“The things you say are strange. We’re dealing with a yōkai that has been dwelling in the mountains for a long time. It’s not something we can simply handle,” the young exorcist in front of me said.

I hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain myself. After all, I look like a first grader. Even if I said I could exorcise the “Lord of Winter,” there’s no way any exorcist would just say “Alright” and let me go do it.

Even if my magic power is on the level of a “Seventh Rank,” they’d dismiss me just because of my appearance.

Wait, hold on… Ah, I see.

If my appearance isn’t enough to convince them, then I just need to use my magic power to do it.

“Even if you’re a child with some skill in magic, this opponent is too much for you. Leave before you lose your life,” the exorcist said.

“No, I’ll be fine,” I replied.

I stopped the exorcist’s warnings with just that one phrase.

“Please, let me handle this.”

With that, I released a small portion of the magic power stored in my dantian, my magic reservoir.

In that instant, the overflowing magic power scattered the snow on the ground, creating a sphere of swirling snow, and the air vibrated with an electric buzz. The air, pushed by the force of the magic, turned into wind that roared through the forest I had just walked through.

The flames of the villagers’ torches flickered and shrank under the gust, but they didn’t go out. Instead, the flames regained their size, swaying violently.

No one in the village said a word.

Even the girl who looked just like Aya-chan remained silent, simply staring in amazement at me and the young exorcist.

The young exorcist, who had raised his large sleeve to shield his face from the swirling snow, slowly lowered it and murmured.

“…I see,” he said softly, very softly.

“It seems I’ve been disrespectful. A child with such power might indeed be able to exorcise the ‘Lord of Winter.'”

“Exactly. So, there’s no need for a human sacrifice.”

If the “Lord of Winter”—the Yuki-onna—is indeed angry and has kept the village trapped in eternal winter because of her hunger, then my magic power should be enough to lure her out.

Finally, the exorcist nodded in agreement.

“Yes, if the boy can indeed exorcise the ‘Lord of Winter’… then there will be no need to offer this girl as a bride. However, that’s only if he succeeds. If he fails and perishes, we will have no choice but to offer the sacrifice.”

“I understand.”

That’s why I have to exorcise the Yuki-onna.

That being said, I already have a vision of how to do it.

Back then, I couldn’t use “Oboro-tsuki” inside Aya-chan’s mind, but here, inside the Yuki-onna, I should be able to use my strongest technique without any issues.

Wait… or can I?

Technically, I’m inside the Yuki-onna, who is inside Aya-chan.

If the Yuki-onna’s warning was true, using powerful techniques in a mental world could potentially break the mind of the world’s owner. So if I use “Oboro-tsuki” here, would it only affect the Yuki-onna? Or would Aya-chan be included as well?

…This is getting a bit complicated, isn’t it?

Still, based on the battle with the Yuki-onna earlier, it seems like I can use simpler magic—just basic “elemental changes” and “form transformations.” So I’ll fight with those.

“U-Um, Exorcist-sama,” the girl who looked like Aya-chan spoke to me just as I solidified my plan. A shimmering white thread stretched between us.

“What is it?”

“Is it really… okay for me not to become the bride?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

“I-I see,” the girl nodded, relief mixing with lingering uncertainty in her expression.

“Exorcist-sama, what’s your name?”

“Me? My name’s Itsuki.”

“Exorcist-sama, I…”

Just as the girl started to say something, a tree came flying towards us.

It was several meters long.

It looked like a straight pine tree, but I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to know exactly what kind of tree it was.

All I knew was that the tree had been uprooted and was being hurled at us like a giant spear.

“Get back!” the young exorcist shouted first.

But before he could reach into his robes to retrieve whatever tool he intended to use, my “Silveit Threads” wrapped around the entire tree, stopping the attack.

‘A cheeky little brat has shown up, huh?’

A deep, rumbling male voice echoed from the forest.

…A man’s voice?

As I registered that oddity, a gigantic ape, easily over three meters tall, stepped out from the trees.

The giant ape was far from normal.

For starters, its fur was pure white. I’d once read about male gorillas whose fur turns silver as they age, but this was nothing like that.

The ape’s fur was as white as snow, and despite being a simian, it walked upright like a human.

The strangest part was its face.

Its face was human, but its eyes were like a dragonfly’s, multifaceted.

It was… deeply unsettling.

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“Run! We’ll get eaten!!” the villagers screamed and dropped everything, their torches and all, fleeing in a panic.

Wait, what? They can see the monster??

While I was still processing my surprise, all the adults had fled, leaving only me, the young exorcist, and the girl who looked like Aya-chan behind.

The giant ape, seemingly unfazed by the exodus, turned its gaze down at the young exorcist standing next to me and sneered.

‘Hey, Exorcist! We had a deal that I’d get to eat the child, didn’t we? Bring her over already!!’

“…So you’ve shown yourself, ‘Lord of Winter,'” the exorcist spat in disgust.

Wait… huh?

This giant ape is the “Lord of Winter”?

Not the Yuki-onna???

My mind filled with question marks, and while I was trying to make sense of it all, the giant ape monster grabbed another tree and aimed it at us.

‘Don’t tell me you’re trying to back out of our deal now!’

And once again, it hurled the tree at us.

I quickly ensnared it with “Silveit Threads,” swung it around like a hammer throw, and hurled it back.

The ape seemed caught off guard by the counterattack, and the tree I threw hit it square in the stomach, knocking it over.

…Wait, really?

Confused by how anticlimactic that was, I conjured a spear of flame and fired it.

“Flame Lance.”

The spear of fire shot at supersonic speed, striking the giant ape’s fallen body, which exploded into a fiery blast. The snow scattered from the force of the explosion, and as it cleared, the monster disintegrated into black mist.

“…Huh?”

I couldn’t help but let out a confused sound.

That was… the “Lord of Winter,” right?

I don’t know what this “Second Rank” stuff is about, but this was the creature they wanted to sacrifice Aya-chan’s look-alike to?

Judging by how easily I beat it, I’d say it was a “Second Rank” monster at best.

Why were they so eager to offer a sacrifice to something like this? I wondered as I turned to face the young exorcist, only to find I couldn’t.

My body wouldn’t move.

“Hmph. You use some strange techniques, but in the end, a simple ‘Binding Spell’ seems to work just fine. Boy, just what are you…?”

I heard the young exorcist’s calm voice from behind me.

“What you just exorcised was a minor yōkai known as ‘Snow Spirit.’ Don’t worry; I named it, so it’s not a particularly powerful yōkai. Just one of the common sort.”

I still didn’t fully understand what was happening, but I understood this much:

The young exorcist… is an enemy.

“That said, it can be useful since it’s visible to even those without talent. At least, it served its purpose in distracting you.”

“…”

I tried to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t move.

It was as if my lips had been sewn shut.

But I could still control my magic.

I could still weave my “Silveit Threads.”

I quickly sent a water cutter, “Heaven’s Edge,” slicing horizontally toward the exorcist behind me.

I couldn’t be sure if it hit its mark, but…

At least I could move my body again.

Just as I was about to turn around, the girl who looked like Aya-chan shouted.

“Itsuki, you did it!”

The girl, still dressed in her white bridal robes, sprinted toward me, kicking off the ground.

But something had changed about her.

Snow was falling around her… only around her.

“Save Aya!” she cried.

With those words, she reached out her hand toward my forehead.

The moment her hand touched me, my consciousness was pulled into the girl.

As I was drawn into her consciousness, it felt as though I had crossed into another world. The weight of her voice lingered in my ears as the snow swirling around her began to shimmer and vanish. My vision faded, and the surroundings began to distort.

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