episode_0096

The Saintess and the Snow Woman

“…..Zeke…!!!”

“Ahem…”

Yuria and I were kneeling, and Aria stood before us, glaring down with a face shrouded in darkness. Ah… comforting Yuria really was fine, but… the problem is, I did think Aria wouldn’t just let it be… But now that it’s actually happening, even I’m scared…

“That’s too much! Not only did you comfort her… but you even hugged her! That’s only something you can do for me!”

“The… Saintess… is quite jealous…”

“You be quiet!”

“Gasp…!!”

When Yuria quietly remarked that the Saintess was jealous, Aria, understanding it, glared at Yuria as if to kill her and shouted for her to shut up. But… Yuria also possesses extraordinary abilities. So why is she trembling before Aria? No… how did she realize Aria was strong? Although Aria did overpower her easily with brute force earlier… Yuria’s abilities might actually be stronger…

“Yuria. But how did you know Aria was strong?”

“Earlier… you two came out after breaking my ice… When you said you survived the ice with the help of that Saintess, I realized… that this Saintess is stronger than me…”

…That’s definitely true. It seems… Aria is vastly superior to Yuria in both strength and ability. That’s why Yuria is trembling just like me… The moment I realized that, Aria shouted at me.

“Last time, I comforted Merzel in your place, and I intended to do the same this time… but I missed my chance…!!! Ughhh!”

‘…Ah, right… that’s what happened… But…’

Just as I thought that if I had just left it to Aria, this wouldn’t have happened, I realized that Aria would undoubtedly have continued to suppress Yuria with force. So, I thought it was fortunate that I was the one who comforted Yuria. Otherwise, Aria would surely have broken Yuria’s arm or leg…

“Bu—but if you get depressed, I’ll comfort you a lot too….”

“But… but…!! Zeke must never hug another woman!”

“Alright… So, if I hug you like this, it’ll be okay, right?”

“…!!”

I quickly got up and immediately embraced Aria. Aria’s angry expression melted away, replaced by a bewildered look, and then she grinned broadly, satisfied. Yuria saw Aria’s face and chuckled.

“Chuckle… That Saintess really loves you.”

“Ah… I guess so.”

“…Thank you, Zeke. Thanks to you… the warmth I had forgotten… seems to have returned, even if just a little. For 741 years, I kept that feeling frozen. And… in my 764 years of life, you’re the first person to treat me, a stranger, like a human.”

“Ah… Hahaha… I’m sure others would have shown Yuria such kindness too.”

“Just call me Yuria. No need for ‘nim,’ and it’s okay to speak informally. Anyway… I need to repay the kindness I’ve received. Before I repay you, I have something to tell you both.”

When Yuria said she had something to say before accepting my gratitude, I released Aria and looked at Yuria. Something to say… surely she’s not going to try to oppose us again, right…? Yuria’s significant words made me a little nervous.

“First… this blizzard… I didn’t actually cause it. After that incident, I learned how to control my power, so when I can’t control it perfectly, it only snows lightly, like powdered snow.”

“Oh… oh. But you said ‘firstly’… Do you have something else to say?”

“Yes. This place… this is actually my home.”

When Yuria revealed that this dilapidated shack was actually her home, I looked around in great bewilderment. But there was no furniture or clothes to be seen, and above all, it was too desolate to suggest anyone had lived here recently. No matter that Yuria is a Snow Woman, there were no traces of life… She lives here? Wait… The moment I questioned Yuria’s words, something occurred to me.

“…Could this be… where your family lived…?”

“That’s right. The villagers almost completely destroyed it, and I, having no skills, temporarily fixed it up and froze the exterior so it would withstand any blizzard.”

“But I still don’t understand… For someone to have lived here…”

“Ah… about that. Could you two step aside for a moment?”

Yuria gestured, asking us to step back, so Aria and I walked backward, moving away from the spot. Then, Yuria began to tear up the floorboards where we had been standing. As Yuria removed the boards, what was hidden beneath them became visible, and I was greatly surprised to see it.

“Th—this is…”

“Alright. Let’s all go down. The stairs are made of non-slippery stone, so don’t worry.”

Beneath the torn-up floorboards, a staircase leading underground appeared. Yuria went down the stairs first, and Aria and I followed her, descending into the basement. By the way, the walls… they’re not made of dirt? This is…

“Ice? Is this an underground space made of ice walls…?”

“That’s right. It’s my home, created with my abilities. So the walls and ceiling are all made of ice.”

“I see… That’s why it’s so cold… A-achoo!”

Fascinated by Yuria’s underground dwelling made of ice, I felt the cold due to the icy surroundings and sneezed. Aria, surprised by my sneeze, embraced me tightly and shouted at Yuria.

“You! Are you perhaps trying to freeze Zeke to death?! How dare you try to harm Zeke with the cold?!”

“Oh… Oh dear! I forgot! I’m a Snow Woman, so I don’t feel the cold, that’s why I forgot… W-wait a moment!”

Realizing I was feeling cold, Yuria looked startled and urgently placed her hand on the ice wall. To my surprise, the surroundings began to warm up. Feeling the warmth, Aria released me and touched the ice with her hand, saying,

“This is… legendary ice… Warm Ice.”

“That’s right. For a Snow Woman, something like this is simple. How is it, Zeke? Are you still cold?”

“Ah… I’m fine now. Your ability is truly amazing… Wait a second. If that’s the case… am I the only weak one here…”

Realizing that I was the weakest among us, I felt a sense of futility about all the training I had done for my exploration. What is this… One has innate talent… and the other is strong regardless… It feels a bit bitter… As I felt a bitter feeling, realizing I was the weakest, Aria and Yuria tilted their heads and said the same thing simultaneously.

“What do you mean, Zeke? You are the strongest one here.”

“What are you talking about, Zeke. You’re the strongest one here, Zeke.”

“….?”

When they both said the same thing to me at the same time, I was bewildered, and they both looked at each other in great surprise. Of course, I was surprised by them saying I was the strongest… but Aria and Yuria were…

“Ah…!! How dare you copy my words…!! I cannot forgive you!”

“What are you talking about!! That was what I was going to say!”

“…Alright… I understand… just calm down for now… But Yuria, you said you were 764 years old… How can you live that long?”

“Huh? Oh… while mastering the Snow Woman’s abilities, my time solidified like ice. How should I put it… as if my bodily changes completely stopped? Anyway, it’s complicated.”

“Hmm… I see… Yawn… Could you tell me where I can sleep? I’ve been caught up in so many things that my body feels exhausted… Oh dear…”

After being caught in the blizzard and, though not completely, trapped in Yuria’s ice, my body felt extremely tired. So, I asked Yuria where I could sleep. At that moment, unable to resist the drowsiness, I swayed and almost fell, but Aria quickly caught me and spoke to Yuria.

“Zeke seems very tired, so please show him to a bedroom. However, not your own bedroom, but another one.”

“Oh… okay. Follow me.”

Seeing that I was tired, Yuria led Aria and me somewhere. Aria, supporting me, followed Yuria. When Yuria opened the door to a room and showed us a bed inside, Aria nodded and said,

“Hmm. It’s not an ice bed.”

“No matter that I’m a Snow Woman, I don’t sleep on ice, you know…? Hurry and lay him down.”

“I was already going to.”

When Yuria told her to hurry and lay me on the bed, Aria snorted, laid me down, and even covered me with a blanket. Then she snapped her fingers, cast a barrier around the room I was in, and spoke to Yuria.

“I have something to say. Let’s go to another room.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“It’s a conversation for just the two of us, so I’ll tell you when we get there.”

“Oh… okay.”

When Aria seriously stated that she had something to discuss with Yuria alone, Yuria nodded absentmindedly and led Aria to another room. Aria then walked to the table in the center of the room Yuria led her to and sat in a chair. As Yuria sat in the opposite chair, Aria asked her,

“Do you… like Zeke?”

“What? What are you talking about… It’s true that my heart feels a little more at ease after receiving Zeke’s comfort, but it’s not like I’d fall for Zeke because of that…”

“You didn’t realize yourself that your expressions change much more whenever you look at Zeke’s face, did you?”

“…What?!”

Yuria was greatly flustered when Aria told her that her expressions changed more than usual whenever she looked at Zeke, a fact she hadn’t realized herself. Then she began to think about Zeke in her mind and started to tremble.

“Uh… uh-oh…? Sai—Saintess… my body feels strange…”

“Yes?”

“Thinking about… Zeke’s face… my… my heart is pounding… and my head feels dizzy… What’s happening…? I’ve never felt this way before…”

“…You’ve definitely fallen for Zeke… You’re in love.”

“…?!”

Yuria was greatly shocked when Aria clearly explained her state. She then urgently pulled out a mirror from beside her and looked at her reflection. Seeing a slightly reddened face in the mirror, Yuria covered her mouth with a trembling hand and slowly lowered the mirror, saying,

“I… I… fell in love with Zeke…? Me, whose heart was frozen cold… after just that one… one comfort… I… I fell for someone so easily…?!”

“…Sigh… You and I are the same, aren’t we? I also received comfort from Zeke. And I fell for him.”

“What? You… you too…?”

Realizing that Aria had also fallen for Zeke in the same way, Yuria looked at Aria, dumbfounded. She already knew Aria liked Zeke, but she hadn’t known the reason why, and the reason being the same as her own bewildered Yuria.

“Haa… Zeke doesn’t even realize it himself. You just said it, didn’t you? That Zeke is the strongest.”

“Oh… I did. Though it was said unconsciously…”

“As I journeyed with Zeke, I realized something. Zeke possesses a selfless heart that he considers normal. And I realized that heart alone is stronger than any weapon. Almost no one can resist his empathy and comfort for others’ pain and sorrow, as if he experienced it himself. It’s enough to melt your frozen heart instantly.”

“Yes… that’s true…”

Yuria recalled how Zeke had comforted her earlier, melting even her frozen heart, and placed a hand on her chest. At that moment, Aria suddenly pointed a finger at Yuria and said,

“But isn’t Zeke too good for you?”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Yuria was greatly bewildered by Aria’s sudden remark that Zeke was too good for her. Aria then glared at Yuria and spoke again.

“You hated humans. And Zeke tried to overlook your attack on the villagers, saying it was unavoidable. But… haven’t you also killed people who passed through Ter until now? How do you explain killing even those who merely passed through Ter…”

“Th—that’s right! That! I was going to talk about that upstairs, but I completely forgot!”

“…? What?”

The moment Aria mentioned the people who had died at Yuria’s hands while passing through Ter, Yuria remembered something and stood up abruptly, shouting. Aria was greatly flustered by Yuria’s unexpected reaction.

“Saintess, are you perhaps here to install some kind of statue too?”

“…Statue? What are you talking about? Why is that suddenly important?”

“It’s important! Everyone who has set foot in this snow mountain so far… they were priests and saintesses! And they were trying to install some kind of statue here!”

“…Priests and saintesses…?”

When priests and saintesses were suddenly mentioned, Aria herself became bewildered. The completely unexpected mention of priests and saintesses made Aria forget what she was going to say, and Yuria, with an anxious expression, looked at the greatly surprised Aria and said,

“That reaction… So you’re not involved after all… I thought you might be because your clothes are black… Listen carefully, Saintess… This is something you need to know, not just for yourself, but for Zeke too…”

“..! For Zeke? What do you mean by that?!”

The moment Aria was so bewildered by Yuria’s anxious face that she was dumbfounded, Yuria said that this was something she needed to know for Zeke’s sake, and Aria collected herself and questioned Yuria. She had expected the conversation to go as she planned, but with unexpected news, Aria also began to feel anxious.

“My ability… the Snow Woman’s ability, besides controlling snow and ice, has one more. It’s another ability I learned while mastering the Snow Woman’s power. It’s called Clairvoyance, an ability to see through someone’s true essence. You and Zeke couldn’t see it because your powers are too strong, but I knew what the people who passed through Ter were like. The moment I saw it, I realized I absolutely couldn’t let them live.”

“What is ‘it’?”

“…Their essence was very dark. As dark as an abyss… What I saw with Clairvoyance wasn’t just malicious darkness that would sacrifice a few people… It was more than that… no… it was evil itself, planning to harm countless lives.”

“What kind of…”

“Saintess… listen carefully!! There are evil beings in this world right now who intend to sacrifice many lives! If they do anything to Zeke…!!”

“If they really do anything to Zeke, I will twist their waists, burst them all, and kill them.”

When Aria, with a chilling expression and voice, declared that if there were beings in the world who threatened Zeke and did anything to him, she would kill them all with her own hands, Yuria was left speechless by Aria’s cold atmosphere. Then Yuria sighed deeply as if relieved by Aria’s words, saying,

“Haaah… That’s a relief. Then I can rest assured…”

“But if you love Zeke too, I will twist and kill you with these hands.”

“What?!”

Yuria was greatly shocked when Aria suddenly made a terrifying threat, saying she would kill her if she loved Zeke. Aria then continued to stare at Yuria with a face shrouded in darkness and crimson eyes, and under that gaze, Yuria even broke into a sweat, engulfed in great fear.

‘It’s… it’s a relief that such a strong Saintess is with Zeke… But Zeke… how were you able to travel with a Saintess like this…?’

“I am the only one in this world who can love Zeke. So… if you try to flirt with Zeke, I will take your neck with these hands…!!”

“Shriek!!”

When Aria made a gesture of twisting something with her hands, Yuria felt great fear and fainted on the spot. Aria then left the unconscious Yuria behind and returned to my room, sitting beside me as I slept. She looked at me sleeping, her face flushed, and gently stroked my hair with her hand, saying,

“Hehehe… Zeke… Don’t worry… Even if there are beings threatening this world… Zeke… I, Aria, will definitely protect you… Ah… my love… I hope you have a happy dream…”

Aria continued to stroke my hair until she fell asleep beside me. She had vowed to protect me no matter what danger arose… And so, the next morning arrived, and I…

“Screaaaaam!!!”

…had another nightmare of being caught by Aria and something being done to me.

#96.5 Somewhere in the Herlos Region

Somewhere in the Herlos Region

I am a wanderer. A wanderer drifting across the entire Herlos Region. I was once a soldier in a certain kingdom, but with the fall of the kingdom, I lost all my status. *Sigh*… To think that the kingdom fell due to a rebellion… Not even by monsters, but by self-destruction… It’s absurd to think about it again. For a kingdom to be utterly destroyed by a rebellion instigated by citizens greedy for the throne… Historically, this is too embarrassing. So I ran away.

“*Sigh*… Well, this is… I’m out of food again today… I guess I should hunt some monsters nearby.”

Even so, becoming a wanderer wasn’t entirely bad. I no longer had to see my nagging superior, nor the royals who kept proposing to me. And I didn’t have to hear the voices of the foolish soldiers and citizens who thought I, a woman, was weak. Still, maybe I should have packed everything when I ran away… I only managed to grab shoulder armor and leg armor before fleeing…

“Ah… Well, this is… By the way, I keep hearing some rumors lately…”

Walking through the forest, I recalled a rumor I’d heard in the previous village. They said some Black Saintess had come to the Herlos Region… A Black Saintess… There’s no way a Saintess wearing black clothes exists in this world, is there? It must be a figment of imagination…

“Huh? A Tau.”

As a fierce black ox, a Tau, appeared in the forest, I unconsciously salivated at the thought of filling my hunger. At that moment, the Tau charged at me at full speed, and I immediately shot an arrow at it.

“Moo!”

The Tau, having lost its left eye to my arrow, closed its eyes and began to thrash wildly. I didn’t miss that moment. The instant the Tau closed its eyes, I drew my sword from my waist and severed the Tau’s neck. The Tau then collapsed on the spot.

“Good. Today’s meat is… Oh, wait a minute…”

But something felt strange. It seemed rather small for a Tau. Damn it… Is it a young one? If it’s young, it won’t yield much meat… Young Tau have few edible parts. But now is not the time to be picky. Having gone hungry all day, I immediately butchered the young Tau meat and roasted it over a fire. But as expected, there were few edible parts. I barely had four fist-sized chunks of meat.

“*Sigh*… Tau meat isn’t tough only when it’s an adult… Is there nothing I can do…”

*Sigh*… Why is my life so twisted? When I was a soldier, I had enough food that I couldn’t have imagined starving like this… But no matter how much I lament, it won’t solve anything. For now, I can only be satisfied with the food I have…

“Hmm… Still, it tastes good.”

The Tau meat tasted good, which made all my previous complaints vanish. I wish there was a little more, though… I reluctantly extinguished the campfire and resumed my journey. *Sigh*… I’m hungry…

“…Damn it… out of food agai…?”

“*Growl*!”

“…! That sound!”

When I heard the cry of a beast from somewhere, I ran towards the direction of the sound with a bright smile. After pushing through the bushes, I saw wolf beasts gathered in one spot and my mouth watered.

“*Ugh*… They say joy comes after hardship [a proverb about perseverance and reward]… Huh?”

Just as my mouth was watering at the thought of eating all four beasts before me, I realized that the beasts were also licking their lips like me, looking at something. I immediately looked at what the beasts were staring at, and realized they were surrounding a girl with sky-blue hair.

‘…?! A girl?! Why is a kid in a forest like this?!’

This forest is known for its many monsters. That’s why I entered this forest to get food… Where did that kid come from?! The moment I was greatly shocked by the presence of a child in this forest, the wolf beasts slowly began to approach the girl.

“No…!”

As the beasts tried to eat the child, I instinctively shot an arrow and hit one beast in the rump. The beast, hit by the arrow, started thrashing wildly, and as its companion beside it thrashed, the other beasts hurriedly looked around.

‘I’m here…!’

Then I shot another arrow, hitting another beast in the eye. At that moment, the beasts stared directly at me from behind the bushes. Damn it… Those things… Now that I look at them, they’re Gray Wolves…! Mid-level monsters known for their intelligence…! But… the reason they’re mid-level monsters is because they move in packs… So…!

“*Roar*!”

With two of your companions down, you are at a disadvantage in this situation…! I immediately shot an arrow at the eye of another Gray Wolf. At that moment, the Gray Wolf, seeing me shoot the arrow, leaped sideways and dodged it.

“…!? Ugh… these intelligent creatures…!!”

I hastily pulled something from my pocket, scattered it on the ground, and then ran at full speed in the opposite direction. The Gray Wolves then began to chase me. Good… follow me… Over there…!

“*Yelp*…! *Whimper*!”

“…?!”

One of the Gray Wolves running at the front suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed on the spot. The Gray Wolf running behind it was greatly startled and looked around. When it saw sharp arrowheads scattered on the ground, the Gray Wolf was greatly flustered. But… is this the time to worry about that?

“Gray Wolf meat is too tough to eat… Ugh…”

Lamenting that Gray Wolf meat was tough, I shot an arrow at the leg of the last remaining Gray Wolf. The Gray Wolf, hit by the arrow in the leg, also cried out in great pain and collapsed on the spot. With all the Gray Wolves down, I approached the sky-blue haired girl who had been threatened by them and said,

“Are you okay? Why is a kid in a place like this… Huh?”

But… now that I looked closely… something was strange. The clothing of the girl with long sky-blue hair and green eyes was odd. Clothes made of leaves… This child… isn’t human, is she? This is…

“A Dryad? Why are these beings, called Alraune in other regions, here? No… anyway, are you hurt?”

I never expected to see a Dryad in a place like this, but reminding myself that now wasn’t the time to marvel, I asked the small Dryad child before me if she was okay. The Dryad looked at me with a frightened face, then slowly nodded her head. Hmm… she seems to understand speech.

“Really? Then that’s good…”

*Rumble*…

“Ah.”

A loud sound came from my hungry stomach without my control, and I blushed in embarrassment. The Dryad stared intently at me, then took my hand and started pulling me somewhere.

“Huh? Why? What’s wrong?”

Where is she taking me? Though I felt doubtful, I followed the child somewhere. Then the Dryad child suddenly stopped and pointed her finger at a tree. I followed her finger and looked up, and there…!

“…!! Th-that’s!! Riguda Fruit!! It’s a hard-to-find fruit… Are you giving it to me…?”

At my question, the Dryad smiled sweetly and nodded her head again. Oh…! This is really lucky! I immediately climbed the tree and picked the Riguda Fruit. Having picked a handful of completely ripe fruits, I placed the Riguda Fruit I held in my arms on the ground and expressed my gratitude to the Dryad.

“Thank you, little one. *Ugh*… This looks delicious… Oh, let’s eat together. I picked it thanks to you.”

At my suggestion to eat together, the Dryad smiled happily, picked up a Riguda Fruit, and began to eat. Let me try…!! Oh… no, this taste…!!! This is the most delicious fruit I’ve ever eaten…!!

“*Phew*… It’s delicious… I was really hungry… Thank you, little one. What’s your name?”

When I asked her name, the Dryad child tilted her head and stared intently at me. Then she shook her head, and I thought about the Dryad’s reaction. Does she not have a name…? Or has she forgotten it…?

“You don’t have a name?”

The Dryad nodded at my question.

“Hmm… Then what about your parents?”

The Dryad shook her head at my question. Ah… Her parents must have passed away. Hmm… leaving this child alone in a forest like this is dangerous… So then…

“If you have nowhere to go… do you want to come with me? It’s dangerous for you to wander here alone.”

When I offered for her to come with me, the Dryad looked greatly surprised, then happily nodded her head vigorously. Is she that happy…? Her fervent agreement made me let out a hollow laugh, and so, the Dryad and I enjoyed a pleasant meal together.

“*Oof*… Are you not scared, being up so high?”

I asked, placing the Dryad, who was three times smaller than me, on my shoulder. The Dryad shook her head, saying she wasn’t scared at all. Well, that’s a relief… Is it because she’s a Dryad? She’s not heavy at all. No… it’s as if I can’t feel her weight. Is this a racial trait?

“Alright… then let’s go. But… do you intend to keep following me?”

At my question of whether she would keep following me, the Dryad nodded her head. Looks like she likes me. Well… it can’t be helped. Still, at least I have someone to travel with… so I won’t die of loneliness! With the nameless Dryad, I embarked on my journey once more.