Ch.35When Eyes Turn Red (1)

After the first snow, how much time had passed?

The snowflakes pouring from the sky began to paint the world white, making the first snowfall seem insignificant. Tree branches breaking under the weight of snow, fallen leaves disappearing beneath the white blanket. Located in the northern part of the empire, Yuris was familiar with snow, and people naturally took out their fur clothes to wear.

Crunch-

I thought I’d seen snow that always appeared black from being trampled by cars and people’s shoes, but the snow here was purely white. Though occasionally there was dirty snow mixed with soil and fallen leaves, even that was rare. I could only stare blankly at the pristine white snow that reached my knees when stepped on.

“Fortunately, we’ve had less snow this year. Last year, it was actually faster to crawl around.”

“…Is that so?”

Since I had no memories from before this year, I could only tilt my head in confusion. Snow piled up to my knees and they’re saying this is little? In terms of my original world, should I be thinking of Russia? This was also the northern region, so perhaps it was similar.

Thwack-

A sudden snowball hits my face and falls away. The cold sensation of snow flows across my face, making me squeeze my eyes shut momentarily. After wiping the moisture from my face and narrowing my eyes, I saw Rofena giggling mischievously.

“You couldn’t even dodge that? Hehe.”

“…Ha.”

Come to think of it, Rofena was still only 15 years old. I was now 16, making me older than her. I thought perhaps I should show some dignity as an older brother. I stared at Rofena for a moment, then lightly packed some snow into my hand.

Should I add some mana to it?

“Hmm.”

I suppose at 15, it’s an age for playfulness. Of course, it wouldn’t be bad to be generous and let it slide, but why did Rofena’s snickering face look so annoying to me? I threw the snowball in my hand with all my might, hitting her squarely on the head. She must have been hit quite hard, as her head jerked backward from the impact, which was quite amusing.

“Ah, no. Why did you throw it so hard?!”

“You started it first.”

“Can’t you be a little more aware that you’re a knight? It hurts, I’m telling you it hurts!”

“Yeah, don’t care.”

Rofena’s face turned bright red from being hit with snow as she shrieked loudly, but I just shrugged my shoulders and started throwing snowballs again. When was the last time I had a snowball fight? I think it was probably back in elementary school.

Though Rofena claimed to be angry, the corners of her mouth were turned up, so it seemed she wasn’t hurt too badly.

Maybe I should soak her completely with snow.

After throwing snow for quite some time, I suddenly turned my head at a presence felt from far away. Probably near the entrance of the duke’s residence, the flag soaring high in the sky was clearly Roman’s symbol—a feathered sword.

“Roman?”

As I muttered, Rofena seemed to remember something, clapping her hands and parting her lips slightly. Was there something she had forgotten? When I asked, she began moving back toward the mansion and answered.

“I think I need to go see the young lady. They’ve probably come because of the hunting festival.”

“…Ah.”

Come to think of it, was the hunting festival tomorrow? I looked at the snowball in my hand for a moment, then put it down and started walking.

The hunting festival—I should probably go see Aileen.

#

“Have you come?”

When I went to where Aileen was, she opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for me. However, what caught my attention first were the flags placed beside her. As I stared at them, Aileen took a sip of tea and looked at me.

“Tomorrow is the hunting festival, so I’ve prepared some things for you to take. You’re the knight representing Yuris. We can’t give you shabby things, can we?”

“…Isn’t this a bit excessive?”

There were no fewer than five flags alone. From flags emblazoned with the Yuris crest to those bearing the emblems of Yuris’s knights, elaborate swords, uniforms, and especially uniforms studded with jewels—seeing all this made me feel rather burdened.

Was this hunting festival more important than I thought? I had assumed it was merely a noble’s pastime, but seeing all these preparations made me think it might be a more significant event than I had realized.

“It’s not excessive. These are things for you to carry.”

“If I’m holding all these, which hand would I use to hold my sword?”

“…Ah.”

As if her mind had been elsewhere, Aileen parted her lips slightly and let out a sigh. Looking quite disappointed, she glanced at the flags on one side and carefully spoke to me.

“You’re right. You wouldn’t be able to hold your sword.”

The swords and uniforms would honestly be quite uncomfortable to move in. Aileen seemed quite disappointed, but I couldn’t wear uncomfortable things and move around. When I shook my head at Aileen, who was glancing at me, she smiled bitterly and then spoke to Rofena.

“Rofena, call people to put these away. It’s disappointing, but it can’t be helped.”

“They look quite expensive, but couldn’t they be used later? The sword and uniform could be worn at the knighting ceremony, right?”

“…Come to think of it, your knighting ceremony isn’t far off.”

“It’s right after the hunting festival.”

It was a season where snow piled up and breath shattered in the cold wind. The knighting ceremony that should have been held before the snow fell had been delayed entirely because of the black mage. Aileen also seemed to recall the black mage, frowning momentarily before exhaling and speaking.

“Did you see Roman’s flag outside? This hunting festival will be held nearby. The entire Verdeng Mountain will be the stage for this festival.”

I nodded at her words. I had already known that the hunting festival would be held on Verdeng Mountain. However, what worried me was the rumor that monsters occasionally appeared on Verdeng Mountain.

If I had to point out the completely different aspects between this world and the real world I used to live in, it would definitely be the existence of mana, but also the existence of monsters.

Monsters—strange life forms that had existed since the beginning of this world. Clearly different from humans but possessing intelligence, these creatures lived with their own societies and naturally coexisted with humans. Most of these monsters were friendly to humans, but some were hostile, with trolls being the most representative example.

Protruding tusks, backs curved like inverted bows, blue or green skin—there had been talk of trolls occasionally appearing on Verdeng Mountain. I wondered if it was alright to proceed with the hunting festival. Of course, since Roman was directly overseeing it this time, there probably wouldn’t be any major issues, but I was still concerned.

As if sensing my thoughts, Aileen looked at me and spoke quietly.

“The trolls living on Verdeng Mountain are rather quiet. They won’t attack unless provoked first. And the hunting festival will only take place at the foot of the mountain, not deep inside. In truth, it’s called a hunting festival, but it’s closer to entertainment.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Still, don’t overdo it. Even you could get hurt if you’re hit by a bear.”

At most, they’d be hunting bears or tigers, so there was no need to overexert myself. Originally, I had only planned to participate lightly. However, after meeting the duke, my thoughts had changed somewhat. I couldn’t just take it lightly anymore. The duke’s words when discussing the black mage—”be careful of the hunting festival”—still lingered in my mind.

It seemed the black mage and the hunting festival were related somehow. But I couldn’t predict exactly how it would manifest. What the duke mentioned was just a possibility, so I couldn’t hastily conclude that the black mage would appear.

Possibility—what was the basis for the duke’s prediction?

Was he already convinced that one of the five great houses had allied with the black mage? However, such thoughts began to dissipate slowly. When my gaze met the blue eyes quietly watching me, I shifted my attention from the empty air to look at Aileen.

“You seem lost in thought.”

“…Well.”

Looking displeased, she frowned slightly, a momentary chill passing through her eyes. I awkwardly smiled and lowered my head, and she sighed and twisted the corner of her mouth.

“I know that all five great houses are participating in this hunting festival. And I also know that whichever house wins will proudly boast about it for a while.”

Cold wind seeped in through the open window. The steam rising from the warm tea swirled slowly, and Aileen, watching it, spoke again.

“My father might not feel this way, but I don’t particularly desire victory. The pressure of being Yuris’s representative is naturally great, but… don’t feel too burdened. After all, hunting festivals are held multiple times.”

“……”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Did my thoughtful expression make it seem like I was feeling pressured about the hunting festival? Well, my expression might have appeared serious as I was thinking about the black mage.

Aileen’s eyes narrowed, seemingly puzzled by my laughter, and I smiled faintly and spoke.

“Are you worried about me?”

In the past, how would Aileen have responded? She might have told me to leave if I was going to make such expressions. She had actually done so once before.

When I asked playfully, Aileen glanced at me and ignored my words, quietly picking up her teacup.

As the aroma from the tea filled the space, I felt my mind settling calmly. The mild anxiety that had arisen from thoughts of the black mage and the subtle tension of representing Yuris disappeared, leaving my body languid, and I slowly closed my eyes.

Like gently flowing water, silence enveloped the room.

In the stillness surrounding the room, the only sound was Aileen placing her teacup on the table. That clear sound wrapped around my ears momentarily, and then Aileen’s voice broke through the silence. When I opened my eyes at her soft yet characteristically cool voice, I realized her gaze was fixed on me.

“Has your injury healed?”

“…My shoulder has completely healed.”

It had been two weeks since the fight with the black mage. The bandages had been removed for quite some time, but when she saw me, the thought seemed to cross her mind, and Aileen was looking at me with a slightly darker expression than before.

Did she blame herself for my injury? It was quite awkward to see her face darken every time she saw me with bandages.

She also wielded a sword, so she must understand. That at the point of handling mana, the human body already transcends its limits. This level of injury was no problem at all. It was just a severe wound, but it was never life-threatening to begin with.

Why did I feel uncomfortable when she made such expressions? It would be nice if she always smiled brightly like she did before. At first, I just wanted to see it once, but now I wished she would always be that way—people are truly fickle creatures.

“I won’t get hurt this time.”

“…Of course you shouldn’t.”

“At most, I’ll be hunting bears, so it won’t be easy to get hurt even if I tried.”

Aileen looked at me silently for a moment, then nodded. It was surprising that she was worried about me, but she had also told me not to get hurt when fighting the black mage before. Perhaps it was her hidden nature.

There was no need to hide it. The conversation I had with the duke kept circling in my mind. Eyes that had lost their heart and held only emptiness.

The thought that Aileen might one day have the same eyes as the duke made me frown. Could I prevent her from becoming like that?

All that lay ahead was a future as hazy as fog. Even for someone like me who knew the future, it was still difficult to easily change a person’s heart. But I knew I had to confront it. Hadn’t I resolved not to run away? As I had already deeply decided in my heart, I would stay by her side at least until I left this world.

“Evan.”

When Aileen’s voice reached me again, I realized I had been staring at her and hurriedly averted my gaze. However, in my confusion, my eyes wandered aimlessly, and Aileen, watching me, eventually sighed.

“I told you not to feel burdened.”

It’s not that I’m feeling burdened; I was thinking about you. But I couldn’t answer like that, so I just smiled awkwardly. Aileen, looking at me, then took out a handkerchief from her pocket and spoke.

“…I heard somewhere that during wars, people would give their handkerchiefs to knights.”

“My lady?”

I wasn’t given time to ask what the handkerchief was for or why she was saying such things. Before I knew it, my wrist was grabbed, and like a magnet, I was pulled forward until our hands touched. Every time those thin fingers on her small hand brushed against my wrist, an electrifying sensation passed through me. My face flushed with embarrassment, and my lips parted slightly for a moment.

This seemed to be her first time doing something like this too, as she looked quite awkward placing the handkerchief on my wrist. Her skin, cooled by the cold wind, touched mine.

Whenever I noticed her hands, which were quite small compared to others, why did my chest feel ticklish? Perhaps it was the fact that she was tying a handkerchief around my wrist that made me feel this way.

Giving a handkerchief to a knight—as she mentioned, such things did happen occasionally. But wasn’t that something given to someone you loved? Remembering this fact made my face feel hot, and I raised my head. Seeing her tying the handkerchief around my wrist with an oblivious expression, I couldn’t correct her, so I just kept my mouth shut and waited until she finished.

It was a very short time, but why did it feel so long? I now understood how the touch of body temperature could stir one’s heart so much. 36.5 degrees—everyone had the same body temperature, but Aileen’s skin seemed a little colder than that, and the sensation of her touch on my skin wouldn’t easily fade.

When her hand finally left my wrist, I was able to exhale with difficulty. My face flushed from the lingering sensation, and as I wiped my face with my dry hand, Aileen moved her lips and then carefully spoke.

“…I’m giving this to you because you look too anxious. I need to get it back, so don’t dirty the handkerchief.”

“Do you know what this means when you give it?”

“Isn’t it given as a wish for a safe return?”

“…That’s right. I’m glad you know.”

A laugh escaped me at the fact that she truly didn’t know the original meaning. It was just my own misunderstanding—that’s how I should think of it. I hope she doesn’t realize this meaning later and become embarrassed.

Looking at the white handkerchief wrapped around my wrist, the corners of my mouth twitched involuntarily. How should I put it? My wrist felt ticklish somehow. I was also grateful that she cared enough to do this because I looked anxious.

Turning my gaze to look outside the window, I could see the round moon rising on the opposite side of the setting sun. The sky dyed red, and beneath it, the snow piled up white. I fell into contemplation while looking at this beautiful winter scenery.

When the sun rises again, it would be the start of the hunting festival.