Chapter 123
Basilus’ cheerful outburst echoed through the cold air.
“Kuu… you idiot!”
Yeah, I know.
Even I think it was stupid… really, incredibly stupid.
I came all the way here, but I can’t find my way back?
What kind of person am I?
Basilus, who had been burning off the snowflakes that landed on his body, looked up at me with his big, round eyes. I asked him a question.
“Hey, does that pager have a map app?”
“Kuu?”
“Of course, it doesn’t.”
My brain has become so addicted to modern technology that I can’t find my way without a map app.
I had the brilliant idea of exploring a new shop on a snowy day, only to end up getting lost.
And in this whole situation, only one person came to mind.
If there’s no map app, find a human map.
That person was Adela.
Oh, there she is.
“Han Siha!!”
Adela’s voice rang out over the noisy street.
Her face was flushed, probably from running in the cold.
Did I really make her run out here in a panic?
I walked toward her as she hurriedly approached me.
Her cheeks were as red as her frostbitten ears.
Adela stopped in front of me, panting heavily.
“Han Siha!”
“Hey, you didn’t need to run.”
“Hah… hah.”
Adela bit her lower lip and looked up at me.
Her eyes were filled with a mix of disbelief and exasperation.
Honestly, if I were her, I’d be just as frustrated.
A classmate who had gone missing suddenly calls to say they’re lost.
And not just anywhere, but right in front of their own school.
But you know what? This plaza is a lot bigger than I thought.
I tried to find my way back, but after wandering around in the snow for hours, I still couldn’t figure it out.
So now I looked like a mess, with snow all over my head from searching aimlessly.
Adela frowned as she looked at the snow piled on top of my head.
Her voice trembled, either from the cold or from trying to contain her frustration.
“You…”
I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say next.
She’s probably going to ask if I’m an idiot, right?
She’s planning to tease me for at least a week, isn’t she?
But then, what she said next surprised me.
“Did you wait long?”
Huh?
—
It was freezing cold.
For someone like Adela, who was from the southern regions, it must have felt even colder.
“Do you want to wear this?”
I handed her the fur hat I had originally bought for Basilus. Adela’s eyes widened.
“What’s this?”
“Well… it wasn’t supposed to fit, but he tore it up, so it should fit now.”
It was a ventilated fur hat.
It was usable, aside from the fact that it had been torn and stretched into a bigger size.
Adela snatched the hat from my hand, looking a bit offended.
“My head isn’t big!”
“I’m not saying your head is big; it’s just that humans and reptiles have different skull structures… Forget it. Just wear it.”
I couldn’t really bring myself to argue with her after she came all the way out here to help me.
Adela stood awkwardly in front of me, wearing a bright red fur hat.
“How do I look?”
“It looks like you’re wearing a popped balloon on your head.”
Adela’s face puffed up, ready to explode.
“You… you gave me something weird on purpose!”
“Hey, hey. Just keep it on. It’s better to wear something, even if it’s torn, than nothing at all when it’s cold!”
“The wind’s coming right through it!”
“Yeah, but you look a lot cuter with it on than without.”
Adela’s eyes sparkled at the unexpected compliment.
There’s no denying that wearing a fur hat made her overall appearance softer and rounder.
“R-really?”
“When you’re not wearing it, you look like you have a terrible temper.”
Adela’s expression turned icy.
I had a feeling something was about to fly at me….
My instincts were spot on.
Woosh—
She started gathering a snowball with her magic.
“Wait, wait!”
Are you planning to throw that magically compacted snowball at me?
That’s cheating!
Thud.
Adela sighed and dropped the snowball onto the ground.
“So, why did you come all the way here? You could’ve bought most things in the plaza.”
Artifact shop.
I had seen it while out with Natalie last time, and I wanted to check it out.
Adela was right—most things could be found near the plaza.
But this was a rare artifact that was hard to find anywhere else, so I had no choice.
“I bought this.”
I held out the small artifact that fit in one hand.
Its sleek, plastic exterior had a modern look, but the handmade handle looked cheap and out of place. Still, it served its purpose.
This was an artifact that had been popular even in my previous life.
Adela looked closely at the artifact in my hand, then nodded.
“It looks pretty, but what does it do?”
This?
It’s perfect for this snowy weather.
“It makes snow ducks.”
—
Thud.
Thud thud.
The heavy sound of snow being compressed echoed through the quiet alley.
After getting his hands on the artifact, Han Siha didn’t leave his spot for an entire hour.
His focus was intense.
“Kuu…?”
“Peep!”
Basilus and Kloshti looked up at Adela in bewilderment, as if asking her what their tamer was doing.
Adela was just as dazed as they were.
“What’s he doing?”
“I’m not sure.”
Tap.
Thud.
Thud thud.
The delicate control, like the touch of a master artisan, landed on the ground.
Han Siha expertly packed the snow into the artifact, tapped it a few times, and then opened it to create a new creature.
The snowballs he produced were so meticulously crafted that they looked as if they could come to life at any moment.
Compared to the roughly packed snowballs created with magic, these were on a different level of intricacy.
Even if Adela were to try making a snowman, she knew she wouldn’t be able to achieve such a precise result with her own hands.
But Han Siha effortlessly churned out these perfect snow creatures with the artifact, as if it were nothing.
Too effortlessly…
And far too many…
How seriously are you taking this snow duck thing?
With snow piled high on his head, Han Siha muttered to himself.
“450…”
A true snow duck artisan.
If these neatly lined-up snow ducks were mages or knights, they might have conquered an entire empire by now.
Adela couldn’t help but think about that as she watched the rows of snow ducks filling the garden.
“451…”
When is he going to stop?
“452!”
Adela felt dizzy.
—
“Hoo… Kids these days are really into this stuff. I never got to do it because I was always working.”
“….”
“I’m finally getting my fill of fun!”
“Kuu kuu!”
Han Siha put away the artifact, looking thoroughly satisfied.
He spoke in an excited tone, saying things Adela didn’t quite understand.
Considering how he had been dragging himself around gloomily during group assignments, it was a relief to see him so happy.
She didn’t know what made him so ecstatic about creating 452 snow ducks, but seeing his bright face made Adela smile.
Just then, Han Siha grinned mischievously and leaned in closer.
“What do you want to do? You didn’t seem that interested when I asked you to make something earlier.”
Adela wasn’t very excited about something that felt like a mass-produced product, just shoveled out of an artifact.
She was more interested in something they could do together.
Carefully, she voiced the thought she had been turning over in her mind.
“Do you want to make a snowman?”
“A snowman?”
Han Siha echoed, then turned his gaze away.
“Sure. We could probably make a big one if we combine those snow ducks over there.”
“…Why would you combine them?”
“Because they’re already packed together, so they’ll combine easily.”
A decision rooted in unnecessary efficiency.
Adela shook her head in dismay, waving her hands in protest.
“We can roll the snow, roll it to make the snowman.”
Adela crouched down and started to gather snow in her hands. Her ungloved fingers awkwardly formed the snow into a ball.
She could have used magic like she did earlier, but that didn’t seem to fit the mood right now.
Awkwardly, she fumbled with the snow, trying to shape it.
This was her first time.
Her first time forming snow, her first time making a snowman.
Naturally, she was clumsy.
Despite trying to do it well, her hands, unassisted by magic, were awkward.
“Why does it keep… falling apart?”
Maybe it was the cold weather.
The snow, chilled and frozen, slipped through her fingers.
She needed to pack it together, but it wasn’t working the way she had imagined.
Other kids could form much larger snowballs so quickly.
Adela scratched her head and struggled in place.
Then, Han Siha came up behind her and chuckled softly.
“What’s this? Have you really never made one before?”
When she said she wanted to make a snowman, her eyes sparkling with excitement, he thought it was just something she enjoyed doing.
But seeing her struggle now, it was clear this was her first time.
“Mm.”
Adela nodded shyly, glancing at Han Siha.
His soft voice whispered in her ear.
“That’s not how you do it.”
It reminded her of the time when she was struggling with a Hellhound, rolling around in a slime dungeon.
Back then, he had said something similar.
“Watch, this is how you do it.”
Before she knew it, Han Siha was next to her, starting to form the snow.
She wasn’t sure what the trick was, but just like when he made the snow ducks, a snowball appeared in his hands with a few deft movements.
“You just need to roll it slowly.”
Han Siha started rolling the snowball along the ground.
As it rolled, it gathered the snow that was already blanketing the ground.
What began as a small, hand-sized snowball quickly grew as it rolled across the ground, returning much larger than before.
Adela couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.
Han Siha rolled the now large snowball towards her.
“You try it.”
“O-okay!”
Yaaah!
With a bright smile on her face, Adela began to roll the snowball.
Once the snowball started growing, it expanded like a balloon, making it harder to roll with just one hand.
“Wow!”
Adela laughed brightly as she focused on rolling the snowball.
The worries that had been weighing her down for the past few days were flattened, melted, and disappeared like the snowflakes beneath her feet.
All she cared about now was making the biggest snowman she could.
Then, Han Siha, slightly off-balance, called out loudly.
“Move aside, move, move. I’m putting it on top!”
While Adela had been busy making her snowball larger, Han Siha had managed to form the snowman’s head.
“Okay!”
“Here goes…!”
As Adela quickly stepped aside, Han Siha lifted the large snowball and placed it on top of the one Adela had made.
With a strange battle cry, Han Siha stepped back, exhausted.
“It’s done!”
It was a snowman.
A big snowman, just like the ones she had always heard about, now stood in front of Adela.
She couldn’t help but smile brightly.
“Is this right? Is this what you wanted?”
For a moment, she almost lost herself in the sight.
“Absolutely! Just a moment!”
Her voice was full of excitement.
Adela hurriedly began searching for pebbles and twigs with her frozen red hands.
It didn’t take long to find what she needed.
Scrape.
Adela found a smooth pebble in the ground and carefully placed it on the snowman’s face.
Then, she stuck twigs into its sides to form arms.
With its eyes and arms complete, Adela stepped back, taking a deep breath.
“It’s… it’s cute.”
Han Siha chuckled at her words.
If she wanted to make a snowman so badly, she could have just said so when they met.
Adela clasped her hands together and muttered softly.
“Thank you.”
“Hm?”
“I really wanted to make one, but I didn’t want to do it alone.”
She had been planning to just let this year pass by, like last year.
If Han Siha hadn’t called her with the Sound Teleport, she would have spent the night alone, worrying endlessly.
Adela smiled and whispered to herself.
“Maybe it’s because we’re together, but it’s not as cold as I thought. This is nice….”
“It is.”
Han Siha nodded, agreeing with her.
When he had been lost, the cold had felt unbearable, to the point where he was worried about frostbite. But now, standing here with Adela, a warm feeling spread through him.
His fingers should have been frozen, but strangely enough, he didn’t feel cold at all.
Wait, it’s winter, but it’s not cold?
It’s starting to feel warm….
That doesn’t make any sense.
Han Siha’s eyes widened in realization.
Drip.
The snowman was melting.
In this freezing weather, the snowman was already starting to melt?
“Kuu… warm….”
There was Basilus, sitting at the base of the snowman, flames flickering around him.
Oh no.
“Basilus! Nooo!”
Adela and Han Siha both reached out at the same time.
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