# Chapter 1- Rin of Ascalia

  {1}“One dawn in March, Year 706 of the Ascalian Calendar”

  ***

  A campfire rose in the snow-covered forest. Between the windbreaker hung on trees and luggage, a black-haired girl opened a book. She turned over the ashes whenever the firelight dimmed. After a while, an elderly professor emerged, pushing open the tent. Perhaps the firelight had woken him?

  "I'm sorry, Professor Temel. Was it too bright?"

  "Not at all. What are you reading there, Rin?"

  "The Northern Mixed Continent Travelogue."

  The girl—Rin—raised her head while closing the thick cover. As she did so, her white skin and black eyes became visible. Professor Temel heaved a deep sigh.

  "Rin. Reading by firelight will damage your eyes."

  "I was worried about waking the other professors..."

  "I doubt any of us are that sensitive."

  Professor Temel took the heavy book himself, seeing Rin struggling to lift it. This made Rin's face flush slightly.

  "Thank you."

  "How did you even manage to carry it out here in the first place?"

  "My hands must have gotten cold from being outside. I'll prepare breakfast while warming them up."

  "No need. Preserved food will suffice."

  Professor Temel spoke while brushing off ice crystals that had formed above his mustache.

  "No need to waste energy on breakfast. We need to travel at least 9 maards (approximately 14.5km) today to stay on schedule."

  He added with a slight smile:

  "Besides, when you cook, everyone gets too distracted eating to hold the meeting."

  "Is... is that so?"

  *RUSTLE*

  "What's this, you old geezer!"

  The interruption came from a slightly hoarse voice. Dr. Gernshvatz, who had just emerged from his tent, spoke while adjusting the screws on his peculiar engineering goggles.

  "Why are you making our little cutie cry so early in the morning?"

  He was known as an especially eccentric figure even among the notably eccentric Engineering Department of Elvlin Academy. He spent most of his days grumbling with a disgruntled expression, testing bizarre inventions from his workshop regardless of time or place, and consequently receiving dozens of student complaints daily for the inconvenience he caused.

  "No, Doctor. When did I ever make her cry..."

  "What an unsightly excuse! Rin! Tell me everything, out with it!"

  Rin was one of the few people this eccentric character took a liking to.

  "Doctor, you've got it wrong."

  In the end, Rin spent about 30 minutes explaining that she hadn't been crying and had just been having a normal conversation with Professor Temel, finally calming his agitation.

  ***

  In the middle of Ascalia's northern snowfields. There lies a mysterious lake that never freezes throughout the year. Known as 'Yuparuru' (Tears of Winter) in the language of the 'Snow People'—the natives near the northern limit line—this mysterious lake was the subject of a scholarly expedition organized for geological/magical research and ecological study. The members of the expedition were as follows:

  - Professor Antoine Pinetre of Elvlin Academy, who teaches history, geography, and geology.

  - Associate Professor Temel Kun, from the History Department.

  - Professor Svetrinaha, who teaches military history, map analysis, and tactics (usually shortened to Professor Sven).

  - Dr. Gernshvatz Zwelf, head professor of the Engineering Department.

  - Three Snow People tribal members serving as porters and guides—Baldu, Tun, and Kul.

  - Rin, the Elvlin Academy library clerk and church assistant administrator, who, though not an official student, was quite popular within the academy.

  This was truly a remarkable gathering. After all, excluding Professor Temel, all the professors were scholars whose names were widely known throughout the global academic community. To outsiders, it might have seemed difficult to understand why Rin, who wasn't even an official student but merely a library employee, had joined such an impressive group.

  Rin had been left at Elvlin Academy as an infant. When she reached the age of admission, a faculty meeting was soon held. The professors who recognized both her intelligence and character hoped to enroll her in the formal education program.

  However, this plan encountered problems from the start due to the subject's refusal—she couldn't accept receiving special treatment. The professors, eager to proceed quickly, sought alternative means.

  The solution they devised was to have her perform work equivalent to the admission fee so she could pay it herself. However, given Elvlin Academy's reputation as a prestigious institution, ordinary odd jobs or duties wouldn't come close to meeting the admission fee.

  That's how they came up with the Northern Limit Region survey mission. It was classified as a Level 2 mission, the second most dangerous on Ascalia's academic risk classification system of five levels. This was why they included fourteen-year-old Rin as a research assistant.

  North of the northern limit line, where people were said to be unable to live. Even the Snow People's villages were located below this point. Even in spring, the cold was dozens of times more severe than winter in most regions. A dangerous area where one blizzard could likely lead to isolation and make survival difficult.

  At its center lay the mysterious lake 'Yuparuru.' Of course, the faculty had established safety measures for Rin. Professor Svetrinaha, true to his role teaching swordsmanship to students, possessed not only excellent martial arts skills but also comprehensive knowledge necessary for survival in remote areas.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  And Dr. Gernshvatz, known as the academy's greatest eccentric. While his inventions earned him the nickname 'Nuisance Incarnate,' there was one aspect everyone acknowledged about them: their destructive power. Thus, the majority of faculty concluded that combining Professor Sven's knowledge with Dr. Gernshvatz's equipment would provide reasonable safety.

  *CRACKLE CRACKLE*

  The evening campfire blazed.

  The Snow People were busy tending to the reindeer that had traveled across the snowfield all day. In the bright firelight, Professor Antoine's serious voice drifted through the air.

  "In short, it's about geothermal energy."

  Professor Sven nodded at his words. Even as everyone nibbled on biscuits, melted snow, and jerky, Professor Antoine Pinetre's daily lecture continued without fail.

  "As researchers, we must avoid attributing everything to magic. That convenient word has led humanity to commit countless errors in the past..."

  "Professor Pinetre. Perhaps we should end for today..."

  Professor Temel gently interrupted. This was understandable, as Professor Antoine had been talking for an hour about his hypothesis on why Yuparuru doesn't freeze and why magic's role should be excluded from the explanation. All this directed at Rin.

  Rin was listening intently, her obsidian-like eyes sparkling. She was a perfect student, except for the occasional rumbling from her stomach. And moved by her enthusiasm, Professor Antoine would continue his lecture with even more passion, which would make Rin's obsidian-like eyes sparkle again... and so the cycle continued.

  Professor Temel found it heartbreaking to watch her holding a half-eaten biscuit fragment for nearly an hour.

  "It's getting late, and we need to move early tomorrow."

  However, Professor Antoine merely nodded perfunctorily and continued his explanation. The lecture eventually continued until midnight. Even when the Snow People joined the campfire after tending to the reindeer, Professor Antoine hadn't stopped talking.

  "*SNIFF* Excuse me, miss. Will the campfire be alright like this?"

  It was Baldu, the leader of the three Snow People due to his large build.

  "Pardon?"

  Rin responded to the question. Finally freed from the lecture, she had been listening intently to the debate that had broken out among the professors (which Professor Temel had eventually joined despite his earlier attempts to stop it).

  The Snow People, who claimed they'd never counted beyond thirty, seemed uncomfortable around the professors who were considered the most intelligent even in Ascalia, where higher learning commanded respect. When they had something to say, they usually went through Rin rather than their employer, Professor Antoine.

  "The fire's big, which is good for the Paruka (Snow People dialect meaning 'friend,' usually referring to reindeer) and keeps most things away... but around here, the Muwai..."

  "Muwai? Isn't this outside their territory?"

  Rin questioned, remembering the Muwai territory map Professor Svetrinaha had shown before departure.

  Muwai.

  Also known as snow people, they rarely came down from the northern mountains, but when encountered, they were more ferocious and dangerous than any creature on earth. Fortunately or unfortunately, they were highly intelligent, forming tribes and establishing territories, and rarely ventured outside them.

  Thanks to this, after their general territory was mapped, the danger for those exploring beyond the northern limit line had greatly decreased.

  "That's true, but there've been rumors lately about Muwai moving..."

  *GRUNT GRUNT*

  Just then, Rin faintly heard the reindeer's nervous sounds. It seemed frightened. Though masked by the wind and crackling firewood, the sound reached Rin's ears with strange clarity. She had a bad feeling.

  "Mr. Baldu."

  "Yes?"

  "The reindeer is making a sound I've never heard before."

  "The Paruka?"

  He tilted his head at her claim of hearing a sound he hadn't noticed, despite living with reindeer for over twenty years. Baldu went to check while scratching his head, and was startled to find the reindeer trembling slightly.

  "Pa-Paruka?"

  Just as he was about to say something, Professor Sven's quiet but authoritative voice rang out.

  "Shh. Quiet."

  He spoke with an expressionless face. Professor Antoine furrowed his wrinkled face.

  "Could it be Muwai?"

  Professor Sven slowly nodded. Professor Antoine frowned while stroking his white beard.

  "Did the territory map change? Rushing the preparations was a mistake."

  To match Rin's admission timing, the faculty had forcibly moved up the expedition's scheduled date, which was originally planned for a month later. In the process, they skipped the usual step of checking for territory changes before departure, which had now led to this serious danger. Professor Antoine bowed his head with a grave expression.

  "We were too hasty."

  Silence fell over the expedition members gathered around the campfire.

  Professor Antoine slowly took a deep breath and stood up. Rin was startled to see his face. His usually gentle, smiling expression had hardened into something frightening.

  "The associate professor and I will take the cargo sled. Baldu, please handle the packing."

  Snow Person Baldu rushed over with the reindeer, shouting:

  "Tun! Kul! Get everything down from the second one!!"

  The camp suddenly became busy. The Snow People emptied the mountain of luggage and quickly dismantled the railings that had been installed on the sleds. Professor Temel patted Rin's head once before helping with the preparations. Strong for his age, he had no trouble with even large loads, having been physically powerful since his youth.

  While everyone was busy moving about, Professor Antoine quietly called Dr. Gernshvatz while unfolding a map.

  "Doctor. Even if the territory has changed, it probably hasn't shifted too drastically from before. So I'll head this way from the starting point of the southwest valley..."

  "Hmm. Then Sven and I will take this route?"

  His brow furrowed above his goggles. The sled Professor Antoine intended to take was originally for cargo and wasn't particularly fast. The doctor immediately understood his intention.

  Regardless of how close the Muwai were, splitting up rather than all fleeing in the same direction gave a better chance of at least some surviving. Here, Professor Antoine had volunteered to be the bait. Having already resolved himself, his face had returned to its usual smile.

  "Don't worry, Doctor. My route isn't bad either. Once I pass through these conifers, there's a cliff..."

  "Ngh..."

  The doctor's eyes were conscious of Rin. She seemed concerned about the two professors having such a serious conversation, glancing their way throughout the preparations. Seeing this, Professor Antoine patted the doctor's shoulder.

  "Then I leave Rin in your care, Doctor."

  "Ugh. Understood."

  Professor Sven and Dr. Gernshvatz boarded the smaller, more agile of the two sleds. While the doctor checked the sled, Professor Sven fed herbs from his pocket to the reindeer.

  *HISS*

  The Snow People completely extinguished the campfire. To Rin, all these preparations felt ominous. Professor Temel, who had approached without her noticing, stroked her head.

  "Rin. Listen to me carefully."

  "Yes, Professor."

  "We're about to split into two groups. You'll ride in that sled with the two professors. And take this with you."

  Rin held the item Professor Antoine handed her up to the lamp and asked in a trembling voice:

  "This is a map, Professor."

  "You're quite good at reading maps."

  The professor circled a point on the map.

  "Though it's not marked, there's an old research facility at this point. Nothing is known about it except that its owners have been magicians for generations. But given that it's stood there for hundreds of years, they must have some countermeasures against the Muwai. If you can just make it there..."

  Rin listened intently while biting her lower lip hard. As soon as the professor finished speaking, she said firmly:

  "I'll take the larger sled."

  "..."

  "I'm lighter than the professors, so even with the large sled, we can move quickly."

  "Rin."

  "I'm young, so I can escape well even if I'm left alone."

  "This stubbornness isn't like you."

  "...I don't want the professors to disappear."

  Professor Temel, who was about to scold her, hesitated. He realized that Rin was desperately holding back tears.

  "Rin. I'm sixty this year. Professor Antoine over there is seventy-five. Dr. Gernshvatz is sixty..."

  "Fifty-nine."

  The doctor grumpily corrected the error.

  "Ah, yes. Fifty-nine. Professor Svetrinaha is the oldest at seventy-seven, and while the Snow People are younger than us, they're still older than you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

  "..."

  "It's the natural order for those who have lived longer to go first."

  Professor Temel removed his gloves and wiped away Rin's tears that had begun to fall.

  "Survive."

  Leaving Rin trembling slightly, the sled carrying Professor Antoine, Associate Professor Temel, and the Snow People departed.

  "Little cutie. We should get going too."

  As Rin, practically dragged by Dr. Gernshvatz, boarded the sled, Professor Sven immediately set it in motion. Whatever herbs he had fed them, the reindeer expelled white breath and quickly gained speed like never before.

  Rin watched the departing cargo sled with anxious eyes.

  The northern stars were pouring down their indifferent sparkle.

  It would be a long night.

  -To be continued-

  Temel Kun

  Gernshvatz Zwelf

  Antoine Pinetre

  Svetrinaha (Sven)