Book 1 Chapter 704

704.

Tok-

The sound of water droplets, formed from steam rising from the hot spring and condensing on the cave ceiling, falling into the hot spring, echoed clearly.

Tadak tadak-

A bonfire brightly illuminated the inside of the cave.

Chloe, who had spread out her uniform and underwear around it, approached the hot spring and carefully dipped her foot in.

A moderate temperature, neither too hot nor lukewarm, rose up her toes.

As the warmth spreading up from her toes permeated her entire body, having been exposed to the cold for a long time, a pleasant sigh naturally escaped her lips.

After fully enjoying the warmth of the hot spring once, she carefully submerged her entire body into it.

"Hoo-ah. As expected, on a cold day, soaking in warm water is the best."

Chloe hummed a tune with a languid expression.

"Ohh~ ahh~ It's so warm and nice~ Hot springs are the best~ the best~"

"Is it that good?"

"Kyaak?"

Chwaak-

Startled by the voice from the other side of the cave, Chloe instinctively pressed herself tightly against one side of the hot spring and shrieked.

"Y-you heard that?"

As she asked with a completely flushed face, Leo's laughter was heard.

"Why wouldn't I hear it?"

Chwaak!

'Ah, seriously!'

Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Chloe plunged her face into the hot spring water.

She had been so relaxed that she momentarily forgot this was a cave.

Trembling with embarrassment, Chloe timidly showed her face.

"You've been full of gaps ever since you enrolled, so I really don't understand why the kids call you the Ice Queen or whatever."

Even at their first meeting, Leo had found Chloe's student ID which she had dropped.

Chloe tried to be a perfect honor student, but surprisingly, when you looked closely, she had many clumsy aspects.

At Leo's words, Chloe, with her mouth submerged in the water, made bubbling sounds with a sulky face.

Tadak- Tak-

Amidst the sound of burning firewood echoing.

Chloe, who had been silent, opened her mouth.

"Leo."

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? It must be quite cold."

Even Leo, a physical powerhouse, would surely be quite exhausted if he were exposed to a cold wave like this.

Moreover, with his entire body wet, his body temperature was low, constantly draining his stamina.

'Because mana itself isn't moving right now.'

She didn't know what kind of curse it was, but it was certainly an eerie one.

Not only magic power, but also aura and spiritual power.

Because none of it could be manifested.

"I can manage alright."

At Leo's reply, Chloe again submerged her mouth in the water.

Chloe, who had once again made bubbling sounds, spoke with a determined expression.

"Leo. If you stay like that, won't even you get physically tired? I… I'm not saying this with any strange intentions. How about you come into the hot spring?"

She spoke with a slightly trembling voice, but an infinitely serious one.

Teobeok- Teobeok-

Leo's footsteps were heard.

Leo's large shadow was cast on the cave wall, then began to shrink.

Seeing that, Chloe pressed herself tightly against the hot spring.

Leo, who had come in front of the hot spring, asked seriously.

"Are you really okay with this?"

"It's an emergency right now."

Leo, watching Chloe avoid his gaze and trying to maintain her composure as much as possible, let out a small sigh.

"Turn your back and stand there."

At his words, Chloe turned her head and looked in the opposite direction.

Seueuk- Cheolpeok-

The sound of wet clothes falling to the ground was heard.

Her heart pounded like crazy at the sound of him undressing.

'No thoughts. No thoughts. The runic symbols are…!'

With a completely flushed face, Chloe began to memorize runic symbols vigorously in her head.

Chwaak-

Ripples spread in the water.

When the hot spring water, agitated by small waves, hit her back, Chloe's body stiffened.

Every single flow of water was stimulating.

'Wait. Now that I think about it, this is mixed bathing, isn't it? Am I not doing something absurd right now?'

Chloe's mouth opened and closed.

She had made this suggestion simply because it was an emergency and Leo shouldn't be exposed to the cold, but with a little thought, it was truly an absurd action.

'He wouldn't think I'm some weird girl, would he?'

She was sure Leo wasn't the kind of person to do anything strange.

But more than that, she was worried about Leo's evaluation of her.

Her head began to spin with various thoughts.

"Thank you for caring."

Just then, Leo opened his mouth.

Hearing that, Chloe exaggerated her composure and said:

"It's an isolated situation. We shouldn't waste stamina. So, don't turn your head this way or anything."

"Okay."

"Anyway, it's a bit narrow for both of us to be in."

The hot spring wasn't exactly narrow, but it wasn't wide enough for two people to relax comfortably.

"If you're okay with it, lean on my back. It'll be more comfortable."

Chloe's shoulders flinched.

Chloe, who had been cautiously glancing around, carefully leaned her back against Leo's.

She felt a bit more comfortable, but her heart was pounding like crazy.

Leo's warmth, distinctly different from the water's temperature.

Unnecessarily conscious of it, she hugged her knees together and wiggled her toes.

"Chloe."

"Huh?!"

Chloe was startled by Leo's call.

"Do you like hot springs?"

"Yes. Most people in the northern part of the continent like them. Because it's a cold region."

"Then come visit Duncan during winter break."

"Ah. Now that you mention it, Duncan became your country, didn't it?"

Chloe smiled, remembering the famous tourist hot spring city.

"How are the hot springs in Duncan?"

"I went in and played with Chelsea, and it was nice."

"Ah. Chelsea… What? You went into the hot spring and played with Chelsea?!"

"We went in wearing swimsuits, so don't imagine anything strange."

At Leo's words, Chloe submerged her mouth in the water and made bubbling sounds.

Although awkward, Chloe, feeling that not saying anything would make her unnecessarily conscious of the situation, spoke.

"By the way, you called this mana freezing phenomenon a curse, right?"

"Yes."

"What on earth was that Sorcerer King to have caused such a powerful curse?"

"…"

There was no particular danger other than the fierce blizzard that had started to rage.

In fact, if this were a combat situation, with their abilities sealed, it could be called a great crisis.

"Leo. You said you've experienced a curse like this before, didn't you? When was it?"

"Briefly, when I fought Erebos."

Unable to tell the truth directly, Leo mixed in a small lie.

"Back then, all the mana in the surrounding area burned away instantly."

"…Now it's frozen."

Chloe fell into thought.

'And that snow.'

Chloe recalled what had happened a little while ago.

The snow that didn't melt.

She had collected that snow in an empty potion bottle to investigate it, but now it had melted.

'What remained after the snow melted was ordinary water.'

The medium, water, was nothing special.

That means the power that froze the water is special.

"A phenomenon similar to the curse that occurred during the battle with Erebos. And ice that doesn't melt."

Chloe, piecing together the keywords, spoke seriously to Leo.

"Leo, could it possibly be related to Erebos's fragments?"

"The chances of that are almost none."

"Why?"

"Would that monster be called the Flame of Calamity for no reason?"

The evil god who hated the world and sought to burn it all down to destruction.

The absolute Flame of Calamity.

That was Erebos.

Erebos used all sorts of authorities.

However, until the moment he was vanquished by his hand, he had never seen Erebos use abilities related to freezing.

'But.'

Certainly, only the attributes were different.

As Chloe said, this current phenomenon was showing characteristics of Erebos.

'Once we get back to school, I'll have to ask Lian.'

As for Erebos, Lian, who was a god, knew him best.

"By the way, how's your research on ice clones, which you talked about at the entrance ceremony?"

"Yes. There hasn't been much progress, but I feel like I've found a clue!"

Chloe's eyes sparkled.

"Your advice to approach it with a many-worlds interpretation was really helpful! The many-worlds interpretation itself means that at every moment of choice, a branching point occurs and worlds divide…"

An excited Chloe began to chatter on and on about her magic theories.

'…Should I have not asked?'

Leo scratched his cheek, looking at the excited Chloe.

He had briefly forgotten that this vivacious girl's passion and love for magic were no less than Luna's.

The realm of magic is not limited to combat.

Exploration and research.

The desire to satisfy intellectual curiosity.

From that perspective, Chloe is much closer to a magician than Leo.

For Leo, magic is a tool to defeat enemies, a weapon; for Chloe, magic is an endless field of study.

And in that academic talent, Chloe can truly be called a genius without exaggeration.

Since their fundamental approach was different, perhaps not in their first or second year.

But by their third year, seeing Chloe discussing complex magic theories often reminded him of Luna.

'She also resembled Licinas.'

As he was called the King of Wisdom, Licinas also had a strong desire for knowledge.

Such a Licinas was a good discussion partner for Luna, who knew nothing but magic.

'If Luna's curiosity was purely limited to magic, Licinas's curiosity encompassed all things.'

And Chloe's curiosity isn't just limited to magic.

Chloe, who enjoyed learning with her voracious reading, had many similarities with Licinas.

'And she's good at chess too.'

It was then that Leo recalled his two companions.

"Leo?"

Hwak-!

Chloe, realizing Leo was distracted, grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to face her.

"Are you listening to me?!"

Chloe protesting with a face full of dissatisfaction.

Leo's red eyes and Chloe's blue eyes met in the air.

He seemed to have momentarily forgotten the situation, having been engrossed in talk about magic theories.

Leo closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

At his action, Chloe, understanding the situation, opened and closed her mouth.

Her face felt hot.

An incomparable embarrassment, unlike anything before, engulfed her entire body.

At that moment, Chloe's reason was paralyzed, and her senses were sharply on edge, as she stood frozen, her mouth agape.

Tok-

A cold droplet of water, condensed on the ceiling by steam, fell onto Chloe's back.

"Hiaak?!"

Chwaak-!

When a sudden cold droplet fell on her back, Chloe shrieked in alarm and sprang forward.

And unintentionally, she ended up in Leo's arms.

Chloe, whose thoughts had stopped, froze for a moment then retreated in a panic.

"S-sorry! I'm sorry! Leo!"

"There's nothing to apologize for. Oh, just in time, mana has returned."

Leo said nonchalantly.

"T-that's right! Th-that's a relief… So… so lucky… Haaawuuugh!"

Chloe covered her face with her hands, and Leo, chuckling at her reaction, stood up.

"Let's just consider it an accident."

"Yes, an accident! An accident! Ahahahahaha!"

Chloe laughed awkwardly.

Leo used magic to dry the water from his body.

And he dried the clothes by the bonfire and put them on.

Chloe, who had stayed submerged in the hot spring, calming her wildly beating heart, cautiously opened her mouth.

"Leo. I'm saying this out of excessive caution, but you absolutely can't tell anyone else about this, okay? Especially Cal."

"I won't, so don't worry."

At those words, Leo let out a sigh of relief.

"By the way, Chloe. Your size is… bigger than I thought."

"Say one more word, and I'll turn even you into a human sorbet."

"How brutal. Let's get ready to go quickly."

As Leo chuckled and left, Chloe plunged her face directly into the hot spring.

'I'm so embarrassed I could die.'

Bogeul bogeul bogeul bogeul.

Chloe, who had been trying to shake off her thoughts for a while, took a deep breath and got out of the hot spring.

And she put on her clothes.

Chloe, shaking off her random thoughts, subconsciously recalled what had just happened.

'Anyway, Celiana and Sia were rather soft, but Leo is definitely firm, probably because of his muscles.'

Standing blankly, Chloe, who had unconsciously compared him to the female students from the knight department, suddenly slammed her forehead into the wall.

Kung-!

'Ah! Seriously! What kind of comparison am I making! Chloe Müller! This makes me seem like a pervert!'

Boong boong- Chloe shook her head to clear her mind, neatly tied her necktie ribbon, and headed towards where Leo was.

"Let's go, Leo."

The blizzard had also stopped.

Leo, who had been waiting outside the cave, stared intently at Chloe, who had returned to her usual self, and then said:

"Chloe, you're bleeding."

"What?!"

Chloe gasped in alarm and wiped her nose.

"…No, your forehead is bleeding."

"Ah!"

Chloe hastily used healing magic on her forehead.

Watching her, Leo clicked his tongue.

"Honestly, these days' kids."