Shivering hands reached into pockets searching for the coat's toys, but even wrapped in three layers of heavy cotton-padded clothes, that bone-piercing cold remained unbearable.
Only then did Shade understand—this cold was a property of this special location known as the "Valley of Dead Silence." Otherwise, with his current physical constitution, he shouldn't have been unable to endure such chill.
【If you hadn't drunk the "Ice Crystal Butterfly" blood-wine at the Gods' Banquet, increasing your cold resistance, the situation would likely be even worse now.】
"She" also reminded him in his ear.
Now was not a good time to stand in the snow discussing problems. Although the snow layer in the valley ahead was nearly completely flat, showing no traces of human activity, faint firelight could be seen in the arched cliff-side cave ruins where the valley walls converged straight ahead. That also seemed to be the entrance to the entire library ruins.
Generally speaking, although the [Father of the Infinite Tree] liked to drop Shade at positions some distance from the true event location, it was never too far each time. Since he saw firelight, Shade understood his destination was there.
"Damn, it's cold."
While marveling inwardly, he trudged forward through the snow with difficulty. He'd only taken two steps when he felt himself trip on something hard beneath the snow.
Hesitating only a second, he thrust his hand into the snow and pulled that heavy, freezing thing out onto the surface. What he saw was a completely rigid, frozen corpse. It was a male body, wearing a robe, skin somewhat dull, eyes fixed dead on the sky above.
"Oh!"
Shade hurriedly threw the corpse away, no longer curious about anything beneath the snow.
The library ruins' main entrance had long since vanished. The library carved into the cliff face now only had dark cave mouths one after another, standing quietly in the snow like abandoned beehives.
The deep interior was dead silent, while a crackling bonfire burned on the flat stone floor just inside the main entrance. Around it were tilted, abandoned gray stone bookshelves, and relics left by generations of adventurers. Even the huge rectangular entrance frame appeared somewhat askew. Only through the faded murals on the walls and the traces of ether lamps remaining at the zenith could one tell this place's former glory.
By that warm bonfire sat three witches who didn't look very old.
The blonde witch wore a brown robe, hugging her knees, staring somewhat blankly at the fire before her. Her ears were somewhat pointed, and from the knee-hugging motion, her robe—which seemed singed at the hem—was pulled upward, revealing black-laced ladies' knee-high cloth boots. She sat directly facing the heavy snow outside.
Behind her, a red-haired girl with a thick red tail wore a white shirt and thin plaid long skirt unsuited to the season, kneeling on the blonde witch's right. Only the fur mantle on her shoulders counted as cold-weather gear. Her body leaned forward toward the bonfire, seemingly tending the flames, yet also like she was observing something through the fire.
The third witch, with long golden hair draped behind her but looking unwashed for ages, sat on the blonde witch's left. Her appearance was the most disheveled, also wearing a brown robe, a pair of round glasses on her face. She sat atop a pile of old books, with another pile as tall as her seated body beside her, blocking the wind and snow blowing from the entrance on her flank.
Because wind and snow constantly swept in from outside the huge old library door, unmelted snow traces and wet marks could be seen on that pile of books.
None of the three witches spoke; only the howling wind from outside kept echoing. They didn't look in good condition, numb expressions suggesting they'd been here a long time.
Suddenly, the red-haired girl tending the fire twitched an ear, then whipped her head toward the door
"Teacher, footsteps!"
The blonde witch with pointed ears facing the door, and the blonde witch sitting in the book pile, both looked up. In the nearly pure white world, behind the goose-feather snow curtain, a black silhouette was approaching step by difficult step.
"Oh?"
The witch with round glasses, using her special spectacles' power, narrowed her eyes and was the first to see the figure walking through the snow
"How does that look like a man?"
The silhouette drew closer. Though occasionally stumbling on things under the snow in a somewhat comical way, he was undoubtedly walking toward them.
"Teacher, I didn't sense a man approaching."
The red-haired, tailed girl said to the blonde witch. The latter stared blankly at the wind and snow outside, then braced herself on the ground and stood, her robe hem covering those black-laced cloth boots.
At that moment, all three saw the approaching man raise an arm to shield his face, blocking the icy snowflakes constantly striking his head.
"He is..."
The blonde witch circled the fire and walked toward the distorted, askew doorway.
"Brenny, is this an acquaintance of yours?"
The round-glasses witch asked curiously
"In a godforsaken place like this, you actually run into an acquaintance? Fiona, when did your teacher get to know a man?"
The red-haired girl shook her head slightly. Then both stood and followed the pointed-eared blonde witch to the doorway.
The huge doorframe, its doors long gone, seemed like a dividing line. None of the three stepped out; they just watched the man in bulky clothing approach step by step.
The blonde witch's face gradually revealed surprise, then that expression turned into a gentle smile. And the approaching Shade also noticed the three ladies standing at the doorway.
Even though the pendant that could detect witches couldn't be brought to this era, he could still determine all three were witches.
"Am I seeing things? That red-haired young lady—why does she have a big tail behind her?"
His eyes peered from under his arm at them, gaze scanning each face, then his steps faltered. Across the heavy snow, he locked eyes with the blonde woman in her early twenties standing at the front.
Both froze there. Then Shade quickened his pace forward, and under the astonished gazes of the golden-haired witch with round glasses and the red-haired witch with a tail, finally reached the doorway.
The blonde witch extended a hand, grasped Shade's somewhat freezing right hand reaching out, and pulled him from outside their arranged defense and warning ritual inside the doorframe.
Like breaking through a water membrane—clearly two connected spaces, yet inside the doorframe was abnormally dry and warm. Even the bonfire's crackling made Shade feel inner comfort.
He stamped his feet hard, shaking off the icy snow stuck to his boot soles, while also patting his hair and shoulders to prevent melting snowflakes from wetting his clothes.
Only then did he have time to look up and greet them
"Good day, ladies."
Not caring if they understood, he greeted the strange red-haired girl with a tail and the golden-haired lady with round glasses. Then, with a touch of nostalgia, he looked at the witch with yellow hair and pointed ears.
Pointed ears were a symbol of elven bloodline. The vine-and-branch-like patterns stitched with fine thread on her robe were unique elven decorations—all knowledge the elves had given Shade.
And the witch with elven bloodline he'd known in past times was only one person
"Long time no see, Miss Brenny Orlanod."
"Long time no see."
The Moon Witch replied the same. She seemed to understand Dralion, and her golden pupils held indescribable emotion.
This lady with one-eighth elven bloodline looked unchanged from 22 years ago. Her ruddy lips parted slightly, voice hoarse as she spoke that name
". Shade Suren Hamilton."
(End of Chapter)