Chapter 423
“There’s no need for a long, pathetic explanation. Let’s just get straight to the point.”
With that, Lete flipped to the very last page of her notebook.
“The point?”
“The source of the extreme cold.”
She twitched the quill pen held between her fingers.
“The bitter cold that’s engulfing this region right now, it’s neither the wrath of a Snow Maiden, nor a temporary climate anomaly.”
“Then what do you think it is?”
A smirk curled on her lips.
“An abnormal phenomenon of a dungeon.”
Simon was already familiar with the concept.
The moment a dungeon appears on the continent, mysterious disasters occur around it, disasters that cannot be explained by natural causes.
The continent defines such phenomena as “abnormalities caused by dungeons”.
“Have you ever been to a dungeon?”
“Yeah, just recently.”
Simon had witnessed such dungeon abnormalities with his own eyes.
Back during the final test of their first year—the “Promotion Exam”—when they traveled by ship to that volcanic island.
Originally, that island had been a peaceful home to native inhabitants. Yet, despite its geological structure making volcanic activity impossible, a massive eruption had occurred.
And there, in the heart of the magma, appeared a portal leading to a dungeon. He still vividly remembered how all the first-year students dove into the lava.
“Well then, this makes things faster.”
Lete, holding her quill, began sketching the cave on the mountain summit in her notebook.
“When I lit up the mountain with white magic a few days ago, the cave you saw looked something like this, right?”
“...There’s really nothing you can’t do, huh.”
Lete’s sketching skills were impressive. She tapped the cave drawing lightly with the quill tip.
“I believe this cave right here, is the entrance to the dungeon.”
Simon nodded and folded his arms.
“I think so too. If our theory’s right, then destroying the dungeon should end this abnormal weather, right?”
“Most likely.”
Lete closed her eyes and took a sip of steaming tea. A warm, grainy aroma wafted up.
“This dungeon has probably remained uncleared for quite some time. The abnormalities reached all the way past the mountain range to Coola, after all. It must’ve been here for decades at least.”
“Then what about the Snow Maiden legend and the Mizenashi people?”
“Remember the fairy tale book I mentioned earlier? What do you think the Mizenashi people's goal is?”
Simon closed his eyes for a moment, sinking into thought.
“Revenge.”
At last, he spoke.
“Revenge against the village of Coola, for banishing them to this freezing mountain range.”
Instead of responding, Lete calmly opened her palm. The two of them clapped their hands together in a sharp high-five.
“Correct. Coola originally belonged to the Mizenashi people. But they were deceived by the kingdom villagers and forced into exile in the snow mountains. Since then, they’ve harbored resentment toward Coola.”
She picked up her quill and drew harsh circles around the cave sketch.
“Those who had long sharpened the blade of vengeance, one day stumbled upon this dungeon in the snowy mountain. And they decided to use the abnormalities caused by the dungeon. The Snow Maiden legend? Her fury? It’s all just fabricated by the Mizenashi. A deception to hide the dungeon’s existence.”
Even in the Holy Federation, once a dungeon is discovered, they immediately dispatch a raid team composed of paladins, priests, and treasure hunters.
So the Mizenashi would’ve desperately tried to conceal the dungeon. If it were destroyed, their revenge on Coola would no longer be possible.
“Here, look at this.”
Lete pulled out some torn scraps of paper from her subspace bag.
“We found these yesterday while searching the snowy mountain. They were stuck to a rock.”
“What are they?”
“Talismans. Barriers made using pure elemental magic. They cause hallucinations, or make people lose their way.”
Simon carefully examined the remains of the talisman.
“The Mizenashi’s doing. They’ve used magic to prevent anyone from getting close to the dungeon.”
Lete nodded.
“Hm, but I still don’t know what this ‘sacrifice’ is supposed to be.”
“I think it’s also a tool by the Mizenashi, to validate the existence of the Snow Maiden and maintain that illusion for the villagers.”
In the worst-case scenario, Simon imagined it was human sacrifice, offering people to the Snow Maiden as tribute.
Perhaps they used it to eliminate those who tried to escape their control or who had witnessed their secrets. Even the teachers who came before may have been sacrificed.
“We need to be careful. We could become their targets too.”
“Yessir.”
Lete let out a huge yawn.
“Let’s grab a bit of shut-eye and head out again before dawn. I’m worried about Coola’s situation too, and I want to find that dungeon and settle things as soon as possible.”
“Okay.”
Just as she was about to enter the bedroom, Lete turned and looked at Simon.
“You still don’t look settled. Something bothering you?”
“If the Snow Maiden legend was made up by the Mizenashi...”
Simon folded his arms, his face troubled.
“Then who is that gray-haired woman I keep seeing?”
“Aha.”
Lete smiled slyly.
“You mean the one standing right behind you?”
Every hair on Simon’s body stood on end.
His stiff neck creaked as he turned around.
Whoooosh—!
No one was there.
As he turned back, Lete was holding her stomach, laughing heartily. Simon’s face flushed crimson in embarrassment.
“Lete!!”
“Hmph, that was payback for teasing me about being a Saint back at the cathedral.”
She stuck her lower lip out playfully and fled into the bedroom. Simon sighed.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Then her voice came from the room.
“Who’s pretending to be the Snow Maiden, trying to scare us and warn us.”
* * *
In the early dawn, when everyone was asleep.
Simon and Lete bundled up in thick coats and slipped out of their lodging. They scanned the surroundings, making sure no one was around, then silently darted into the darkness.
“The village is oddly quiet today.”
Simon murmured.
“Well, everyone’s asleep, so that makes sense.”
Lete replied.
They cut across the fields, taking the shortest path, and reached the village gate.
Though the barrier was invisible, the exit portion shimmered faintly in bluish light.
“Let’s go.”
Simon strode forward and passed through the barrier.
And then—
“...!”
His face froze in shock.
‘No! Lete! Don’t come out now—!’
Simon tried to stop her, but Lete was already by his side. Her pupils trembled.
“...”
“...”
All of the villagers of Escaille, dressed in fur-lined clothes, were outside, glaring at them with chilling eyes.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
Tap. Tap.
From the crowd, a figure emerged, leaning on a staff.
“Not to leave the village until everything is over.”
It was Nenia Mizenashi.
She fixed her eyes coldly on Simon and Lete.
“...The two of you have broken the village’s rules. What was your real reason for coming here?”
There was no turning back now.
Just as Lete bristled and was about to speak up, Simon stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“We came to teach the children.”
“Even now, you still lie. We’ve known all along that you’ve been sneaking out of the barrier to do suspicious things.”
Nenia stretched out her arm and pointed to the side.
The guard who had been protecting the barrier lay collapsed with severe injuries. On his chest were frozen claw marks, just like the ones left by the Snow Maiden. The barrier itself was damaged as well.
“You’ve incurred the Snow Maiden’s wrath!”
That shout triggered a wave.
“We begged you not to go!”
“Because of you, the entire village is now in danger!”
The furious cries and protests of the villagers poured out.
Lete glanced sideways at Simon. Simon looked back at her. The two exchanged a silent glance.
“Yes, we’re truly sorry.”
Lete spread her arms and spoke up.
“We’ll accept any punishment. For example—”
Her lips twisted into a smirk.
“Offering young outsiders as a ‘sacrifice’ to appease the Snow Maiden’s anger.”
At that, the murmuring around them suddenly fell silent.
Lete fixed her gaze on Petria, who was standing next to Nenia. Petria couldn’t even meet her eyes, hanging her head low like a sinner.
“Petria. You said you didn’t have friends your age in the village, right? People who are so afraid of being exiled wouldn’t willingly leave the village. Even the visiting teachers disappeared. This too must be…”
“Enough!”
Nenia Mizenashi struck her staff and stepped forward.
“So you did come here to investigate the teachers’ disappearance. Well, you won’t find them. They too broke the village’s rules and were cast out beyond the barrier. Likely froze to death somewhere in the snowy mountains.”
“……”
“This time will be the same. We won’t lay a hand on you. We won’t punish you either!”
Thump!
Thump!
The villagers all stepped aside at once, forming a path.
“We will exile you from the village. Leave immediately.”
In reality, exiling someone into a freezing blizzard in the dead of night was practically a death sentence.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
But the two of them walked calmly. The villagers’ stares were piercing, but Simon didn’t react.
It was something that was bound to happen eventually.
“Teacher Shaun! Teacher Shaun!”
“No! Teacher Leah!”
Just then, the children of the village came running, crying loudly.
“H-Hey, what’s wrong with them?”
“It's Anda!”
The adults tried to stop them, but the kids shook off their parents’ hands and clung to Simon and Lete.
“Teacher! Don’t go! Don’t die!”
“No! Teacher! Hic! Sob!”
The unexpected scene brought silence to the crowd.
Simon and Lete crouched down and gently patted the children’s heads, smiling warmly.
Even if their life in the village had been a lie, their time teaching the children had been genuine.
Simon felt a warm sensation in his heart as he smiled at the children.
“We won’t die. We’ll definitely meet again. I promise.”
At that moment, a chill surrounded the children, and they were pulled away from the two.
The children cried as they were dragged back, and beyond them stood the Mizenashi magicians with their palms raised.
“Now please leave.”
Nenia Mizenashi struck her staff against the ground as she spoke.
And so, Simon and Lete were exiled from the village.
* * *
Whoooooooooooosh!
In the bitter cold and raging snowstorm of the night, Simon and Lete were dashing through the whiteout, holinesssurging in their legs.
“Looks like this turned into a time attack after all, but hey, works for me!”
Lete grinned as she spoke.
“Let’s clear the dungeon today and put an end to this wretched cold!”
“Exactly.”
Their time wandering the snowy mountains hadn’t been wasted.
As Lete ran across the snowy field, she spotted a rock and reached out her arm.
<Holy Bolt>
She struck the rock with holy magic, and the surrounding air shattered with a loud crack.
“First obstacle, cleared.”
This time, an avalanche tumbled down from a nearby slope. Simon reached out his hand.
“Corpse Explosion.”
Zombies he had hidden at the point last night lit up and exploded.
The unstable slope crumbled, and the landslide was absorbed into it.
“That’s the second, cleared too.”
Beyond that, they used monster corpses they had previously obtained to draw attention from other monsters, dispelled illusions, and walked straight through distorted maze spells—overcoming various obstacles.
All thanks to experience.
The two had constantly searched for shortcuts and analyzed traps within the snowy mountain.
“Let’s check our direction here.”
Lete activated a magic circle, and from the summit of the frozen mountain, a burst of light flashed.
It was ‘Illumination’, a light spell she had set up earlier in the cave, now pointing the way.
“This way!”
“Got it!”
Six obstacles cleared in just three hours.
Even they hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly.
They were now steadily ascending toward the summit of the steep mountain.
“There’s the cave!”
Right then—
Thump! Tep!
Something grabbed their legs. Suddenly, the snow-covered ground burst open, and a massive Ice Golem emerged.
“What the hell—?!”
The Ice Golem hurled them both off a pitch-black cliff where the bottom wasn’t even visible. Their screams grew distant.
-......
Having dealt with the intruders as ordered, the Golem adjusted its posture and crouched down once again.
However—
BWAAAAAAHHH!
Suddenly, the two who had just been thrown down soared back up into the air.
On the right, Lete was hanging from a divine beast shaped like a bird, and on the left, Simon had climbed back up the cliff using Akallion.
“Don’t get in our way!”
“Don’t get in our way!”
The boy and girl jumped simultaneously from their divine beasts and delivered powerful kicks.
Lete’s leg struck the Golem’s head, and Simon’s leg smashed into the Golem’s core in its chest.
CRACK!
The Golem shattered and scattered into pieces. The two landed cleanly on the ground and recalled their divine beasts back into the holy subspace.
“Alright. We’re almost there!”
“Looks like it.”
Before them, the black cave now lay in sight.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters