Chapter 27
“Get out of the way, miss!”
At Hirkan’s shout, Winter staggered backward.
She had been almost at the edge of a cliff and tilted her head slightly.
Strange… why does it feel like they’re coming this way…?
“…No, they’re actually coming this way!”
Winter tried to run backward to escape, only to curse under her breath as she saw the cliff right in front of her.
“Damn it… what do I do now…?”
Just then, the horses slipped on the ice Winter had laid down.
If they collided like that, whether they fell or not, some bones were bound to break.
But before Winter could even try to do something,
Whoosh!
Someone enveloped her, and she fell together with them.
Instinctively, she opened her eyes wide and saw a man who seemed to embody winter, holding her tightly.
Winter screamed out his name.
“May!”
At the sound of her calling him, Medilliane laughed lightly, a cheerful, carefree laugh.
“Miss, even if we fall to our deaths like this, I’d be fine with it.”
His bright expression was recklessly fearless.
Hearing him say they might die, Winter panicked and shouted,
“What nonsense! Who said anything about dying?!”
“But at this rate, we’d hit that rock down there and probably have all our bones crushed,” he said casually, making Winter’s stomach churn.
He pointed to a large rock jutting out below.
She could also see a narrow strip of relatively stable ground below.
How could I let a chance like this end in death?
Muttering to herself, Winter gritted her teeth.
Their bodies were falling rapidly.
If they hit the ground like Medilliane said, their heads would smash, and they’d die.
The thought of dying with the person she loved most—it wasn’t something she would ever allow.
“May, hold on tight.”
Winter said this and focused intensely.
Her eyes glowed with a deep golden light once again.
Magic rapidly formed on her outstretched hands, and soon became a gust of wind that enveloped both of them.
Thanks to this, they floated gently.
They were still falling, but their speed had noticeably decreased.
If they could just descend slowly like this, it could even be considered a landing rather than a fall.
The problem was, the magic had been created in such a hurry that it was unstable.
“Uh-oh…”
As the shaky magic wavered, it shot them downward.
The sharp wind blew away all the rocks and the narrow strip of land that could have supported them.
“Wow, that’s clean,” Medilliane whistled in admiration.
If they weren’t falling through the air together, she would have probably punched him for being so calm.
Winter let out a sigh as she watched Medilliane’s lack of concern.
“…Damn it.”
Her eyes caught the fast-flowing water of the valley below.
Medilliane must have seen it too, because he whispered while holding Winter tightly,
“Miss, can you swim?”
It looked like they were going to fall into the water.
Sure enough, enveloped in Winter’s wind magic, they splashed into the valley stream.
The wind and water cushioned most of the impact, but the danger didn’t end there.
The current was stronger than they expected.
“Phew, May! Are you okay?”
Struggling in the icy water, Winter searched for Medilliane first.
Her teeth chattered instantly from the cold water.
“Yes! Miss, are you… Miss? Miss!”
At her call, Medilliane turned and his face paled.
Winter was being swept away by the strong current.
She tried to use magic again, but her body was too exhausted to muster any strength.
Eventually, Winter lost consciousness completely.
“Winter!”
“This isn’t working. Failed again.”
Winter rose slowly, her heavy body moving with difficulty.
Bottles filled with various potions and papers stacked as if they might reach the ceiling surrounded her. Scattered formulas covered the floor.
“Ugh.”
She vomited what was in her mouth. Bright red blood dripped and soaked her right foot.
Her internal injuries made her stomach churn and burn.
Her whole body shivered.
“What’s the problem, Master?”
“…I wonder.”
Winter leaned against the wall, swaying, as Erquill and Aisel engaged in heated discussion.
Already exhausted, Winter turned her gaze elsewhere.
Her face reflected over the gray potions, emaciated and pitiful.
Judging by appearance, it seemed like it had been about three years since she had come to Manutra Island.
At first, she believed she could survive, that she could succeed in her experiments, and endured all the suffering—but the experiments failed every single day, in one way or another.
At that time, Winter wanted to give up all these useless experiments.
“Stop it.”
Her lips, tinged blue from pain, managed to form words.
Erquill and Aisel both turned to her at once.
“What did you say, child?”
“Stop it. I’m going to die anyway, and none of us can change that.”
Her face, sharp with irritation, spoke with certainty.
Aisel, frowning, was about to say something, but Erquill stopped her.
“Do you truly think that?”
“….”
Winter didn’t answer. Instead, she said something else.
“I have to return to the capital.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s someone there whose fate I truly want to change.”
“You foolish child. You could really die that way.”
Erquill’s gaze was as cold as ice.
Despite his warning, Winter just smiled wryly.
“I don’t care. I made that decision long ago.”
Death alone was no longer frightening.
Erquill studied her closely and finally spoke.
“Then how about this?”
After some thought, Erquill proposed sealing Winter’s heart.
Her body was fragile and precarious, like a cup filled with water ready to overflow.
Still,
“If the seal holds, you won’t die.”
Erquill etched twelve seals onto Winter’s body.
The old man’s gray hair was soaked in sweat.
“But remember. This seal isn’t infinite.”
His eyes shone as clearly and sharply as a young man’s, piercing through everything.
Winter, facing the gaze of the great sage, looked extremely small and young.
Like a prophecy foretold, her hair was black, her eyes golden.
“What you are trying to do will eventually loosen the seals and squeeze the life out of you.”
Without a trace of fear, Winter smiled brightly.
Her lips, bruised and battered from enduring so much pain, showed nothing but innocence.
“Don’t worry. Thank you, Grandma!”
The child addressed the world’s great sage casually as “Grandma.”
Not long after, this child would establish the guild Calista.
“…Huff!”
Awakening from a long dream, Winter opened her eyes wide.
Habitually, she pressed her hand to her chest to check her heart. Even after losing consciousness and waking up, she always did this.
Her heart, beating slower than a normal person’s, thankfully was calm.
“Ha… thank goodness.”
With a sigh of relief, Winter finally looked around.
A dim cave. A small fire flickered, casting shadows on the walls.
Her wet shirt from falling into the water had already dried.
“So it’s really resistant to moisture… not a complete lie, I guess.”
She thought of Deborah, who had mischievously twinkled her eyes, and chuckled softly.
Her gaze then landed on Medilliane, leaning against the wall and dozing off.
Winter, holding her breath, carefully approached him.
She sat down beside him, back against the wall, just like Medilliane.
Then, Medilliane’s body slowly tilted sideways.
“Uh-oh.”
Winter quickly caught him.
He lay down, resting his head on her lap, looking peaceful.
“Good grief.”
Brushing aside Medilliane’s messy hair, Winter smiled wryly.
But her hand froze mid-motion.
Every spot she touched was unnaturally hot.
“…May?”
Checking his forehead, she found a fever blazing.
“May!”
“…Mm.”
Startled by the fever, Winter shook him gently.
Medilliane groaned softly, struggling to open his eyes.
“May, wake up. Your forehead—it’s burning! Are you okay?”
After several shakes, Medilliane finally opened his eyes.
“…Miss? Ugh…”
He tried to sit up but staggered.
His usual calm face was twisted in pain.
Winter, holding the faltering Medilliane, asked frantically,
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where? Your arm? Shoulder?”
Her voice trembled.
When she realized she was the reason Medilliane was hurt this time, her heart broke.
“Then why did you save me from there? Now you’re hurt instead…”
Unable to finish her words, Winter bit her lip. Her nose tingled with emotion.
Medilliane held her hand gently.
“I couldn’t just leave you to fall alone.”
His small, slow voice made Winter lean closer to him.
“And for this kind of thing… sleep makes it better.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“We got carried far by the current, but someone will come looking for us.”
Though drowsy from the fever, his voice remained calm.
Winter felt the clutter in her mind clear as she listened.
Blinking, she finally spoke.
