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Chapter 23: Ice and Snow Princess Part 2

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing alone in a snow-covered forest at night. It didn't seem like I had been expelled from Aya-chan's mind, but this place was completely different from the residential area I was in just a while ago.

Looking up at the sky, it was overcast, with no moon or starlight in sight.

...Did I enter the mind of the Ice and Snow Princess?

As I pondered, a gust of wind blew.

"Brrr, it's cold!" I exclaimed. Well, of course, it was snowy, so it had to be cold.

In a hurry, I covered my entire body with "Guiding thread silvate" and activated the "Attribute Change: Fire" to warm myself up. At the same time, I extended "Guiding silvate" to my eyes, activating night vision magic.

The forest suddenly became brighter.

"…What should I do?" I muttered.

Looking down at my chest, I noticed the thread extending from there. Someone with whom I resonated was ahead.

Could that person be the Ice and Snow Princess?

I pondered for a moment. Until now, the only people I had resonated with were Aya-chan and Hina. Both were human and I had never experienced being inside a monster.

So, if this scene was inside the Ice and Snow Princess... what should I do? Perhaps I could exorcise her from Aya-chan's mind?

In any case, I decided to go and find out.

Taking steps guided by the thread, I walked through the forest. Just as I emerged from it, a familiar scene welcomed me.

A basin-like depression, as if scooped out with a spoon, with a small settlement gathered at its center.

"This place…?" I murmured.

It was the same spot where I had resonated with Aya-chan's look-alike girl during the orienteering activity.

...Wait a minute. Did the Ice and Snow Princess possess that girl too?

Similar beings tend to have similar qualities. That's the fundamental principle of "resonance."

Since the Ice and Snow Princess had possessed the girl who looked so much like Aya-chan, she might have entered Aya-chan's mind. If that was the case, then this place might be inside the Ice and Snow Princess's memories.

I continued to think while trudging through the snow. As I reached the settlement, light spilled from the central house.

Suddenly, light illuminated the surroundings. I turned to see several elderly people holding torches coming out of their houses, forming a procession.

In the middle of the line was a young girl dressed in a white robe.

The robe was reminiscent of the dress worn by a bride during a shrine wedding. I had seen a character wearing it in a mobile game, and I couldn't forget it.

However, the girl looked too young to be a bride. Concealed by her hood, I couldn't see her face, but her height was not much different from mine.

Moreover, the white threads from my chest were extending toward the girl in the bridal attire. At this point, it was obvious who was at the end of those threads.

As I advanced towards her, I became certain.

The girl wearing the oversized bridal dress was indeed Aya-chan's look-alike.

"Oh, Master Exorcist, what brings you here?"

I was suddenly addressed from the side, and as I turned to look, I saw an old man who had previously bowed to me in this village.

Ignoring his question, I asked instead, "What is this all about?"

"Wh-What do you mean? We're going to put an end to winter!" he replied in a fluster.

"End winter...?"

"Yes, indeed!"

"Hmm."

After a moment of thought, I realized what month it was.

"September, right?"

"Exactly, it's September!"

Wait, I thought, wasn't the old calendar one month behind?

Then, what month is it now?

But that wasn't the most important issue at the moment.

What mattered was that even though it was September, winter had not ended.

"Isn't winter supposed to end in September?"

"W-Well, the truth is, we've been stuck in winter for a long time. We're completely out of food. If we don't end winter soon, everyone will die."

"And this is...?" I asked, looking at the girl in the bridal attire.

"Wh-What? She's here to become the bride of Winter's Lord. That's what the exorcist from the capital said, right, Master Exorcist?"

"Yes, she's right," the young man, who looked like a shaman or a yin-yang master, said solemnly, nodding his head.

"I see… So, you're going to sacrifice her to the Winter's Lord… which is the Ice and Snow Princess?"

"Yes, you are correct," the man replied.

"Hmph, isn't this just a form of sacrifice?"

"Child, didn't you hear what I said? We're dealing with an 'Exotic-Type' monster here. It's not something we ordinary folks can handle, unlike Red Exorcist Benihoshi-sama. We cannot possibly exorcise her."

"...Hmph."

I turned my gaze to the girl standing silently in front of me.

"So, this girl is... going to die?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

...I see. The situation became clear.

So, what I should do now is to exorcise that "Winter's Lord" - the Ice and Snow Princess - myself.

To exorcise the monster inside her mind and save her.

That's why I stepped forward, as if shaking off the darkness of the night, and declared:

"I will exorcise the 'Winter's Lord'... myself."

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