Chapter 22: Winter Blues 2

Arden walked on snow. Every step he made creates footprints on the ground. He carried on walking while carrying the book on his hand. He feels the winter’s bite on his neck. If it wasn’t for the fur cloak he is wearing. He would have been shivering. Snowflakes fell on top of his swept back hair. Every flake seems to ruffle his hair. He didn’t mind the snow; he carried on while his eyes wonder at the streets. The streets were filled with people like him wearing coats under the rain of snow. Arden could see some children playing in the snow riddled streets. Their rosy cheeks and their smile reaching up to their ears made for a quite a sight, Arden stood and looked at the children. He then went past them. He took a turn and then arrives at the Inn’s back door.

Opening the door with his right hand, he moves his body around before entering inside. Walking up the stairs, into his room, he took out his cloak and put his book on the table. The book is a classic, a tale of a simple man that wanted to make a cake egg. A cake egg, a simple cake made purely out of an egg. Made by using ten eggs, putting them in one bowl and somehow baking them enough to make them look like a cake that can be eaten, hence it is the Egg Cake. The Egg Cake book, most people find it is a recipe but it is a strange story of a man that wanted only nothing but Egg Cake.

Arden found it amusing. He read it with focus gaze on the room. People who saw him read such book would roll their eyes. Arden didn’t really care. He liked the book and its contents. So reading it was worth it. Arden laid his back on the bed. He looked at the dirty window panel and stare at the snowflakes. He could hear the flakes falling from the roof, the wind blowing on the window, and the sound of the people down the bar drinking. He could feel cold, but even so, his trained body made him able to resist it by turning on his heat. He can do this by stimulating his mana. It is the basics of the basics for Magus but using it drains mana.

Fire doesn’t burn without fuel after all.

Arden rolled on his bed. He rubbed his cold arms and then stood up. He went out of the door. Took a stride down the kitchen, and greeted the Cher duo. He could not see Susan helping, so he understood that she might be in her room. So he talked to the Cher duo, asking them if they need help. They shook their heads, telling that the kitchen and the bar are for them to work on. Hearing this Arden gave up gracefully, and just took a piece of bread. The Cher duo looked at Arden; they made an exasperated sigh, telling him to go take the trays to the customers. Arden smiled as he took the tray, and started handing beer and crimson ale. He could see mercenaries and sellswords taking their time eating. Mutton, a beer, and some mash potatoes made them quite a big eater. Winter comes with different problems. So a person eating their fill is normal.

...

Arden used the day evening to work on the bar. After work he went and took his cloak. He strolled outside looking around as the snow falls. He turns up in the market. He stared at cigars displayed and the warm coats that are hanged on the stalls.

The market is filled with various shops. There are a lot of things displayed that would make Arden browse. He completely ignored them though. He finds them rather boring to boot. And with how things are he could only leave and went to an arched bridge. The bride is made of marble and wood. Arden comes here once in a while to stare at the river flowing down.

The City of Mesh has a river. It connects outside the walls. The canal, however, has been sealed by tough metal grates that would take even a monster to break. And even if there is someone trying to break the grates. They would meet demise at the guards around the walls.

Arden sat on top of the bridge. He let his leg sway on the air while looking at the walls of the City of Mesh. He half-closed his eyes. He took a whiff of the cold air. He then listened to the whistling of the cold wind. His eyes blankly stared at the walls.

It took Arden for quite a while to let go of his daydreaming.

The night was quite deep already. Seeing this, he walked away from the bridge and went to the market first. He bought three hot kebabs and eats them while walking. Upon arriving in the back-door of the Inn, he saw Susan resting on the stairs, with her hands on her cheeks. Seeing her, Arden went up to her, offered some of the kebabs on his hand. Susan took one, Arden then sat beside her.

Susan just ate. She didn’t talk nor listen to Arden. She was quite dazed looking at the snowflakes. He didn’t feel like talking either so he just sat wordlessly with his foster sister. The snow falling in front of them, they just ate their food silently. Lonely streets and silent mouths, the two that lives on the Cher’ Inn spent some time together in silence.

Even after finishing their meal. The oddly lonely Susan rested her head on Arden’s shoulders. Questions popped into Arden’s head. But he shrugged his shoulders and just let Susan do what she wants. He doesn’t really know why she was acting this way and usually when he tries to force her to talk, it would end with her being mad at him. So knowing that Arden can only take silence.

Susan heard her instructors about the noble she would be following. This made her quite sad, in a realization that her days in the City of Mesh would be gone and over. She has live in this city for years, yet soon she will leave it. To explore the overworld with a noble who will become an anointed knight by the end of winter, at the start of the New Year. She became sad, the fact that leaving her parents, and then parting with her foster brother and best friend made her sadder.

So when she saw Arden casually eating those kebabs. She could not say anything, she just took what she offered, and ate it along with him under the snowy night. After leaning on his shoulders, she then went to her room. Her room was filled with things, materials, and books. Most of them are notes that represent her ability. There are also letters, praises from the instructors. She got a letter with a wax seal on it, and there was, even more, opportunities for her left only for her take. Yet she went on a dangerous path, to go the Medic Army of Healers and become a head nurse. To do that she would need to experience real battle along with a knight. She got appointed to a great one, the only scorer who managed to kill a death knight. She learned of this information after her instructors told her so. Of course, they already told her that she needs to keep it silent.

The test of mettle was not for everyone to know after all.

But besides that, all of this could not ease her loneliness, and she could only put her cheeks on the table, feeling the coldness of it. A lamp hangs on to the walls, yet it could barely emit heat. She studied in this room for years, all of those days, and nights studying made quite a memory. And with winter’s end sooner or later, she will leave it all behind, in order to see if her studies could do well in the overworld where things go to hell quickly.

Susan doesn’t know what to do. She asks herself why she was feeling this. But in the end, she could not find anything at all. It took her silence, and quite a consideration to think what was wrong with her. She is near her dreams, yet there was fear lingering inside her.

She could not help but waver.

She wanted to think it over, but then she remembered a promise, that promise somehow gave her a bit of fire on her heart. She took a breath, and then lowered her shoulders to calm herself.

That’s right. There was no need to go crazy over it. She only needs to do what she does a usual. Surely there can be nothing that could go wrong. With how things are, and a good candidate that will lead her, then there shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Susan thought it like that.

Doing so made her feel calm.