In the morning, Ren stood by the window, gazing out at the clear, bright sky.
As he watched the horizon, Lezard called out to him.
"Good morning. Thank you for looking after Lithia yesterday."
"It was nothing, sir. It was a good experience for me, too."
Two days after officially becoming a Strong Sword User, Ren had taken Lithia out for anti-monster training. Lithia had been as delighted as if the achievement were her own, showering him with praise like "Amazing!" and "That’s our Ren!"
When she had asked about the sensation of the Shroud, Ren explained it as if he had gained an invisible layer of armor or newfound muscle.
"How is your mana consumption? Is it draining?"
"Not as much as I expected. Since you likely have more mana than I do, Lady Lithia, you might find it even easier to maintain."
The training had proceeded smoothly as they discussed the nuances of Strong Sword Arts. Even after they returned to the manor, their conversation had lasted well into the night.
"By the way, Ren, I heard you have plans today as well."
"Yes. I’m heading into the Imperial Capital. I want to pick up an application form before the year ends."
"I see. For the Imperial Military Academy."
His goal was the documentation required for the entrance exam. Since Ren had decided to aim for the Special Merit Class, he couldn't afford any delays in his submission. Lithia, who had decided to apply long before him, had already finished her paperwork.
Soon after arriving at the Imperial Capital Station, Ren found himself navigating the morning rush. He wove through the crowds to transfer magic trains, his new urban-style coat—purchased after moving to Erendil—fluttering in the chilly wind.
Suddenly, a boisterous voice boomed through the station.
"Hey! If it isn't that little brat—er, I mean, Ren!"
It was Werlich. He was walking along clutching several paper bags, apparently on his way back from a shopping trip. Ren moved through the throng to reach him and took one of the bags.
"Are you heading back to the Blacksmith District?"
"I am! Sorry about this, kid. I appreciate the help."
"Don't mention it. These looked like they were getting in your way."
Deciding this chance meeting was a good omen, Ren assisted the dwarf before heading toward the academy. He walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Werlich through the station and boarded the magic train bound for the Blacksmith District.
After a short ride, they arrived and headed toward the workshop.
"The materials for your project should be arriving soon, right?" Ren asked.
"So they say. Though I heard the snow is slowing things down a bit."
"Well, it can't be helped. Just think of it as extra time to prepare."
"I’ve thought this before, but even though you claim to hate work, Master Werlich, you’re incredibly dedicated to it."
"Gah-hah-hah! Don’t get the wrong idea! I only take the jobs I actually want to do!"
Ren laughed at the answer, which was quintessentially Werlich.
Once they reached the workshop, Werlich insisted on playing host. Ren ended up staying for a while, looking over the master’s past creations. It was past three in the afternoon by the time he finally took his leave.
Stepping outside, Ren exhaled a short breath that turned white in the winter air. Looking up, he saw the first faint flakes of snow beginning to fall. The winter sun set early, and the edges of the sky were already being stained with deep azure. By the time he reached the academy and got his documents, it would surely be dark.
After walking for about thirty minutes, the scenery began to change. The streets were now filled with boys and girls in uniforms, with the occasional adult who looked like a teacher. Even during winter break, many students were busy with supplementary lessons or club activities.
Surprisingly, Ren felt no tension. He simply walked his path, never losing his way. As more students in the Imperial Military Academy uniform appeared around him, he even found himself wondering what was for dinner.
"Do you have business with the academy?" the guard at the front gate asked. It was a massive campus, and a boy arriving alone without a uniform was bound to draw questions.
"I’ve come to collect the application forms for the entrance exam."
"Understood. May I see some identification?"
"Yes. I have it right here."
Ren produced the letter of introduction Lezard had written. After verifying it, the guard led him inside.
They headed toward one of the annex buildings connected to the main school. It served as a visitor's hall for parents and merchants—a magnificent structure that rivaled the estates of high-ranking nobles. Ren stepped inside, gazing at the snow-dusted silhouettes of the school buildings. The interior was bathed in the warm, orange glow of chandeliers.
"Please wait here."
Ren sat on a plush sofa. The guard informed him that an official would arrive shortly and departed. He only had to wait for a few minutes.
"Thank you for waiting."
An academy clerk approached and guided him to a wide counter at the back of the hall. The counter sat beside a massive glass window, offering an expansive view of the grounds. Ren glanced at the covered walkways between the buildings before a second clerk addressed him from across the desk.
"You're here for the entrance exam documents, correct?"
The Imperial Military Academy housed a vast library with a collection of books unrivaled in Leomel. Fiona had just stepped out of that very building.
She wore her uniform with an effortless grace that turned heads. Even during the winter break, students who had come to study—both boys and girls alike—found themselves enchanted by her presence.
"The snow is beautiful," the young noblewoman whispered.
The library was a standalone building connected to the main campus by a covered bridge. As she watched the snow through the glass, her mind drifted back to a year ago. It was a memory she revisited often now that winter had returned.
The days in the Baldur Mountains had been harsh and bitter. There had been nothing fun about that journey, yet meeting Ren and receiving the Star Agate from him remained her most cherished memory. Her hand drifted to the necklace beneath her uniform. Gripping it tight, she felt a familiar ache in her chest.
"...Ren-kun."
She wanted to see him.
The guilt of the trouble she had caused him had stopped her from writing countless letters. Still, she had wanted to thank him, so she had asked her father to include her greetings in his own correspondence. She hadn't been able to bring herself to say "I want to see you" or "Please come to Eupeheim."
She bit her lip and looked up at the sky, closing her eyes. In the darkness behind her eyelids, their time together in the snow flickered to life again and again.
Eventually, she steeled her heart and began the walk back to the girls' dormitory. Her steps were heavy, mirroring her somber mood.
"...?"
She stopped abruptly.
Turning back to the window, she looked across the wide garden toward the visitor's hall.
Was it a hallucination born of her longing? Or a fantasy her own heart was using to mock her?
"Eh?"
Her voice caught. There, framed in the orange light of the distant hall, was Ren. No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes, he didn't disappear.
Fiona didn't even stop for a coat. She bolted through the walkway and toward the visitor's hall. By the time she reached the doors, she was breathless. She pushed them open as quietly as she could, desperate to confirm what she had seen.
But Ren was gone. He wasn't at the counter, nor was he in any of the seats. She walked through the hall, searching every corner, but the room was empty.
A wave of dejection washed over her. It had been a phantom after all—a trick played by her own weakness. She left the hall, but instead of returning to the bridge, she walked out into the courtyard.
She mocked herself for her foolishness, yet she still wanted to be near the snow. She wanted to feel the cold, to recall the air of the Baldur Mountains. She walked through the garden, exhaling white clouds into the dusk.
In the center of the courtyard stood a great tree. During the holidays, it was decorated with magic lights that harmonized with the orange glow from the school windows. Fiona looked up at its branches. The area was deserted; everyone else had long since returned to their dorms.
"...Seeing phantoms is proof of a weak heart, Fiona."
Since the incident in the mountains, she had worked harder than anyone. She had regretted the burden she placed on Ren and vowed to become strong enough to protect herself. That was why she hadn't sought him out. If she was still the same person who caused him trouble, she didn't deserve to see him.
"But I really... did want to see you."
Her true feelings finally leaked out. Tears threatened to spill, but she held them back with everything she had. She wouldn't let the dam break.
Her shoulders trembled. Standing in the midwinter air without a coat was starting to take its toll, even for someone who specialized in ice magic. She really had to go back.
Just as she turned to leave the tree, a sudden warmth draped over her shoulders.
A coat—one that wasn't her own—wrapped around her, covering the arms she had been using to hug herself. Bewildered, Fiona spun around.
He was there.
"You'll catch a cold, Lady Fiona."
He wore the same gentle smile she remembered.
"Ren-kun...?"
"It’s been a long time. It's me, Ren Ashton."
It was reality. The warmth of the coat, the sound of his voice—it wasn't a dream. He was standing right there. Fiona’s hands moved to the hem of the coat, gripping it tight.
"—I am so, so happy to see you again."
The tears she had been holding back finally traced paths down her flushed cheeks. As she smiled at him through the snow, she possessed a radiant, breathtaking beauty she showed to no one else.
Fiona fought the urge to throw herself into his arms. Instead, she let out a few more tears of pure joy.
"Lady Fiona!? Why are you crying!?"
"No... it’s nothing! Just... a lot of things happened today, so don't worry!"
She wiped her eyes, which now sparkled like jewels.
It had been nearly a year. Ren had always been well-developed, but in that time, he had grown even taller and his features had sharpened into those of a young man. Where they had once stood eye-to-eye, she now had to look up to meet his gaze. Realizing this, she ducked her head slightly to hide her deepening blush.
"T-That’s right! Ren-kun, why are you here?" she asked, finally regaining some composure.
"I came to pick up the application documents for the entrance exam."
The news was shocking enough, but Fiona was still curious about their timing.
"I came to this tree because I spotted you," Ren explained.
"Me...?"
"Yes. I was about to leave when I saw you. ...Anyway, you're going to get sick out here without a coat. Why were you out here like this?"
"—Because... I thought I might find you."
She looked down, her voice so soft it was almost lost to the wind. Taking advantage of a sudden rustle in the branches, she added, "Hehe, it's a secret."
She placed a finger to her lips with the playful grace of a winter fairy.
"I'm truly surprised, though. Not just by seeing you, but that you're applying to this academy."
"Wait, I thought Lord Ulysses would have told you."
"Eh!? You’ve been talking to my father about this!?"
"Not just talking. We met and spoke in person."
"...Oh, Father. He didn't say a single word to me."
Ren realized that Fiona hadn't even known he was in Erendil. He wondered why the Marquis had kept it a secret, but Ulysses was a man who lived by his own code. He likely knew of Fiona's feelings but chose to let the reunion happen naturally out of respect for her and Lithia.
A sharp gust of wind whipped through the courtyard, catching Fiona’s long black hair. Worried about the cold, Ren suggested they keep moving.
"Why didn't you have your coat, anyway?"
"...I forgot it at the academy."
"In this snow?"
"Y-Yes! I must have been daydreaming!"
Ren could tell she was lying, but he didn't press her. When Fiona made a move to go back for it, the lights in the library bridge flickered out.
"Ah," they both whispered. It was winter break; the buildings closed early.
"Do you have another coat at the dorm?"
"Yes... I have several."
"Then I’ll walk you back like this. I run hot, so I’ll be fine."
Ren started walking. Fiona felt guilty for relying on his kindness again, but when he urged her forward, she couldn't refuse.
"...Thank you."
She followed him tentatively. Just watching his back made her heart swell.
"Are you okay without your guards?" Ren asked.
"They don't come inside the campus, and there are plenty of knights patrolling the path to the dorms, so it’s safe."
Fiona was clearly delighted to be talking with him again. Her voice was light and bouncy, her excitement evident in every word. To her, the world—which had seemed so gray only moments ago—was now sparkling.
"I can't believe you were attending the Lion Holy Chancel. We might have walked right past each other!"
"It's possible. I occasionally went to the restaurants on the main street. Maybe when you were heading home..."
"R-Really!?"
Fiona mentioned that she thought she had seen him before. Ren recalled the day he had felt a gaze on him and realized she had probably been right. When she let out a piteous little moan of regret for missing him then, Ren smiled at her.
"But we’ve found each other now."
Fiona nodded bashfully, her heart stolen once again by his kindness.
As they neared the dormitory, her mood began to dip. The time to say goodbye was coming too soon.
"...Can we talk again?" she asked tentatively.
"The capital and Erendil are close. I can come talk whenever you like."
His voice was casual and straightforward. His words swept away her hesitations like a fresh breeze. A new, bright resolve took root in her heart.
"—I can work hard, too."
Her murmur was lost to the wind, but it marked a profound change within her. They reached the dormitory entrance, and she returned his coat. As she turned to leave, she took a few light, dancing steps ahead of him.
"I’m going to work much, much harder starting tomorrow," she said, her tone suddenly meaningful.
She turned back to him, her skirt fluttering as fine snow danced around her like diamond dust. Her silk-black hair swayed in the winter light.
"Work hard? At what?" Ren asked, confused by the sudden declaration.
Fiona’s voice was clear and full of a quiet, unshakable power.
"Because... I definitely want to make you look my way."
She gave him a smile of such determined, radiant beauty that it surpassed anything she had ever shown the world.