Ch.88Chapter 88: Interlude

#

As I watched the white snowflakes falling heavily enough to blanket the fortress, I wondered what thoughts crossed people’s minds.

The soldiers stationed at the fortress would most likely think of the hard labor called snow removal.

This wouldn’t be much different for me either, having shoveled snow to exhaustion before my regression.

Judging by the fact that soldiers and knights weren’t being mobilized from the barracks yet, they probably thought it was still manageable for now.

But once the snow accumulated up to my ankles, they’d likely mobilize platoon-level forces for snow removal.

Unlike Shizu who still found joy in watching the snow, I was about to form a bitter smile at the thought that I no longer had the sensitivity to appreciate the dreamlike scenery snow created. But—

Thud-!!

The bitter smile that was about to form on my lips didn’t continue as I felt a dull impact against my back.

…Could it be?

As I turned my head with suspicion—

“Direct hit!”

There was Shizu, looking at me with an expression that combined innocence and playfulness.

In her right hand was a well-packed snowball.

That must be what had struck my back with that dull impact just now.

Beyond simply enjoying the snowy scenery, Shizu seemed to have already figured out how to play with the snow.

“Yap!”

This became certain when she lightly tossed the snowball in her right hand while looking at me.

Before I could even finish processing the sensation of being hit in the back, another well-packed snowball was flying toward me.

Judging by its trajectory, it would hit me square in the face if I didn’t dodge it.

Given its size, it wouldn’t hurt even with a direct hit, but the thought that I’d become Shizu’s laughingstock if I failed to dodge something flying so obviously toward me—

My head naturally tilted slightly away from the snowball’s trajectory.

Whoosh

And so, the second snowball Shizu threw brushed right past my face.

“Ah.”

Perhaps disappointed that her confident strike had failed.

The triumphant expression she’d worn while throwing the snow briefly showed signs of bewilderment.

Just like during our sparring match at the training ground earlier, that moment was extremely brief.

But it was more than enough time for me to counterattack in the same manner.

I quickly bent down to gather snow, then lightly swung my right arm to throw it.

The snowball, slightly larger than the tiny one Shizu had packed, flew with an air of nonchalance—

Thud-!

“Aah!”

It instantly hit her left leg.

Even though I’d thrown it gently, her light scream suggested she wasn’t crying out from pain but from surprise at failing to dodge the snow.

Though I’d thrown it gently, I’d predicted her movements, allowing me to hit her leg with perfect accuracy.

I’d initially thought about aiming for her face as she had done to me, but…

…The thought of hitting that beautiful face made me change my target to her leg.

Since I was deliberately throwing with minimal force, it wouldn’t hurt even if it hit her.

But no matter how white and clean the snow might be, I felt it shouldn’t touch her face—a face I barely had enough time to gaze at, whether from afar or up close—so I aimed for her left leg instead.

[…Sigh.]

What’s with Fafnir now?

[You’re such a doting fool.]

‘Have you just realized that?’

[…Sigh.]

Despite my steadfast maintenance of my inner thoughts that bordered on obsession, Fafnir could only respond with a sigh tinged with resignation after reading my mind.

I briefly considered driving the point home further, but—

Whoosh-!!

My thoughts were interrupted as I had to dodge another snowball from Shizu aimed at my face.

I dodged this one more narrowly than the first.

It was still tiny in size.

And even a direct hit wouldn’t have hurt.

But the trajectory aimed at my face was so precise that I couldn’t help but admire it even as I dodged.

However, perhaps because I noticed and avoided it before it could reach me—

“Ah!”

Looking at me as I dodged the snow with a light movement—

“Hmm!!”

Though faint, I could easily detect a competitive spirit in Shizu’s expression, rather than the playfulness from before.

This really hasn’t changed since she was young.

Even if she doesn’t care much about the outcome itself—

Her characteristic diligence of giving her all until the moment victory is decided was evident even in this simple snowball fight.

She was just as adorable now as she was then.

And lovely on top of that.

The tender feelings I felt when I saw Shizu looking at me with a face on the verge of tears as I lay in bed clutching my aching head after my regression only grew stronger with time.

Along with the slight upward curve of my lips.

[…Why did I have to wake up to this guy?]

Fafnir’s lament deepens.

Somehow, I seem to have discovered a more effective way to torment him than directly addressing him.

From now on, if he teases me, I’ll just think about Shizu and rub salt in his wounds.

Feeling pleased with this discovery, I could feel the corners of my mouth curving up even more gently.

“…Are you enjoying that I can’t hit you?”

But seeing my naturally upturned lips, Shizu seemed to think I was taunting her.

“Hah!”

With a slightly annoyed expression—

“I’ll hit you this time, so don’t dodge!”

With an utterly serious expression as she instructed me not to dodge—

Swish-! Swish-! Swish-!

She launched an all-out attack, swinging her right arm three times almost simultaneously.

Three tiny snowballs that still wouldn’t hurt even if they hit were targeting my head, torso, and left leg respectively.

The trajectories, which even a sling specialist would admire, were becoming even sharper.

Though not impossible to dodge, I wasn’t sure what offensive she might launch next if I dodged again and further annoyed her, so—

Thud-!

First, I slightly lowered my head to take a hit on my forehead.

Thud-! Thud-!

Then I obediently took hits to my torso and left leg as well.

“Yes!!”

Only then did the competitive spirit in her expression dissipate, and Shizu clenched both hands in celebration.

Oh my, whether it’s her trying so hard to hit me or—

Her joy after successfully hitting me like now—

It’s hard to decide which is cuter. Really.

[…You should just stop talking.]

Fafnir’s voice, a perfect blend of exasperation and embarrassment, wasn’t heard again after that.

#

It seemed like we might spend the rest of our second day at the fortress engaged in this snowball fight, but—

The town area of the fortress, where outdoor activities had been completely restricted due to yesterday evening’s unfortunate incident—

-Aaaah! Whether gray or white, snow is a cursed natural phenomenon!

-You lunatic. Instead of spouting nonsense, shovel more snow.

-Leave him be. You’d be the same if you had to do snow removal during your off hours.

-Sigh…. Let’s clear this quickly and go inside to rest… Why is it snowing MORE?!

-Hearing the new recruits’ deranged wailing makes me feel like I’m going crazy too.

Amid the coordinated movements of soldiers mobilized for snow removal, occasional wails could be heard, along with—

-Those guys look like they’re struggling. We should lend a hand.

-Are there any others besides us who clear snow by generating heat with ki?

-Probably not. I don’t know about the western or eastern continents since I haven’t been there.

The knights were casually chatting as they cleared snow more efficiently than the soldiers by circulating ki to generate heat.

Seeing all this, I didn’t think Shizu and I had the nerve to continue throwing snowballs at each other while others were working hard to clear snow, so I said—

“…Let’s have our snowball fight later.”

Suggesting we stop the snowball fight.

“…Okay.”

Shizu immediately accepted.

“Let’s help them out.”

“Sure.”

As soon as we agreed, I readily accepted Shizu’s suggestion to help with snow removal, grabbing some snow removal equipment lying around and getting started.

‘It’s been a while.’

When I visited this place as a mercenary before my regression—

I couldn’t help but form a bitter smile as I recalled the struggle of clearing snow that had turned black, beyond grayish-white, mixed with volcanic ash.

After clearing snow once, not only your face but also your clothes would be covered in dark volcanic ash, making washing up and clothing maintenance absolutely necessary.

At least now I didn’t have to worry about washing my face after clearing snow, which was somewhat fortunate.

‘It’s snowing quite heavily though.’

Even recalling my memories from before the regression, I wasn’t sure if it had snowed this much back then.

The amount of snow accumulating was impressive, even with experienced personnel diligently clearing it without slacking off.

It made me wonder if Lord Nighthart’s miraculous technique that split the sky yesterday had somehow affected the natural phenomena.

‘Instead of thinking, I should clear more snow.’

As I organized my thoughts and continued clearing snow with a shovel to make paths for people—

-Oh, that guy’s pretty good.

-Can’t lose to a young greenhorn.

-Woooah!!

The soldiers’ voices grew more enthusiastic as they watched me clear snow more skillfully than even the veteran soldiers.

Perhaps because many of the members were from the Border Command, who grew up in cold climates—

Despite fainting at the sight of snow, their snow-clearing movements were impressive to watch even after all this time.

Snow removal at this fortress typically involved teams of three soldiers.

Each equipped with a snow pusher, snow shovel, and broom.

The one with the snow pusher would gather the snow.

The one with the snow shovel would scoop it up and throw it to lower ground or areas that would get sunlight when the snow stopped.

And the one with the broom would clean up what the shovel couldn’t reach.

At first, Shizu just stood there holding a snow shovel, not knowing what to do, but after carefully observing what the soldiers and I were doing—

“So that’s how it’s done.”

She immediately began using the snow shovel skillfully to clear snow.

She used the snow shovel so proficiently that—

-Huh? Isn’t that a student from Yolam who came for the Subjugation Festival?

-Even though she must be of noble birth, she’s not shying away from hard work.

-And she’s incredibly good at it.

The soldiers, who had initially looked at us with suspicious glances wondering if we might interfere with their work, couldn’t help but express genuine admiration.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to the knights who instantly melted and evaporated the accumulated snow with heat generated by circulating ki through their bodies.

And so, the afternoon that we might have spent having a snowball fight outside the fortress ended up being spent helping with snow removal alongside Shizu.

It was a bit different from the scene I had hoped for, but—

“Hehe, this is fun!”

Seeing Shizu cheer and enjoy even her first experience with snow removal, I found myself not minding the difference at all.

#

After being so absorbed in snow removal that we didn’t notice the relentless snow finally stopping—

-Thank you for helping with the snow removal.

As we received thanks from the senior soldier who had led the snow removal team—

I realized that the sun was already setting.

If our first day at the fortress was spent walking around—

The second day was spent in more active physical activities than walking, including sparring and snow removal.

Growl

Having forgotten to eat lunch after breakfast due to helping the soldiers with snow removal, my stomach clock rang to signal hunger as I recognized the setting sun.

This seemed to be the case for Shizu as well—

“Let’s go eat.”

She also suggested heading to the dining hall.

Since we had more or less finished our tasks and outdoor activities would be restricted except for minimal guard personnel when the sun set to prepare for any possible incidents—

“Let’s go.”

I nodded readily and took the lead toward the dining hall.

By the way—

While Shizu and I had spent such a fulfilling(?) day together—

I hadn’t seen Excel and the others all day. I wondered what they were up to and where.

This thought suddenly crossed my mind as we headed to the dining hall, but—

‘Well, they can take care of themselves.’

Thinking that they weren’t children and were all more capable than me, I pushed the momentary doubt to a corner of my mind.

And as that thought was coming to an end, we found ourselves entering the dining hall—

“Oh!”

After gathering our food and sitting down, we were greeted by Excel, who sat right next to us as if he had been waiting for us.

I couldn’t tell where he had been or how he had spent his time, but I could easily see that his expression showed he was strangely excited—

“I heard.”

“…Heard what?”

“That you had a bout with Lily at the training ground?”

He blurted this out while his eyes sparkled.

…What exactly did he hear that made him casually mention having “a bout” there?

“No, we just had a normal sparring match that ended in a draw.”

As I spoke in a flat tone to indicate nothing unusual had happened—

“Even if you didn’t draw your holy sword, ending in a draw with Shizu in a sparring match is impressive, man.”

Excel revealed his undisguised admiration for me with a voice containing appropriate excitement—

“Since the beginning of this year, I’ve sparred with Shizu several times, and forget about winning, I’ve lost more times than I can count. But you managed a draw right after your special awakening. That’s really something.”

He was lavishing endless flattery on me.

…Usually when this guy flatters me like this, there’s always some favor he wants to ask afterward.

“So, about that.”

Sure enough.

It wouldn’t be Excel Burnstein if he didn’t attach a request after his praise.

I inwardly smiled bitterly as I waited for what would come out of his mouth—

“Tomorrow, let’s have a sparring match with real weapons, not practice ones.”

He requested a sparring match using weapons with sufficient lethality, not blunted non-lethal ones.

I had been listening carefully, wondering what prank he might pull, but this unexpected request rang in my ears, forcing me to barely maintain my expression that was about to change subtly.