Chapter 21

In my previous life, I lived in a rather warm region. Snow would fall from the sky once or twice during winter, lightly and unreliably, melting and disappearing the moment it touched the ground. That's what I thought it was like.

So when I saw the images of heavy snowfall areas on TV news, I felt both that it must be tough and somewhat envious. Especially when I was a child. If there was so much snow, we could build snow forts and slides to our heart's content, I thought. How nice.

But now I can say that there's nothing good about too much snow. When a blizzard continues for three days, there's no time to dig snow forts.

What is this violent wind? What is this疯狂的雪？

Even on the mountain, such a severe blizzard never lasted for days. There were always breaks, times when the intensity lessened. But this snow, which has been falling since yesterday, shows no sign of stopping, even for a moment. It's as if the sky is angry, attacking relentlessly without a moment's rest. What a violent weather.

In the midst of the blizzard, night fell again, and for the first time, I felt afraid of the snow. How much more will it have accumulated while I sleep? I closed my eyes, feeling uneasy, as the knight with the single eye put me to bed, but the wind rattling the windows made it hard to fall asleep.

On the third day, the windows were still covered in snow. But it wasn't just snow stuck by the wind. The snow had piled up so much that it buried all the first-floor windows. In a region with a lot of snow, the windows are not very large, and the glass is supported by more beams than usual, but I was worried it might break. There were supposed to be storm shutters, but since the windows wouldn't open yesterday, they couldn't be lowered.

And the blizzard outside showed no signs of stopping.

The fortress was in a bit of an uproar from morning, and the dining hall was abuzz with talk of the "terrible snow." Most of the knights in the fortress were from other regions and had never seen such heavy snow. They joked about the fortress being buried, but the fortress is quite tall, so it should be safe. ...I hope.

The head cook, who was from the local area, said that every few years there would be a year with a lot of snow, but even so, this much was rare. What worried everyone the most was that the blizzard never stopped, even for a moment.

As a snow spirit, I tried sending thoughts to the sky a few times, "Snow, stop!" but it was so embarrassing that nothing happened. The blizzard completely ignored me, and I began to doubt my own existence. Am I really a spirit? Hey?

In the morning, the knights were still busy clearing snow. As soon as they cleared a path, it would be covered again, but they had no choice but to keep at it. Clearing heavy snow takes a lot of strength, so the knights took turns going inside the building to rest. I watched them warm their cold hands and feet by the fireplace and dry their wet gloves and pants, while I stayed in the parlor to keep watch.

As a snow spirit, I couldn't even stop a blizzard, so I felt very apologetic. I walked around to comfort the tired knights, but my "comfort" was just letting them touch my fluffy fur as much as they wanted.

By the way, the knight with the single eye and the commander were not in the fortress; they had gone to a nearby town to help with snow removal and clearing snow from the roofs of houses.

Indeed, with this much snow, the roofs of old houses would be in trouble. Even the fortress, which was built to be sturdy, sometimes made ominous creaking sounds. But, are they okay in such a blizzard? If they fall by mistake, the snow is so deep that they probably won't get seriously hurt, but still...

While I worried, the knights who had gone to town returned around noon. I was carried by Tina to the main entrance to welcome everyone. The snow was blowing horizontally, making it hard to see, and from a distance, it was hard to tell who was who.

Tina was dressed warmly, but when she pushed the heavy door open, the cold wind made her shrink and she hugged me tightly. As a snow spirit, I don't have the same warming effect as a regular animal, but...

"Welcome back! How was it in town?"

The blizzard was still fierce, so Tina spoke loudly to be heard over the wind. The knight closest to her answered.

"Only one old shack collapsed, but the damage was less than expected. The townspeople are much more used to heavy snow than we are. They have plenty of food and firewood, so they should be fine even if the blizzard continues for a while."

Tina seemed relieved. She loosened her grip, and I took the opportunity to jump to the ground. I tried to run straight to where the knight with the single eye was, but the strong wind pushed me sideways.

"Ah, Mil! You can't go out in the blizzard."

I turned back and barked to show that I was fine. When I approached, the knight with the single eye dismounted and took off his glove to pat my head. The horses the knights were leading had shovels and sleds for transporting snow. ...I want to ride on that sled a bit.

"Did you behave while I was gone?"

Of course, I did! I barked happily and spun around in a high-speed circle. Seeing the knight with the single eye and the others return safely from town in the blizzard made me a bit overexcited. A few seconds later, I calmed down and found everyone around me laughing.

Well, well, I can't help it. I can't even help with snow removal, so I might as well make people laugh and lighten the mood.

But this blizzard is really severe. The wind doesn't slice the air like a blade but hits us with the pressure of lead. It seems to want to destroy everything on the ground—people, buildings, trees, everything. And the snow had already piled up on my body in just a few minutes. Just standing still for a moment felt like being swallowed by the snow. I quickly shook my body to get rid of the snow stuck to my fur.

"You should take a break, and call the 5th and 8th squads to replace you."

The commander, who had been glancing at me, tightened his expression and gave instructions to the other knights.

"Can you go right away? The commander and deputy should take a break too..."

"If we take too long, it will be dark by the time we return. Go and call them quickly."

When the commander gave the order, a young knight replied, "Yes, sir!" and hurried into the building.

Just as they returned, the commander and the knight with the single eye were going somewhere again? I walked around the knight's feet, feeling restless. The blizzard is so bad, why don't you just stay in the fortress and rest today? I tugged on his boot laces to try to persuade him, but the knight just laughed and gently dissuaded me.

Then, the knights of the 5th and 8th squads, dressed in matching cold-weather gear and leading horses loaded with snow removal tools, ran over. They were prepared quickly, perhaps because they were waiting for the commander and the knight with the single eye.

"Going back to town? To continue clearing snow?"

Among the knights who arrived was Kicks, who spoke to the commander as casually as usual. I hoped he would become friends with the commander.

"The snow in town has been cleared. Our next destination is the base of Snowlea Mountain, where the spirits live."

At the words "spirits" and "Snowlea," my ears perked up.

"Wait, in this blizzard? Even though Snowlea Mountain is close, it's quite suicidal. Besides, the road to the mountain is probably buried in snow..."

"If it's buried, we'll dig it out. We'll clear the snow as we go."

"Really?"

Kicks was taken aback by the commander's calm response.

"But what will you do when you get to the base of Snowlea?"

"Offer sacrifices at the altar and ask the spirit to stop the blizzard."

The commander, still on his horse, glanced behind him. There were several bottles sealed with corks, which smelled like strong alcohol. If I got close, I would probably get drunk from the smell alone.

The commander continued, "The old people in town were saying, 'The spirits are angry.' 'This blizzard is definitely because of that, and we must offer sacrifices to ask for forgiveness, or the weather will never improve.'"

"So you're going to the altar...?"

"The old people were planning to go, so we promised to bring the sacrifices in their place and stopped them. It would be suicidal to let them go out in this blizzard."

"Do you think the blizzard is caused by the spirits, Commander?"

Kicks asked the commander directly, not intimidated at all. The other knights seemed a bit nervous, but the commander answered calmly, without showing any irritation. The knight with the single eye, who was brushing the snow off my body, also listened without interrupting.

"I'm skeptical, but I don't think we should ignore the words of the locals, who have lived here longer than us. Besides, the weather is indeed abnormal."

He looked up at the leaden, stormy sky. The violent wind and snow continued without a moment's pause.

"If this blizzard is caused by the spirits, it could continue indefinitely until her anger subsides."

The knights around the commander's words looked tense, imagining what would happen if the blizzard continued. The knights still had the luxury of making jokes and smiling because they had enough food and firewood, but these resources would surely decrease over time, and they couldn't be replenished if the blizzard didn't stop. The monotonous and heavy labor of snow removal would continue for hours every day, and as their bodies grew tired, their food and fuel would run out, and they would be mentally pushed to the limit. If they tried to evacuate, the entire area would be covered in snow, making it impossible to move, and they would have to wait for death in the cold, closed space of the fortress...

Hmm, everyone's faces are pale. I felt a bit scared too. An endless blizzard... Knowing that spring will eventually come helps us endure the harsh winter.

The commander looked around and said calmly, "We want to stop this blizzard before it causes major damage. If we wait and see if it will stop on its own, it might be too late. If it's still snowing tomorrow, it will be even harder to reach the altar. We want to do what we can while we still have the chance."

After saying this, he further motivated his subordinates.

"But indeed, going to meet the spirits in this blizzard is dangerous. The distance to the altar is not far, but it's possible to get lost in this snow. The commander and I have decided to go to fulfill our promise to the townspeople, but we won't force you. Those who lack confidence in their physical strength can stay in the fortress."

The knights in this fortress are generally rough. No one said, "I lack confidence, so I'll stay and keep watch."

"I'll go if the commander and deputy go!"

"I have confidence in my physical strength!"

"Right, right! What's a blizzard!"

They were pale a moment ago, but now they were shouting and getting excited. A group of hot-blooded people who could melt the snow had formed, but they were all being manipulated by the commander.

The commander and the knight with the single eye were smiling at their simple and likable subordinates.

"Then, let's get going. We want to return to the fortress before dark."

The knight with the single eye, who had been petting my head, stood up and