Chapter 19. What are winter made of?
[157]
What are little girls made of?
Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
Then what is the winter continent made of?
‘Snow, hunger, and ruins.’
Chris thought of a clear answer.
Excluding the people living within that winter and their lives. This was the conclusion when thinking purely about the winter continent alone.
Due to the harsh climate, it’s difficult for people to live there. Because of this, infrastructure naturally struggles to develop.
That’s why the winter continent had almost no one living away from urban centers, unlike the spring continent. Even if there were any, they would be fugitives who committed crimes too severe to live mixed in normal society.
For the same reason, it was difficult for outsiders to infiltrate, making it a good hiding place for Yuri and Chris. Thanks to this, they were able to build their strength based in the winter continent.
‘But Rosenhauser had something he coveted in the winter continent?’
They had just returned to their lodgings with Yuri after the meeting ended.
Chris stopped pondering alone and suddenly opened his mouth to ask.
“That Conrad fellow, can we trust him?”
Yuri, who had been lost in thought fiddling with his cigar case since returning, glanced at Chris and answered.
“We’ll have to wait and see for now… but the circumstances seem to match up.”
Chris’s expression turned peculiar.
“I thought the Espers dispatched to the winter continent were mostly to find Yuri…”
Later it seemed like desperate attempts to check the overgrown power of Baekyah.
No one had guessed Rosenhauser might have had another purpose.
“So there was something they were looking for in the continent of snow.”
It did seem like too many Espers were sent just to catch one escaped Guide.
“It feels dirty to have been deceived in the end, but I find some pleasure in thinking they didn’t get what they wanted either.”
The escaped rat grew larger and eventually swallowed the winter continent.
For Rosenhauser, who had something to find, they must have had to watch helplessly while sucking their thumb.
After Chris disappeared, they tried to slip in, but that attempt ultimately led to Rosenhauser’s downfall.
‘Perhaps they weren’t going after just me with full force from the beginning. If they had another objective…’
Well, it’s not like they could dig up the circumstances from back then now, so this was just speculation.
Yuri shook off the useless thoughts. He detested wasting time.
“We should return to the winter continent.”
At Chris’s words, Yuri smiled faintly.
“Yes. We should return. To our nostalgic home.”
Chris was surprised at those words.
Both “nostalgic” and “home” were words he never expected to hear from Yuri’s mouth.
“…Why are you staring with such surprised eyes?”
“Nothing.”
Chris never lied to his master.
Therefore, he answered honestly.
“I didn’t expect you to call it home. I never thought you would miss the winter continent.”
“Ah. Because it’s cold in summer and freezing to death in winter?”
Yuri asked with amused eyes. Chris had no choice but to remain silent.
“Or because I’m not the type of person who could feel attachment to anything?”
The second question pried open Chris’s firmly closed mouth.
“…More than that. Don’t you have many difficult memories in the winter continent? I thought you would loathe it.”
“It’s also the land where I ultimately seized victory.”
What was etched on Yuri’s face as he said this was neither overflowing joy nor abundant confidence.
Just a calm, expressionless face.
Because of that, it rather felt like he was stating the truth as it was.
Feeling a sensation like seasickness in his chest, Chris gently placed his hand on it.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just suddenly… I realized we’ve actually come through all those days.”
If Yuri considered the winter continent his home, Chris could do the same.
In the end, Chris was happy anywhere as long as he was by Yuri’s side.
“How sentimental.”
Though his words were brusque, his gaze toward Chris was gentle.
“It’s going to get busy.”
“I’ll take care of the preparations for our return.”
Chris could do that much, even if somewhat awkwardly.
From the beginning, taking care of Yuri’s personal matters had been his role since the winter continent.
He didn’t want to give it up to anyone else.
“Before returning, we should give a modest gift to the mayor of Babel City.”
Yuri’s tone sounded quite playful.
“A modest gift?”
At Chris’s question, Yuri threw a mysterious glance and asked.
“Do you know what Babel means?”
“No, I don’t.”
He answered immediately.
Honestly, even when he bought books in Magnolia, it was to impress the bookstore owner he fell for at first sight, not because he had a taste for reading.
“Babel is the name of a tower that appears in the mythology of ancient humans.”
Yuri spoke in a riddle-like manner that was both comprehensible and not.
“Arrogant humans tried to reach God but ended up receiving God’s curse.”
“What kind of curse was that?”
“The curse of one language splitting into many.”
Chris blinked his eyes.
Given the context, it seemed like the “modest gift” for the mayor of Babel City would be that curse.
But no matter how amazing Yuri was, it didn’t seem like he could divide the unified language into multiple ones.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Wait and see.”
***
“I’m Guide Luka.”
A man with cotton candy-like eyes extended his hand.
January stared at him blankly.
It was surprising enough that someone from Northern Light came to meet him, but even more shocking that the person who appeared was a Guide.
“I’m here representing the Guides currently affiliated with Northern Light.”
“You mean the Esper Union?”
“We prefer to use the name Northern Light. Calling it the Esper Union tends to exclude the existence of Guides.”
“Ah.”
January nodded slowly.
It was a proper statement. It was also political in a way January hadn’t anticipated.
“I don’t understand why someone like you would come to see someone like me.”
He had intended to speak carefully, but the words that flowed from his mouth were sharp and bristling.
January unconsciously checked the other’s reaction.
But Luka’s gentle face remained unchanged.
“I’m here to discuss your special situation.”
Special situation?
Those words suddenly made his stomach twist.
“Please just be honest.”
January detected the rising heat in his own voice.
“Say that you were disgusted by a non-Guide human pretending to be a Guide.”
Yet he couldn’t stop himself.
The truth was, he was ashamed. Ashamed of earning money by posing as a fake Guide and then meeting a real one.
The person before him had come knowing all about his circumstances, while January only knew the Guide’s name and position.
Even though this angel-looking man might not have appeared for judgment, it felt that way. Even if it were salvation, he had no desire to grasp that hand.
During his time hiding under Susanna’s protection, January had gone over his choices every day, regretting them.
Because there was nothing else to do in this attic.
‘Why did I do that?’
Even if others didn’t judge January’s actions, he was already doing so himself, sufficiently.
“Don’t worry.”
January said, almost spitting the words.
“I have no intention of using that drug again anyway.”
He couldn’t bring himself to face the other person, so with eyes downcast, he spoke firmly.
“I’ve provided all the relevant information.”
As if the words weren’t his own.
“If there’s anything missing or if you need additional information, please send it in writing. I’ll answer as I remember.”
“I don’t intend to hide anything anyway,” January added, rubbing his reddened neck.
Luka quietly observed him.
Defensive and aggressive. Perhaps if an Esper had come instead of a Guide, the reaction might have been calmer, he thought.
But that was precisely why Luka had come.
He wanted to hear the other person speak openly.
“Since you asked me to be honest, I will be.”
Luka good-naturedly pulled up a chair across from him and sat down.
“In Northern Light’s guiding team, there are people who have had experiences similar to what you did. Actually, there are many.”
“…What kind of experience do you mean?”
“The experience of being unilaterally demanded to provide guiding.”
“…”
January swallowed hard.
Should he remind him that what he did wasn’t real guiding?
But Luka seemed to be emphasizing the “unilateral demand” rather than the “guiding” part.
“Originally, Northern Light’s Guides had schedules assigned to them unilaterally. They couldn’t even go outside their protected building. They could only meet family during designated times when there were watching eyes.”
“That’s…”
January had a somewhat dazed expression.
That doesn’t seem quite right.
“It was for safety. That’s what everyone said, and what we believed.”
Luka’s gaze as he said this was strangely empty.
January fidgeted with his hands before clenching them into fists.
Northern Light’s propaganda sometimes circulated even in this spring continent.
About how Espers work tirelessly for the world day and night. About how Guides diligently help them.
January had thought that Guides living in those tall buildings would live more comfortably and happily than himself.
But even cattle grazing in open fields would have more freedom than them.
Though there might be fences, at least there weren’t watching eyes.
“Things are different now.”
Luka recalled what happened after Rosenhauser’s downfall.
Instead of completely pushing out the Esper Union, Yuri made one request to Anong.
It wasn’t to accept Baekyah.
It was that in any future Esper-Guide negotiations, never demand Guide’s guiding as a negotiation condition.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but there have been quite significant changes in Northern Light.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
