Chapter 69
White hair.
Red eyes.
Snow-white skin as if dusted with white powder.
It was the typical appearance of an albino.
But the reason Jinseong felt familiarity with 'Rabbit' wasn't because she had the typical albino appearance, but because she looked very similar, truly similar, to someone he knew well.
Anastasia Alexandrovna Vesna (АнастасияАлександровна весна).
She looked incredibly similar to his pre-regression colleague who was called by the nickname 'Marten'.
Jinseong felt nostalgia for the younger version of his old colleague.
She certainly looks much younger than during her mercenary days, but her appearance is identical.
Except for looking much younger and a noticeable difference in chest size, she looked like an exact copy of his old colleague.
Jinseong felt as if he had returned to his mercenary days as he looked at the colleague he had spent a long time with.
Certainly, since she was Russian, it's not strange that she's in Russia. But connections are truly mysterious, to meet like this even after traveling back in time.
He stepped forward with a feeling of gladness, offering a handshake and smiling brightly.
"Hello. I've heard a lot about you. My younger sister has been boasting about her close friend. You're indeed as pretty as I've heard."
It was a kind and polite tone, unlike his usual old man-like speech.
Lee Serin and Lee Arin looked at Jinseong in surprise at his suddenly changed manner of speaking, but Jinseong ignored his siblings' gazes and continued to smile brightly at her.
"What? Yes. Hello..."
She looked alternately at Jinseong's face and hand in a daze, then slightly extended her hand to accept the handshake.
Jinseong smiled brightly as he felt the soft touch of her hand, which had no calluses at all.
"Ah, I'm not sure if you've heard about me. Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Park Jinseong, and I'm the older brother of Lee Arin and Lee Serin over there."
"Huh? Yes... Um. I've heard a lot from Frau Lee. That she has a sorcerer brother... Ah, no. That's not it. Um."
She fumbled at Jinseong's polite self-introduction, then said her name.
"My name is Ella B Winter."
Ella B Winter?
Jinseong felt puzzled by the name so different from his memory.
"That's a pretty name too."
"Ah, yes... Thank you. Oh right, you must be cold, please come in. I turned on the heater because I heard guests were coming."
Moreover, her manner of speaking was different too.
Ella's speech was refined, the kind of tone used by the elite or noble class, and her every gesture exuded elegance, as if she had received proper etiquette education.
But Anastasia, who had been his colleague, was no different from a wild animal who didn't even observe proper table manners, let alone everyday etiquette. She would pour water into combat rations and shove them into her mouth because using utensils was bothersome, knead bread with her grip strength and eat it like rice balls while carrying it around, and sometimes even stuff drinks and side dishes into a canteen, grind them, and drink them like a mixed juice.
Moreover, she wasn't picky about food at all.
Eating insects or disgusting animals without hesitation was basic, and she would even show beast-like behavior such as slicing open wild animals' bellies and eating their raw innards when thirsty.
But Ella showed no such aspects at all.
"Please have this for now. I heard you came from warm Japan, so I prepared this drink in case you were cold. It's called Glühwein, it'll warm you up when you drink it."
"Rabbit! How strong is this?"
"Most of the alcohol evaporates during the preparation process."
Jinseong examined Ella as he accepted the glass she offered.
She's been educated. And not by an ordinary person, but clearly by someone from the privileged class who gave her proper education.
Moreover, looking around the house, there were many items that witches would typically use.
There was a large cast iron cauldron on the stove, which witches mainly use for making potions, and various herbs were growing in the sunlight by the window. Furthermore, there was a scent of incense coming from what looked like a storage cabinet, which seemed to be full of Western-style incense used for rituals in the West.
In addition, the remains of a burnt dried frog could be seen in the ashes of the stove, and there were piles of parchment inside the slightly open workshop.
It was a typical witch's dwelling by anyone's standards.
Moreover, this woman's body gives off the unique smell of a witch.
There was a saying:
Mages smelled of stuffy rooms, martial artists smelled of sweat, and witches smelled of herbs.
Ella's body also gave off the unique smell of a witch.
Unlike older witches, she gave off a fragrance of herbs closer to perfume, but her body clearly emitted the herbal scent unique to witches.
Moreover, in the dermis of Ella's skin, the circulation of energy for using witchcraft, which witches use, could also be felt.
Anastasia was closer to a mage. But this woman is a pure witch.
Jinseong concluded that Ella was not the Anastasia he knew.
He opened his mouth, looking at Ella who was troubled by Lee Arin making a fuss next to her, saying how delicious the drink was.
"Frau Winter? Are you studying abroad in Russia?"
"Yes. It's the same case as Frau Lee. I was attending the Berlin Special High School for Supernatural Abilities, and I applied when they said they were doing an international exchange."
"Berlin Special High School for Supernatural Abilities... That's a school famous for witches and martial artists. I've heard that all the famous witches active in Europe are from that school, and in swordsmanship, they compete for first place with China."
"Oh my. You've heard of it?"
"Of course. Although I'm a person interested only in sorcery, I can’t not hear about it if it's that famous. Moreover, witches are a profession that often interacts with sorcerers due to materials, so it naturally reached my ears."
Jinseong noticed Ella naturally leaning towards him as they conversed. Jinseong also slightly leaned towards Ella across from him, and additionally, he lightly brushed his bangs while making eye contact with Ella.
"Studying abroad is indeed a great opportunity. Broadening one's horizons, experiencing different cultures. Moreover, since each country's special high school for supernatural abilities is famous for different things, there must be an abundance of things to learn. But if you're studying abroad, you must have come alone, so you must have felt lonely at times."
"I’m sorry? Lonely?"
Jinseong maintained eye contact with Ella, blinking at a similar rate, and continued speaking while leaning his body slightly forward, so subtly that she wouldn't notice.
"It always takes preparation when going to an unfamiliar place. Because you'll often think of the family and friends you left behind. You don’t think of them much especially when you're busy, but once you've adapted to some extent and have some free time, isn't that the first thing that comes to mind? When I went to Japan, I was too busy to think when work was hectic, but once things got on track, I started thinking about Lee Arin and Lee Serin here."
"Yes, that's... true."
Lee Arin, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, interjected:
"Wow, brother, you're like a psychic~ Actually, Rabbit said she was lonely... Mmph!"
When Lee Arin interjected, Ella seemed flustered and covered her mouth with her hand. But it seemed to be an unconscious action, as she quickly removed her hand, startled, and Lee Arin grinned at Ella.
"Hahaha. You don't need to be embarrassed. It's something everyone feels. Just as I missed my younger sisters, Frau Winter's sister probably feels lonely too."
"Huh? Sisters? I'm an only child..."
"Ah, my German must be lacking, I must have used the wrong word. I meant to say classmate in German but made a mistake."
Jinseong said this and continued his conversation with Ella.
They talked about how it was good to keep pets when feeling lonely, about raising mountain goats, about how Lee Arin barged in frequently so there was no time to be bored. These were light topics suitable for casual conversation. With Lee Arin jumping in to share episodes, and Lee Serin occasionally joining to smooth things over, Ella naturally developed a sense of closeness to Jinseong.
As proof, Ella's attitude had become much softer than before.
After chatting for a while like this.
"Oh right. I almost forgot because I was enjoying our conversation. We came to see the goat and guinea pig, I almost forgot and was about to leave."
"Ah, that's right. Rabbit, can you show us the goat and guinea pig?"
At the words of Jinseong, who spoke naturally as if he had just realized, and Lee Arin, who was sticking close to Ella's side, Ella stood up. Then she politely said she would guide them and led them to the barn.
Entering a small, well-heated barn, they saw one large mountain goat and two baby mountain goats.