NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
✦ Chapter 5 — Warmth Begins to Bloom (1) ✦
「Translator - Creator」
᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃
Snow fell in the North yesterday, today, and would continue to fall the next day.
When the pristine white snow blanketed everything, all seemed frozen in a stillness that promised the same peace as yesterday. However...
"We've discovered a rift."
Peace did not persist so easily.
"It’s the largest one we’ve ever seen. Fortunately, there's no sign of monsters emerging yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they start pouring out.”
Silence fell across the room, heavy and oppressive.
It was impossible to tell whether the quiet was born from mourning for the countless lives that would inevitably be lost or despair over the hopelessness awaiting the survivors. One thing, however, was certain — someone would bear the burden of responsibility for whatever lay ahead.
As the tense atmosphere held everyone captive and no one dared to speak, Grand Duchess Elysia Wintraven finally broke the silence with a proposed course of action.
"We will request support from the central government."
A rift of this magnitude meant that if the North fell, the consequences would ripple across the entire kingdom — so the central government would provide support, if only as a formality. Though truthfully, given the central government's own dire circumstances, the likelihood of substantial aid was extremely low.
Fortunately, with Damian Carsaril staying here, there was a high chance they would provide enough support to at least ensure the Duke's youngest son's survival.
'...Or they might just arrange for their son alone to return to the family.'
In fact, the latter seemed more likely.
For reasons unknown, as long as Damian Carsaril showed interest in her, he would likely choose to remain here. This meant the Carsaril family would probably speak up in their favor, even if reluctantly.
At these words, some faces brightened while others remained downcast. Most showed little reaction at all.
Just as she was about to signal her father, Leicreek Wintraven, to end the meeting — knowing further discussion would only lead to pointless arguments — the Knight Commander, who had always been particularly skeptical of Damian, brought up something new.
"I've received reports that Lord Damian Carsaril has been entering the deep forest every evening."
A wry smile crossed her face at the obvious intentions behind bringing up such information right after discussing the rift.
Normally, such remarks would have been easily dismissed, but perhaps due to the gravity of the rift situation, everyone began exchanging nervous glances, taking the matter more seriously than usual.
“Deep in the forest… I can’t imagine why a young lord from the South would go there, and not in the morning or afternoon, but every night.”
“Indeed. I heard he takes a bundle of rock-hard bread from the kitchen each time. It might be related to something.”
"It's certainly suspicious. Could he be plotting something?"
Unlike the North's outward image of being boisterous, rough, and dismissive of trivial matters, the reality was quite different. Due to the constant need to share limited resources, people tended to be closed-off and sensitive about their interests.
This had fostered an unspoken culture of excluding outsiders, and it wasn't difficult to deduce that the Knight Commander's bringing up this topic stemmed from similar sentiments.
It was not hard to see that his real intention was to subtly criticize Elysia for being careless in managing her fiancé, Damian, and to leverage the situation to bolster the position of her elder brother, Pellia.
"It’s said that he’s rather extreme with his training methods. Perhaps his nighttime ventures into the forest are just an extension of that.”
“That may be, but I fail to see why he would choose the deep forest for such training, especially in the dead of night when visibility is poor.”
“.............”
"Grand Duchess, while it's good that you trust your fiancé Damian, excessive faith isn't wise. This is the North - one wrong judgment could lead someone to their death."
The implication behind his words was clear — Are you so blinded by affection for your fiancé that you can’t make rational decisions?
Meanwhile, Elysia, noticing the Knight Commander’s mocking expression, replied calmly and firmly, “You seem to be under some misunderstanding. I have never trusted him, not even once, despite him being my fiancé.”
And then she added, without hesitation,
"There's no need to worry too much. Regardless of what Damian does or what his true intentions might be, I have no plans to ever place my trust in him."
The words were blunt, leaving no room for misinterpretation. She was making it abundantly clear that their engagement was nothing more than a contractual arrangement.
Then, with an unwavering, resolute tone, she continued,
"Before I am his fiancée, I am Elysia Wintreven. That will never change, so set your concerns aside.”
The Knight Commander's expression instantly contorted at this declaration.
While interpretations might vary among listeners, her statement was tantamount to declaring her intention to become the family head instead of the eldest son, Pellia Wintraven.
Though Pellia himself seemed indifferent to the matter, a few others in the room reacted visibly, their expressions betraying a range of emotions.
𓆩♱𓆪
A week had passed since I received Elysia's promise to properly acknowledge me if I could warm up the North.
During that time, I had fed the bizarre creatures surrounding the Sun Spirit as much bread loaves as they could eat. It seemed that my efforts had paid off because these creatures, who had once ignored me completely, now approached me first, wagging their tails and seeking my attention.
"Krung–"
These strange creatures were, in fact, Ice Spirits; they typically took the form of wolves but had the ability to transform into what they perceived as the most intimidating forms to repel outsiders.
Now that I had grown closer to them, they no longer appeared as the terrifying monsters I had initially encountered. Instead, they had taken on their true forms as majestic, noble wolves; their glossy, snow-white fur shimmered in the light, and just petting them brought a surprising sense of comfort.
As I busied myself stroking their fur and sharing the bread I had brought, a wolf twice the size of the others approached me and spoke.
[Do you desire the Sun Spirit?]
This was Fenrir, the king of Ice Spirits.
In the original story, he had been a silent observer, described as sitting in the background and watching the protagonist with a piercing gaze. Yet, here he was, speaking directly to me.
Though the situation was unexpected, it didn’t seem particularly dangerous. I nodded in response, and Fenrir let out a low chuckle before replying.
[You're honest.]
Fortunately, honesty seemed to be the right approach.
As I was calming myself, internally sighing with relief, Fenrir approached and observed me intently before speaking.
[By the way, I quite like the scent from your body. It's the first time in my life I've encountered such a scent.]
I blinked, startled by the unexpected compliment. My body’s scent? Unsure how to respond, I awkwardly stayed silent as Fenrir chuckled softly and settled onto the ground.
[No need to worry too much. It means you have a destiny that draws spirits to you.]
Destined to attract spirits?
I didn’t recall Damian having such a trait in the original story.
If anything, I would’ve expected spirits to avoid him altogether.
Still, if Fenrir said so, there was no reason to doubt him. Deciding to take it as a good thing, I thanked him.
In response, Fenrir smiled gently while crushing the ice surrounding the Sun Spirit with his hand.
[Then I entrust this poor child to your care.]
With those final words, Fenrir and all the ice spirits vanished like illusions.
At the same time, the Sun Spirit that had been trapped in ice slowly descended.
A small, circular, radiant spirit reminiscent of the sun.
Carefully catching it as if receiving a snowflake, afraid that too much force might harm it, the Sun Spirit slowly opened its eyes in my palm and gazed at me.
"Hello."
I greeted the spirit gently. In response, it bounced around in my palm, radiating a sense of familiarity.
It seemed the Sun Spirit had been watching me from within the ice during my visits over the past month. Smiling, I told the spirit I would be relying on it from now on.
"Myung!"
A cute, high-pitched reply came back.
Perhaps because it was still a lowest-rank spirit, it appeared unable to speak properly. But the fact that we could communicate at all was more than enough for me. Smiling, I gently stroked the top of its head with my fingertip.
"...Young Master?"
Caught up in the moment, I had completely forgotten that I’d brought Loraine with me.
Turning my gaze to her, I saw her staring at the Sun Spirit nestled in my palm. Her expression was a mix of awe and disbelief, "Wait… Is that a spirit? And that giant wolf from earlier, was it a spirit too?”
Her tone didn’t sound like she was asking out of ignorance but rather like she already knew the answer and was just too shocked by the situation to process it fully.
I nodded lightly in confirmation, and Loraine spoke in dazed amazement.
"I've served in the Knights Order for an incredibly long time, but this is my first time seeing a spirit tamer."
Now that she mentioned it, I recalled how the original story depicted everyone being shocked when the protagonist formed a contract with the Sun Spirit.
I chuckled softly and scratched the spirit as it had climbed onto my shoulder without me noticing. As we continued to build our bond, I closed my eyes briefly, resolving to start tackling the next steps toward my goals.
𓆩♱𓆪
Thanks to my contract with the Sun Spirit, it was now possible to bring warmth back to the North—depending, of course, on how much effort I put in.
Of course, the Sun Spirit wasn't omnipotent.
Maintaining the warmth required a variety of continuous efforts. Yet, for Elysia’s sake, I was more than willing to make those sacrifices.
Just the thought of it filled me with joy.
‘Will she smile once the North grows warmer?’
If possible, I hoped she would smile.
When I was on the verge of giving up everything, unable to see even a step ahead, she was the only one who gave me hope.
If anything, I wanted her to find hope and move forward, just as I had done because of her.
With that thought in mind, I wished for the North to become warm as soon as possible, freeing her from all her worries. As I walked along the dimly lit street, I called out to the Sun Spirit.
The sun spirit, which had been flitting about near me, cheerfully flew forward the moment it heard my voice, swaying its glowing form in the air.
I reached out a hand to the little spirit and gave it a single command.
“Can you warm up the area around here?”
The spirit responded with a confident chirp, as though to say, ‘Of course!’ Then it began radiating warmth, gently pushing back the biting chill of the North.
END of CHAPTER
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