IWER 01

Chapter: 1

The snow that began falling last night was still coming down even now, after the sun had risen.

Winter in Antithesia was always like this.

Snow piled as high as a person’s height and a knife-like wind that cut into your flesh.

The bitter cold that continued from early October chilled you to the bone.

Especially here in Nak, the northernmost region of Antithesia, it wasn’t uncommon for not only wild animals but even people to become isolated and die.

There was a time when falling snow had once seemed beautiful to her when she was young.

Now, she was simply sick of it.

Anna sighed and grabbed a broom.

Her daily routine every winter always began with clearing snow.

Even though this was nothing more than a small countryside monastery where nobody ever visited, Anna diligently swept the snow.

She was the only one here capable of doing such work.

Swish— Swish—

“So much snow again.”

Somehow, it felt like it snowed even more often this year than last.

No matter how much she swept, it never seemed to end. Maybe it wasn’t just the snow, but her situation itself that felt relentless.

It had already been six years since Anna came to live at the monastery.

Once this winter passed and she became an adult, she would have to decide whether to leave or stay and become a nun.

The fate of the orphans who lived here was already set.

No one would come all the way to such a shabby monastery to adopt a child, so when the orphans reached adulthood, most chose to leave, tired of monastery life.

Anna, the oldest among the children living here, would soon be leaving as well.

But for an orphan with no roots or connections, living outside the monastery would not be easy.

The only work she could do was menial household chores, and there was no such thing as financial support for independence.

If only she were capable of doing something—anything. If she were at least good at sewing, she could find work somewhere.

Anna let out a long sigh and examined the roughly cleared ground.

“At least no one should slip now.”

The old stone path leading from the monastery entrance to the chapel now faintly appeared.

Anna brushed the snow off her shoulders and smiled slightly.

“Anna, I’m always sorry to burden you like this.”

Just as she was catching her breath, the elderly head monk approached her.

Anna quickly grabbed the broom again and greeted him.

“Good morning, Director. Did Daisy and the others wake up yet?”

“Heh heh. They’re still children, aren’t they?”

The head monk shrugged jokingly.

They had rolled around enthusiastically in the snow yesterday. No wonder they were still sleeping.

If she’d known, she would’ve woken them up before coming outside to sweep.

Anna glanced up at the second-floor windows where the children slept.

“I’ll go wake them.”

“No, I’ll go. You warm yourself first. Your face is freezing.”

The head monk patted her shoulder a few times, like he was thanking her for the hard work, then slowly headed toward the monastery.

Anna hesitated, feeling guilty about making a man in his sixties walk around in this cold. Only when he gestured did she finally turn to go inside.

When she entered with him, a warm air wrapped around her body.

Pushed toward the fireplace, Anna took off her gloves and held her hands near the flames.

As the heat touched them, her hands, tormented by the cold wind, began to tingle warmly.

To be this cold even after wearing gloves…

Today was definitely colder than usual.

Watching the crackling fire, Anna’s thoughts wandered.

Was it right to stay at the monastery? Or was leaving the right choice?

Which would be wiser?

Her head felt unbearably complicated, but once her frozen body relaxed, drowsiness washed over her.

“Anna!”

Just as she was about to drift off, a lively voice spoke, and something pressed down on her back.

Turning her head slowly, she saw a bright-smiling girl with her hair tied into two pigtails.

“Daisy, you’re awake?”

“Mm-hmm! Good morning!”

“Good morning. Your hair is pretty. Did the Director do it for you?”

At Anna’s compliment, Daisy hummed happily and began playing with Anna’s hair.

“Pretty, right? Want me to do yours too? Your hair color is weird, so it might look even prettier!”

“I’m fine, Daisy.”

At Daisy’s innocent words, Anna unconsciously brushed her hair.

Her mottled hair—neither brown nor blonde but uneven and patchy—wasn’t something she could describe as “fine” no matter how generously she tried.

If even Daisy found it strange, how strange must it look to others?

Maybe she really should start wearing a hat.

Smiling bitterly, Anna gently set Daisy down from her back.

“Too bad… Then Anna! Read me a book!”

“Already? We haven’t even eaten breakfast yet.”

“Mm! They said it’ll take a while.”

“All right, let’s see. What do you want this time?”

Aside from the head monk and Sister Vanessa, Anna was the only one here who could read.

Since she often read books on their behalf, the children now always came to her first.

As soon as Anna agreed, Daisy happily ran to the only bookshelf in the monastery.

Storybooks for children and books for older monks alike were stored there.

Children’s books were kept on the lower shelves, and after a moment of thought, Daisy pulled out an old fairytale book and handed it to Anna.

“This is…”

Anna couldn’t take her eyes off the cover.

The letters weren’t Antithesian. They were written in the destroyed kingdom’s language—Azenta.

It felt strange seeing Azenta script again.

After the Antithesia Empire unified the continent, books written in other languages had practically disappeared.

“What does it say?”

“…The Song of the Wind.”

“Song of the Wind? Can wind even sing?”

When Daisy tilted her head, Anna chuckled.

“No, not like that. This book tells the story of the people of Azenta, who could control the wind. It’s called a ‘song’ because Azenta people used to write their stories like song lyrics.”

“Ohhh. Then where is the Kingdom of Azenta?”

“…It doesn’t exist anymore. It was destroyed six years ago.”

“I seeee.”

Still leaning on Anna’s shoulder, Daisy slowly slid down and rested against her.

She wanted Anna to read quickly.

Anna gently stroked the cover and opened the book, reading each syllable with care.Long ago.

The God who created the world divided His power into three fragments and gave them to three disciples.

The most faithful disciple, Azenta, believed he could not keep God’s power to himself.

He shared the power with those living on the harshest land and founded a kingdom there.

With the power of God, the people of Azenta could control the wind.

They stirred winds to spin windmills, moved great ships, and calmed raging storms.

They could even change the “Wind of Fate” itself…

Originally, this book was meant to be sung while reading.

But reciting Azenta script in Antithesian didn’t carry the unique feeling the Azenta Kingdom once had.

Feeling regretful, Anna closed the book. Daisy immediately bombarded her with questions.

“Then Anna, could everyone in Azenta control the wind?”

“Mm, not exactly.”

“But the book said they could move huge ships!”

“Maybe people of the very distant past could.”

“What is that supposed to mean!”

Now lying sideways with her head on Anna’s lap, Daisy squirmed in frustration, then began making strange humming noises, imitating the sound of wind.

To a five-year-old, people who could control wind must’ve seemed incredibly cool.

Even though that kingdom no longer existed.

Anna silently patted Daisy’s head.

“Anna! Could you come and help set the dishes?”

Sister Vanessa’s voice rang from the dining hall.

Despite being over fifty, her voice was unbelievably powerful—maybe the rumors about her time in the choir were true.

Anna soothed the whining Daisy and took her along.

If she wanted to gather the others and get them there on time, she had no time to waste.

“Let us give thanks for the daily bread granted to us today, and love one another.”

“Let us love.”

As soon as the head monk finished praying, the children eagerly buried their faces in their plates and began eating soup.

They were growing children, so they were always hungry.

Anna placed her bread onto the plate of Toris, who sat beside her, then stood up.

“Anna, you’re already done?”

“I’m not that hungry. I’ll handle the dishes.”

She tied on her apron and got to work.

After taking care of the children’s meal and cleaning up afterward, Anna finally had a brief moment to breathe.

Strictly speaking, Anna was still a minor and supposed to be protected.

But with only the elderly head monk and Sister Vanessa as adults here, if Anna didn’t help, they’d be severely understaffed.

Exhausted, Anna leaned by the window, watching the younger children play.

Once upon a time, she’d been like them—bickering, laughing, sticking close to her older brother, making friends easily, fighting sometimes.

Now, she was too grown to play freely, and the brother who once stood by her side was gone.

How was he doing now? Was he even alive?

Some might call it pathetic, but whenever she heard children’s laughter, memories of her brother returned.

Anna sighed softly and turned to look outside.

Snow still piled thickly along the road beyond the monastery. It would be impossible to move for a while.

“Maybe I should have cleared the snow outside the monastery too…”

She couldn’t clear it all alone, but if she left it like this, the food supply wagon coming in three days wouldn’t be able to reach them.

Anna stood to fetch her gloves.

Just then, she saw someone approaching from afar on horseback.

“What…?”

It was rare enough for anyone to visit the monastery at all—but on a day with this much snow?

The person wore a deep black hood that hid their face completely.

They were bundled tightly against the cold, yet… their clothing seemed strangely light for such harsh weather.

A person hiding themselves that thoroughly could only be one of two things.

Either a fraud, here to sell useless miracle remedies…

“Anna, look! A noble! Do you think they came to adopt one of us?”

…or a noble.

Unlike cheerful Daisy, who had run up beside her to peer excitedly out the window, Anna’s face darkened.

“It would be nice if they adopted you and me together…”

“Daisy, don’t leave this room until I say it’s okay. Tell the others too.”

“Why?”

“They could be dangerous. Stay here and play. I’ll check first.”

“Mm, okay! Hurry back!”

Daisy obediently nodded and ran to the other children.

Anna felt sorry for her… but secretly prayed the visitor was a scammer instead.

She’d once heard rumors of nobles taking children from rural villages.

Those children were never heard from again… until their bodies were found.

Covered in bruises—clear signs of abuse.

There was no guarantee such monsters wouldn’t come here.

So it wasn’t strange that Anna would be wary of nobles.

That was why she desperately hoped the person wasn’t one.

But, of course…

Her hope was not granted.