Jayden could never forget the memory of that cave, especially the day he first encountered Leopold. It was the day he spent trembling in a corner, waiting all day for Hazel.

He had gathered scraps of cloth to wear and, like a small animal, buried himself in a pile of leaves, hoping to fend off the cold. Outside, darkness had fallen long ago, leaving only a faint twilight. He kept his ears alert and his eyes fixed on the cave entrance, waiting for Hazel to arrive.

Rustle.

He heard the sound of leaves being stepped on from afar. At first, he thought it was Hazel and stood up eagerly, but he quickly sensed something was off with the footsteps approaching more boldly than usual. Hazel always walked slowly, with steps as quiet as a squirrel’s.

Jayden instinctively backed further into the cave. However, while the cave was suitable for sheltering from snow and wind, it wasn’t large enough to hide in, so he soon had to stop. If it were a wild animal, he would surely be in danger. Perhaps it was fortunate that Hazel was late.

Eventually, a shadow that seemed three times his size entered the cave. Jayden held his breath and observed the shadow. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a four-legged animal. If it were a person, there was hope for survival.

Finally, the shadow stood at the front of the cave. After careful, exploratory movements, the figure revealed itself. It was a man with a sturdy build. As soon as their eyes met, the man approached Jayden without hesitation.

“Jayden.”

“Wh-How do you know my name? Hic.”

He had intended to plead for his life, but he was so startled by the man’s familiarity that he hiccupped. The man looked at Jayden with soulless eyes and then said something bewildering.

“Your sister is looking for you.”

“Sister? H-Hazel? Hic.”

The man nodded in response and turned to leave the cave. Watching him retreat in a daze, Jayden quickly gathered his wits and followed. The man brought over a horse tied nearby and, without any explanation, lifted Jayden onto the saddle. Curiosity outweighed fear, prompting Jayden to ask Leopold a question.

“But where is my sister?”

“…At my house.”

The man, holding the reins, walked for a while before answering. Jayden immediately asked another question, and this time, the response came quickly.

“Why is she there?”

“I brought her.”

“Why?”

“She was dying.”

“Gasp.”

Jayden was so shocked that he almost fell off the horse, but the man caught him.

“Is my sister sick? How is she now? What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know!”

“Go see for yourself.”

The barrage of endless questions seemed to irritate the man, who finally glared at him. Only then did Jayden quietly close his mouth, twisting his body to suppress the myriad questions swirling in his mind. They traveled for quite some time through the cold in that state.

“Wow.”

The place where the man stopped was an unimaginably large mansion. Jayden gaped in awe, looking around as everyone they passed greeted the man respectfully. From well-dressed people with swords to elderly folks with white hair, everyone was courteous. The man appeared to be the youngest among them, but Jayden instinctively realized he needed to make a good impression on him. However, after dismounting, opportunities to see the man were rare.

After confirming Hazel’s safety and being led by people to be washed, he was left alone. The food provided was excellent, and the room he stayed in was incomparable to the cave, but aside from eating and sleeping, there was nothing else the young Jayden could do. Occasionally, he asked people to give him chores, but they only laughed, telling him to eat up and grow tall.

Meanwhile, Hazel fully recovered and suddenly left the mansion, saying she was going to a place called the academy, leaving only the words that he should repay the favor. From then on, Jayden roamed the mansion, avoiding people’s eyes, looking for something to do. And then, he encountered the man again.

“I heard you were stirring the mansion instead of staying quietly in your room, and it turns out to be true.”

“…Hic.”

Despite having hidden well, Jayden was flustered to find out he had been discovered. Unable to respond immediately due to a hiccup, he covered his mouth with both hands and looked at the man, who shook his head a couple of times before turning around. Jayden hesitated for a moment before hurrying to follow him.

***

“From that time on, I really pestered the Duke endlessly. I must have been quite annoying. I kept begging him every day to let me become a knight so I could repay the favor. Eight-tenths of my swordsmanship, I learned from the Duke.”

The person who had taken Jayden from that cave and raised him as a knight was Leopold… The one who saved me wasn’t my mother; it was Leopold… Why hadn’t Leopold ever corrected that fact for me? Was it because it happened so long ago…? I could somewhat understand since he was the type who didn’t speak unless it was necessary…

“Madam. Are you listening?”

“Oh, uh, sorry. Yes, I heard everything. Leopold really put in a lot of effort.”

“Yes, that’s right. I could never repay my loyalty to him, no matter how much I try. Unfortunately, I don’t think he likes me very much. Maybe I should have toned it down.”

Jayden pouted and sighed.

“It’s not that he doesn’t like you; it’s just that he’s naturally a bit reserved. That’s all.”

“Seeing how he is with you, I don’t think he’s naturally like that at all.”

Just a moment ago, he had been whining like a child, and now he quickly changed his attitude to tease me. I wanted to lightly tap the back of his hand, but the carriage had already arrived at the academy and stopped.

“It looks like we’re here. Let me guide you.”

Jayden, who had returned to his dignified knightly demeanor, opened the door and got out first. As the familiar scenery came into view, I was instantly captivated. I put aside the conversation we just had and entered the academy’s entrance with excitement.

I heard whispers from all around, and soon students began to gather. Voices greeting me came first. I responded with a smile and hurried my steps. It was clear that if more students gathered, it would be difficult to move.

“Hazel!”

An oddly familiar young voice stopped me. I tilted my head and turned, but I couldn’t see the owner of the voice.

“Over here!”

Following the source of the sound, I looked down and saw a blonde-haired girl energetically waving her hand amidst a group of students.

“Rose!”

When I recognized the child and called her name, the students gradually stepped back. Rose ran to me with an excited face and hugged me.

“Hehe. I missed you! Did you miss me too, Hazel?”

“Of course. I missed you so much…!”

The days spent with Rose in D’Agnon quickly flashed through my mind. Feeling a bit emotional, I hugged her a little tighter. Alisa, Larian, Theo, Ben, and even Stefan. I wondered how they were all doing. As I pondered what to ask first, a voice that was both stern and kind came from above my head.

“How long are you going to stay like that?”

“Master!”

I immediately stopped thinking and stood up to greet her. There was so much I wanted to ask my master. After all, the reason I came to the academy was primarily because of her.

“Have you been well?”

“I think I’ve been better than you. Let’s go inside. We have a lot to talk about, right?”

“Yes, indeed.”

Her face was full of warmth and welcome. She clasped her hands behind her back and turned first. Before following my master, I leaned down to speak to Rose.

“Rose. I’ll see you later. Can you wait a little bit?”

I patted the head of the child who was eagerly nodding and headed to the dean’s office.

As I made my way through the path filled with students, I barely managed to ask for their understanding and opened the door to the dean’s office, where a fresh scent tickled my nose.

“I was just about to have some tea. I went outside because it was noisy, and I didn’t expect it to be you.”

She chuckled and lifted a teacup. I naturally picked up the teapot and filled my cup.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a heads-up. I just felt an urgent need to come. But you received my letter, right?”

“Yes. Let’s start with the topic of the treatment method. The rest has already been resolved, hasn’t it?”

“I’d like to discuss the rest more!”

“No way.”

My master slightly raised an eyebrow at me. Her unwavering dedication to her role as a healer made me smile. I calmly began explaining everything, from the reason I went to the land of ice, the details of the spell, to how Leopold’s sense of taste was restored.

At first, my master listened with interest, but when I mentioned the spell, she frowned. When I reached the part about Leopold’s loss of taste, she sighed deeply. Not understanding why, I tilted my head in confusion even as I continued my story.

“So, over the winter, I applied the treatment method in various ways. It worked very quickly and effectively on people with frostbite, broken bones, or burns. Even deep scars faded a bit. This is the book that compiles all the information.”

I took a book from the small leather bag I had brought and handed it to my master. She carefully examined the contents of the first page before closing the book. A wry smile had already formed on her wrinkled face.

“It’s best to go through the main content slowly.”

“Does it need more research?”

“…More than that, I’m concerned about Leo. I didn’t know anything.”

Only then did I realize why her expression had suddenly darkened.