I opened my eyes to the cool air.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Callius' face. He was looking down at me.
“Are you okay?”
“...!”
I got up in a hurry.
'Why was I cutting this man's knee?'
To my bewildered face, Callius calmly explained it as if it were nothing serious.
"You fell into a brief sleep as the magic circle was activated. This is a common occurrence for many people. There's no need to worry too much."
“Oh, I see... I’m sorry. I was rude.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
'For a cannibal, he's quite a kind person.'
Although I haven't spent much time with him yet, it feels like that so far.
He opened the carriage curtain and looked outside.
“We have arrived at Abene.”
For a moment, I was speechless.
A pure white world spread out before my eyes.
I clung to the window and looked around at the scenery outside.
Wherever I looked, everything was covered in pure white snow.
"Ah..."
I have seen snow in the capital too.
The snow falling in the capital was like a light drizzle. Even that was something you only saw if you were lucky in the middle of winter.
There were many years when it didn't snow, and even when it did, it only lasted for one or two days on the coldest days.
In particular, it was the first time in my life that I saw snow piled up on the ground like this.
Callius made a suggestion to me, who could not take my eyes off the scenery outside.
“Would you like to come down and take a look?”
“Is that okay?”
Callius ordered the coachman to stop the carriage.
“You’d better fasten your clothes tightly.”
I adjusted my clothes as best I could with my round hands.
Callius, who was watching this, couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to me.
“I will help you.”
He tied my cloak strings tightly and pulled the hood up tightly.
'As expected of a cannibal, he seems kind.'
They say you can know the depth of ten feet of water, but not the heart of a one-foot person.
Who would think that a person like this would be a cannibal?
If he hadn't promised me directly that he wouldn't eat me, I wouldn't have believed he was a cannibal.
I shook my head, picturing him devouring people.
He smiled and held out his hand, not knowing what I was thinking.
“Shall we get off?”
As we held hands, he opened the carriage door.
In an instant, cold air covered my face.
"Oh."
I was startled and recoiled.
The air that penetrated my lungs was so cold that I couldn't breathe.
I was dumbfounded by the sensation I was experiencing for the first time.
Seeing me frozen, Callius quickly closed the carriage door.
“Are you okay?”
"Uh..."
I couldn't bring myself to say "it's okay."
'I didn't say it was this cold.'
No, did you do it?
I remembered how many times Callius had warned me that the journey to Ronheim would not be easy.
'You did it.'
As I closed the carriage door, the cold air was cut off, and I barely regained my senses.
I calmed my mind.
'Chloe, it's okay. I can't just lose to the cold.'
How did I get here?
I can't go back. I have to live in this snow-covered land from now on.
To steel my resolve, I thought of Viscount Pelsus.
'When I go back, I'll marry him.'
The thought made my body tremble.
'I would rather freeze to death than marry Viscount Pelsus.'
Callius was looking at me with concern.
I opened my eyes wide and spoke firmly.
"It was my first time experiencing the northern wind, so I was a little surprised. I'm fine. I want to get off and look around."
Callius didn't stop me.
He knows it too. If I can't adapt to the winds here, there's no other way than to return.
Instead of trying to stop me, he reassured me.
“You’ll get used to it quickly.”
“Yes, I will.”
This time, I opened the carriage door myself.
A wind full of cold air passed by, scratching my cheek.
Fortunately, the bitter wind did not pierce the nyak leather.
'I'm glad I didn't take these clothes off because it was embarrassing.'
Callius's judgment was correct.
If I had been wearing the clothes I wore in the palace, I wouldn't have been able to withstand this northern wind.
“Be careful, the ground may be slippery.”
As I was about to get out of the carriage, Callius stopped me and gave me a warning.
I carefully stepped down onto the ground covered in soft snow.
But the snow was much deeper than I thought, so I stumbled helplessly.
“Ugh!”
If Callius hadn't caught me, I would have fallen forward and almost been buried in the snow.
I was practically hanging on to Callius' arm.
“Are you okay?”
How many times has this been asked?
I nodded and got out of the carriage, making sure my feet were firmly on the ground.
The snow was almost up to my knees.
“I didn’t know snow could pile up like this...”
Callius was amused to hear my muttering.
"Abene, by comparison, is the region in the north that receives the least snow. That's why the moving magic circle was installed here. Other places are even worse."
I opened my eyes wide.
“Are you saying that the snow piles higher in other places?”
“There are even places where it piles up as high as a person.”
The height of the person he was talking about would be based on northern standards, so he was saying that the snow piled up much higher than my height.
“It must be inconvenient to move around.”
“Thanks to that, Ronheim was at an advantage in enemy defense.”
Now I understand why Arrental had such a hard time conquering the North.
'Of course, it's not just because of the snow.'
I looked around, feeling the cold wind.
It was a completely white, snowy world.
On the leaves, on the roof, on the wall.
“Why do my cheeks feel hot when the cold wind blows?”
“The temperature difference between inside and outside the carriage is so great that your skin feels hot.”
Judging by the way he spoke casually, it didn't seem like a big deal.
I nodded and tried to take a step forward.
But then Callius caught me.
“Would you like to see more?”
“Wouldn’t that be enough time?”
“I didn’t mean it that way, but if you’re going to see more, I think it would be better to wear sulphee.”
“Sulphee?”
Callius took something out from under the carriage seat.
“This will make walking much easier.”
I looked at the flat, perforated object in his hand with a strange look.
As he took it out, Brentian, who was riding a horse, hurriedly dismounted and approached.
“I will do it, Marquis.”
But Callius lightly refused.
“No.”
Then he lowered his upper body and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Hold on here.”
He had me kneel down on one knee and put my feet on his other knee, one at a time, and put on snowshoes called sulphee.
Looking down at his head, I grabbed my shoulder with the hand that wasn't on his shoulder.
'Are shoulders originally this flat?'
He wore a thick leather coat and a fur cloak, which made his shoulders appear flat.
It was because his shoulders were thick enough that he couldn't be caught in my grasp.
'I'm wearing leather clothes and a fur cloak, but my shoulders are still being held.'
Did you put something like shoulder pads inside your clothes?
While I was having such random thoughts, Callius, who had firmly fastened the snowshoes to my feet, stood up.
“Try walking once.”
Following his words, I carefully stepped onto the snow.
Then something really amazing happened.
“...!”
I stand tall above the snow.
I looked back at Callius with my eyes wide open.
I held onto his hand tightly because I felt like I would sink if I let go.
“What a wonderful, magical item!”
Callius chuckled.
“It’s not magic, but you’ll find walking much easier now.”
It wasn't magic. That was surprising, but it was also amazing that, as he said, walking became much easier.
I moved forward step by step.
I felt like my group was watching me from behind, but I ignored them and kept moving forward, forward.
The clothes I was wearing were so heavy that my shoulders and my back ached. But the excitement of seeing the new scenery outweighed the pain, so I was able to endure it.
Crackle. Crackle.
Every time I stepped on the snow, it made a tickling sound. It was a pleasant sound.
I quickly ran out of breath and opened my mouth to breathe, and the cold air felt like it was freezing my throat.
Moreover, even though the nyak leather blocked the wind, it was not a warming magic, so the cold gradually spread throughout my body.
My body trembled. My eyes stung, tears clouding my vision.
For me, who already feels cold even in the late summer winds of Arrental, the cold here was almost painful.
'I feel like I'm going to die.'
I wasn't kidding, I really felt like I was freezing to death.
But I didn't stop walking.
Soon, I was standing at the edge of the cliff I had been looking at since I got off the carriage.
“The wind is strong.”
Callius held my hand tightly, worried that I might be blown away by the wind.
I didn't respond.
That couldn't be possible.
It was because I was captivated by the beautiful snowy scenery unfolding below the steep cliffs.
I was out of breath.
My heart was pounding, and tears welled up in my eyes.
I was convinced as I looked at the pure white scenery that spread out before my eyes.
I can't help but love this frozen land.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Callius' face. He was looking down at me.
“Are you okay?”
“...!”
I got up in a hurry.
'Why was I cutting this man's knee?'
To my bewildered face, Callius calmly explained it as if it were nothing serious.
"You fell into a brief sleep as the magic circle was activated. This is a common occurrence for many people. There's no need to worry too much."
“Oh, I see... I’m sorry. I was rude.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
'For a cannibal, he's quite a kind person.'
Although I haven't spent much time with him yet, it feels like that so far.
He opened the carriage curtain and looked outside.
“We have arrived at Abene.”
For a moment, I was speechless.
A pure white world spread out before my eyes.
I clung to the window and looked around at the scenery outside.
Wherever I looked, everything was covered in pure white snow.
"Ah..."
I have seen snow in the capital too.
The snow falling in the capital was like a light drizzle. Even that was something you only saw if you were lucky in the middle of winter.
There were many years when it didn't snow, and even when it did, it only lasted for one or two days on the coldest days.
In particular, it was the first time in my life that I saw snow piled up on the ground like this.
Callius made a suggestion to me, who could not take my eyes off the scenery outside.
“Would you like to come down and take a look?”
“Is that okay?”
Callius ordered the coachman to stop the carriage.
“You’d better fasten your clothes tightly.”
I adjusted my clothes as best I could with my round hands.
Callius, who was watching this, couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to me.
“I will help you.”
He tied my cloak strings tightly and pulled the hood up tightly.
'As expected of a cannibal, he seems kind.'
They say you can know the depth of ten feet of water, but not the heart of a one-foot person.
Who would think that a person like this would be a cannibal?
If he hadn't promised me directly that he wouldn't eat me, I wouldn't have believed he was a cannibal.
I shook my head, picturing him devouring people.
He smiled and held out his hand, not knowing what I was thinking.
“Shall we get off?”
As we held hands, he opened the carriage door.
In an instant, cold air covered my face.
"Oh."
I was startled and recoiled.
The air that penetrated my lungs was so cold that I couldn't breathe.
I was dumbfounded by the sensation I was experiencing for the first time.
Seeing me frozen, Callius quickly closed the carriage door.
“Are you okay?”
"Uh..."
I couldn't bring myself to say "it's okay."
'I didn't say it was this cold.'
No, did you do it?
I remembered how many times Callius had warned me that the journey to Ronheim would not be easy.
'You did it.'
As I closed the carriage door, the cold air was cut off, and I barely regained my senses.
I calmed my mind.
'Chloe, it's okay. I can't just lose to the cold.'
How did I get here?
I can't go back. I have to live in this snow-covered land from now on.
To steel my resolve, I thought of Viscount Pelsus.
'When I go back, I'll marry him.'
The thought made my body tremble.
'I would rather freeze to death than marry Viscount Pelsus.'
Callius was looking at me with concern.
I opened my eyes wide and spoke firmly.
"It was my first time experiencing the northern wind, so I was a little surprised. I'm fine. I want to get off and look around."
Callius didn't stop me.
He knows it too. If I can't adapt to the winds here, there's no other way than to return.
Instead of trying to stop me, he reassured me.
“You’ll get used to it quickly.”
“Yes, I will.”
This time, I opened the carriage door myself.
A wind full of cold air passed by, scratching my cheek.
Fortunately, the bitter wind did not pierce the nyak leather.
'I'm glad I didn't take these clothes off because it was embarrassing.'
Callius's judgment was correct.
If I had been wearing the clothes I wore in the palace, I wouldn't have been able to withstand this northern wind.
“Be careful, the ground may be slippery.”
As I was about to get out of the carriage, Callius stopped me and gave me a warning.
I carefully stepped down onto the ground covered in soft snow.
But the snow was much deeper than I thought, so I stumbled helplessly.
“Ugh!”
If Callius hadn't caught me, I would have fallen forward and almost been buried in the snow.
I was practically hanging on to Callius' arm.
“Are you okay?”
How many times has this been asked?
I nodded and got out of the carriage, making sure my feet were firmly on the ground.
The snow was almost up to my knees.
“I didn’t know snow could pile up like this...”
Callius was amused to hear my muttering.
"Abene, by comparison, is the region in the north that receives the least snow. That's why the moving magic circle was installed here. Other places are even worse."
I opened my eyes wide.
“Are you saying that the snow piles higher in other places?”
“There are even places where it piles up as high as a person.”
The height of the person he was talking about would be based on northern standards, so he was saying that the snow piled up much higher than my height.
“It must be inconvenient to move around.”
“Thanks to that, Ronheim was at an advantage in enemy defense.”
Now I understand why Arrental had such a hard time conquering the North.
'Of course, it's not just because of the snow.'
I looked around, feeling the cold wind.
It was a completely white, snowy world.
On the leaves, on the roof, on the wall.
“Why do my cheeks feel hot when the cold wind blows?”
“The temperature difference between inside and outside the carriage is so great that your skin feels hot.”
Judging by the way he spoke casually, it didn't seem like a big deal.
I nodded and tried to take a step forward.
But then Callius caught me.
“Would you like to see more?”
“Wouldn’t that be enough time?”
“I didn’t mean it that way, but if you’re going to see more, I think it would be better to wear sulphee.”
“Sulphee?”
Callius took something out from under the carriage seat.
“This will make walking much easier.”
I looked at the flat, perforated object in his hand with a strange look.
As he took it out, Brentian, who was riding a horse, hurriedly dismounted and approached.
“I will do it, Marquis.”
But Callius lightly refused.
“No.”
Then he lowered his upper body and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Hold on here.”
He had me kneel down on one knee and put my feet on his other knee, one at a time, and put on snowshoes called sulphee.
Looking down at his head, I grabbed my shoulder with the hand that wasn't on his shoulder.
'Are shoulders originally this flat?'
He wore a thick leather coat and a fur cloak, which made his shoulders appear flat.
It was because his shoulders were thick enough that he couldn't be caught in my grasp.
'I'm wearing leather clothes and a fur cloak, but my shoulders are still being held.'
Did you put something like shoulder pads inside your clothes?
While I was having such random thoughts, Callius, who had firmly fastened the snowshoes to my feet, stood up.
“Try walking once.”
Following his words, I carefully stepped onto the snow.
Then something really amazing happened.
“...!”
I stand tall above the snow.
I looked back at Callius with my eyes wide open.
I held onto his hand tightly because I felt like I would sink if I let go.
“What a wonderful, magical item!”
Callius chuckled.
“It’s not magic, but you’ll find walking much easier now.”
It wasn't magic. That was surprising, but it was also amazing that, as he said, walking became much easier.
I moved forward step by step.
I felt like my group was watching me from behind, but I ignored them and kept moving forward, forward.
The clothes I was wearing were so heavy that my shoulders and my back ached. But the excitement of seeing the new scenery outweighed the pain, so I was able to endure it.
Crackle. Crackle.
Every time I stepped on the snow, it made a tickling sound. It was a pleasant sound.
I quickly ran out of breath and opened my mouth to breathe, and the cold air felt like it was freezing my throat.
Moreover, even though the nyak leather blocked the wind, it was not a warming magic, so the cold gradually spread throughout my body.
My body trembled. My eyes stung, tears clouding my vision.
For me, who already feels cold even in the late summer winds of Arrental, the cold here was almost painful.
'I feel like I'm going to die.'
I wasn't kidding, I really felt like I was freezing to death.
But I didn't stop walking.
Soon, I was standing at the edge of the cliff I had been looking at since I got off the carriage.
“The wind is strong.”
Callius held my hand tightly, worried that I might be blown away by the wind.
I didn't respond.
That couldn't be possible.
It was because I was captivated by the beautiful snowy scenery unfolding below the steep cliffs.
I was out of breath.
My heart was pounding, and tears welled up in my eyes.
I was convinced as I looked at the pure white scenery that spread out before my eyes.
I can't help but love this frozen land.
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