Wein stretched his body, feeling completely numb after lifting his head from the desk. He spent a few seconds regaining his senses after waking up.
The aches in his body began to settle in as he regained control over himself. From his neck to his waist, everything was sore and made him feel truly uncomfortable.
But at least one of his tasks was finished, although he didn't know who had drawn that. Was it a different version of himself?
Still, it was definitely his idea, because the M82B was a sniper rifle from the future, and now all he had was a pistol—a huge downgrade in comparison.
Once his body had recovered, Wein immediately got up from the chair in front of the desk where he had fallen asleep the night before. It was really uncomfortable, but sleepiness had made it hard to resist.
He walked toward the room's balcony, slowly pulling open the curtains that had been acting like guards, blocking the sunlight from coming in.
He drew both sides apart before looking down from his window. Two girls were playing in the snow, dressed in thick winter clothes, each holding a snowball in one hand.
Noticing his presence, Elena looked up as soon as she saw the curtains moving. She realized Wein Arcveil was awake and immediately threw a snowball at the window.
A 'thud' sound was heard, but it didn't surprise Wein. Instead, he reflected, I must've overslept, though he dismissed the idea when he remembered he was on vacation—he could afford to relax a little.
Wein felt like joining them when Loraine also noticed. She turned around after seeing Elena throw the snowball at the window for no reason.
Wein grinned and made a gesture that said, Wait for me, already plotting his revenge once he got down. He quickly cut through the room and headed for the wardrobe.
Grabbing some clothes suited for extreme temperatures—a thick, dark green outfit—he dashed out and opened the door to go downstairs.
---
Wein reached the first floor and quickly ran outside, startling several maids who were surprised by his speed, which shook some decorations on the side.
"Be careful, young master," several maids called after seeing him weave through the hall and open the main door. He took a deep breath and exhaled deeply.
The cold air brushed against his skin despite the fur-lined jacket reinforced with dragon hide on the inside and polar bear fur on the outside. He then slightly strengthened his body with mana.
With mana, his body temperature could be kept at optimal levels, preventing cold-related illnesses like hypothermia since his body remained warm.
"Whew," Wein muttered.
Elena grinned, seeing her older brother gazing at the snowy scenery. She slowly raised her hand, trying to stay hidden as she took aim.
Like a meteor, she let go. The snowball flew through the air for a few seconds before striking Wein hard, making him flinch and nearly curse.
He held the spot where the snowball hit, his smile growing wider as he looked back at Elena and heard Loraine giggling softly.
Wein opened his palm, then moved his fingers upward to lift the snow beneath. He walked down the long steps and headed toward the snowy yard.
The snow floated using magic and gravity elements. Wein formed a snowball with his hands before signaling he was about to launch a barrage.
"I won't accept it if you use magic!" Elena said in a panic. Her face was already bracing for impact, her hands shielding her face.
Wein released the snowballs, and a barrage of them flew toward Elena—dozens upon dozens raining down.
She groaned in pain, and Wein laughed loudly in satisfaction. He had deliberately lowered the force of the spell, knowing it would otherwise hurt too much.
When the barrage ended, Elena opened her eyes, moving her hands away from her head. She glared at Wein, then grinned once her anger faded.
"Sorry if that was too much—or was it not enough?" he joked, prompting Elena to shout back playfully.
"Enough! I already said using magic is cheating!" she complained, then quickly threw a snowball straight at Wein Arcveil's head.
Wein barely reacted in time, dodging the snowball just centimeters from his face—but still didn't fully avoid it.
His grin widened further before something else suddenly hit him hard in the head, breaking apart on impact. He turned to face the new attacker.
Loraine quickly hid her hand and smiled awkwardly. Realizing what happened, Wein grinned and bent down to grab more snow and form another snowball.
Once it was ready, Wein raised his hand slightly behind him, preparing to throw it hard.
But that wasn't his real target. He twisted his waist to face Elena, then followed through with his arm, launching the snowball straight at her body.
Unable to react quickly enough, Elena cried out in jealousy, "Ack! Why me? Wasn't it Sis Loraine who threw it?"
She pouted, and Loraine looked a bit guilty, though she just smiled and occasionally laughed. Wein then spoke up.
"I'll start a magic snow war if you throw another one at her."
"I'm mad at you. How about we just have a snowball fight instead?" Elena dismissed the previous argument and suggested a fresh start.
"That's a good idea," Loraine agreed, stepping a bit closer to Elena to hear better, while Wein stood further away, already forming a snowball behind his back.
After discussing the rules and how to play, Elena, Loraine, and Wein scattered to take their positions. Each used snowballs, and whoever got hit would be eliminated.
Minutes passed as they played until exhaustion took over. They were all tired and took some time to rest and catch their breath near the steps.
Wein, worn out, sat on one of the steps. Everyone followed suit—except for Elena, who remained standing and looked at Wein.
"How long until you two go back to the Academy?" she asked. But before Wein or Loraine could respond, something suddenly flew in and struck Elena hard from behind.
She groaned in frustration, holding the sore spot and rubbing it with her palm, then glared suspiciously at Wein.
"I'm right here. There's no way I could've hit you from behind," he said flatly, already expecting Elena to suspect him. But soon the real culprit appeared.
Waving and offering a warm smile despite just hurting someone, "Hello, everyone! I'm back!" shouted Wein and Elena's older sibling—Elaina Arcveil.