambiguous...’

Belle was just burning her stomach like that.

*

Just like that, a snow storm rages and winter leaves little by little. It goes without saying, but each person’s winter takes a different form.

Some people study magic engineering in the underground library, while others chat with spirits at the window of the Dex Building.

There is a girl who sits in the private bedroom of the Ofilis building and closes the accounts of the company, while there is also a girl who is locked in her room and complains while being tormented by the maids.

A bachelor’s assistant who takes time out during the vacation to handle paperwork, a former failed swordsman who diligently practices swordsmanship, and a guardian of the northern grasslands who sits in the student hall and reads alchemy books. A cowardly swordsman who locks himself in his room and doesn’t come out. Everyone was spending their winter in their own way.

And the same goes for the white-blonde girl who was sitting quietly in the private bedroom of the royal residence and looking up at the window.

Looking at the falling snow, Princess Fenia lowered her sad gaze and made a small decision.

Spring comes and a new semester begins, a time when many things change.

The student council president election was just around the corner.

In fact, Fenia Elias Cloel is trusted by many of the university’s supporters and is considered a strong candidate for the student council president.

“As expected, I won’t run for office...”

From Ed Rothtaylor’s perspective, it was a single word that collapsed the entire premise of the story and was like the beginning of all disasters.