I Have Become The Snow Maiden I Created

Translator: Marctempest

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Chapter 36: The Red Calamity (4)

Near the inn where Nell had left.

I thought about the second character.

“Nell is here, so Chandrafail must be here too…”

The Black Knight and the Progenitor.

They were relatively recent characters I had played just before creating the Snow Maiden.

Perhaps they had fallen onto the continent eleven years ago when I was linked.

I had no idea how they had lived since then.

While Nell seemed to have struggled, I wondered how Chandrafail had fared.

“What on earth could the scenario progression mean?”

It was unlikely to be related to those two.

The system message had appeared after killing the Serpent God.

That’s why I came out of hiding when I heard about the commotion of the Red Calamity.

I never imagined it was a character I had created.

“If it’s according to the setting, the Curse of Blood should be solvable.”

It wasn’t something particularly difficult.

I just needed to go to the Snow Castle and retrieve a specific item.

However, was it the right choice to lift her penalties and let her act freely?

The scenario could be twisted at any time due to the existence of those two who were never part of the original plan.

The Red Calamity incident was an example of this.

I was deeply troubled.

“I can’t exactly do anything about them…”

No, I didn’t even have the ability to.

In any case, I needed to make some kind of decision.

While I was deliberating, someone stepped out of the inn.

It was Sigina.

“…”

Her cheeks flushed as if she were swallowing humiliation.

She looked around nervously before running toward me.

“Excuse me! Miss Quellière!”

The moment she arrived, she voiced her dissatisfaction.

“What is it?”

“What is it? What is it—?!”

Sigina mimicked me with a mischievous expression before puffing her cheeks again.

“What do you mean ‘what is it’?! Do you know what kind of situation I went through?!”

“What kind of situation did you go through?”

“It was humiliating! It was disgraceful! I almost died of shame!”

“Is that so?”

Internally, I felt relieved.

It was fortunate that she had gotten out of it.

More importantly, I needed to think about my next move.

“If at least there had been an opponent, it would have been better! What do you think those people thought when they saw me sprawled out?!”

“Let’s go back to the guild.”

“If you had seen those cold stares… Excuse me! Please listen to me!”

If someone had deliberately interfered, resolving the curse wouldn’t be the end of it.

I first needed to uncover their identity.

As I moved on without concern, Sigina hurried to catch up with me.

“You’re so cold! So aloof! Why don’t you just go live in the Ice Mountains?”

“Hmph.”

Sigina pouted, her remark strangely sharp.

I glanced at her neck.

There were clear marks left by fangs.

“How’s your neck?”

When I pointed to the area, she touched it and gave an awkward smile.

“Um… Well, how should I put this…”

“Does it hurt?”

“If you ask if it hurts, it surprisingly doesn’t, but it feels… strange? Oddly thrilling…?”

Even she seemed unsure.

A surge of intense curiosity arose within me.

What kind of sensation could it be?

Even though I had meticulously crafted every detail of the setting, I had no way of knowing what it felt like to be bitten by a vampire.

“If you’re curious, why don’t you try getting bitten yourself?”

“I’m not that curious.”

I quickly dismissed the curiosity sparked by Sigina’s innocent teasing.

After all, curiosity kills the cat.

We were on the road to the guild.

It was when we passed through a deserted clearing.

“Well, I wasn’t particularly curious ei—huh?!”

Sigina, who had been mumbling, suddenly jerked her head up and looked at me urgently.

“Miss Quellière!”

There was no explanation.

However, knowing her abilities, I judged she didn’t have the chance to provide one.

Whatever it was, we were in danger.

“…!”

Deciding as much, I took action.

Since I couldn’t determine the enemy’s location or the direction of the threat.

The first move had to be defense.

KWAHHHH!

Ice particles surged like a fountain, enveloping Sigina and me.

It was a makeshift barrier—or rather, a type of protective magic.

I called it the Ice Wall.

BOOM!

Simultaneously, fireballs rained down from all directions.

They struck like the stones of a catapult hitting castle walls, with fierce impacts.

“Ah! Wow! Oh no…!”

Sigina’s tense voice wavered.

Despite her anxiety, the barrier didn’t budge.

A fleeting smile crossed my lips as I felt like the heavens were on my side.

Fire element.

An advantageous matchup.

“…Impressive.”

When the assault stopped, a bald man stepped out of the shadows.

He wore a black robe emblazoned with fiery insignias.

A symbol I could never forget.

I frowned.

“The Dark Cathedral.”

“Oh, you know of us?”

The man smiled a rotten grin.

“Yet, you dare to interfere with our work. Are you so desperate to die?”

It was an impressive confidence.

It was justified.

Judging by the power displayed earlier, he was clearly no ordinary follower.

Looking at the emblem engraved on his robe, he was likely one of the Seven Apostles.

Clang!

“Do you know him? That man?”

Sigina drew her rapier and made a fuss. Her demeanor was clumsy, but she was trustworthy.

She was a gold-rank adventurer, a considerable force to reckon with.

“No.”

I shook my head and glared at the man.

Seven Apostle or not, there was no need to be intimidated.

We were two, and we had the advantage in compatibility.

This was actually convenient.

The Seven Apostles were nothing but harmful; it would be better to eliminate one.

“He’s someone you don’t need to know.”

Looking down at him with disdain, I activated the magic in my retina.

The ‘Winter’s Gaze’ disrupted the man’s balance.

“What the…!”

A sudden ambush.

Before the Apostle could recover his stance, a cold breath surged forward.

Hiss—

Even in his confusion, the Apostle narrowly avoided it.

However, the hem of his robe froze solid.

Feeling the rising chill, he trembled.

“Could a human wield such elemental power…?”

His tone was laden with astonishment and confusion.

“This cannot be!”

I continued to draw upon my magic without pause.

I needed to press him before he regained his composure.

A swelling snowball rotated and lifted into the air.

This technique, which I called ‘Snowball,’ was not powerful but was easy to control and quick to deploy.

Whoosh!

Snowballs surged forward.

The man hastily summoned fireballs to counter.

The fire and snow clashed midair, dissolving into vapor.

Moments like this revealed why great figures emphasized the importance of composure in critical situations.

“Damn it…!”

Although the snowballs were all destroyed, the delayed counterattack left the Apostle vulnerable to successive strikes.

Before he realized, a cold breath was already before his nose. His eyes widened in frozen shock.

“Wow. Whoa…”

Sigina, who had been watching the entire flow of events, expressed her admiration.

She even clapped her hands.

Feeling oddly proud, I strutted forward confidently and leisurely.

“Now, let’s hear it.”

The freezing effect wouldn’t last long.

I needed to extract information within that time.

The man, whose upper body was still functional, stared blankly at me.

“Why did you attack me?”

He had shouted earlier that I interfered with “our work.”

Had I inadvertently meddled with the Dark Holy Society?

The bald man chuckled dryly.

“As expected of the one who saved the Red Calamity. What was your purpose in helping it?”

“Red Calamity?”

“Strong beyond imagination, but do you think you’ll be safe after turning both the Holy Nation and the Dark Holy Society against you?”

The man mumbled like a madman.

So it was Nell.

What a tragic fate.

To be targeted by two giant forces.

“So it was you.”

His words confirmed my suspicions.

The ones who branded Nell as a calamity and orchestrated such malicious schemes—the Dark Holy Society.

I hadn’t saved Nell with any grand purpose.

“Nell is not a calamity.”

Still, there were things that needed to be said.

I glared coldly at the vile lieutenant of malice and spoke sharply.

“Don’t attach such baseless labels. You, mere shadows of a calamity.”

Perhaps stirred by my rising emotions, my vision turned icy blue.

The Apostle’s face hardened into a stiff expression.

“How dare…! The Black Calamity! The true savior will not let you—”

“Be quiet. You worthless thing.”

Spreading my hand, I activated ‘Ice Spear.’

Unlike other magic, this skill was on an entirely different level of power.

After expending a significant amount of magic, the spear was completed.

“Disappear.”

I aimed it at the man’s heart, intending to end him.

As the Apostle, sensing his end, clamped his mouth shut, Sigina suddenly shouted.

“Quelli! To your left!”

“!”

Reacting instinctively, I turned and immediately dodged.

The spot I had been standing on was swept away by a black vortex.

Squinting, I shifted my gaze.

A new figure had appeared beside the bald man.

A black robe adorned with a whirlpool symbol.

Adein, one of the Seven Apostles.

“Bringle…”

He waved his hand, releasing the restraints.

Bringle, now recovered, stood confidently beside him.

“You’ve arrived, Adein. Perfect timing.”

“……”

I grew tense.

Two of the Seven Apostles.

Already strong individually, but now there were two.

I had tried to strike swiftly, taking advantage of their lack of preparation, but now that option was gone.

“A woman who interferes with the grand task of the Holy Society. She’s no ordinary fighter, but if you and I join forces—”

“No.”

It’s no longer possible to handle this alone.

As I was about to ask Sigina for help, Adein shook his head mechanically.

“No, Bringle. This is not an opponent we can face…”

His complexion was dark and sallow.

He stared at me with a pale face and cold sweat trickling down.

“When did you return, Apostle of God? Or perhaps…”

As he was about to continue, he shook his head again.

For a moment, silence fell over the area.

Sigina, Bringle, and I all blinked in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

“…Come to think of it, I never told you. There’s no time to explain. Look at that! Look at that composure!”

Adein pointed a trembling hand at me.

I was indeed outwardly calm, though inwardly, I was unraveling.

Adein swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he spoke.

“We’re outmatched. We have to retreat.”

“What? Retreat, you say? After the humiliation I endured, I must repay it—ugh!”

Ignoring Bringle’s protests, Adein quickly slung him over his shoulder and started to flee.

Worried I might chase after them, he even went so far as to scatter black mist to cover his tracks.

Thud-thud-thud!

Their footsteps soon grew faint.

It was a desperate pace, as if they had encountered a final boss.

“…?”

I could only tilt my head in confusion.

What was that?

I vaguely remembered the day I met Adein.

Had he been traumatized back then?

“Quill… Quillie… no, Miss Quellière…?”

Sigina’s tone sounded strangely distant.

She smiled awkwardly.

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“…”

It seemed she misunderstood something.

The situation had been far from favorable, but she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“You earned your pay.”

Although I had fought most of the battle alone, her keen ears had been a great help.

I curtly muttered and took the lead.

“The Dark Cathedral…”

Those fiends were the root of all evil and disaster.

They were trying to manipulate my second character, whom I had crafted with such care.

They were pests that needed to be eradicated for the sake of the correct scenario.

Whoosh—

As I swung my hand, icy air spread outward.

The thick, black mist dissipated, and clear sunlight poured through.

*

The City-State of Yulistia.

What had once been a remote city had grown spectacularly in just ten years.

While this was due to the talents of its local lord, the Celestial Music Box and the remnants of a minor deity also played their part.

In the grand mansion of the local lord.

In the reception room, Lysithea Krase sat elegantly dressed.

Despite her position as the head of the household, she sat facing her guest as an equal.

“…”

This was not due to her goodwill.

Surprisingly, this was the consideration of her guest, not hers.

The Crown Prince of the Empire, Artan Fricas.

He took a sip of tea indifferently.

-This is unacceptable, Your Highness! A private meeting? Who knows what might happen…

-The local lord of Yulistia is no fool. Would she dare harm me openly?

Near the royal carriage outside the mansion, the Imperial Guard stood on alert.

Their captain, Hiloze, had tried to dissuade the meeting, but Artan hadn’t listened.

-And courtesy must come first.

It was his principle.

As he was here to gather information, he believed in showing respect first.

Only if that goodwill was betrayed would he bare his fangs.

“What brings Your Highness here?”

Lysithea smiled faintly.

Her smile seemed natural but wasn’t born of sincerity.

Having spent long years in the palace, Artan could tell.

Thus, he made no effort to disguise himself either.

“I saw a painting.”

“A painting?”

“It was titled ‘The Fallen God.’”

Artan recalled the event from not long ago.

At an international exhibition, he had been unable to hide his astonishment upon seeing her work.

The painting depicted a woman whose gaze confronted a black serpent.

…Quellière.

His salvation and longing from his younger days had been right there.

“The Fallen God…”

The Crown Prince watched as Lysithea repeated the title to herself.

Over the years, he had investigated the enigmatic woman, but his search had yielded nothing.

So, when he finally stumbled upon a lead, he had abandoned formalities and rushed over.

“It’s the same title as my piece.”

Meanwhile, Lysithea quickly grasped the meaning behind his words.

Unless it was something significant, the Crown Prince himself would never travel to such a distant place.

If he was focused on the fallen god, there could only be one reason.

It was enough to justify such a pursuit.

This was actually convenient.

There was no need for me to go to him.

I had been wondering how to arrange a meeting with someone as exalted as the Crown Prince.

“Did you like the piece?”

The silence of the music box enveloped the room.

It was something that had been returned to me after the exhibition ended.

In response to her playful question, Artan replied bluntly.

“You’ve seen her, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

It was, if you thought about it, a slightly peculiar situation.

We had both seen each other’s works and drawn the same conclusion.

Clues about a single woman.

The key was who knew more.

At Lysithea’s affirmation, the Crown Prince pressed further.

“The serpent in the painting… Is it the incident from ten years ago?”

“I didn’t expect Your Highness to know. But yes, you’re correct.”

The Serpent God that had overtaken Yulistia, and its subjugation.

The details were often exaggerated, but the general story was widely known.

A national beauty had slain the Serpent God…

“Is it her?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, the one who killed the Serpent God.”

It was merely a confirmation.

Lysithea nodded without hesitation.

She believed that this conversation was to her advantage.

The fact that the Crown Prince, who had likely seen the piece later than her, had rushed to her so quickly was evidence of his urgency.

There was a hint of fervor in Artan’s eyes.

Leaning slightly forward, he began bombarding her with questions.

“Do you know her identity?”

“…Pardon?”

“If not, any small detail will do. For instance…”

But the nature of his questions was odd.

It wasn’t as though he had no clue about her.

Realizing this, Lysithea understood she had more information than he did.

“Ah… Yes. She relinquished the Serpent God’s corpse to me. She stayed in the city for less than a week.”

It was both disappointing and a little satisfying.

Perhaps this, too, was an act of kindness from a higher-dimensional being.

“…?”

Thinking this way, Lysithea found the Crown Prince’s behavior increasingly peculiar.

He didn’t know her identity.

He had no clue.

Far from assuming she was an absolute existence, he had only managed to find a single clue after over a decade.

Even so, the fact that the Crown Prince of an empire was so obsessed—it was more than mere interest.

It was almost as if…

“Ha.”

Lysithea laughed.

It was a different smile from before.

She tried to suppress it but ultimately failed.

“…Why are you laughing?”

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Artan furrowed his brow.

Lysithea, her shoulders trembling, managed to regain her composure.

“Ah… My apologies. Please understand.”

She even shed a tear.

It wasn’t a proper demeanor, and she knew that.

But it was simply too amusing.

Wiping her tears, she displayed the brightest smile she’d worn in ages.

“Your Highness knows absolutely nothing about her.”

How could she not laugh?

When such a foolish man stood before her.

To think a mere human could harbor affection for a god…