Chapter 54: What I Met at the Everlasting Snow Mountains (1)

Inside another carriage heading toward the neutral city of Berg.

The golden carriage gleamed even more magnificently in the sunlight.

“How did it go?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Margaret contacted us through the magical device. She says the plan was successful.”

“I see.”

Arthur de Fabian’s eyes sparkled as he looked through the documents.

“Who collapsed? Was it the Saintess or the Duke?”

“It was the Duke.”

“We’ll be able to confirm sooner than expected.”

A faint smile appeared on Crown Prince Arthur’s face as he gazed at the horizon through the carriage window. Count Willem carefully asked Arthur.

“Your Highness, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“The person I sent into the Duke’s residence is skilled in poisoning. I don’t understand why you chose such a complicated method…”

“Ah, was that what you were curious about?”

“Yes.”

Arthur turned his gaze from the window to the Count and answered with a gentle smile.

“Whether the Duke ate it or the Saintess ate it, the result would have been the same.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“No matter who ate it, I would have seen the result I wanted to see.”

Whether Yuria fell into a coma or the Duke fell into a coma, both were good moves for Arthur. Both would have brought the results he wanted to see.

Count Willem tilted his head, not understanding Arthur’s words.

“I want to see the dying beast with my own eyes soon.”

Seeing that the Crown Prince turned his gaze back to the window, indicating he didn’t want any further explanation, Count Willem withdrew his curiosity.

“Increase the speed!”

Instead, he urged the guard captain. They needed to move faster to catch up with the Duke’s party that had departed earlier.

*

Cold, so cold.

Damn cold.

Fortunately, Xavier’s carriage had winter gear stored for wartime preparations. Even though I pulled my coat tighter with my mittened hands, it was a pointless effort.

“My lady, look! Over there! It’s the last cedar tree, just as the oracle said!”

Rosetta, who had been deliberately matching my pace, suddenly ran ahead and jumped up and down, gesturing wildly.

Several dozen meters ahead. A lone cedar tree stood in the snow-covered wasteland.

‘Wow, it’s real. The third cedar tree.’

「Yuria had to pass three hills with lone cedar trees to reach the eastern forest where the Valian flower bloomed. Though her whole body was frozen, Yuria paid it no mind.」

That’s not true. I care very much, extremely much. I feel like I’m going to freeze to death!

That sentence had popped into my head additionally after leaving the campsite. I made excuses to Rosetta and Ethan, saying I received another oracle.

Though it was burdensome to see Rosetta’s sparkling eyes and Ethan’s reverent gaze as usual, there was nothing I could do.

‘How does it pop into my head at such perfect timing when no one’s even watching me?’

Before I became the Saintess, I could explain it because I had read the original work, but this feels different. Honestly, I’m starting to doubt if this is really from the book.

‘Ugh, creepy.’

As I walked through the white snow field with these unanswerable worries, the cold air kept hitting my bare face. With each step, my fur boots sank deep into the sloping snowfield.

‘Ugh, it’s so cold, really.’

The Everlasting Snow Mountains, with its Himalaya-rivaling visuals, looked even higher up close. Thank goodness I borrowed a winter coat from the knights before leaving, or I would have frozen to death. The extreme cold characteristic of the Everlasting Snow Mountains made my bones ache.

“My lady, be careful.”

Ethan, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned around and extended his hand to me.

“I think we just need to get over this hill.”

The deep scar on his face was hidden behind his smile.

“Thank you.”

Throughout the journey, Ethan hadn’t mentioned Jude at all.

Though he had briefly defended his colleague Jude, he never asked about my decision regarding her.

And while I had vaguely thought Rexton assigned Ethan as my guard because he was a close aide, after talking with him, I learned that Ethan was from this area, along with Wilhelm. Rexton must have known this when he assigned him.

As I was about to take his hand, fumbling with my mittened hands, Rosetta glared and smacked Ethan’s hand away.

“No! My lady, take my hand instead.”

Rosetta, who had wrapped the blanket I gave her over her winter clothes, had suddenly appeared in front of me, extending her reddened fingertips. She even took off her gloves to make it easier for me to hold.

“Miss Rosetta!”

Ethan called out her name in surprise.

“General, only Sister Maya, the Duke, and I, can hold our lady’s hand.”

“What?”

Ethan stared at Rosetta with a dumbfounded expression.

“But with those weak arms, how can you… Even walking in the snow is difficult…”

Swoosh.

Rosetta grabbed my hand tightly and pulled me up like pulling a radish from a field.

“Oh my.”

Suddenly pulled from the snow, I found myself in the tall Rosetta’s arms. She gave Ethan a sideways glance while holding me, as if to show off. Then she walked past him as he stood there blankly.

“…You’re stronger than you look.”

“Hmph.”

Though his admiring voice came from behind, Rosetta just snorted.

Honestly, I was surprised too. When I looked up at her with round eyes, her obsidian-like eyes crinkled as she smiled brightly.

“Shall I carry you?”

“Ah, no.”

“Were you surprised? I have quite a bit of brute strength.”

“Oh, yeah.”

You could have used that strength to take care of those lizard beastmen in one go. When I looked at her with half-closed eyes, she answered as if reading my mind.

“Ah, I just don’t like animals, hehe.”

“…Ahaha, I see.”

This girl really has incredible intuition.

With Rosetta’s help, we soon reached the hilltop. Warm air blew toward us from the east. The 180-degree different scenery made both Rosetta and me gasp.

“Wow.”

“Wow.”

Instead of a snow field, there was a thick forest spread out from the hill. Unknown birds flew in flocks in the sky, and a large river wound its way across the land.

“When I was young, my great-grandfather used to tell me legends about a paradise in the east of the Everlasting Snow Mountains, but I never thought I’d see it with my own eyes.”

Ethan, who had been sharing his personal thoughts, turned to look at me. His eyes brimmed with infinite trust.

“It’s exactly as your oracle said. You truly are the Saintess!”

“Ah, y-yes.”

Ethan might be more gullible than he looks.

When the book content disguised as an oracle first came to mind, my first thought was:

‘Eastern forest? Cedar trees? Was there such a setting? I’ve never heard of this.’

It even feels like a hastily made-up setting.

I can’t blame the author who’s in a vegetative state after an accident. I should have at least read the unfinished remake version before coming here.

Ethan took the lead, saying there might be dangers ahead. He drew his sword from his waist and cleared away the thick branches to make a path.

‘Xavier.’

My nose stung at the thought of him.

As Rosetta pulled my hand, I pushed down my troubled feelings and quickly stepped into the deep forest.

*

‘Oh, what luck.’

A raccoon was crouched in the eastern forest of the Everlasting Snow Mountains, secretly watching Yuria’s group.

The black fur around its eyes, like sunglasses, gleamed smoothly. As it swished its plump tail with alternating platinum and black fur, the snow piled on its fur scattered in all directions.

‘Hmm. So that woman is Xavier Auguste’s woman?’

Lucas Lacuni Moirai.

The raccoon’s round, smooth nose twitched.

He was currently secretly following Saintess Yuria.

Lucas was on his way to Berg for the compensation negotiation meeting with the delegation. However, his characteristic curiosity had gotten the better of him.

‘I want to see the Saintess.’

The one and only being who could break his country’s curse.

He was curious about who this Saintess was who had married Duke Xavier Auguste.

Though he had received reports about her basic information and that she would be attending the negotiation meeting through his informants, he couldn’t overcome his innate personality that had to investigate when curiosity struck.

Due to his strange and intense desire to see the Saintess quickly, Lucas had sneaked into the Duke’s campsite in animal form without any fear. This wasn’t Moirai’s border, so few would be suspicious of a wild animal wandering around.

Especially if it was such a cute and adorable ‘raccoon’.

Just as he had entered the Duke’s campsite transformed into a short-legged raccoon, security suddenly tightened, and he spotted a blonde woman boarding a carriage alone with what appeared to be her maid in the distance.

‘Eek, Rexton Shaw?’

Moreover, Ethan Aralat, whom he had encountered several times on the battlefield, was at the carriage’s driver’s seat. Though it was from a distance, he couldn’t mistake someone he had met several times in battle.

Having two of Xavier Auguste’s closest aides attached to the carriage meant that this blonde woman must be extremely important to them.

Lucas’s heart began to pound.

‘Could it be… the Saintess?’

Though he always found it shameful, Lucas secretly ran on all fours. He climbed onto the end of the carriage and hid himself among the luggage.

When he listened carefully, he could faintly hear the woman saying something about taking care of the Duke.

‘A lovers’ quarrel?’

He couldn’t help but follow now.

His small black front paw mischievously rose to cover his cute snout.