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The border of the Aisiliah Kingdom and the eastern front.

Inside a large barracks, a woman sat at a round table.

The woman sitting at the head, Eunice Kalia, had her arms crossed with a deeply troubled expression on her face.

“This week alone, there have been three engagements with the Empire’s regular army… Their ambitions are growing bolder by the day.”

Eunice Kalia spoke in a low voice, small wrinkles forming on her forehead.

The kingdom was in chaos.

Recently, there had been reports of war breaking out in the far southwestern region, at the Count Shianella’s estate. The opponents were monsters and demons.

The situation in the far eastern region wasn’t any better.

The Empire, driven by its thirst for territorial expansion and conquest, kept provoking our Kalia Marquis Family, testing our resolve. It wouldn’t be surprising if a proper battle broke out at any moment.

The relationship between the kingdom and the Empire was already strained. Thus, the royal family was keeping a close watch on the Empire’s movements and the safety of the Kalia Marquis Family, to the point where a portion of the royal army was stationed within the territory.

Now, even more troublesome matters had arisen.

“What should we do…?”

An elf, who had been hiding deep within the Great Forest, came to meet her discreetly at the Kalia Marquis Family’s border.

“—Young Lady, we can suppress the Empire’s forces. The forest, which lies on the boundary between the Kingdom and Empire, is practically our territory. It’s simple.”

The initial proposition was sweet words.

“But… there’s a condition. In the near future, you must provide loyal troops to support the Great Forest’s clan. And you must deal with a small request afterward. If the brave women of Kalia Marquis Family and the elegant women of the royal family were to assist us… it would surely be a great help.”

A question arose in Eunice’s mind.

Why would they want to borrow the kingdom’s forces? Objectively, the Empire’s army was significantly stronger. Were they testing us or fishing for information?

She asked, and received an answer.

“The reason we seek your forces… you will understand in due time. And if you ask whether we chose the Kingdom over the Empire… we elves know how to navigate fate. The small request… I will convey it next time.”

The elf spoke with an incredibly enchanting smile.

“You seem to have many questions. In three days, our elves will officially visit the kingdom. Let’s have a deeper discussion then.”

“…If the forest clan officially shows themselves to our Marquis Family, won’t that draw greater scrutiny from the Empire?”

“It’s fine.”

At that moment, Eunice would never forget the elf’s arrogance.

“Those little Empire soldiers are nothing more than candles that flicker before us. You need not worry about such trivial forces. We elves will handle them easily…”

The elf continued, “We chose you… so you should prepare to welcome us without worrying about the Empire’s armies.”

Winter, before spring arrives, began to intertwine with the chaotic threads of fate.

*

“Phew…”

I wiped the beads of sweat forming on my forehead and caught my breath. I had certainly gained more muscle and stamina recently, but unfortunately, I wasn’t quite solid enough to fully keep up with Siabel in our sparring sessions.

My body felt heavy, weighed down by fatigue and the cumbersome protective gear. So, I plopped down onto the floor of Ainel’s private training room.

I took a moment to breathe and ponder.

‘Time has flown by so quickly.’

Time flowed endlessly. The pure white snow covering the ground melted, and little by little, life began to be breathed into the frozen earth. The sun, shining brighter than before, stretched the daylight and invigorated the awakening life.

As the biting northern winds diminished, warm spring breezes and sunlight poured in.

Finally, the disaster-laden winter came to an end, and the hopeful spring, filled with blooming flowers, arrived.

And I, too, hadn’t been idle while waiting for spring to come.

‘It was tough.’

I had been continuously sparring with Siabel all this time.

‘Throughout our encounters, I’ve never once let her off the hook.’

Initially, it seemed like she was easing up a bit… but at some point, Siabel’s sword grew persistently relentless, making it quite taxing.

After all, she was an expert.

Her stamina was extraordinary… did she even know the meaning of being tired? Siabel continued our sparring without pause, as long as I had even a shred of strength left to swing my sword.

‘…She’s my sister, yet her personality is completely different from Shione’s.’

If it were Shione, she would’ve probably fallen over in exhaustion after trading blows a few times. But even when faced with my serious attacks, Siabel would drip with sweat, yet show no signs of fatigue. She even seemed to find the situation amusing, chuckling and laughing during our matches.

While Shione, if it were her, would have whimpered about wanting to crawl under the blanket for two days after such an ordeal… Siabel, up on the castle walls, tore through enemies without seeming to tire.

She was much more of an oddball than I had expected.

“Still…”

It wasn’t all just grueling training; there were certainly small victories along the way.

‘I cleared a quest.’

Maybe due to Shione’s deeds spreading steadily within the territory, her reputation had improved immensely compared to before.

Of course, the servants within the Count’s estate who had directly faced her harsh words still didn’t seem to like her. But even they, to some extent, acknowledged her contributions in this upcoming war.

Her general reputation had shifted from that of a useless noble to a valiant archer, and rewards for the quest had come pouring in.

‘Increase of mana capacity and full opening of previously sealed abilities.’

Both the total amount of mana increased, and its efficiency also rose. It was significant progress.

Even more importantly, the abilities that opened up fully were my Spirit Magic and basic physical skills.

Not only had my Spirit Magic power greatly increased, but this body had also become so fine-tuned that it was even more suited for using Spirit Magic. With the efficiency of mana improving as well, I could be bolder in using powerful techniques moving forward.

And archery had also seen substantial gains. My senses sharpened, allowing me to shoot arrows with greater speed. This honed skill would surely help not just with the bow but when wielding the sword as well.

Gradually, my capabilities began to take shape, and if this steady progress continues, I should be able to restore my powers within a year or two.

However—

‘The currents of fate…’

The “currents of fate” that Princess Adelhaite spoke of stuck in my mind.

After all, the princess, who claimed she could see destiny, had warned this Count’s estate would be swept up in the torrents of history. It meant there was bound to be something rather tumultuous occurring.

The fact that those currents could create unknown variables worried me.

As I was lost in thought, Siabel, having removed her heavy armor and cooled off, looked down at me with her hair cascaded down.

“Today was more fun than before. You’re improving in swordsmanship and your use of magic is getting better and better… That sharp wind from earlier surprised me a bit too.”

“For someone who was surprised, you seemed to dispel it pretty easily.”

“That kind of wind, coming along the trajectory of my sword, can easily be read and avoided if you just understand my movements.”

“…You saw through it?”

Siabel simply smiled playfully and shrugged her shoulders.

…I kicked the ground with my left foot, launching my right foot forward with force. Simultaneously, I executed an attack starting from the lower left and slicing up to the upper right with incredible speed, assisted by magic.

It seemed Siabel caught all of that, too.

“I have pretty good eyesight.”

She casually tapped the corner of her eye with her index finger.

Then she extended her hand toward me, who was still sitting on the ground.

“…May I borrow your hand for a moment?”

“Of course, you’re my esteemed mentor. Feel free.”

I held Siabel’s hand and got up from the floor.

Afterwards, I took off my protective gear, tidied things up, and finished preparing to leave the training grounds.

With the weighty gear gone, the occasional cool breeze from outside brushed against my skin, refreshing me.

“Shione should be at the shooting range now, right?”

“Yes, at this hour, she’s probably shooting arrows and taking a break.”

“Good. Let’s head to the shooting range together.”

“Together, you say?”

“Yes, I have something to tell Shione.”

“I could relay it for you if—”

Siabel shook her head stubbornly mid-sentence.

“I want to say it directly.”

I quietly nodded at her response.

Seeing my reaction, Siabel shrugged her hair off with her hand and started walking.

I followed her closely behind.

We arrived at the training ground in no time.

There were still quite a number of inexperienced recruits around.

After many had lost their lives in the recent war, they were replaced by a significant number of new faces. As Siabel and I appeared, they looked at us with a gleam of admiration, as if it were only natural. Our accomplishments seemed to have spread among the recruits by now.

We passed by the recruits and entered the shooting range.

“Shione is… Ah, over there.”

Siabel’s gaze met a corner of the shooting range.

Along with Shione, another familiar face appeared in her eyes.

I also followed her gaze and spotted Shione.

“With Flora, huh.”

The forgettable rookie who had stumbled through taking down kobolds and tangling with orcs during a snowstorm.

Recently, during breaks, Shione often spent time chatting with Flora. They would even help each other by observing their archery techniques from time to time. They were gradually building a friendship while Siabel and I were sparring.

‘…Who would’ve thought Shione would make friends.’

Although she had a childhood friend named Noah Belreya, their relationship was quite complicated and they rarely met, so we can skip that.

It was rather impressive that Shione, who usually showed a cold demeanor towards others, had made a friend like this. If she continued this momentum, perhaps one day Shione could gather three friends or so. I should cheer her on.

‘By the way, Flora’s skills have improved quite a lot.’

Perhaps due to experiencing war and spending time with Shione, who was competent in archery, Flora had shown remarkable growth. The trembling arrowheads had calmed down, and she was now shooting arrows straight and sharp, both when nocking and drawing. She was transforming into quite an excellent ranger.

Back when she was a rookie, I hadn’t noticed, but if she had enough time, she could become a renowned ranger.

Siabel and I walked over to Shione.

Flora caught sight of our faces and flinched, quickly bowing her head.

“Ah, hello…!”

…Well, she still couldn’t help but be timid outside of archery.

Although Shione had grown a bit used to things, I could understand Flora feeling nervous when the heir to the Counts visited.

After exchanging brief greetings, Flora slipped back to her archery practice.

The conversation naturally evolved between me, Shione, and Siabel.

Shione tilted her head cutely and asked.

Then, her face lit up as she looked at me from behind.

“Sister, what brings you here?”

“I came to talk about something. Is it okay if I borrow some of your time after your sparring session?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

As soon as Shione granted permission, Siabel crossed her arms with a satisfied expression.

“We had planned to hang out together at the last festival, but we didn’t get to. Now that winter is ending and spring is upon us, how about taking a trip to the territory together?”

“With you, sister?”

“Yes, I know a really nice restaurant and some great spots to visit. Meanwhile, Sion has been saying he wants to become a Battle Priest lately, practically living in church, so it can’t be helped. This would just be a trip for us sisters, along with a few warriors.”

“Um…”

As Shione pondered on Siabel’s suggestion for a moment, Siabel filled the silence as if waiting for it.

“I know a beautiful path lined with plum trees… they should be blooming beautifully by now.”

“Plum blossoms…?”

“Yes, plum blossoms.”

“Hmm…”

Shione fell deeper into thought. But looking at her expression, it seemed she was leaning more towards agreeing with Siabel.

The Count’s estate had no plum trees. So, if she wanted to see them, she inevitably had to step outside the estate.

A perfect hostage for someone like Shione, who loved flowers.

Ultimately, Shione nodded in agreement with Siabel’s proposal.

“…I’ll go.”

“I’m relieved to hear that. I’ll coordinate the date and let you know. Sound good?”

“Yes, I will wait, sister.”

Siabel affectionately ruffled Shione’s hair with a familiar gesture.

Of course, Shione closed her eyes tightly, simply feeling Siabel’s touch.

“You’ll be joining us as well, esteemed mentor. So be looking forward to it.”

“Understood.”

With that, the conversation concluded. Siabel left first, and shortly after, Shione and I exited the shooting range.

Shione walked with a more lively spring in her step than usual.

Suddenly, she dashed forward, spun around, and faced me.

“Ray, Ray.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know what the meaning of the plum blossom is?”

It seemed the prospect of seeing plum blossoms had her quite excited.

And so, as we returned to the room, I endured her reflections on plum blossoms the whole way.

 

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