In the end, the snow piled up on the roof had to be cleared.
Seeing the dangerously thick layer of snow on the roof, Luna's words seemed true; one could actually die, crushed by a collapsing roof. Unable to sleep with this realization, there was no choice but to deal with it.
Never in his life had he imagined having to clear snow from the roof due to such a heavy snowfall.
According to Luna, it was not an exaggeration; roofs really did collapse under such heavy snow, and it happened quite frequently.
Clearing the snow from the roof, which was not just a moderate amount but piled up to a person's waist, was an incredibly daunting task.
The process involved cutting through the snow with a shovel and removing it one scoop at a time.
When enough snow was pushed to the edge of the roof, it was dumped down below.
Whoosh!
The sound was so terrifying that one might think it was the noise of the snow falling.
As he cleared the snow, he began to understand why roofs collapsed when it snowed heavily during the winter.
In the end, he had to clear the snow without a break until the sun went down.
It was not only him but also the other villagers who had to do the same. The village paths were blocked, making it impossible to move without clearing the snow.
But when there was only one last heap of snow left on the roof,
"Huff!"
As he quickly pushed the thick pile of snow down,
Whoosh!
"Reinhardt...!"
Looking down, he saw Luna, who had been hit by the avalanche of snow and was staring back up with a frozen expression.
"Ah... well, you see..."
Thump! Thump!
Luna, who had just been bombarded with snow, brushed it off her head and shoulders, narrowed her eyes, and sighed.
"...Go eat dinner."
For a moment, he really thought she was going to be crushed.
Just as they had wanted, dinner was a meat soup with wild vegetables and thinly baked bread.
He was slowly getting used to the rustic but warm meals of the mountain village.
"I don't know when the snow will stop," Luna commented.
Ronan nodded in agreement.
Until the snow stopped and melted, all activities in Rezaira would be limited to those that could be done indoors or within the village.
Knock, knock
During the meal, they heard a knock on the door. Upon opening it, they found Lena holding a pot.
"Ah, Reinhardt. Grandma said to give this to you."
"Please tell her thank you, Lena."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Since the village was like a tight-knit community, it was common for people to share their meals. Luna had often made extra food and asked them to take it to other houses, so he had been on this errand quite a few times.
Occasionally, Lena and Arta joined them for dinner, and there were many times when they were invited to Lena and Arta's home.
The pot Lena handed over contained apple pie.
Sometimes, the dinner menu expanded to the point where it was difficult to manage.
The concept of neighbors, which had become a foreign idea to him, was still alive and well in Rezaira.
Naturally, the dinner menu included the additional dish as they ate.
Having spent a long time in Rezaira, he frequently encountered the other villagers besides Lena, Arta, Ronan, and Luna.
Like Arta's older brother, Dalen.
Or Lena's younger sisters.
Their parents, and grandparents, too.
Even if it wasn't Lena or Arta, they knew almost everyone living in Rezaira.
It wasn't a neighborhood with many people, so remembering names wasn't difficult.
Always too many numbers. Too many names.
There were too many names of the departed to remember, but everything in Rezaira was too few.
Realizing that the saying about knowing the number of spoons in a neighbor's house wasn't wrong in this environment felt strange.
A village with too few people to control, resources to manage, and situations to encounter.
Someone might dislike the sight of being too close to neighbors.
But after living under the long-standing compulsion to memorize and know countless numbers and people, the time spent in Rezaira felt like a final vacation.
However, there were still some strange things.
There were quite a few elderly people in Rezaira.
This place was inevitably a large family due to generations living in the village.
Rezaira didn't seem to reject outsiders, so although it was isolated now after the Gate incident, it didn't seem like it was always such a village. Otherwise, it would have perished long ago.
But what I was curious about was something else.
Arta and Lena, and of course, their grandparents had many siblings.
A large family.
However, the leaders of Rezaira.
Luna Artorius and her spouse were the only two.
There were no parents for Luna or Ronan. Ragan had died, and Ellen was outside.
But even if they were alive, I didn't know why only they were a nuclear family.
Could there be some reason for this?
"How is the work progressing?" Ronan asked.
"Ah... It seems like we'll have to wait for the snow to melt, but if we continue like this, it should be done before winter ends."
"I see."
Winter made things difficult, but it was true that the work was gradually picking up speed. Everything could be finished before spring arrived.
Who knows what would happen then?
I began to feel like I didn't want to leave Rezaira, but the fact was that I had to.
By the time winter ended, I hoped to have accomplished something.
When I first arrived in Rezaira, Luna had said that even if I became a little stronger here, it wouldn't make much difference.
I agreed with Luna's words.
I haven't reached the Master Class yet, but even if I do, could I face the monster that appears at the end?
However, I couldn't just stand still, and the fact that I hadn't reached that level yet meant that there might be new possibilities in Rezaira.
Even reaching the Master Class, the chances were slim.
In the end, I could only rely on the power of the relics.
By now, I knew quite a bit about the hidden powers of the relics.
Tiamata grants powerful divine power, allowing for simultaneous use of healing and destructive power.
Ellen's Lament wields the power to cut anything.
Alsbringer is the ultimate relic that can summon the power of a god, but it takes a life as a price.
I didn't know how the true power of Lapelt worked.
Tiamata's keyword was anger.
Lament's keyword was sorrow.
Alsbringer's keyword was sacrifice.
Lapelt's keyword was hatred.
If even reaching the Master Class still left my chances of survival slim, shouldn't I find some other way?
"I have a question for both of you."
At my words, Luna and Ronan both looked at me.
"Go ahead."
"Ask away."
If the clue is in the artifact.
"Do you know where the Holy Spear, Alixion, is?"
I know its shape, having seen it in books.
The last artifact shaped like a spear.
The relic of Riter, the god of courage.
Where is Alixion and what is its true power?
These two seemed likely to know.
I had only briefly glimpsed information about Alixion while researching artifacts like Tiamata in the past, and I didn't know much about it.
All I knew was that it was an artifact shaped like a spear.
Of course, even if it were in my hands, I don't know how well I, who have only wielded swords thus far, could use it.
But the true power of that artifact might grant me a slim chance.
Their answers to my question were simple.
"We don't know."
At Ronan's answer, Luna shook her head as if she didn't know either.
Was the fact that the Sun and Moon clan had stored the Lapelt related to its name?
But their "we don't know" seemed a bit different from simply not knowing.
Luna cautiously took a spoonful of the meat soup and spoke.
"To be exact, no one can find Alixion."
"So...does it not exist in this world?"
"No."
Luna shook her head.
The one who answered was not Luna, but Ronan.
"Alixion is an artifact that comes to you."
"It comes to me?"
"Yes. It comes to those who need it. That's why throughout its long history, Alixion has rarely appeared in the world."
The concept of it coming to you, rather than searching for it, felt rather unfamiliar.
It was also quite strange that we were discussing an artifact, one of the most important items in the world, in a snowy mountain village.
"If I need it, it will come to me... So if I need Alixion, it will appear before me?"
"If that were the case, anyone in the world could have used Alixion. Alixion does not respond to ordinary desires."
"And what is that extraordinary desire?"
Luna took over for Ronan.
"It's a relic of Riter. What do you think is needed?"
Ah.
"Courage...is it?"
"That's right."
So it means that it's an artifact that appears and reacts to the desires of those with courage, as it is a relic of the god of courage.
Courage, huh?
Aren't I on the courageous side, if I really think about it?
Wasn't it a courageous act to actually seek out the person who almost killed me and ask for their help, even if it was a desperate move?
Don't I have the qualifications to be the master of Alixion?
I might be overconfident, but I definitely think so.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Luna looked at me with a stern face.
"Reinhardt, what do you think is the most important thing in courage?"
"…Pardon?"
I didn't understand Luna's words for a moment.
"What's the most important thing in courage... What else is there besides courage? Bravery? Confidence? Something like that?"
Seeing that I didn't understand, Luna shook her head.
"Suppose there's a terrifying enemy. For example, let's say there's a dragon from another world, like you mentioned. It's a fearsome enemy that you absolutely cannot face with ordinary means."
"…Yes."
"Suppose you stand up to it anyway, knowing that you can't face it. You confront it with the mindset that, somehow, you'll make it."
"…Yes."
"Do you think that's courage?"
If that's not courage, then what is?
I held back from saying that, sensing Luna had more to say.
It was not Luna who continued, but Ronan.
"That is not courage, but recklessness."
At those words, I was at a loss for what to say.
"What is needed for recklessness to become courage?"
Luna stared into my eyes quietly.
Recklessness and courage.
The difference between them.
I thought about the difference between the two concepts, which I had never seriously considered.
Recklessness and courage are, strictly speaking, very similar words. The concept of facing or opposing something is the same in both.
However, recklessness inherently includes foolishness.
Why is it foolish?
It's foolish to believe that one can face an insurmountable opponent.
Then what makes courage different?
When recklessness loses its foolishness, it becomes courage.
Recklessness devoid of arrogance and foolishness.
The recklessness of a wise person who accurately understands their own power.
"…"
Facing something despite knowing it's impossible, and knowing that it's difficult.
If the foundation of courage is facing something while fully understanding it.
I couldn't help but realize what the most important thing in courage was.
"Fear… it is."
"That's right."
What makes courage truly courageous is not bravery, pride, or determination.
Knowing the opponent.
Fearing the opponent.
Facing them despite that fear.
That was the true condition of courage.
