episode_0092

The Bizarre Snow Mountain, Ter

“Ugh… it’s so cold…”

Aria and I were currently passing through a snowy mountain. It was fortunate that the slope was gentle and we were wearing boots, but… it was too cold… Ah, that’s not it. The reason Aria and I were passing through this snow mountain… goes back an hour. Aria and I had just finished lunch with stew made from the meat Aria had butchered and were back on the road.

“Sigh… The food you make is delicious, but… the process is… well, I was prepared to see such things on a journey of exploration, but… I’m still not used to the brutal parts…”

“Hehehe… That’s why I do it instead! So don’t worry, Zeke-nim!”

*You don’t mind seeing it?* Aria shrugged, telling me to leave it to her, but since the fact that I had to watch the process remained unchanged, I sighed. Then I took out the map from my pocket and located our current position.

“Hmm… We’re walking towards a mountain right now.”

“A mountain? Hmm… Zeke-nim. Actually, I heard something about the nearby area in Ruam… Would you like to see this?”

“Huh? Oh… what is this?”

As Aria suddenly began to take something out of her backpack, I turned my head towards her. When a piece of clothing emerged from the backpack, I tilted my head and looked closely at the clothing Aria pulled out. That was…

“Isn’t that thick clothing?”

“Yes. I brought it in case we had to climb a mountain. They say it gets cold when you climb a mountain. So I bought some clothes.”

“Really? Can I try it on for a moment?”

“Of course~”

Aria, hearing my request to try it on for a moment, gladly gave me the clothes she had bought. I took the clothes and immediately put them on. Hmm… This size seems like a coat… But…

*‘…It fits me perfectly.’*

The coat fit me perfectly. To be precise, it was a little large for my body, befitting a coat… I hadn’t even gone to try it on to match the size, so how did Aria know my clothes size? Well… let’s just not think about it… It’s probably easier to just think that Aria just knows.

“Hmm… It’s good. The brown color also seems to go well with my orange clothes.”

“Hehehehe… I’m glad Zeke-nim likes the clothes I bought…”

“But you didn’t just buy something for me, did you? What about you?”

“Ah, I’m fine~ I didn’t feel cold even when I flew through the sky while fighting the World Tree before.”

“Hmm. That’s certainly true.”

As someone who knew Aria’s superhuman physical abilities better than anyone, I could be certain that Aria wouldn’t feel the cold. So, with the coat Aria gave me draped over my arm, I continued walking. Then, I noticed snow piled up on the surrounding trees and was taken aback.

“Snow? Winter is already over, so why is there snow?”

“…? Oh my. Zeke-nim, look over there.”

“Huh…? Wha—?!”

Aria pointed her finger at something she had found, and I turned my head in that direction. A snow mountain came into my view, and seeing snow falling only on the mountain filled me with great astonishment.

“W-what is that?! Why is it snowing only on the mountain?! Is this the Herlos region?!”

“It certainly is strange. But Zeke-nim, a place like this…”

Seeing the sight of snow falling only on the mountain, Aria said it was definitely a strange terrain and seemed to guess something. Then, she straightened her face, turned her head to look at me, and seeing that I truly had a face full of interest, Aria bowed her head and let out a deep sigh.

“Just as I expected…”

“Truly… it’s a truly mysterious place… Isn’t it, Aria?!”

I couldn’t help but be excited. A place that openly showed itself to be mysterious… and I should just pass by?! I had walked so many miles to explore places like this… I absolutely couldn’t miss it! To think such a mysterious place existed in Krentid World…!! As my excitement swelled with anticipation, Aria grabbed my shoulder and began to shake my body violently.

“Kyaaaah! Zeke-nim! No! I know very well that Zeke-nim loves to explore!! But isn’t that openly telling us that something big will happen if we go in?! It wouldn’t matter if I went alone, but Zeke-nim would surely…”

“Of course I have to go to be satisfied! I’ll never back down…!!”

“That’s the problem, Zeke-nim! Kyaaaah!!”

As I said I would naturally go, Aria began to shake my body even more violently. Aria opposed my entry into the snow mountain with all her might, and I showed my will to enter the snow mountain with all my might. And three minutes later…

“Pant… Pant… Alright… I guess Zeke-nim would eventually persuade me by saying I’ll protect Zeke-nim, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Ugh… It is true, but… Haaah… There’s no helping it…”

In the end, Aria, knowing that she would protect me from the dangers of the snow mountain, gave up and agreed to my climbing the snow mountain. Just as I was adapting to Aria, Aria was adapting to me… Well… Aria already seemed to have adapted to almost everything.

“Besides, you bought my coat at just the right time. Wouldn’t that count as you having foresight?”

“Ugh… I didn’t buy it for this purpose… Alright. It seems I just can’t stop Zeke-nim…”

“Well… that also means you care about me that much. So I won’t recklessly put myself in danger. If you’re worried, it makes me afraid of what might happen too.”

“…Then, can I hold your hand as we go?”

When I said I wouldn’t recklessly put myself in danger, Aria asked if she could hold my hand and extended hers. I smiled and took Aria’s hand, and only after I held her hand did Aria’s expression, which had been serious, begin to brighten as if she was relieved.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes!”

As Aria nodded and replied, I held her hand and entered the snow mountain. And now, I was feeling the cold emanating from the snow mountain with my entire body. Because of this, when I felt a little cold, Aria asked me.

“Are you alright, Zeke-nim? Should we rest for a bit?”

“Ah, I’m fine. Anyway, this cold… Ugh… It would have been a disaster if you hadn’t bought the coat… Thank you so much, Aria.”

“Hehehe! It was something I could do because I worried about Zeke-nim’s body!… Actually, I bought other clothes besides the coat. After all… Zeke-nim has only worn one type of clothing until now.”

“You’re one in the same…”

“…Pffft…”

Realizing that she too had worn nothing but her black priestess robes until now, Aria let out a small laugh. Then she grabbed the collar of her robes and said to me.

“But I want to keep wearing these clothes. These are the clothes Zeke-nim worried about me and personally mended for me… Actually, I’ve never received clothes directly made by someone who worried about me as a gift.”

“It’s the same for me~ As for clothes… I just pay a tailor to buy them, I don’t make them myself… Ah.”

The moment I told Aria it was the same for me, I noticed something and turned my head to her. When I saw Aria looking at me with bright, clear eyes, as if she had realized something, I guessed what Aria was thinking.

“Y-you… you don’t have to make my clothes…”

“Aw~ Don’t be like that~ Don’t worry! I know Zeke-nim’s body size, so I can make them!”

No, you don’t have to make them!! And how do you know my body size?! Don’t tell me, while I was sleeping…!! W-wait… Then perhaps that dream… that dream…?! I realized that the nightmare I had this morning was because of Aria and was greatly horrified. Aria tilted her head and asked me.

“Zeke-nim? What’s wrong? You suddenly look unwell. Is it because of the cold?”

“No… It’s because of the nightmare I had this morning…”

“What kind of nightmare did you have? If I can help, I’d like to.”

“…Don’t know about it…”

As Aria became curious about the nightmare I had, I waved my hand, telling her not to know. I couldn’t tell her. Because if Aria knew the content of that nightmare… she would really recreate the nightmare’s content in reality. Having my legs tied to the bed… That’s too terrible.

“Still, if I knew the content of the nightmare, I could help…”

“Please, just don’t know about it…”

As Aria continued to want to know about the nightmare, I let out a hollow laugh and earnestly pleaded with her not to be curious. At that moment, something suddenly burst out of the snow on our path. As a bursting sound was heard, Aria and I turned our heads in that direction, and when a large water buffalo emerged from the snow, I was dumbfounded. Because it wasn’t an ordinary water buffalo…

“Th-that’s a Snow Bison…!!! It’s a mid-level monster frequently appearing in snow mountains… Does it live even in a partially snowy place like this?!”

Realizing that what appeared before us was a Snow Bison, I was greatly astonished. Snow Bison. A monster that inhabits huge snow mountains where it snows all day long. But for a Snow Bison, which should be in a huge snow mountain, to appear even in such a small snow mountain…

*‘Does this mean this is the perfect environment for them to live in?! I really can’t predict anything…!! Or is the monster guide wrong, like with that slime?!’*

I suspected that the information about the Snow Bison, like the slime group I encountered after leaving Todrua, was wrong. Seriously, who wrote this?! How many incorrect parts are there?! The moment I was horrified by the Snow Bison, Aria began to smile brightly, then turned her head to me and said.

“Zeke-nim! Do you know what’s needed in a snow mountain like this?!”

“W-what?”

“It’s stew made from meat! Hehehe… I was worried because Zeke-nim was feeling cold… It’s such a relief! It seems my worry for Zeke-nim was conveyed!”

Ah, right. Now that I think about it, even if the monster guide information was wrong, I didn’t have to worry too much during the journey. Because Aria was there… As Aria smiled brightly and approached it, the Snow Bison began to rage.

“ROOAARRRRR!!!”

*‘Now I’m starting to feel sorry for that buffalo…’*

“Oh my… The meat looks fresh~ Excellent!”

*‘…It’s fresh because it was just caught.’*

Seeing Aria excited at the thought of serving me meat stew, the Snow Bison immediately charged at Aria. If one were to be hit by the Snow Bison’s horns, which resembled reindeer antlers, they would certainly not escape unharmed. This is undeniable. But… its opponent happened to be…

“Oh my! To come personally to become Zeke-nim’s meal… Thank you so much… Ah!”

As the Snow Bison charged with its intimidating horns raised towards her, Aria lightly swung her staff to warm up. Then she struck the head of the approaching Snow Bison with her staff, and the Snow Bison, struck by Aria’s staff, seemed greatly surprised as it stopped midway and began to shriek and thrash around.

“Screech!!! Screeeech!!! Aaaaargh!!”

*‘…That must really hurt…’*

Seeing the Snow Bison screaming in pain and agony, I absurdly began to feel sympathy for the monster. The thought that I would sympathize with a monster… it was something I never could have imagined when I was leaving Todrua…

“Alright then… I have to serve the meal quickly…!!”

“Ugh…”

Aria, excited at the thought of serving me meat stew, immediately cut the neck of the confused Snow Bison with a single stroke of her staff… Huh? Wait… She cut it in one go?! The head of a Snow Bison with its tough hide, not with a knife, but with a staff?! While I was greatly astonished that Aria had cut the Snow Bison’s head with a staff, blood gushed from the fallen Snow Bison’s body and head, staining the surrounding snow red. And Aria, standing in the middle, smiled brightly and said.

“On a cold day like this, warm meat stew is best~ I’ll also serve lemon tea for dessert, so look forward to it!”

“…Okay.”

As Aria showed me her strength by flexing her arm and immediately began to butcher the Snow Bison, I let out a hollow laugh and replied. As Aria butchered the meat, getting blood all over herself, I sat on the ground and unfolded the map.

“…Hmm… Now that I look, the snow mountain on the map was this very snow mountain… The environment suddenly changed, so I didn’t realize it was this one.”

“Zeke-nim! I’ll serve you lots of delicious food again today!!”

Aria, cutting meat, looked back and waved at me. I let out a hollow laugh and waved back at Aria. Well, what… I know Aria makes things happily…?!

“Ugh… Ugh?! Th-this?!”

The moment I was trying to understand Aria, the snowfall suddenly intensified, and the wind began to swirl fiercely. And it was a strong wind…!! What’s with this sudden blizzard?! I gritted my teeth and endured the sudden blizzard, and Aria urgently shouted at me.

“Z-Zeke-nim!!! I’m coming for you!!!”

“Y-yeah! I can still endure it, don’t worry… Huh?”

The moment I was reassuring Aria that I could still endure it, the wind grew stronger, and my body began to lift. I was greatly startled, and Aria gasped, seeing me about to be carried away by the wind.

“Z-Zeke-niiim!!!”

*‘D-damn it…!!! Is this my tomb?!’*

No…!! If I get caught in a blizzard on a snow mountain like this… it’s just death…!! Knowing this well, I instinctively closed my eyes. Then my body began to be carried away by the wind, and feeling that sensation, I peeked open my eyes. At that moment, a golden rod came into my blurred vision.

*‘Th-this is…!! Hyaah!!!’*

Realizing the identity of the rod that came into my blurred vision, I immediately stretched out my arm and grabbed it. Then the rod I held began to appear clearer and clearer, and realizing it was Aria’s staff, I smiled.

*‘Phew… Th-that’s a relief…!!’*

“Zeke-nim…!! Hold on tight!!!”

“I’m holding on tight, Aria!! Pull!!!”

“Yes!!!”

As I shouted for her to pull with all my might, my body, which had been floating in the air, gradually began to be pulled towards Aria’s staff. Then, as Aria became clearer and clearer, I felt relieved, and when I was right in front of her, Aria pulled me into a hug, staff and all.

“Waaah! Zeke-nim!!! I’m so glad you’re safe!!! Waaah!”

“Oh… I should be thanking you, Aria… F-first, let’s find a place to avoid the blizzard…”

“Sob… Yes…”

At my words to find a place to avoid the blizzard, Aria stopped crying and slowly moved forward. Then an old cabin came into my view, and I pointed my finger at it and shouted.

“Aria, hang in there! We just need to get there!”

“Yes! Don’t worry about me, Zeke-nim!!”

Encouraged by me, Aria put in effort and walked to the cabin. When she arrived at the cabin, Aria immediately opened the door and went inside, and I pulled myself out of Aria’s arms and quickly closed the door… Huh?

“A-Aria… Did you even bring the meat in that short time?!”

The moment I was about to close the door, I was startled to see a chunk of meat in front of it. Then I was horrified to see that the string tying the meat was connected all the way to Aria’s leg, and Aria chuckled and replied to me.

“Of course. It’s cooking material to warm up Zeke-nim, so I couldn’t leave it. Hehe… But are you okay, Zeke-nim…?”

As Aria scratched her head and explained to me, then worried about me, I brushed the snow off my head and clothes with my hand and brought the chunk of meat inside. Then I closed the door and smiled at Aria, saying.

“Aside from being a little cold, I’m perfectly fine thanks to you! Thank you, Aria!”

“…Hehehe…”

When I expressed my gratitude, Aria was so happy that her face turned red. Then she opened her backpack and said to me.

“Then I’ll quickly get ready to make stew~ For Zeke-nim… Huh?”

“Huh? Why?”

Aria, who was taking out cooking utensils from her backpack, looked at me and seemed surprised, as if she saw something strange. I tilted my head and then examined my body. Then I found it.

“Huh? Why is light coming from here…”

A blue light was seeping out from my backpack. I unslung my backpack and began to search for something glowing inside it. Then I found a glowing blue gem, took it out of my backpack, and examined it. This was…

“This is… the Snow Maiden’s Tear my father gave me.”