episode_0072

It was a war of plenty.

Of course, when looking around, all she could see was a barren field of farmland, and on top of that, the cold wind that blew every now and then made her nose tingle, but Mila felt that the current situation was more relaxed than usual.

The amount of supplies they received from the city’s wealthy prior to the expedition was so vast that it was incomparable to the scale of supplies the vigilantes usually operated, and thanks to this, the vigilantes were able to operate in the most luxurious environment since their founding, such as being able to burn firewood without sparing any effort and spend every night in soft beds. In addition, the fact that they no longer had to think of outrageous ways to force the insufficient supplies to feed and clothe the members greatly lightened Commander Mila’s shoulders.

Mila found herself with a helpless businesslike side, unfamiliar with the different digits written on the documents related to distribution, but wondering how to use them most effectively.

“Me, right. There’s no next plan or anything. It was just a needless worry.”

She muttered as she put her hand into her bosom, feeling the handkerchief against her fingertips. Her mission was to successfully complete this task, that was all. The next task was for someone else to take over as the head of the organization and get through it.

“Chief.”

“Uh, why?”

One of the agents, looking through a long, trumpet-shaped telescope, continued speaking.

“As expected, the guys are building a base across the river. It seems like they’ve decided to give up on the farmland and villages in front of here.”

“You’re quick to make decisions. I’ll just stick close to the wall and hold out⋯⋯.”

Mila said as she watched the bandits outside the castle retreat to the area surrounding the castle overnight.

“It seems like they decided that the size of the remaining forces would be too great for an all-out war. Is it their calculation that they just need to get through the winter?”

Scout Leader Sarah asks.

“I think I’ve just started wasting time. Unless you have some corner of belief, nothing will change⋯.”

Mila answered.

“Are you saying they’re inferior in terms of size right now? Those guys who were coming in such large groups? Hehe… They finally made it here.”

Ailee said with sharp eyes as if she couldn’t believe the current situation.

“I thought we could survive the winter, but let’s just break it all down and finish it off before the moon sets.”

Likewise, Remili, who couldn’t hide her excitement at the fact that the destination of all grudges was right before her eyes, shouted confidently.

“Uh⋯⋯. I have a favor to ask.”

At Remili’s words, Mila glances at Ailee and continues speaking.

“Let’s hear what the cornered guys are talking about. Someone asked me very earnestly.”

“⋯Is that guy Memer again?”

Remili frowned as she spoke, her heart now filled with resentment and hatred for him, with all the affection in her heart gone. At the same time, Ailee gave her an unpleasant look, but Remili did not back down.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s true that the bandit leader was personally acquainted with Memer, but he said he wanted Jackie dead.”

Mila added urgently, worried that the tense atmosphere between the sisters would continue again.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask how you feel about dying soon. Should I order the catapult to advance?”

Remili turned around and said.

“Yeah, I’m thinking of moving my base up there before the sun fully rises. In the end, we’ll end up facing each other across the river.”

“Milla answered,” and immediately they began to move the camp busily as she had said, and as they sorted out the campfire, complaints about the cold air seeping through their thick clothing could be heard here and there.

“Damn it⋯⋯! Damn it! I should’ve just said I’d stay⋯!”

One of the members grumbled as he rolled up the wide tent with his bare hands. Although they must have been provided with plenty of fur gloves, they could not roll up the tent tightly while wearing such thick gloves, so the members worked with their bare hands, holding back tears in the cold wind. She also held no small amount of resentment toward the bandits, but every time she writhed at the tingling sensation in her fingertips, she began to regret going on this expedition.

“Ugh… I see the breath coming out. Kyle should have come.”

Another member of the team, who was working on tying up the tents in a single line next to him, sniffled and muttered.

“That’s right. That gloomy guy…just yapping. ”

The agent, who had been kneading the gap between the tents with his hands that felt like they would break, recalled the day before departure when he had jokingly suggested to Kyle that it would be nice to stay behind, and she had gotten angry at him for not knowing how important the mission given to her was, and agreed.

“I wake up at the crack of dawn every day, so my sense of time has become strange. I wonder what my little brother is doing right now⋯⋯.”

One of the members lifted them up and put them on one shoulder, saying:

“Did you have a younger sibling? A girl? A boy?”

She asked, her ears perking up at the words of the agent next to her.

“Younger brother.”

“Is it pretty?”

She responds with a question that makes her anticipation for the answer even greater.

“He looks like me. If I cut my hair short, he’s like me.”

“A.”

With a listless answer, a cold wind blew across the ground they were standing on. They had already felt it on their skin since they opened their eyes that today would be no different from yesterday, and they only hoped that the sun that would soon rise would take away some of this cold.

***

“Ahahahahaha.”

“Gyaaー”

“I promised you, oppa, not to run around!”

The sisters of the Songrad family ran along the frozen ice road, reaching the riverbank that seemed more appropriate to be called a stream than the wide river that spread out before the eyes of the vigilantes. The fur hats and fur gloves the children were wearing were Ray’s work, and the scarves around their necks were gifts Ray had received from others. Kyle had dealt with the unpleasant love letters that told them to spend the winter warmly and that it would be better to hug him if they wanted more warmth, and Ray had decided to give in to the children, thinking that the colors of the scarves were too flashy for her to wear.

“Don’t go too far!”

As he said that, Ray lightly tapped the ice on the edge of the river where he was standing. Judging from the thickness, Ray thought that there would be no need to worry about children with light weights slipping off, but he was careful just in case.

Slippery,

The twin with the pom-pom on his right side of his fur hat slips on the ice and falls backwards.

“Uh uh⋯.”

Ray is horrified at the sight.

“Heehee.”

The child lying on the ice with a surprised expression looks at the face of another child looking down at him and smiles.

“Come on, hold my hand.”

The child with the bell on his left side reached out his mittened hand, and the child who was lying down grabbed the hand and tried to get up, but ended up slipping and falling as well.

“Kyahahaha”

“Ahahaha”

Perhaps because of their soft clothes, they didn’t seem to be in any pain. To Ray’s dismay, the children lying on the ice began to laugh out loud, waving their arms and legs.

“What are you guys so excited about?”

Ray muttered as he walked carefully towards the children so as not to slip. Even as he said that, a pleased smile never left his lips.

“Brother!”

“Wake us up!”

The sisters giggled and spoke to Ray. As if they were just turning a blind eye to the wicked plan hidden behind their innocent faces, Ray grabbed the hands of the children one by one and tried to help them up, but ended up falling on top of the twins.

“This little rascal!”

“Gyaaー”

“Ahhh”

As Ray hugs the children and tickles them, they start to laugh hysterically. Ray can’t help but smile as he listens to their crazy laughter.

“Brother, you laughed!”

“The Ice Prince laughed, hahaha!”

The twins, seeing Ray’s face like that, opened their eyes wide and said.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

When he asked back, not knowing English,

“You used to laugh a lot, but now you don’t laugh much.”

“That’s right! I thought my brother turned into an ice prince because he was so cold.”

And the children answer.

“Did I do that⋯?”

He tilted his head and asked back, since he hadn’t really paid attention to whether or not he had been smiling.

“Yeah. But I like Ice Prince too!”

“Yeah⋯ Me too!”

The kids said that they didn’t particularly dislike the recent appearance.

“Since when has your brother been like that?”

Are you saying that your expression has changed so much that even these little kids have noticed it lately? It seems like there hasn’t been much to laugh about, but you’ve always tried to be bright.

“Umm⋯ Hmm⋯⋯. Since when has it been like this?”

“Since the red-haired sister left!”

“Ah.”

“Hehehe. Do you miss your sister?”

One of the twin sisters asks Ray, who is feeling sorry.

“⋯I guess so.”

Ray awkwardly expressed his affirmation while adjusting his fur hat. There was no other reason, but Ray sometimes felt a little embarrassed whenever he realized that he was also quite genuinely fond of the new connections he had made in this world.

“It’s okay. When I missed my mom so much, I didn’t even laugh at the sight of an earthworm.”

“Then let’s have more fun together! Until you don’t think about Red-haired Sister. Got it!”

Some children give advice with a proud expression as if they are giving great life advice, while others make promises with slightly displeased faces.

“Hoohoohoo⋯ Okay, okay. When we get back from our sled ride later, should we warm up some milk and drink it?”

“Okay!”

“Are you going to give me some snacks too?”