Reincarnation Band Magician

Snow is rarely seen in the south, but it is not uncommon in Tokyo. Even if it is a little heavier, it shouldn't be this severe.

In Nagasaki Kiyoshi's stereotype, Xiang, as a young lady, would probably spend her holidays surfing, skiing, or at the very least, soaking in hot springs in Hokkaido - but none of that happened.

Xiaoxiang is very attached to his parents and seldom goes out so far. Seeing such heavy snow today, he feels the same as people from the south coming to the north.

Although Xiang was very happy, Qing had to pour some cold water on her.

"It's windy outside, Xiang's better not to go out today."

"Eh?"

"You're in a state like this where you're prone to catching a cold. Stay warm in the house."

When in an anemic state, physical fitness declines, it is easy to get sick, and even minor injuries and illnesses can be very uncomfortable.

"clear!"

"No means no, Xiang."

Nagasaki Qing showed Xiang's determination not to let him get out of bed.

……

Qing opened the door a crack. The snow was still falling. The crystal clear and soft snow fell on her face with the wind. Her first feeling was tenderness.

"puff."

Aite chuckled in the room.

She had to take care of little Clara and did not go out. It was snowing heavily and even if the child was making a fuss, she would wait until the snow stopped.

The mother on this side held on, but it seems that the other side did not hold on.

Nagasaki Kiyoshi frowned, pretending not to hear the laughter, and buttoned his collar.

The winter in the northern plateau is really cold. You have to put on a fur coat over your clothes and finally wear a scarf.

He was dressed in pitch black, a bit like the demon general I met that day.

If it's their own taste, then it's indeed on par.

"I'm dressed."

A girl, also dressed warmly, ran to the door.

His will was corrupted by her soft eyes, and Nagasaki Qing was unable to remain firm.

It looks like a glutinous rice ball, but it becomes soft when you put it in your mouth.

I can only pretend.

"Let me make this clear," he said with a straight face, "for just a moment. Don't even think about rolling around in the snow, building snowmen or igloos, and don't go to the beach either."

Xiang's amber eyes were filled with confusion and shock. Qing accurately predicted what she wanted to do and stopped it all.

This performance made Qing feel a little proud.

It’s just Xiaoxiang, but he can still be handled.

On this side, Solitier, who had been unable to understand these humans since morning, raised questions at the right time.

"That's weird. Why do you like snow? It's so cold, and it affects human travel and survival. After all, it's just a weather phenomenon, right?"

Aite said that she was from the south and this was the first time she had seen snow in her life. If nothing unexpected had happened, she would never have seen it in her life.

Xiangzi nodded. "Our hometown rarely has such heavy snow. New things always attract people."

Nagasaki Kiyoshi looked outside. "This is our first time spending winter in the north. We haven't experienced how cold this land is, at least not yet. That's why we're more interested in the snow."

"So it's not just the demons, humans can't understand each other either?"

Solitaire looked at Qing seriously.

"Most of the time, the lack of understanding comes from a lack of contact. In a few cases, even if we understand, we still can't solve the problem."

Nagasaki Seiyuu put his knowledge into practice by citing examples from the southern countries.

Different countries, nationalities and aristocratic factions fought among themselves there, competing for fame, wealth and land.

But more people joined the war simply because they could not survive without fighting.

So understanding or not understanding is sometimes not that important. It just changes from "I feel this person deserves to die" to "this person really deserves to die."

Solitaire seemed to be lost in thought, and Qinghe Xiangzi temporarily lost interest in playing in the snow. They walked around outside and then came back.

……

When I woke up early, it felt bright outside, but by noon, it became dim.

Qing and Xiangzi's originally leisurely mood also disappeared after seeing the heavy snow.

Looking out the window, dense white clouds were flying like snowflakes, covering the entire northern plateau.

But it is not as white as a snowball. Because it is so dense, it even blocks the light, making it look very dark, like a rainstorm.

It was clearly afternoon, but it felt like evening.

After looking outside for a while, I felt cold all over.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaa…”

Clara stopped looking at the snow and huddled in her mother's arms in fear. Art sat in front of the fireplace. Facing the warm firelight, Clara softened and rubbed her special tableware to prepare to eat her lunch.

Nagasaki Kiyoshi turned his back and looked into the distance.

The freshness brought by the new snow is only temporary. People, at least most people, yearn for the light of fire and warmth. This is an instinct written in the long history of evolution.

Ice has started to form around the windows, and the snow has melted and frozen again. If you don't clean it up in time, don't even think about opening the windows this winter.

"At this rate, it will be ankle-deep by evening, right?"

Snowstorms are extremely rare in Hokkaido. According to Solitier, such weather often lasts for about two weeks, with only two or three days of clear weather. The coldest days last for more than two months.

In the past, she would go south at this time, but the situation has been complicated in recent years.

After personal experience, you can immediately understand why winter weakens the combat effectiveness of the demons. The demons do not pay attention to logistics and basically have no means of resisting the cold other than magic. Most of their magic power is taken away by the snow, and this is when they are at their weakest.

Humans have no other advantages. In this kind of weather, if the wound is large enough, the person will be frozen before retreat, which will affect their movement. If they are rescued, they will probably have to have their limbs amputated.

More people won’t make it to that time.

This land devours all life equally...

Nagasaki Kiyoshi suddenly remembered his chicken.

Don't bury the carriage, or all the chickens will suffocate underneath.

He quickly put on his coat and went out.

The only life that can be saved is the one in front of you.

In the Cage: 50. Belated Praise

"I heard about that. It's quite remarkable."

Aite and Xiangzi sat on the same bed, looking at Clara who was drowsy in the cradle, and spoke softly to Xiang.

"I heard about your story from Lord Solityl a few days ago. You saved a fortress city."

Xiangzi didn't think that was salvation, and her courage was borrowed from others. She waved her hands embarrassedly: "It's nothing..."

"How could that be? That's a fortress, a fortress, Xiangzi." Aite looked surprised.

She looked at the girl, saw the genuine look in her eyes, and shook her head.

"You were born in a peaceful place, so you can't understand what a fortress means.

"It is not only a shelter for tens of thousands of residents, but also the core of the defense of an entire region and an important transit point for infrequent but necessary commercial activities in the northern plateau."

As a noble, one cannot be unaware of the importance of cities.

"If it were destroyed, the surrounding cities would have to restructure their defenses and re-plan their trade routes. This process of trial and error could take months, perhaps even a year, and would cost countless lives. For ordinary people, this would mean they wouldn't be able to obtain additional supplies for the entire year. Who knows how many people would be affected."

"In my hometown, the South, there are many refugees from the Central Kingdom. They were forced to leave their homeland because of the collapse of a fortress."

Aite gently hugged Xiangzi and gave her the encouragement and praise she deserved.

“So, well done, Xiangzi, both you and Qing, this is a truly remarkable thing, saving so many people, and you can’t be too proud.

"Perhaps, before coming here, you encountered many setbacks, and many of your efforts were not recognized. Now, I need to tell Xiangzi that you are doing very well, very well."

"Eh? I just—"

Xiangzi believed that there were no setbacks in her life, although there was indeed no praise either.

She thought that before coming here, everything that happened was her own choice, and that it was normal for her to insist on her own way and not be recognized because almost everyone was against her.

She didn't mind, really.

"Xiangzi, you're the type of person who takes everything on yourself until something inevitably goes wrong. Then, you'll think it's all your fault and end up ruining your life."

Aite held her shoulders, placed the child on his lap, gently massaged her head, and shared the experience of an elder in a gentle tone.

“Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. If you do something wrong, you will be taught a lesson and apologize sincerely. If you do something well, you will naturally be praised.

“When you grow up, all your efforts will be regarded as your own life. Everyone does it, so you won’t think it’s a big deal.

"After having a child, I feel that is unreasonable. If my child grows up, no matter how old she is, I will give her praise in time..."

Not to mention, this is indeed a remarkable thing. Unfortunately, apart from the person involved, only she, a small figure whose name will not be recorded in history, knows about it.

Then, let her give the applause and praise.

Shoko Toyokawa saw her mother's shadow in a trance, and she realized again that Aite was not her mother.

It was that overflowing maternal love that really made her yearn for it.

Just like that, if I act coquettishly for a while—

"Dong dong."

After knocking on the door, Nagasaki Kiyoshi waited for a while, then pushed the door open and came in, taking off his coat.

"We've raised the bottom with some wood, so it shouldn't be buried by the snow... huh?"

It was discovered that Aite was holding the red-faced Xiangzi in his arms, and the latter was struggling to sit up.

It's like, what did he disturb?

Nagasaki Kiyoshi put his coat back on.

"I'm going to practice the piano."

By this time Xiangzi had broken free, walked over with a red face and grabbed his hand.

"I go first!"

She closed the door tightly.

So it was Nagasaki Kiyoshi and Aite's turn to be in the same room.

Because he had basically never encountered such a situation, Qing had never been very good at getting along with such gentle women.

Unlike Hexiang's mother, his mother is the type who is not arrogant at home and leaves all the daily life matters to him.

"Qing, come and sit here."

Art patted his side.

Nagasaki Kiyoshi moved a stool and sat in front of her, which surprised Aite a little, but then she smiled.

"Oh, I forgot. Qing is a boy. He won't act like a spoiled child when he grows up."

It reminded her of her brother, who also had a stern face at a young age.

"You and Xiangzi have similar personalities. You always take on responsibilities that don't belong to you. This is good. You will share the burden with each other, so the other person won't have to work so hard."

"Have it?"

"Yes," Aite confirmed him, "Ever since I came here, Qing is always the first one to think about what to do."

Now when I think back to half a year ago, it seems as distant as the first half of my life.

At that time, it was these two children who took care of her.

"I heard about your story from Lord Solitaire. You've worked hard and done a great job. I just gave Xiangzi a little 'praise'. She's a shy child."