44 – Unexpected variable (2)
“Sister. The preparations are complete.”
“Yes. Neither do I.”
Two sisters were having a pleasant conversation at a place close to the top of a cliff on a snowy mountain.
Seeing each other smiling without hesitation, you would think it would be a heartwarming sight from a distance.
But the voice he was spitting out was saturated with arrogance and conceit.
“Maybe she can’t even imagine it? Even if she escapes from the top, she’ll die.”
“Well, the best thing is to just freeze to death at the top.”
Even just hearing it, the ugly words came out without hesitation.
The sight of him talking badly without hesitation was so hideous that it gave me goosebumps.
“By the way, what did the village do?”
“Don’t worry. Because it ended well.”
The woman stroked her brother’s head with her admirable heart.
No matter how arrogant they may be, the bond between sisters is extremely close.
“I was halfway up three days ago, so I’m probably near the top by now.”
“Then we just have to go up to the top, right?”
“Yes. The moment we reach the top, let’s move according to plan.”
There is only one day left until the reunion they hoped for.
***
The hike went easier than expected.
For that reason, Erina’s share was the biggest.
Unlike us, he doesn’t get cold, and he doesn’t get tired at all.
She was the only one who could move without being shaken even in the harsh weather and environment.
Of course, Kyla and I also stepped in, but Erina was always at the forefront.
“It’s fine now. I knocked it down.”
With a thump, the huge body collapsed.
In front of her was a huge tree stuck to the ground.
It is not an ordinary tree. Frost Entra is a monster.
It was not easy to notice because it is usually camouflaged in the forest.
But before I could figure it out, Erina ran out and cut off the limbs of the Ent.
“At this level, the area is safe.”
“Okay. Good job.”
As before, I stroked her hair and straightened her chest with a triumphant expression.
Hearing her praise, she smiled nonstop as if her mood had improved.
The necklace she had previously presented was still hanging around her neck.
Since receiving the necklace from me, she has become as bright as ever.
“Erina. Don’t get too far ahead. It’s dangerous to fall apart.”
“Okay!”
At my words, they immediately clung to the side. The warmth of her body passed between her arms.
After five days of climbing, we started to get closer to the summit.
As we approached the summit, the number of monsters gradually decreased.
A strong wind began to blow that even monsters could not withstand.
I held onto Kayla’s hand, lest it be blown away by the wind.
“Kayla, are you looking around?”
“Yes. You don’t have to worry…”
Three days ago, Kayla said that while she was on her watch, she noticed a strange sign.
I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, but Kayla’s demeanor changed after that day.
I looked around or suddenly turned around.
Even when I was taking a break, my nerves were on edge.
It’s always good to be vigilant, but I was overly sensitive.
‘Is something going on?’
Still, I didn’t ask why.
I’ll report right away if there’s anything strange, so I decided to leave it alone.
There was something more important than that.
I once again recalled the reason for climbing the cold and rugged snowy mountain.
“Everyone hasn’t forgotten, right? The reason we came all the way through all this hardship.”
“Cross flower and snow woman. I just need to find two things, right?”
“Okay. First of all, when we reach the top, let’s find the snow woman’s place.”
The place where cold flowers grow has not been determined. It was completely random.
If you’re lucky, you might find it on the way to the top.
If not, you never know how long the search will take.
So we decided to find the snow woman first.
According to my memory, there should be a snow woman’s residence near the summit.
I knew the approximate location, so I believed that it would be easy to find with a little search.
“Kayla, be patient. I’ll give it to you as soon as I find it.”
“I’m fine. It’s right for your lord to eat first…”
My body was shaking even as I spoke. Her lips turned blue and her face turned pale.
Even I, who thought I was strong against the cold in my own way, could hardly bear it.
Kayla, who is weak against the cold, must be more exhausted than I am.
I’ve managed to get through it somehow, but if I stay like this for a long time, I could get the flu.
‘I wish I could find it on the way to the top.’
Unfortunately, no luck has come so far.
The closer we got to the summit, the more violent the blizzard was.
A snow storm began to rage as if blocking access to the summit.
I moved my legs while enduring the sound of the brutal wind.
After an hour of hiking, we finally arrived at our destination.
“I have arrived.”
“I expected it, but nothing really happened.”
The summit of the snowy mountain. A desolate field of snow was waiting for us.
He left footprints for the first time in a place untouched by humans.
I began to look around the summit while stepping on the snow piled up on the ground.
I looked down at the scenery of the snowy mountains with the sound of the brutal wind.
It took five days to reach the summit.
As much as we suffered, the scenery from the top was spectacular.
But there was no time to enjoy the scenery.
I hurriedly looked around and started searching the cave.
“Erina. If you ever find an ice plant or a cave, tell me right away.”
“Don’t worry. Trust me.”
She put on a triumphant expression as she patted her chest for trust.
Even though it is difficult for anyone to move even one step of her, she ran around with an infinitely energetic appearance.
Fortunately, there were no monsters at the top.
The top of the snowy mountain was as calm as the eye of a typhoon.
‘Is the top of a snowy mountain originally this quiet… ?’
Just a little while ago, I couldn’t even open my eyes because I was climbing through a snow storm.
But when I reached the top, the scenery changed like a lie.
Of course, the cold was still there, but the strong wind and the raging snowstorm had calmed down.
I felt strange, but there was no time to doubt now.
If the sun went down like this, we would have to spend the day at the top.
The search continued as quickly as possible.
About ten minutes passed. I heard Kayla’s voice.
“Here it is!”
The place where you reach the cliff. Accidentally, the floor she stepped on collapsed.
A ramp appeared where the snow tomb disappeared.
The piled up snow crumbled away, exposing the cliffs.
The destination we were looking for was there.
“There really was a cave.”
“You were here too.”
Hearing the commotion, Erina hurriedly joined us.
With everyone gathered, I confirmed the location of the cave in front of my eyes.
A slope hanging from a cliff. At its end was the entrance to the cave.
It was in such a remote place that I would have missed it if I had only seen it with my own eyes.
“Everyone knows, right? There must be a snow woman inside.”
She’ll be sleeping in a giant piece of ice.
If I stab a knife into her body just as she is, her power will be transferred to me.
I couldn’t figure out why this event was happening.
However, since there are so many MacGuffins, I decided to skip this.
‘Because good is good anyway.’
I went down the road along the slope. Right next to it, a thousand-way cliff was waiting.
“Be careful. If my foot slips, I’ll be in big trouble.”
I calmly entered the cave.
Upon entering the entrance, the cold wind died down and the air changed.
We quietly moved forward in a cool atmosphere.
The inside of the cave was quite wide, but not deep.
“…It’s smaller than I thought.”
For some reason, Erina was making a suspicious expression.
Did you sense something strange?
Although it was embarrassing, she entered the cave once.
As we advanced into the cave, the atmosphere began to change.
At first, it was no different from an ordinary frozen cave.
However, as we moved toward the center, artificial ice models began to appear.
Animals, people, plants. Various objects were carved from ice.
It was vivid enough to make me feel like I was really alive.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s a bit creepy. To think there was a space like this at the top of a snowy mountain… I didn’t expect it at all.”
Everything from floor to ceiling was frozen in frost.
She almost tripped on the slippery ice.
We proceeded with vigilance in preparation for unexpected situations.
However, no threat appeared.
She was rather strangely still.
The cave was not deep. After only five minutes, she reached the end of the cave.
It is no exaggeration to say that a space like an ice palace has appeared.
Huge beds and fancy decorations.
There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and colorfully patterned furniture.
However, it is surprising that it is all made of ice.
I slowly looked around. Undoubtedly, this place was the residence of the snow woman.
But the unexpected happened.
“What…”
I couldn’t find it no matter how much I looked around.
There was no snow woman anywhere who should have been sleeping in the ice.