I Became the Snow Woman I Made

10 – Rumors of the City-State (2)

“Is there anything else on the agenda?”

This is not the time to be locked in remorse.

Rassithea sighed and asked her lieutenant.

“There are two.”

From the entrance until now, Sorap continued to report with an unwavering expression.

“Recently, demons from Mount Taman near the city have been acting strangely, and unsavory rumors are circulating among the citizens.”

“The travels of the monsters…”

Lasithea shook her head as she was thinking about something. Because she is the head of the family, there was nothing to go up the mountain, but there was a lot of information coming in from this location.

Judging from that information, recently the monsters in the forest and mountains have been showing signs of abnormality. The ferocity has increased, and it has come down to the suburbs that would not have approached before, and the fighting power has also increased.

Not only that, but there was even a phenomenon of damaging nature for some reason. It was very difficult to see animals such as deer and sparrows, which are precious food and must be maintained in the ecosystem, dying.

Of course, there is no eyewitness report that these were the work of monsters… But there was a high probability.

“Maybe that’s also due to the snake god’s influence. He’s such a terrible god.”

The time when the mountain was in trouble coincided with the time when the snake god appeared in the city. She barely swallowed her sigh, which was about to leak out again, and she opened her mouth.

The incidents of monsters were information that I knew roughly. She had never heard of the second issue, however.

“What are the unsavory rumors?”

This is enough to give me a headache, so what’s the problem? It was a situation where the eyes would naturally become dark, but Sorap’s hard words and actions were as good as ever.

“The snake god is the servant of ‘calamity’, and if you want to live, you must follow the calamity and its followers.”

“…… Huh?”

“There are those who claim to be.”

Lash Thea, who had been staring at him as if she didn’t know what he was talking about, ran her head through her hair in frustration. Her black hair, like ebony, flowed down.

“That’s what… No, ha…”

Sohrab agreed with her reaction, which took away her anger. It meant that at some point, people like cancerous masses dug into the city.

“The Dark Saints. They probably stop.”

Lassithea nodded slightly at his resolute remark.

Dark Saints

暗黑聖徒會

On the continent, there were cultists who were in contrast to the religions and denominations that believed in the Four Gods.

Among them, the name is not even known, but the only group that fanatically believes in ‘disaster’, which is more reluctant than any evil god… The Dark Saints.

To be precise, they were the only ones who survived the mortal battle with the dark thieves that had been going on for hundreds of years. Among the traitors who turned their backs on humanity, they are especially cancerous beings.

“…Maybe it’s because I neglected my vigilance. There’s really no end to trouble.”

As all the nerves were focused on the snake god, the entry and exit management of passers-by was sluggish. They couldn’t check who was blending into the city.

At first, he thought it was a disaster and something that had nothing to do with him. I’ve never heard of that ‘worst being on earth’, but…

I never thought we would be entangled in this way.

Compared to the Hagi Knight disaster, it would have been much better if the remnants of the Dark Saints had infiltrated it.

According to the legend, disaster was an opponent that even the snake god who controlled the city could not use his hands on.

“Are they only doing incitement? Are they revealing fragments of other schemes… Or something like that?”

Since their notoriety spread across the continent, I was worried and asked.

“I haven’t found it yet. Also, there are only a handful of true members of the Dark Saints in the first place. Others are mere followers. Presumably, even those who infiltrate the city are likely to be unscrupulous.”

“Then I’m glad…”

But for now, I felt relieved.

Rather than that, I didn’t have the nerve to focus on such things now.

Aside from the snake god, who had no way to use his hands right away, he needed a means to stop the atrocities of the two heads of household.

As the owner of Krasse, you must do your own thing.

It would have been enough to leave the impure elements to Sohrab and his assassination squad.

“Sohrab, I will give you instructions. Punish those who have spread in the dark.”

If left unattended, unrest in the city will increase.

This month has gone by procrastinating on work.

As if not to hesitate any longer, Lash Thea ordered with her straight eyes.

“Yes, my lord.”

Sohrab accepted the command with a willing heart in his heart, placing his hand on his chest.

This case needed to be handled in the shadows, out of sight of the citizens, and the anti-dark elixir was his specialty.

But lately, Krasse’s stealthy sword had no room to move, so it took some preparation.

He first moved his steps to an armament shop to servicing himself and his assassination squad’s equipment.

Nothing is missing.

It’s natural to hide it in a place where no one will come, but it’s also natural to feel relieved after checking it.

I glared at the rather bulky tote bag with love and hatred. Shouldn’t they have gone with a small group of people instead of bringing a bari-bari with them?

At times like this, I really miss the inventory in the game. A private warehouse that can be used at any time… How attractive is this.

If you’re going to possess it anyway, I’ll give you that ability anyway.

“Still, since you said it’s more…”

Wouldn’t it all be useful?

It’s also my only financial source right now.

I hurriedly packed my bag and was now standing in what you might roughly call the outskirts or back alley.

It was to avoid as much attention as possible, but when I came here, I wondered if it was necessary to do that.

“The atmosphere is really bad.”

All the people who glanced at each other had dark expressions. Besides, the number of passers-by was bizarrely small even in broad daylight.

It’s like the majority of people don’t come out and don’t go out. Was there something wrong, or was this a daily occurrence for Euristia a thousand years ago?

As I forcibly squeezed my brain to bring back even missing memories… I managed to find one thing that came to my mind.

“Come to think of it, it’s clear… Corruption was rampant in Euristia when Artan came to power…”

The corruption didn’t happen overnight, and it is said that it continued until just before the birth of a ‘great hero’ who sublimated a city-state into a decent kingdom.

This is the time before Artan’s era, when Ioloman was in power, but judging from various information, it would be safe to say that corruption continued from this time.

The subject of corruption is, of course, the ruling class, the families and their heads. Then, it could be interpreted that the gloomy appearance in the city was due to borrowing and persecution.

“As expected, medieval fantasy… It’s a scary world…”

I feel sorry for the afflicted citizens, but I was determined not to step forward. I had no obligation to help them, and I was busy living alone.

Above all, how do you deal with family heads who are not low-level monsters that are superior in terms of compatibility, but have powerful powers? It was best to disappear like a flow without getting involved.

“Okay, let’s do that… Let’s get a map first.”

It was a bad place because of the evil family heads and ominous rumors. As originally planned, it would be better to quickly get a map and go to the empire.

If the Four Seasons War II had been meticulously prepared, maybe there was something planted in Euristia, but even so, it would not be comparable to the Empire.

The immediate purpose was to go to the place where there would be the most clues and figure out the flow of the world. Only then will I know what stance I should take.

If it is certain that the flow is the same as the original, and I am confident in my safety, it is an empire and a disaster, and I can turn my attention away, but it was not until then.

“Is this right?”

I thought about going to a general store nearby after making that conclusion, but now that I think about it, maps are military items in this medieval world.

Of course, they are much more precious and expensive than modern ones.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they don’t sell it on the market, so it could be anywhere, but a general store was usually a place where a lot of common products were displayed.

It’s not suitable for selling expensive and rare items… Then, as I was thinking about where to stop by, a weapon store caught my eye.

Speaking of armor stores, just like that image, they sell swords and shields. However, since they also sell auxiliary tools that are helpful in battle, there must have been a map.

“Oh! Another customer soon! Welcome…?”

Opening the door and entering, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the store owner smiled brightly.

I pondered for a moment whether it was because of the lack of customers or whether the original personality was bright, but the owner’s response gradually changed from cheerful to puzzled.

My figure was reflected in the pupil engraved with that surprise.

Fully understanding his reaction, I felt proud inside. Well, this is a natural reaction.

Quilière was a masterpiece created by me, the customization master, with all my heart and soul.

Her beauty and atmosphere are comparable to those of anyone else. If it was the first time you met, it wouldn’t be strange to look at you as if you were bewitched.

Of course, it was only in his heart that he shrugged, but his cold attitude remained the same on the outside.

“Do you have a map?”

I looked around the showcase, but couldn’t find it, so I threw a fastball. The owner, as if suddenly coming to his senses, struggled with his hands and spouted.

“…Ah, big, big. What kind of map are you talking about…?”

“The map that leads to the Arundel Empire.”

Since the distance is quite long, it would probably be difficult to get as detailed as a large-scale map, and it would be difficult to find even if it was macroscopic like a map of the continents.

Therefore, it would be good if it was a suitable indicator, but the owner’s answer was disappointing.

“Uh, we don’t sell such precious items at our main store. There are probably only a few places in Euristia that sell that… Map.”

What, then why did you ask what kind of map it is?

He continued to ask questions while hiding his displeasure.

“Where is that place?”

“The nearest place from here would be ‘Maurice’s Shop’ behind the train station. It’s a much larger store than our armor store, so it should be easy to spot.”

“Maurice’s shop? Post office?”

It’s the first time I’ve heard it, but can you understand me when you say it like that? There were quite a few tall buildings that stood out and could be seen even if you looked around the city for a short time.

Is this man making fun of me for wandering around trying to find a map? The owner was embarrassed to have noticed such a ridiculous misunderstanding.

“That, Maurice’s shop is behind the post town…”

“I know.”

“For the post office, leave the main store and move to the side where you can see the evening primrose trees, then turn around on the stone wall and turn right at the paulownia bench…”

“……”

I could see myself getting colder in my gaze. It was the moment when the owner, who had an expression that seemed to be dripping with cold sweat, was at a loss as to how that appearance felt to a South Korean.

“Let me guide you.”

A low-pitched voice came from inside.

My attention was drawn to the mysterious man at the same time as the owner.

Gray hair, brown eyes.

At first glance, the owner of a solid impression was looking this way while sweeping the blade of a sharp dagger.

“Oh, oh oh! Lord Sorap! This is a relief. Please, please.”

“I don’t need flattery. Rather, keep these. I’ll come and get them when the time comes.”

“I don’t know if it’s possible! You’re the one who works hard for the prosperity of Euristia! Come visit us anytime.”

It felt like the conversation was going on without me.

Judging from the owner’s attitude towards a man named Sorap, he must be a rather high-ranking person.

Why would such a person want to give me directions or something? Is there no particular reason, just a good deed?

Sorap packed his things in a lean manner and passed by me. At that moment of passing, he didn’t forget the bluff.

“Eggplant.”

I stood still at the imminent development and followed him, thinking that good is good.

Sohrab was a taciturn man, just like his impression. He didn’t talk to me first, as if he was really faithfully guiding me.

It’s a human figure that contrasts greatly with the Pet I met before. Well, from my point of view, I liked this part where the conversation was cut off.

At this point, even if you can’t adapt to the settings I made, it’s time to get used to it. Conversing with Mishra, Pete, the owner, and other characters, I came to realize Qulière’s hopeless sociability.

Looking back again, it was fortunate that I hadn’t had four months yet.

“It’s Sohrab. Where are you going?”

“…He’s with some amazing woman.”

A city that has lost its vitality cannot be called a crowd, but there were still passers-by. Seeing us walking down the street, citizens whispered.

I was aware that I was standing out, so I tried to go around as quietly as possible.

Unintentionally, I felt more focused on going around with another prominent figure.

Does it really matter?

I’ll be leaving soon anyway.

It was when I walked for a while past a structure that looked like a post office. A store several times larger than the armor store just now appeared with a large signboard.

The signboard read ‘Morris’.

Perhaps Maurice is the merchant’s first name or last name. The fact that he had his name stamped on the signboard showed great confidence.

“You are not from Euristia.”

Sorap finally opened his mouth, as if he had judged that the mission was over now that he had arrived.

It wasn’t much to hide, so I nodded in affirmation.

As if he knew that, he gave advice.

“If you don’t have anything important to do, you’d better leave quickly.”

Then he coolly turned around and left.

I just blinked and looked at his back.

What is it, am I giving you my own advice?

Just looking at his attitude, I was very suspicious, but it seemed that way.

What a strange person.

“But is it so obvious that I’m a stranger?”

What I noticed right away bothered me, so I had time to contemplate myself for a while.

Then I entered the store with unstoppable steps.

It’s been a while since I’ve been possessed, so I’m used to it, to be honest, there are too many obvious corners.

As he advised, hurry up and finish your business and leave. As I entered the store, I heard a welcoming greeting as before.

“Welcome!”

A man with a handsome beard sat across the counter in a rather arrogant pose.

My guess is that he is the merchant Maurice, the owner of the store.

“…Ahh! Beauty is always welcome. Feel free to look around!”

Perhaps the size of the store was proportional to his experience, he was more advanced than the owner of the armor store.

He was shocked to see me, but he quickly changed his expression and naturally gave me a compliment.

Is it a strategy to grasp the customer’s characteristics in an instant and pick out the most intuitive part and start with gold lacquer?

It is to win the favor of customers by throwing a conversation skill that is not excessive.

Once you feel good, your wallet will open on its own. Thinking it was not a bad trick, I asked again directly.

“Do you have a map? A map that leads to the Empire.”

“…Gee, how old are you, and from the very beginning… Ah, no. That’s not it.”

Maurice mumbled something, thought it over, and then she replied.

“A map…Even an empire? Of course, there are all of them. But, since this is such a precious item, the price must be a bit high…”

He looked at me with the eyes of a merchant who doubts the customer’s wallet.

With a sense of ridicule, I put my hand into the tote bag that had troubled me throughout the journey, but I hadn’t forgotten about it.

I didn’t have cash in my hands, but this era was also a time when barter was prevalent.

The point is to have the right value. It was the moment when my ability to carefully select and pack things was put to the test.

“How about this?”

I confidently took out ‘it’.