Chapter 45
After leaving the Grand Duchy of Luxior,
once we passed beyond the city walls surrounding Lafren, a vast expanse of pure white snowfields unfolded before us.
Whooooosh—.
“……”
For a moment, I stared at the overwhelming scale of the northern snowfield as a blizzard raged.
…I wonder this every time, but is this world really a romance fantasy?
No matter how much the original story had drifted because of me, at this point it felt less like a northern grand duchy romance and more like a northern disaster survival adventure.
Last night, I’d gone to sleep imagining at least a few romantic travel moments…
but now I was in a situation where I had to worry about the safety of both myself and my favorite character.
“Well… still, this was the best option.”
I muttered to myself like self-hypnosis.
In fact, if things had followed the original story, Sion and Genevia would each be suffering through various hardships back at the grand duchy by now.
Then, when the main male lead returned to the castle, Genevia would fall into a fated love at first sight.
At the same time, Sion—who had already begun developing feelings for the heroine—would begin his tearful unrequited love.
Despite everything that had happened so far, Sion showed no sign of taking interest in Genevia or even starting a hint of romance, so this had been a drastic measure.
Right. At least thanks to this expedition, Sion and Genevia won’t be separated, and we managed to avoid the main male lead too. For now, that’s a relief…
Whooooosh—.
“Ugh, it’s so cold.”
The biting wind slammed into my face, making me shiver.
Sion glanced at me.
“Are you cold?”
“Yeah. I’m really weak against the cold.”
I pulled my favorite coat tighter around me as I answered.
Naturally, even in my past life, I wasn’t the outdoorsy type—I’d never even gone camping or glamping.
I’d been a homebody and a fangirl since birth, so this kind of extreme cold was a pretty high difficulty hurdle for me.
“That’s unexpected. According to northern folklore, fairies are said to live deep in nature, like snowy mountains. I didn’t expect you to be weak to the cold.”
“Well, I’m a bit different from other fairies. It can’t be helped.”
Seeking warmth, I burrowed deeper into Sion’s clothes.
I felt his body stiffen slightly.
“…Lin.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t burrow in too much.”
“Oh—okay.”
I quickly pulled back and popped my head out.
“Sorry. Was I too cold?”
“……”
Sion didn’t respond, staring straight ahead. His face looked oddly stiff.
Just then—
“We’ll now be entering the Idran Snowfield.”
Diene, who was leading the group on horseback, spoke.
“For reference, this route isn’t used by civilians or merchants—it’s a shortcut used by knights, so it’ll be a forced march.”
That didn’t sound good.
“…How intense are we talking?”
“Well… we’ll cross the snowfield and head straight over the mountain range, so… about ten days.”
“Ten days?! That long?!”
“Normally it would take over half a month to get from the grand duchy to the border region. If we had more time, we’d pass through towns or villages, but since we need to finish traveling before the harsh winter begins, we have no choice but to take the shortest route.”
Garen rode up beside Sion and added calmly,
“Don’t worry too much, Lady Lin. If nothing happens, it may not even take ten days.”
“…And what exactly counts as ‘nothing happening’?”
Diene answered casually.
“For example, encountering magical beasts, or an avalanche.”
“……”
I looked up at Sion.
“…Sion.”
“What is it?”
“This is just in case… but is there a safer, more comfortable route?”
“As Diene said, if we want to reach the border before the deep winter begins, crossing the snowfield and mountains is the only way.”
“…I see.”
I looked around at our expedition members with a pale face.
…With this group, nothing too bad should happen, right?
Even excluding Sion—who was secretly overpowered and could manifest aura—we had two veteran knights.
And most importantly…
I glanced back.
We have the heroine, Genevia!
I looked at her with confidence.
But she interpreted my gaze differently and replied flatly,
“…I’m fine.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve already been dragged this far, so it doesn’t really matter whether you’re considerate or not now.”
She stared blankly at the snowfield, like someone who had been through everything imaginable.
“I’ve worked as a low-ranking priest—I’ve been everywhere. Sleeping outdoors in a snowy wasteland is nothing…”
“……”
She looked like she had completely given up any expectations for life in the north.
I felt a bit guilty seeing her so worn down, but looking at the harsh road ahead, I swallowed a groan.
“…We’ll be fine… right?”
Night fell.
We sat around a campfire, ate a simple meal, and then discussed sleeping arrangements.
“I’ll stand watch until dawn, so the young lord may use the right tent.”
“Then I, the priest, and the fairy can share the remaining tent.”
Hearing that, I shot up from Sion’s shoulder where I had been warming myself.
“What? Why does it turn out like that?!”
I pointed at myself.
“Obviously, I should share a tent with Sion!”
“Hm? And why is that?”
Diene asked with interest.
I answered proudly,
“Because that’s how it’s always been! Back at the grand duchy, I always slept with Sion. We even shared a bed!”
“…Oh?”
Silence fell, broken only by the crackling of the fire.
Sion, feeling Diene’s stare, spoke flatly,
“Let me make this clear—it’s nothing like what you’re thinking, Diene Shuto.”
“Oh? And how do you know what I was thinking?”
At her teasing tone, Sion shot her a cold look.
Garen added sternly,
“Sir Diene, refrain from speaking disrespectfully to the young lord.”
“My apologies. The fairy’s story was just too interesting.”
Sion rubbed his brow and sighed.
“As you can see, Lin is a fairy. And quite an eccentric one.”
“……”
“She isn’t human, and certainly not someone to apply human assumptions or inappropriate interpretations to.”
“…Hmm. That’s true.”
Diene nodded while observing me.
“It would indeed be difficult to classify Lady Lin as a ‘human woman.’”
Then Genevia raised her hand slightly.
“I’ve actually been curious… what exactly is your relationship?”
Silence.
“I can tell you’re close, but you’re not lovers. But you’re not quite friends or master and servant either.”
She sniffed and continued,
“A fairy obsessively attached to just one person? Even in folklore, I’ve never heard of that.”
“Hey, ‘obsession’ is rude.”
I clicked my tongue.
“Call it affection and interest, please.”
“……”
Genevia squinted at me.
“Come to think of it… I’ve never heard of a scammer fairy either.”
Diene laughed.
“I’m really looking forward to this next year. It’ll definitely be interesting.”
Then her smile faded slightly.
“Because after spending too long in the border region… you stop having reasons to smile.”
“……”
“……”
A heavy silence followed.
To break it, I spoke loudly,
“Anyway, it’s decided, right? Sion and I share a tent!”
All eyes turned to me.
Sion stared at me, then said quietly,
“…That may require some consideration.”
There was the faintest hint of amusement in his voice.
The next morning,
we climbed the Alpheon Mountains.
True to their reputation, the snow-covered ridges stretched endlessly like the horizon.
After climbing for some time, the village Diene and Garen mentioned came into view.
A small settlement nestled among towering snowy peaks.
“Wow, a village!”
I exclaimed.
“There’s really a village in the middle of all this?”
Genevia muttered in awe.
I tugged on Sion’s clothes.
“Sion, we’re staying there tonight, right? Right?”
Just two days into the expedition, I was already desperate for warm food and a proper bed.
“If the village has the capacity, yes.”
“Yesss~!”
But as we approached, something felt off.
Whoooosh—.
“….”
The village was eerily quiet.
Not a single person appeared as we walked in.
My excitement faded.
“Sion… something’s wrong.”
“……”
Sion sharpened his senses.
Garen and Diene were already gripping their sword hilts.
“…Something has definitely happened here,” Garen said.
“This place used to be quiet, but not like this…” Diene frowned.
“…No.”
Sion examined the damaged buildings.
“This isn’t just neglect or weathering.”
The structures looked destroyed—as if by some external force.
“Bandits?” Genevia asked.
“In these mountains? Unlikely.”
Then—
“…Huh?”
I spotted movement and flew toward a building.
“Lin, wait—”
Too late.
Inside, people were hiding.
“There are people inside!”
But—
Bang!
The window slammed shut.
“….”
I awkwardly returned.
“They don’t seem very welcoming.”
Then—
Creak.
An old woman stepped out.
“…Are you… knights from Luxior?”
“Yes.”
At that, her face filled with overwhelming emotion.
“What happened here?” Diene asked.
The old woman trembled—
Suddenly—
“W-we’re saved!”
“The knights are here!!!”
Doors burst open.
Villagers rushed out, surrounding us.
“Please save us!”
“At this rate, we’re doomed!”
Seeing their desperate faces,
I realized—
Ah… I see.
What had been weighing down this village…
was fear.
