LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 45 - Snow and the Savior
Translator: Marctempest
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
—
Chapter 45: Snow and the Savior
When the Mahabharata vanished, the floating Apocalypse of Calamity also disappeared.
A special item designed solely to target calamities.
Perhaps it would appear again if I were to face that thing once more.
“······.”
I fidgeted with my now-empty hands.
The catalyst that had been consumed as an offering.
Losing a weapon I had used for so long left me with a bitter feeling.
There would be no other relic like it.
I stopped escaping into such thoughts and raised my head.
“The Black Calamity, it’s gone···?”
“No way······.”
The silence broke, and murmurs gradually arose among the people.
Confusion and astonishment.
It was a natural reaction.
Even if it wasn’t its full power, I had defeated the ‘main body’ of a calamity, after all.
Amid the stares fixated on me, a voice of surprise struck me.
“Quellière, you, you···!”
The red-haired woman whose body was covered in blood spatters.
Nell, who was so shocked her fangs were showing, soon suppressed her voice as if she had realized something.
“You’re not··· human either.”
“···Huh?”
I thought her words were sharp, but then I remembered Chandrafail had already pointed this out.
She hadn’t forgotten and kept it in mind.
Despite my calm demeanor, she continued speaking.
“I vaguely thought so. Knowing about my race, even when I didn’t, and··· knowing about a race no one else knows about.”
There was a certain conviction in Nell’s gaze.
At this point, I couldn’t deny being human any longer.
I pondered over what I should say.
Should I reveal that I’m the Snow Maiden?
But then, how would I explain defeating the calamity?
I couldn’t reveal the Apocalypse.
Whether she knew about my dilemma or not, Nell carefully opened her mouth.
“Quellière. Don’t tell me you’re······.”
“—You are!”
Her words were interrupted.
It was because the Holy Knight Commander, Blefer, intervened.
He cried out in shock as he looked at me.
“Are you perhaps an Apostle?!”
“······.”
My eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
It was a misunderstanding I had encountered before, mostly from those black-robed fanatics.
It seemed they thought the same, as religion had some overlap.
I swallowed a sigh and shook my head.
“No.”
“If not, then who are you······.”
His eyes swept over the chaotic surroundings.
The ruins and the chaotic street.
The dark knights were recovering their stances in front of buildings smashed by the calamity.
Their scorched armor was quite the sight.
I shot Blefer a glare and casually threw out my words.
“You called me a heretic.”
When the Adventurer’s Guild interrogated me before, that’s what they had said.
Holding a grudge, I had remembered it.
And now, they were flipping their stance in an instant.
“Pardon?!”
“You said it. To me.”
“······Huh!”
It seemed Blefer had just recalled it, his jaw dropping.
Adding to my chilly gaze, he hastily began to excuse himself.
“I-I apologize! Back then, I was distracted by the Red Calamity··· no, by Nell Sartilla! It was a mistake, Lady Quellière. Please forgive me!”
“Quellière··· ‘Lady?’”
At his repeated bows, Nell mocked him with a sneer.
“Wow, quick to change your tune, aren’t you?”
“Ugh··· Urgh···.”
A disdainful sneer that looked down on him.
Blefer glanced between me and her before shouting at Nell.
“Be quiet, vampire!”
“What’s it to you, human?”
“Enough.”
It seemed their argument would escalate, so I intervened.
Of course, I sided with Nell and gave him a scolding to shut him up.
“Watch your words. Nell only recently cleared her name. Don’t treat her lightly.”
“Huh!”
Chastised, Blefer quickly stood at attention and bowed his head respectfully.
“I apologize, Lady Quellière. I’ll keep it in mind!”
Toward me.
The openly ignored Nell bristled even more.
“Hey, who are you apologizing to!”
“Old man!”
At that moment, Paile’s voice rang out.
As the heated noise caught our attention, we turned to see a black knight slowly approaching.
Though his entire body was a wreck, he still exuded hostility as he pointed his ghostly blade.
The monster hunter’s battle wasn’t over yet.
The peaceful atmosphere following the calamity’s retreat suddenly shifted.
“···I slay monsters. Only I can slay them······.”
His condition was far from normal.
Through his broken helmet, only his eyes and mouth were barely visible, muttering in a chilling tone.
In his blurry pupils resided obsession and arrogance.
The trembling tip of his sword was aimed directly at me.
“···The strongest monster.”
“Ha···.”
I let out a bitter smile laced with tension.
To see him seek endless combat, disregarding even his own body.
He truly was exactly as I had created him.
I had barely overcome the calamity, only to face another life-threatening situation.
Before I could even decide what to do, something blocked my view.
The girl spread her arms as if to protect me.
Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, Paile stepped forward to block the Black Knight.
“Sir! I understand what you’re thinking… I even get why you’re doing it… but she helped us. She’s not a monster!”
The desperation in her voice carried something that could stir one’s heart. However, it wasn’t enough to move the Black Knight.
His resolve remained unshaken and firm.
“Step aside.”
“…Sir!”
Paile shouted in frustration.
His behavior was indeed incomprehensible, but in a way, I understood.
Slaying monsters, challenging the strong—
That was the nature I had bestowed upon him.
He could only live within that thrill.
Thus, a Black Knight with no splendor or admiration.
Or, the solitary army known as a one-man legion.
As a creator, I understood you.
But I couldn’t let you kill me.
At that moment, Sigina, who had been silently standing by, raised her rapier and stepped forward.
“Stop it! Stop it!”
“For once, you’re doing something commendable.”
Nell, who stood beside her, muttered as if in approval, bloodlust rising in her voice.
They both took defensive stances in front of me.
Nell scowled and spewed her accumulated hatred.
“Hey! Put down that sword! We saved your life, and this is how you repay us? Are you with the Dark Holy Soceity or something?”
“…”
It was a dangerous accusation that could label him a heretic.
Yet, the Black Knight remained unbothered, his words dripping out coldly.
“Not human, but something that repels calamity…”
His voice was blunt and eerie.
The words that followed were nonsensical.
“…Are you the White Calamity or something?”
Even he seemed confused as his gaze wavered.
I quietly rubbed my forehead.
There were far too few clues for him to guess my identity, and yet, this was the conclusion he arrived at?
I’ve truly ruined someone…
How should I even refute this?
I pondered, but once again, I didn’t have to step forward.
“That’s ridiculous!”
Blefer drew his sword in a single motion, rebuking the statement.
Fury radiated from his entire being.
“Did you not witness the recent battle? Instead of suspecting her, she should be hailed as a saint! How dare you spout such blasphemy!”
“…”
It was my turn to tilt my head.
Until recently, he had been itching to take me down, but now he was suddenly a staunch ally.
Is this what it means to live and die by faith, like the leader of the Holy Knights?
But stepping aside would have been wiser.
As if reading my thoughts, the Black Knight uttered a single word.
“Move.”
“You bastard…!”
Perhaps feeling belittled, a vein bulged on Blefer’s temple.
He clearly underestimated Chandrafail’s capabilities.
Likely because he saw him faltering against the calamity.
But that’s not how it works.
The reason he struggled was because the calamity was essentially the final boss.
Even so, the Black Knight’s base combat skills were…
Blefer limbered up and confidently advanced.
“Fine, let’s do this.”
“I won’t warn you twice.”
“Hah, I don’t give second chances either. I’ll make you repent for your sins.”
The Black Knight’s voice, ominous as the abyss, clashed with the captain’s pompous bravado.
It was as if he was trying to show off to someone.
“…Oh, to me?”
The moment I murmured, the Black Knight unleashed his first strike.
It was swift beyond compare.
There was no time for reactions.
In a flash, my hand reached out, pulling Blefer back as the ghostly blade sliced through the air.
Swaak-!
His sword split into two.
Blefer trembled as if paralyzed by the chill.
“W-What, what the hell?!”
He wore a dumbfounded expression, unable to comprehend what had happened.
The overwhelming skill disparity stunned the onlookers.
Nell bared her teeth and sneered at the Black Knight.
“You bastard! How are you any different from the calamity?”
“…Nell Sartilla, was it.”
For the first time, he called a name correctly.
The Black Knight and the progenitor glared at each other.
This wasn’t good.
If left unchecked, another chaos would surely ensue.
It was all because of one person, and stopping him would solve everything.
Taking a deep breath, I spoke.
“Return.”
The sharpness in my voice drew a reaction from the Black Knight.
The winter’s gaze pierced directly into his glowing eyes.
Standing frozen without a word, he raised his sword.
Anticipating this, I delivered the decisive blow.
“Chandrafail.”
“…!”
The ever-unyielding figure faltered.
A clear sign of agitation.
The reaction was more than I expected, and I realized something.
The setting of him being reluctant to reveal his true name—
Had he never shared it with anyone?
“…Chandrafail?”
Paile tilted her head innocently.
A flustered Chandrafail asked hurriedly.
“How do you know that?”
“There are no eternal secrets.”
I brushed it off, offering no explanation, and urged him again.
“Return.”
I ended sharply, making it clear it was my final warning.
No matter his true strength, at least I could bluff.
And he wasn’t someone who would listen to kind words anyway.
“······.”
The black knight hesitated, glanced at someone, and furrowed his brow in thought.
Then, with a brief remark, he turned away.
“Quellière.”
Srrk—he sheathed his ghostly blade and strode off without hesitation.
Paile, waving his arms frantically, chased after him.
“Mister! Wait for me!”
As he left, the tense atmosphere in the area relaxed.
I recalled his parting words.
Quellière. My name.
Was he repaying me in kind for calling his true name earlier?
I chuckled at the thought, amused by how childish his refusal to lose was.
Thump-thump-thump—
Paile, who was chasing after him, suddenly turned around and gave a polite bow.
“Thank you, big sister! And sorry. You too, vampire sister!”
“Uh··· well, okay.”
Nell, who had set aside her hostility, replied awkwardly.
At that moment, the black horse, Urbos, who had survived even amidst the fierce battle, came galloping over with its characteristic neigh.
The black knight picked up Paile, leaped into the air, and mounted the horse.
“Run.”
With that brief command, they quickly disappeared from sight.
A shallow sigh escaped through my lips.
From the Black Calamity to the black knight—at least the immediate danger had passed.
But it wasn’t over yet.
“···Hmm.”
I looked around.
From the knights to the civilians, everyone stared at me blankly.
Staying here would become a hassle.
If reinforcements arrived, I wouldn’t even be able to escape.
“Blefer.”
So, I acted.
At my call, the knight commander respectfully saluted.
“Y-yes!”
“Why are you just standing there?”
“Y-yes···?”
He blinked in confusion.
I fired back in a calm tone.
“The streets are a mess. People are injured.”
“Y-yes. That’s true.”
“The Calamity appeared, so the Dark Holy Soceity might also be active.”
“That too··· makes sense.”
I delivered my conclusion to the dazed Blefer.
“Move quickly.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Stiffening with discipline, he gave orders to the knights and rallied the citizens.
The streets bustled into activity in an instant.
“Clear away the dangerous debris first! Report immediately if you see traces of monsters!”
“Nell.”
It would take quite some time to clean up this chaos.
Using the commotion as a shield, I signaled Nell with my eyes.
“Follow me.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
She meekly followed me as I took the lead.
First, we needed to find a quiet place—like an inn—and resolve her curse.
As I was leaving the area, I felt a piercing gaze.
“······?”
When I turned back, there was someone standing there.
Clad in full armor, much like Chandrafail.
However, unlike the black knight, this person was dressed in white.
That strange figure silently looked at us before bowing their head.
“What is that about?”
A gust of wind blew then.
It seeped between my eyelids, forcing me to close them tightly for a moment.
The gale passed in an instant.
When I opened my eyes again, the mysterious figure was already gone.
*
Not long after the Calamity retreated.
The news of victory spread like wildfire, comforting the hearts of the terrified faithful.
The Great Temple of Chelmberd.
Paladin Dewade came to see the two High Priests to deliver a detailed report.
“The Black Calamity has been repelled.”
Just one sentence.
That brief statement carried immense significance and wonder.
Of course, it was repelled, not annihilated.
But in such a long history, who else had accomplished such a feat?
High Priests Sariel and Netah smiled broadly, praising him.
“It’s such a relief. As expected of the Paladin of the Holy Nation.”
“You’ve done a tremendous deed. Truly, the title of the nation’s strongest warrior is not an empty one.”
Even they, who were usually fearless, had been frantic during this crisis.
Thus, they found genuine solace and expressed their gratitude through praise.
“I wasn’t even involved.”
However, the Paladin himself shook his head.
The High Priests looked at him in confusion, bewildered by his incomprehensible statement.
“Are you joking right now?”
Netah asked, but he knew well that the Paladin wasn’t one to make jokes.
Wasn’t he a man who devoted himself solely to God and remained steadfast?
Thus, the question had to be rephrased.
“If not you, then who resolved this matter?”
It was an important point.
Dewade clanked in his white armor as he firmly answered.
“A woman with silver-blue hair.”
“What?”
“She handled it alone.”
“···!”
Though the Paladin knew her name was Quellière, he dared not speak it aloud.
Netah was astonished, and Sariel widened her eyes.
“Explain it in detail. Every detail.”
“Understood.”
For a while, the Paladin’s explanation continued.
He conveyed the facts as plainly as possible, without any embellishment or personal bias.
Those facts were utterly shocking.
“That can’t be…!”
The High Priests swallowed their doubts, their expressions shifting with the narrative.
Who in the world was this figure?
However, there was something even more pressing, and as the story ended, Netah spoke up.
“This is no time to delay. We cannot leave the Saint who repelled the calamity unattended. Proper reverence must be shown.”
“That is not our decision to make.”
At that moment, Sariel expressed her refusal.
Still shaken, she continued with a solemn expression.
“Disdel falls under High Priest Clavia’s jurisdiction. There’s no need for us to intervene. She will handle it appropriately.”
“Hmm… That’s true, but…”
The two then began discussing something more seriously.
Meanwhile, Duweyde stood firm, reflecting on Quellière and the person of interest.
“The Sword Demon… was that his name?”
Even after the calamity had passed, the Black Knight had caused havoc.
Known as the Sword Demon, he was infamous across the Holy State and beyond.
The Paladin had once briefly crossed paths with him.
From that moment on, he had been on constant alert, unable to let his guard down.
The Sword Demon was the only person in the Holy State capable of slaying a High Priest single-handedly.
Well, until now—there was a second.
“Chandrafail.”
He rolled the name mentioned by Quellière around in his mouth.
Whether it was his real name or not, the man’s reaction suggested it was true.
It was information that could not be uncovered no matter how far and wide they searched.
Even the girl traveling with him likely didn’t know.
Could it be that she knew someone who did?
“…”
Caught in his thoughts, he suddenly fell silent.
He hesitated.
Was it appropriate to utter such a foul and dreadful name?
But soon, Quellière’s calm demeanor came to mind, and he bit out the words as if spitting venom.
“…Mahabharata.”
It was clearly aimed at the calamity.
Though the whisper was faint, he heard it.
The calamity had no name—or so he thought.
That’s what everyone must have believed.
Since its birth, it had been nothing but the Black Calamity.
“A Saint… is that really the case?”
The praise uttered by Blefer and Netah came to mind.
If she had truly defeated the calamity, she deserved to be called a Saint, if not more.
After all, some of the saints buried in the sanctuaries were revered as Saints of their time.
But no Saint or Apostle had ever spoken the calamity’s true name before.
It was natural they hadn’t known.
The calamity was a being far more transcendent than any Saint or Apostle.
“This must be investigated.”
Could she truly be a Saint?
Was driving out the calamity with a resplendent light something that could merely be achieved by a Saint?
But if she was not a Saint…
That would be even more terrifying.
The roots of sin had not yet been completely eradicated.
The dishonor of humanity had not been cleansed.
They hadn’t even properly atoned for the sins of their forebears, and yet they would have forced her to clean up their mess…
The Paladin, whose life revolved around faith, felt a chill run down his spine.
“No… She must be protected.”
The Paladin’s foremost duty was to safeguard the High Priests, the pinnacle of the Holy State.
This was because the High Priests were the most sacred beings on the continent.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if someone closer to divinity existed?
If the hierarchy of the Holy State were to be overturned…
…a new challenge would undoubtedly arise.