Chapter 94 – The Mindset of an Ice and Snow Worker (5)

Esther had never had feelings since her heart was pulled out.
This is irreversible damage that can never be repaired, and even at the moment of her death, if her pierced chest was cut open, only the slowly dispersing crystals of her mana would remain.

However, it was not a machine that simply responded to all stimuli——
The fragments of emotion that occasionally stirred feebly within her were close to the subconscious, that is, the reconstruction of old memories.

A physiological effect created by days of crying and laughing in the past.
Or, a false emotion reflexively created by the body after reading the other person’s psychology.
But it was so difficult to find with the naked eye, like moonlight on a stormy night, that she had never been conscious of it.
Yes, so far.
Until now.

“Hmm~. “I slept well.”

As Esther watched her sister yawn profusely and rub her eyes, she wondered if her own feelings had returned.
She wouldn’t have been to this extent a week ago.
But today was not her first day at the library, the time was not morning, and the book Adela had placed by her bedside was not her pillow.
Nevertheless, Adela’s every word and action seemed to be testing her own patience, and her ice and snow ball was slowly feeling strange.

“Hot, sister!?”
“…”
“Hey, read it! Read it now! “I almost read it all!!”

It was Adela who untied the straps on the first page of her book and quickly turned the pages.
After waking her once every thirty minutes, she came out expressionless and saw Siegfried talking to the captain of Farenzia’s guard in the distance.

— I was sorry back then, I apologize again.
— What happened? Thanks to you, I knew my employer was a bitch.

His demeanor had softened considerably in the warmer weather in the central part of the kingdom.
To begin with, Rochear’s soldiers were just a bit stiff like other northerners.
There was no war, and it was a natural result of his separation from Esther, who lived in a rented villa near the lake behind the academy.

“Siegfried.”

When she called, he came running right away.

“Yes, what’s going on, matriarch?”
“It seems like it will be a long time before I go back. “Send a letter to your family.”
“All right… “What’s going on?”

What’s going on?
There was a lot of work.

After bringing Adela, who had been spending her carefree days in her dormitory, to her villa, Esther learned about her sister’s daily routine that she had never known before.

First of all, if you’re not a cat, you sleep for more than twelve hours a day.
Even on the day the war ended, he never slept more than four hours.

Even in terms of knowledge, there is nothing better than cats.
If you learn one, you forget three.
Adela, who had been sleeping, woke up screaming while checking through her spear to see if there was a hole in her skull.

Lastly, my attitude itself was poor.
The only reason I want to learn Goyomado is to impress men.
On that topic, her head was already a flower garden, and Adela talked more about her lover than she heard from Esther all day long.
He even subtly asked if he would prepare a coma.

I felt like I knew for sure now.

“Siegfried.”
“Yes?”
“My blood pressure seems to be rising.”

She knows that she is annoyed now.

“That… The head of the family doesn’t have high blood pressure…”

Her loyal henchman just scratched her head and stared at her blankly.

***

Esther changed her plans in exactly one week.
We decided to focus on practice rather than theory.
It was right after I saw the librarians crying day and night to dry the books that had been soaked by Adela’s saliva.

A lake where nobles used to go boating.
Esther, who had frozen the entire place, lightly swung her spear left and right.
Pagagagak-! With the sound of ice breaking, grid-shaped cracks were created across the frozen water.
Esther said to Adela, who was standing on the shore, pointing to the ice tiles at her feet.

“Step on the ice and come across here.”
“Yes.”

Sigh!
A cold spear flew in front of Adela, who was about to take her first step without fear.
At the same time, Esther’s cold voice.

“Listen to the explanation until the end.”
“…”
“Each tile has a different thickness. “Because the refractive index and gas solubility have been adjusted, it is impossible to tell them apart with the naked eye.”
“Then how do you tell them apart?”
“Feel the ice. “Unless you want to be left out.”

Half of these will break if you step on them.
After realizing that fact, Adela thought for a moment and chose one of the ice sheets in front of her.

“This way?”

Damn it!

“Ah.”

Only Adela’s hat, which had fallen into the lake due to the immediately broken ice, floated.
After a while, it crawls up onto the ice, spitting out a lot of water.
Then this time she started poking her tile with her ice pick.

“Hmm… Etch!”

The purpose of this was not simply to distinguish between thick ice.
The important thing is to determine the purity of the pure mana contained in the ice.
It was to awaken the instinctive use of unique magic, just as an animal transmits its body temperature and beastly habits to its young.
Moreover, it was the most necessary training for Adela, who radiates coldness around her unstablely when her emotions become strong.
But–

“Here!”

With a splash–!

She was Adela, breaking the tiles one by one with her body.
Her batting average is at a very embarrassing level.
Because it was my first time, I couldn’t distinguish a single thing properly even though only half of the ice was too thick to stand on.
Esther calmly looked at her sister as she let out a gurgling sound and sank.

There was only one thought in her head.
We must quickly educate Adela and return her to the front lines.
But there was no way out.
She knew that she had been acting like a fool all this time to fool Rochear, but at this point she would have been better off not having acted.

“What on earth were you thinking…?” … Huh?”

At that time, someone appeared near the lake.
A familiar man walking iron dogs in a place where all the nobles have left.
They have a meaningless leash, a muzzle, and even a Frisbee as if to play with them.

“Louis…”

Esther, holding the spear resolutely, muttered his name.
At the same time, Adela, crawling out of the water, raised her head.

“Are you a teacher?”
“?”

And the moment I spotted Lewis walking on the other side of the lake in the distance——

“Teacher-nii–!!”

Empty, empty, empty!!

Running across the lake at an incredible speed, he passed Esther standing in the middle, ran to the other side without missing a beat, and was hugged by Luis.

— I’m a teacher!!
– Uh? Adella!? Are you learning magic well?
– Yes! I’m a total genius! Absolutely!
– Okay… ? Don’t push yourself too hard. If you feel like you’re going to kill your sister, run away. Oh, do you want to play frisbee?

It was Adela chasing the disc that Lewis threw into the air.
Also the word teacher she said.
When she recalled Adela’s words when she first met her, it was not difficult to deduce that the two were lovers.

“…”

There was no agitation.
It was impossible for her to even feel love, let alone date, but Esther’s number one goal at the moment was Adela’s growth.
There are only two places where her expressionless gaze rests.

A sheet of ice with the footprints of the man who defeated him and his younger brother crossing after him.
It’s no coincidence that she never missed one.
Adela clearly identified all the ice.
With only one intention to go to Louis.

The spear in her hand melted.

Lewis was the archenemy of Buddhism who inflicted defeat on him for the first time.
However, as time passed, he was downgraded to an object of her caution due to his relatively non-hostile attitude within the entire carriage.
Because attacking him at the time was irrational.
And my evaluation of him has changed again due to the previous situation——

‘A catalyst to improve Adela’s skills, which are not improving at all.’

Within the ice and snowman’s thought circuit, his judgment of Lewis was gradually changing.
And under the steps of Rochear, who only considers practicality, the influence soon manifested itself in action.

***

While I was in the hot cafeteria, I felt a cold breeze coming from behind the academy.
I was bored so I went for a walk with my dogs and found Adela and her older sister.
You said you were going to create people, and you meant it.
Looking at Adela, who was soaked in water, and Esther, who looked somehow exhausted, she seemed to have a general idea of ​​her hard work.

‘Well, I haven’t been to the cafeteria often lately.’

Liv didn’t come every day, but Adela’s visits stopped at some point.
She must not have been able to escape from Esther, who was watching her with her bright blue eyes.
So, it was understandable that they were so happy.
Maybe I won’t come here in the future.

“Louis.”
“What?”

The reason is right in front of you.
Esthelle Sylvester de Rochoire, Ice and Snowmaker.
As she approached, even the iron dogs, who disliked the heat, started giggling and retreated.

Esther’s body exuded a considerable coldness, perhaps a characteristic of women who had mastered Rochear’s unique magic.
That alone made her a fair comparison to Adela, whose body temperature was only slightly lower.
Why is she suddenly making a fuss and calling me names?
Goosebumps appear all over her body.

‘The window… ‘No.’

I reflexively glanced at her.
It was to prepare in case she attacked.
Similar features to Adela, but a much sharper impression.
Her slender height with beautiful long legs and a perfect body that matches the white uniform so well.

… They were really preparing for an attack.

“Say. “Don’t waste time.”

Under long eyelashes, eyes shining bluer than diamonds stare quietly at me.
Eventually, the moist-looking lips opened and a contrasting dry tone was conveyed.

“Don’t you want to change Adela Sylvester?”
“… Are you asking me for help now? Sincerely?”
“Roshiar must become stronger. Even more than now.”

Her face was thick, as if an iron plate had been put on it.
To achieve her goal, she does not hesitate to even open her hand to her opponent who defeated her.
Beyond the absurdity, I felt a little sorry for the blindness, but there was one thing that bothered me.

“I’m going to drag you to the north like last time.”

If only Esther’s purpose were the same as before.
I know very well that a lot of effort is being put into strengthening Adella, but I couldn’t agree with that much.

“I can’t allow him to be sent to war.”

If you tease him, he’ll attack you again.

I loosened the leashes of the iron dogs while glaring at Esther, but surprisingly, she obediently shook her head.

“That won’t happen right now. Simply having two ice and snow workers on the front line does not mean an increase in power.”
“What does that mean?”
“Not long ago, a request came from the royal family to convene a grand ducal council.”

Grand Duke’s Conference.
I don’t know exactly what work is done there, but from what I remember, there have only been two grand public meetings held so far.
Once, just before the fall of the capital during the Great War.
Another time after the outbreak of a small war.

“When is it?”
“Not right now, we simply received a request. But it’s clear that there will be big changes throughout Penheim.”
“So, even if Adela remains in Parencia, it’s better if she knows how to use unique magic?”
“Yes.”

Esther nodded slightly.
Adela came running from far away holding a Frisbee disc.
Surely that’s the reason…

“Do whatever you want.”

I accepted with a light heart.
As before, it seemed like there wasn’t much I could do to help with Adella’s magic.

“Then I will contact you later.”

Esther also dragged Adela back to the lakeside.