Chapter Index

    The Legend of the Snow Woman

    “A… Achoo!”

    “Here~ Ah~”

    What kind of situation is this now…? Well… it’s a rather ordinary situation. The problem is that others might misunderstand… Perhaps because of the blizzard earlier, I have a fever and a cough… In short, I’m sick. So, Aria has completely wrapped me in a blanket, made stew with the meat she brought, and is now meticulously spoon-feeding me the stew.

    “…Ugh… To get sick at a time like this… This is infuriating… Our journey will be delayed a bit…”

    “That’s right~ You need to eat something to regain your energy, so quickly~ Ah~”

    “…”

    As Aria continued to offer the spoon filled with stew with a bright smile, I felt a little burdened. Before, when I was sick, I always took care of myself… How long has it been since someone nursed me like this… Wait… nursed?

    “…Wait, Aria. I have a question.”

    “Yes~ Ask me anything~”

    “Your ability… Can’t you cure my illness with your divine power? It’s powerful enough to even remove poison, isn’t it…?”

    “Oh dear! What should I do~ I can use divine power to cure poison, but I don’t know how to handle divine power to cure illness~”

    “Ugh?!”

    The moment I asked if she couldn’t just use divine power, Aria suddenly put the spoon into my mouth. The hot stew touched my mouth, and I began to groan in pain from the heat.

    “N-no! So hot! Hot!”

    When my mouth got burned by the stew, Aria frantically handed me a water bottle. I immediately took the bottle and chugged down the water. Haa… haa… I almost had a serious injury… It was so hot, I couldn’t even taste it…

    “Ugh… That was close… My mouth almost got burned…”

    “Oh no… I’m sorry…”

    “Sigh… But why aren’t you using your divine power? Did you really forget how to use it?”

    “Huh? Ah… ahaha… Th-that’s… I don’t have a good excuse… hahaha… N-next time! Next time, I’ll definitely learn how to use it properly!”

    …She definitely knows. The cold sweat pouring from Aria’s head, her awkward expression, and even her trembling eyes. Anyone could immediately tell she was lying from that reaction; Aria was visibly flustered by my words. Sigh… I’m just sick, can’t this be resolved quickly…? Oh well… Anyway…

    “Speaking of which… what exactly is this cabin? The blizzard is raging outside, but it’s not even shaking.”

    “You’re right.”

    This cabin was extremely suspicious. I could clearly see the blizzard still raging fiercely outside the window, yet the cabin didn’t even budge. Even my house in Todrua would shake a bit if the blizzard was this strong… How can this cabin, without any apparent mechanisms, withstand such a harsh wind? And…

    “Why is this gem glowing so much? Well… thanks to this, we could start a fire and all…”

    I still didn’t know why the Snow Woman’s Tear lying on the floor was glowing. It was good that its light allowed us to build a campfire and for Aria to diagnose my condition… but I still couldn’t understand why it glowed so brightly. And this snow mountain, named Ter on the map… I couldn’t understand why it was snowing only on this mountain…

    “A place whose origin and history are unknown, and whose environment is unpredictable… I expected we might encounter such a place, but… it won’t be easy to get through, will it?”

    “But Zeke-nim, you’re sick right now. Wouldn’t it be better to rest here for a bit before moving on?”

    “…That’s the thing. I thought so at first, too. But… the more I think about it, something feels off. The building itself.”

    “Huh?”

    Others might think it’s a stroke of luck and stay in this cabin until the blizzard stops… but my intuition tells me otherwise. This place is definitely not just here by chance. It might be too imaginative, but the more I think about this seemingly shabby cabin blocking even the blizzard… my gut feeling says it’s like a trap.

    “A cabin like this appearing normally in such a blizzard? Absolutely not. This is probably some kind of device meant to lure castaways like us.”

    “Hmm… but nothing is detected. If there were such a presence, especially one related to illusions, I would have noticed it immediately. So… here~ Ah~”

    “…”

    Even as I spoke of the danger in a serious tone, Aria smiled brightly and offered me another spoonful of stew. Does she not understand the gravity of the situation…? I spoke with such a serious tone… Ah, I see.

    “Whether this is a trap or not… I’m relieved because you’re here, aren’t I?”

    “Hehe…”

    “…Sigh…”

    As Aria replied with a bright laugh, I chuckled and put the spoon Aria offered into my mouth. As I ate the stew, Aria’s smile grew wider and wider, as if she was happy, and she continued to feed me the stew. Hmm… still, this…

    “This isn’t the time to say this, but… the stew is delicious.”

    “Hehe… I hear it every time, but it’s still the best to hear Zeke-nim say it’s delicious. It makes cooking feel worthwhile, you know? I feel satisfied, and… well, it just makes me happy.”

    ‘T-this is why she didn’t cure my illness…’

    Every time Aria expressed her happiness, I realized that this was why she hadn’t cured my illness. Well… I’d noticed it earlier anyway. Having finished all the stew Aria had made, I fiddled with the blanket wrapped around me and spoke.

    “Anyway… how do we get through that blizzard? This blanket won’t be enough to maintain my body temperature.”

    “Hmm… Should I carry Zeke-nim on my back and push through the blizzard? As you saw earlier, I can withstand the blizzard with my whole body while holding onto Zeke-nim.”

    “If I get blown away like that, it’s over. This blizzard… shows no signs of stopping. We need to seek a better way…”

    The moment I was searching for a way to break through the blizzard, my eyes caught sight of the Snow Woman’s Tear glowing on the floor. I reached out and picked up the glowing Snow Woman’s Tear, and as I suddenly stopped speaking to pick it up, Aria tilted her head and asked.

    “Is something wrong, Zeke-nim?”

    “…Aria. Do you happen to know anything about Snow Women?”

    “…Why are you asking about that? A Snow Woman is, after all, a woman… Surely… you’re not getting interested in another woman besides me…?”

    As I asked about the Snow Woman, Aria’s face gradually began to darken. Seeing her expression, I was greatly flustered. After all, Aria was giving me a chilling look, as if asking how dared I try to learn about another woman… Perhaps because I hadn’t asked about other women before, this side of Aria… was so terrifying. More importantly, can’t I even ask such a question?!

    “No… that’s not it! It’s because I think the cause of this blizzard is the Snow Woman! Look! It’s still a mystery why the Snow Woman’s Tear is glowing, isn’t it? But if we connect the Snow Woman’s Tear with this blizzard, it means a Snow Woman might be involved in this situation!”

    “Is that true?”

    Aria slowly reached for her staff, then pushed her face close to mine, showing me that chilling expression as she asked again. So, she’s deliberately trying to scare me! And to make matters worse, she’s misunderstanding that I’m interested in the Snow Woman, which is driving me absolutely insane…

    “Cough… cough cough… cough… Ugh… Ughhh… Haa… Haa…”

    “…!!”

    The moment Aria continued to push me into fear, I began to cough due to my illness. As I coughed and gasped for breath, Aria finally seemed to remember that I was sick; her expression turned flustered, and she slowly began to lower her head.

    “I-I’m so sorry… I forgot that Zeke-nim was sick… I’m so sorry…”

    “Phew… It’s fine… It’s okay… Just don’t misunderstand and please listen to me…? You can do that, right? I’ll forgive you…”

    I slowly moved my trembling hand to stroke Aria’s head, persuading her. Then, Aria, who had been on the verge of tears just moments ago, relaxed her expression and replied with a smile.

    “Yes…”

    “Okay… Anyway, if this situation is caused by a Snow Woman… it might be faster to persuade her. So, tell me about Snow Women… Well, I didn’t know before… but from your reaction just now, I can tell a Snow Woman is female. Sometimes men are called witches, but your reaction told me that’s not the case for Snow Women.”

    “Hmph! But you absolutely cannot like or fall in love with a Snow Woman! I won’t be able to forgive that!”

    …I haven’t even taken you as a lover, after all the things we’ve overcome together, and you think I’d fall in love with a Snow Woman just from hearing a description…? It seems Aria is still anxious about losing me to another woman. Me, an asexual…

    “Alright. So tell me.”

    “I know because a wanderer who visited the Esrad Kingdom once told me the legend of the Snow Woman. Hmm… So… a Snow Woman is, literally, a woman called a ‘Snow Maiden.’ They are legendary beings from ancient times… about 200 years ago, to be precise.”

    “But was that a legend from the Herlos region?”

    “I don’t know about that. I just heard it because it was an interesting story. Of course… I have no interest in it now!”

    As Aria snorted and puffed out her cheeks, saying she had no interest now, I realized she was emphasizing it and became serious. At this rate, it seems she’s jealous of the Snow Woman… Has she forgotten that I… no, that we are trapped here because of a Snow Woman?

    “Anyway, a Snow Woman is a woman who commands snow. They are said to have the ability to make snow fall freely or control ice. And it’s said that a Snow Woman lives on a certain mountain.”

    “…Wait. So that mountain is Ter?! Why didn’t you tell me this?! And you don’t mean… you knew a Snow Woman was here from the very beginning?!”

    “Th-that… Ugh… Ughhh…”

    Realizing that Aria had known everything from the beginning, I immediately yelled at her. Aria was startled by my scolding, then closed her eyes tightly and began to shrink her body. To have known from the start… That’s too much! The moment I felt greatly betrayed that Aria had kept it a secret from me from the beginning, Aria, with her eyes tightly closed, blushed and shouted at me.

    “Yes!!! After safely bringing Zeke-nim to this cabin, I intended to go handle the Snow Woman by myself!!! Is that enough!?”

    Aria suddenly shouted her original plan to me, and her loud voice actually flustered me even more. Then Aria’s tears started dripping, and she puffed out her cheeks again, making me even more flustered.

    “Why… why?”

    “Because I don’t want Zeke-nim to get hurt… So… so I wanted to bring Zeke-nim to a safe place and handle it myself…”

    …Ah, I see. Aria didn’t want me to get hurt, so she tried to keep me in a safe place and handle it alone. Only now did I realize why Aria hadn’t cured my illness even though she could. Because I might have died by the Snow Woman, she chose for me to be sick and unable to move instead. That way, I couldn’t go to the Snow Woman with her.

    “I don’t want Zeke-nim to get hurt…”

    “I understand your feelings well, Aria. But… if I’m not by your side, I could be in more danger. The Snow Woman might try to threaten you using me, who is in the cabin… What would you do then?”

    “Th-that…”

    Aria couldn’t offer any answer to my question about how I could be in more danger and what she would do in that situation. It’s not impossible. If this cabin itself is the Snow Woman’s trap… a cornered Snow Woman would surely do something using my life.

    “…So, Aria. Let’s solve this together. As always. Okay? And… if I’m by your side, the risk of me getting hurt will be lower. Don’t you think?”

    When I reminded her that the risk of me getting hurt would be lower if I were by her side, Aria’s face began to brighten. Then she nodded vigorously, agreeing with my words. Well… it was certainly true that I would be safe by Aria’s side, so I could say it with confidence. Our journey so far had proven that.

    “You’re right, Zeke-nim! Ahem… Anyway, I’ll continue to tell you the legend.”

    “Okay.”

    “Long ago, a Snow Woman reportedly lived among people. Then, people asked the Snow Woman if she could create a beautiful landscape for their village. So, the Snow Woman gladly made snow fall, presenting the people with a beautiful scenery.”

    “Hmm… That means the Snow Woman had a good personality… but there’s more, isn’t there?”

    “Yes. The people expressed their gratitude to the Snow Woman. But the Snow Woman was dissatisfied. She felt that this much wasn’t beautiful enough. So, the Snow Woman began to make more snow fall, and even fiercer snow. Then, the people began to writhe in agony. People shivering from the cold, people falling ill, even people suffering because their crops withered.”

    “Hmm… So she had a dissatisfaction with the snow itself.”

    To make snow fall to the extent of making people writhe in agony… Is she sane? To continue making snow fall even as people are suffering… She’s definitely not in her right mind… Or perhaps, after not using her powers for a long time, the suppressed desires exploded when she finally used them?

    “Then, the people all joined forces to oppose the Snow Woman. But the Snow Woman’s power was immense, and unable to defeat her, the people had to abandon the village where they lived. That is the end of the Snow Woman’s legend. Furthermore, this legend was also said to teach a lesson that something within people can explode and turn them into monsters.”

    “I see… And the place where that village was… is this Ter. Now I understand…”

    “Yes. And the Snow Woman is said to be hostile towards humans because of that incident where humans tried to kill her.”

    Damn it… So this blizzard isn’t just a blizzard… it’s the Snow Woman sending us her feelings… Her intention to kill us! In other words, we are already practically within the Snow Woman’s embrace. The moment I realized this and sighed, searching for a way, Aria cupped my cheeks with both hands. And then…

    “Huh…? This is divine power… Oh? My body is… starting to feel comfortable… You said earlier you didn’t know how…”

    “I-I suddenly remembered… When Z-Zeke-nim showed signs of suffering from his illness… I-I think I remembered…”

    What a lie… With that flustered expression on her face and her stammering, even a child would immediately know she was lying. But I knew Aria hadn’t cured my illness because she was worried about me, so I didn’t say anything or complain. I merely…

    “Phew… Now I feel alive again… Thank you, Aria!”

    “…Hehe…”

    I only expressed my gratitude to Aria. After the healing was complete and I, feeling refreshed, stretched my body and thanked her, Aria chuckled and said to me.

    “Zeke-nim… you’re not very good at lying either…”

    Aria seemed to have already realized that my thanks were a lie, as she quietly told me I wasn’t good at lying, which flustered me. Uh… Did she read my mind…? Though initially flustered, I smiled, thinking that since it was Aria, she must have read my mind, and asked.

    “…Was it obvious?”

    “I don’t know… I just knew by feeling it.”

    “…Is that so?”

    “…!!!”

    When Aria said she just knew by feeling it, I chuckled and replied. At that moment, Aria suddenly sensed something and urgently grabbed her staff. As she pointed her staff towards the door, I also drew Trahan. Then the door burst open, and from outside, a white-haired, blue-eyed woman in a billowing white dress slowly entered, looked at us, and spoke.

    “Humans…”

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