I Have Become The Snow Maiden I Created

Translator: Marctempest

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Chapter 35: The Red Calamity (3)

The enemy of the world, the Black Calamity.

There had always been cancerous organizations following it, but most of them had been eradicated and vanished.

As a result, when it came to mentioning humanity’s traitors, only one organization currently surfaced.

The Dark Holy Society.

Judging by their scale and influence, they couldn’t be underestimated, and their decentralized cell-like structure made it impossible to grasp their full extent.

Surprisingly, their headquarters were located nowhere else but within the Papal State.

“…Truly a monster beyond ordinary means.”

“I concur.”

A wide cavern.

In the gloomy, pitch-dark space, Adein and Bringle exchanged words.

“The title ‘Red Calamity’ is indeed fitting. I thought it was too grand a nickname, but I see it now.”

“Praise be to the chapter master who coined it.”

Adein recalled the first day he saw Nell Sartilla.

The flood of hundreds of monsters that descended upon them.

Amid the battlefield filled with screams and explosions, a Red specter stood.

A mysterious being drenched in the blood of monsters.

Though she wore the guise of a human, she exuded fear greater than the monsters themselves.

Thanks to her, the task became easy.

“Could she actually be a real calamity?”

“That’s impossible. Surely, she must’ve lost her temper and trespassed into some sanctuary. Whether she’d actually invoke a curse is questionable, though.”

Bringle responded seriously to Adein’s jest, rubbing his bald head as he twisted his lips.

“Yet, even after all that, she refuses to take our hand. What a foolish woman. It’s laughable how she clings to her love for the humans who abandoned her.”

She and they were fundamentally the same.

Both were enemies of humanity. Beings that humans could not accept.

“I agree. In any case, she must be utterly exhausted by now. We can subdue her easily.”

Though Nell had already fought many fierce battles, she was still formidable.

However, even she had her limits.

After reporting to the Sacred Order, two of the Seven Apostles moved into action.

“Anger and resentment are written in one’s eyes. I’ve seen the distinct mark of it in her gaze myself.”

With a little more pressure, she would crumble.

*

The Adventurer’s Guild.

At a secluded table, I asked Sigina, who had accepted a commission.

“Are you sure about this?”

I was referring to her willingness to help the Red Calamity.

It was something that needed to be clarified.

Sigina smiled brightly.

“Of course! Adventurers aren’t affiliated with any country. Money is our true master!”

“Master…?”

“Yes! Do you know how many people set out to hunt great monsters for wealth but never return? Even if their heads come back, it’s considered lucky!”

“…”

What a terrifying world this was.

I decided never to become an adventurer.

Despite my concerns, Sigina remained cheerful.

“Sure, it’s a tricky job, but the pay is great. I’m just worried about running into the Holy Knights… but I’ll trust my ears!”

She had mentioned being clairaudient.

I wasn’t sure how developed her hearing was, but it would surely help with sensing danger.

“And if I think I’m going to die, I’ll just run away!”

“That won’t happen. We’re not fighting the Holy Knights.”

Probably not.

It was too dangerous and inefficient.

“But I will be helping Nell.”

I didn’t know how things would unfold, but that was my current stance.

Sigina’s face lit up, seemingly pleased with my response.

“Really? Really? That’s even better!”

Her face blossomed into a full smile.

She seemed happy, likely imagining she’d made easy money.

Well, we’d see about that.

“Follow me.”

The most important task came first.

With Sigina in tow, I headed to the inn.

The inn’s second-floor room.

Nell was curled up on the bed like a child unaware of the world.

Her soft, rhythmic breaths quietly filled the air.

She looked innocent and harmless, yet Sigina wrinkled her nose in discomfort.

“…I’m sorry to say this about Nell, but I just can’t get used to her. It feels like… standing before a great monster or something…”

“That’s understandable.”

I nodded, understanding.

The curse of blood was like that.

Anyone with blood in their veins would naturally feel unease and dread.

“…Hmmm.”

Suddenly, guilt crept up on me.

I kept regretting that I had shaped her this way.

I approached and looked down at Nell.

Her complexion had improved slightly.

I reached out to check her temperature, but Nell shot up abruptly.

“Ah!”

She tumbled out of bed and scrambled to her feet in a flash.

“…?”

What just happened?

Before I could even process, Nell shouted.

“D-Don’t touch me!”

She covered herself with both hands and stared at me in alarm.

It made me look like the bad guy.

Well, it wasn’t unreasonable to dislike unfamiliar touches.

I decided to focus on another question instead.

“Were you awake?”

I thought she’d been sleeping.

Nell flinched as though startled.

“…N-No. I just woke up now.”

“…Is that so.”

It wasn’t easy to believe.

Still, I could understand this to some extent.

From her perspective, it would be hard to trust someone she met for the first time today.

“Uh… Nell? Hello! Hi, hi!”

Sigina cheerfully greeted her from the side.

Nell finally seemed to notice her, narrowing her eyes.

“And who are you?”

“I’m an ally~! I came to help~! Let’s get along!”

Sigina displayed her characteristic friendliness.

But even her bold demeanor had no effect on Nell, who snorted derisively.

“What? Ally? Get along?”

Her sharp tone carried a hint of disdain.

She reached out her hand and spat out her words.

“Then grab it.”

“…Huh?”

Sigina was flustered.

Nell stared directly at her, as if measuring her up.

“You said you’re an ally. Can’t even hold my hand?”

Sigina averted her gaze briefly, took a deep breath, and spoke.

“I-I’ll try.”

Slowly approaching Nell, she stood for a moment, merely staring at her hand.

Then, cautiously, she extended her trembling hand.

As Sigina’s hand got closer to Nell’s, uneasiness darkened her eyes.

“…Ha.”

Nell’s expression grew darker.

That darkness twisted into a bitter sneer as Nell swatted Sigina’s hand away.

Smack-!

“Kyaah!”

“See? You can’t do it. Stop spouting nonsense you don’t mean.”

Her piercing gaze flickered with anger.

Watching the series of events, I felt uneasy.

What was the point of hiring someone who couldn’t even hold a hand?

I had no choice but to step in.

“I’ll do it.”

I stepped forward and reached out toward Nell.

I intended to show a confident handshake. But an unexpected situation arose.

“Eek!”

At my approach, Nell let out a shriek and backed away hastily.

My hand was left pathetically slicing through the air.

“…Huh?”

“You, you stay back!”

It was an outright rejection.

I wanted to soothe her wounds, but instead, I ended up being hurt myself.

Why was she avoiding me?

Was it some trait of the Snow Maiden I didn’t know about?

A curse of the snow, perhaps.

While I was quietly brooding, Nell, her face stern, spoke up.

“So, what’s your goal? Why are you helping me?”

Her question was laced with deep suspicion.

It was clear she believed there had to be some ulterior motive behind my assistance.

“Goal?”

I pondered deeply at her words.

Nell shouldn’t be related to the progression of the scenario.

She was a character who wasn’t supposed to exist in this world in the first place.

The reason I was helping her was purely personal.

She was a very special being to me. And if guided well, she could be a great asset to the world.

I knew her strength very well.

But I couldn’t say any of that.

So, I planned to tell her, “I’ll explain later.”

However, what I ended up saying was entirely different.

“You don’t need to know.”

“…W-what?”

Nell raised her eyebrows, clearly taken aback by my unexpected answer.

“What are you talking about? State your purpose!”

“Don’t throw a tantrum.”

“What? You—”

“Do you have a problem with someone offering help?”

Familiar with my tone, I responded coldly.

I was simply pressing her.

Nell looked astonished, as if she had never encountered someone so brazen.

She twitched her eyes and pointed a finger at Sigina.

“Then who’s she? Why is she suddenly spouting nonsense about being an ally?”

“Huh? Me?”

Sigina, who had been awkwardly keeping her distance, quickly responded.

Both of their gazes instantly focused on me.

“A temporary companion.”

I replied.

Nell clicked her tongue, and Sigina chuckled sheepishly.

However, I wasn’t finished speaking.

“…And a human serum.”

The coldly muttered words left their expressions frozen in sync.

To clarify her doubts, I offered Nell some advice.

“You need to drink blood.”

“Blood… huh?”

She looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

The only vampire.

No one had likely welcomed her vampirism before.

Much less had anyone urged her to drink blood of their own accord.

“You… you! Do you even know what you’re saying?!”

“Red Calamity?”

“Yes! That’s how I’m being treated right now! Drinking blood is my means of recovery. If you help me do that, you’ll also be marked by the Papal State!”

In truth, a progenitor-level vampire didn’t need to drink blood to sustain life.

But if they used a lot of power, they had to replenish it.

The preferred targets were women rather than men.

Young over old, and if they were strong and beautiful, even better.

Nell shouted desperately, as if venting her frustrations.

“So what I’m saying is—”

“Are the rumors true?”

I cut her off like a blade.

Nell’s lips moved soundlessly.

“What…?”

“You’re a calamity, and you’re going to act just like the Black Calamity?”

“That’s…”

She was at a loss for words.

But soon, she answered with certainty.

“…No. That’s not it. Why would I do that? There’s nothing to gain from it.”

“Exactly. So recover quickly. I’m not running a charity here.”

Nell looked at me with a gaze different from before.

She muttered softly.

“Not a charity…”

Then she nodded, as if resolving herself.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

She seemed to have made up her mind.

I gave a small nod in response.

For a brief moment, it felt like we understood each other.

At that moment, a voice interrupted and broke the mood.

“Excuse me… You two seem to be having a really serious conversation, and I’m sorry to butt in, but… I feel like I might be misunderstanding something here… but I just have to say this…”

It was Sigina.

Her face was ashen as she hesitantly spoke.

“In the end… isn’t the subject of this conversation me?”

“That’s right.”

I acknowledged it cleanly.

Since I didn’t have blood, she’d have to take on the burden.

Sigina’s complexion turned even paler at my confirmation, and she yelled out.

“Why, why! Why me! Why does my pure, clean, and precious blood have to go to her! What did I do wrong in a past life?!”

“The commissioned request.”

“…W-What?”

“You were paid, weren’t you?”

There was a reason I gave her such a large sum.

Though it wasn’t much of a fortune to me.

Sigina looked like a gambler cornered by a loan shark.

“I can’t believe such a cruel scheme was lurking behind this…! I-I’ll return the money! I’m canceling the request!”

“It’s too late.”

“W-What?”

“Canceling requires mutual agreement.”

There was no such clause.

But I’d already paid her, and since she was here, it was a moot point.

I gave Nell a look.

She caught on instantly.

“Hey, excuse me for a moment.”

Nell approached Sigina nonchalantly.

Sigina recoiled in horror.

“Don’t come near me! Stay away! Why would a human drink another person’s blood?!”

“I guess I’m not a human, then.”

“No! That makes it worse! You’re planning to suck me dry until I turn into a mummy, aren’t you?!”

“Just one sip.”

Sigina was young.

As a gold-tier adventurer, her skills were proven.

And objectively, she was quite pretty.

All in all, she was excellent prey.

“If you’re going to insist on this—Eek!”

The moment Sigina reached for her rapier, a light frost wrapped around her feet.

Nell easily caught her as she lost balance.

Then she sank her fangs into Sigina’s pale neck.

“Ack…!”

Sigina opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, unable to make a sound.

Nell, seemingly famished, drank greedily.

Her eyes glimmered with a menacing light.

Though Sigina tried to resist, her strength seemed to leave her body.

She went limp, her moans the only sound in the room.

“Ah…ngh…”

Oddly enough, her voice sounded a little… peculiar.

I awkwardly averted my gaze.

Immediately, there was a noise outside, followed by a knock on the door.

“What kind of scoundrels are playing around in broad daylight!”

“It’s so noisy! Don’t you know the soundproofing here is terrible?!”

“…”

So, the soundproofing is bad.

I learned something new.

Having drunk her fill, Nell pushed Sigina aside and stood up. Her clear red eyes locked onto mine.

“Now I feel alive.”

The fatigue on her face had vanished before I knew it.

She hadn’t fully recovered, but it seemed like she had regained a significant amount of strength.

Her gaze, as she looked at me, was complicated.

“You—”

“…Run.”

As she opened her mouth, Sigina’s voice interrupted.

Sigina was sprawled out, her hand pressed to her ear.

“I hear multiple footsteps… Regular, armored… It’s the Holy Knights… They’re coming this way…”

“What? I don’t hear anything—”

“Nell.”

If her hearing truly bordered on supernatural, it defied common sense.

Assuming her words were true, I spoke.

“See you later.”

“…”

Nell didn’t respond.

However, as if understanding the situation, she nodded and quickly escaped through the window.

“They’re saying, ‘Chase her… It’s the Red Calamity…'”

“…Got it.”

Sigina helpfully continued to relay information.

I felt relieved for the moment.

She had recovered enough that she shouldn’t get caught.

At that moment, the noise outside the door grew louder.

“Is it true? In broad daylight?”

“I’m telling you! I heard it clearly!”

The atmosphere was chaotic.

Misunderstandings were free to have, but getting caught in them seemed like it would be a major hassle.

I used my transformation magic to turn into mist.

Then I slipped out through the window.

“Huh, huh? Hey…!”

Sigina’s bewildered voice reached me just before I left.

I was sorry, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

“Chase her!”

“She went that way!”

The Holy Knights disappeared across to the other side.

Hiding in an alley, Nell finally slumped down as they completely disappeared.

“Ha.”

It was a success.

She had successfully shaken them off.

She sighed and reflected on recent events.

No matter how she thought about it, it was a miraculous escape.

Adventurers, the Holy Knights, and even those lunatics in black robes—probably members of the Dark Holy Society—had attacked her.

There was no way her blood could have lasted.

When she was on the verge of collapse, she was certain it was the end.

“What the hell is she…?”

The image of a woman with pale blue hair came to mind.

She had worn luxurious clothes, a far cry from Nell’s tattered ones.

At the brink of death, she had been drawn to the noble maiden’s aura.

Though she hadn’t been able to drink her blood, the woman’s cold expression and words made her think she hated her like everyone else.

But what came afterward was incomprehensible.

“Why is she helping me?”

Though their interaction was brief, the woman had remained distant and cold.

She treated everyone the same, whether it was Nell or others.

That was… astonishing.

She had never been treated like that before.

Everyone always looked at her with contempt and disdain…

“No, no.”

She shook her head, trying to break away from her thoughts.

She couldn’t let herself be deceived.

There had to be a purpose behind it.

Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.

There must be something she wanted from Nell.

Though she didn’t know what it was.

Shaken, she fiercely denied it.

How many times had she been betrayed by expectations and hopes?

As she steadied her mind, she recalled the moment the woman had touched her.

“That time…”

The sensation was unforgettable.

She remembered the vivid, radiant shock.

It was just a touch of the hand.

But the effect was far from simple.

When that cold, white hand touched her, a shiver ran through her.

A tremor.

An indescribable chill and dizziness.

If she were to put it into words—it felt as though she had touched the “world” itself.

“…That can’t be.”

She let out a hollow laugh at the absurd thought.

She must have been mistaken.

At the time, her body and mind were pushed to the limit, so it might have been a hallucination.

More importantly, she was feeling a little better now.

Having regained some strength, she needed to figure things out.

“If I find them, I won’t let them off.”

Who had spread that ridiculous rumor about her being the Red Calamity?

In the darkness, her blood-red eyes flickered.