Once my life was cut short, I thought there was nothing precious left for me.

But transcending time, the connection I met in a different spacetime was telling me.

That I am precious.

“Hadel.”

I slowly embraced the name of that existence. The resonance from those two syllables felt different from before.

‘Warm.’

How could Hadel’s name be this warm?

‘He could have resented me.’

The heart that had tormented Hadel by overproducing mana, that heart was mine. It was my past comrade, Espen, who wanted to save me.

Even after hearing all these facts, Hadel didn’t resent me; instead, he affectionately froze me.

“Since I met the little snowbird that comforted me, I didn’t want anything else. I just thought we could live relying on each other. And after learning that you could turn into a human….”

Emotions resonated in Hadel’s confession, and fiery flames bloomed from our resonating hearts. His face must have turned bright red, but I couldn’t see it because he had turned away.

All I could hear was his voice.

Very low, slightly trembling, and somewhat tense.

“…It seemed like a gift from the gods.”

While Hadel’s confession overwhelmed my heart, it also made me melancholic.

‘How lonely he must have been.’

I could easily recall Hadel’s figure, spending each day in emptiness, not knowing how to fill the void. Probably, it was the scene from our first encounter in the forest.

‘I just thought Hadel was warm.’

Hadel received comfort from someone like me.

One part of my heart got choked up, and I couldn’t help but want to see Hadel’s face.

I burst into tears in Hadel’s arms. He loosened his arms, and in that gap, I faced Hadel.

‘So beautiful. People are all fools.’

The long, thick eyebrows left a strong impression. Although the tightly closed lips gave a rugged feel, I knew how affectionate and meticulous Hadel was.

“Thank you, Hadel.”

That day, for picking up the poor snowbird stealing bread.

Until I met you, enduring in the profound loneliness.

“I feel the same way. Even before I knew I could turn into a human, I promised to spend my life with you by your side.”

I covered Hadel’s face with both hands. Perhaps because my hands were cold, Hadel’s face felt particularly warm.

I confessed with a shy smile.

“To me, you are the most precious in the world. I hope you don’t get hurt as much as you mean to me. If you’re hurt, I hurt too.”

At my words, Hadel’s eyes trembled. Hadel asked, as if unable to believe.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Am I precious?”

“To the point where words can’t express it.”
If I knew the moment for this confession would come, I might have searched for a more eloquent phrase.

‘I’ve been wandering only in battlefields before meeting. What do I know.’

Instead of recalling inadequate words, I touched my nose to Hadel’s nose and embraced Hadel’s neck with strength.

‘Hadel’s scent.’

A scent like moist wood, as if from the deep forest at dawn, flowed from Hadel’s embrace. It had become so familiar to me over time.

‘Now, I can’t recall the time I spent alone.’

As I pressed my body close, Hadel’s body stiffened with tension. Feeling the broad chest that touched me trembling slightly, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

‘Cute.’

Despite the serious situation, I found Hadel extremely cute. Although he responded to my hug and kiss as if it were natural, his adorable confusion about our newfound closeness made him irresistibly charming.

‘Will he get angry if I kiss him now?’

Glancing at Hadel’s lips, he unexpectedly had a serious expression. As I stared at him, he, who had hesitated for a long time, finally pushed out his concerns.

“…Who is Espen? Isn’t he also an important person?”

Espen?

The name suddenly came up, and I blinked my eyes, wondering why.

Hadel’s Adam’s apple moved significantly. His face contorted as if he hated talking about such matters.

In a forced whisper, he asked, “Wasn’t he your lover in a past life?”

Gasp.

That was a statement I couldn’t have imagined in this or the next life. I shook my head vehemently.

“Don’t say disgusting things! We were somewhat awkward. Really, our relationship was terrible. Even after the war, if we fought to kill each other, everyone just agreed to it.”

In response to my words, Hadel furrowed his brow as if he couldn’t understand at all.

“He struggled for a hundred years to save you, didn’t he?”

Espen, a dearly departed lover? Since it was a slightly uncomfortable misunderstanding, I vehemently denied it.

“I don’t know why he did that! Maybe he’s delusional, mistaking me for someone else? Maybe living too long distorted his memories?”

That was all I could say. I also couldn’t understand that part.

With my repeated denial, Hadel’s expression eased a bit. I swept away my chest.

‘But if someone who doesn’t know about me and Espen sees this, they might misunderstand.’

To an uninformed observer, it could seem like a touching story. A man wandering for a hundred years to resurrect a woman who died from mana overflow.

‘But that’s not the truth!’