Chapter 20
The moment Winter sensed that her companion might be handsome, her eyes began to sparkle again.
Still, where did someone like this even come from?
Winter had been wandering all over Manutra Island, completely ignoring Erquil’s warnings and using her magic recklessly.
Yet, she had never seen a man like this before.
“Is this your first time here?”
“Yeah.”
The two of them naturally began walking side by side.
“This isn’t really a place for sightseeing.”
“Came to meet someone.”
“Oh? Family?”
“No, not exactly…”
The man trailed off for a moment, tilting his head slightly.
“Well, maybe… a master?”
“What?”
Winter’s heart skipped a beat at such a dangerous-sounding remark.
Only after seeing the man smirk did she manage to calm herself.
“Oh, it’s just a joke?”
There was no clear reply, but Winter didn’t think much of it.
There were other things she was curious about anyway.
“So, did you meet the person you came for?”
“…Yeah.”
“That’s good.”
A faint smile crossed Winter’s face, and the man’s gaze lingered on her for a long time.
Then he asked:
“Do you usually live here?”
“Something like that.”
“Are all these gifts? That’s a lot.”
The man murmured as he looked at the things he was carrying.
Originally, he had intended to split the load or let Winter carry half, but having retrieved her lost items, he had refused her offer and carried everything himself, including the rabbit mask.
Seeing him lift items that would have been too heavy for her alone so easily naturally made Winter’s eyes shine even brighter.
“That’s right, I have a lot of people to take care of.”
Winter smiled lightly at the rabbit mask’s words and then praised herself.
“I’m kind of on the good side.”
If Erquil had heard that, he would’ve scoffed, thinking, “Good? Ha, right.”
Fortunately, the rabbit mask seemed to take Winter’s words at face value.
Winter watched him nod innocently and contentedly and proceeded to explain the various parts of Manutra Island to him.
Perhaps because he was naturally quiet, the man only occasionally nodded or gave short responses, but since Winter was enjoying herself so much, she lost track of time.
Oddly, every time they passed a food vendor, the man would stop and insist on buying something for Winter.
At first, she gratefully accepted each item, but as the quantity increased, it became a burden.
“Uh, I think I’m going to burst.”
“….”
The rabbit mask flinched at her words, completely unprepared for that reaction, which made Winter laugh softly.
“I can’t eat this much anyway. I’ll get a stomachache.”
The sugar-coated fruit hovered in midair as Winter stared at it and spoke firmly.
Soon, the sparkling fruit vanished. At that, the man muttered quietly:
“…People are supposed to eat this.”
What the…? That guy’s body is decent, but his mouth is terrible. Eat it or not, doesn’t matter, just shove it in?
Winter wondered if she should give him a light tap on the head but suddenly stiffened at a memory.
‘If… if I do get a stomachache…’
‘It’s fine, it’s fine. People are supposed to eat this.’
She recalled having that conversation long ago.
Running through the city together, eating and drinking, laughing and playing, even dealing with some petty thugs—everything felt strangely familiar.
Lost in this nostalgia for a moment, Winter was snapped out of it by the rabbit mask.
“Where are you staying? I’ll take you there.”
He asked, holding all the luggage in his hands.
“I’m not staying anywhere. I’ll be leaving today.”
“Is that so? Too bad.”
On the day before her coming-of-age, Winter had contacted her family, the Vladimire dukedom, to inform them that it was safe for her to return to the capital.
Of course, Winter could travel alone if needed, but very few people besides Erquil were fully aware of her abilities.
The Duke, wanting to reunite with his daughter after eight years safely and quickly, naturally sent only the best of his secret guards.
It was almost time to meet them.
“Shall we part ways here?”
Winter stopped walking in a quiet street.
She thought it was better not to show a newcomer her magic—like riding the bird-shaped construct—so she planned to part ways at a suitable spot.
“Interesting.”
“Hmm? What is?”
“You don’t ask for my name or even my face.”
Tilting his head, the man asked, and Winter smiled faintly.
“I’d only feel more regret if I knew.”
Even though they had spent hours talking and wandering together, they hadn’t formally introduced themselves.
Thinking about this, Winter felt something strange. She had never spent so much comfortable time with someone without knowing their face or name.
“Well, you didn’t ask my name either,” she teased.
A faint smile appeared on the man’s lips.
“I don’t need to.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
At that moment, the man suddenly came closer.
His narrowed eyes, as if measuring her, felt unusually vivid.
Strangely, his eye color—green just a moment ago—seemed to flicker red.
Winter peered intently beneath the mask, but it seemed only a trick of her vision; his eyes remained green.
“Still small now, huh.”
The man muttered something indiscernible, then neatly set down all the luggage he had been carrying in front of Winter.
“Well, it was nice meeting you.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
The man waved lightly and turned away.
Winter, however, felt rooted to the spot.
‘That… he just…’
The words he had left behind lingered in her mind.
“See you again, Winter.”
It was definitely her name.
“Who was that guy?”
Lying atop her magic bird on the way home, Winter muttered to herself.
Blond hair, green eyes, a figure that made her heart race—the man lingered in her thoughts.
From the moment they met until they parted, everything about him was ambiguous.
She had deliberately not asked for his name or face, yet now she felt a twinge of regret.
“Maybe I should’ve just asked to see him.”
Feeling unsettled, Winter safely landed back on Nutra Island.
She climbed the hill and flung open the door of the cozy two-story house. Her eyes went wide.
Just as she had expected, someone she was very happy to see was descending the stairs.
“Aisel!”
“Long time no see, brat.”
Seeing Aisel’s crooked smile, Winter dashed forward and hugged her tightly.
Aisel’s smile deepened.
“You’re heavy. Let go.”
Her tone was still brusque, but the way she stroked Winter’s hair was gentle.
Winter only giggled in response.
In truth, the two hadn’t been close for long.
At first, Winter had addressed her formally as “Mage, Mage” and followed Aisel around.
But after coming to Manutra Island, the two constantly collided.
Aisel didn’t particularly like children and was naturally cynical, while Winter, who was sickly and blunt, didn’t hold back.
‘Isn’t it funny to see a grown adult trying to beat a stubborn kid?’
‘Hmph. A cheeky brat like you? I’ll show you.’
‘Hmph! Do as you please.’
Erquil had often kicked both of them out, annoyed at their noise. They fought so much it was almost unbearable.
Fortunately, time had worked its magic.
As they fought, they gradually grew to understand each other and became close friends.
Now, meeting after a long time meant sharing a warm, hearty hug.
“Did you pack all your things?”
“Huh? No. They’ll have everything ready when we get there anyway. And who knows when I’ll come back here.”
Watching Winter giggle, Aisel clicked her tongue.
“Looks like your seals have been rattled. You didn’t make another one of those monstrous birds, did you?”
Aisel certainly knew about Winter’s habit of making giant birds with magic.
“Why not?”
Winter shrugged lightly.
Aisel rubbed her forehead.
“You really… Didn’t the teacher scold you?”
“Did.”
“And yet you still do it?”
“That doesn’t bother me that much.”
Winter spoke casually.
Having grown up together, seen everything, both the unpleasant and the funny, even Erquil, who disliked most people, couldn’t intimidate her.
So naturally, the fearless Winter wasn’t scared of the Great Sage who doted on her.
“You’re probably the only one not afraid of your teacher,” Aisel said, shaking her head.
Then her expression turned serious again.
“But still… be careful.”
Winter nodded lightly, though she had heard the warning countless times.
In the research that the Great Sage and her apprentice had conducted, only partial success had been achieved.
Winter’s body, which could absorb and reproduce unlimited mana, hadn’t been altered, but they had managed to shrink the opening that drew in mana.
The twelve seals in Winter’s heart prevented her mana from overflowing.
Thanks to those seals, even after her mana blossomed, her heart remained intact.
Of course, her innate talent and constitution were not entirely blocked. She could still use her magic freely without getting too tired.
“And you, sister? Did your errand go well?”
