I Have Become The Snow Maiden I Created

Translator: Marctempest

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Chapter 34: The Red Calamity (2)

The battle with the adventurers and the pursuit by the Holy Knights.

On top of that, the fierce clashes with the two Apostles of Calamity.

Exhausted to her limits, Nell Sartilla collapsed into an alleyway.

“Ha… damn it…”

A damp, foul stench.

Filthy sewer rats scurried about, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t the first time she had seen such a sight.

However, she was unbearably hungry and out of strength.

It was familiar, yet unfamiliar.

“…If this keeps up, I might pass out.”

Her arms refused to move.

She forced her body to rise.

She couldn’t hold on any longer.

She needed blood.

“Where the hell did those bastards go…?”

The dregs of the underworld or the irredeemable scum.

Perhaps due to the Holy Knights, none of them were anywhere to be seen. Truly unhelpful.

It was a meaningless lament.

In her current state, such low-quality blood was useless. Ordinary blood wouldn’t suffice.

She needed the pure, rich blood of a maiden.

It had to be noble and immaculate.

But how could such a woman possibly be nearby…

“…Huh?”

She was.

That kind of presence, she could feel it.

What? How many women of that caliber even existed on this continent?

“Ugh.”

There was no time to think deeply.

Her head started to spin. If she collapsed here, it would truly be the end.

Nell stumbled toward her target.

*

Years of dedication poured into creating the masterpiece The Four Seasons War.

To wring every last drop of enjoyment, I had played it with numerous characters in countless ways.

The secondary character of 109 Set, with Snow Maiden Quellière as the main.

Excluding the overwhelmingly powerful Black Knight, the Primordial Vampire ranked among the strongest. But unlike the Black Knight, it had fatal flaws.

Nell, staggering like someone drunk, now stood close.

“…”

Crimson hair and eyes like carved rubies.

Her clothes weren’t her dedicated costume but were instead shabby, worn, and tattered.

My feelings were close to shock.

The integration with The Four Seasons War II.

I thought I alone had possessed Snow Maiden.

But my thoughts couldn’t continue.

“Hey.”

Nell spoke.

She barely held herself up on her trembling legs.

I silently looked at her.

“I have a favor to ask.”

It felt like a dream.

She was a character I had created from appearance to personality, to abilities.

And now she was alive and moving before me.

How could I even begin to describe that feeling?

“Could you give me some blood?”

Her sharp eyes and biting tone.

As per her character settings, she gave an awkward smile, as if even she found her words absurd.

“…Blood?”

I muttered softly.

How would a normal person have reacted?

A modern person might think of vampire legends.

But the inhabitants of this world?

In a world where neither Snow Maidens nor vampires existed, nor anything related to them.

The reaction would be fear or disgust.

The negative emotions she must have faced countless times.

Nell smiled awkwardly as if embarrassed.

“So… it’s weird, huh?”

My demeanor remained cold.

She was a vampire, while I was a Snow Maiden.

Nell’s face was etched with fatigue.

“It’s not weird.”

The words came out unconsciously.

Yet they were sincere.

For a vampire to seek blood was not strange at all.

…Though it might be different for the person being asked.

Perhaps surprised by my unexpected response, Nell’s eyes widened.

“…What?”

One of the penalties of a Primordial Vampire—blood-drinking.

To use their powers, they needed blood, and without it, their mind and body would crumble.

Cautiously, Nell asked.

“Are you saying you’ll give me your blood?”

A faint glimmer of hope flickered in her red eyes.

But I couldn’t grant her wish.

“No, I can’t.”

“What… what?”

Snow Maidens have no blood.

Disappointed, Nell’s expression hardened again.

“Hey! What’s your deal? Are you mocking me?”

She seemed to think I was toying with her.

Narrowing her eyes fiercely, she glared at me angrily. Then, as if deflating, she let out a hollow laugh.

“Yeah, you hate me too, huh? Because of this damn curse… I was stupid to expect otherwise. What an idiot.”

“…”

The second penalty of a Primordial Vampire—The Curse of Blood.

Any living creature that saw her felt an instinctive aversion.

Like prey fearing a predator that craved its blood.

Why did I include this setting?

Because when creating the Primordial Vampire, I focused on a dangerous aura and blood-red allure.

A lonely vampire who could belong nowhere, endlessly wandering… wasn’t it captivating?

No, I thought it was cool.

Until just a moment ago.

“You don’t understand my feelings, do you? The feelings of someone who’s only ever hated! Because you’re so amazing.”

Nell glared at me fiercely as she shouted.

Her long-held emotions spilled out.

But even as I looked at her, I felt nothing. Was it because no blood ran through me?

I didn’t know, so I responded.

“I don’t know.”

“…You bastard!”

I really didn’t know.

But I knew a little.

“But I understand.”

“…?!”

For a moment, Nell flinched, then gritted her teeth.

“I don’t need your pity!”

It seemed she took my words differently than I intended.

She ground her teeth and charged at me.

“Give me your blood!”

She didn’t know my body had no blood vessels.

She intended to forcibly take it for survival.

I casually sidestepped.

That alone made her attack miss miserably.

“Ugh…!”

On top of that, she stumbled and fell.

Her physical condition was hitting rock bottom.

“Stop.”

I spoke as if it were pointless.

Nell clenched her fists. She widened her eyes as if my condescending gaze annoyed her.

“I can’t stop. I can’t die like this!”

Struggling, she stood and charged again.

I had no choice. I grabbed her arm as she came at me.

I only intended to calm her down.

“Kyaa…!”

But something unexpected happened.

Nell let out a sharp scream, then lost her balance.

Just before she fell, her pupils filled with confusion and doubt.

Warmth spread across my chest.

Before I knew it, I was holding her unconscious body.

“…What?”

What just happened?

Before I could solve the mystery, I heard footsteps.

I turned my head.

“Hah, hah…”

“Quellière!”

It was Sigina and Kelly.

Had they followed me?

“Are you okay? Why all of a sudden… hic!”

Sigina’s voice, which was asking about my condition, suddenly rose.

Her gaze was fixed on Nell.

“That, that person, what is she? She feels ominous!”

“That’s… the Red Calamity?!”

“…The Red Calamity? Her?”

The two made a fuss.

There wasn’t a shred of positive emotion in their gazes toward Nell. I regretted it.

I shouldn’t have set her concept like that.

“Why is she called the Red Calamity?”

I asked Kelly.

My tone was slightly sharp, almost interrogative. Kelly stammered in response.

“The rumors about the calamity spread right after the overflow…”

“Why did the rumors spread?”

“That’s… I, I don’t really know. The townsfolk just called her that, and even the temple issued proclamations… so…”

I frowned.

Something about this didn’t sit right.

How could rumors spread so quickly just because she was spotted briefly?

Besides, the nickname “calamity” wasn’t something given lightly.

“Anyway, this is great! The Red Calamity is a top-level wanted person with a huge bounty on her. We should drag her to—”

“No.”

“…What?”

Kelly blinked.

He looked like he didn’t understand.

I explained.

“Nell isn’t a calamity.”

It was a cold declaration.

In the now-quiet atmosphere, only the sound of the wind filled the air.

Soon, Kelly asked hesitantly, as if doubting me.

“…How do you know that? I clearly saw her. That girl drinking someone’s blood.”

“She had no choice.”

“What? Are you saying there’s a reason for that atrocity? That woman drank the blood of innocent people—”

“You don’t need to worry. It wasn’t innocent people.”

If my settings were applied correctly.

Nell wouldn’t harm just anyone.

She’d have her own beliefs and principles.

She targeted me because she was cornered.

But it was too much to expect anyone to understand.

“What are you even talking about…”

Kelly muttered in disbelief.

The way he looked at me had completely changed.

From his perspective, I was now someone aiding a calamity.

At that moment, Sigina, who had been looking between us, raised her voice.

“Quelli! No, no. The Red Calamity… that person is being pursued by the Holy Order! If you help her, you’ll gain nothing!”

“…Quelli?”

Since when had I become “Quelli”?

Regardless, she was right.

As long as Nell was a target of the knights, I couldn’t be much help to her.

I had to restore Nell.

If she were captured under the false charge of being a calamity, who knew what would happen to her?

But I couldn’t give her blood.

I needed another way.

“Quelli, stop and—”

“Don’t come closer.”

Sigina approached, as if to persuade me.

But I noticed.

Her hand hovered near her waist, her gaze sharp.

She was a Gold Plate adventurer.

A level achieved only by those who crossed countless lines to pursue their desires.

I spread my hand and unleashed my magic.

Whoosh—!

A cold frost and a fierce wind swept through.

A snowstorm.

Unlike before, my control was effortless.

“High magic…!”

Sigina flinched and muttered blankly.

I warned her.

“Keep your hands off. Whether it’s Nell, me, or anything else.”

And I moved, carrying Nell.

*

I carried the unconscious Nell on my back and rented a room on the second floor.

The staff looked at me strangely, but it seemed they didn’t recognize Nell as the infamous calamity from the rumors.

“Heuuu…”

Soft breaths escaped her lips.

Nell, laid out on the bed, was sleeping peacefully.

There was no trace of her earlier sharpness.

It must have been her first proper rest in a long time.

“…Nell Sartilla.”

I muttered her name.

That name was something I had created.

Though I didn’t spend three sleepless days on it, I had carefully chosen it with that level of dedication.

The same went for her backstory.

There was nothing I made haphazardly.

That passion turned her life into a tragic one.

“…”

It was my fault.

It wasn’t entirely my fault, but still, it was.

In any case, I couldn’t just leave her like this.

While I was relieved she wasn’t turning into another calamity, at this rate, Nell would die.

That couldn’t happen.

To me, she was a character even more important than Artan.

“…Red Calamity.”

I muttered the words, and coincidentally, Nell stirred in her sleep.

The reason for her title, the Red Calamity, was unclear, but it was likely amplified by her curse.

The “Curse of Blood” was one of the main settings for a Primordial Vampire.

It wasn’t something that could be tampered with through ordinary means.

If she had been linked with me the day I came to this world, she might have tried various solutions, but they would have failed.

To sum up, there was a way to resolve it.

There was, but…

“Just wait a little longer.”

I shook my head and focused on the immediate situation.

Sleep was only a temporary fix.

A fundamental recovery required blood.

I turned and headed outside.

Before the Holy Knights arrived, I needed to procure some blood, and it would be helpful to find an ally.

Fortunately, someone came to mind.

They didn’t hold a personal grudge against Nell, so with a bit of persuasion, it might work…

“…”

Once Quellière had left, silence returned to the room.

Nell’s eyes slowly opened.

*

Adventurers’ Guild

As I entered, attention turned toward me again, but I ignored it and scanned the room.

I spotted my target and approached.

Sigina, standing in front of the quest board, flinched when she saw me.

“Looking for a quest?”

I spoke casually, as if I didn’t know anything about the previous incident.

“Uh… Yeah?”

Sigina replied, caught off guard.

Not only that, but she even continued the conversation herself.

“I ended up spending ten gold coins just getting here. That’s a fortune! I need to earn money while I can. Originally, I was after the bounty on the Red Calamity, but…”

She glanced at me.

I didn’t react, and she let out a nervous laugh.

“Guess that’s impossible, huh? I’m not confident I could even beat you, Quelli.”

“Smart choice.”

That’s why I liked my blizzard magic.

Most people saw it as great magic and automatically overestimated me.

Sigina’s expression turned serious again.

“But, the Red Calamity… Nell Sartilla. Is she okay? She won’t go around attacking someone like Kelly, will she? I’m asking because you seem to know her well.”

“If your younger sibling didn’t do anything wrong.”

She wasn’t the type to start a quarrel.

When I conveyed that nuance, she nodded resolutely.

Then, she immediately softened.

“That’s a relief, but… sigh. I don’t know what to do anymore. I got a letter saying she was in danger and asking me to get rid of the calamity, so I rushed here… but I can’t even find a suitable request to take on.”

“Do adventurers only take on requests?”

At my words, she pondered for a moment.

“Not necessarily, right? Sometimes we search for work without formal requests… or we get commissioned by name. The former is like treasure hunting, and the latter is closer to mercenary work.”

“A named commission?”

Curious, I asked, and Sigina raised her eyelids slightly.

“Are you interested? A named commission is literally when someone specifies an adventurer for a job… but you need a solid track record. At the very least, you have to be a Silver Plate adventurer to even qualify. Otherwise, you won’t get selected!”

She shrugged proudly.

As a Gold Plate adventurer, she likely had more than enough achievements.

I considered it.

A veteran adventurer with keen hearing and a friendly personality—she was quite the talent.

How much would it cost?

“You said you didn’t have work, right?”

“Yes? Yes, that’s right.”

“Then I’ll hire you.”

I declared, dumping my bag onto the round table.

Clink, clink, clink!

The sound of gold coins colliding rang out crisply.

Sigina’s eyes grew as wide as saucers, and astonished exclamations filled the room.

“Wh-what is that?! How much is it?!”

“That’s several times my annual salary… she must be a high-ranking adventurer!”

Living and dying by money, they were almost in a state of shock.

But something seemed to be stuck as the coins stopped pouring out. I paused to check the bag.

“W-weren’t you the one who told me not to touch it?”

Was it her veteran poise?

Sigina tried to maintain her dignity.

I cleared the obstruction and poured out more money.

Clink, clink—

About half of what I had was now on the table.

“…!”

At that, she could no longer hide her shock.

I tidied up the bag and made my offer again.

“I’ve changed my mind. I’ll make a named commission, in the form of employment.”

Sigina stared at the gold coins with trembling eyes.

It was obvious she was doing calculations in her head.

From her perspective, I must have seemed highly suspicious.

Not only my appearance but also the fact that I had helped Nell.

On top of that, Nell was being pursued by the Holy Order.

It meant there could be significant risks involved.

But…

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

It was far too much money to refuse.