Chapter 33 – Memory

Episode 33 – Memory

The northernmost part of the empire.

Snowy mountains rising to the sky and huge castle walls.

A land where battles between monsters and knights that attack private homes several times a day never cease.

Spring has come to the Friuli estate.

The snow that covered the ground melted, and the biting cold wind turned into a warm breeze.

7-year-old Luan Friuli ran around and played in the garden, enjoying the first spring in a long time.

Next to him was Isis Friuli.

“Sister! Look at this! Butterfly!”

“Huh. “It’s so pretty.”

The ice flower butterfly, with its impressive blue wings, is a rare insect that can only be seen for one month a year.

It was a time when I was watching as if I was fascinated.

Haha! “Your jokes have increased.”

“Is it? “It’s been a while since I heard all kinds of things.”

A group of adults appeared from behind with the sound of conversation.

The person in the lead is a man who appears to be in his early 30s with black hair and silver eyes. It was Ian Friuli, the head of the Friuli family.

A young couple was standing behind it.

“Luan, Isis. “Are you having a good time?”

“Yes! Father! But who are they?”

Luan clung to Ian’s feet, looking up at his couple with wary and curious eyes.

Meanwhile, Luan suddenly discovered a girl of her own age hiding behind a young couple.

The silver hair that shines as white as the snow covering a snowy mountain and the blue eyes that are reminiscent of a cold lake on a winter day are impressive.

Luan thought.

They are like the fairies of the great forest that I only heard about in storybooks.

“It’s like a fairy.”

However, it was a mistake to say that out of my mouth.

After hearing that, the girl looked away in a shocked tone.

Just when she was about to be shocked by that cold reaction.

“Haha! Luan. Scadia must have liked her. Thank god. Come on, Skadia. “You should say thank you too.”

A man with a soft expression who was watching stepped in and scolded Skadia.

Skadia looked at her for a moment and spoke quietly.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, no! I was just being honest. I’m Luan Friuli. “And you?”

“… Scadia Maryland.”

She also had a pretty name.

Luan couldn’t take her eyes off Scadia. This northern part, far from the capital, does not have much traffic with other nobles.

Of course, all the children seen around them were commoners, and because they were not managed, they were not very good looking.

Until now, Luan had thought Isis was the prettiest in the world.

To him, Scadia, whose appearance was comparable to that of Isis, gave him such a shock that it was like heaven and earth.

My heart is beating like crazy without any control.

While Luan was distracted, Scadia finished her introduction to Isis.

Ian stroked Luan’s head.

“Luan. Dad will be chatting with the guest for a moment, so let him play with Skadia in the meantime. Is it possible?”

“Yes! “You can do it!”

“Okay. Then don’t leave it to me. Isis, it’s time for training soon, right? Let’s go together until the middle.”

“Yes. “Father.”

When the adults and Isis left, only Skadia and Luan remained in the garden.

Luan stood next to Skadia, who was sitting on the bench and staring blankly at the flowers.

“S, Scadia. Aren’t the flowers pretty? You can only see it one month a year! “Amazing!”

“… Not really. “I’ve already seen this many times.”

The Maryland Earldom is located in the west.

It was the largest granary of the empire, with wide plains spread out and flowers scattered all over the place.

Luan, who was fidgety at the harsh answer, thought about it and quickly pointed to one side.

“Um, what about that? “Isn’t that good too?”

There was a butterfly resting on a flower.

Every time it flaps its wings, the pattern shines colorfully like ice crystals.

Scadia’s eyes filled with curiosity.

“This is my first time seeing a butterfly. It looks amazing.”

“Right? They said it was a butterfly that could only be seen here! Shall I hold you?”

“No.”

Luan, who was excited, pouted her mouth at the rejection without even thinking for 0.1 second.

But you have to listen to everything.

Scadia stood up from her bench and spoke after her.

“I will catch it myself.”

“Uh? Oh! Now, wait a minute!”

The ice flower butterfly has adapted to the north.

The fact that it has adapted to this barren land, which is colder than most southern winters even though it is spring, means that it has its own special characteristics.

When the ice flower butterfly senses danger, it immediately emits cold air condensed on its wings.

In fact, she was just bluffing when she said she would catch her just now.

That’s why Luan stretched out her hand to stop her, but surprisingly, Skadia’s movements were very agile.

“Gotcha!”

As soon as the small fern hand caught the butterfly, coldness exploded.

Pugh!

Although the power was not that strong, the child’s skin was cold enough to easily suffer frostbite.

Luan started and quickly approached Skadia.

“Scadia! Are you okay?”

But there was no need to worry.

This is because Skadia, who learned cold magic from a young age, had much higher ice resistance than ordinary people.

She paid no attention to Lu An’s worries and focused on the butterfly trapped in her hand.

“I have to take him home.”

A small smile spreads across my lips.

The change was even more impactful as her face was expressionless like a doll.

Luan muttered without realizing it.

“Pretty…”

This time, her mouth moved wildly. At this point, it almost seems intentional.

Scadia’s eyes moved to Luan as if she heard that voice. Before I knew it, the expression had returned to its original state.

Blue eyes show a cunning spirit.

“Do you like me?”

“Uh, huh?”

“Do you like me?”

“Uh, yes. Joe, good.”

“Then take me to a place where there are a lot of butterflies. If I find a lot, I’ll give you a kiss.”

Luan’s eyes widened at her suggestion.

Even though I’m still young, I don’t know that kissing is something that happens between special people.

“Really?”

“Huh. So quickly.”

“Okay! Just follow me!”

Luan, her motivation fully charged, shouted loudly and took the lead in digging into her garden.

Scadia laughed as she followed him.

‘Fool.’

Each person has a different standard for a lot.

She planned to avoid Lu An’s kiss, insisting that no matter how many butterflies she found, they were small.

But life doesn’t go as expected.

Her breakthrough came when she found up to five butterflies.

“Luan. Scadia. “Have you been getting along well?”

“Yes. Dad! “I was catching butterflies with Scadia.”

Lu An boasted to Ian, holding out the foraging bucket she had brought with her.

Ian calmly looked inside and immediately fell asleep.

“Hmm… This is an ice flower butterfly. It seems to be true that Skadia has great magical talent. It’s amazing.”

Ian, who was tilting his head in confusion, was convinced by himself, recalling the story he had heard about her from the Earl and Countess of Maryland.

Skadia slightly lowered her head.

“That’s a huge compliment.”

“You are dignified. Luan, you did a good job too.”

Ian gave both of them their fair share of praise. Luan boasted, delighted with her hand, stroking her hair.

“Hehe! Scadia said that if you catch a lot of butterflies, you’ll get a kiss! That’s why I worked hard.”

“… Okay? It looks like we’ve become very close friends.”

Ian looked at her close friend, Count Einz Maryland, as if asking her intention.

Count Ainz asked Skyda.

“Scadia, is this true?”

“Yes? That is…”

Scadia guessed.

A lot of things change depending on how you say it here.

If you lie, you won’t have to kiss Luan, but there’s a risk that things will get complicated, and if you tell the truth, you’ll be forced to keep your promise.

Scadia made a decision quickly.

“I did it.”

“I see. You caught five, which is quite a lot. What do you think?”

“… There are enough.”

“Okay. “Then, are you going to keep your promise?”

“Yes…”

Count Ainz was a bit more decisive than usual.

He is Skadia’s father. He understands my daughter’s personality. It was easy to read that the clever daughter had no intention of keeping her promise.

Scadia could not disobey her father’s words and approached Luan.

“Thank you for helping me catch the butterfly.”

Side!

Then, with the intention of getting the job done quickly, she kissed his cheek with thanks.

The delicate pink lips fall against the soft skin typical of a young child.

Luan’s face turned red.

“Uh, ah, uh…”

Lu An, who was making strange moans repeatedly, eventually lowered his head.

Count Ainz smiled happily.

Haha! Guy. You look embarrassed. Scadia. How about you?”

“… I’m fine. “It’s just that our lips and cheeks touched.”

“Is that so? Haha!”

Contrary to her words her, Scadia’s earlobes were stained red. No matter how precocious she is, she is still only a seven-year-old child. Rather, since her mental age is vaguely around puberty, she cannot help but be even more embarrassed.

Count Ainz smiled happily after seeing his daughter’s cute appearance for the first time in a long time.

He looked at his close friend

“Haha. Hey Ian. I guess I can fulfill the promise I made 10 years ago. What do you think?”

“… Let’s watch some more. “They are still children.”

“You’re still stubborn. Well, let’s do it that way. “I will come back more in the future.”

After that, the two met quite often.

We didn’t meet more than 5 times a year, but each time we met, we became closer and closer, and by the time 3 years had passed, we were exchanging laughter without hesitation.

And before the year passes, that day finally comes.

“Then, we hereby announce that the engagement between Prince Ruan Friuli and Lady Scadia Maryland has been concluded.”

With the priest’s declaration, applause echoed throughout the hall.

Luan said while looking at Skadia.

“From now on, I will definitely protect Skadia!”

“But Luan is weak.”

“Well, still! “If you work hard, you can become stronger.”

“No. I am more talented. As time goes by, the difference will widen.”

“Ssi…”

The confidence drained from Luan’s face at Scadia’s cold assessment of her.

Just before she helplessly lowered her head, Scadia’s hands wrapped around her cheeks.

“So, I will protect you.”

“Huh?”

“I will protect Luan. “I will become much stronger than I am now and won’t let anyone bother me.”

“Scadia…”

“Instead, you should only like me for the rest of your life. “Understand, right?”

“Yes!”

The two exchanged smiles.

I can say without a doubt that the Scadia I saw at this time was more brilliant and beautiful than anyone else.

*

Sreuk─

When I woke up, I turned my head, looked at the scenery of the academy through the window, and sighed.

“Why did I have this dream today?”

The timing is really ironic.

As I raised my upper body, I felt emotional as I recalled the scene I had just seen.

The two were so close that it would be meaningless to compare them to now. Ruan Friuli was full of passion, and Scadia had a lot of laughter.

If it weren’t for the events that happened afterwards, we would have stayed together until now. If that were the case, maybe I wouldn’t have been possessed.

After making an impossible assumption, I shook my head and got off the bed.

“Whoa… “Let’s go do some training.”

The current time is 5 am.

We decided to meet at the carriage at 8 o’clock, so there’s still plenty of time left.

It was obvious that if I stayed blank and couldn’t sleep, only bad thoughts would come to mind, so it was much better to at least overwork my body.

I briefly finished washing my face and left the room.