I Became the Snow Woman I Made

51 – Holy Land Chelmberg (3)

Sword Lord Harold Griffeon.

If you were to pick the most famous hero in the empire, seven out of ten would name him.

This is because no one could ignore his skill and his ability to maintain his position for a long time.

Swordsmen who wanted to receive his sword at least once lined up all over the continent.

So it was clear that it would be of great help.

Chaeng! Chaeeng-!

Sporadic iron noise.

The sound of pagong raged incessantly on the Taeja Palace’s training ground.

“Keuugh…!”

The sword master’s onslaught pushed the prince to the point of being terrifying.

It was a lesson between Harold and Artan who became Grand Masters······, but it was almost like sparring.

This is because he conducted high-intensity training according to his request.

“Haa… Haa…”

Despite being on the defensive, Artan desperately sought a way out.

Harold watched him with interest as he broke through without difficulty.

“Aren’t you tired?”

Of course, the Sword Master’s lessons are great, but it wasn’t such an honor for Artan.

He was also called Shinjae and possessed tremendous potential.

It is an established fact that he will rise to the level of a hero.

However, he was not satisfied with that and just wanted to go further and faster.

“···It’s comfortable. It’s rather lacking.”

“Ohhh. In that case.”

Artan’s provocation with miasma.

The smiling Harold showed off his skills a little more.

······About 5 minutes after that.

Shaak-!

Harold’s sword stopped right in front of Artan’s eyes, and the sparring ended.

Results at a glance.

Infidelity is ugly.

“I lost.”

“You’ve worked hard. You look more advanced than before.”

While in Taesa, Harold was his mentor.

Artan, who politely showed his respect, smiled bitterly.

“Then I’m glad.”

“I’m not kidding. At this rate, it won’t be long before you catch up with me.”

Yang Harold’s smile was warm, saying that he was pleased with his growth.

As a swordsman, his loyalty to the empire was genuine, so the growth of the crown prince was a pleasure.

Harold smiled brightly and said as if he had just remembered.

“Bulize delivered the message at the right time. He’s always a smart kid.”

The subject is also his younger sister.

It’s a topic that I’ve brought up often, but it wasn’t a very pleasant topic.

Artan was in trouble.

“She’s shrewd and smart… She’s not lacking even as the mother of an empire. Isn’t that right?”

“Ah… That’s right.”

He seemed oblivious to his feelings because he was preoccupied with boasting about his brother.

Harold did not know the relationship between Artan and Bullize.

More precisely.

There’s no way Bullyze would have said that, and the Sword Master isn’t unusually busy.

“·······.”

Bullyze probably thought that it didn’t matter as long as the wedding was scheduled as long as it didn’t matter what the relationship was like in real life.

That was right.

······As long as the wedding ceremony is held.

“Very good, Your Highness.”

After today’s lesson, Harold left, and vice-captain Hill Oz approached.

There was a smile imbued with pride.

“The way the sword master took the sword with ease at such a young age—”

“Hill odds.”

All of his words were sincere, not flattery, but Artan didn’t care.

Being sincere only makes you grow chicken skin.

“How did the entrusted work go?”

“… Ah.”

Heel Oz suddenly came to his senses.

His mouth slid open.

“As for Young Girl, we dispatched correspondents all over the continent…”

“By the way.”

The prince’s order to seek out a hero who can help him.

It was the result of his experiences in the Magic Realm.

One strong person is much more useful than ten weak people.

So, it would be perfect if I could get help from someone who is called a hero…

“I don’t have any income right now. I’m sorry.”

“… I see. It’s done.”

Artan nodded bitterly.

It must be natural.

It’s not that heroes are everywhere.

I decided not to worry about it right now and focus on the next agenda item.

“What about spirit armor?”

“If that’s the case, after repairs and improvements, I took it back today.”

A masterpiece of elemental resistance, Spirit Armor.

Perhaps it was because of overuse in the snowy field, it was slightly damaged and sent to Agnatsu’s laboratory.

It was only a short time ago, but the hands are really fast.

At that time, I remembered the words of Agnatsu that I heard the first time I went to get the armor.

─Please be careful. Seasons are never kind to humans.

Dumb words.

He seemed to know something more about Quilière.

“Get ready. I will go to Sir Agnatsu’s laboratory.”

“Yes?”

I wanted to meet him once, but Hill Oz was surprised for some reason.

Blinking, he said.

“Didn’t you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sir Agnatsu has gone to the Church.”

“…?”

Artan was dumbfounded.

What is this all of a sudden?

“Why are you there all of a sudden?”

“Uh… It’s a bit long to explain, but it seems that the purpose is to investigate a major incident in the religious state.”

“A big incident?”

I tilted my head and chewed on the words.

He was concentrating on training for a while and was stuck in the womb.

So he couldn’t come across hot issues.

“It is said that the black calamity has arrived in the middle of Religion.”

“······What.”

“But the saintess who did it stepped forward…”

As the gist of the rumor was conveyed from Hill Oz’s mouth, Artan’s expression twisted.

The moment when the jaw gradually opens and the story reaches its climax.

“The characteristics of that saint are—”

“······!”

Artan’s face was astonished.

Chelmsford was a prosperous city.

Accompanied by Nell, I stopped at various places in the Holy Land and used the service.

I couldn’t go to the Great Temple and Cathedral because not everyone could go, but I got useful information from the library, and I knew famous restaurants and quality inns.

Rarely, aggressive Nell recommended a hot spring, but I couldn’t go because it was locked.

─Ahhh…

─Don’t be too disappointed.

─······I still missed you.

The red hair with the head down is memorable.

─What?

─Huh?! That’s… Nothing.

Anyway, it was a moderately good time, but it was by no means just for fun.

While using the facility, we carefully observed the behavior of people, the contents of their conversations, and their attitudes.

Unexpectedly, I was able to learn a lot about the atmosphere of Chelmsford.

And today.

The day of the cathedral challenge ceremony following the street cleanup. People gathered around the cathedral to hear the preliminary explanation, and we were one of them.

“It’s full.”

“Sure.”

As Nell said, people everywhere are people, people, people.

The challenger itself is overflowing, but more than double that thanks to the large number of onlookers.

The challengers were all wearing some kind of veil or shiny holy clothes, so I felt awkward in my robe.

I sold all my poverty as a believer.

“Hey. They seem to have a lot of money—”

“Isn’t that the head priest Lucia over there?”

Then I heard a voice from nearby.

It was the whispers of two believers in the challenger’s area like us.

“That’s right. You were active in La Pernia, weren’t you?”

“It looks like she came here after hearing the news of the mass… That woman will definitely take one of these.”

The target of serious flirtation was a woman in a diagonal direction. She was a complete body, wearing holy clothes and even wearing a veil.

Lucia, with a mysterious smile, was getting a lot of attention because she was quite famous.

“Yes. That’s right. It’s been a while since I’ve had a mass, but as a ‘chief’ priest, I can’t miss it.”

“Magic power and divine power? You’ll need both. Well, I’m confident in both.”

“That’s not true. Each person can only challenge the ritual once anyway, so the maximum I can take is one…”

······However, the tone was somewhat arrogant.

I didn’t care about vulgar words.

No, that’s not what I meant.

“Let’s not choose the room that woman goes to.”

“I guess so.”

The whispers of the believers continued.

Lucia Ubellina.

From what I heard, it seemed that he was the head priest from La Pernia with excellent talent.

Since it’s a mass, it’s natural for talented people to come.

I thought it was just that and turned off my interest.

But the mutterings in the seat next to me tickled my ears.

“It’s not like that. It wouldn’t be the time to care about those kids…”

Nell’s smiling face was unusual.

Her sheep are ridiculed for some reason.

I blinked.

“What is it?”

Are you confident in your skills?

It deserved it. Even if Nell can’t handle divine power, the purity of her mana will overwhelm humans.

Although not as good as me.

Just then, a loud cry came from above.

“Welcome everyone!”

Everyone raised their heads.

Above the arch-shaped gateway. The priest in charge of the proceedings looked down at the ground and explained.

“The challenge ceremony is one of the traditional rituals of the church. This time, the cathedral is the test site. Faith in the Lord is the most important thing, so just do it as usual.”

─Your honed sincerity and divine power will be put to the test.

After talking about things like this for ten minutes. Finally, the core came out.

“The rules are simple. The followers gathered here will become ‘challengers’ and choose a room of their choice. You can choose from the fetishes placed in that room.”

It was very simple to summarize the main points.

The challengers listened intently.

“You only have one chance to take on the test. This time it’s a special day, so a total of nine castings came out, but one chance remains the same.”

I felt both surprise and regret at the same time.

Nine. This is an unusually large number.

However, it was disappointing that it was a fetish rather than a sacred object.

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“Also… As everyone is expecting, you can keep the casting if you succeed in the challenge.”

The eyes of the believers sparkled as the words they had been waiting for were uttered.

“This is a fact that has been approved by the three Grand Masters. If you have been chosen by Ju-soo, it is a good thing for both of you, as you are the equals of the future Religious Nation. If you are successful, please use it well.”

The challengers who were full of anticipation looked at each other and became agitated. The priest smiled and jumped down at once.

─Then let’s begin.

He said later.

The buzz stopped, and the challengers were led to the cathedral under his guidance.

“It’s simpler than you think.”

So did we.

I answered Nell’s words.

“That’s the description.”

“Is the exam difficult?”

“Perhaps.”

Most people will.

Nel scratched her cheek with curious eyes.

“But somehow I also tried following you.”

“Yes.”

“Something… Something strange. Is it true that I am here?”

“Why?”

“I’m a vampire. They say I hate light. I wonder if the fetish hates it unconditionally.”

I rolled my eyeballs.

Come to think of it, Jinjo and the cathedral didn’t match very much in terms of image.

But it didn’t matter.

“I don’t like it.”

After all, divine power is also derived from magical power.

It’s good to have, but if you have excellent mana, you don’t need it.

Even if most of them are bad, Nell is a second character, so he was included in that category.

“Well, I guess so. If you say so…”

While chatting, we arrived at the cathedral hall.

The ceremony is held in two places, the first floor and the second floor. There were five rooms on the first floor and four rooms on the second floor.

It matched the number of castings.

The inside was clean and old-fashioned, perhaps because it was prepared for this day.

“There is a pamphlet here. Please refer to it when choosing a room.”

There was a really thin pamphlet on the side the host pointed to. The type and characteristics of the casting are written.

I stopped Nell, who was about to head there.

“Wait.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Follow me.”

I moved to a corner out of sight.

Nell, who hurriedly followed, expressed her doubts.

“Quillière.”

“Cover me here.”

My expression was rather serious.

No wonder, the number of people gathered today was more dense than expected, so we needed to be more precise.

“Uh… Oh, I get it!”

She tilted her head and nodded.

I checked my surroundings and took off my hood.

Then,

Charleur─

Her blue-white hair flowed like a cluster of stars.

With the hair tie in her mouth, she grabbed the hair and pulled it up.

“…Mmm.”

It’s not a familiar act, but it’s not very skillful.

Still, it would be less noticeable if tied. I gathered my hair at once and tied it up at once.

Then, I quickly lowered the hood.

I bet no one saw it.

“Good job.”

He sighed and thanked him.

But no answer came back.

“Nell.”

“·······.”

I looked up and saw Nell with a puzzled expression.

She stared blankly at my face.

“… Huh?”

Oddly enough, Nell used to do this sometimes.

She called me several times, but there was no answer, so she just went ahead. Nell approached me right after I picked up the pamphlet.

“The fetish has a feeble will.”

“… Big. How can I be chosen?”

“Your choice, literally. You just have to put your heart to it.”

Mana occupies the absolute share of that evaluation factor.

I turned the pamphlet with my eyes wide open.

Fetishes are inferior to sacred objects.

In order to bring the good ones, it was necessary to select them carefully…

Everything passes by things that are useless or unnecessary to me.

It caught my eye when I turned the last page.

“The Talisman of Dawn.”

The moment I saw her name, I was slightly happy.

Because it was something I knew.

It has a big drawback, but the performance itself is a good gem.

The birth and history were recorded one after another.

“…Three hundred years ago.”

It was a fairly old item.

This is a favorite book created and used by ‘Pilena Trandiad’, a saint of dawn who was active at the time.

“What is this? Room 9?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to do this? This is the hardest room… Ah, ah. What. Hmm.”

I had no choice as this was the only useful item.

She glanced at Nell, who took a strange chuimsae.

“You’ve decided.”

“Uh, yes. I’m going to make this the ‘rosary of the icon’ number 3.”

“Why?”

What standard did she decide on?

The answer came with a mischievous smile.

“I was attracted to the efficacy. They say it makes the body tidy and clears the skin. This is said to improve blood circulation, right?”

“·······.”

It was a very simple reason, but it was enough as a motivation.

Anything that would be used by ordinary believers doesn’t suit her anyway.

“Perhaps.”

She

After giving her nod, she parted ways with her.

Room 9 was on the second floor, and room 3 was on the first floor. If there are no other variables, we will soon meet each other with our castings.

“Hmm…”

The inside of the cathedral was noisy and busy.

With so many people, it seemed difficult to achieve orderly control.

Is it because they are clerics who follow God?

I lowered my head and went up the stairs.

I didn’t want to run into anyone, but I got a crowd right in front of me.

I reflexively turned around and saw a woman.

“·······.”

It was someone I knew.

To be precise, he is a person who only knows his face.

Chief Priest Lucia Ubellina.

The woman I saw during the preliminary explanation was staring at me.

She asked as her eyes met.

“He’s going upstairs.”

“Yes.”

It was unexpected and somewhat embarrassing, but the answer popped out, perhaps thanks to the snow woman characteristics.

His words were short and cold, but it was nothing new.

“… Huh?! Huh?”

However, it seemed different when I first heard it.

Lucia, who twitched her eyes, still spoke steadfastly.

“How many rooms are you going to challenge?”

“Do something yourself.”

“Shouldn’t we be wary of competitors?”

The corners of her mouth curled up.

It was a sudden sound for me.

“Competitors.”

“Yes. If you’re not sure, look at your outfit.”

“Costume.”

She glanced down at those words.

Wearing dark colored robes.

I don’t think there’s a corner that stands out anywhere.

However, Lucia nodded her head, as if she interpreted my gaze differently.

“This challenge is to elevate yourself as a priest. The traditional rites and such don’t really matter.”

“I see.”

“Yes. That’s why, like birds tending their feathers, everyone tried to show off their dignity as much as possible. That way, they have a better chance of being in the limelight.”

When I heard it, it seemed plausible.

I had no idea what she was going to say.

“But you hid yourself as much as you could through your robe. So, isn’t that a very famous person?”

“·······.”

She was so stingy that she lost her speech.

Are you a detective?

She definitely didn’t intend to be in the spotlight at all, so that mentality may have been exposed.

She came just to get a holy relic or fetish.

“Well… I’m in the same class as you. I don’t really want attention. But I didn’t bother wearing a robe.”

With a smile, she looked up and down at me as if she had finished what she had to say.

Then he spat it out.

“That’s cumbersome, isn’t it?”

Lucia stopped as if waiting for my reaction.

I quietly blinked my eyes.

What is it?

Are you kidding me?

It’s not child’s play, and there’s no need to hang out with things like this.

“That’s right. Good job.”

“… Huh?”

I ignored it coolly and climbed the stairs.

A panicked voice came from behind.

“Wait a minute. You’re just going like this?!”

You shouldn’t feed an opponent like that.

On the way to advance without hesitation, I stumbled upon sullen challengers.

It must have failed.

There was no chance for a second challenge, so all they could do was leave the cathedral.

Perhaps because of that burden, the faces of the followers were dark, but I remained calm all along.

The Platinum Gate arrived soon after.

There were relatively fewer challengers at the entrance to Room 9 than in other rooms.

“Is it because of the difficulty?”

It seemed that they made a compromise and disappeared.

That’s the right decision, the moment I thought about it, the sound of rough breathing reached my ears.

“Haa… Hoo. It’s the same place.”

“…That’s right.”

“Let’s do our best. We.”

Lucia smiled defiantly.

But her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

You live a very tiring life.

“Stand first.”

If I left it alone, I thought it would keep talking behind me, so I just sent it to the front.

The order didn’t really matter anyway.

I have heard that Lucia, the head priest, is excellent in terms of divine power, but this casting does not require much divine power.

And since he is so full of confidence, he should be allowed to take on the challenge at least once.

“Failure…! Nonsense.”

“How could you not react?!”

During the waiting period, failures appeared one after another. The relatively short line was shortened at breakneck speed.

Lucia’s face hardened slightly.

He seems to be getting nervous as his turn approaches.

“If you have just entered, please stand this way.”

Soon after entering the majestic interior, a priest appeared. There was a separate waiting area so that the challenger would not be bothered.

Standing there, I looked around the sacred inner chamber, where a divine beast seemed to come out at any moment.

An altar located right in the middle.

There was something like a western amulet on top of it.

That is the Talisman of Dawn, the fetish of Room 9.

“I will challenge myself!”

This time it was a man with short hair.

Anyone could see that he was nervous, awkwardly extending his hand to the talisman.

It’s thin to the touch, and it’s like looking at the liver, and then swallowing dry saliva.

I grabbed it and used magic.

Within a short time, a yellow light was emitted—

······It was a weak light like fireflies.

“······Uh, over there. This is it. That’s it.”

“You are eliminated.”

“Yeah, sure. Right? hahahahaha…”

The man who had been laughing unnaturally escaped his boudoir in a hurry. For some reason, the watery eyes are memorable.

The same scene as before continued several more times.

They must have been competent believers in their own way, but the standards for casting were so strict that there was no way to do it.

Finally, after the short-haired man was eliminated,

It was Lucia Ubellina’s turn.

“This is Lucia. High priest Lucia Uvelina.”

“The real exhaust has arrived. What will it be like this time…”

She closed her eyes as if she couldn’t hear the priests’ murmur.

Perhaps it was a jinx of her own, Lucia, who had been doing so for a moment, soon stood in front of the altar.

My saliva went down on the wool belt.

She caught her breath and stretched out her hand.

“I’ll try.”

After exclaiming, he quickly grabbed the amulet.

Then, after hesitating for a moment, he injected magic all at once.

Paaat─

The method of the test is very simple.

Just like she did when she got the Catalyst before, she just poured her own mana into it.

Most of the relics turn into magic.

However, it was very difficult to get recognized compared to the simple method.

“Oh… Oh oh oh!”

“This might be possible…”

It seems that the story that he trained his divine power is true.

Lucia received some recognition.

The fact that the light that the priests admired came up proved him.

Her expression brightened.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Is this enough? Now this is… Ah!?”

But it soon faded.

Just like the change in his expression, Talisman’s light burned for a while and then faded away.

The embers that shimmered like embers soon went out.

It was a failure.

“···Keuheum. As expected.”

“It’s a failure, Priest Lucia.”

The voices of the priests were as resolute as the casting will.

But Lucia did not return.

He clenched his fists and trembled before screaming.

“─Something’s wrong with this!”

“Yes?”

“It doesn’t make sense! How can you be so picky!”

Even his voice cracked as if he was quite angry.

She strode down and challenged the priests.

“That’s strange! How did I wear the High Priestess? This can’t be a reaction.”

“Hey… Priest Lucia. Calm down—”

“Does it look real now?! Does anyone know if this can work?”

Her priests struggled to stop her from venting her displeasure. She seemed unexpected that she would make her mess in the cathedral.

I looked dumbfounded and then quietly walked away.

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Since the next turn comes anyway, there is nothing to hold back.

“…Mmm.”

I picked up Talisman and stared at it.

Whether it’s a relic or a fetish, their will is like a gourmet.

It is very obscuring people and mana.

I don’t know exactly what he wants.

However, almost all spirits—and relics—had something in common.

“Pure Mana.”

And ‘by the setting’, my mana was as pure as a phenomenon.

It doesn’t guarantee the amount of mana or the ability to manage it, but it’s a big help in this case.

In short, the quality of mana is different from that of the general public.

The problem is that I don’t know what will happen.

“Something’s going on.”

It’s a simple test, and it’s not a sacred object, it’s a fetish.

I shook my head and blew magic into it.

At most, I expected two or three times what I just had.

However, the results were quite different.

With a roar that sounded like an explosion, light burst out.

─────!

The surrounding noise disappeared in an instant.

A tremendous tinnitus covered the hall.

My eyes were dazzled and I frowned a little.

Fortunately, the abnormal amount of light gradually subsided, and only a suitable light source remained.

“······!”

A suitable light source.

It was the shape of a woman.

The will of the fetish······ Or else we should call it the Holy Spirit.

─This nobility······ This beauty······.

Filena Trandiad.

She came to talk to her.

─You perfect being… Please help me…

My eyes widened.