Chapter 1034 – (Side Story)12. A Witch’s First Love (9)
Illyana is feeling confused.
“Hmm, the magic that stopped the Bulboers earlier was great.”
The ‘Freeze’ used by Illyana exactly conformed to the instructions and requests given by Eunhyeon.
His quick chanting, skill development, and accurate range designation are very good compared to most wizards.
Considering Illyana’s age, having just turned 20, she must be a great mage with talent and a promising future.
“Are you comforting me? Such useless things…”
“It’s not useless. It’s not even comforting. “You just don’t know yet.”
“… “You don’t know?”
“I am. “I almost died several times on this snowy mountain.”
There were times when she was in a shipwreck and suffered from frostbite, and there were times when she couldn’t find anything to eat, so she hydrated herself by drinking snow and hunting wild animals to satisfy her hunger.
As she battled the numerous demonic beasts she encountered in the snowy mountains, she studied and identified their characteristics and had to put in a lot of effort to find strategies to win more easily and efficiently.
“I somehow survived each time, and I thought and tried an easier way again and again to prepare for the next time. This Safety Zone is also one of the results created from that experience and concern.”
It was the optimal location chosen considering the location, distance, and timing, and it is still in use today.
“The experience and effort you have made so far will not betray you. The same goes for magic.”
Swinging and blocking swords, spears, shields, etc.
Studying magic and exploring the depth of knowledge.
It is just a means used to bring about results.
“How you use it and what you do with it is entirely up to you. Therefore…”
Eunhyun placed her hand on Iliana’s head.
Illyana stared at Eunhyeon, feeling the hand gently stroking her, as if comforting her young student.
“Experience more and grow. “You will continue to grow and become the best wizard.”
“Ah…”
Illyana sighed softly.
She came to her senses late and quickly got away from Eunhyeon.
“Don’t touch it!”
Eun-hyeon touches her head, moves away from her, and stutters.
“What, what, what do you say…” .”
“Did I say something strange?”
Eunhyeon tilted her head.
Illyana’s talent is real.
As a magician, he only had trained theories and senses, and lacked the experience to utilize them.
If those shortcomings are filled, Illyana will definitely grow at a remarkable speed.
“… Am I a kid? “Why are you stroking my head?”
“I just did it because I wanted to.”
“You… Do you usually say things like that so casually?”
“Say something like that?”
“That… ! Ha… That’s it.”
Illyana was about to explain something, but quickly gave up on her explanation.
She had felt it since the first time they met, but this man was strangely oblivious.
It was strange for her to explain it herself, and she didn’t want to explain it.
‘… Why do I have to explain this?’
For some reason, my pride was hurt.
“It’s almost shift time. “Please sleep first.”
Whether Illyana had complicated feelings or not, Eunhyun advised her to take a break.
A small tent was set up where she pointed.
This is a tent that Eun-hyeon installed with special care so that she, as a single woman and her employer, can use it alone.
“What about you?”
“I will wake the next person on watch and go in to sleep. As an employer, no one will try to do anything strange to you, so sleep in peace. Just in case, I will install a security artifact.”
After Illyana entered, they even prepared an artifact that set off a loud alarm if someone tried to break into her tent.
“… Thank you.”
Illyana nodded her head slightly and entered the tent.
She put her body into a neatly arranged sleeping bag.
The inside of the sleeping bag, which should have been filled with cold warmth, was warm as if someone had just been inside it.
“What. Really…”
She tried to sleep in her sleeping bag, but Eunhyeon’s words from earlier came back to her.
[Experience more and grow. Because you will continue to grow and become the best wizard.]
“…”
Illyana stroked her head without realizing it.
It was strange.
She remembered Eunhyun’s hand stroking her own hair just moments ago.
“It’s never been like this before…”
Even people of the same sex, let alone the opposite sex, didn’t like it when someone touched them.
Perhaps the only one who could allow it was her own teacher, Arden.
Eunhyun was the first to allow someone her age to touch her.
“Why?”
Even if I asked myself questions, I couldn’t find the answers.
Why is he allowing so many things to this man for the first time?
That’s probably because I didn’t hate it.
She did not show jealousy or envy toward her genius talent as a magician.
She was not mocked and provoked by saying that she was a lucky girl who was just given to her teacher even though she was an orphan.
Although she looked down on herself because she was from a lowly background, she did not look at her mature body as a woman and harbor dirty dark intentions.
She just purely wants to do well, and is pure support and encouragement.
Because her heart is so warm and good.
It seeps into her own mind and tickles.
In fact, Illyana really hated crowds and noise.
Because various intentions and emotions were mixed in the gazes of so many people.
So, I really hated receiving attention from others for various reasons.
But that wasn’t the case now.
“… I didn’t hate it.”
In a cave where people gather to avoid the bitter cold, with a single bonfire surrounding them, the environment is extremely harsh and harsh compared to the Magic Tower.
Nevertheless, the reason he did not dislike the heat and noise was because it was quite different from the gaze the people of the Magic Tower gave him.
It was not just an employer, but it was closer to a favor shown as a colleague who was going through a harsh ordeal together.
The new experience of the world outside the Magic Tower was very difficult and arduous, but also fascinating.
[Experience more and grow. Because you will continue to grow and become the best wizard.]
At the center of that new experience, the first thing that came to Illyana’s mind was Eunhyeon’s face.
The moment she remembered his face, Illyana buried her face in her sleeping bag.
“Why are you like this… I must be crazy. Really…”
My face keeps getting hot, and instead of calming down, my heart beats even harder.
However, what calmed the heat of my body that made it impossible for me to fall asleep was the accumulated fatigue from hiking in the harsh snowy mountains.
Illyana quickly fell asleep.
◆ ◆ ◆
Dawn just before dawn.
The snowy mountain exploration expedition team had to greet the morning quickly.
I quickly retrieved my tent and camping equipment and went hiking again.
The ascetic journey up the difficult snow-covered mountain path began again.
“Are you okay?”
“…”
“If it’s difficult to go up any further…”
“… It’s okay.”
Illyana took a step back and widened the distance between herself and Eunhyeon.
“… ?”
Illyana wasn’t particularly close or extended her hand, but Illyana’s attitude of widening the distance was strange.
Although she was strange yesterday, her attitude was noticeable when she woke up in the morning and put away her tent.
The only one who noticed the change in Illyana was Eunhyun, who was walking in the rear while checking her condition.
“Where does it hurt? Yesterday I was sleeping…”
“Well, it’s not like that! It’s just that you… Ah.”
“Yes? Me?”
“It’s nothing!”
Illyana, who belatedly realized that her words had come out in vain, hesitated and forced an end to her conversation.
“…”
Eunhyeon was worried about the dramatic change in attitude that had happened in one day.
However, when he saw that she was making no effort to meet her face, he stopped talking to her.
When she lost her footing in the snow and seemed visibly exhausted, she had no choice but to get help from Eunhyeon.
She can’t get help, and if she continues to do so, her body becomes rigid because she doesn’t know what to do.
‘What? Did I do something wrong?’
Eun-hyeon, who was not aware of her own actions, naturally could not understand the change.
So, I took Iliana with me and climbed her mountain path.
“There is something ahead!”
The adventurer standing at the vanguard felt something approaching and shouted.
In this snowy mountain where a strong snowstorm raged, even the voices that shouted loudly were heard too quietly.
I couldn’t even count how many times the battle started like this.
We climbed the mountain early in the morning and fought more than seven battles.
“… “Something is strange.”
Eunhyeon, who sensed the strange change in the snowy mountain, spoke about it.
“The condition of the demon beasts is not serious.”
The fact that there are frequent clashes with expedition teams trying to climb the mountain means that, on the contrary, demonic beasts are coming down from the mountain.
Even the demonic beasts that originally resided in high terrain are not insignificant.
“It means there is something at the top of the mountain.”
It means that there is something so dangerous that other demon beasts feel a threat to their survival and try to escape down.
I still don’t know what it is, but I couldn’t make a hasty judgment.
It was the employer who made the decision, not the guide.
“What should I do?”
“Yes?”
“We still have to go a little further up to where the perennial snow ginseng is estimated to be. But if that happens, you may encounter a powerful demonic beast. It means that it is dangerous on a different level than before.”
I left the choice up to Illyana, as if it were up to her.
Illyana understood what he meant.
The role of adventurers and guides is to escort the employer and guide the way to the designated location for collecting perennial snow ginseng.
If Illyana insists on going up, the hired adventurer or guide must go up there, no matter what danger there is.
However, once again emphasizing the level of risk, which was on a different level than before, implied that Illyana could not be properly escorted in an unexpected situation, or that the adventurer could suffer injury or death.
It also means turning around and asking whether it is really worth it to climb up this level even after taking on such risks.
“…”
As Illyana received the attention of the adventurers and Eunhyeon, she did not respond right away.
Even though I thought about it in my head, I couldn’t come to a decision easily.
It’s still hard, and of course I don’t want to take risks, but for the sake of my grades and external evaluation scores, Illyana didn’t want to back down anymore.
“… What. “I can’t help it.”
While waiting for a decision in awkward silence, it was Malek, the leader of the adventurer party, not Illyana, who broke the silence.
He glanced over and saw the expressions on his colleagues’ faces.
Other colleagues also nod as if they were thinking the same thing.
“If I survive, will there be any additional allowance?”
“Yes? That…”
Illyana was taken aback for a moment, perhaps because she had heard an unexpected question, but when she realized the meaning of the question, she nodded with determination.
“Of course. “I’ll take care of it for you.”
Of course, it is probably not she who pays the money, but her teacher, Aden.
The adventurers each grabbed their weapons as if those words were enough.
“As long as we survive, isn’t our promotion to the silver rank confirmed?”
“I hope so.”
Despite being warned that there might be dangers they had never experienced before, they were smiling and checking their equipment.
It’s not that I’m not afraid.
It’s just that they have never risked their lives and have survived until now.
It was just an extension of that, and adventurers were people who risked their lives to grow and raise their ransom.
“Can I ask for some advice? “Guide guy.”
Malek, who had made up his mind, without hesitation asked Eunhyeon for advice, as he had done so far.
Eunhyeon smiled and looked at Illyana.
“… “Please.”
Her facial expression was different from before when she blushed and avoided eye contact.
Eunhyeon nodded his head.
“Then, before we go up, let’s decide on three things in case something goes wrong.”
