*Sizzle…*
It was the sound of frost spreading. Extreme cold frost crawled frantically up the demonic beast’s limbs.
Even as the beast roared and struggled with its mana, Merlin seemed to foresee its every move. She countered its efforts, each wave of her hand precisely sealing off its path of retreat.
“Humph, keep dreaming.”
The entire arena was being frozen into a massive ice cave by Merlin’s vast and sorrowful magic.
Merlin was reinforcing the area with ice, sealing every gap to cut off any thought of the opponent dragging her down by collapsing the floor.
Just like when Machina had frozen the cave entrance.
‘In any case… it’s the last time.’
“Every day, I told myself that I didn’t care anymore. Everyone was very kind to me, and that kind of life didn’t seem bad at all. In fact, it was true. After coming to the academy, I made many friends. Every day was happy, and everyone took good care of me.”
Merlin walked toward the frozen behemoth step by step, her footsteps echoing in the dead silence of the ice cave.
She stood in the center of the wind and snow, like an ice queen controlling life and death, yet she was also the saddest girl in the world.
“But the hole in my heart is like an abyss that can’t be filled no matter what, because you’re already an engaged person.”
The frost continued to crawl over the demonic beast, boring into the raw wound on its back. The ice flowed upstream against the boiling blood like countless tiny blades, freezing blood vessels and piercing organs.
Merlin shed tears once more, pouting her small lips. Even now, she looked aggrieved.
But this time, before the hot tears could slide down her pale cheeks, they condensed into crystal-clear ice beads in mid-air.
“But seeing you smile at others while being cold to me… it hurts so much. In your eyes, I’m not even a regular classmate because you won’t smile at me at all.”
*Clink, clank…*
One by one, the ice-crystal teardrops fell onto the hard, frozen earth and snow, making a sound as beautiful as wind chimes, yet incomparably desolate.
Every crisp sound felt like a hammer striking Machina’s soul.
The Elf Princess stood alone in the center of the storm. She emitted a terrifying chill, yet her face was written with heartbreak and grievance, like a child lost in a blizzard with no way home.
She slowly closed her eyes, savoring the past.
“You always bullied me using the excuse that I had no mana, trying to kick me out of school… You knew, didn’t you? That was my greatest pain…”
Machina seemed to sense something strange.
‘Something is wrong.’
Not only had Merlin’s injuries suddenly healed, but she also possessed powerful strength.
‘Something must have happened.’
No… Machina subconsciously realized that Merlin’s emotions were draining away. Right now, she was practically saying goodbye to her own past.
‘I wish it were a lie… but…’
Machina, who was intimately familiar with Merlin, could definitely tell.
‘What exactly did I do? How far did I push the person I love most?’
Machina’s mental defenses completely collapsed. Regret flooded over her like a tide as she shouted desperately.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Merlin… It was my fault… I was wrong!”
Machina struggled to crawl toward Merlin, tears streaming from her eyes.
“Please… stop!”
“I won’t do it anymore. I’ll smile however you want, I’ll be as gentle as you need… Didn’t I promise you? My future guarantee is to be gentle only to you, to smile only at you!”
“In the end, I’m happy to finish with such comforting words.”
“It’s not like that! Can you give me another chance? A chance to listen to me properly! Listen to me!”
Merlin could no longer suppress the bitterness surging in her throat. Broken sobs escaped through the gaps between her fingers, like the helpless cry of a lost child in the snow.
“Ah… *sob*. You know, I wrote to you almost every day. Almost every day.”
Merlin sobbed, her shoulders heaving violently with each breath as if trying to spit out all the grievances she had accumulated over the years.
“At first, I would count exactly how many letters I wrote—ten, fifty, 100… I naively thought that as long as I remembered these numbers, they could become evidence of my love for you when we reunited, something that would touch you… But later, I didn’t dare count anymore.”
Merlin’s gaze was vacant as she quietly looked at the arena dyed white with snow.
“Because you stopped replying. Not even a single word… That was when I realized that every time I recorded a number, I was just stabbing another knife into my own heart.”
“What!?”
Machina instantly forgot to breathe, her pupils trembling violently. Soon, she understood something else. A complex emotion mixed with heartache and ecstasy surged into her heart. She couldn’t help but smile through her tears in relief.
So Merlin really did write to her, almost every day…
“Probably… over 700 letters… After all, we were apart for two years, and two years have a long 700-odd days.”
Merlin shook her head self-deprecatingly and gave a bitter laugh.
“But… they all vanished into the sea, just like my love for you. There will be no more results. It hurts so much, so much…”
“Merlin! Listen to me!”
Machina urgently propped up her body, not even caring about her sprained leg, and shouted loudly.
“Me too… I was the same! I sent you my wages every month! No matter how busy or tired I was, I saved money to send back… Did you receive it?”
Merlin was gasping for air due to her heavy crying. Hearing this, a flicker of shock appeared on her previously deathly still face. She lowered her head blankly, looking at her empty hands, and then let out a bitter smile.
“No…”
Merlin’s voice was hollow and dry.
“I didn’t even get a reply from you, so how could I have received the money you gave me? However… it seems there’s another story behind it. Well… it doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t care anymore. Everything between us ends today.”
*Roar—!!!*
Just then, the demonic beast, with most of its body frozen, sensed the threat of death. It let out one last mournful cry, attempting a deathbed struggle. The piercing sound cut through the sorrowful air between the two.
Merlin frowned.
*Snap—*
She crooked her finger slightly. Ice instantly grew again inside the beast’s throat, and the sharp mournful cry was blocked back into its belly.
“Sigh, at this point, I don’t ask for a return anymore. Just like writing those letters, even though I knew I wouldn’t get a reply, I kept writing.”
Merlin turned around, turning her back to the dying giant beast to face Machina with a gentle expression of imminent release. She whispered as if trying to convince herself. She looked up at Machina through the swirling snow, her eyes vacant.
“I just hope that living won’t be so painful… Besides, this isn’t a loss. I don’t mind at all using the emotions that only make me cry, hurt, and feel sad—the ones that make me ugly and weak—as fuel.”
Merlin turned back and looked at the woman calmly.
“I can regain my health and gain mana; it’s like killing two birds with one stone. From now on, I will no longer suffer because of you.”