Even in winter, the sun naturally rose.
This was, after all, an extremely natural occurrence. It would actually be strange if it didn’t rise at all. The Earth in this world is also spinning, and the sun is blazing away.
‘Although things might be a bit different with the arrival of eternal winter…’
I was on my way out of the mansion towards the event hall for the opening ceremony. While observing the sunlight streaming down to the ground, a sudden thought made me glance over at Baek Ahrin.
In the original story, when the lord of the Tower of Eternal Winter descended, it was hard to see sunlight.
That guy had the strength befitting a final boss, but especially the environmental changes that occurred with his descent were outright ridiculous.
Black, gloomy clouds densely covered the sky, and a cold snowstorm swirled about, ruining the world.
To put it in game terms, it was as if the entire world was hit with a debuff.
Plants and animals were buried in snow and cold, often dying, and it was common to see magical facilities frozen solid, shattering like glass.
Thanks to that, the surviving creatures weren’t exactly okay either. With actions restricted and a lack of food and materials, life became difficult.
The lord of the Tower of Eternal Winter was a nuisance just by showing up. Even in the original work, which was just a info dump, imagine how much worse it would be in reality.
So if you sense the imminent descent of the lord of Eternal Winter, it’s best to root them out without hesitation.
“Why do you look like that?”
Baek Ahrin tilted her head while walking, her eyes half-open even without fully waking up, clearly noticing me turning my head.
[Nothing much?]
“Huh…?”
As I subtly shook my head, her deep blue eyes grew drowsy. It seemed she was questioning if it really was nothing. I tightly closed my mouth and averted my gaze.
Despite the rather cold weather, the atmosphere around was lively. The broad streets were lined with common stalls and booths.
Although the opening ceremony hadn’t even started yet, some stalls had already begun selling things. Especially, there were many food stalls, seemingly aiming for the newly arrived visitors.
For now, it was the original business operators from Shio-ram and those who had been specially granted entry from outside who set up stalls, but after the opening ceremony, there would definitely be quite a few stalls operated by students as well.
No one forced them to do it, but it was just for them to create fond memories together.
Aside from booths, many clubs would also host their own competitions or performances.
Thanks to that, just wandering around Shio-ram would be a feast for the eyes. Even on the first day, taking Seo-yul around meant I wouldn’t have to worry about getting bored.
“Hmmm… Ah, I think I’ll just let it slide this time.”
As I tried hard to look away, Baek Ahrin, who had been staring at me intently, reached out. Her slender fingers playfully poked my cheek.
[Ugh]
[Cold]
As she gently poked, her touch felt surprisingly cold. Feeling the chill more than the nippy air around, I quickly lifted my right hand to cover Baek Ahrin’s hand.
– Fwoosh
A gentle flicker of Gop-hwa wrapped around Baek Ahrin’s hand. Her drowsy eyes widened in surprise.
The surrounding area was filled with warm light as the cold faded away.
– Huh? What’s going on? Suddenly it got warm?
– Right? Is there some magic going on in Shio-ram…? Wow, hey look at that!
– Over there? What’s happening… Wow, those flames are really pretty.
Even the passersby, bundled up in thick clothing, widened their eyes in surprise and started looking around, soon staring dumbfounded at the flames encircling my hand.
There were many people around. There were students, like us, heading to the opening ceremony, as well as many locals who originally lived in Shio-ram.
But at that moment, the outside information was far more prominent. A creature I was observing for the first time… an outsider allowed entry after a thorough identity check at Shio-ram.
Fwoosh! Gop-hwa, receiving gazes from all around, flickered grandly. Unlike its bashful master, it seemed to enjoy dancing to the surrounding attention.
“Just when I was feeling cold… thank you.”
For a brief moment, her eyes widened with surprise, and then Baek Ahrin’s gaze softened as she glanced at a floating drone nearby.
She reached out to grasp the Gop-hwa that I had conjured. Just that made my hand feel warm for some reason.
Shrugging her shoulders, Baek Ahrin pulled my hand towards her cheek.
“Really, Ha-yul, you’re so considerate. It’s nice and warm… Ahhhh! Wait a second! That’s not warm, it’s hot!”
But her hand never actually touched her cheek. That was due to Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand, which came near Baek Ahrin’s cheek.
Her hand was similarly wrapped in Gop-hwa, but unlike mine, it flickered blood-red, flaring angrily.
“Why? This is also Gop-hwa! Come here, I’ll give you a good rub!”
“Ahhhh! You crazy girl, you can’t just do that on a festival day!”
Startled, Baek Ahrin finally let go of my hand and jumped away. Baek Ahrin fled in a hurry, with Hong Yeon-hwa chasing after her, a bright red scarf flapping around her neck.
– Weee…
Suddenly, a chase broke out. Just when everyone blinked at the unexpected scene, the broadcasting drone seemed to think it was an amusing situation and followed the two.
It was indeed a rare sight to see the successors of Gop-hwa and Changhae in a chase. It would’ve been a shame to miss such an entertaining moment that wasn’t overly sensitive enough to be cut out…
‘Oh.’
A scene that wasn’t sensitive enough to be edited out and yet was something fun to watch.
I knew there would be such scenes pouring out of the upcoming event.
With the third day of the entry ceremony over, the various events for students would begin on the fourth day.
Among them, there was also the cross-dressing contest I signed up for.
‘…Well, in the worst-case scenario, I can just interfere with the drone a little.’
Suddenly, an idea flitted through my mind, making my eyelids twitch. But with that quick solution, my stiff shoulders relaxed.
After all, drones in this world are products as well, moving with magic. There’s plenty of room to interfere; if nothing else, I could just meddle with the drone…
“Haha, looks like we’re having fun already on the first day.”
Professor Liana, who was nearby, covered her mouth and chuckled. It seemed she also found the scene amusing.
But I began to feel worried about calculating the increasingly distant gap between the two.
[We should be arriving soon; will they be alright?]
“It’s still early, so it’s fine. It’s not that far away either; if they’re late, they’ll just come running.”
[Ah… that does seem true.]
Even though we were pulling further away, considering the physical capabilities of those two, it was still a relatively close distance.
If they sensed they were late, they’d probably use body reinforcement techniques to sprint over. With Baek Ahrin there, they’d likely keep time well.
Understanding, I nodded and continued walking.
.
.
.
Like most festivals, the opening ceremony has a strong show-off tendency.
It’s the first scene to boast about how grand our festival is. If media features the festival, scenes from the opening ceremony are often shown.
The birth festival’s opening ceremony is similar. Ultimately, it’s meant to inform the outside world about how splendidly this festival begins.
[All students waiting are requested to gather at the designated location by 9 AM. As previously announced, please take your places according to your year and class. Once again…]
The amplified voice of magic echoed through the sky. Thanks to the additional incantation, it didn’t pierce the ears too badly.
Interpreting the magic projected into the sky, I adjusted my ears and observed the surroundings.
The opening ceremony took place in the auditorium located in the center of Shio-ram. If I had to compare it to something, it might look like a baseball stadium?
The ceiling was open, allowing warm sunlight to pour directly into the center.
In the completely open central area, students lined up according to their year and class, and the surrounding spectator stands were packed full of people.
“Did your hair catch fire or something? It’s like you touched something…”
“Touch? I didn’t even get close, you idiot.”
“No way… I’m pretty sure it burned…”
Standing in the front row of the first-year Ipchun Class, Baek Ahrin muttered as she examined the tips of her hair.
Despite Hong Yeon-hwa’s denial right next to her, the doubt on Baek Ahrin’s face didn’t easily fade.
Fortunately, the two of them arrived before the opening ceremony started. Thanks to that, they wouldn’t have to experience scolding or embarrassment in front of everyone due to the vice principal’s spatial leap.
Of course, I could have used spatial powers to bring them over beforehand.
‘…So many unique abilities have emerged.’
Leaving behind the bickering Baek Ahrin and Hong Yeon-hwa, I observed the gathered students on the platform, playing with Elia.
The future representatives, rapidly growing under the blessing of growth. I could confidently assert that this observation wasn’t incorrect, given the fierce energy radiating from them.
Moreover, their uniqueness felt densely rich and varied. While some aspects overlapped, there were still plenty of distinct and unique abilities.
Especially among the first-year students. Since enough time had passed after receiving the blessing of growth, many exhibited newfound unique abilities or transformed and expanded their existing ones.
‘It’s a pity it’s not in a fully manifested state, but that could be well observed in the Tower of Growth.’
This Tower of Growth allowed entry without regard to year. By battling there, they could fully experience their unique abilities that transitioned into manifestations and gather materials to model after.
[Ahem, from this moment forth, we shall commence the opening ceremony of the 121st class of Shio-ram, the birth festival. All students, please take your positions. Additionally, visitors…]
As I was idly chatting, an announcement echoed from the sky. At the same time, the bustle lingering in the auditorium gradually settled down.
– Boom!
A moment later.
As the central podium rippled with space distortion, the vice principal, wearing a thick robe, appeared.
As usual, the vice principal was in charge of the proceedings of this opening ceremony.
‘What a busy person.’
The deputy appointed directly by the principal. That was already decades ago. Since then, he had been taking charge of everything in Shio-ram, piling up countless responsibilities.
For a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a weary face beneath that impassive expression.
I observed the vice principal signaling the ceremony to begin. Soon, a representative from the first-year cohort would have to go up there.
‘?’
Just as I was about to pay attention to avoid slipping any words, an unusual signal caught my eye at the edge of my observational range.
*
Around this time every year, the gate terminal of Shio-ram becomes a bustling hub.
It was none other than the birth festival.
To witness the annual birth festival firsthand, countless visitors gather from all over the world.
It would feel cramped in Shio-ram’s gate terminal, which ranks among the top five in scale.
With so many people crowding together, the noise level can become quite overwhelming. After all, the presence of just one person leads to a volume of commotion, and a single murmured word multiplies into a cacophony.
– Tap tap!
Such a gate terminal was unusually quiet at this very moment.
While the noise wasn’t completely absent, the sound perceivable to the ear amounted to just one solitary footstep.
Although there were other noises present, they were drowned out by a more significant presence.
– Tap!
The source overpowering all surrounding sounds was a single woman.
With brown hair falling slightly past her shoulders, she possessed long, slender limbs, yet the aura radiating from her was as steadfast as a colossal mountain range.
“…….”
The woman, Ija Lee, the 11th head of Taesan, stepped forward, savoring the sensation of the ground beneath her feet for the first time in a long while.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
