29. Winter Setting

Half a year had passed since Yumino woke up in his new world, and lately, nothing of note happened.

By now, the reality that no other elves would come from the forest started settling in. There were some days when Nima felt down because of it, but she rarely spoke about it, so the times she felt lonely often went unnoticed.

It was now winter in Veston, and on one of the few snowy days, the two elves decided to go out.

"You're thinking about your bow, aren't you?" Nima asked.

"Not really, I'm thinking about the shooting range..." Yumino answered innocently.

"Can you forget about your training for one second?"

For many days on end, Yumino's revenge seemed to be put on hold. Instead, he went out to train most days, and that's when he would speak with the spirits.

More and more trainers appeared in his mind, teaching him how to use his bow like a true elf. His progress had been quick, but there were always those who would complain.

"There will come a day when this lady will have to rely on your strength, yet she does everything she can to keep you from training..." Gauntmere said, shaking her head in disapproval.

Over the months, the witch's form became clearer and clearer in Yumino's head. While the same happened with all of the spirits, it was only Gauntmere whom Yumino could now see clearly. As expected, she indeed looked human. What's more, she had a unique, ghostly beauty.

Her black hair flowed along her back, and the sharp facial features she possessed made her look not a day past her prime. Even though she lookers like she could benefit from eating more, the elf understood that you shouldn't tell that to a spirit.

Yumino was also curious about her age, but he only received a scoff when she asked her.

Gauntmere's attitude towards the elf had also changed a lot. From the somber ghost that would only pop out to give Yumino history lessons and orders, she became somewhat of a nagging spirit.

"And to think that's who you're spending your days with..."

"Jealous?"

"As if! It's thanks to me that she gets to spend her time with another elf! Maybe I should look for a way to pop into her head one day and get the thanks I deserve..." the witch said.

While Yumino couldn't see her expression outside of dreams, her pouting face was already etched in his heart from a previous altercation. Upon imagining it, he couldn't help but let out a puff.

"Laughing by yourself again? At least tell these little fairies of yours to share their jokes with me..." said Nima in a sarcastic tone.

"If I let them, they might take advantage of your good will and curse you~" Yumino answered.

"Another one of your crazy episodes? Please tell me it's not contagious..."

To brush off why he would sometimes zone out or talk to himself, Yumino started talking about some fairies only he can see. He made sure that everyone would take it as a joke, and so they did. There were, however, times when Nima would look at him with concerned eyes.

"Can you stop calling me crazy? Let's not forget who's the one who almost killed—"

"Ok! That's as far as you go!"

Training and teasing were the two constants in Yumino's daily life. If it wasn't Nima, it was Gauntmere. If it wasn't either of them, it was Velmira who would pop up at their door together with the others from time to time.

Nobody mentioned anything about Yumino's progress after that morning. They just accepted it as one of his quirky secrets.

They sometimes organized sparring sessions to measure their strength, but the hierarchy rarely changed. It was always either Velmira or Gavin who would come out on top, depending on whether the hero used the demon sword or another.

The top three was completed by Garron, and the last three places were decided between Nima, Averin, and Yumino.

Even with all of the help received from the elven trainers, Yumino still wasn't able to constantly win against the two girls. It was obvious that Averin's intense training was enough for her to keep up with the elves.

The odd one was Nima. She kept insisting that her progress was quick because she was still catching up to her old adventurer self, but Yumino blamed it on her elven blood more.

"Ok, let's go back! I have to get ready for tomorrow!" said Nima.

Ever since her training with Lucien, Nima rediscovered her passion for going out into the untamed wilderness.

She would sometimes go out to complete errands given by the lord. It was a nice change of pace for the lady who used to stay depressed in her home and hide from vampires.

"You too?" Yumino asked. "I also have to go out for a couple of days. It's been a while since the house was empty, haha!"

"Don't tell me you're going out to hunt vampires again..."

While the revenge plan seemed to be progressing slowly, spirits still came to Yumino every once in a while. As instructed, he listened to them, and their demands were fulfilled by the elf.

Tasks ranged from street scuffles to going out and putting crazed vampires out of their misery. As long as it was against vampires, Yumino's shots never missed their target, yet he wasn't any less disgusted when he was tasked with taking another life, be it that of an undead.

"At least I don't act all mysterious when it comes to my outings," he retorted to Nima.

"I don't either! Most of the time..."

"Oh yeah? Then tell me, what's your plan for tomorrow?"

"It's...guarding a caravan…"

"Is that all?"

"Of course!"

"Ha! That's a lie!"

"It's not!"

After half a year spent together, it was easy for Yumino to see through Nima's lies. He didn't get mad at her; he just let out a disappointed sigh.

"Look, Nima. We've searched everywhere. I don't think we can find anyone else."

"Even so..."

Nima didn't continue. She had already turned this topic into a fight time and time again before.

"You're right. I'll just go take a look to be at peace with myself. Okay?"

"Don't forget to bring something cool back!"

That night, after eating a lavish dinner, they decided to go back home and rest.

"I told you you'd be cold."

"Shut up! I'm fine!"

Nima snapped back at the elf who was laughing at her choice of going out in a dress in the middle of the winter. However, her red nose and the shivers she couldn't stop gave away the fact she was just acting tough.

"Really now? So I guess you don't need thi—"

Before Yumino could finish his sentence, Nima snatched away the jacket he was still wearing, leaving the man to be the one who had to face the cold winter night.

Once she put on the green jacket, the elven lady let out a soft "ahh" to show her satisfaction, then she looked at Yumino, who was now wearing a bothered expression. She added a soft laugh once she saw the struggling man.

"I still don't get it," Yumino said. "Why would you put on that dress now? Didn't it bring us plenty of trouble already?"

"Oh? I wonder what you mean by that~"

"I mean—"

But once again, Yumino was rudely interrupted. This time, the cold tip of Nima's finger sealed his lips, not letting him finish his idea.

"Men are so dense sometimes..." she added.

Once they got home, the two jumped each into their own bed, turning in for the night.

That's how another one of Yumino's days would end. Looking back on it, he couldn't help but smile.

Even with the hurdles of revenge following in close, Yumino was convinced his life wasn't half bad. He was getting stronger, he had made somewhat of a name for himself within the neighborhood, and he somehow managed to bond with the people of this new world, especially with Nima, whom he was able to start over with.

He was still far from being as well known as he wanted, but there was enough time for everything.

"Nima..." he said to himself, staring at the ceiling, red at the tip of his ears.

"Bleh..." a voice resounded in his head. Needless to say t was Gauntmere's.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Haha. I have to admit, you really were dense back there."

"She also said the same thing. What is that supposed to mean? I thought that her dress had meaning and couldn't be worn just because she felt like it!"

"It does... Are you really... No, never mind. See you in your dream."

"Wait! What do you mean? Hey!"

But nobody was there to respond. The elf was left alone with his thoughts.

A red dress... It can't be...