episode_0074

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen such a sudden snowstorm.”

“… Okay.”

Elden and Ariel, who had taken refuge in a nearby cave, brushed the snow off their bodies.

The sky, which had been clear when we first started climbing the mountain, suddenly began to turn gray, and as we reached the middle of the mountain and started wandering around looking for the next marker, a fierce snowstorm began to blow in.

It seemed like they had almost reached their destination, but Elden suggested that they take refuge in a small cave nearby, as he was worried that Ariel would be in danger if they pushed ahead too hard.

Given the weather patterns we’ve experienced during our six months exploring the northern wilderness, this blizzard felt like a fleeting shower.

The blizzard would stop after a few hours, and we would be able to reach the cave by evening.

There was no need to take risks since Lumiang’s condition wasn’t critical.

Wheein-!

Elden said, looking out at the blizzard blowing fiercely outside the cave entrance.

“It’ll pass soon. Just wait a little.”

“Yeah.”

It was a godsend that I brought a blanket with me to the lender just in case something happened.

Elden, who thought so, gave Ariel a blanket and made a bonfire with the branches he had collected on his way here.

Hurrah!

Fire Pizza, Ariel takes a fist-sized metal bowl out of her small pocket, scoops up a handful of snow, and puts it on the fire to prepare tea.

After a while.

“Elden. Here.”

An iron cup filled with hot tea was placed in Elden’s hand.

“Thank you.”

“No comment.”

Likewise, Ariel, sitting next to Elden holding an iron cup, blew on the tea a few times and drank it.

Then she opens her eyes wide and lets out an exclamation that is truly unbecoming of a noble lady.

“Ahem! After all, tea is best when brewed over a campfire. And it tastes even better when you drink it while watching a snowstorm!”

If Count Elrond were to hear those exclamations, he would be unable to contain his sorrow.

What father wouldn’t be surprised to see his daughter, who had been sent on a reading trip, return home looking like a wild person?

Elden shook off the thought that he should postpone his trip to the Earldom of Elrond and followed Ariel as he drank tea while looking at the snowstorm outside the cave.

sniffling.

“Hmm.”

A taste that reminds us that Ariel’s admiration is not an exaggeration.

The fact that tea served in a crude iron cup while sitting on the street tastes better than tea served in a fancy teapot while sitting at a fancy table seemed to indicate that the life of a ronin was more suitable than that of a nobleman.

That was so good.

Because I can live the life of a free ronin, and enjoy a drink of leisure and comfort rather than the intensity and tightness.

Of course, the urgent task was to help the now devastated heroine.

That’s why I was here, holding a cup of tea on the street with Ariel.

Knock, knock.

An awkward yet not-awkward air current spreads warmly, carrying the heat of the campfire.

Elden, who was blankly staring at the snowstorm outside the cave with Ariel, suddenly asked.

“How’s the writing going?”

It was a question about his own fan fiction(?).

I asked this question because I suddenly remembered that Ariel had said a few days ago that the scenario work would probably be finished soon.

Ariel nodded with a slightly embarrassed expression.

It was because I liked talking about the novel I was writing with the main character, but at the same time, it was also embarrassing.

“Ah, yeah. I only have the ending left.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Really?”

“Okay, then. I think you can definitely write an interesting story.”

Hot.

Ariel’s face blushed a light red without her knowing it at the praise of the novel’s protagonist.

And when I imagined Elden reading that novel, I suddenly felt a surge of shame.

Although her shy blush was not visible because it was buried in the deep red glow of the campfire.

“Don’t expect too much.”

I wish Elden would like it, but I wasn’t sure because I was learning firsthand how different reading and writing are.

The introduction and development were based on facts so there was no problem, but the ending was filled with her own selfishness(?) and she spent every day worrying about what to do if people disliked the ending.

Of course, the character in the work is a fictional character who does not resemble the author at all.

Ariel, who was fiddling with the metal cup, decided to ask something that might be helpful for the ending.

“That, Elden?”

“Huh?”

“What are you going to do after your food tour is over? Do you have any plans?”

Ariel asks that question to help with the ending and to answer something she was personally curious about.

But instead of answering, Elden stares at her.

“Why, why?”

“Ah. Rachel asked the same question a few days ago.”

“Huh? Rachel?”

Ariel looked surprised.

It seemed surprising that the same question was asked to the same target as the blunt escort knight Rachel.

And the thought crossed my mind that the unexpectedness might not have been due to mere coincidence.

I thought, “No way?”

“So… what did you say?”

“He replied, “If I sell the mansion, I’ll settle down somewhere with a nice view with the remaining money.””

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

This would be a plan that the old Elden would never have dreamed of, but I thought it was a plan that suited the Elden I had seen so far.

Elden was the kind of person who could spend the whole day blankly staring at a place with breathtaking scenery.

This was really good information to reference at the end.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to end it with a scene of watching the sunset together in a scenic spot.

Ariel, with the plan imprinted in her mind, asked the next question.

It was an unexpected question that came to mind.

“What did Rachel say?”

A question asking how Rachel reacted to the answer that she would settle down in a place with a nice view.

Elden answered without thinking.

“She said she also wanted to settle down somewhere and live her life as a woman.”

And in response to that, Ariel had to think again.

“Woman…’s life?”

no way?

The idea that.

**

“… Could it be White Storm?”

Elden, standing at the entrance to the cave, muttered to himself in worry as the snowstorm continued unabated.

It seemed ominous, but as the sun set, the snowstorm grew stronger and the temperature began to drop sharply.

Outside the cave, a mysterious white light swirls around, as if through a dimensional portal.

With a loud noise that was hard to believe was the wind.

White Storm.

It refers to a strong blizzard that appears without any warning signs and makes outdoor activities impossible.

It was a rare snowstorm in the northern part of the Northern Territory, and a sudden climate change that occurs once every three years in the central Daegongnyeong.

It was so dangerous that if you were trapped in a white storm without any special preparation, you could lose your life, and the world stopped for a moment when the white storm started.

Animals and monsters hide in their lairs, humans take refuge in their dwellings, and plants hold on to the earth, their roots firmly clinging to it, waiting for the White Storm to pass.

That’s why.

“I’m stuck.”

Elden and Ariel also had no choice but to hope that the White Storm would end before the bonfire they had lit went out.

The problem is that the fire starter I brought with me is not enough.

I never expected that a rare snow storm that occurs once every three years would hit at this very moment.

Arael asked, wrapping the blanket around her body as the temperature gradually dropped.

“Gwae, is it okay?”

Elden forced a smile as he thought that whether it was the modern world where transcendental technology was being developed or a fantasy world where transcendental humans existed, everything was the same in front of Mother Nature.

“It’ll pass in no time.”

Of course, the situation wasn’t good.

It was a cave where there was no room to go deeper and there was no way to get firewood.

The cold air rushing into the cave was becoming more powerful than the warmth of a single campfire, but there was not enough firewood to light another fire.

In a situation where it was unknown when the White Storm would end, it was right to conserve the remaining firewood.

The problem was Ariel.

Elden, born in the southern part of the Northern Territory, had a body naturally prepared for the cold, but Ariel, born in the Eastern Territory, a land with a relatively mild climate, was vulnerable to the cold.

Of course, I could endure a normal snowstorm, but it was a bit much to endure a white storm that even froze the air.

Elden looked at Ariel with worried eyes.

Even though she was wrapped in a blanket and huddled tightly around the campfire, Ariel was shivering.

A bitter cold that even freezes your breath.

Although the front side, which was directly exposed to the campfire, was warm enough, the back side was so cold that it felt like being cut by a knife.

“… Are you okay?”

Even though Elden asked that, Ariel was already shaking as if she was having a convulsion.

Still, Ariel smiled.

My butt and back were in excruciating pain, but I didn’t want to show it.

Because I didn’t want to regret following Elden, who said I could go alone.

I didn’t want to worry Elden by whining about being cold.

“Ah, it’s still okay, okay.”

But contrary to my heart, my frozen lips stutter out words on their own.

I wanted to smack my lips to stop myself from trembling so much, but my whole body was shaking like crazy and I wouldn’t listen to anything.

It felt like the cold I had experienced so far was just child’s play, like a sharp scolding.

Still, I endured it.

Endured.

But as time passed, my will gradually waned, and it felt like even my internal organs were freezing.

At that moment, I thought that if things continued like this… it might be a little dangerous.

Wow.

Suddenly, the cold air that had been blowing behind my back stopped.

No, the cold air that had been enveloping my whole body has stopped.

A faint warmth rose up through the gap, and I felt that warmth enveloping my whole body.

what?

Ariel’s gaze wandered around, and she saw Elden’s arms and blanket wrapped around her.

Elden’s face appeared in the gaze raised diagonally.

“E…Elden…?”

“I can stand it, so I’ll stay like this.”

Elden, who had said that absentmindedly, pulled Ariel into his arms and hugged her to block any possible opening.

Ariel, who had been through six months, never once uttered a word of complaint during the difficult march that was difficult for a noble lady.

Of course, there were times when he would struggle alone or act up, but it wasn’t out of irritation or tantrums; it was just pranks or cuteness to cheer up the depressed group.

When I actually tried to help, it was as if he had been waiting and tried to help me instead.

To know it.

Elden hugged Ariel silently.

It was judged that this would be more efficient than engaging in a pointless argument.

Because I know very well that Ariel would refuse if I offered to hold her.

Elden, who was fortunate to be able to hold Ariel tightly due to her slender body, wrapped her in his arms to protect her from the murderous cold.

The two of them first get to see each other and be embraced by each other in the cold weather created by Mother Nature.

like that.

The night deepened for the two, and at dawn, when the fierce white storm gradually subsided, they fell asleep with their heads leaning against each other’s.

and.

Knock knock.

As the clear morning sun rose, the stone wall behind the cave suddenly opened and a snow climber appeared.

“… … .”

The lonely snow climber who opened the secret door and stepped out was caught in the early morning trance by a man and a woman who had fallen asleep, snuggled up to each other in the front yard of his house.