Chapter 820: The ice melts, but it freezes the fire [1]

It wasn’t obvious at first.

"There, I think I’m done for today. You should be feeling better. I’ve removed some of the frost inside your body. If you need any further assistance or experience any discomfort, please let me know. I’ll make sure to check and help."

"...Thanks!"

Ol’Sal caressed his beard, grinning at Evelyn.

"You’ve been of great help, young lass."

"He... he."

Evelyn gave an uncomfortable smile.

Young lass...

That was what the old man called Evelyn. She still didn’t seem used to it, forcing a small, awkward laugh in response.

"Haha, what did I tell you about calling her that? Look at her? She looks uncomfortable."

Chloe came into the room, chuckling to herself as she placed her hand over Evelyn’s head and started rubbing it.

"Hey—"

"What? What?"

Despite Evelyn’s protests, Chloe continued to rub Evelyn’s head.

The two had gotten a lot closer lately.

"What did I say about my hair?"

"So...? It’s not like there’s anyone that you’re interested in showing off your hair to."

"That doesn’t matter!"

"Don’t talk to me like that."

"Hiaak—!"

The scene was met with laughter and chuckles. The atmosphere had improved considerably compared to its past state. The gloominess that had once taken hold of the room had started to fade, and hope started to surface in the hearts of everyone present.

But was it really all sunshine and rainbows?

I narrowed my eyes at Evelyn. She was smiling, and she seemed fine, but something felt off. The more I looked at her, the more it felt like her reactions were forced, like she was pretending.

But was this just me...?

I couldn’t say that I knew Evelyn like the back of my hand. That’d be a lie.

I knew her, but not to a high degree.

However, it wasn’t like I didn’t know her at all.

’I’ve been noticing, but besides when she’s with the girls, Evelyn never really shows her true self. The way that she is acting right now, and the way that she usually acts, is quite different. Am I thinking too much...?’

"Mhm."

Snapping out of my thoughts was a groggy voice.

When I turned my head, Penelope was squinting, rubbing her eyes with her small hands before tugging gently at my clothes.

"...Can you tell me a story?"

She then reached to her left, shaking the boy next to her.

Eventually, Ilyen stirred awake, blinking a few times before the girl took his hand and traced something into his palm.

His eyes lit up.

’Me too!’

His voice echoed inside my mind.

Staring at the two children, I could only sigh.

"Well, fine."

This was what I’d become as of late.

A babysitter.

’It’s not like I have much else to do.’

It was this or training.

From time to time, I’d leave to check up on Leon and the others, but I couldn’t go very far without feeling like I wouldn’t be able to make it back. In the end, the only thing I could do was stay here while waiting for Evelyn to figure out a way to cure the people from her curse.

In essence...

She was this city’s only hope.

’...I hope she gets to it quickly. We’ve already wasted too much time here. I also don’t know how long Leon and the others can endure. The most I can do is inject my mana into their bodies to preserve them, but that’s not enough.’

"Quickly."

"Hm, don’t rush me."

I rubbed my forehead.

This...

"Quick!"

"Alright! Alright!"

I was just about to start when a sudden voice attracted my attention.

"I’m going to head to the bathroom. I’ll come check on the others soon. Please wait for a bit."

Turning my attention back to Evelyn, I watched as she brushed herself off and stood. Wiping the sweat from her face, she headed toward the door. As I watched her go, a thought crossed my mind.

’It’s worth checking.’

Orbs of all different colors appeared in my vision.

But one in particular stood out to me.

The one within Evelyn’s body.

’...Ah.’

It wasn’t just small. It almost covered her entire body.

The purple orb.

Fear.

’So I really wasn’t wrong, was I?’

Clank—!

The door closed shortly after.

***

Step, Step—!

The quiet echo of the steps reverberated within the dark corridor.

Strands of purple hair swayed with each step as Evelyn approached the main door. She pushed it open, and the frozen world beyond spilled into view. Her body shuddered at the sudden cold, a small film of mana spreading across her entire body to block some of the cold.

But how could that be enough?

Evelyn started to shiver the moment she stepped out, her mana running dry, but despite this, she still remained calm.

Crunch! Crunch!

The snow crunched with each step.

Holding onto herself, she headed deeper into the snow.

For obvious reasons, the toilets within the place didn’t work. Naturally, one would have to attend to their business outside. But was that really the case for Evelyn?

Crunch—

She walked quite quickly.

The place wasn’t far, and it wasn’t long before she stopped.

Five statues appeared before her.

"....."

Evelyn stood in silence, staring at the frozen figures that represented the statues.

The silence stretched for the next several minutes, Evelyn’s body trembling not long after, but not from the cold, but from the overwhelming emotions that she suddenly started to fear.

And most importantly—

Swooosh!

Evelyn pulled her sleeve down, revealing her arm.

Or to be more precise, what appeared to have been her arm had now turned into ice.

"H-haaa."

Evelyn’s chest trembled.

"D-damn it."

Clenching her teeth, she cursed.

"...Why is it like this?"

Had one been standing close to it, they’d be able to hear the utter frustration and helplessness in Evelyn’s tone.

Indeed, she was helpless.

Despite training relentlessly every day, never allowing herself a moment’s rest, she pushed her control to its limits. The progress was clear, but still far from enough.

"D-damn it."

Evelyn cursed again, her teeth biting down on her lower lip.

Looking at Kiera and Aoife, Evelyn felt something burn within her chest.

It was...

Jealousy.

Yes, she was jealous.

It had always been that way.

Both Kiera and Aoife had made names for themselves over the past couple of years. Aoife in particular. Her name was something that everyone knew. She was gallant and led armies to fight back against her brother’s army.

Kiera wasn’t much different.

In fact, one could argue that she was the strongest of the three of them.

But what about her?

It was true that she had progressed a lot over the past several years, but her progress was slower than the other two. Her fame was also nowhere near the same as that of the two of them.

There was also the fact that the two of them usually handled matters much better than she did.

And yet—

"....."

Evelyn bit her lips, trying to push all those disgusting feelings away.

She’d always been like this.

A bundle of different emotions that she would constantly try to press down in order to make herself fit in.

Depending on the day, she’d wear a different mask.

A happy one. A serious one. A sad one.

But the most important thing about her mask was that she needed to match it with the situation. She couldn’t let it slip. She didn’t want people to see her true thoughts and emotions.

But at this very moment...

Now that she was alone.

She made that mask slip.

"...I-I... was useful."

Her voice trembled as it echoed in the air.

Staring at the statues before her, she licked her lips.

"I... think I’m the only one who is capable of resolving this entire situation. This... is the very first time for me."

Evelyn’s heart pressed heavily as she sat down on the snow, her hands resting over her knees as the breeze brushed her purple hair before her face.

Evelyn pushed the hair back.

"I’m usually a-lways the one who gets in trouble. I’ve... tried to keep pace... with the two of you, but even that is difficult. It feels as if... the two of you are growing further and further from me. I see the two of you constantly resolving situations yourself while I... watch you do it."

Evelyn laughed weakly.

"That’s w-hy it felt weird to see people thanking me for... something. This is the first time that it’s... happened to me, and I... can’t disappoint them."

Pausing, Evelyn turned to look at her arm.

"Even if... it hurts me."

Evelyn laid out all of he true feelings.

There was no one to hear, but it felt liberating for her.

As if a massive weight had been moved away from her shoulders, but at the same time, her smile faded.

Staring at her arm once more, she clenched her teeth.

’I can’t fail.’

This was the first time Evelyn had felt the weight of such responsibility.

She was the only one who could cure everyone, and she didn’t want to disappoint.

No, she couldn’t disappoint.

Evelyn thought back to the Old man. Despite his eccentric personality, he was quite funny. He would always crack jokes to her.

She thought about the two children. Despite being mute, the boy was always curious.

Despite being blind and despite the cold, the little girl always remained bubbly.

Despite being so large, Reginald was silly.

Despite being so annoying, Chloe was... like a big sister.

Thinking about all the people who relied on her, Evelyn knew that she had to continue down this path. Even if, in turn, it made her turn into a statue.

’Yeah, who cares about me? For once, I’m actually doing something. I’m—’

Crunch!

Startled by the sudden crunch, Evelyn turned her head and rose to her feet.

"Who!?"

It wasn’t long before a figure emerged, the wind sweeping through his hair and sending loose strands across his face. Stopping a few paces from Evelyn, Julien came to a halt.

"Ah, it’s you."

Seeing that it was Julien, Evelyn relaxed.

"You almost gave me a heart attack."

She patted her chest.

But soon—

"You need to stop."

His voice echoed quietly across the surroundings.

"...If you continue healing them, it won’t be long until you turn into a statue."