-Summer has come.
As the sunshine grew hotter, the grass leaves spread wider, and the trees that grew here and there quickly sprouted leaves, making the place dense with foliage.
Paradise turned into a forest.
-Autumn has arrived.
The sky turned blue and gradually rose higher, and a slightly chilly wind blew. All the leaves changed into various shades of red and yellow.
Fruits fell down one by one. Apples rolled randomly on the ground, where squirrels and foxes appeared to snatch them, while acorns poured endlessly from one side.
Then, one by one, the dead leaves began to fall, revealing increasingly bare branches.
-Winter has descended.
The chilly wind gradually turned so cold that it became almost freezing. Snow fell heavily, covering the once bare branches with snowflakes in place of the flowers and fruits that had originally bloomed there.
Below, frost formed, and Paradise was entirely covered with snow.
A world of pure white.
There, Elric couldn't see the warm breeze he had seen earlier, the cozy fragrance, or the beautifully twinkling flowers. It seemed like the foxes and squirrels had gone to hibernate.
Nothing could be found. The quiet and desolate stillness seemed like it would last forever.
Still, someday the sky would clear, and warm sunlight would shine again.
As the snow melted, streams would babble along, and on the hillsides, weeds would grow luxuriantly again. Everyone believed that spring would return.
Because that's how it had always been.
No one doubted the cycle of the seasons.
-But then came the cold wave.
The few remaining branches barely withstood the cold wind and shivered down miserably.
As the dead leaves rotted away, the strength that should have naturally been replenished froze along with the ground.
The animals that had been hibernating froze to death together, and the world that had been Paradise transformed into a world full of nothing but death.
Instead of the scent of flowers, a rotten stench filled the air, and once green meadow, was now entirely filled with black swamps. The blue sky turned into a dull ash color, and the days when warm sunlight would shine again never returned.
And there... it gradually transformed into a world teeming with all sorts of demons.
There seemed to be no way for the world that had once changed to return.
A dry and rotting land.
A world entirely cloaked in darkness.
Monsters roamed, and the air reeked of venom. It was almost hard to believe that this place was Paradise from just a moment ago.
"This place is called the Black Snowfield."
Elric sat alone, watching such a sight, when he turned his head towards a familiar voice coming from behind.
A man was slowly approaching this way.
An ancestor who served Melvinger's founder and the spirit of 'Winter.'
"Ancestor...?"
It was Otto Han.
"It's been a while. You've grown quite well since I last saw you. It seems like you've finally taken your place as the Seal of Cruelty."
Otto Han looked Elric up and down with a smile on his face.
"Have you been well all this time?"
"Yes. I've had some hardships, but..."
"Haha. It's natural to grow well when you've gone through hardships."
Elric was already worried about how much Otto Han would trouble him again.
"Anyway, until you complete 'Winter,' I'll keep following you and giving you lectures. I don't want to explain things twice, so listen well."
Otto Han adjusted his glasses and continued speaking.
"Initially, this place was as white as the term 'snowfield' suggests. Then the ice age began. Still, everyone living here firmly believed that it would end someday. Though that belief was thwarted by betrayal. Do you know why?"
"Because of the General Winter?"
Otto Han nodded.
"That's right. To the people who lived here, it was more like demons than any other demon. It was the remnant and curse left behind when the Demon God passed through here."
Remnant and curse of the Demon God.
Those words struck Elric's ears.
"So, descendant. From now on, you..."
Under his glasses,
His eyes twinkled with a smile.
"Will learn how to take the General Winter away."
***
General Winter.
That word rang in Elric's ears.
"To take General Winter..."
Elric's eyes shone brightly.
To take away a natural disaster so immense that it could cover the Black Snowfield and create an environment for all sorts of monsters to grow?
Of course, dealing with such a disaster alone would be impossible for anyone except the legendary ancestor he had seen only in dreams.
Still, gaining such power was undeniably extraordinary.
Yet, at the same time, another thought crossed his mind.
This would not be the end.
"So, all of this was to teach me the Seal of Cruelty."
"That's right."
"And you had me move to where General Winter is to give me time to get used to the Seal of Cruelty."
A smile spread across Otto Han's lips.
"That's also correct."
"Using the Seal of Cruelty to contain General Winter... that sounds good. But you're not saying that this will complete 'Winter.'"
Otto Han simply smiled without answering.
But Elric knew that smile was a silent affirmation.
'General Winter, like the Seal of Cruelty, is just a piece to complete 'Winter.' I'm really curious about what will happen once this 'Winter' is complete.'
Elric felt pleased knowing he had room for further growth.
"So, what do I need to do?"
"Take this first."
Elric instinctively caught what Otto Han threw.
It was something familiar to him.
A seed.
It was a camellia seed, identical to the one where the God of Camellias had been sleeping.
"From now on, till the garden bed, plant it, and let it sprout. Take care of it for 100 days, and if the tree grows and flowers bloom, the task will be complete."
Elric didn't know how planting a camellia tree was related to taking away the General Winter, but he figured he would understand it naturally once the task was done.
But the problem was the task itself.
Planting and tending to a tree?
In a place where the soil was rotten and no ordinary tree could grow, how was he supposed to do that?
Moreover, how was that related to taking away the General Winter?
"Why? Do you think it's difficult?"
Otto Han adjusted his glasses, seemingly amused by the puzzled expression on his descendant's face.
Without realizing it, Elric frowned deeply.
This damn ancestor was at it again, pretending to be dignified while making things difficult for his descendant.
It was the same as during the time of the Snow Mountain King; why was every arrangement he created like this?
'Aren't all the tasks that come after this, the third and fourth, going to be like this?'
The excitement he had felt about having plenty of room for growth quickly diminished.
"…At least give me a hint."
"Haha! If you insist so much, dear descendant, I have no choice but to oblige."
If someone heard this, they might think he was reluctantly revealing something out of deep affection for his descendant.
While Elric was thinking this, Otto Han spread his hands wide into the air.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As he did, a beautiful magic circle was engraved in the air and then shattered into pieces.
A summoning circle.
Curious about what was being summoned, Elric watched quietly.
[You are really annoying, you know. What is it this time? I told you repeatedly not to wake me up in this stinky place!]
As the summoning circle shattered, a fairy with striking pink wings appeared, grumbling.
"God of Camellias?"
Did the saying about meeting again refer to this?
However, Elric momentarily questioned whether he could truly call this fairy the 'God of Camellias.'
Externally, it certainly resembled the God of Camellias.
But its aura was entirely different.
The fragrance was much stronger, and its emanation was intensely vivid. Despite its small size, it felt like beholding a massive tree.
A tree of such enormous size that it could cover an entire forest, even blotting out the sky!
At that moment, Elric realized.
The God of Camellias before him was indeed the 'real' God of Camellias.
Not merely a God of camellias reduced to just petals due to prolonged winters, but a vigorous divine tree standing tall even in midwinter, adorned with bustling leaves and blossoming flowers.
Wouldn't something like this qualify as what people commonly refer to as a true God?
[Hmm? But who might this handsome boy be? How do you know me?]
God of Camellias discovered Elric belatedly, but quickly transformed its annoyed demeanor into a genial one, smiling warmly.
[The only thing that bothers me is the scent. Are you from Melvinger?]
"You don't like the scent? That hurts a little. Say hello. He is my descendant."
At Otto Han's words, the God of Camellias snorted and looked at Elric as if they were looking at the same scene.
And
'...The atmosphere has changed?'
For a moment, Elric could feel the air around the God of Camellias change.
While the power of fragrance was still similar, the temperament was somewhat similar to that of the God of Camellias he had awakened.
[...Hm! Did he say you are going to raise a camellia tree? I remember this cute one. However, would you be able to handle such a weird task, Usdun's grandson? I mean, it's not easy to succeed in such a perverted mission.]
Elric knew that the God of Camellias had "crossed" with the modern God of Camellias, although he didn't know what measure he had taken.
Data update? Should it be expressed in this way?
Anyway, since he has heard that gods exist beyond space and time, it wasn't strange.
'In this way, I can make the story much easier.'
Elric's eyes twinkled.
"I am prepared. It seems that our ancestors intend to prepare a place for the God of Camellias to reside."
[Surprisingly astute, not at all like Melvinger. Your ancestors were all just sly and clever, and never had any sincerity. But you seem a bit different, don't you?]
The God of Camellias did not hesitate to use harsh words, even though Otto Han was right next to him, just like she did with Mephisto.
Otto Han's expression showed no concern.
However, Elric somehow felt the gaze of the God of Camellias upon him change subtly, like a serpent, but he pretended not to notice.
"In that case, I will need a lot of help from you, God of Camellias."
[Looking at it this way, you do seem to be a descendant of Melvinger after all. Hoho! But unfortunately, all this lady can do here is watch over you and occasionally provide necessary guidance. You'll have to do the rest yourself, finding what you need and cultivating the tree.]
"That will be sufficient."
[You know well how to take care of your things.]
The God of Camellias now spoke openly. Elric continued to feign ignorance.
Otto Han stepped forward.
"According to the God of Camellias, you just need to follow her advice and cultivate the tree."
His explanation of the rules of cultivation was straightforward.
First, the temporal background of cultivation began in an era when the curse of the demon god first manifested as the 'General Winter.'
'Otto Han lived a thousand years ago, so how can he recreate the environment of 400 years ago?'
Though Elric had these doubts, the explanation continued.
Secondly, the God of Camellias acted as the guide for this cultivation.
Thirdly, on days like the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 30th, the God of Camellias would instruct on the necessary materials and items, which Elric should procure and use accordingly.
Fourth. Even though this is an imaginary world, the environment here is exactly like the 'real' Black Snowfield, so he must be prepared for any demons that might emerge unexpectedly.
And....
"The fifth and most important rule is that in order to obtain materials, you must traverse all of the Black Snowfield, but never venture beyond the 1st Spring of the area."
The Black Snowfield consists of nine layers (springs), and only three are known to have been reached by humans.
Beyond that, no one knows what lies there.
Because everyone who went there died and never returned.
"Is it implemented up to that point?"
"Yes."
"You've gone through a lot."
Elric didn't bother asking how that was possible.
-Melvinger.
That answer should suffice.
"Anyway, throughout the mission, there will be no other help. Lady Camellia is also a guide, but she only provides advice strictly limited to 'cultivating trees.' The rest you must handle yourself, so be extremely careful."
"Ha! Understood."
After all, the difficulty of the first cultivation was not so easy.
Elric nodded understandingly, and Otto Han smiled broadly.
"And finally, take this too."
Elric accepted what Otto Han threw and tilted his head curiously.
A square-shaped stone tablet.
Apart from the sentence symbolizing the family crest drawn on the top, there were no other distinguishing features.
"What is this?"
"'Messenger.' With this, you can monitor the condition of the trees in real-time. You'll learn about its other uses gradually."
"...?"
Elric had a feeling Otto Han's smile was ominous.
Before he could ask a question, Otto Han stepped back.
"Well then, I wish you success."
Clap!
With a light applause.
Clunk!
Grrr-
It was as if somewhere a gear was turning, and time that had been still began to move again.
It was the beginning of the second arrangement.
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]