Si-woo crossed the snowfield alongside the Yuki-onna.
He could feel the immense mana in the direction they were heading, a presence unlike any other monster he had encountered.
After cutting through the blizzard, they reached their destination—a massive castle.
“Seriously? Wasn’t this gate supposed to be called the Yuki-onna’s manor?”
No matter how you looked at it, it was far too huge to be called a manor.
Not only that, the giant castle made of blue ice was practically a weapon.
Just like the ice blades used to attack Im So-yeon, this place was a weapon created entirely from the woman’s mana.
If the amount of mana that built this castle was anything to go by, annihilating their party wouldn’t have been a challenge at all.
‘Even if we managed to escape, it would still be a problem.’
Just imagining such a thing escaping the gate sent shivers down his spine.
The world might not end, but the region where the gate was located would be completely obliterated.
Even if an S-rank or A-rank Hunter came, hunting a monster that had escaped from a gate would be exponentially harder.
The very reason why boss monsters in the gate were easier to deal with was that they were trapped inside the boss room.
‘I remember Kitsunezawa saying that it would be a lot harder to fight if it could escape.’
As Si-woo thought about Kitsunezawa’s explanation, he hesitated for a moment upon reaching the ice castle.
“Hmm, should I knock?”
“There’s no need for that.”
Grrrrroooonnng…!!
The blue ice gates slowly opened with a deep rumble.
It felt as if the castle was welcoming Si-woo’s arrival, as a white cold radiated from within.
Si-woo couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the ice castle, just as magnificent as the snow-covered field.
But that admiration was soon swallowed by the screams of the Yuki-onna.
“-!!!”
“Kgh!!”
A strong surge of mana mixed with emotions began to manifest.
This was the essence of Hunter’s killing intent and a monster’s aura.
‘I’m the only one immune to this aura.’
But what kind of emotions were mixed into this aura?
Love, obsession, irritation…
A mixture of feelings that only affected the Yuki-onna around him, a feeling Si-woo had experienced several times in the past.
“Welcome to my manor, brave hero.”
“Isn’t it only polite to accept an invitation from such a beautiful lady?”
Si-woo was familiar with this kind of roleplay.
From the cheesy lines to the difficult medieval-style language—he had done even more exaggerated things to fulfill customers’ fantasies.
Elegant attire, a fitting tone of speech, and even a purple dress—a symbol of nobility.
“May I ask the name of the lady of the house?”
Si-woo had never imagined that such acting would be useful in a gate conquest.
Had the performance pleased her?
The woman slightly lifted the hem of her skirt, and bowed gracefully.
An elegant gesture so refined it was barely detectable even in humans.
The woman, who had been laughing maniacally only moments ago, was now greeting him like someone else entirely.
She spoke her name softly.
“Glacia. Glacia von Drake.”
“So, should I address you as Lady Drake?”
“No, the surname Drake… isn’t… mine…?”
A moment ago, Glacia had spoken casually, but now, she furrowed her brows.
It wasn’t hesitation in her answer. It was as if she truly couldn’t remember the fact, as she clutched her head in confusion.
Si-woo quickly shifted the topic.
“Then I shall address you as Lady Glacia.”
“Glacia… yes, please call me Glacia.”
Her expression brightened at those words.
‘Her memory seems a bit fragmented.’
It wasn’t just vague; it seemed like a part of her memory had been forcibly cut off, like a movie reel with a section snipped out.
‘She stopped mid-sentence just a moment ago, too.’
By observing her behavior, Si-woo quickly began to understand the situation.
He had learned to recognize what someone liked and disliked, and to pinpoint the sensitive topics that should not be touched.
After committing these to memory, Si-woo knelt before Glacia.
“Once again, I offer my thanks. I am honored to be invited to your castle.”
“No, I am the one who should be thankful, for you accepted my invitation, brave hero.”
As their conversation continued, Glacia’s voice grew gentler, softer.
The malicious aura that had once flowed from her eyes, the sense of a monster’s presence, started to diminish with every passing moment.
‘It must be one of two possibilities.’
The first possibility was that Glacia’s power had increased.
She had become so strong that even the monster’s demonic aura was now something she couldn’t suppress.
This would explain why she couldn’t remember, but her reasoning had returned.
It wasn’t impossible, but the odds were low.
Si-woo remembered the feeling from when he first met Glacia.
The demonic aura was so intense it had felt like his skin was burning. It was a feeling he couldn’t forget, even if he wanted to.
For someone like her to become so strong in just a few minutes that she could suppress the demonic energy to such an extent?
That was unlikely.
It was more probable that the second possibility was true.
‘Then, this seems like the most likely scenario.’
Si-woo looked down at the engraving on his wrist.
He had never underestimated the power of Allure since becoming a host.
But he hadn’t imagined he could use it in this way.
‘Could the monster’s demonic aura be considered a form of mental instability?’
If that was the case, could he use his Allure to push away the demonic energy?
Perhaps because it was only effective on women, Si-woo’s Allure had an absolute effect on mental instability.
If Allure collided with a monster’s demonic aura, it might not be able to completely push it away, but.
‘Maybe it could neutralize it?’
If the conditions were right, it seemed very possible.
‘I should use everything I can.’
Si-woo turned to Glacia, who had been leading the way.
“Would it be alright if we enter the castle? The wind is a bit too strong to stand out here for long.”
“Ah! Of course. I must apologize for not welcoming you inside sooner. I haven’t had guests in so long.”
“No need to apologize. I’m just grateful for your kindness, Lady.”
As he spoke, the aura surrounding them weakened.
Si-woo noticed the Yuki-onna, who had been kneeling on the ground, slowly starting to rise.
He issued a new command to them:
“Act as Glacia’s servants.”
There was no answer.
However, the snow women perfectly carried out Si-woo’s orders.
“Servants, take the hero to the reception room. Some of you follow along as he’ll be changing clothes.”
At Glacia’s command, the snow women all nodded in unison.
Si-woo’s orders only worked on the snow women.
Yet Glacia gave orders to the snow women as if it was natural, as if she was the owner of this castle—no, even this entire gate.
‘Was Glacia the original owner of this gate after all?’
If so, where did that devil worshipper come from?
With such thoughts, Si-woo followed the snow women, now transformed into maids, as he entered the Ice Castle.
Happy.
At the top floor of the ice castle.
In a room filled with furniture made of ice along with a throne, Glacia, who had been humming a tune, threw off the dress she had been wearing for going out with a bright smile.
“Finally, the hero has come. Yes, the hero has come.”
Saying this, Glacia opened the wardrobe.
There was only one dress inside.
A purple dress identical to her outdoor dress.
However, unlike the dress she wore for going out, she slowly put on this dress that was designed to cover all skin except for minimal parts.
‘I don’t want to see your pale skin anymore.’
“Huh?”
Glacia tilted her head at the memory that surfaced.
But that memory only provided a momentary sense of dissonance.
To Glacia, who was already filled with happiness, such passing memories were merely a slight disturbance.
“Because the hero has come.”
There were more important things than that.
Glacia, filled with joy just from the fact that the hero had come, put on the dress with the help of the servants—the snow women—though she found it bothersome to wear.
“~!”
She looks at herself reflected in the massive ice.
The smile that bloomed on her face was still awkward.
However, the madness that was once present in her face no longer existed.
“Is this enough?”
She tidies her hair that had been fluttering in the wind.
‘Don’t forget that it was none other than this House Drake’s kindness that saved you, who were merely a daughter of a fallen knight family.’
She ignores the noisy disturbance.
This much was nothing.
To Glacia, who had fought against madness for countless eons.
It really was nothing.
“Yes, don’t I look pretty like this?”
The snow women did not answer.
No, they couldn’t answer.
But Glacia’s memory pulled out an unnecessary response.
‘Ha! Drawing lines on a pumpkin won’t change anything. You should just stay crumpled up like the sacrifice you are.’
“Yes, I’m pretty.” She speaks to her reflection in the ice. Denying the words of the man in her memories.