Spring, Come Hither (4)
On the day the snowstorm hit, the holidays with wholly empty academic schedules are slowly coming to an end. The days where I could use the whole day solely for my growth and training are also nearing completion. This week is the final sprint.
Once the semester starts, there will be a limit to intensive training. At best, I’ll have time to contract a medium-tier spirit with Yenika, or squeeze in study time in the hours remaining after returning home from school.
Physical training has become virtually meaningless; I’m focused on maintaining the status quo. When I used to bottom out my physical strength, a few days of training would at least show a slight increase in related stats. Now, whether it’s due to reaching the limits of my body’s capacity or something else, there’s barely any change.
For Ed Rothtaylor, who has no innate physical talent, it feels like I’ve trained up to the limits permitted by my body. I have managed to raise myself to a quite well-trained level, even among ordinary men. Getting to this point is already a significant improvement.
To increase my specs from here, I need to invest time into specialized areas, not just mindlessly repeat the same training.
Magic engineering and spiritual studies. These two alone still feel insufficient.
Within the myriad skills available in the Accursed Swordsmanship from Sylvania, these two are indeed the best combination to complement each other’s weaknesses. However, perfect doesn’t exist in this world; I’ll need to add something else to truly stand out post-graduation.
[ Lifeskill Proficiency Details ]
Grade: Intermediate Master
Specialized Fields:
Carpentry Dexterity Lv 15
Design Lv 11
Gathering Lv 13
Woodworking Lv 15
Stonemasonry Lv 8
Hunting Lv 14
Fishing Lv 12
Cooking Lv 7
Repairing Lv 5
Advanced Production Skill Slots:
Spirit-infused Techniques
Proficiency: 23
Power Amplification: 4
Infusion Success Rate: 92%
– Fire Spirit Techniques Proficiency: 6
– Wind Spirit Techniques Proficiency: 3
Contracted Spirits:
– Lower Fire Spirit Muk
Spirit Affinity: 12
Spiritual Comprehension: 12
Unique Skills: Fire’s Blessing, Explosive Pact
– High Wind Spirit Merilda
Spirit Affinity: 4
Spiritual Comprehension: 3
Unique Skills: Wolf of Wind’s Blessing, Rising Currents
Advanced Production Skill Slots:
Magic Engineering Techniques
Proficiency: 4
Understanding of Magic Engineering Artifacts: 5
Quick Crafting: 3
Collected Crafting Formulas:
Weak Wind Dispenser (Lv 1)
Mountain Echo Noise Generator (Lv 1)
Reactive Automatic Mana Chessboard (Lv 1)
Greenhouse Crystal Bead (Lv 1)
Blue Magic-Artifact (Lv 1)
Grappler Hand (Lv 1)
Craegl’s Magic Ink (Lv 1)
Light Sphere (Lv 1)
Onya’s Fearful Fire (Lv 1)
Telos’s Luminous Blessing (Lv1)
Lightning-struck Millennial Wood Staff (Unfashionable!)
Gluckt’s Eye (Unfashionable!)
Delheim Hourglass (Unfashionable!)
As the ground neared after sliding down the rope, I leapt off with a spring. Brushing off the snow clinging to my body, I turned to look at the fallen ceiling. Though a few snowflakes drift down languidly, the hole is quite long, so the quantity falling through is less than expected.
My eyes first caught sight of a pile of materials for magic engineering. These were the ones I’d transferred back and forth several times, which was utterly draining.
Also impressive was the clean appearance of the library, organized immaculately. Despite checking several times while moving materials, there were no gaps to be found.
I’ll need to repay Zix a few coins for asking him to clean up the debris with magic, but I didn’t expect him to tidy up all the scattered books as well.
Even when I see books neatly categorized by meaningful groups… it definitely feels like the work of someone who’s previously experienced as a librarian.
It seems Elka’s handiwork is in there, too. Despite asking him to keep the existence of the library a secret, it seems like he couldn’t hold it back and told Elka…
I clicked my tongue a few times before stopping. That guy’s not one for cheap talk… but the only person he doesn’t keep secrets from and shares everything with is Elka.
Even if he is tight-lipped, it seems he insists on not hiding from Elka.
Perhaps Elka was so troubled by this fact that she even came down to this dark library to organize the books. The thought occurs that the price paid for uncovering someone’s secret is too hefty.
I can easily imagine Elka classifying books systematically, and Zix running around putting them on shelves. Knowing Zix’s character, he must have treated this as a form of training too.
Regardless… I owe them a big favor. When I go back to school after opening, I should reciprocate accordingly.
“Hmm… It’s about time to start.”
Food is stockpiled in abundance. All materials are gathered. The library is tidied up.
For one week, the conditions for concentrated research in magic engineering have been perfectly prepared.
A week is long, but it’s an awfully short time to commit to training something.
If it was possible to master everything in a week, there would be no need for such specialization in the field of magic engineering.
However, if we’re talking about efficient growth, I’ve already got that down pat.
Most important is repetition for mastery. No matter how bland and simple the contraption, repeatedly making it lets me start to see its mechanical principles and the flow of mana that wasn’t apparent initially.
It’s inefficient to try to decipher hundreds of formulas at once. What’s important is to select and focus.
Deeply penetrating the knowledge of magic engineering in the field that I can create is key.
After madly repeating the skills of creating artifacts like the Wind Dispenser, Noise Generator, Greenhouse Crystal Beads, Blue Magic-Artifacts, and Light Spheres, and once I become somewhat proficient… I’ll start making rare-grade items such as Onya’s Fearful Fire.
Once I stack up proficiency and push myself to the brink where my eyes are bloodshot and I can’t stay awake from sheer exhaustion… then I’ll challenge the final goal for this vacation.
[ Gluckt’s Eye (Legendary) ]
Temporary surge of proficiency in all responsive abilities. Halves the efficiency of curse-type magic. Prevents the use of defensive magic. Grants a state of immunity to elemental magic.
[ Delheim Hourglass (Legendary) ]
Reverts physical condition back seconds before and erases all damages and wounds. Single use.
Gluckt’s Eye, which sacrifices adaptability and defense for an extreme surge of sensitivity. Delheim Hourglass, able to nullify even death-dealing damage in a single instance. These are legendary-grade magic engineering artifacts that shouldn’t exist at the third act for balance reasons.
One of them must be completed. I’ll tackle it with the mindset that it’s do or die. If I think back to my high school days when I studied for three hours a day, this level of fever pitch is something I can endure with sheer willpower.
Sitting at the workbench set up in the center of the library, I took a deep breath.
“Whew… let’s go….”
And then I realized.
No… I didn’t bring the tools from the cabin…
I had stored them nicely in the toolbox to bring to the library…!
I was too busy preparing for the storm that I couldn’t pay attention to it.
It was a grievous oversight.
It’s time for my body to go through hardship. I sighed deeply.
*
The biting cold wind was blowing more fiercely, weaving through the conifers in the northern forest.
Clarice’s hair fluttered as if it might fly away at any moment.
Despite the wind which was still bearable, she continued towards the river that ran through the north forest.
‘Spiritual Magic’ and ‘Sacred Magic’.
If Spiritual Magic is said to originate from the natural blessings of the gods, Sacred Magic arises from piety and faith, manifesting as divine magic.
Hence, most cathedral knights and mages affiliated with the sacred orders are more proficient in Sacred Magic than Spiritual Magic, because the latter typically shows meaningful efficiency only to those born with divine blessings.
Clarice, who exclusively enjoys the love of the god Telos, has a Spiritual Magic that exhibits absurd physical force.
The Shield of Faith, which Clarice wears, is an irrational defensive magic that doubles the damage inflicted by any attacker bearing ‘malice’, and from the outside, it’s impossible to know what just hit them.
Unless there are very specific countermeasures, she’s an entity that can hardly be opposed.
Therefore, no matter what wild animal or villain she encounters, Clarice will never get hurt.
Even if she feels fear due to a powerful aura, the likelihood of being harmed by an attack is virtually non-existent.
However, despite this, Clarice felt a distinct fear when facing Ed. There was a reason for that.
That is because Ed likely received the baptism of the Telos Church.
Since the head of the Rothtaylor family received baptism, it has become a tradition for heirs of the Rothtaylor lineage to follow suit. Although it’s only a tradition that spans two to three generations.
With Arwen Rothtaylor having passed away and Ed Rothtaylor taking his place as heir… he, too, must have been baptized by an Archbishop or someone of significant standing.
Tanya has not yet received baptism, having only taken the heir’s place for a few months. However, Ed Rothtaylor, no matter what people say, is likely a baptized member of the Telos Church.
The Shield of Faith… against a member of the Church who has received baptism, its power does not manifest.
Those who share the same teachings do not draw swords against each other.
After all, a follower who is important enough to receive baptism wouldn’t harbor malice against a saint.
But here lies the loophole… Right now, she is not Clarice the Saint but Kylie Ecknair attending school.
Even if the opponent is a devout follower of Telos, if they are unaware of her identity, they might draw their sword. And I don’t want to reveal myself.
No, she doesn’t even know whether that blond noble in decline is aware of Clarice’s identity. Everything is a question mark.
“Ghhhh…!”
Clutching her tightly-bound clothing, Clarice continued to push through the snowstorm in the north forest. She knew the location of the river, having studied the map in advance. Since it cuts through the forest, it will inevitably come into view if she keeps going.
When the river comes into sight, she just needs to walk upstream.
The cold was manageable.
Maid had rushed out as soon as she knew of Clarice’s presence, so she wouldn’t be discovered for at least a few hours.
She must resolve everything about Ed Rothtaylor that didn’t sit right with her before spring arrives and the new semester begins.
‘It really feels… like an adventure…!’
Before she knew it, the fear and tension had largely subsided, and a burning ambition was rising within Clarice.
Just finding Ed’s cabin seemed to inspire groundless hope that everything would work out.
Clarice may seem timid but is far from weak. Innate Spiritual Magic and the Sacred Magic she acquired later aren’t inferior to ordinary magicians.
And when Ed’s cabin faintly appeared through the snowstorm, like an explorer discovering a key landmark, Clarice took a deep breath.
This was her first time venturing out on her own so far, and her first time walking through a snowstorm.
Is this what Adelle spoke of… the colorful life of an adventurer? Making her way to the front of Ed’s snow-buried camp, Clarice took a deep breath.
Confidence was welling up.
She felt like she could do anything…!
Clarice decided no longer to be scared and, taking a great gulp of air, she opened the door to Ed’s cabin.
“Uhm.”
The howling of the wind right next to my ear was replaced by a droning sound as it hit a barrier. The sound of the wind indoors was chilling beyond expectation. With no source of light, the interior of the cabin was naturally cloaked in darkness, requiring one to wait for their eyes to adjust to the murkiness.
Then, the first thing to become visible in the darkness was… the carcass of a wild boar hanging from a hook. It was larger than Clarice.
“Ugh, ahhh!”
Backpedaling in shock, Clarice stumbled and landed on her bottom. She covered her mouth with both hands, turning her eyes away from the boar’s body dangling in front of her.
Gradually, the rest of the cabin came into view. Most of the supplies had been gathered inside in preparation for the storm.
Scattered here and there were saw blades, which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a heap of hunting traps.
To Clarice, who lacked any knowledge of hunting, they appeared to be some kind of sharp weapons.
Moreover, most of the traps were smeared with a forbidding crimson blood. Blood everywhere she looked. Blood! Blood! Blood!
The stains from the boar being moved were still visible, and in one corner, there was a pile of snake skins and marten hides.
Deeper into the cabin were butchering knives covered in bloodstains, handsaws that were thicker and larger than Clarice’s own pale arms, and the guts of various wild animals, drying and strewn about.
On the table, the head of the boar hung as if it was put on display, the purpose of which was beyond understanding.
By this point, tears had already welled up in Clarice’s eyes. The sight was too graphic for a girl who had grown up in the pure dew of Seonghwangdo; it was like seeing hell itself.
-Crunch, crunch.
The sound of footsteps on the snow.
Someone was approaching the cabin from beyond the raging storm.
No need to see more. At this time, at this place, there could be none other than the cabin’s owner.
Clarice, in search of a place to hide, found her legs giving out, and she collapsed back to the floor. She managed, however, to push herself toward a corner of the cabin, though her attempt at concealment was clearly inadequate.
She crawled under a work table, hiding in the weak darkness, and prayed to Telos.
– Bang!
– Whoooosh!
The door burst open, and the sound of the wind outside struck her ears anew.
Ed, entering against the billowing snow, dropped something he’d been carrying on his shoulder onto the floor with a thud.
It fell with a flop—upon closer inspection, it was the frozen body of a young deer.
For Ed, it had been a stroke of luck. He had not expected such a windfall on his journey.
But Clarice, locking eyes with the dead deer as it rolled across the floor, couldn’t even muster a faint scream.
It wasn’t that she kept quiet for fear of being discovered, but rather that she had no leisure to make a sound. The pointless gasps she swallowed were the only measure of her despair.
“Huuk…”
The cold weather.
The breath of Ed, adorned in layers of clothes, created a mist around his mouth. To Clarice, these exhalations seemed like the breath of a beast. Even though there was no glow in Ed’s eyes, the way she imagined it almost made her faint.
Yet the last shred of her rationality clamped her hands over her mouth to prevent any sound from escaping.
Now Ed stepped fully into the darkness. Unlike Clarice, his eyes were not yet adapted to the gloom.
But, knowing the rough layout already, Ed groped his way further inside.
Dodging various objects, he reached for a wooden box and began pulling out items as if checking them.
Tweezers, needles, awls, spikes; the items grew larger, and as his eyes adjusted to the dark, soon objects like hammers and knives appeared.
Lastly, he lifted a huge handsaw, its blade catching the moonlight and faintly illuminating Clarice’s terrified eyes.
“Eek!”
She couldn’t help but make a sound. Clarice, with her mouth still covered by her hands, was now nearly driven to madness.
Ed’s mind quickly snapped to attention, his gaze precisely meeting Clarice’s in the dark.
Her heart stopped, then hammered all the more for having stopped.
“Is that you, Clarice Ecknair?”
Her body shook uncontrollably, her reasoning halted, tears flowed freely, and her heart laboured uselessly.
“What’s going on? Why are you here? Why are you shaking…”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
– Boom!
Saintly Force ‘Divine Emission’.
The technique, which had absolute superiority in compatibility against virtually all magic, struck Ed directly in the solar plexus, disregarding even the protection of the storm he was cloaked in.
– Crash!
– Bang! Clang!
Caught utterly off guard, Ed was hurled back against the wall. The cabinet toppled over, and every manner of clutter hanging on the wall poured down upon him.
Dust billowed up, and then silence reigned.
Once the dust settled, the scene revealed Ed, motionless, a stream of blood trailing down from his head. The ambush was too perfect. Even for someone as swift and decisive as Ed, it was too much to ask for him to react.
“Uh, huh… It was accidental…! All of a sudden…! I didn’t mean to…”
A moment of silence.
Clarice, her body shaking, stood up to see Ed lying there, a thread of blood flowing from him.
Ed, hit by a torrent of falling objects, appeared unconscious at first glance.
No, it wasn’t a matter of appearing unconscious…
– Whoosh!
The unrelenting winter winds continued.
The cold air gradually cooled her head, and at long last, her stranded senses returned.
“I…”
Clarice finally faced the reality.
“I’ve killed a person…”
Ed’s body was cold and unresponsive. Clarice felt a different sort of chill creeping over her.
“Te… Telos… I… I have sinned…”
With trembling hands, Clarice clasped her own and knelt down, her face a picture of confusion as she continued to tremble, not knowing what else to do.
“I am… tainted with such a great sin… How can I… How can I purify it… My life should be as pristine as purity itself… Yet now it’s stained with an indelible sin… I am defiled… I should burn in hell… for my sins…”
Confessing in her distress, Clarice trembled and cried. In that moment of near-panic…
“Hey.”
– Tap.
A hand landed on her shoulder.
Startled, she turned around to face Ed, still breathing shallowly with blood smeared on his face, emanating a devilish aura.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“Hiyeeek-“
…Clarice could not even scream.
Without a chance to react, her expression of anguish frozen on her face, she lost consciousness and fell.
…
The snowstorm raged on as if to swallow the whole world, and within the little cabin amidst the tempest, only Ed was standing, looking down at the collapsed form of Clarice.
His expression… was not a pleasant one.
*
“Head Maid.”
“I’ve received the report. Stay calm, and we need to figure out how to proceed.”
Clarice had miscalculated.
As soon as the maids checked her condition, they became aware of her absence. She might have assumed that they wouldn’t notice if she was gone for a few hours, but the maids of Ophelius Hall are not so negligent.
It took them a mere 15 minutes to catch on to Clarice’s absence.
The duty maids, keeping watch from the top floor of Ophelius Hall, spotted a figure vanishing into the blizzard. It took them just an additional 10 minutes to re-evaluate the personnel status of the entire building.
And only 5 minutes to confirm that the one who had disappeared was indeed the girl named Clarice.
“Why she has vanished, we may not know… We must report to the academy and commence a search immediately…”
“Shall we send out the duty maids first, Head Maid?”
“Dispatching the maids requires careful consideration, as it could reduce our ability to manage the estate internally. Right now, we need to mobilize our resources as efficiently as possible. Especially… do not subtract any personnel monitoring Miss Lucy. Rashly chasing after her could lead to greater harm.”
“Yes, I… But what about Miss Clarice…?”
Despite the unexpected circumstances, Belle remained unflustered, contemplating their next step.
The maid chief of Ophelius Hall.
One of the academy’s insiders who knew Clarice’s true identity. That is, Belle had been informed ahead of time that Clarice was in fact Clarice. At least the person in charge of the dormitory had to know.
There’s no way to tell why she’s braved this snowstorm, where she’s headed. If we could just determine her motive, we might be able to guess her destination.
By principle, they cannot allow the security of the mansion to be compromised for one person. Sending out maids to search for Clarice doesn’t guarantee they’ll find her. The weather even decreases the likelihood of finding her.
They need to work with the academy, slowly and carefully, to conduct the search.
However, contemplating an unseen truth—Clarice’s real identity—one realizes that everyone must be mobilized to find her. If the saint goes missing, that becomes a cataclysm warranting national upheaval.
On the other hand… The saint, shrouded in holy grace, is safer than other students. It’s almost certain that she won’t perish to wild animals or immediate lethal danger.
Ultimately, Belle decides to take action herself. By delegating command to a senior maid briefly, she might find the time to handle this crisis.
Even in the face of this emergency, the composure Belle maintains becomes a calming influence on the surrounding maids.
True to the reputation of the head maid of Ophelius Hall.
“The duty maids have updated their reports, Head Maid! It’s… The figure presumed to be Miss Clarice… disappeared into the northern woods!”
Then came the news.
In this weather, there shouldn’t be anyone outside.
But there is one man, defiantly facing the harsh blizzard of nature. The northern woods are now his domain.
“… Could it be… No, it mustn’t be…”
A man with too much good fortune with women, much more than seems natural, lives in the northern forest, and Belle feels the cold sweat beginning to build.
Between the downpour and the blizzard. Lost. A man and a woman left alone. A call for help. Waiting for rescue in extreme circumstances, depending on each other for survival.
Belle raises her voice in urgency.
“We must find her…! Quickly…! Before it’s too late…!”
Though Belle knows that Clarice wouldn’t die from being murdered, her voice nonetheless remains urgent.
Instantly, the maids realize the gravity of the situation.
It could very well be…
