The Ice Age Came And I Just Got Married - Chapter 46

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 46
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Countess Winterdin led us to the Community Hall, a building situated to the left of the Shelter’s center.
It appeared to have been a banquet hall for beach tourists before the Ice Age.
The ceiling was high, and paintings of Sunhaven before the Ice Age hung on the walls.
Blue seas and white sand beaches, people smiling beneath summer sunlight—scenes like that.
Now it all felt like stories from another world.
In the center of the hall, just as outside, stood an enormous hearth.
A large cauldron hung above it, steam rising in soft wisps, and the savory aroma of stew filled the entire interior.
People sat around the long wooden tables, nearly finished with their evening meal.
Someone was serving, while others who had finished eating were mending worn clothing.
Near the hearth, children played and elderly people knitted while sharing conversation.
It felt like any ordinary day before the Ice Age came.
It felt exactly like watching Dotori Village.
Of course, Dotori Village possessed an enormous quantity of Redstone, but we used it only in our individual homes and otherwise conserved it carefully.
And what made Dotori Village special was not only that, but also the greenhouse it contained.
One might as well think of Dotori Village as a village under some kind of spell.
‘They don’t seem to realize that Redstone is a consumable mineral.’
Judging by the considerable size of the Redstone embedded in the wood, it might last several more weeks…….
But truly, the time remaining was measured in mere weeks at most.
If that were the case, the moment the Redstone disappeared, this place would descend into chaos.
‘This makes me uneasy.’
As we entered, all eyes turned toward us.
“Please, have a seat.”
Countess Winterdin then guided us to the innermost table.
Soon a thick wooden bowl of fish stew arrived.
It was filled generously with potatoes, carrots, and finely shredded fish flesh. The moment I took the steaming bowl in hand, warmth spread through my fingertips.
People around us naturally began to speak to us.
“You’re from Rosbrook, aren’t you? We heard it from the sentries.”
“Is it still cold outside? What’s the situation in other cities?”
“Are those real military uniforms?”
They had heard where we came from, but apparently not who we were.
Though we were strangers, they treated us all like neighbors they had known for years.
It was almost unnaturally warm and cordial—strange enough to raise suspicion.
Logan showed no inclination to answer, and Claire was the same.
Claire had no interest in other people and didn’t particularly enjoy conversation.
In the end, it was Leon who spoke.
“Yes, genuine military uniforms. Apart from this lovely lady, the three of us are all soldiers. As for other cities, the situation is much like this one. Or perhaps even worse, I should say.”
Leon was fairly handsome as well. His deep brown hair was so close to black that it appeared jet-black in dim light.
And his expression was blank. Almost as much as Claire’s.
Logan, by contrast, either wore a frightening expression or looked perpetually annoyed.
Unlike Logan, who disliked tedious conversation, and Claire, who was reserved with strangers, Leon had no such shyness.
Though answering in a blank face like a machine hardly made him seem like a person at all.
“I would like to smoke a cigar.”
And occasionally he said something completely out of context like that.
“I have some cigars. Would you like one?”
At that moment, a boy asked Leon.
Leon, who had been sitting with an expressionless face, looked up.
“Why does a child have cigars?”
Though his expression remained unchanged, he seemed somewhat pleased at the mention of cigars.
“They belonged to my father.”
“…Get his permission first before coming back.”
Having sent the boy away, Leon turned sullen again. He seemed disappointed. Of course, his face remained expressionless, but that was just my impression from observing him.
Beyond that, Claire and Leon had such enormous appetites that I wondered how they’d survived at the observation post, the way they ate.
Yet they couldn’t bring themselves to ask for more food here, so they just kept their spoons in their mouths rather pitifully.
Perhaps moved by the sight, people nearby began bringing over the entire remaining pot of stew.
Claire and Leon scraped the pot clean.
And the Shelter’s residents watched the scene with satisfaction and good humor.
To react that way when food was precious?
This was certainly a suspicious place. That was when Logan leaned over and whispered something to me.
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
My eyes met Logan’s, who sat with his legs crossed elegantly, arms folded, radiating a rough air.
Soon he leaned toward me.
“Give me the signal, and I can make this Shelter disappear as if it never existed in the first place. Just say the word.”
He seemed more than a little annoyed.
Apparently, my being exposed to so many other survivors was making him uncomfortable.
“If you say things like that out of nowhere, it sounds like you’re casting some kind of spell.”
“Sometimes overwhelming force looks like magic.”
“Logan. You know something about this place, don’t you?”
Logan fell silent at my question.
That’s right. Even if the novel didn’t mention it explicitly, I might have visited Sunhaven in some previous life after returning.
It was then.
“How did you enjoy your meal?”
Countess Winterdin appeared again. Behind her stood two men and three women who appeared to be her retainers.
“It was absolutely wonderful. Thank you for serving us such fine food.”
Countess Winterdin smiled contentedly at my response. We were sitting in order—myself, Logan, Leon, and Claire—and Countess Winterdin pointed to the empty seat beside Claire.
“Would it be alright if I sat beside you?”
Claire’s expression turned openly reluctant, but she said nothing, glancing toward us instead.
Having already imposed on the Shelter and eaten their food, she couldn’t very well object.
In the end, Countess Winterdin sat beside Claire, and her retainers soon bowed and dispersed in all directions.
“It’s been so long. Well, the last I heard from you was five years ago, wasn’t it? I heard you’d enlisted in the military, and it seems you’ve been doing well.”
Sure enough, Countess Winterdin turned her attention directly to Claire.
“Doing well is a stretch. I was trapped in a weather observation station for over two months.”
Claire answered curtly.
Yet Countess Winterdin maintained her smile as she spoke.
“I’d like to apologize for what happened in the past.”
“I don’t accept your apology.”
Claire was firm.
“Because of you, our Orphanage fell into ruin. The children we cared for were scattered to the winds.”
Silence fell.
There’s no defense I can offer for that.
It seems there’s a deep story here that we don’t know.
“I deeply regret what happened back then as well. I simply didn’t want you—the young lady, or rather, Lieutenant—to follow the same path as I did.”
It seemed she too had once loved someone as impossibly as Claire had.
“That impossible love left only wounds on the Lieutenant.”
“Most people don’t destroy someone else just because their love can’t be fulfilled.”
In the end, Countess Winterdin had nothing more to say and closed her mouth.
“That’s right. I won’t ask for forgiveness. Instead, I’ll tend to this place and help those in need, seeking atonement in my own way.”
“Yes, how admirable. You’ll surely go to heaven.”
Claire answered with a lukewarm expression, then glanced at the empty bowl in her hands and added one more thing.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll forgive you about a gram’s worth.”
Claire offered her thanks in a flat, measured tone. Countess Winterdin smiled faintly and nodded.
“Then let me show you to where you can rest for the night. Will you follow me?”
At Countess Winterdin’s question, we nodded and rose from our seats.
Looking back at the Community Hall once more, it overflowed with warmth.
‘But the elderly look unusually sad.’
They all wore unhappy faces.
Here, where Countess Winterdin confidently called heaven.
“You noticed?”
It was then that Logan added his remark as casually as if commenting on the day’s weather.
“What kind of place this is.”
No. I haven’t figured that out yet.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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