TYND 21

“We understand the lord’s decision and are patiently waiting our turn, but it’s simply unbearable. It’s too inconvenient and unsafe—we can’t live like this. Even though it’s the dead of winter right now, we’re creeping across ice that could break at any moment. If anyone dares to walk a little faster, they’ll end up falling and calling for me. I’ll collapse from exhaustion at this rate. Even I took a tumble while making a house call! Our village’s full of elderly like me. If this keeps up, we’ll all end up with broken bones before they rebuild our bridge.”

Chungnip thought the old man had a fair point. 

“We were about to go see the lord again when you showed up. And what luck, there’s a mage with you. The others said not to ask because we couldn’t afford to pay, but since I brought down this child’s fever, I figured I’d push my luck and try asking anyway.” 

Chungnip glanced at Theon, trying to gauge his reaction, but it was impossible to read his thoughts. 

Theon was a good-looking man, with sharp features softened by a subtle, melancholic undertone. But people rarely noticed his good looks at a glance because his overwhelming presence eclipsed everything else. For most, encountering such a towering man with such a severe demeanour was enough to inspire fear. But the elderly physician, though trembling, pressed on courageously for his village’s sake. 

“If you help us rebuild the bridge, I’ll give you all the fever remedies I have. Of course, we can’t match your full commission fee, but we’ll do everything we can to meet your needs. Please think of it as saving our village.”

The old physician bowed deeply, exposing his snow-white crown. Chungnip and the rest of the subordinates watched Theon curiously. What was he thinking behind that cold mask? Would he accept the request?  

In truth, Theon’s mind was elsewhere entirely. He was busy comparing the physician’s aged white locks to Rothy’s. In his opinion, Rothy’s hair had a completely different texture of whiteness. It looked as if the purest snow in the world had been gathered and woven into strands above his head… 

Lost in thought, Theon stood abruptly. 

“Let’s first inspect where the bridge used to be. You two stay here. Chungnip, you’re coming with me.”

“Yes, Leader.”

“Understood, Leader.”

“Thank you! We won’t forget this kindness!”

The physician nearly stumbled in relief as he stood, his face lighting up with gratitude. But before Theon could leave, a faint sound stirred his attention. From the bed came the smallest of movements.

“……”

Rothy, who everyone thought was asleep, stirred. Slowly, he propped himself up. Seeing that, Ultje hurriedly stepped in to support him. 

“Lie back down. Your fever just broke, and you’ve taken your medicine, so you must be drowsy…”

“Theon… where’re you going…?”

His voice was weak, and his eyes were heavy with sleep. Yet, despite the heaviness, he forced his eyelids open and even tried to wriggle free from the blankets. 

“Take me with you…”

“I’ll be back soon. Don’t move.”

“……”

Rothy froze mid-motion, neither returning under the covers nor climbing out of bed. He simply became as still as a statue, as if he’d locked eyes with the mythical Medusa herself.  

“Lie back down.”

Without further protest, the boy lowered his eyes and obeyed, sinking back into the bed. 

However……

He turned over and curled up like a cat, his small back and head radiating layers of hurt and sadness. 

“Oh dear, poor thing…”

Chungnip sighed at the sight that was both pitiful and endearing in equal measure. 

“He must be restless from being stuck in the room all this time, wouldn’t it be fine to take him along for some fresh air?” he suggested, cautiously. 

Theon, however, was at a loss—a first in a long time. 

“I’ve repaired the magical mechanism for the northern and southern bridges. But the central bridge’s a lost cause. The mechanism’s completely beyond repair… we’d need a new one.”

This was what Chungnip concluded after inspecting the damaged bridges and their frozen magical mechanisms. Even the head of PLEIN, an archmage of the Magic Tower, or an engineer from Droight would shake their heads at it. 

“I see… There’s no helping it, then. Even so, we’re grateful that you repaired the northern and southern bridges, Mage.”

The village elder, who looked old enough to be twice Chungnip’s age, bowed deeply in gratitude. The other villagers also bowed one by one, murmuring their thanks, though they couldn’t hide the dejection and bitterness on their faces. The central bridge was far more frequently used than the northern and southern ones. 

With nothing more they could do, the group left the village hall. 

Zey slung an arm over Chungnip’s shoulder and asked; 

“Chungnip, can’t you just build the bridge without the magical mechanism? You’ve built quite a few bridges across rivers during the war, haven’t you?”

“I didn’t build them alone. I worked with other mages to do it. On my own, it’s impossible. Even if I managed to construct one, it’d be a barebones bridge. Given how wide the river is at its centre, without the magical mechanism, any bridge I build would collapse within a day.”

“So you’re useless, then.”

“Oh, puh-lease. Don’t come asking for my help with cleaning, then.”

“No way. Your dusting spell’s way too handy to give up.”

As they bickered, a small voice piped up.

“I’ve a lot of magic power…”

It was Rothy.

“……”

All eyes turned to the boy, who’d bravely spoken up.

Honestly, Chungnip had already considered Rothy’s presence in the back of his mind. However, he deliberately pushed the thought aside, fearing that ‘using’ the magic stone inside Rothy would cause him harm. 

Screeee!

The sudden attention made the weasel hissed defensively. 

“Chi-chi… it’s fine. Don’t do that.”

Rothy tucked the weasel back into his muff and looked up.

“Chungnip, I—I can give you magic power.”

“Do you understand what’s happening here, Rothy?”

“Yes. You need magic power right now. And I’ve a lot of it…”

Rothy rubbed his eyes, seemingly fighting the drowsiness from the medicine. Theon reached out with his free hand, gently grasping Rothy’s wrist. 

“Sleep if you’re tired.”

“No… I can fight the drowsiness. I want to help now. I’ll do my part and then sleep…”

“……”

“Please put me down…”

“I’ll carry you.”

Worried that Rothy might stumble if he walked in his drowsy state, Theon kept the boy in his arms as they moved. He also draped his cloak over him, shielding him from the cold. The group headed quietly toward the central bridge, avoiding the eyes of the villagers.  

When they arrived, Rothy was nearly half-asleep, his head lolling from drowsiness. Theon’s cloak, with its temperature-regulating feature, kept him warm. Between the heat, the drowsiness from the medicine, and the security of being held, Rothy struggled to keep his eyes open.  

“Now that I think about it,” Zey remarked, 

“Rothy didn’t insist on coming along because he was anxious about being away from His Grace. He must’ve anticipated that his help would be needed to fix the bridge. What a thoughtful boy.”

She reached out to ruffle Rothy’s curly hair appreciatively, but he flinched and pressed closer to Theon, forcing her to awkwardly lower her hand. 

“Rothy, you don’t trust your big sis?”

“Sorry… I’m so sorry…”

“No, please don’t apologise. It’s me who should be sorry. I was wrong.”

Zey retreated, cowed by Theon’s accusatory glare. 

“Put me down…”

Rothy squirmed slightly, insisting on being set down. Theon brushed aside the snow with his foot before carefully placing him on the ground. Chungnip replaced his short wand with a staff taller than himself, surveying the frozen river once more.

“The river’s too wide. Even with borrowed magic power, it might not hold… But I’ll try. Rothy, do you happen to know any spells for building bridges?”

“Sorry, I don’t know any… but I do know how to destroy one.”

“I was just asking on the off chance. Don’t apologise. I’ll handle the spell, you just supply the magic power.”

“Mmhmm… I’ll give you plenty of magic.”

Rothy began tracing small circles in the air with his fingers, and whoosh—a wind infused with magic power began to stir. Xeon and Zey hurriedly and astutely positioned themselves to block any potential onlookers. The villagers were all gathered in the village hall, and few ventured out in such bitter cold, but it was best to be cautious. 

After gathering sufficient magic power, Rothy flicked his fingers, sending a magic crystal to Chungnip, who caught the colourless, transparent crystal, staring at it with wide eyes. 

“Oh… it’s non-contact type. Non-contact…… Rothy, I only know how to absorb magic power through direct contact. Can you tell me how to use this?”

“You just… swallow it.”

“Just swallow and that’s it?”

“Mmhmm.”

Trusting the boy, Chungnip swallowed the crystal without hesitation. The young mage held his staff tightly and examined himself. 

“Well? Is incredible power surging through you?”

“……Yes.”

Zey had asked in jest, but Chungnip’s reply was serious. 

“This… this doesn’t make sense. How—How could this… How is this—…”

With rigid eyes and lips, his hands trembling, Chungnip suddenly grabbed Rothy by the shoulders. Rothy let out a small ‘eep’ in surprise, while Theon’s brows furrowed in displeasure.

“You didn’t give me all your magic power, did you? Did you even keep the bare minimum you need for yourself…?!”

“No, I only gave you as much as you needed…”

“Are you hurting anywhere? Does your body ache? Does your head feel like it’s splitting? Do you feel like throwing up?! This shouldn’t be possible!!”