Life in the Snowfield
The life in the Snowfield was peaceful and tranquil.
There had been a few minor issues, but it meant that as long as there was no external intervention, it was nothing but a continuous calm. Only now did I realize that the peace I had felt on Earth was not peace at all.
Life in the city, where countless people were organically intertwined with countless interests, was something that could not be avoided despite not wanting it—frequent conflicts were inevitable. No matter how much of the day was spent at home.
In contrast, the Snowfield was simply a place filled with silence. The land of fierce cold that existed only in blizzards and snow-white purity was a paradise for the Snow Woman and her snow spirits. Yet how coldly must that sight appear to the eyes of others.
A normal person would not be able to endure even a moment in this cold hell, and if they managed to survive, their heart would soon freeze over. So if one wished to become a resident of this uninhabited world, they themselves had to become an iceberg.
However, here, there was exactly one exception. A being whose ice-cold exterior paradoxically protected the interior. An Irregular that a god had never birthed and that could never exist for ordinary people. The only unique race that had never before existed in this world.
But as long as even a faint warmth remained, humans were creatures that desired new experiences.
*
It had now been roughly a month since then. There were no clocks, so it was all speculation.
Fortunately, during this time, Mishra had not come looking for me. I did not know whether she had decided simply to tolerate me or whether some other urgent matter had kept her away, but it was right to think that this point had passed the crisis.
"So even I must have been too embarrassing for her to come back."
She was the Dragon King, after all. How much pride must that be? Her self-confidence would also be high, so no matter what, she would have no face to pick up a fight again. My bait had worked perfectly.
I let a triumphant smile slip onto my face. After all, haughty types always had their convictions as a weakness. It would be better to be like me, who had no convictions to speak of.
-Ohhh...
Glancing sideways, I saw a Prike with her mouth wide open in a "Heh." It was clearly the youngest Prike I had created a month ago. Externally there was almost no difference, but I, the creator, knew otherwise.
So why was she doing this? I was particularly worried about the Prike, since she was one of the noisier ones.
-You smiled!
The creature pointed at me and shouted. Her appearance was so startled that I unconsciously brought my hand to my mouth. The smile had already vanished. Had she caught even the briefest moment?
Prike ran to the other children like a kindergartener who had seen something strange. All the spirits were in their shrunken forms like her.
-You laughed!
-What? No way.
-Did you see something sweet?
The spirits born from me each had their own unique personalities. The differences could be seen at a glance by looking around. Some were reading books, others hanging from the windowsill watching the outside, and still others were lying sprawled out doing nothing at all.
It was a phenomenon that appeared because they had each formed different selves during the birth process. They were like a tiny society, each one of them getting along differently with the others. Yet there was only one theme that united all those Prike.
-You laughed, Quilly?
-What the hell! What's going on?
-...This is unbelievable...
The person they all had the deepest connection with was me, Quillere. When I was struck by that thought, the Prike lowered their books, rushed from the windowsill, and shot upright from where they had been snoring.
Following that familiar rhythm, I naturally pressed my hand to my forehead. I was truly fortunate there was no one else around. If I showed my face like this, I would not be able to raise my head from embarrassment.
"Here we go again..."
Still, compared to other times, the reason was somewhat understandable. How could the children react this way if I had not smiled at all? Because of the Snow Woman's setting, I had extremely minimized my expressions of even happy feelings.
Lately it had been even worse because of the anxiety over whether Mishra would attack at any moment. Only now, a month later, did I feel truly safe and relaxed. Perhaps that was why my lips had loosened.
"It seems like it's because we were almost finished."
Amidst the flood of opinions, the one who had been reading the book just moments ago spoke up abruptly. She was the smartest among the Prike. So, compared to the nonsense opinions, it sounded quite plausible.
-Whoa... I get it!
-You're amazing!
-...Heh.
Even the Prike who had never been able to make such a simple guess were astonished. The one who had suggested the opinion tried to play it cool, but her raised shoulders were visible. Still, they were just children, after all.
"It wasn't even wrong."
Securing safety had been the bigger factor, but their words were also very important. I stopped paying attention to the Prike and turned my gaze downward. I was looking at the one who had been working so hard. Preparation had long since been completed, and I was now in the final finishing stage.
A work that had accumulated mana over several weeks. Unlike Prike, which could be completed in a day if you caught it, this was on an entirely different scale. That was natural, because when it reached Mid-grade Spirit, its difference from Lower-grade was vast.
Because I had known that well, I had gone into this challenge with a heavy heart, but it had been harder than I expected. Mana had been constantly leaking away without time to gather, so my strength had drained away. It was only natural that I felt good to have finally been released from that torture.
"This will be the end."
The necessary mana had long since been gathered, and the finishing work had just been completed. When I pulled away my hands, the snowballs began to react strangely, as I had anticipated. It was a size far larger than the Prike had been before birth.
Soon the mass of mana expanded and took on the shape of an object. As its body grew to a size I had to look up at, the noise gradually died down. A finished being stood before my eyes.
-......
It was tall enough to exceed a meter and a half. The raised head and the long white fur covering the entire body matched what I had seen in the design document. Spirits were extremely rare, and even I, who had played Sa-gye War for so long, had never encountered many of them.
Therefore, seeing the creature was my first time.
"Can you understand my words?"
The Mid-grade Snow Spirit Yeti gave a slight nod at my words. Unlike Prike, Yeti did not use telepathy, but its intelligence was in no way inferior. Satisfied to confirm that fact through its calm response, I nodded.
"Go greet them."
Pointing behind me, I told it. Yeti walked forward with large strides. Even though the ranks were different, since they were both snow spirits, they could get along well. However, because their appearance was so intimidating, the Prike let out cries of amazement.
-A huge creature has come!
-Larger than Quilly! And the fur is so long!
-...Why is it different from us?
The lively noise filled the air. The arrival of a completely new family member instantly turned it into a hot potato. They had caused quite a stir, but since the core of them was kind children, they would probably become close friends in no time.
"If it's that size... well, it should be fine."
I ignored them and checked my plan. Snow spirits, like me, had extremely biased attributes, so unless the climate was extreme, they would bear various penalties. Therefore, bringing them into the continent was not a good choice.
Of course, my own abilities would also weaken if I left the Snowfield, with mana consumption increasing, but it was different from the spirits. In a way, spirits were composed of pure energy. They were affected far more by the environment than anyone else.
Unlike me, I would have to worry about their health as well. I could not take care of so many of them; it was impossible.
"Well... I just need to cross the Ice Mountains."
To head inland, I had to pass through the Ice Mountains. The problem was that, unlike the Snowfield where no living beings were visible, monsters lived there. Since I still lacked confidence in battle, I needed sturdy escorts.
That was why I had created the Mid-grade Spirit Yeti. Since it was a snow spirit, it could not go all the way inland, but it would be enough for escort duty. As long as we crossed the Ice Mountains, the rest could be handled by me alone.
"Inland..."
I had not suddenly thought of these things. In truth, anyone who fell alone into a desolate land would desperately crave human traces, but thanks to the Snow Woman's setting, I had no mental problems. Of course, that did not mean there was no curiosity; it was always there.
I had simply chosen to maintain the peace at hand rather than risking danger out of curiosity. I had created the spirits while turning my eyes away and training my mana, but my interest had only grown day by day.
" It should be just the right amount of boredom."
Above all, the fact that daily life was too boring was the greatest flaw. After all, I was a body that had lived through various entertainment and stimulating media on Earth. It was only natural to choose a little challenge over mere peace.
"Honestly... I'm curious too."
That was my honest feeling. Although it was set a thousand years before the original, it was the stage of Sa-gye War that I had loved so much. Since I had been reincarnated into that world, the desire to see it with my own eyes naturally arose.
The timing being what it was, there would be many things different from memories, but the dangerous parts would be fewer still. Unlike the original, there was no era of disaster and war.
"Then, I should gather some appropriate items and prepare to depart."
I did not need to move by hand and suffer the inconvenience. Gathering items I could use or sell for cash would be helpful. It was the moment I was about to head to the warehouse to search for things.
Kwaaaah-!
A very irritating roar echoed. An unpleasant memory revived on its own, and my feet stopped dead. Unable to ignore it any longer, I glanced back. An familiar sight unfolded before my eyes.
An even whiter snowfield than usual. Above it moved a massive flying object. It seemed to be traveling much more slowly than before, but it was the Dragon King I had never wanted to meet again. I blinked in a daze.
"H-hey, wait a moment..."
Why was it coming here?
With my mind clear, I ordered the wolf-transformed Prike to stand guard and came down with only Yeti. I had wanted to exclude any elements that could provoke the opponent, but it had been a foot of caution that wanted even one ally.
Outside, it was unusually bright. Had she come only on days like this? She was seated on the snow hill where I had sat before. The Dragon King stared fixedly at my newly revealed face.
'Why, what. What else is there to complain about?'
I brought annoyance... but I met her eyes straight, hiding it. Unexpectedly, no intense pressure was felt in those eyes. I did not yet know the reason for the visit, but it did not seem to be because of anger.
Judging so, I felt a little relief. It seemed the crisis was not as before. After a moment of confrontation, Yeti stepped forward, perhaps to help her master.
From its size and expressionless face flowed an inexhaustible aura. It was weak compared to the Dragon King, but sturdy enough compared to Prike.
-......
Mishra's eyes widened for a moment at the sight of Yeti. However, the light quickly dimmed as if she had understood something. Since I could not guess what she was thinking, I decided to go straight to the point.
"What is it?"
But I immediately regretted it. Because her tone was a little colder than I had thought. With a trace of unease, I looked at Mishra... and saw her eyes slightly trembling. My heart shrank rapidly.
She looked panicked. No matter how I looked at it, that was the reaction when one was panicked or troubled. Then why was she panicked? It was not difficult to guess. A month ago, she had only barely tolerated me, and now I was still acting arrogantly, so she was dumbfounded!
"Damn troublemaker..."
I had heard that the mouth was the root of all evil, and it was true. Anyway, this situation had to be resolved somehow. If I had stayed silent, it would not matter, but since I had provoked her, I could not just leave it; she might come after me again.
'Resolve it... resolve it.'
Should I persuade her with words? I rejected the thought, wondering to myself if it was a joke. The most wise solution, conversation, was useless to me. If I could pour out my resentment with words, it would be best. If the Snow Woman had not been a cold and bright character...
At that moment, the mischievous ones I had created came to mind. Until just moments ago, they had been making a lively noise among themselves with bright voices. I doubted their mental age, but there was no doubting their bright personality.
What if I got help from them? I had left them behind earlier out of fear they would stir up more anger, but my thinking had changed. Although my words were cold, if the surroundings were bright, would it not be much better? The Prike might not be cute in other ways, but their appearance was adorable, so the Dragon King would not easily get angry.
No, rather, her anger might even melt. Cute things have always been justice. Yes, since Mishra had come again, if I simply ignored her, the aftertaste would be bad. This was the perfect chance to get proper permission.
[You... no, you are...]
I heard some words, but my mind was heated, so I could not understand. Before my resolve could waver, I opened my mouth.
" Come in."
A cold tone that spat out the words. It was an invitation. I had decided that inviting her formally and treating her grandly would easily make her agree.
[What? No...]
But she showed an unexpected reaction. My eyes, which had not calculated this, suddenly fixed on the Dragon King's face. It was not good. Since the word "no" had come out, it was likely she was expressing rejection, and if so...
[...I-I understand.]
Somehow, Mishra, who had been stammering, showed her intention to accept. What? Had her heart changed? In any case, good was good, and I had no intention of pointing it out. Instead, I walked toward her with heavy steps to open the door.
Whoosh-
A strong wind suddenly blew, and I turned my head. There, where the Dragon King's mountain-like figure had been, stood a woman. A woman with long silver hair that reached her waist and a turquoise-blue gaze was clearly a face I did not remember in my memories, but I could not have failed to recognize her.
'Polymorph.'
Thinking so, I entered the fortress first. As the mission was to satisfy the customer, my heart was heavy. Another set of footsteps followed behind me.