Chapter 418
The fierce cold and blizzard they had just endured felt like a lie.
Beyond the barrier, what unfolded before Simon’s eyes was the peaceful scenery of a village.
Butterflies fluttered, and birds chirped. Humble thatched houses came into view, and people were passing by along the road.
‘So this is Escaille Village!’
It felt like stepping into a greenhouse amidst a deadly winter.
They had only heard bad rumors about Escaille Village from the lower city of Coola, but the reality was completely different from what they had imagined.
“This barrier…”
Meanwhile, Lete was brushing her palm against the barrier. The empty air shimmered and rippled beneath her touch.
“It focuses on insulation, so its durability isn’t that great. From inside, you could tear it with a flick of a blade.”
“As long as it keeps the heat in, that’s good enough.”
Outside, the blizzard still raged, but within the barrier, it was warm like spring, so much so that the snowy storm outside felt surreal.
With just this thin barrier, it felt like heaven and hell were separated.
“But now where should we go?”
“Good question.”
Lete shrugged.
“Better not to wander around and cause a misunderstanding. Best to quietly wai—”
“Who goes there?”
Waiting quietly was the right answer.
A middle-aged man, wearing a straw hat tilted on his head and with a short beard growing from his ears down to his chin, approached.
Simon and Lete quickly bowed their heads.
“Laus! We’ve come to teach the children of Escaille Village. I’m Shaun Harder.”
“I go by Leah Bennet.”
Of course, Shaun and Leah were fake identities.
“Ah! You must be the teachers from outside.”
The man nodded, carefully scrutinizing the two of them.
“To make it all the way here on such a bitterly cold day without getting eaten by the Snow Maiden, impressive.”
Simon’s expression stiffened slightly.
The Snow Maiden again. So that woman from before — was she really the Snow Maiden?
“Wait here a moment. I’ll go fetch Petria.”
“Petria?”
“She’ll be your guide. With the cold today, I figured no teacher would make it. Guess I was wrong.”
Leaving only those words, the man disappeared.
And a short while later—
“S-Sorry I’m late!!”
A girl came running toward them at full speed from the distance.
She had ash-gray hair, her forehead completely exposed. She looked young, about Simon and Lete’s age.
“Haah! Huff! I didn’t expect...! Huff! You to come today...! Sorry...!”
“N-No worries.”
Simon held out his palm reassuringly.
“You’re Petria?”
Lete asked.
“Yes! I’m Petria! I’ve been assigned to guide you. This way, please—”
As Petria chattered away with explanations, Simon glanced around the village as they followed her.
There were fields and livestock, animals unique to this region, like reindeer, seemingly raised for milk or meat.
Unlike Coola, where people were dying in real time, this village seemed entirely adapted to the cold, thriving and stable.
‘Hmm, bringing up Coola right now wouldn’t be a wise move.’
That would be a topic for after gaining the trust and goodwill of the locals.
Simon decided to start with a light question.
“Petria. I’m curious about something.”
“Yes, Teacher Shaun! Go ahead.”
“Is it true that the Snow Maiden really lives in this mountain?”
Her footsteps abruptly halted. She turned her head and glared at him with wide, dilated pupils, making Simon flinch involuntarily.
“Hahahaha!”
Then she burst out laughing.
“No way! That’s just a legend!”
She wiped away tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Her reaction was unexpected, and Simon scratched the side of his head awkwardly.
“But that man earlier said it was lucky we weren’t eaten by the Snow Maiden...”
“Seems the adults all believe it. It’s a big deal every year! We must hold a ritual, offer sacrifices... But I don’t believe in the Snow Maiden. Ah!”
She put a finger to her lips.
“Of course, that’s a secret from the elders. Especially the old lady you’ll be meeting soon.”
“Oh, understood.”
Being a small village, their destination came into view quickly. It was the largest building in Escaille, something like a village hall.
“Come in.”
Inside, there were statues displayed throughout the building. They seemed to represent the Snow Maiden. Lete frowned slightly in displeasure.
‘Blasphemy.’
The Holy Federation worshiped only Goddess Dave as the one true deity. All forms of folk beliefs or local deities were strictly forbidden.
By that measure, the villagers here were highly suspicious.
“Hold it in, you know?”
“Do I look like an idiot?”
And according to Israfil, this region was one of the few places almost entirely outside Efnelle’s central influence.
Coming all the way to this remote region and getting kicked out over a religious dispute would only harm them.
“Now, let’s go meet the old lady.”
Said Petria.
“But who exactly is this old lady?”
“She’s the eldest in the village. Think of her like the village chief.”
Clack.
The door opened, and the two were led into what looked like a small reception room.
A frail, elderly woman with ash-gray hair sat holding a cane.
Standing beside her, Petria introduced her.
“This is Nenia Mizenashi, the village elder.”
But when Simon and Lete saw Nenia, their eyes widened.
“The fortune-teller grandma?!”
“What is she doing here?”
She looked exactly like the old woman who had told their fortune in Coola just the day before.
But Nenia blinked as if she didn’t understand what they meant.
“......What are you talking about?”
Simon continued calmly.
“We apologize if we’re mistaken, but on our way here, we saw an old woman in Coola who looked exactly like you.”
“......It must be a mistake.”
She brushed her ash-gray hair with her fingers.
“But if it wasn’t a mistake... then perhaps you saw my sister.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes, my sister who broke village law and was exiled 50 years ago. What is she doing now?”
Lete replied.
“She’s telling fortunes on the streets. She’s running a business targeting tourists, but it seems she’s struggling lately due to Coola’s current state.”
Nenia clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“She paid the price. But to have survived the Snow Maiden’s curse despite breaking village law... she’s lucky.”
She turned her head.
“Petria.”
Petria clasped her hands and bowed politely.
“Yes, Lady Nenia.”
“Show our two teachers to their lodgings.”
“Understood.”
“And you two—”
Her gaze turned sharply fierce as she looked at Simon and Lete.
“It would be best not to speak so freely of my sister in this village.”
With those parting words, Nenia exited the reception room.
Simon and Lete immediately exchanged glances.
“Do you think they’re the same person?”
Lete shook her head.
“Nope. I’m sure they’re two different people.”
“......That old woman. Was she really from this village?”
* * *
This village, led by Chief Nenia, was firmly under the control of those bearing the surname ‘Mizenashi’.
All the village elders they met afterward were also Mizenashi.
After having rules and guidelines drilled into their ears by those elders, Simon and Lete were finally led outside by Petria.
“Seriously, why are there so many rules? Can’t do this, can’t do that.”
Lete grumbled with her arms crossed, and Petria bowed her head apologetically.
“S-Sorry. Our village is kind of... peculiar.”
“Are you really saying we can’t go outside?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. And even if you do go out, the blizzard will be so strong that you won’t be able to do anything.”
Simon and Lete exchanged silent glances.
Even so, the two of them fully intended to go outside.
On the surface, they would play the role of teachers to earn the villagers’ trust. But once everyone was asleep in the early dawn, they planned to sneak out and search for clues about the blizzard and the ‘evil’ Israfil had mentioned.
The unidentified blizzard.
The Snow Maiden.
And the people of Escaille Village.
There were many tangled clues and pieces of information, but Simon was convinced that in the end, everything led back to a single source.
And once that source was found and eliminated, Israfil’s request — and peace for this entire region — would be fulfilled.
“Petria. What exactly are the Mizenashi?”
Lete suddenly asked.
“They’re descendants of the Snow Maiden. Led by Lady Nenia Mizenashi, they oversee the village’s rituals and major affairs.”
She said with a smile, pointing to herself.
“Oh! And I’m a Mizenashi too. Petria Mizenashi.”
“What! So you’re one of the fancy folks.”
Lete’s teasing grin made Petria’s cheeks turn red.
“T-That’s not true!”
“You said the Mizenashi clan are descendants of the Snow Maiden, but you don’t believe in her yourself?”
Simon threw a fairly sharp question, but Petria nodded with a serious face.
“Yes, I don’t believe in her.”
“......”
“Well, here we are. Please come this way.”
The lodging prepared for them was a spacious and quiet log cabin.
Lete was ecstatic.
“We can really use this whole house for ourselves?”
“Of course!”
It was wide and clean, with a fireplace too. There were three rooms and various toys scattered about.
“Finally, private rooms! Private rooms!”
Lete excitedly ran around the house. Simon and Petria watched from a short distance.
“You’ll be living here from now on, and you’ll also teach the children here.”
“When can we meet the children?”
“They’ll come starting tomorrow. There are five of them, and they’re all super, super cute!”
Petria shook her arms as if even the thought made her happy.
“If you go to the storage, there’s firewood. I’ll personally bring you food and supplies every day.”
“Sounds nice.”
“Oh! And on the first day of class, some of the village elders will come in to observe!”
Simon’s eyes widened.
“So the Mizenashi will come too?”
“Yes. But don’t worry too much. It’s the first day, so they’ll just watch briefly to see how things go.”
That brought a heavy sense of pressure.
Observation class. If they didn’t teach well, they might be suspected and kicked out of the village.
“My house is right next door. It’s the one with the blue roof, you can see it from here.”
Petria pointed with her fingertip.
“If you need anything or feel uncomfortable, just say the word! I’ll come running in no time!”
“How could we possibly order around a Mizenashi?”
Lete said with a sly grin, and Petria’s face turned red again.
“Ah~ please stop teasing me!”
“Just joking. Thanks for being considerate.”
“U-Um, also...”
Petria hesitated, staring at her toes, then mustered up the courage to raise her head.
“I-I was wondering... if it would be okay for me to come visit sometimes, if you don’t mind... I don’t really have any friends my age in the village. So I thought, maybe...”
“Of course.”
Lete said, sitting on a chair.
“And we can see you’re about our age, so talk comfortably. No need for ‘teacher’ this and that. Just call us Leah or Shaun.”
“B-But! How could I possibly address the teachers so casually...!”
“How could I possibly hang out casually with the great Mizenashi lady?”
“Stop teasing meee!!”
As the two girls bickered, Simon watched with a soft smile.
“Well then, I’ll come back later! Rest well, Leah! Shaun!”
Clack!
Petria left. Lete let out a long sigh and leaned back.
“Alright then.”
She turned her head.
“Can we ask why you’re hiding here, little ones?”
At those words, almost immediately, a small boy and girl, about four or five years old, began crawling out from under the bed. Their faces were filled with fear and tension, as if expecting to be scolded.
“!!”
At the sight of the two children, Lete’s expression melted. Simon was the same.
“U-Uh, umm...”
The little girl stammered. Then the boy stepped forward to speak for her.
“We were playing hide and seek, and this place was empty, so we hid, but then!”
‘So cute!’
It looked like, aside from their investigation, their role as teachers might actually be something they could enjoy doing.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters