-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A New Year
-----------------------------------------------------------------
New Year.
Even as the world groaned under the growing threat of villains, the new year arrived without fail.
[This is Global News, bringing you updates from around the world. The United States today officially recognized the identity of the S-Class time-manipulator, Ex Machina. Furthermore, the announcement of his death has caused widespread sorrow. Citizens, upon hearing of his accomplishments revealed to date, are expressing a wave of mourning...]
And just as expected, with the dawn of the new year came the news of Ex Machina's death.
Seeing that, I finally had my confirmation. Yes, time must have indeed been reset, just like in the original story.
Moreover, with his identity revealed by his death, it seemed my own standing was likely to improve. Hadn't I revealed his identity, which no one else knew, at the Cathedral last time? Everyone had either disbelieved me or been skeptical, but this news would surely make them realize the truth.
Ah! That Egostick, he really *is* something.
Anyway, those who became interested in me would likely look into me, and then they'd roughly figure me out. At least, if they were going to plunder other countries, they wouldn't choose to invade Korea, of all places.
My goal, in any case, is to spread rumors abroad and prevent these guys from invading in the first place, saving Stardus from a world of trouble. It's easy for me to eliminate the truly malicious Korean villains beforehand, but foreign villains take longer, so it's best to stop them from coming at all.
In any case, that's how the Cathedral will gradually expand its influence. I'll just release a few more bits of information in the future.
...Alright. Let's put these complicated thoughts aside for now.
First, let's eat.
"I'll eat well."
"Yes. Please enjoy your meal."
And so, for the New Year, we were eating tteokguk at the dining table. Ms. Soobin watched us eat, smiling gently. I had helped make it, so I'd already tasted a bowl with Ms. Soobin and was now eating a modest portion.
"Is it good?"
"Yes, Dain Oppa. It's delicious."
Eunwol replied with a bright smile.
Yeah, it's nice to see her eat well. Strangely, Eunwol has been on my mind a lot lately. I feel like taking care of her a little more, somehow? I feel a slight pang of guilt whenever I see Eunwol, but I'm not sure why.
...It feels like something I should remember, but I can't. Strange.
Meanwhile, next to me, Mr. Shinryeong was suddenly mumbling something, lost in memories. I had no idea when he was talking about.
Anyway, the mealtime atmosphere was warm and pleasant. Outside, snow was falling, and the sight of the whole family gathered together in the warm house, eating tteokguk, was truly heartwarming.
"...It's a nice sight, isn't it?"
"Yes. It's good to see everyone eating well."
Ms. Soobin smiled and replied to my words. We all watched everyone eat with contentment.
"Wow, Oppa, look outside! It's snowing so heavily!" Seoeun said, grabbing my sleeve.
I turned my head to look out the window.
Indeed, the snow was falling much heavier than before.
It seemed to be a particularly snowy winter. Not ideal for terrorism.
As I was thinking that, Seoeun's eyes sparkled as she said,
"On a day like this, we *have* to have a snowball fight!"
"Huh?"
While I tilted my head in confusion at the sudden mention of a snowball fight, Choi Sehee and Seo Jayoung, who were sitting nearby, had already overheard.
"Oh, a snowball fight. What a good idea! I haven't had one since I was a kid."
"....Alright. Time to remind Choi Sehee who's the older sister."
"Ha, you'll remind me? It'll be the other way around."
"Heh. Are you mad?"
"No? I'm just thinking about how to turn you into a snowman."
And just like that, Choi Sehee and Seo Jayoung were suddenly fired up.
...Honestly, when I heard Seoeun suggest a snowball fight, I was about to say that our Seoeun, who had been insisting she was almost an adult as a third-year high school student just moments ago, was acting like a child again... but now, it's hard to tell who the adults are.
Well, just like that.
Our post-meal activity was naturally decided.
***
Villains.
Those who cause terror, plunge society into chaos, and reign as figures of fear over ordinary people. What do these fearsome beings, who threaten ordinary people with their overwhelming powers, usually do?
The answer, it turns out, was snowball fights.
"Aha!"
"Ha, you dodged that? Try dodging this!"
"Sehee Unnie, Jayoung Unnie. Watch your sides!"
...Well, there was the difference in scale, of course.
I watched them, wrapped in a scarf, flying around and pelting each other with snow like cannonballs. And, of course, Seoeun was there too, riding some strange robot and firing snow cannons.
...It clearly started as a snowball fight, but I wasn't sure why sparks were flying and lightning was flashing, but anyway, they were all playing like that. Seeing this, it really confirmed that building a house in the mountains was a good idea.
"Hmm..."
So what was I doing, you ask?
I was rolling snow with Eunwol. Instead of joining that chaotic mess, we decided to quietly build a snowman...
Eunwol packed snow with her gloved hands and rolled it. I rolled it alongside her. Somehow, this felt peaceful. How many years had it been since I made a snowman? The memory of rolling snow in the parking lot with my childhood friends, determined to build the biggest snowman, came back fresh.
"Dain Oppa. I think this much is enough."
"Really? Then shall we put the head on?"
So, we rolled a head too, and Eunwol and I created a modest snowman. It reached roughly my waist. It looked a bit plain, so we picked up some twigs and stuck them in on either side like arms, making it quite presentable.
Snowman, complete!
Proud, we high-fived in celebration. Then Eunwol smiled sweetly. And seeing her examine the snowman from all angles, she must have been quite pleased with it.
"Haa, shall we rest a bit now?"
"Yes, Dain Oppa."
I dragged a log that was lying in the forest and used psychokinesis to brush off the accumulated snow. Then Eunwol chanted a spell over it, and a long, fluffy log chair was instantly complete.
Eunwol sat on the chair, her nose slightly red, exhaling white breaths. She looked a little cold.
"Eunwol, wait a moment?"
"Huh? Yes."
Seeing that, I quickly brushed the snow off my clothes and teleported into the house.
A few minutes later, I flew back to the snow-covered log chair, holding two cups of warm cocoa.
"Here, Eunwol. Drink this."
"Ah, Oppa. Thank you."
Eunwol took the cup, smiling brightly. Against the backdrop of the snowy forest, with her long black hair and red eyes, and dressed in warm clothes instead of her usual miko outfit, with a red scarf, sipping cocoa while blowing on it, she looked exactly like a girl her age. Not the Moonlight Miko, the weapon of the Moonlight Cult and a mid-boss level villain from the original story.
"Unnie...! So you're going to play dirty, huh?"
"Yeah, what's a little flame, what's a little shield~"
"Seriously... I have ideas too, then!"
Meanwhile, while we were peacefully enjoying our snowball fight and resting, a full-blown war was raging on the other side.
Seo Jayoung, enveloped in flames, melting the snow before it even reached her, Seoeun, who seemed determined to retaliate after seeing that, modifying something like a cannon from somewhere, and Choi Sehee, now throwing lightning and snow simultaneously at the flying Jayoung with lightning speed...
"...Should we just stay here and drink cocoa?"
"...Yes, Oppa."
Already cold, and not really wanting to join them, we decided to quietly sit on the log and watch. With the snowman we made right beside us, sipping our warm cocoa.
.....
Next to me, Eunwol watched the others play, her hands wrapped around the warm cup like a stove, smiling quietly. I glanced at her and took a sip of my cocoa.
...Baek Eunwol.
The miko of the Moonlight Cult, and one who could use moon magic. And, if you thought about it, she was also the only person on the entire planet who could perfectly master all moon magic.
And my reason for recruiting Eunwol into Egostream wasn't solely because of her abilities.
'Please, just kill me.'
...In the original story, she was controlled by the Moonlight Cult Leader, forced to commit acts of terror against her will. Tormented by guilt every night, she eventually begged Stardus to kill her, suppressing her powers as much as possible.
And so, she lost her life at Stardus's hands, taking her last breath with a final smile, as if everything was finally over.
...When this episode was serialized, the reader communities were flooded with tears. Especially during a period in the original Stardus where there were barely any normal characters, a character so kind yet ending tragically at the protagonist's hands was truly a tearjerker. Many felt pity, especially since she was already cute but met such a futile end.
Of course, I was one of those people. That's why I intended to save Eunwol from the very beginning.
Just as I was thinking that.
"Dain Oppa..."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
In the snowy forest. She continued, a slight smile on her face, her gaze still fixed on the frolicking members.
"It's just... if you weren't here, I wonder if I would ever have seen a sight like this in my life. Seoeun... and Soobin Unnie... and Hayul Unnie too. Everyone, they welcomed me so warmly when I first arrived..."
"Of course. We're family now."
"Family..."
Eunwol, who had savored my words on her tongue for a moment, then looked out into the distant forest for a bit before continuing in a slightly quieter voice.
"Dain Oppa. Back then, at the Moonlight Cult..."
And so, for the first time since coming here. In front of the snowy forest mansion, Eunwol began to tell her past story.
"When I opened my eyes, I had no memories."
However, according to the Cult Leader's words, she had been trapped in a seal, dressed in a miko outfit. Meeting the Moonlight Cult was her first memory. Without any childhood memories, or any recollections at all. She became the Moonlight Cult's bio-weapon.
Thus, becoming the nominal miko of the Moonlight Cult, she was made into the cult's symbol by the Cult Leader. From the beginning, she was oppressed and controlled, without any freedom of her own, learning magic. And no one approached her, now a puppet of the Cult Leader. Without friends or family. She only learned how to harm others.
"So, I'm truly, always grateful to you, Dain Oppa. If you weren't here, I would have..."
Eunwol's body trembled slightly as she spoke. I quietly stroked her, without a word. Reassuring her that it was alright now.
She soon stopped trembling again, then hesitated before smiling sweetly and meeting my eyes.
"So, I can do anything for you, Dain Oppa. Even if everyone in the world betrays you, I'll always be by your side."
"...Alright. Thank you, Eunwol."
"Hehe."
At Eunwol's sudden confession, all I could do was thank her and stroke her head.
...Eunwol seems to get emotional when it snows.
"Ah! Oppa, Eunwol, what are you two doing alone? I want to make a snowman with you too!"
Just then, Seoeun spotted us and ran over. We smiled back at her.
...Family, huh. Family. It had a nice ring to it.
And so, that day, we spent the entire day building snowmen, and even Eunwol and I eventually joined the snowball fight.
And.
Before we knew it, the day of the first Cathedral meeting of the new year was approaching.
...Already?