[333] A Midwinter Night (4)
"Then? Do you have another plan?"
Lilia pulled out a totem and held it out.
"I'll isolate the area with the Law while the mental entity lingers. We need to set up a prohibitory magic seal, so help me. You can calculate three-dimensional magic circles, right?"
Dante shrugged as if it were nothing.
"Well… it's my specialty, after all."
Since his major was magic circles, he was certainly qualified to assist Lilia.
Still, Dante looked doubtful.
Would this be enough?
Even if they isolated the mental entity at an old castle ruin, imprisoning it afterward with a sealing circle would be a whole other matter.
"Can you finish the prohibitory seal by tomorrow morning?"
"It depends on skill, but if you and I split it down the middle, it should be possible. Why?"
Dante glanced back at the shopping street where lights were still on.
Countless couples were probably wandering the streets like moths to a flame.
"I think we should reinforce security here, too."
* * *
After parting with Dante, Shirone and Amy spoke far less than before.
That didn't mean the mood had become barren.
Amy, taking Dante's advice to heart, was busy thinking about how to find her own style.
Shirone, unable to fully control the incarnation of anger that lurked inside him, found his head cluttered as well.
"That was really dangerous earlier."
Armand had broken free of control and aimed at someone.
It wasn't that Shirone's mental discipline was lacking; it was that the magnitude of his anger had grown since before.
Of course, personalities changing over time was natural.
But it wasn't in the direction he wanted.
"I need more training. I should visit Teacher Ethela during the break and ask for advice."
Having decided that, Shirone went to the lodging called Snow Crystal that Shakora had recommended.
"This is it—the place I told you about."
Amy didn't judge; she simply looked inside from the doorway to get a feel for it.
Shirone scanned the building's exterior.
Just as Shakora had said, the place had a pleasant atmosphere. The décor was elegant, and he liked the view of the endless snowfields.
Amy had no complaints about the lodging either. Still, a question remained.
There was no reason for Shirone—on his first trip here—to insist on finding a special inn.
"Why are you so set on this place?"
"Um. I checked it out. They say the atmosphere is really nice. You can relax here."
"I see…"
If Shirone said so, Amy had no reason to argue.
She was practical, but this trip also had an element of comfort to it, so she must have prepared accordingly.
That made Shirone feel a bit guilty.
On a night like this it would've been fine to spend the evening together, but Amy's mood was complicated.
"Welcome to Snow Crystal."
When they opened the door, Shirone was stunned by the dazzling brightness.
Numerous lights flooded the hall like daylight.
A right-angled corridor led to a wide terrace where tourists gathered around hearth torches to drink tea.
A bard's music drifted through the air.
The lyrics carried the Ice Queen's bitter heart—the kind that chilled everyone around.
"Is it the two of you?"
The clerk behind the counter smiled.
"Yes, two."
While Shirone handled booking the rooms, Amy stood a little apart looking elsewhere.
If they'd come as a group of friends it would be fine, but two people of opposite sexes entering a place like this felt odd.
"Two rooms, please."
The clerk glanced between them briefly, then nodded as if understanding and set two keys on the counter.
"Rooms 311 and 312. Take the stairs to the third floor, then turn right down the corridor. Accommodation is prepaid."
After Shirone paid, Amy slowly headed for the stairs.
As they walked the third-floor corridor, Shirone said, "Let's drop our bags first. If you're hungry we can go out and get something to eat."
"No. I just want to rest today. Walking around in the cold has worn me out. Is that okay?"
If she was genuinely tired, it was fine to rest, but Shirone had the feeling she was lying.
She might be angrier than he expected.
Even if she intellectually accepted Dante's advice, emotions were another matter.
When he and Dante had argued about the graduation exam result and Dante asked for his thoughts, Shirone felt he should have taken Amy's side.
"Amy, earlier—"
Amy read Shirone's mind and gave a small smile.
"Don't get me wrong. It's not like that. You know I don't hold grudges."
That only made Shirone feel colder.
The very word "grudge" implied there was one in the first place.
If Amy's feelings were already a mess, no amount of talking would fix them.
What was needed now was time, not conversation.
"All right, then. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. You rest well, too."
Amy used the key to open her door and went in. Shirone watched until she had closed it, then inserted his own key into the knob.
When he opened his door, the first thing that greeted him was the endless snowfield outside the full-length window.
Fires flickered like tiny dots hundreds of meters away where people were ice-fishing.
How nice it would have been to see this with Amy.
He sighed without meaning to.
"Whoo."
"Whoo."
They turned to each other at the same time, then—like a pact—both pivoted toward the door.
"W-what is this?"
There were two doors, but only one room.
And there was only one bed.
They looked at each other in stunned silence.
Shirone's head was overloaded with every possible thought.
Above all, since he had insisted on this lodging, he had to think of some excuse.
'W-what do I do? Ask to change rooms? But maybe all the rooms here are like this. Should I get a refund and leave? Would Amy be upset? Or would she be the opposite and insist on a refund…?'
Shirone's face went ashen and he didn't know what to do. Amy let out a small sigh.
No wonder she'd said his behavior earlier was out of place. Now that the situation had come to this, the decision fell to the woman.
Amy went to the wardrobe and set her backpack down.
"We can't help it. Let's unpack first."
"Oh? O-okay!"
Shirone was still flustered.
He began unpacking without even knowing what was in his bag, and in passing Amy asked, "Who told you about this place?"
"Huh? What?"
"You wouldn't have come in here by accident. Didn't someone recommend it to you?"
Shirone swallowed his embarrassment and confessed honestly.
"Actually, your father—"
Amy, who had expected that, made a resigned sound.
Having a spy in the family, Shirone couldn't blame him.
"He said the atmosphere is really nice. That you'd like it…."
The night view was certainly beautiful, but that made the place even more dangerous for the two of them.
After roughly straightening her clothes, Amy pointed toward the door.
"Let's go downstairs and get dinner."
When Shirone and Amy came down to the counter, the clerk squinted playfully.
"Do you like your room?"
Amy ignored the question. "We just want a quick bite. Where's the restaurant?"
They returned to the inn from dinner around eleven.
They had spent as much time outside as possible, but both knew this was their final destination.
Everything—from washing up to changing clothes—felt different from normal.
After riding by carriage since yesterday afternoon, their bodies felt like waterlogged cotton, but their minds grew increasingly clear.
Neither of them considered approaching the single bed.
They didn't discuss who would sleep in it.
At this inn, the bed was a taboo.
They sat side by side and stared at the horizon where white snow met the black night sky.
For a moment, the wonder of the night view let them forget reality.
But then a strange sound from the next room dragged their minds back down.
Their eyes met and Shirone's face flushed bright.
Amy avoided his gaze and desperately tried to appear calm.
"What's with the red face?"
"Y-you're a little red too."
Amy realized it for sure.
This was not right no matter how she thought about it.
If the awkwardness continued, she'd rather stretch bedding out in hell and sleep.
"All right! Let's be frank. We're not kids—there's no need to pretend. We're going to spend the night at an inn together, we can hear noises next door, and by sheer coincidence there's only one bed. It's a very strange situation. But that's fine. Now that we know it's strange, it's not strange anymore. Agreed? We're tired, so let's sleep."
Shirone felt relieved. But at the same time he didn't like it.
How can you slice off feelings like you'd chop a vegetable?
"Are you sure it's okay? I'm a man, you know."
"I know. But nothing's going to happen, right?"
Of course it wouldn't.
Still, wounded pride made Shirone add in a small voice, "You can never be sure…"
Amy snorted softly at his timid protest and pictured the family at home conjuring all sorts of fantasies.
'That father of mine…'
To set such a devious trap in an inn to force a man to share a bed—no noble family would think to do that.
Yet the Carmis family valued individuality and had an open attitude toward romance.
Of course, how far that openness extended to accepting a commoner was another matter.
Still, the fact they'd made this decision suggested Shirone must have pleased them considerably.
At least, Shirone thought, he wouldn't have to worry about the family's scrutiny in their relationship from now on, and that eased some tension.
'They're something else.'
The Carmis family's Hongan was better than any other ability at discerning a person's temperament.
But because of that, ordinary talents didn't catch their eye easily.
Shirone had grown at a terrifying speed that earned recognition even from a strict father.
Although it was partly the result of the failure he'd endured, as promised a year ago he now stood on the same level as the graduating class.
One year.
He'd closed that huge gap in only a year.
Yet he didn't feel resentful.
Even if he could reset his life and start over, he would have come to this point all the same.
"Honestly… I was angry at you earlier. I was hurt you didn't take my side when Dante asked."
Shirone turned to look at Amy.
"I don't really know either. I just felt pathetic. When I heard Jokre passed, I was honestly jealous. I thought maybe I should've transferred schools. I wondered if I'd been stubborn despite not having the skill. Maybe I don't have the talent to attend an elite school."
"Amy, thinking that—"
"I know. If you go negative there's no end. That's probably why I flew off the handle at you. I was afraid to admit I was wrong."
"But now you know what the problem is."
"That's right. Dante's analysis was spot on. I'm grateful. But… I still don't know. Even if I develop a style, will that let me graduate? I don't have confidence in anything I do."
'Amy…'
This was why defeat was terrifying.
The graduating class was the pinnacle of the Magic Academy.
Falling from the top felt worse than failing a promotion test for the advanced class.
That was also why someone who failed the first graduation exam was less likely than average to pass the second.