There was hardly any proper warm season in Norseweden.

A cold northern region.

A place that was perpetually covered in snow.

A city where cold waves and heavy snowfall were part of a routine.

That was the image of Norseweden.

However, this year, there were consecutive days that could be called summer days.

Even the snow, which seemed like it would never melt, turned into water and seeped into the ground. Instead of thick fur coats, people walked around outside wearing only long sleeves.

Of course, the temperature was still lower when compared to other areas, but compared to the previous year in Norseweden, the sunshine was pretty warm.

As such, Deia was hosting a night market festival to welcome the summer in Norseweden.

Originally, because of the biting wind, it was hard to walk around at night, but now it was warm enough to walk around with just a cup of hot chocolate in hand.

Realizing this, Deia, who opened the night market, smiled contentedly as she watched the citizens of Norseweden laughing and enjoying themselves into the late hours.

It was a good time and a good place.

Deia had forgotten about the time she had claimed that she was a city girl suited to living in the capital during her short stay in Graypond.

Deia Verdi was a northerner to the bone, and she loved Norseweden.

However, the problem was...

"Wow, this is delicious."

"Tsk, it's tough."

Two uninvited guests arrived without notice.

The first unexpected visitor was the Princess of the Griffin Kingdom, Eleanor Luden Griffin.

She had been staying in Norseweden for about two weeks already, while hiding her identity and wandering around like a student with a pen and paper in hand and wearing a white beret and a simple dress.

Almost as if she had a hobby in drawing, the manner in which she diligently captured the landscapes of Norseweden truly resembled that of a young painter.

Occasionally, she could be seen drawing something strange, like a wand with wings attached or a girl in a flashy, pink dress.

However, after a few conversations between them, Deia had a rough idea as to why Eleanor had come here.

She thought her crazy brother wanted to act like a proper human for once, but he ended up catching a big fish.

Using the skill he enticed prostitutes with, he ended up flirting with the princess of the country.

Although it was actually someone else.

Even though it was Kim Shinwoo inside Deus' body, she still felt the need to address this. Because of him, Darius, the head of the household, had to constantly remain cautious around her.

The members of the Scrapyard Nomads especially had to speak in an awkward kingdom dialect to hide their identities.

Although they've already been found out.

Eleanor, who appeared naive and girlish on the surface, quickly figured out their true identity, showcasing the insight of a ruler in an instant.

However, refraining from rigidly adhering to principles could also be seen as the benevolence of a ruler.

And there was another person.

"Ah, it's time for you to return."

It was a slightly petite girl with long hair who had openly declared that she was waiting for Deus Verdi Aria Rias.

After killing the two Dark Mages from Dante and going separate ways with Erica, she immediately came to Norseweden.

Expecting Deus to return to Norseweden around the end of the vacation, she had come ahead of time.

Deia seemed to have similar thoughts, but she didn't really want to be lumped together with the two of them.

Deia believed that Deus would return to Norseweden at least once despite his busy schedule.

Because they wouldnt be able to see each other for a while once the second semester of the academy began.

But why were these two here?

The academy vacation would soon come to an end. The two people in front of her might feel disappointed, but they would meet him again at the academy, so it didnt really matter to them.

However, it was somewhat irritating from Deia's perspective. She didn't miss him, but the fact that he didnt return home put her in a foul mood.

So why was that?

She was writing a letter under the cold night air of the night market and the shabby lanterns.

At first, she wanted to peacefully write in her office, but she was unable to do so.

"Hey, just give me a bite of that."

"What are you saying? If you're a princess, you should just buy it yourself."

Deia felt anxious whenever the two of them bickered, so she couldnt allow them to move about unsupervised. As they also tended to cause trouble the moment they were out of sight, Deia was monitoring them closely under the guise of escorting them.

Someone like Eleanor obviously had to be carefully escorted as she was a princess.

And regarding Aria, who had already demonstrated her skills at Graypond, she was someone who had to be closely watched.

The scene of her confronting the Mage Tribunal Judges all alone was still vivid in Deia's mind.

Leaving such a monster without supervision in Norseweden would be no different from allowing a tiger to roam freely in their backyard.

On the first day, Darius had also requested a sparring match with Aria. However, after being thrashed badly, he avoided meeting her gaze.

Huh? She said she was giving him a chance to grow his skills.

It was literally a one shot, one kill. One that destroyed the opponent as soon as the fight began.

Knocking out Darius in one go, Aria strongly complained that she didn't want to waste time unnecessarily.

"Youre really so mean."

"I mean, if you just go and say that you're the princess, they'll simply give it to you without hesitation. Why covet what others have bought with their own money?"

"You ate mine last time, too, didnt you?"

When she looked at it this way, they were just kids.

No, wasnt this a problem because they were still kids?

With a deep sigh, Deia continued writing the letter.

- I understand that your calling and sense of responsibility as the Soul Whisperer keeps you busy, but the citizens of Norseweden are also citizens of Griffin.

- Just returning home and showing your face once in a while would bring great joy to the people of Norseweden.

- I don't want to pressure you, but still, it would be nice if you could at least come once because it'll be difficult for you to visit once the second semester of the Loberne Academy starts.

- Even the Scrapyard Nomads say they miss Findenai.

"Hmm, maybe I shouldnt mention Findenai?"

Somehow, Deia got a feeling that Deus would feel uncomfortable if she used multiple reasons to urge him to come.

No, she didnt mean that he had to return home unconditionally.

Just a short visit from him would bring happiness to the people of Norseweden on seeing the successful Deus, and it would also help solidify the position of the Verdi Household.

Especially since the surrounding nobles viewed them in an unfavorable light as they were the family of a Dark Mage, even though they were unable to say it openly.

If he were to come and establish the public order, Deia felt that everything would be neatly resolved.

I should also add something about the nobles.

It seemed like if she didn't make it clear that it was for the greater good, he might not even bother to write a reply.

As Deia pondered over the contents of the letter, Eleanor and Aria suddenly chimed in from both sides.

"Write that the princess 'coincidentally' came to visit.

"Coincidence, my foot. If you write that Aria, Professor's best pupil, came to visit, he'll come right away, won't he? I've even prepared a gift."

"Sigh, I'm sorry, but could the both of you give me some space for a bit?"

It was quite impolite to say such things to a princess, but after taking care of her for two weeks already, she had reached a position where she could at least say this much.

Moreover, perhaps because she was Deus' younger sister, both of them tended to be cautious around Deia.

How did he become more popular than he was during his playboy days?

Deia suddenly felt irritated and pressed the pen down harder before restraining herself.

She almost wrote down some harsh words.

Do they not realize that the present Deus and the Deus from the past are different people?

Deia felt a bit strange while thinking that these girls liked him without even knowing the truth that the present Deus was actually Kim Shinwoo.

She felt a slight sense of superiority as a family member for keeping such information to herself.

So, out of her usual character, she decided to unnecessarily poke at them.

"The two of you know that Deus used to be a playboy, right?"

She asked as if testing the waters.

If they were just like any of the other women, they would have been astonished and disappointed with Deus.

"Of course, I knew that."

"You didn't know that?"

"Huh?"

Deia couldn't help but be astounded by their surprisingly nonchalant responses.

Wasnt it unheard of for any woman to just casually accept that the man she likes used to flirt with other women in the past?

Did they have good nerves, or did they have a forgiving heart like the Saintess?

Or was it because they loved Deus enough to pretend that such things never happened?

Deia couldn't understand it at all. This was Deus they were talking about after all.

No matter how much he had changed inside, outwardly, he was still the same filthy, dirty Deus!

Even now, she still occasionally heard the rumors that were circulating among the residents about how they used to have drinks and fought with Deus, or gossip from the prostitutes about his extraordinary skills in bed.

At least I could accept this because I know he's a different person inside.

The real Deus had gone to sleep, and Kim Shinwoo had taken over, so Deia could somewhat suppress her sense of refusal and accept him...

Wait.

A thought popped up and pricked at her brain. With a pounding heart, Deia cautiously opened her mouth.

"Kim Shinwoo."

She uttered his name as if whispering a secret code.

Eleanor and Aria suddenly turned their gazes towards Deia.

"Y-y-you know about it?"

"Professor's real name?"

Now, the two girls even turned and stared at each other.

"You too?"

"You too?"

Huh.

Whats going on here?

Deia naturally thought that it was a secret.

Wasn't it common sense to not casually let anyone know that you have possessed someone else's body?

Even Darius, the head of the household, was still in the dark about this.

She thought that he had confided in her because she was his younger sister, someone who was also family and could be trusted to keep a secret.

She believed it was a secret she would have to take to the grave.

"Ha."

A bitter laugh escaped her as she was dumbstruck.

Until now, the three of them had been thinking exactly the same thing.

In the end, they believed they had the upper hand over the other women because they knew the truth about Deus, that his real name and identity was Kim Shinwoo.

However, that wasn't true.

In the end, they were looking at the same person.

It somehow left them all feeling equally disillusioned.

Thud, thud.

After completely scratching the content of the letter she was writing, Deia just wrote one big sentence.

- Come home and explain yourself, you Bastard.