Winter Wolf - Chapter 16. Epilogue 1

Epilogue. Part 1

The village of Plone was the first place on the continent where flowers bloomed. In the lower parts of the mountain, where most people lived, spring was already in full bloom with a vibrant display of flowers.

Meanwhile, near the edge of the mountain, a two-story house stood, its fence lined with wildflower buds just beginning to bloom. The shaded side of the roof still held traces of snow, a sign of the stark temperature difference between the mountainside and the valley below.

But it was spring, nonetheless.

“Teacher, look at this! Ronya caught a frog!”

“Wow! It must’ve just woken up!”

“It’s trying to escape! It’s wriggling!”

The highest house at the edge of the open meadow was always filled with children. The village kids, easily curious but just as easily bored, gathered there for one simple reason.

Children, as it turns out, are naturally drawn to kind, playful, and beautiful women.

“Did you wake up a hibernating frog? Is it doing okay?”

Lysithea del Arman, once known as Lysithea Spencer, came to the children with a warm, cheerful smile, her red hair gleaming in the sunlight. She was as much a part of their little world as the adventures they shared, her gentle nature enchanting the children.

“Teacher Lysithea, Ronya said we should kill it!”

“No, I didn’t! I didn’t say that!”

“You did! You said we should kill it and roast it!”

“Teacher, Peter keeps going on adventures!”

Ronya had recently learned the word “slander” and was eager to use it, though she occasionally mispronounced it.

“Peter, why do you keep teasing Ronya? You two even went on a picnic together yesterday,”

Lysithea asked curiously, her gaze soft.

Peter’s face turned bright red at the question, clearly embarrassed.

“We were friends yesterday, but not anymore.”

“We *are* friends! Why are you saying we’re not?”

“We’re not! Not anymore!”

It seemed something had happened between the two, though Lysithea knew better than to delve into every change in the children’s whims. Instead, she gently mediated the situation.

“Ronya, waking up a hibernating frog suddenly can be harmful. You weren’t trying to hurt it, were you? So, let’s take it back to where it belongs. Peter, you can help too, okay?”

“Okay!” both children chimed in, their squabble momentarily forgotten as they focused on their new task.

“Let’s go together!”

Lysithea watched fondly as the two children ran off, their earlier argument forgotten. Her neatly braided red hair swayed lightly in the spring breeze.

It had been five months since she had moved to Plone Village. In that time, she had naturally become the village teacher, running a small playroom and study group for the children.

It wasn’t something she had set out to do for money, but with her wealth of knowledge and the care she showed for the kids, compensation began to come her way regardless. Mostly, it was in the form of food and other goods, which made everything feel more like a friendly exchange than a job.

*To think I can work like this… and in such a fulfilling way,* she mused to herself, feeling content with her simple yet rewarding life.

Lysithea stretched with a satisfied smile on her face. She was no longer the noble lady who needed to be rescued and cared for by someone else.

Her life was simple, but she earned her food and carried the respectable title of “teacher.”

She was growing, in more ways than one.

And she was doing it all alongside Ian.

“Ah! The old man’s coming!”

“Run away!”

“Goodbye, teacher!” the children called out as they scattered, laughter filling the air.

Lysithea laughed softly, watching them dash off, before turning to see Ian approaching in the distance.

Ian always returned home at sunset. The children, who had been playing around Lysithea, scattered like minnows at the sight of a catfish when they saw him, running down the hill in a rush. Ian laughed as the kids darted past him as if they were playing a game of tag.

Once the meadow was empty except for the two of them, he shrugged, giving Lysithea a playful look.

“They always react like that. Did I do something wrong?”

“Well,” Lysithea teased,

“it might be because you chased them off that one time.”

“Chased them off? That sounds harsh. I just wanted to be alone with you, that’s all,” he replied with a smile.

“…It’s the same thing.”

When Lysithea smiled softly, Ian cleared his throat.

“Besides, I’m not even thirty yet, and they call me ‘uncle’ all the time. That’s a bit…”

“Kids are like that, Ian. Any big grown man is an ‘uncle’ to them. So stop complaining and come here, ‘uncle.’”

As Lysithea teased him like a child, Ian snickered and walked over. She had opened her arms to hug him, but Ian lifted her instead. This time, it was his turn.

“You’ve been playing with the kids, and now you’re acting younger too? All you’ve done is get better at teasing me,” he said.

“Maybe it’s not that I’m acting younger, but that you’re getting easier on me? Just with me.”

“Easier on you? Are you serious?”

Even his tone of questioning was playful. As he tickled her while holding her, Lisithea burst into laughter, clinging to his neck.

When Lysithea couldn’t stop laughing, Ian adjusted his hold, supporting her back and legs. His skilled hands made her smile contentedly.

“By the way, what’s in that bag? It looks heavy.”

When Lisithea asked about the bag on his back, Ian replied casually.

“Oh, it’s a gift. For help with the wild boar last time.”

Last winter, the wild boars were causing so much trouble that the villagers needed Ian’s help. Just as Lysithea wasn’t a professional teacher, he wasn’t a professional hunter either.

“But you’re good with a gun!”

“Yeah, that’s true! Don’t just stand around; help us out!”

“We’ll compensate you, please! Just like last time!”

When the village men came with all sorts of food and luxury items and staged a protest in front of the door, Ian had no choice but to agree.

“Alright, just this once. Just this once.”

Since his journey with Lysithea, Ian had hardly used a weapon. With a reluctant look on his face, he trudged off with his rifle and managed to kill three full-grown boars with only three shots. That was enough to make him a hero in the village.

“You’re a treasure to our village!”

“Help us with security!”

“From today, your drinks are on the house!”

That day, Ian was appointed as the sheriff of Plone Village. He sighed at the suddenly cute star-shaped badge, while Lysithea couldn’t help but laugh.

“…The people here are so cheerful. Too cheerful.”

“Still… heh, well… the Sheriff is… needed, right?”

“Are you asking me to catch criminals? It’s like leaving a fish to a cat.”

“It’s okay. You used to be a cat.”

With Lysithea’s encouraging words, Ian let out an even deeper sigh. The star-shaped badge was too cute to convey the gravitas of being a sheriff, so Ian used carrying his rifle as a substitute for indicating his position.

“So, Sheriff, how was your day?”

Lysithea asked playfully, and he responded with a tone of boredom.

“Everything was the same as usual. This town doesn’t need a sheriff. It’s peaceful all the time.”

“Maybe it’s peaceful because you’re the sheriff…?”

“Well, I’ve only worked properly for a month.”

‘It must be because you did your job too well.’ Lysithea barely managed to keep her thoughts to herself.

Plone Village was known for its wealthy farms, growing a variety of crops on its bountiful plains. With its mild climate, there was always something to see throughout the year, attracting many travelers from afar. Among them, however, were occasional vagrants, swindlers, and thieves who slipped in unnoticed.

And Ian had an exceptional talent for rooting out such people.

‘I chased away a few, and now they don’t come around at all. Is this how I become unemployed?’

Muttering what sounded like a concern or a hopeful thought, Ian made Lysithea speak cautiously.

‘You’ve managed not to kill anyone so far. I was worried about that.’

‘Oh, it turned out to be simpler than I thought. Just make them think they’re on the brink of death and then ask them if they want to live or not.’

‘I’m glad you found a good method.’”

“Ian was exceptionally skilled in that regard. Lysithea, grateful that he had found a new calling, slowly descended from his arms. When she opened the door, the warmth of their home embraced them.

Their two-story house was quite large, with all the living spaces on the first floor and three extra rooms on the second. Though located on the outskirts of the village, the house was unnecessarily expensive due to its size.

However, when they decided to settle in the village, they chose this house immediately. There was no special reason, though. It might have been because the solitary house standing on the mountain’s edge felt somehow familiar.

Anyway, now, in their fairly lived-in home, Lysithea unpacked Ian’s bag.

“‘They gave us three bottles of wine? This one has the most expensive label.’”

“How about we open a bottle tonight?”

As he said this, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist. His voice that followed was soft and sweet.

“It feels like it’s been a while since we had a drink together…”

“Did you enjoy it that much?”

When Lysithea gave him a sideways glance, Ian muttered with a hint of longing.

“It was amazing. You’re incredibly sweet when you’re drunk. You’d never know it.”

“I don’t remember it very well. You kept feeding me so much back then.”

“Then we should just drink enough to remember it tonight.”

He murmured, burying his nose in her soft hair, almost whining. However, Lysithea firmly shook her head.