At the Northern Fort

As we approached the altar, the snowstorm grew more intense.

Snow, stirred by strong crosswinds, dyes his sight white in the woods stretching over the hemline of Mount Snowlea. If we didn't walk by reducing the distance between the queues much more than usual and making sure the horses stuck to each other's bodies, we were going to lose sight of each other.

The roaring wind blocks his ears, and the snow sticking to his jacket takes his temperature away.

Whether you're wearing gloves, thick socks and boots, and fur hats, it's enough to freeze and feel pain from the ends of your body, such as the tip of your hand, toes, ears, etc.

But one thing that helped was that snow wasn't getting any worse in the woods than I thought. The densely grown trees have received so much snow from the sky that they were able to continue on horseback.

But from time to time, tree branches were dangerous because they could not withstand the weight of the snow. If the heavy snow falls at a speed, it would be a shock as if they had dropped a chunk of iron. It is enough to take a person's life, so we must proceed with due attention to falling snow.

How long till the altar? I've visited Grail many times around, but it's hard to gauge the exact distance in a blizzard where I can't even see a few steps away.

I feel like even the temperature has dropped further since I went into the woods. If you breathe, it's going to freeze to your lungs.

The words' retreat 'came to Grail's mind. It may be difficult to go any further in this situation. Should I turn back while my horse still has strength as well?

Above all, I felt endangered by poor vision. You're also likely to go the wrong way because the scenery you're supposed to be familiar with shows up in something completely different.

Grayle, who was at the forefront alongside the Kicks, looked back to speak to Cromwell, the head of the outpost.

but at that moment, the blizzard that has been hurting us scattered unnaturally weakens.

The force that was in the body unknowingly looses to protect itself from the cold so as not to be flown by the strong wind. All my men are suddenly surprised by the soothing breeze and looking up at the sky.

"What, suddenly?

"Wind, did you stop?

"No... don't get distracted"

Grail said in a harsh voice to his men who were opening their mouths. Somehow, the word "quiet before the storm" came to mind.

If I noticed, I was out in a pompous open space in the woods, and there was an altar right in front of me.

"Is that it? You're already there."

Saying, Kicks got off the horse. Grail also descends to the ground, carefully approaching the altar as he tramples the snow.

Snow Spirit Snowlea's altar is just three large white stone columns lined up. I don't know if this was the case from the beginning or if the original building decayed over the years. but even the pillars of the stone were big and splendid enough to look up, and no matter how much snow there was, there seemed to be no total hiding.

"Was the blizzard still a spiritual wake-up thing?

Cromwell approached me as I descended my horse, groaning as I conceived. The blizzard we stopped as soon as we approached the altar certainly feels some intention.

But it didn't seem like a very good emotion. I don't think they're welcoming themselves vaguely. The wind stopped and the more my ears ached, the quieter the area became, but Grail felt a nervousness not even told by its quietness.

"Kicks, come back. Don't go out there alone."

Calling back his men, who curiously approached the altar, Grail warned the area. Cromwell is also running his sharp gaze around.

Shin, only snow falls to the ground without sound. Someone swallowed your crush with nervousness.

"Do spirits really show up?

Grail said he had never met a snow spirit, and few of the people in town who regularly come to this altar to offer prayers actually saw what his spirit looked like.

But we all believe that the Spirit of Snow is driving us out of the midst of strangers trying to do evil in this area by snow and cold. The snow says the area is protected.

Despite the fact that it does face borders, there has never been a dispute in the past in the area, which would also be affected by too much snow. The army will be all over it just to think about how to deal with the snow. We do our best to protect our own troops from snow, and we can't afford to attack our enemies.

"Have you ever seen Snow Spirit Snow Rae?

Cromwell asked Grail a question, keeping a straight eye on the altar. Grail shakes his head "no" to it.

"It is a famous story that the Spirit of Snow is, thankfully, giving me affection for this country. He also works with the royalty from time to time to protect the country. But I've never actually seen that. I've heard rumors that she's a beautiful woman."

Cromwell nodded at Grail's response and said.

"I've seen it before. For a while, when I was a prince's bodyguard."

Now Grail nodded. Cromwell and the First Prince remind me that when it comes to childhood friends.

"Eh! Chief Branch, have you seen the Snow Spirit? You're a beautiful woman, aren't you?

"It was beautiful indeed, but that beauty..."

It was when Cromwell returned the words--to Kicks, who had interrupted the story.

The area becomes even quieter as if the snow inhaled the sound. The breath I vomited for breathing froze white the moment I went outside.

In the woods, on the sacred altar, a glimmer of wind came from somewhere. A pile of snow on the ground is stirred by it and rises.

And when the rising snow fell to the ground again, in the center of the altar, in that space where there was nothing, was a beautiful woman standing.

"... Wow."

Kicks and other guys swallow words. Grail could only open his eyes and stare at the person.

The beauty of human separation seemed to suck me in.

The woman was dressed differently than the common clothes commonly worn in this country and the dresses worn by the nobles. He fastens his white, slightly shiny front clothes with a belt under his chest.

Large, empty chest in fabric that perfectly follows the line of the body. That's probably what an ordinary man would look at, but Grail paid attention to a white fur collar that looked good in quality. I'm sure it's just as fluffy and a little cold as a mill.

Raise your gaze slightly up and you'll see a perfectly neat little face in your eyes. Beautiful as a sculpture made of ice, with no gaps whatsoever.

Cromwell, who is next door, is also often making noises about "beauty" and so on from the women in town, but I notice that the type of beauty is completely different from that of her now in front of me. They both have the beauty of ice, but Cromwell is much more human. If you look closely, you have a small scar on your face, or the cold makes your nose head red......

But how about the beauty in front of you? White skin as if the snow had melted is too perfect to make any crops. Isn't there warm red blood or something under that skin?

The hair was glossy silver coloured and each one seemed pale and light.

And the icy thin blue eyes stretched out on the clear fountain stare at this one for its soothing beauty.

But even on that anger-stained face, I can't help but be blinded. The beauty was like a murder weapon.

I don't think she's human. That must be Snow Spirit Snow Rae.

Grail couldn't move for a while with goosebumps, but when he returned to me, he looked back at his men who were behind him. Everyone is blinded by the beauty who suddenly shows up and even forgets to breathe.

"Hey, breathe"

Even as Grail hastily advised, they all remained stiffened without blinking. It's like I've been plucked from my soul.

"Don't stare at the Spirit's face. Transfer your gaze to that white fur collar instead."

In response to Grail's words, his men's gaze slowly but lowered to their necks. I thought, everyone just loosened their facial expressions a little and inhaled heavily.

It's the same for everyone who looks at that scroll and thinks. I remember how comfortable I was when I stroked the white boy fox in the fort and regained a little extra space in my heart.

"Snow Spirit Snowlea...... right?

Cromwell seemed calmer than the other knights that he had seen her once. Talk nervously to angry spirits.

"... of the concubine..."

The voice of the Spirit, similar to whining, was never loud. But its clear, cold voice shivers the eardrums as it reaches firmly behind the ears of the Grails. Of all the mess, I'm sure only her voice will be heard.

Snowlea raised her sad voice as she put her hidden hands on her mouth with long sleeves and squeezed them out of her throat. A thin brow in good shape is connected to anger.

"I don't have a beloved concubine......! Humans, where did you take Milfiria?

Snowlea eye-opening. Beneath her seductive lips, but with sharp fangs peeking.

The knights held their breath much longer, remembering the feeling that invisible pressure had struck the moment she screamed. If I hadn't stomped on my feet, I would have fallen behind. The frightened horses are howling in the rear.

Grail hurried to sort out the information. The Spirit of Snow is certainly angry. And the cause of it seems to be her child, but it was the first ear that the snow spirits had children, etc. Cromwell didn't even seem to know, he's frowning next door.

"Then why did you come here? What if you grabbed my concubine?!? What's the point?

A beastly roar leaked from the beautiful snow spirits. She ate her teeth and stripped her fangs off, and she's going to jump over here now.

Grail instinctively nearly put his hand on the hips sword, but pressed it aside to explain.

"Wait, we just came here to have the snowstorm stopped. Snow Spirit, please calm down and listen. We are knights defending the area. I will not grab your children. I didn't even know you had a baby in the first place."

"... the knight of the fort"

Snowlea seemed to have regained some calm when she realized who this one was. You thought there was no lie in Grail's sincere words either, anger soothes.

"It's not natural for a concubine not to know that she has a child. I'm not telling anyone because I'm afraid this is going to happen. The Son of the Spirit is weak and easy to grasp, and if he grows, he becomes mighty powerful. I was wary that people would show up trying to use it. How the hell did you know my concubine had a child..."

At the end he whined like a solitaire, and Snowlea distorted that beautiful face into anger.

If the Son of the Spirit was really caught, it would be a big case. What is the purpose of the killer? Whether you're looking to overthrow the royal family or this country, or for a more selfish desire, it's an emergency in any case. So much so that I have to run a preaching order to the King's Capital immediately.

But before I do, I need to ask you a few more questions. Grail also regained his calm, while throwing questions at the beauty of the person in front of him.

"But in this time of year, isn't it hard for humans to reach your place on the mountain? It's hard to say... but it's also possible that your child left his residence on his own..."

Nor did I want to say anything more like throwing fuel at the spirits who were burning the flames of anger. But normally, it seemed natural to question your potential first. It is not a sanity shack, such as climbing Mount Snowlea in the winter.

The Spirit of Snow said with his eyes up.

"Indeed, in human strength, it is difficult to come to the summit where the concubine lives. But it's not impossible. There have been many times in the past hundred years when evil thoughtful humans have climbed mountains trying to get into their concubines. Half give up on the way, half lose their lives on the way, but some climb near the summit with very rare weather. I swallowed them into an avalanche before they approached me."

The Spirit of Snow cut words there once. Though the bad guys, they don't seem to resist taking people's lives. She said it like it was nothing, and I think she's still a spirit.

Of all the spirits who have no interest in people at all, Snowlea is famous for being a spiritual with emotions, but maybe he thinks fundamentally differently from humans. Grail has also slaughtered people as knights, and she doesn't regret it, but it's not like she doesn't feel anything for the fact that she took people's lives.

"In other words, it is not impossible for a human to grab a child from the residence of a concubine. And..."

Snowlea bit her lips there and said with a crying look.

"And my sweet concubine is only a baby...! You can't possibly get down the mountain with those adorable little legs! Milfiria's not a coward, and I don't think she's leaving her safe place.... Yes, she's a coward. You must have been caught and trembling by now by a stranger... poor, sweet concubine...!

Tears transmit the white cheeks of the Spirit. It's such a beautiful tear that no gem can beat it.

Snowlea's sad cry was filled with the love of a mother who thinks of her child, and Grail also wanted to somehow work together to do it.

"We'll help too. Do whatever you can to get your child back. So please. Could you please stop the blizzard? The search will not proceed without heavy snow and wind."

The wind is stopping around the altar, but the snow is still falling, and if you go out toward towns and fortifications, there will be terrible blizzards.

But when Snowlea looked at Grail, he glanced slightly at the root of his brow and narrowed his eyes.

"... I can't. Sure, this snowstorm wasn't caused by a concubine, and I'm not going to catch up with the people in town who usually serve good liquor here, but for some reason, I can't manipulate my powers right now. When I think of the people who grabbed Milphyria, I get angry that never goes away...!

As soon as possible, a strong wind also rolled around the altar. It's like you're responding to spiritual emotions.

Grail had a sense of crisis as he put himself in the snowstorm again, saying this was much worse than he had expected.

It will take days to find the child of the Spirit. You're telling me this blizzard won't stop until then? What happens if we don't find him? Worst case scenario, what if the child was dead? Snow will continue to fall in this area for the rest of your life, that may not be all you need.

It's troublesome that she can't stop the blizzard herself, even though the Spirit is awake.

Before there is any more snow and you can no longer move, you still have to send a messenger to the King's Capital. We need to get the branches all over the country to help us search for the Spirit Child and at the same time ask the other Spirits to stop Snowlea. Because with human power, you can't be very fat.

Grail isn't very familiar with spirits, but he knew there were flaming spirits to the south. He seems to be relatively cooperative with humans, too, and may melt the snow with that power.

Perhaps next door Cromwell is also working his head visibly and working out measures to crack this situation down. He looked as tough as Grail and thought about it.

"Deputy -! I don't know what to do! They can't stop the blizzard after all, and if we stay here like this, we're gonna suck too!

Kicks scream like they were in a hurry from behind during a severe snowstorm.

Snowlea was crying calling her own child's name with her hands covered in her face, losing much of me in sorrow.

It would seem better to go back to the fort for a moment and then start a search for the Spirit Child. But before that, Grail walked toward Snowlea.

but the wind gets stronger as we approach Snowlea, and even Grail's big body is about to blow away.

"Grail!"

Cromwell screamed behind him, but Grail didn't stop. Strengthen your feet as you resist the wind across the street, desperately moving forward.

Eventually, standing in front of Snowlea, she grabs her shoulders with both hands and gently rocks them as she tries to regain her sanity.

"Snowlea! Listen to me!

"Huh, Deputy... what?"

The Kicks found out once again that it was about Grail who could do that to the Spirit, full of their own deputy ironmen.

In the snowstorm, the Ironman screams.

"Tell me the characteristics of your child! If we don't know that, we can't look! Is it a boy or a girl, with the same silver hair as you? What kind of clothes were you wearing? He said he was still a baby, but is he big enough to walk on his own, or is he a real milkweed --"

Grail's words stopped there. I couldn't go on any further.

Because I thought Snowlea, who was covering her face in front of me and crying, shut up and stared up at Grail from the gap between her fingers.

I was stared up close by the ice eyes and felt as if my heart had even stopped for a moment.

"There it is..."

Snowlea reaches out a white, bloodless hand. And as soon as that thin fingertip touched Grail's cheek, I felt like I was going to freeze out of the core of my body. Even though there are only a few areas where the skin is in direct contact, the temperature is rapidly taken away from it.

We have to get away from her......! I think so, but I don't listen to my body.

"... why do you smell my dear child?"

Beautiful snow spirits leopardized in an instant after muttering so with their emotionless faces and voices. Lift your eyes, strip out your fangs, and dye your expression into fierce anger.

"Where did you go with the concubine child... ugh!

Grail moved his arms with all his strength. He grabbed the sword and tried to pull it out. Because I thought they'd kill me if I didn't fight back. I don't recall any doubts about that either.

Most humans probably would just wait for death without being able to do anything before the angry Spirit, but Grail was different. Stimulate your mind with tough spiritual strength and put your strength into the sword.

But then ——

"... Milphilia?

Snowlea, who dropped his gaze beneath Grail's feet, gazed and whispered.