“Sister. The preparations are complete.”
“Yes. I am too.”
Near the summit of a snowy mountain cliff, two sisters were having a cheerful conversation.
From a distance, their unreserved smiles might seem like a heartwarming sight.
But their voices were soaked with arrogance and conceit.
“She won’t even imagine it, will she? Even if she escapes from the summit, she’ll die just the same.”
“Well, the best outcome would be for her to just freeze to death at the summit.”
Grim words spilled out without hesitation.
The way they freely exchanged malicious words was chillingly sinister.
“By the way, what did you do about the village?”
“Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of.”
The older sister patted her younger sister’s head affectionately.
Despite their arrogance, the bond between the sisters was undeniably strong.
“She was at the middle of the mountain three days ago, so she should be near the summit by now.”
“Then we just need to reach the summit as well?”
“Yes. Once we reach the summit, we will proceed according to the plan.”
They were one day away from the reunion they had been hoping for.
***
The climb was easier than expected.
The main reason was Erina.
Unlike us, she neither felt the cold nor tired out.
She was the only one who could move without being swayed by the harsh weather and environment.
Of course, Kayla and I took the lead as well, but Erina was always at the forefront.
“It’s okay now. I took it down.”
With a thud, a massive figure collapsed.
In front of her lay a giant tree embedded in the ground.
It wasn’t an ordinary tree. It was a Frost Ent, a monster.
Normally, it would be camouflaged in the forest, making it hard to notice.
But before I could even grasp the situation, Erina had dashed forward and cut the Ent’s limbs in one swift move.
“It’s safe around here now.”
“Good job.”
I patted her head like before, and she puffed out her chest proudly.
Her smile didn’t fade, pleased with the praise she received.
The necklace I had given her as a gift was still around her neck.
Since receiving the necklace from me, she had become as bright as she used to be.
“Erina. Don’t go too far ahead. It’s dangerous to be separated.”
“Got it!”
She immediately stuck close to my side, her warmth seeping through my arm.
After five days of climbing, we were getting closer to the summit.
The number of monsters decreased as we neared the top.
Even monsters found it hard to endure the fierce winds that began to blow.
I held onto Kayla’s hand to keep from being blown away by the wind.
“Kayla, you’re keeping an eye on our surroundings, right?”
“Yes. You don’t need to worry…”
Three days ago, Kayla mentioned noticing something strange during her watch.
We hadn’t found anything unusual, but since that day, Kayla’s demeanor had changed.
She kept looking around or suddenly turning back.
Even during breaks, she was on edge.
Being vigilant was good, but she had become excessively sensitive.
‘Could something be wrong?’
Still, I didn’t ask her for a reason.
If there was anything strange, she’d report it right away, so I decided to leave her be.
There was something more important.
I reminded myself of the reason we were climbing this cold, rugged mountain.
“You haven’t forgotten, right? The reason we’ve endured all this to get here.”
“The Frostbloom and the Snow Maiden. We just need to find those two things, right?”
“Yes. First, let’s find the Snow Maiden’s dwelling once we reach the summit.”
The Ice Flower could grow anywhere. It was almost random.
If we were lucky, we might find it on the way to the summit.
If not, who knew how long it would take to search for it.
That’s why we decided to find the Snow Maiden first.
According to my memory, her dwelling was near the summit.
I had a rough idea of its location, so I believed we could find it easily with a little searching.
“Kayla. Hang in there a bit longer. I’ll give you the flower as soon as we find it.”
“I’m fine. It’s only right for you to take it first, my lord…”
Despite her words, her body was trembling. Her lips were turning blue and her face was pale.
Even I, who considered myself fairly resistant to the cold, was finding it hard to endure.
Kayla, who was more susceptible to the cold, must have been even more exhausted.
She was managing to hold on for now, but if we stayed too long, she might catch a severe cold.
‘It would be great if we could find it on the way to the summit.’
Unfortunately, luck hadn’t been on our side so far.
The blizzard grew fiercer as we approached the summit.
As if trying to keep us out, the snowstorm raged on.
We braved the savage wind, pushing our legs forward.
After another hour of climbing, we finally reached our destination.
“We’ve arrived.”
“As expected, there’s really nothing here.”
At the summit of the snowy mountain, a desolate snowfield awaited us.
We left our footprints in a place untouched by human feet.
Treading through the deep snow, we began to explore the area near the summit.
The howling wind echoed as I gazed down at the snowy mountain landscape.
It took five days to reach the summit.
The view from the top was a spectacular sight, a worthy reward for our struggles.
However, there was no time to appreciate the scenery.
We quickly started searching the surroundings and looking for a cave.
“Erina, if you find either a Frostbloom or a cave, let me know immediately.”
“Don’t worry. Just trust me.”
She patted her chest confidently, as if to assure me.
While some found it hard to take a single step, she was energetically running around the area.
Thankfully, there were no monsters at the summit.
The top of the snowy mountain was as calm as the eye of a storm.
‘Is the summit of the snowy mountain always this quiet…?’
Not long ago, we were climbing through a blizzard so fierce we could hardly open our eyes.
But once we reached the summit, the scenery changed as if by magic.
The cold was still intense, but the strong winds and the swirling snow had subsided.
It felt strange, but there was no time for suspicion.
If we didn’t hurry, we’d have to spend the night at the summit.
We continued our search as quickly as possible.
After about ten minutes, I heard Kayla’s voice.
“Over here!”
At the edge of a cliff, the ground suddenly gave way underfoot.
The collapsing snow revealed a sloping path.
As the accumulated snow crumbled away, a cliff was exposed.
Our destination was there.
“There really is a cave.”
“Just as we thought.”
Hearing the commotion, Erina quickly joined us.
With everyone gathered, we confirmed the cave’s location before our eyes.
A sloping path clinging to the cliffside. At the end of it was the cave entrance.
Had we only been looking with our eyes, we might have missed it altogether due to its secluded location.
“You all know, right? The Snow Maiden is supposed to be inside.”
She would be sleeping within a large block of ice.
If I stabbed her body with a knife, her power would transfer directly to me.
I couldn’t understand why such an event existed.
But there were so many macguffins that I decided to just go with it.
‘After all, it’s for the best.’
We carefully made our way down the sloping path. Beside us lay a sheer drop.
“Be careful. One slip and it’s all over.”
We calmly entered the cave.
As we passed through the entrance, the cold wind abated, and the air changed.
In the cool atmosphere, we quietly advanced.
The cave was quite spacious inside, though not very deep.
“…It’s smaller than I thought.”
For some reason, Erina had a doubtful expression.
Had she sensed something odd?
Feeling uneasy, we continued further into the cave.
As we moved deeper, the atmosphere began to change.
Initially, it was just an ordinary frozen cave.
But as we approached the center, we encountered artificial ice sculptures.
Animals, people, plants. Various objects were carved from ice.
They were so lifelike it was easy to imagine they were real.
“Beautiful.”
“It’s a bit eerie. Who would have thought such a place existed at the summit… I never imagined it.”
Everything from the floor to the ceiling was frozen with frost.
I almost slipped on the icy surface.
We proceeded cautiously, ready for any unexpected situation.
But no threats appeared.
In fact, it was unusually quiet.
The cave wasn’t deep. It only took about five minutes to reach the end.
It was like an ice palace.
A grand bed and luxurious decorations.
A chandelier hung from the ceiling, and elegant furniture was arranged around.
But it was all made of ice, which was fascinating.
I slowly looked around. This was definitely the Snow Maiden’s dwelling.
But something unexpected happened.
“What the…?”
No matter how hard I looked, she wasn’t there.
The Snow Maiden, who was supposed to be sleeping within the ice, was nowhere to be seen.
