Episode 35
The next morning, early in the day, Miel woke up and got dressed neatly. She headed down to the first floor of the inn.
Since the inn also served as a dining hall, she intended to have breakfast there. But some people had arrived before her.
“You’re up.”
“Good morning, Miss Miel.”
Jade and Troy were eating at separate tables.
“Oh, yes. Did you both sleep well?”
Miel asked briefly and ordered her meal before walking over to the two men.
“But why are you eating separately?”
The two men didn’t answer her question. As it happened, they had both come out of their rooms at the same time and placed their breakfast orders simultaneously.
That coincidence had irritated them both slightly, so they chose to sit at different tables.
Miel received her food and stood for a moment, looking at the two men.
“Come eat over here.”
“Miss Miel, I ordered sausages.”
Looking at them, she thought for a moment.
“Childish. Seriously.”
Then she sat at a third table alone and quietly began eating her breakfast. The two men kept glancing at her for a while before silently finishing their meals.
After breakfast, the three of them left the inn.
“As far as I know, Snowland hasn’t had much interaction with Saint Snow in a long time.”
“Well, Saint Snow has always been more or less isolated.”
Jade responded to Miel’s comment.
“Yes. So I was thinking maybe we should investigate separately and meet again at the inn afterward.”
“Sounds good, Miss Miel.”
Troy agreed, and the three of them each went off to investigate Saint Snow on their own.
“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”
Miel approached the villagers nearby, trying to ask questions. But hardly anyone was friendly.
Most of them clearly didn’t want to talk about Saint Snow.
“What do I do now?”
And it wasn’t just Miel facing this. The two men were having similar experiences. At first, the locals—especially the women—were curious about the strangers’ good looks. But once Saint Snow was mentioned, they fell silent.
Miel looked around the village, thinking hard. How should I deal with this?
“You probably won’t get any answers.”
Just then, a voice came from the alley behind her. It was a young boy.
He had brown hair and looked about thirteen years old. Miel immediately walked over to him, crouched down, and made eye contact.
“Hi, I’m Miel.”
She offered a faint, gentle smile rarely shown to others and greeted the child.
“Rain.”
“Nice to meet you, Rain. Aren’t you cold?”
Despite the chilly weather, Rain was wearing nothing but thin, tattered clothes. Miel looked at him for a moment, then took off her gloves and put them on the boy’s hands.
“No, it’s okay. Your hands must be cold.”
Rain looked up at her while touching the warm gloves she had given him.
“Why are you asking about Saint Snow?”
“Oh… because I want to go there.”
“Why?”
“I’m looking for something.”
Rain’s eyes widened briefly before returning to normal.
“I see. But the villagers don’t like that place. A long time ago, a monster lived there. Most of the people of Saint Snow were killed by it.”
“What? When was that…?”
“About 30 or 40 years ago. The few survivors now live in this village. And most of the people in Snowland are relatives of those who died in Saint Snow. That’s why no one wants to talk about it.”
Only then did Miel understand. That explained why Saint Snow had become so disconnected from the continent.
“I see. Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Rain gave her a small nod and ran off down the street.
Miel stood there for a while, thinking, then began walking slowly back to the inn.
“Miel.”
“Mr. Jade.”
The two men had already returned.
“The townspeople really don’t want to talk about Saint Snow.”
“Indeed, Miss Miel. Everyone avoided the topic.”
“I managed to hear something from a boy.”
Miel told them what Rain had shared. The two men nodded slowly as they finally understood.
“I see now. That explains their avoidance.”
“So, what do we do? We don’t have a clear plan.”
While Jade and Miel wore serious expressions, Troy spoke up.
“Well, it’s not like we got nothing. I managed to rent a small boat from a village woman.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, Miss Miel. This way, please.”
As Miel’s expression brightened, Troy smiled and led her. Jade, frowning, followed them.
Soon, they arrived at the beach where a small boat awaited. It could hold around fifteen people.
“The problem is, how do we get there?”
Jade stepped forward at Miel’s words.
“I’ll steer the boat.”
As Jade gently cast a spell, the boat began to move on its own and approached the shore as if waiting for them to board.
“The real issue is how we set the course.”
His next words made Miel and Troy’s faces darken. None of them had much knowledge about sea routes.
Of course, Jade could sail the boat safely. But without knowing the route, it was all pointless.
“Can’t your magic help us figure it out?”
“Even my magic has limits. The sea is vast. Trying to navigate while steering could lead to disaster. Both tasks require advanced magic.”
All three of them fell into thought. Just then, a small figure approached them.
“Huh? Rain?”
Miel smiled as she saw the boy again. Rain gently tugged at her sleeve.
“Take me with you. I know the route.”
“Huh? What?”
The three of them were shocked by what he said.
“Hey, kid, are you serious?”
Jade was skeptical.
“I really know it!”
Miel stepped between Rain and Jade.
“Master, this is the boy who gave me the information earlier.”
“What? This kid…?”
Jade looked Rain up and down, then sighed.
“Sure, a kid can give information. But how could he possibly know a sea route?”
“I really memorized it! I wanted to go there someday, so I secretly learned the path!”
Rain shouted earnestly in response to Jade’s doubts.
“Master, I don’t think he’s lying.”
“Hah… fine. Let’s take him. It’s not like we have many other options.”
Jade also understood they had no better choice. So, Rain officially joined the group.
“Nice to have you with us, Rain.”
“Yeah!”
Rain’s eyes sparkled.
And so, the three—no, now four—of them boarded the boat.
“Miel, take my hand.”
Jade was the first to get on the boat and extended his hand to Miel. She naturally took it—it was familiar, since he had helped her like this on a previous journey.
Troy noticed the exchange but said nothing. It was too late to do anything. Instead, he helped Rain onto the boat and got on himself.
“Hey kid, guide us properly.”
“Sure. First, just go straight…”
Jade infused magic into the boat. It slowly began to move forward.
To an outsider, it may have looked like a simple spell, but Miel knew better.
“If it looks easy, that just means… he’s doing something truly amazing.”
She knew very well what kind of condition Jade was in—his magical power was weakened due to her father’s curse.
And yet he was controlling the boat so smoothly.
“Wow… you’re a real wizard! That’s so cool…!”
Rain’s eyes sparkled as he realized Jade’s identity. Surprised by the boy’s pure admiration, Jade gave a proud shrug without realizing it.
