114. The day the first snow fell (1)

“Are you leaving now?”

The guild branch manager faced Maxim as he was about to leave the building. The branch manager made a sad expression when he saw the crutches stuck in Maxim’s left arm and the bandage covering his entire right arm.

“Are you okay with your injuries? Is it okay to go out like this… Oh, do you need any help? Shall we call some adventurers to help?”

Maxim quickly shook his head. If he didn’t stubbornly refuse and left the branch manager alone, he was really ready to call in a couple of adventurers to help him.

“Nope. I will only accept your heart. It will take some time, but it’s not an injury that won’t heal. And, it’s too boring to just sit in the hospital room. You have to go out like this sometimes.”

Maxim waved his hand. At first, the branch manager’s expression, which was concerned, changed to one of curiosity. The branch manager ran his thick hand over his shaggy chin.

“I heard that your skills are so excellent, but if it was a mission that would hurt such a sir, it must have been a great mission, right? Was it related to the mage tower, those unlucky spectacles?”

Maxim did not affirm or deny, just shrugged.

“Well, I would like to think of it as a wound of glory. Didn’t the branch manager also get hurt like this once or twice while he was an adventurer?”

The branch manager sighed and shook his head.

“Please. I’m a coward and an opportunist, and I’ve never done anything befitting the title ‘adventurer’. The biggest wound I’ve suffered while playing active duty is that I cut my back while carelessly approaching the Witchbeast.”

Well, isn’t that why he was able to survive for such a long time and rise to the position of guild branch manager? The head of the branch said it self-deprecatingly, but smiled pleasantly.

“Oh, you’ve been holding on to it for too long to just say hello. Please stop by the guild whenever you have free time. I’ll treat you the best, both as a guest and as an adventurer.”

“Yeah. then.”

Maxim and the branch manager exchanged greetings with a wink. Through the back door that had been left open, Maxim stepped out on crutches. The unique musty smell, but full of human warmth, came out of the guild headquarters and the open air made the winter air feel even colder. Every time he exhaled, his breath slowly leaked out.

“senior.”

Christine was hanging out near the back door of the guild. Maxim looked at Christine, who trotted toward him. As if she had been walking around outside, her cheeks and ears were burning red from the cold. Maxim decided to apologize first to Christine, who looked up at him resentfully.

“sorry I am late. Get inside the carriage and wait. It’s so cold, why did you wait outside?”

“I didn’t know that it would take so long for the senior to say hello to Adeline. Seeing how long it took, it must have been a lot to talk about?”

When Christine asked sarcasticly, Maxim gave an ambiguous smile. If I were to tell her what just happened in Adeline’s room, she would be very angry.

“Well, something like this.”

“Another story that only I do not know. That’s Okay. I am not curious either.”

Christine pouted and pursed her lips. At the same time, seeing her slow pace and shortening her stride, Maxim smiled slightly without her knowledge.

“By the way, the sun was up just a moment ago, but suddenly the sky is gloomy.”

When Maxim looked up at the sky and said, Christine lifted her head and looked up at the sky. The sky was obscured by light gray clouds. It was a cloud with a more static and light feeling rather than a heavy procrastinating feeling like a rain cloud. Clouds were covering the capital city with a color unique to winter.

“It looks like it’s about to snow.”

Christine blinked at the sky and spoke in a low voice. Suddenly, a wagon with soldiers waiting appeared in front of them. Christine narrowed her eyes and slowed down as if conflicted as she looked at the carriage. Maxim, roughly understanding what she wanted, glanced at the carriage and asked Christine.

“Shall we walk a little further? I told the escort soldiers to go back first.”

Christine must have been happy that Maxim had noticed her true intentions, so she put on a bright expression, then stiffened her face and shook her head.

“… No. I’m really glad that you recommended it first, but you’re a patient right now? What if I overdo it and the wound gets worse?”

“Then, then you can step in and treat it. how is it? i want to walk The hospital room is stuffy.”

Christine looked at Maxim, not sure whether to like it or hate it, then nodded. Since we went out, I must have thought that I wanted to walk more together.

“Anyway, walk a little and get in quickly. It’s cold on me too.”

“That’s not what the person who was waiting for me outside on that cold day would say.”

When Christine cut off her haste by saying, “What are you thinking about?”, Maxim quickly approached the soldier waiting in the carriage. When I heard Christine say something behind me with one ear and let it go through the other, I said that it was okay to go back to the soldier first, and he nodded and moved to the coachman’s seat.

“Please, don’t wander around too long. Shouldn’t you be better and come back soon?”

“Okay. Thanks for the ride.”

“If you have something else to go out later, I’ll see you then.”

With the strong cry of the soldier, “Iya-“, the carriage made a clattering sound and moved away. Maxim turned his head to Christine, who had come behind him, and winked. Christine nodded reluctantly, then changed her expression to a wry smile.

“Then, where shall we look around?”

“Let’s go from that street for now. I smell something delicious.”

Christine guided Maxim by carefully placing her hand on his right arm. Maxim smiled along and followed Christine’s path.

The streets of the royal capital, covered with winter gray, were not gloomy but lively. Children were running around screaming loudly, and the tinkling of papers could be heard all over the street. Steam rose from the stalls, giving off a smell that stimulated hungry stomachs.

“hahahaha, hot.”

Christine was blowing air into the bread she bought from a street vendor. It was a baked bread topped with an apple and cheese, but Christine had just taken a bite, and the cheese was already sticking to the corners of her mouth. Maxim removed the cheese from her cheek.

“I can’t even paint.”

“… I have hands too.”

“Yes, yes, there is something on my right cheek as well.”

Maxime grabs Christine and pulls off the remnants. Christine couldn’t say anything and just watched Maxim stroke her red cheeks.

“It’s a little dry.”

The aftermath of being imprisoned under the magic tower still lingers, and it seems that he still needs to recover his health. Christine looked at Maxim and nodded.

“I didn’t know, but they said they’d been stuck under it for months. It’s strange to be back to life within a few days.”

“… You have suffered a lot.”

“Not at all. It’s fortunate that it restored mana that seemed impossible to recover.”

After saying that, Christine narrowed her eyes and glared at Maxim.

“No, go. But what is the reason that sunbae says that after touching my face? Wouldn’t there be a way to say that my face has become thinner?”

“I liked you better than before. Strangely resembles a squirrel.”

Christine screamed, her face turning even redder, probably from embarrassment. Recalling the time when she secretly compared her cheeks with Adeline, Christine shuddered with embarrassment even more.

“It’s just fat on the face, that’s it! why do you like it Are you a pervert?”

“Still, I think it had a more cute taste back then.”

Christine pursed her lips, as if she didn’t want to get involved in the conversation, then let out a big sigh. It was quite funny to see white steam leaking out with a sigh.

“… Even if I go back to my old self, I won’t be able to let my seniors touch my cheeks. I want you to enjoy my bony face to your heart’s content. Isn’t it different from Adeline’s face?”

“Why is Adeline coming out there? And I’ve never touched Adeline’s face… .”

Wait, have you never touched it? In the corner of Maxim’s head, the incident in the dungeon passed by.

‘Wait a little bit.’

I held onto Adeline’s cheeks and told her, who couldn’t come to her senses in pain, but wasn’t it too urgent to say that she touched it? Apart from that, the hand seemed to remember the texture at the time.

Maxim was speechless and stumbled. When Christine looked at Maxim with cold eyes, Maxim quickly changed the subject. I decided not to think deeply about why I had to talk to this junior in a stupor.

“Anyway, I never said I would touch it. I said it looked good.”

As Maxim teased her, tendons rose from Christine’s temples. While he couldn’t see it, his senior, who had become quite brazen, was eating bread without even getting a single piece of cheese on his mouth. As if to vent her anger, Christine almost buried her face in the bread and took a big bite.

“On a topic that I was tinkering with just now. All right, then. Unlucky.”

“Ah, this time it’s also on my nose.”

“I will wipe it.”

The two bickered and sometimes laughed as they walked down the street. Eventually, we reached the outskirts of the main street. Christine said her legs hurt, and she was sitting on a bench near a small park, pounding her thighs with her fists. The sky was still consistent with a gloomy color, as if it were going to snow. As Maxim sat down next to Christine, Christine turned to Maxim and asked.

“Come to think of it, what happened in the east?”

“I needed a force to stand up to the count. With His Majesty’s forces, it was almost certain that he would collapse before he could properly confront Count Benning.”

Christine opened her eyes and looked at Maxim.

“Oh, then I went to the Earl of Agon in the east… .”

“that’s right. It was to capture the two nobles of the east.”

Christine nodded in agreement, then tilted her head.

“By the way, you captured them well, senpai. Aside from Count Agon, it wouldn’t have been that easy to convince the Margrave… Did you ever reveal what you saw?”

“I was lucky. Benning’s men misjudged.”

When Maxim continued to tell him about the East, Christine listened with her eyes sparkling as if she was interested, but then changed her expression to a somber expression every time Marion’s story came up.

“… Well, that’s how Count Agon persuaded the Marquis instead, and His Majesty got allies to fight Benning’s forces.”

“And you did a great job saving your fiancé.”

Marion. Currently, she is working hard in the palace as a maid of the 1st princess. Surprisingly, as if he had learned a lot from the Countess during his time at Murat, he quickly got used to the work and is favored by the first princess. Perhaps he was happy that he could be of help to someone, he always had a warm smile when we met.

“I’m glad that Marion is back in the capital and seems to be doing well. Just as you and I have had a change of heart, Marion must have had a change of heart.”

Maxim looked up at the sky and answered those words. I am glad that the change has been in a positive way, Maxim said frankly. Christine was staring blankly at Maxim.

“I think the senior is very mean.”

“what?”

“… No. I’m glad Marion is doing well too. Then, shall we walk again?”

Christine shook off her pants and stood up. Seeing Christine smiling as if she had made up her mind, Maxim nodded curiously, then stood up. The two walked down the street.

“I realized this while walking down the street, but this place must be… .”

Christine swung her head away, as if familiar with the surrounding landscape.

“Near the orphanage. In the meantime, I probably couldn’t go to see you, so I thought it would be nice to go back this time, so I walked this way.”

“To come all the way here while walking aimlessly… .”

Christine blinked, then gave Maxim a bright smile.

“It’s also petty.”

“What does it mean to be mean to the person who took care of you and brought you here?”

“There is such a thing. It’s something you don’t know.”

After giving a sullen answer, Christine moved on with lighter steps. The cold winter air did not seem to hinder her steps any more.

“If I knew you were coming this way, I should have bought you a present.”

“I’m sure you’ll like it if I see your face for a moment.”

“What can I do with my heart?”

Just like last time, I passed the alley where the big dog barked and came out to an open field. I could see the orphanage right in the middle of a field with not many trees. Christine stopped and looked back at Maxim. As always, with a mischievous face, he spoke to Maxim as if declaring.

“I can’t give up.”

“What?”

When Maxim asked curiously, Christine smiled and turned her head toward the orphanage.

“secret.”