Ch. 113 The Witch and the Black Knight (24)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 113 – The Witch and the Black Knight (24)
Is building a snowman considered pure love?
Strictly speaking, a snowman itself wasn’t pure love, but the experience of making one with someone would surely leave a lasting impression on Edel’s journey toward understanding love.
Things like building a snowman with a wife or child. A good father is often shaped by good experiences, after all.
In that sense, I agreed with Edel’s idea of associating snowmen with pure love.
“Making a snowman is simple. Roll snow into balls and stack them.”
After finishing the sealing, we stepped outside the fortress, and I carefully explained the process to Edel.
I carved a protective spell into my bare hands to prevent frostbite, scooped up snow, and packed it tightly into a small snowball.
Then, I gently rolled it along the ground to make it bigger. I had to demonstrate each step—who knew what kind of accident Edel might cause otherwise?
“Don’t squeeze the snow too hard at first, or it’ll crumble. You handle the body, I’ll make the head. Oh, and be careful not to step too hard, or the ground might collapse. Wrap your hands in demonic energy to avoid frostbite.”
Among the dangers of snowy mountains, crevasses could open up suddenly, like any other natural disaster.
Even without crevasses, remembering how Edel had sprinted across the fortress earlier… it wouldn’t be surprising if he triggered an avalanche.
Not that he was weak enough to die from a natural disaster, but for some reason, I was still worried.
If I didn’t guide him step by step, he’d probably cause trouble in ways I couldn’t even imagine. This kind of relationship felt familiar, like I’d seen it somewhere before… and very recently, too.
“Don’t worry. The Demon Realm has winters and snow too. I’ve fought many battles in snowy mountains—you can relax.”
Edel reassured me with a slight upturn of his lips.
Of course, I knew the Demon Realm had snow. I’d spent hours playing Aria Chronicle—did he think I wouldn’t know that?
Edel seemed to have experience making snowmen.
Without a single mistake, he packed the snow into a perfectly round sphere, and for some reason, that irritated me.
It wasn’t hard to shape snow into a sphere. But I’d expected a lopsided mess, finger marks poking through.
My plan had been to patiently teach him, step by step, as he struggled to shape it properly…
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing me staring instead of working, Edel turned his head and asked.
“Nothing. Just… impressed at how well you’re doing.”
“It’s my first time, so that’s a relief. Following your instructions, the shape turned out nicely. Normally, snow just gets in the way during battles or is used to bury large groups of enemies.”
“Y-your first time?”
That word—first time—melted away my irritation.
Ehehe. Well, I am a good teacher. It wasn’t so strange that Edel’s rough hands could be delicate when guided properly.
“So, you can do it on your own now?”
“……”
It was a shame my original plan didn’t pan out, but watching a student grow was also part of a teacher’s duty.
Leaving Edel to his work, I cheerfully rolled my own small snowball.
When was the last time I made a snowman?
Memories resurfaced vividly as my snowball grew.
I’d built one with Josie when she was twelve. Back then, she’d also read a fairy tale about Sion and Aria and wanted to make one.
She used to call me Lady Witch so stiffly, but now she’s grown into a proper young woman and calls me Mom—just thinking about it made my heart flutter.
Where is she traveling now?
She must’ve reached the southern region by now, right?
Crossing from the west to the south meant sailing the sea—I hope she doesn’t get seasick. And she better not run into any boss monsters and get hurt.
If anything dangerous happened, the hairpin I’d gifted her would send me an immediate signal… but with her gone, I worried about every little thing.
Couldn’t she at least check in sometimes? That’d ease my mind a bit.
Thinking about how Dorothy must’ve felt during those hundred years without contact made my chest tighten.
“Ow—!”
While lost in thought, something hard smacked the back of my head with a dull thud!
Judging by the powdery snow scattering in the air, it was a snowball. There wasn’t even a breeze—no way it had flown on its own.
Slowly turning around, I saw Edel leaning against a snowball the size of the fortress.
And in his hand? Another small snowball, a relaxed smile on his face.
It didn’t take long to figure out what had happened. The evidence was right in front of me.
Edel had thrown a snowball at me.
Rather than anger or frustration, I was just baffled. He’s not a ten-year-old kid—why is he throwing snow?!
“Edel. Why the sudden snowball fi— Eek!”
As I brushed snow from my hair, another one hit me.
Twice!? He threw snow at me twice!?
“……”
“Sion and Aria also had a snowball fight while making a snowman. Isn’t this also pure love?”
Wiping snow from my face, I glared silently, and he had the audacity to answer like that—using pure love as an excuse.
Well, I guess it is love.
Just as Edel said, there had been a scene where Sion and Aria built a snowman and ended up in a snowball fight. Their journey was filled with battles, so I’d enjoyed the rare, lighthearted moment.
Aria, seeing snow for the first time, had been confused when Sion suddenly threw snow at her. And once she understood snowball fights, the ensuing chaos had been comedic gold.
“You started this. You’ll get what you asked for. You know what happens next, right?”
It was good that Edel was learning about love by following the book’s examples, but… Fine. He started it, so I’ll play along just like in the story.
“W-wait. Calm down, Estelle.”
Edel, who hadn’t even stuttered when facing sealing, suddenly faltered, trying to placate me—but it was too late.
I stretched both hands upward, activating a massive magic circle. The spell absorbed the surrounding snow, forming a snowball even bigger than the one Edel leaned against.
Just like the one Aria made after learning about snowball fights. Edel’s expression stiffened—he’d read the book enough times to know what was coming.
Trying to follow the story while avoiding Sion’s fate, he quickly tried to flee—but I hurled the giant snowball with all my might.
“GYAAAAAH!”
Edel’s undignified scream was muffled by snow.
The loosely packed snowball burst apart, sweeping over him like an avalanche.
Wrapped in demonic energy, he emerged relatively unscathed, brushing off the snow before lifting the remains of the snowball with both hands to retaliate.
Our snowman-building plans forgotten, the snowball fight raged on.
In the story, after getting hit by Aria’s snowball, Sion had calmly explained proper snowball fights before engaging in a gentler one.
But we were different.
We didn’t hold back—just refrained from using weapons. Instead, we hurled snowballs infused with magic and demonic energy.
“Seriously… what a mess.”
Brushing off the snow clinging to my clothes, I grimaced at the damp chill seeping into the fabric.
The heat from exertion had melted some of the snow, leaving me uncomfortably sticky. The cold wasn’t an issue—I could shield myself with mana—but I activated the drying spell woven into my dress to fix the problem.
Getting worked up over an unplanned snowball fight…
This is all Edel’s fault, I grumbled silently.
But in a way, it was inevitable. Edel had acted based on the book’s events—of course, building a snowman would lead to a snowball fight.
“That was fun. Snowball fights.”
Edel emerged from the snowbank, completely unfazed, wearing a light smile.
So that’s the face he makes when he’s happy.
After living together for a month, this was a rare expression. I stared blankly for a moment before shaking my head and snapping out of it.
If he did this with his future child or lover… the consequences would be disastrous. I had to correct him.
“Normal snowball fights aren’t like this. People don’t use mana or demonic energy—they just play normally. They don’t throw hard, either. Like this.”
With that, I casually tossed a snowball at him.
Without mana, it didn’t cut through the air like before—just followed a clumsy arc before plopping softly against Edel’s chest.
I expected him to dodge or catch it, but he took the hit without flinching, his smile unwavering.
“I see. Next time, we’ll do it that way. You’ve got snow on you. Let me brush it off.”
“Huh? Where? I already got rid of it all.”
I checked my dress and even my cleavage—no snow. I’d already dried everything. Yet Edel slowly reached out, forcing me to take two steps back.
“I-I’ll do it myself!”
After what happened inside the fortress, I was wary of his hands.
Was he using snow as an excuse to touch me…?!
A burst of mana sent snowflakes scattering—so he hadn’t been lying.
Edel withdrew his hand awkwardly, feigning disappointment, but I wasn’t falling for that look.
“More importantly, what about the snowman?”
The sunset dyed the snowy peaks red. It felt like we’d spent more time on the snowball fight than sealing the Cursed Doll…
Given the northern region’s short days, night would fall soon, and it was almost time for dinner. I doubted Edel would choose a snowman over food.
Grrrooowl…
Right on cue, Edel’s stomach growled loudly.
“Hmph. I don’t want to make a snowman alone. That’s boring.”
He was being tsundere about being hungry. Or maybe he genuinely found solo snowman-building dull.
Now that I thought about it, Edel had wanted to make one together. Even earlier, he’d emphasized the word “together.”
It was a little ridiculous that he’d done so well on his own only to complain now, but regardless, he’d clearly lost interest.
“Should we make one next time? Together.”
“……”
If he ended up associating snowmen with boredom, I could already imagine his future self skipping straight to snowball fights—and that wouldn’t be fun to watch. So I coaxed him gently, and Edel turned his head to meet my eyes.
Ehehe. Easy. Too easy.
But… how do you make a snowman together?
Do we each make separate parts? Or roll the same snowball at the same time?
“Let’s go home and eat.”
“Wait.”
I’d figure it out later.
Just as I prepared a teleportation circle, Edel stopped me.
“There’s something I want to try in the north.”
“Something you want to try?”
There was no way Edel knew about northern specialties. I wracked my brain for foods from Aria Chronicle Part 2.
“Ah, cornelia berries?”
A glint in Edel’s eyes confirmed my guess.
In the story, Sion and Aria had taken a quest from a pregnant woman with severe cravings and searched for a fruit called cornelia berries.
Sweet and delicious—Aria had loved it so much she tried to eat the woman’s share before Sion stopped her.
I’d been curious about cornelia berries too during my past visits to the north, so I understood Edel’s interest.
Coincidentally, it was peak season for cornelia berries. A light snack before dinner wouldn’t hurt.
“Let’s eat dinner a little later.”
Since we needed to head further south to find cornelia berries, I teleported us immediately.
Lucent
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