Side Story 2: Flowers Blooming in the Snowfield
“Oh, it’s finally over. How about you, Ophelia?”
A young woman, who seemed to have just become an adult, closed her suitcase and stretched out.
She was a tall, slender woman with a round face and large glasses.
"Yeah, I'm almost done. Oh, right. You packed the right winter gear, right? I heard it's incredibly cold in the northern part of the Peles Empire."
A woman of her age named Ophelia said, folding her thick scarf neatly and putting it in her travel bag.
The bag was already crammed with winter gear, including a fluffy wool coat, earmuffs, and knitted gloves.
"Of course I packed. You know my father. He used to say, 'The Empire is colder than you can imagine,' and he packed me so much."
"That's right. Your parents traveled to the Empire a lot for work, didn't they? Candice, you went there a few times with your mother when you were little."
"Actually, I was so young I barely remember anything. I was just glued to my book, even on the boat. My younger sister, who was so active and loved to move around, would tease me, saying things like, 'Look, there's a dolphin over there!'"
“Haha, that’s so Natalia-like.”
Ophelia burst into laughter as Candice recounted her childhood memories.
But that was only for a moment. Realizing that there was still a lot of work to be done, she quickly turned her gaze to the pile of luggage she was carrying.
"Oh, come on, I'm out of my mind. This isn't the time to be doing this. I need to pack quickly so I can have time to go home."
“Would you like some help? I already took care of everything.”
Candice rolled up her loose shirt sleeves and spoke. Of course, Ophelia was delighted to hear this.
"Really? Thank you. I told you I couldn't find anyone better than you. Just bring me the books I left on the desk over there. Just put them in, and you're done."
“What, you’re carrying so many magic theory books...? I see books that have nothing to do with our work.”
Candice lifted several books that looked thicker than her forearm and looked at the titles as she asked.
"You never know when or where you might need something. The Peles Empire isn't as advanced in magic as ours, so it won't be easy to obtain books like this."
“Anyway, I told you you were a model student.”
As Ophelia answered, taking the books from her and stuffing them into her bag, Candice shrugged and turned away, as if she couldn't stop them.
Meanwhile, Ophelia finished packing her bags, locked them, and dusted them off.
"Tada, I'm done! Now I just need to go home."
"You'll be lucky. You'll get to see your cute nieces and nephews. I'll just get a lot of nagging if I go. 'Please, don't lose your stuff, and eat properly!'"
Candice mimicked her mother's nagging voice, a constant source of nagging, as she was always so interested in magic and so sloppy in other areas.
Ophelia burst out laughing at the realistic voice impersonation and said goodbye to her friend as she left the dorm room.
"Have a safe trip. Be sure to say hello to your parents and Natalia."
"Yes, I will. Please say hello to your family."
Candice sighed deeply. The thought of going home and being nagged by her parents seemed exhausting.
Although she didn't show it in front of her friends, Ophelia was actually a little envious of Candice.
This was because both of her parents had passed away, and she had no adults left to nag her.
'But it's okay because my brother is here.'
Ophelia shook her head, shaking off the loneliness that was creeping up on her, and soon smiled gently. It wasn't a fake smile. Thinking of her brother and sister-in-law and their two young daughters, her heart felt warm, as if a fire had been lit.
Although he may seem a bit cold on the outside, her older brother, Isidore Hailing, was a man who truly cared for his family.
“Aunt! I love you, Aunt!”
When Ophelia entered her home, the first people to greet her were her two young nieces.
Rachel, now three, was very active and would run to her aunt and hug her whenever she came home.
Michelle, who was one year older than Rachel, was quiet and shy, so she watched her nervously until Ophelia cautiously reached out her hand, and she came over to take it with her small hand.
"You're here. Tomorrow is already the departure date. Have you packed your bags properly?"
Isidore, with his strict expression, adjusted his glasses and spoke to me.
“Oh, Brother! Of course, I came prepared.”
"Yes, good. Take a seat over here. Do you have time to eat dinner? Sabina said she took special care to prepare the menu for you."
“Of course, I have to eat before I go.”
Since she doesn't know when she'll be back after going to the Peles Empire this time, Ophelia came to her hometown to spend a little more time with her family.
"Dinner will be ready soon, Ophelia. Would you mind playing with the children in the meantime?"
Sabina, Isidore's wife and mother of his children, peeked out from the kitchen and spoke. She was a warm-looking woman with light brown hair and blue eyes.
"Yes, Rachel, Michelle! Come here and play with your aunt."
Ophelia took each of her nieces' tiny hands in hers and headed to the children's playroom. The soft carpet was filled with dolls and toys for her two nieces.
Unlike regular toys, there were also quite a few educational toys designed to help children easily learn about properties and magical theories.
Of course, children preferred real magic to flimsy toys.
“Auntie, do that! Do that! Ppeororong!”
Rachel clung to Ophelia's arm, begging her to show her magic. Michelle, though she didn't express it outwardly, secretly hoped her aunt would show her magic.
“Let go of my arm and I’ll show you the magic, Rachel.”
As she spoke with a helpless smile, Rachel quickly let go of the arm she was holding and took a step back with a calm expression.
Ophelia smiled broadly and held out her palm in the air. As she muttered the incantation, the air in the room stirred, and a breeze rose.
Then, a flower of light bloomed from her palm. The petals of light spread in all directions, carried by the wind she had created. It was a beautiful and mystical sight.
“Wow! So pretty!”
Rachel and Michelle gasped in amazement and jumped to catch the petals. The petals they caught vanished into thin air, but the excitement was so palpable that their chubby cheeks quickly flushed with excitement.
While Ophelia was giving her nieces a wonderful presentation, dinner was ready. The freshly baked bread and warm stew smelled delicious.
"It's a great honor to be leading such a grand project right after graduating from the Academy. Ancient magical relics of such magnitude aren't often discovered. It will greatly benefit your future career, so you must do your best to avoid being a burden to anyone. Well, I trust you'll figure it out without me nagging you."
Isidore looked at Ophelia and spoke kindly. His gaze was filled with tenderness, filled with his unwavering faith in his sister.
“Yes, brother. I will work hard.”
She nodded, blushing slightly at her brother's compliment.
“By the way, such a powerful magical power was buried beneath the eternal snow... What secrets are hidden in those ruins?”
“Isidore, your sister is leaving on a long journey tomorrow. Do we really need to talk about work until then?”
Just as he was about to begin talking seriously about work, his wife Sabina interrupted him. She didn't want to spend the last meal of the day with a stiff discussion of magical research.
“Aunt, aunt, where are you going? Are you going far, far away?”
Rachel, who understood her mother's words, tugged at Ophelia's sleeve with a sad expression. Her face was covered in stew.
“Yeah, Auntie, go far away.”
Ophelia wiped her niece's mouth with a handkerchief, her face sad. Hearing her young niece's question, she finally realized she was leaving her beloved hometown.
“...When are you coming? When you sleep for ten nights?”
“No, I’ll be back in more than ten nights.”
Tears welled up in Rachel's large eyes at her answer. She seemed quite sad to be parting ways with her aunt, who had come to their house every weekend to play with her.
"Rachel, you need to get along. Don't fight with your sister. Michelle, get along with your sister."
Ophelia, too, said goodbye to her nieces with a voice thick with moisture. She felt as if tears were about to fall.
"Brother, take care of your health, too. Don't focus too much on your studies. Sabina, too... Thanks to the winter gear you provided, I think I'll be able to stay warm even in cold places. Thank you so much."
“Ophelia, you too... why do you act like you’re leaving forever? You’ll come back once the work is done, right?”
Sabina, too, sniffled, her nose tingling. But Ophelia couldn't readily answer her question.
Of course, that was the plan. She was assigned to investigate the ruins discovered in the Weishaffen territory in the northern part of the Peles Empire. She didn't know how long it would take to fully investigate the area, but she planned to return to the Republic once that was done.
Considered one of the most talented individuals in the history of the Republic of Tamora, she was expected to begin the process of becoming a professor at the Magic Academy upon her return. Already, people were lining up to nominate her for a seat on the Wizards' Council.
Yet, a strange premonition struck her. A feeling that if she left for the Empire this time, she would never return to the Republic of Tamora.
It wasn't the feeling that something bad would happen, and she wouldn't return. It was just a premonition, a feeling that she would, of her own free will, end up in a foreign land tens of thousands of miles away.
“Oh, it’s finally over. How about you, Ophelia?”
A young woman, who seemed to have just become an adult, closed her suitcase and stretched out.
She was a tall, slender woman with a round face and large glasses.
"Yeah, I'm almost done. Oh, right. You packed the right winter gear, right? I heard it's incredibly cold in the northern part of the Peles Empire."
A woman of her age named Ophelia said, folding her thick scarf neatly and putting it in her travel bag.
The bag was already crammed with winter gear, including a fluffy wool coat, earmuffs, and knitted gloves.
"Of course I packed. You know my father. He used to say, 'The Empire is colder than you can imagine,' and he packed me so much."
"That's right. Your parents traveled to the Empire a lot for work, didn't they? Candice, you went there a few times with your mother when you were little."
"Actually, I was so young I barely remember anything. I was just glued to my book, even on the boat. My younger sister, who was so active and loved to move around, would tease me, saying things like, 'Look, there's a dolphin over there!'"
“Haha, that’s so Natalia-like.”
Ophelia burst into laughter as Candice recounted her childhood memories.
But that was only for a moment. Realizing that there was still a lot of work to be done, she quickly turned her gaze to the pile of luggage she was carrying.
"Oh, come on, I'm out of my mind. This isn't the time to be doing this. I need to pack quickly so I can have time to go home."
“Would you like some help? I already took care of everything.”
Candice rolled up her loose shirt sleeves and spoke. Of course, Ophelia was delighted to hear this.
"Really? Thank you. I told you I couldn't find anyone better than you. Just bring me the books I left on the desk over there. Just put them in, and you're done."
“What, you’re carrying so many magic theory books...? I see books that have nothing to do with our work.”
Candice lifted several books that looked thicker than her forearm and looked at the titles as she asked.
"You never know when or where you might need something. The Peles Empire isn't as advanced in magic as ours, so it won't be easy to obtain books like this."
“Anyway, I told you you were a model student.”
As Ophelia answered, taking the books from her and stuffing them into her bag, Candice shrugged and turned away, as if she couldn't stop them.
Meanwhile, Ophelia finished packing her bags, locked them, and dusted them off.
"Tada, I'm done! Now I just need to go home."
"You'll be lucky. You'll get to see your cute nieces and nephews. I'll just get a lot of nagging if I go. 'Please, don't lose your stuff, and eat properly!'"
Candice mimicked her mother's nagging voice, a constant source of nagging, as she was always so interested in magic and so sloppy in other areas.
Ophelia burst out laughing at the realistic voice impersonation and said goodbye to her friend as she left the dorm room.
"Have a safe trip. Be sure to say hello to your parents and Natalia."
"Yes, I will. Please say hello to your family."
Candice sighed deeply. The thought of going home and being nagged by her parents seemed exhausting.
Although she didn't show it in front of her friends, Ophelia was actually a little envious of Candice.
This was because both of her parents had passed away, and she had no adults left to nag her.
'But it's okay because my brother is here.'
Ophelia shook her head, shaking off the loneliness that was creeping up on her, and soon smiled gently. It wasn't a fake smile. Thinking of her brother and sister-in-law and their two young daughters, her heart felt warm, as if a fire had been lit.
Although he may seem a bit cold on the outside, her older brother, Isidore Hailing, was a man who truly cared for his family.
“Aunt! I love you, Aunt!”
When Ophelia entered her home, the first people to greet her were her two young nieces.
Rachel, now three, was very active and would run to her aunt and hug her whenever she came home.
Michelle, who was one year older than Rachel, was quiet and shy, so she watched her nervously until Ophelia cautiously reached out her hand, and she came over to take it with her small hand.
"You're here. Tomorrow is already the departure date. Have you packed your bags properly?"
Isidore, with his strict expression, adjusted his glasses and spoke to me.
“Oh, Brother! Of course, I came prepared.”
"Yes, good. Take a seat over here. Do you have time to eat dinner? Sabina said she took special care to prepare the menu for you."
“Of course, I have to eat before I go.”
Since she doesn't know when she'll be back after going to the Peles Empire this time, Ophelia came to her hometown to spend a little more time with her family.
"Dinner will be ready soon, Ophelia. Would you mind playing with the children in the meantime?"
Sabina, Isidore's wife and mother of his children, peeked out from the kitchen and spoke. She was a warm-looking woman with light brown hair and blue eyes.
"Yes, Rachel, Michelle! Come here and play with your aunt."
Ophelia took each of her nieces' tiny hands in hers and headed to the children's playroom. The soft carpet was filled with dolls and toys for her two nieces.
Unlike regular toys, there were also quite a few educational toys designed to help children easily learn about properties and magical theories.
Of course, children preferred real magic to flimsy toys.
“Auntie, do that! Do that! Ppeororong!”
Rachel clung to Ophelia's arm, begging her to show her magic. Michelle, though she didn't express it outwardly, secretly hoped her aunt would show her magic.
“Let go of my arm and I’ll show you the magic, Rachel.”
As she spoke with a helpless smile, Rachel quickly let go of the arm she was holding and took a step back with a calm expression.
Ophelia smiled broadly and held out her palm in the air. As she muttered the incantation, the air in the room stirred, and a breeze rose.
Then, a flower of light bloomed from her palm. The petals of light spread in all directions, carried by the wind she had created. It was a beautiful and mystical sight.
“Wow! So pretty!”
Rachel and Michelle gasped in amazement and jumped to catch the petals. The petals they caught vanished into thin air, but the excitement was so palpable that their chubby cheeks quickly flushed with excitement.
While Ophelia was giving her nieces a wonderful presentation, dinner was ready. The freshly baked bread and warm stew smelled delicious.
"It's a great honor to be leading such a grand project right after graduating from the Academy. Ancient magical relics of such magnitude aren't often discovered. It will greatly benefit your future career, so you must do your best to avoid being a burden to anyone. Well, I trust you'll figure it out without me nagging you."
Isidore looked at Ophelia and spoke kindly. His gaze was filled with tenderness, filled with his unwavering faith in his sister.
“Yes, brother. I will work hard.”
She nodded, blushing slightly at her brother's compliment.
“By the way, such a powerful magical power was buried beneath the eternal snow... What secrets are hidden in those ruins?”
“Isidore, your sister is leaving on a long journey tomorrow. Do we really need to talk about work until then?”
Just as he was about to begin talking seriously about work, his wife Sabina interrupted him. She didn't want to spend the last meal of the day with a stiff discussion of magical research.
“Aunt, aunt, where are you going? Are you going far, far away?”
Rachel, who understood her mother's words, tugged at Ophelia's sleeve with a sad expression. Her face was covered in stew.
“Yeah, Auntie, go far away.”
Ophelia wiped her niece's mouth with a handkerchief, her face sad. Hearing her young niece's question, she finally realized she was leaving her beloved hometown.
“...When are you coming? When you sleep for ten nights?”
“No, I’ll be back in more than ten nights.”
Tears welled up in Rachel's large eyes at her answer. She seemed quite sad to be parting ways with her aunt, who had come to their house every weekend to play with her.
"Rachel, you need to get along. Don't fight with your sister. Michelle, get along with your sister."
Ophelia, too, said goodbye to her nieces with a voice thick with moisture. She felt as if tears were about to fall.
"Brother, take care of your health, too. Don't focus too much on your studies. Sabina, too... Thanks to the winter gear you provided, I think I'll be able to stay warm even in cold places. Thank you so much."
“Ophelia, you too... why do you act like you’re leaving forever? You’ll come back once the work is done, right?”
Sabina, too, sniffled, her nose tingling. But Ophelia couldn't readily answer her question.
Of course, that was the plan. She was assigned to investigate the ruins discovered in the Weishaffen territory in the northern part of the Peles Empire. She didn't know how long it would take to fully investigate the area, but she planned to return to the Republic once that was done.
Considered one of the most talented individuals in the history of the Republic of Tamora, she was expected to begin the process of becoming a professor at the Magic Academy upon her return. Already, people were lining up to nominate her for a seat on the Wizards' Council.
Yet, a strange premonition struck her. A feeling that if she left for the Empire this time, she would never return to the Republic of Tamora.
It wasn't the feeling that something bad would happen, and she wouldn't return. It was just a premonition, a feeling that she would, of her own free will, end up in a foreign land tens of thousands of miles away.
She didn't have any particular connection to the Peles Empire, nor did she dislike her future in the Republic of Tamora.
But still, she felt that way.
“...Of course. I should come back.”
But Ophelia hid her "feeling" and answered like this. It was impossible to tell her family what was merely a premonition. Especially not in front of Isidore.
He had faith in his sister's abilities. In a world where powerful magicians held power, Ophelia possessed exceptional abilities that easily placed her at the top. Even if she had no particular aspirations for politics, her research alone was a genius who was sure to open new horizons in academia.
It was impossible to tell her brother, who believed in her so much, that she might not return here.
If nothing happens in the Peles Empire, she may be able to finish her work safely and return to her beloved hometown.
But still, she felt that way.
“...Of course. I should come back.”
But Ophelia hid her "feeling" and answered like this. It was impossible to tell her family what was merely a premonition. Especially not in front of Isidore.
He had faith in his sister's abilities. In a world where powerful magicians held power, Ophelia possessed exceptional abilities that easily placed her at the top. Even if she had no particular aspirations for politics, her research alone was a genius who was sure to open new horizons in academia.
It was impossible to tell her brother, who believed in her so much, that she might not return here.
If nothing happens in the Peles Empire, she may be able to finish her work safely and return to her beloved hometown.
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