episode_0094

Snow Woman

Long white hair… a blue color like the Snow Woman’s tears… a cold expression, even a snow-white dress… and calling us humans… There was no doubt. Even I, who had never seen her before, and Aria, immediately felt with our whole bodies that this woman was the Snow Woman.

“Aria… that woman is the Snow Woman, right?”

“Yes. There’s no doubt. Especially when I feel the cold energy from her…”

“Cold energy… the energy of snow, then…”

“Yes… I apologize, Zeke-nim. The atmosphere was so harmonious… so warm… that I didn’t notice the Snow Woman coming so close.”

“It’s alright… We were going to go to her anyway… For her to come directly like this… I think it might even be a good thing…”

Aria chuckled at my words, saying this situation was actually good. Then, I noticed Aria wiggling her left hand behind her back, and I wondered what that action meant. What is that behavior?

“What are humans doing in this hut?”

The silent Snow Woman suddenly questioned us. What’s with that cold expression…? Is she hostile towards us, just like the legends say? This is a problem… Especially since Aria must be furious after I almost got blown away by the blizzard…

“You… did you cause that blizzard…? And whether we are in this hut or not… isn’t really any of your concern, is it?!”

“…This… is my house. And the blizzard… I didn’t do it…?”

“…Huh?”

“Yes?”

When the Snow Woman made the shocking statements that she wasn’t the culprit behind the blizzard and that this was her house, Aria and I were so flustered that we froze on the spot. Ten minutes later, in a somewhat awkward atmosphere, we sat on the floor facing each other. Then, the Snow Woman slowly opened her mouth.

“So… you knew I was the Snow Woman… but you didn’t know that the strong blizzard blowing outside wasn’t caused by me. And also, that this hut is my house.”

“Yes… yes…”

“I see…”

Indeed… If I had thought simply, I would have immediately realized… that this place didn’t budge even in the blizzard because it was the Snow Woman’s house… I was so caught up in the excessive delusion that this hut was a trap, so it’s embarrassing…

“…But that jewel…”

“Ah, it’s a jewel called the Snow Woman’s Tear outside. By any chance… is this jewel really…?”

“Ah… it must be the tears I shed long ago. My tears are usually harder than stone… and they don’t melt, so they can be kept like jewels.”

“These were real tears… Oh… by the way… I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was Snow Woman-nim’s house…”

“…It’s amazing you managed to find this place in the blizzard. You can rest comfortably until the blizzard stops.”

…Her expression was clearly cold and icy… but seeing the Snow Woman extending such hospitality, I realized with my whole body how pathetic and foolish I had been. Indeed, one shouldn’t judge people by their expressions… I’ll have to be more careful next time… But…

‘But why is the house so empty…? There’s no furniture.’

“But are you living here alone?”

The moment I found the house suspicious, Aria asked the Snow Woman if she lived alone. Well… she certainly looked like she lived alone… In response to Aria’s question, the Snow Woman nodded and told us:

“Yes. Because I am a Snow Woman, I live separated from people. Snow Women have the ability to make snow fall. However, it’s not an ability that can be used whenever one wishes, but one that activates on its own… That’s why I keep my distance from people and live alone in this mountain.”

“Hmm? Then what about the blizzard raging outside? Didn’t you just say that this blizzard…?”

“I didn’t do it. Although my ability activates on its own, I, as the owner of the ability, can tell whether the snow is falling from my power or not.”

The Snow Woman answered Aria’s question, saying she could tell whether her ability had been activated or not. Indeed, she is the Snow Woman, and even if it’s uncontrollable, it’s her ability, so she would know best… By the way, the Snow Woman before us now is completely different from the legends. Legends say the Snow Woman is hostile to humans… Wait. Legends?

“Is something wrong, Zeke-nim? Your complexion suddenly darkened.”

“Huh? Ah… no. It’s nothing… Can you hold my hand for a moment, Aria?”

“Yes… Yes?! H-hand?!”

When I asked if she could hold my hand, Aria nodded. Then she processed my question, her face began to flush, and she asked me back in surprise… There was no need for such a reaction… Ah, right. It was my first time asking to hold her hand first.

“R-really?!”

“Uh… yeah.”

“…Hehehe…!”

When I nodded to her question of “really,” Aria happily took my hand. At that moment, Aria seemed to sense something and nodded, and the Snow Woman, seeing this, asked me:

“This Saint seems to like you very much. Do you like this Saint too?”

“Huh? Ah… yes. She says she loves me. But I’m asexual, so we’re not in a romantic relationship yet.”

“…I will definitely make it happen! Definitely!!!”

When I said we weren’t in a romantic relationship, Aria puffed out her cheeks and declared she would definitely make it happen. Yes… Go, Aria… It’ll be tough. But… but still, I…

“Well… we’re not in a romantic relationship, but I’ve been traveling with Aria for a long time. So our relationship is one where I can trust Aria completely. In short, we’re very close.”

“…!! Of… of course! I will protect Zeke-nim…”

“How many times have I heard that already… I know it without you saying it, you know?”

“But shouldn’t I emphasize it?!”

Aria shrugged, confidently declaring she would protect me. Honestly, her confidence is amazing… especially when it comes to anything related to me… The Snow Woman seemed a little surprised by Aria and my harmonious appearance, opening her mouth slightly in wonder. Then she asked me:

“Humans get along well with each other.”

“Well… yes. By the way, I’m surprised. It might be rude to say, but… Snow Woman-nim kept her cold expression, so I thought you harbored hostility towards us. I didn’t expect you to welcome us like this.”

“Ah… sometimes humans do come to this place, Ter. But they all got caught in blizzards or avalanches and died. So it’s been a long time since I’ve met humans completely unharmed like this.”

“Hmm… I see. Ah, about introductions…”

“Ah, it’s fine. You’re going to leave soon anyway. And I’m not curious about your names. Or who you are.”

When the Snow Woman said she wasn’t curious about us, I scratched my head. Well… since she lives alone, I guess that’s understandable… Even though she showed us hospitality and allowed us to stay in her house, she’s clearly still wary of us. After all, people who survive a blizzard like this… they’re monsters. Well… that’s one thing, but…

“Understood. Then, by any chance… I have many questions about Snow Woman-nim.”

“Hm?”

“By any chance… if it’s not too much trouble… could you tell us about yourself?!”

“Zeke-nim!!”

When I showed great curiosity about the Snow Woman, Aria, who was beside me, was greatly surprised and shouted at me. But… the Snow Woman from the legends… and the owner of the jewel my family gave me is right in front of me like this… shouldn’t I be curious?! Seeing my reaction, Aria sighed deeply, as if she had already expected this.

“Haaah… I knew it would come to this…”

“Even if you hadn’t told me the legend, I would have been full of curiosity because of the Snow Woman’s Tear my family gave me.”

“A legend…”

The moment I mentioned the legend, the Snow Woman was surprised and muttered “a legend.” Oh no… I mentioned a legend full of negative stories in front of someone who showed us even a little goodwill… Realizing I had carelessly committed an impropriety, I scratched my head, bowed my head, and apologized to the Snow Woman.

“Ah, I’m sorry. About the legend…”

“…It’s nothing. So, what are you curious about?”

While I was apologizing, the Snow Woman waved her hand, trying to dismiss it. Then she asked me what I was curious about, so I scratched my head again, raised my head, and asked the Snow Woman.

“Can I really ask?”

“…Since you’re a human I’m meeting after a long time… Alright. I’ll allow it on the condition that you don’t ask any uncomfortable questions.”

“Ah, understood! Then…”

As the Snow Woman granted permission to ask questions, I immediately pulled out a notebook and pen from my backpack. Seeing my quick actions, the Snow Woman’s expression stiffened, and seeing her face, my shoulders momentarily tensed. What was that…? Did I make a mistake or something?

“You’re excited, aren’t you?”

“Ah… ahaha… when I learn something new, I get excited without realizing it…”

“Good grief… That’s why I have trouble, you know? Can’t you hold back sometimes, Zeke-nim…? You came up this mountain because of that curiosity too, didn’t you…?”

“I can’t! If it’s an exploration I can feel with my whole body, I’ll never miss out! Even if it’s a road to hell… No, that’s going too far.”

“If you really did go, I would be incredibly sad… And I would die too… So be prepared!!!”

When Aria made such a terrifying threat, saying she would die too if I died in a dangerous place, I let out a hollow laugh, trying to hide my embarrassment. Gosh… She’s even shedding tears while making such threats, it’s so chilling that I almost flinched for a moment…

“Ah… alright. I won’t die carelessly, so don’t talk so scary…”

“…Considering all the things Zeke-nim has done by taking risks so far, this much is weak…”

“…Every time that happens, I do rely on you, you know? Truly…”

“…Ugh… really… saying things like that is unfair, you know…”

When I said that whenever I threw myself into dangerous situations, I always relied on her, Aria pouted, calling it unfair. But I clearly knew that there was happiness in her expression. Because it’s Aria… Well… it’s not a lie either. The reason I was able to brace myself for dangerous situations so far was because I had the belief that I could definitely do it. And that belief came from Aria being by my side.

“Alright, alright. So stop being upset.”

“…Understood…”

“…You two really have a good atmosphere. Anyone nearby can immediately tell that your relationship is warm.”

The Snow Woman looked between Aria and my face and commented that Aria and I had a good relationship. Aria then shrugged with a confident expression, and seeing her self-assured look, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Haha… I guess so…”

“But… I really hate such warm atmospheres.”

“Huh? What is th…!!!”

“!!!”

The Snow Woman’s atmosphere suddenly darkened, and she reached out her hand towards us. At that moment, we instantly froze. We became trapped, frozen inside blocks of ice, and the Snow Woman, seeing us frozen, stood up and said, looking at our frozen forms:

“Did you think that all humans who came here so far only died by getting caught in blizzards and avalanches? But… there were also humans who survived even in avalanches and blizzards, just like you. So I froze them all like this and killed them. They all shattered into pieces while frozen and were eaten by monsters.”

The Snow Woman paced around the frozen Aria and me, then began to tell a shocking story. So far, the Snow Woman had killed many people with blizzards that even she couldn’t control, but if there were humans who survived them, she personally killed them all. That’s how Ter became known in this world as the terrifying snowy mountain, and the number of people who dared to step foot here gradually decreased over time.

“Humans became reluctant to come here because of that. Well… humans from other regions who knew nothing about this place did dare to step foot here. But I killed all of them with my own hands too. I don’t know if you two came from other regions… but the destination of your journey is here. You shouldn’t carelessly step into the snowy mountain.”

The Snow Woman mocked us, frozen as we were, while telling us about this place. Then, she picked up the Snow Woman’s Tear that had fallen beside me and crushed it in her grip. She then shook her hand, dusting off all the debris, and said:

“It seems my tear informed you that I was nearby. Because it glows in response to my power, humans used to use my tears as detectors in the past. Even though they’re my tears… they’re really annoying. But what’s even more annoying is…”

The Snow Woman, who had been circling the frozen Aria and me, suddenly stopped in front of the ice block trapping Aria. Then she placed her hand on the ice block and muttered with an even colder expression:

“What’s more annoying is… a warm atmosphere… Perhaps because I’m a Snow Woman, I really hate such warm atmospheres… to the point where I want to freeze everything… I want to trap everyone in ice…!! When I see an atmosphere like this…!!”

“…Is that truly the reason, Snow Woman-nim?”

“…?!”

The moment the Snow Woman was mumbling about why she hated warm atmospheres, my voice was heard, and the Snow Woman was greatly surprised, turning her head towards me. Seeing that I was staring directly at her, the Snow Woman muttered in great astonishment:

“You… how could you…!!”

The moment the Snow Woman was greatly astonished by me staring at her, a cracking sound reached the Snow Woman’s ears, and she quickly turned her head in that direction. At that moment, the ice trapping Aria shattered instantly, and Aria’s hand abruptly shot out from within.

“Gasp… gasp…”

Then Aria grabbed the Snow Woman’s neck with a murderous expression, and as Aria grabbed the Snow Woman, I also broke free from the ice. When Aria and I easily escaped from the ice she had created, the Snow Woman said in a greatly flustered voice:

“H-how…?”

“Aria had already bestowed a blessing on me. And… we were waiting for you to reveal your true colors. This place… isn’t your hut, is it?”

“…!!”

The Snow Woman was greatly astonished that I had already figured everything out. In fact, while talking with the Snow Woman, I had continuously looked around. There was no way the Snow Woman lived in a place with no furniture, no dishes, nothing. Moreover, there was no wardrobe for extra clothes, so I was certain. That’s why I held Aria’s hand and secretly sent her my devilish energy imbued with my thoughts.

“I tried it just in case… I thought that since you’re a Snow Woman, you’d dislike warm atmospheres and such. So I gave Aria a signal beforehand…”

“I was serious.”

“…”

Aria’s words, saying she was serious, flustered me. No… perhaps I already knew Aria was serious from the beginning… Anyway, the plan to make the Snow Woman reveal her true colors succeeded. Next is…

“Hah… haha… So you’re going to try and kill me again… Well… I have also killed humans with these hands so far… But… but…!!! You… you have no right to speak either!!! You damned humans!!!”

In a desperate struggle, the Snow Woman firmly grabbed Aria’s arm, which was holding her neck. Aria’s arm then began to freeze, and seeing that, I was greatly flustered.

“A-Aria, look at this…!!!”

“How dare you try to freeze this arm that will protect Zeke-nim.”

“!!!”

As the Snow Woman tried to freeze her arm, Aria threw the Snow Woman against the wall. The Snow Woman cried out in pain from the impact, and Aria healed her frozen arm with divine power.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Then… to judge that woman…”

“No. That’s not the plan. Leave the rest to me, Aria. You promised, didn’t you?”

When I stopped her from judging the Snow Woman, Aria sighed deeply, recalling the thoughts I had just sent her. Since we had promised to subdue the Snow Woman but not kill her, Aria couldn’t hastily kill her.

“Understood… Instead, if that Snow Woman does anything terrible, I will judge her.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded at Aria’s words that she would judge the Snow Woman if she threatened me. Then I slowly approached the Snow Woman. The Snow Woman, still sitting on the floor, was breathing heavily and looked up at me, saying:

“Hah… hah… Why? Do you want to kill me yourself?”

“No.”

“Then why did you come…?”

“…The legend circulating outside… it’s false, isn’t it? Rather, it was humans who were at fault, right?”

“What…?”

The Snow Woman was greatly agitated by my question about whether the legend circulating outside was false. So that was it… This was the same. Seeing the Snow Woman’s great agitation, the truth that the legend about her was false resonated throughout my entire body.

“Ha… haha… Now? Now you suddenly feel sympathy for me?! You just want my power anyway!!! You’re not genuinely thinking of me, are you…!”

The Snow Woman pointed a finger at me and angrily accused me of only being kind because I wanted her power. Then, realizing that I was genuinely looking at her with pity, the Snow Woman slowly lowered her finger and muttered with trembling eyes:

“You’re not genuinely thinking… are you…? No… no… right…? You’re not, are you…?”

“…I genuinely want to know Snow Woman-nim’s story. Only then can I learn the truth about Snow Woman-nim, defend her, and embrace her. So… can you tell me? What exactly happened to Snow Woman-nim… and what did the humans of the past do to spread such a false legend about her until now?”

“…”

When I genuinely expressed curiosity and sympathy for her, the Snow Woman seemed greatly shocked and speechless. Then she lowered her head and spoke to me in a trembling voice:

“…Yu… Yuria…”

“Huh?”

“Ni… Nivis… Yuria… That’s my name… Don’t call me Snow Woman… Call me Yuria…”

The Snow Woman… no, Yuria, trembled and then crouched down, bowing her head as she asked to be called by her name, not Snow Woman. Then Yuria began to tell her past story.