Chapter 26
By now, nearly two weeks had passed since they began traveling by carriage.
After staying for a couple of days in the Teson region to recover from their fatigue, they were preparing to set off again.
While Hirkan sent a letter to the duke’s residence, there was a brief moment of free time, and Deborah cautiously approached Winter.
“Um… miss…”
“Hm? What is it, Deborah?”
“Th-this….”
Deborah, slightly flushed, suddenly held something out to Winter.
Catching it instinctively, Winter tilted her head in curiosity.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a gift,” Deborah said.
“A gift?”
“Yes… I feel like I’ve been far too rude to you all this time…”
Deborah scratched her cheek and avoided Winter’s gaze.
Startled by the sudden change in demeanor, Winter glanced around.
It seemed that Medilliane had been watching Deborah closely earlier, which had made Winter a little uneasy.
Like keeping a mischievous puppy in check, she scanned the area—but thankfully, Medilliane was nowhere to be seen.
“It’s… clothes,” Deborah said, pointing at the gift.
Winter, still hesitant to open it, had been holding it awkwardly.
“Oh, really?”
Surprised, Winter’s eyes widened as she unfolded a lightweight shirt of deep blue.
“It’s made of special fabric, so it’s moisture-resistant and partially waterproof,” Deborah explained.
“When did you even buy this?”
“Just before we set off,” Deborah muttered, glancing away, clearly embarrassed.
“Thanks. I’ll wear it well,” Winter said, smiling slightly at the unexpected gesture.
Deborah lifted her head suddenly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Would you like to try it on now? Since I guessed the size, I wanted to make sure it fits comfortably!”
“Hmm, I think it can just be tailored…”
Winter considered letting a tailor adjust it if necessary, trailing off at the sight of Deborah’s eager, expectant gaze.
“Alright. Then, shall we try it on?”
“I’ll help you!”
Such an unusually proactive attitude made Winter pause. Help her put on a shirt?
Deborah let out a slightly mischievous grin.
“Well, thanks then.”
The deep blue shirt fit Winter perfectly, almost like it had been painted onto her.
Even Deborah, who had given the gift, was momentarily speechless.
But unfortunately, the shirt soon became soiled.
As expected, their carriage was ambushed again.
“Damn it, there are too many of them!”
Hirkan yelled irritably, swinging his sword wildly.
It seemed as if their usual attackers had tripled in number. No matter how skilled their guards were, they couldn’t handle a full-scale melee.
The fighters were limited, and the onslaught of attackers seemed endless.
Looking out the window, Winter clicked her tongue.
“All of these are bandits?”
Who in their right mind would gather this many bandits to trap people in one place?
It felt as though their goal was not jewels or gold, but the people themselves.
“Could it be….”
A sense of foreboding crept over her.
Eventually, Winter stepped out of the carriage while resting inside.
Medilliane immediately noticed and swiftly approached her side.
“Stay inside, miss,” he said.
“I don’t think we can handle them with this many,” Winter replied.
Even someone like Medilliane, who would normally cut down attackers with reckless abandon, was struggling.
He didn’t even use his signature magic.
Observing Medilliane relying solely on his sword, Winter wondered if he was intentionally holding back.
“Dylan, you’re not hurt, right?”
“Of course not,” Medilliane replied calmly after kicking away a man charging at him.
His crimson eyes gleamed like a predator.
Even without magic, he was a formidable swordsman.
His blade moved as if it were an extension of his body, never missing a target.
“Would you like me to cut off his wrist for you?”
He held up a fallen bandit with a grin, blood smeared across his face, perfectly fitting his fearsome aura.
Winter quickly looked away, trying not to focus on the scene, and muttered reluctantly:
“No, I don’t like that anymore.”
“Ah, I see. What a shame,” Medilliane replied.
“But… this isn’t exactly the time for joking around,” Winter said, noticing the enemy numbers swelling.
Hirkan, at the front line, yelled in panic:
“Dylan! You idiot! Can’t you handle this properly?”
“Go help them. I’ll handle this side,” Medilliane said.
“Tch.”
Reluctantly, Medilliane stepped forward, cutting down anyone in his path with his sword.
“Why isn’t he using magic…?”
Winter wondered, realizing that his true danger lay in the magical power he possessed.
“Right, now is not the time to worry about him.”
The bandits swarmed closer to her.
Winter exhaled shallowly, fully aware of the precarious situation.
“Ah, no…!”
A carriage driver shrieked as he raced away.
“No, not there…!”
Before Winter could finish, the driver tripped over a rope trap.
He got caught in a net and was hoisted up against a tree.
“Save me! Help me!”
The tighter the net became, the more the driver’s face contorted with terror.
The bandits laughed cruelly at his plight.
“Miss, why don’t you come quietly before you end up like that?”
“Yeah, the back edge is already a cliff. You wouldn’t want to die here either.”
Winter glanced back. They were indeed running the carriage to the edge of a cliff to escape the bandits.
She couldn’t understand why they were so intent on capturing her.
Perhaps they were hoping to demand a ransom?
Of course, Winter had no intention of giving in.
“You should worry more about your own future,” she said confidently.
“Oh? Why? Are you going to fight with a sword too?”
“No, my specialty is….”
Winter’s confident hand went to her waist—but she suddenly realized her usual magical tool was missing.
“Oh… what? Why is it gone…?”
Panic flashed through her mind as Deborah’s words echoed:
‘Would you like to try it on now?’
‘I’ll help you!’
By coincidence—or fate—Winter’s gaze met Deborah’s.
“Eh… no way…”
To her astonishment, Deborah, who had pretended to be weak, now smirked slyly and pushed back an attacker with one hand.
It seemed that she, too, had been hiding her true abilities.
“Having a bad day, miss?” the bandits mocked, seeing Winter quietly poised.
Winter contemplated for a moment whether she should play up her expression of despair or scream to meet their expectations.
But she decided against it.
“Bad day? Not at all.”
She smiled brightly, scanning the area quickly.
The carriage driver had gotten himself out of harm’s way, and both Medilliane and Hirkan were far away.
Now was the perfect time for action.
“Just because I don’t have that one thing doesn’t mean I can’t use magic.”
Winter muttered, and white magic coalesced in her hand.
Her eyes glowed a deep golden hue, and a cold wind swirled around her.
“What are you doing…?”
Sensing a strange aura, the bandits instinctively took a step back—but it was already too late.
A gleaming silver spear formed in Winter’s hand.
“Goodbye, everyone.”
Winter smiled as she launched the magical spear.
A massive whirlwind erupted with a deafening roar.
The young trees nearby were struck as if by lightning.
Suddenly, the temperature plummeted, freezing the ground beneath their feet.
“What… is this?!”
“Ahhh!”
“Help! Someone save me!”
Winter’s magic, controlled by her will, devoured all living things in its path.
Amidst the chaos of blood and screams, Winter alone remained calm.
The bandits froze in place, trapped in blocks of ice, their mouths sealed by the frost.
“Finally… some peace.”
Even after freezing every living thing nearby, Winter smiled lightly.
“The area got a bit larger than I expected, but I’d say that’s a success.”
Without her magical tool, her power often ran wild.
This time, the range of her magic exceeded her expectations.
“Hmm… well, I did try to limit it.”
She tapped the thick ice covering the ground, murmuring to herself.
Though her face was still angelic and gentle, the effect was terrifyingly deadly.
“Run! Everyone, run!”
“Ahhh! A witch! A witch’s here!”
The ice, like a ravenous beast, started swallowing the remaining bandits.
They fled in panic, creating a second wave of chaos.
Amidst the fleeing crowd, Winter’s eyes met Deborah’s again.
Deborah stared at her, completely stunned, as if she hadn’t expected this.
But Winter hadn’t noticed one thing.
“Eeeeek!”
The sound came from the wind cutting through the trees, sounding almost like the trees themselves were screaming.
Winter turned around and saw the horses, panicked from the commotion.
They had been anxious the entire time from the scent of blood and the clash of battle, and now they struggled wildly at the explosion of sound.
“Oh…?”
