I Have Become The Snow Maiden I Created

Translator: Marctempest

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Chapter 59: The Descent of the Saint

Life Vessel.

It referred to the vessel containing life, a lich’s greatest strength and also its greatest weakness.

As long as the vessel remained intact, the lich was immortal, but the moment it broke, it would cease to exist—such a simple principle.

Thus, every lich had no choice but to hide its vessel meticulously and remain ever vigilant.

【H-how could you…?!】

Of course, most people were unaware of such information.

Liches were an extremely rare species in this world, and thanks to their overwhelming strength, they left no traces behind.

If one were to face an immortal being without knowing this fact, it would lead to a serious ordeal.

But I was different.

“…So it was there after all.”

A treasure embodying one’s life.

From Clavia’s perspective, I pondered where the safest place for it might be, and immediately, the Cathedral of the Dark Holy Society came to mind.

In-game, the leaders of the Cathedral often hid their vessels in the headquarters.

Ultimately, my guess was correct.

【……】

While she froze in place, Nell dashed toward me.

The lich was too stunned to move, staring blankly.

Time was on my side.

Nell successfully reached me and handed over the vessel.

“Here it is! This is the one, right?”

“Yes. Good work.”

“Aww… it wasn’t much.”

Nell scratched her cheek shyly.

Her and Lucia’s return in glory, along with the two knightly orders, marked the success of my meticulously crafted plan.

As I gently stroked the vessel, Clavia finally reacted, as if breaking free from her petrification.

【Once again… it’s you…】

Her murmur was filled with hatred, lamentation, and fear, a swirl of complex emotions.

Her gaze was fixed on the vessel in my hand.

【What are you? Why do you keep interfering with me?!】

“Clavia.”

【Yes, Quellière! Tell me. How did you find it? Did you locate the Cathedral’s headquarters? Or did you bribe someone? What tricks—】

“How does it feel?”

Her words no longer mattered, so I answered dryly.

I felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

Finally, I was about to cut down one of the game’s main villains.

Ignoring her entirely, the lich trembled with rage.

【You, you dare… Answer me now!】

“Is that really what you’re curious about?”

【…What?】

“Shouldn’t you worry about something else?”

I gathered my magical power.

With a hand laced with frost, I clenched the vessel tightly.

The response was immediate.

【Grrkk…!】

The lich clutched her chest and writhed in agony.

The tide of the battle had already turned.

Her greatest weakness was now in my grasp.

I smirked coldly.

“Curse yourself. This is the weakness you have for being one of the dead.”

【…Shut up!】

I looked down on her with pity, undeterred.

But there was no sympathy.

“Clavia Wel Deira. I don’t know if that’s your real name or just the name of the skin you wear.”

【……】

“Either way, it’s pitiful all the same. How many times have you changed that face and name?”

The name I remembered for the leader of the Cathedral wasn’t Clavia.

Moreover, depending on the storyline, her face had multiple variations.

“A grotesque abomination, disgusting to the core, and without a true identity of your own.”

【Silence—】

“Fifteen hundred years of obsession. Following calamities and harming humans. I’ll end that twisted cycle.”

【…!】

The lich’s hollow eyes wavered.

Fifteen hundred years. By now, that was likely how long the Cathedral’s leader had existed.

Clavia seemed stunned, momentarily speechless.

Then, her hideous face contorted even further as she shouted.

【—You, this existence!】

For a moment, her aura shifted slightly.

A furious scream echoed from the enraged lich.

【Have you forgotten everything?! The past… the hatred! The resentment of the Burial Grounds, the Black Calamity—they didn’t emerge naturally!】

“…The Burial Grounds.”

【Yes! The great sin committed by greedy humans in the era when gods departed! You must know of it!】

This was her backstory and driving principle.

As a being born of death, incomparable to humans, she indeed knew of the worst events in history.

Everyone in this world would be aware of it.

For some reason, though, the people around me seemed to glance at me strangely—was it just my imagination?

【Wars broke out! Over and over, endlessly!】

Even as she twisted her body in a frenzy, memories seemed to resurface.

One of the key settings of the Four Seasons War was now being mentioned.

I spoke with faint interest.

“I remember.”

【In the far west, where the evil god was buried! The unmanageable corpses were transported and piled up there. Countless resentments were born from them!】

She had already lost her reason.

Her solitary lamentation filled the space quietly.

I narrowed my eyes in thought.

Struggles over interests, endless wars—those had reached their peak.

For hundreds of years, the western lands had been embroiled in conflict.

【Those resentments met the remnants of the evil god, creating a chemical reaction even the supreme deity couldn’t foresee! Thus… He was born.】

The Black Calamity, Mahabharata.

It was an entity of negation and anomaly.

In official lore, it was the greatest taboo and shame in human history.

I acknowledged it without hesitation.

“That was a sin. A sin of humanity. There’s no denying it.”

“…!”

With the official lore being what it was, I had no choice but to admit it.

But as soon as I said this, the atmosphere around me changed sharply.

Nell, Lucia, the High Priestess, and others all wore somber expressions.

Being from a theocratic nation, it seemed they had a certain sensitivity to sins.

【─Even knowing that!】

There was no time for quiet reflection.

The lich’s fury shattered the air like rippling waves.

Clavia glared at me with eyes full of longing.

【Of all people, shouldn’t you be the one to understand me the most?! Why do you side with the humans—】

“Silence.”

I cut her off coldly.

My brow furrowed instinctively.

Understand her? Why should I?

Cornered, she was spouting nonsense.

“Why should I understand you?”

【……!】

A chilling frost spread in all directions.

Perhaps because of the drop in temperature, everyone opened their eyes wide and shrank back.

Even Clavia froze in place, her jaw trembling uncontrollably.

“No one can force me to do anything.”

That’s how it had to be.

For now, I would eliminate this villainous named character.

I clenched the vessel tighter, pouring more power into it.

【───!】

Sensing the end, the Elder Lich let out a wailing scream and charged forward.

Targal and Blefer, who had been standing by, intercepted her, while Nell and Lucia, arriving late, shielded me.

“Clavia Wel Deira.”

I called her unnecessarily long name.

The end deserved to be grand.

“This Great Hall of the Cathedral will be your tomb.”

A fitting burial place for the false High Priestess, wouldn’t you agree?

But the vessel was sturdier than I expected.

I had no choice but to quietly channel magic into my grip, crushing it harder.

Crack—

The effect was immediate.

With a frigid tone, I pronounced the end of her 1,500-year immortality.

“Embrace your hatred and rest in eternal slumber.”

As the lich clashed with the knights, the Life Vessel shattered at just the right moment.

Shatter—

The shards, thin as glass, scattered like powder.

Her final shriek echoed through the heavens and the earth.

─────!

Her body broke, collapsed, and fell apart, her skeletal frame disjointing.

The worst criminal of over a millennium disappeared just like that.

“…Hmph.”

If I were to comment on it, it felt satisfying.

A powerful force that had weighed on my shoulders was gone, and another formidable foe was defeated.

Perhaps this would ease some of the burdens on my heart.

“It’s a joyous occasion.”

I murmured unconsciously.

Looking around to gauge the mood, I noticed everyone was staring at me.

I sought their agreement.

“Right?”

“…Uh, yes?”

Targal blinked in confusion.

Blefer, who had been searching for traces of the lich, did the same.

The suspicion in their eyes soon faded.

“Ah… Yes! That’s right! It’s a joyous occasion! Hahaha!”

“Indeed! Hahahahaha!”

Their jubilance crossed a threshold, their heads bobbing awkwardly like broken machines.

I allowed a faint smile to cross my face.

Doing good deeds does feel nice.

*

Quellière, escorted by the Radiant Knights, headed toward the Cathedral.

It was because the two High Priests had extended a formal invitation.

Even though she had left, the Great Hall was still crowded with people.

Rustle—scribble—

Amid the lingering atmosphere, the sound of pen strokes came from one corner.

The culprit was Agnatz, a theologian wearing a monocle.

“To think the leader of the Cathedral had disguised herself as a High Priestess… Oh, terrifying lich! Yet, divine judgment could not be escaped…”

He was recording the mythical scene he had just witnessed.

Normally, it would have been Petras’s job, but his excitement drove him to write personally.

“The harsh Winter herself mentioned the Burial Grounds… Confirming it as humanity’s sin—how lamentable…”

Engrossed in his writing, he paused momentarily to catch his breath.

Then, he muttered bluntly.

“Did you see it?”

“……”

The figure next to him remained silent.

Agnatz continued speaking, undeterred.

“Such an existence…”

“……”

Still, Artan gave no response.

A glance revealed his gaze was distant, unfocused as if staring at the horizon.

The scholar eventually lost interest and returned to his record.

“But Winter punished not humans, but a cursed undead… We must engrave this fact deeply into our hearts…”

Though his voice echoed faintly, it failed to rouse the Crown Prince from his thoughts.

At that moment, Artan’s mind was deeply submerged.

“…Quellière.”

He murmured the distant name.

Her tremendous power to eliminate a formidable monster was indeed impressive, but that wasn’t what occupied his thoughts.

His shock stemmed from something else entirely.

Her actions and words themselves.

Her attitude, as if questioning why she should understand the undead or humans, might have seemed arrogant at first glance… but there was another emotion within.

─No one can force me to do anything.

From Artan’s perspective, there was something subtle in that cold remark.

It was defiance.

It might have been a misunderstanding, but if not, it was peculiar.

If she were human, it could be a rebellion against a life of imposed restrictions, but she was a being of a higher dimension.

Could such emotions even make sense for someone like her?

“Could it be that you…”

─Are isolating yourself?

Artan wanted to ask.

To her, so great that no one could stay by her side.

Her cold expression was intimidating and frightening, but… for some reason, watching her made his chest ache.

*

When I arrived at the Cathedral, I was promptly guided to the Hall of Sincerity.

Everything was the same as before, even sitting in the ornate seat.

However, the expressions of the two High Priests were vastly different.

They seemed somewhat intimidated by me.

Seeing that, I nodded silently.

“…….”

The time to make my move had come.

Truthfully, I had anticipated this from the moment I eliminated Clavia.

“From the Undead Uprising to the elimination of the troublesome leader of the Dark Holy Society… Truly, I don’t know how we can properly express our gratitude.”

It was Sariel who opened the conversation.

I responded nonchalantly, as though it were no big deal.

“You’re welcome.”

“Still, with such great kindness bestowed upon us, we cannot simply let it go unacknowledged.”

“Indeed. After receiving the aid of our savior—no, our Saintess—we cannot simply close our mouths and ignore it.”

At that moment, Netah, who had been licking his lips, interjected.

Sariel seized the opportunity to agree enthusiastically.

“Exactly, Netah. That’s exactly what I wanted to say.”

“Is that so? Did you hear that, Saintess? We are sensitive to debts of gratitude.”

Their teamwork was impeccable.

I asked bluntly.

“So.”

“We have decided to offer you a holy relic within our authority.”

“!”

My eyebrows twitched slightly.

It was a sign of considerable surprise.

The meaning of a holy relic in a theocratic nation was by no means trivial.

And yet, they were offering one to me.

“Just one?”

It was a simple question, implying whether they’d only give me one.

However, the two of them flustered as if I’d expressed dissatisfaction.

“Well, you see… We would like to offer more, but holy relics belong to Saints of the past and future. According to divine law, this is the extent of what is permissible under the authority of High Priests.”

They bowed their heads as if apologizing.

I was only bewildered by their excessive reverence.

“Fine.”

Thinking about calamities, having something precious was certainly necessary.

But just because it was an artifact or relic didn’t automatically make it valuable to me.

My specialty wasn’t even divine power, so most items weren’t useful to me anyway.

I’d better take this quickly and get moving.

“Lead the way.”

It was a spur-of-the-moment thought, but it was quite tempting.

Even if I left, I could take at least one relic with me.

I could pick the best one and leave the theocracy behind.

“Oh, have the discussions concluded?”

“Are you done? Are we leaving now?”

At the entrance of the Hall of Sincerity stood Targal as a guard, along with Lucia and Nell, who had been waiting for me.

“Not yet.”

I answered casually and followed the High Priests as they led me to the treasure hall.

The three of them trailed behind me like ducklings.

Soon, we arrived at the treasure hall’s interior, which was dazzling.

Artifacts and relics amassed throughout the long history of the theocracy were stored in abundance.

“…Oh, it’s always amazing no matter how many times I see it.”

“Wow… How much do you think all this is worth?”

Listening to the exclamations around me, I began scanning the luxurious display cases.

There were many things I recognized and many I didn’t.

If I didn’t know something, there was no need to even look at it.

“Choose whichever one you desire.”

Netah’s words came with a polite smile.

I moved leisurely, scrutinizing the relics with a discerning eye.

It was like a producer selecting a star.

“…….”

Perhaps because they didn’t want to irritate me, everyone held their breath.

Meanwhile, I was more cautious than ever, narrowing my eyes as I examined each item.

“…Hmm.”

Most of them were useless.

They either didn’t meet my conditions or their abilities were worthless to me.

Feeling slightly displeased, I moved from the outer sections toward the central area as I continued my search.

As I continued searching, one item caught my eye.

“Ah.”

It was a ring.

A refined gray ring with distinctive patterns engraved on it—a treasure of notable quality.

It was also an item I was familiar with.

That is to say, without a doubt…

“The Ring of Lost Origins.”

That was its name.

In the game, it was simply called the Ring of Origins.

To summarize its abilities: it provided an aura, healing… and Memorize.

Since its effects manifested through innate energy, divine power wasn’t required.

Its performance was undoubtedly top-tier.

There was no need to hesitate.

“I’ll take this.”

There could be no item more suited to me than this one.

However, there was one problem… and at that very moment, Sariel exclaimed in surprise.

“That one!?”

“Yes.”

As I pointed at the ring, not only Sariel but also Netah widened their eyes in shock.

The others tilted their heads in confusion.

Lucia voiced their curiosity.

“What’s so special about it?”

“Well, Saintess, this is…”

Sariel hesitated, averting her gaze from Lucia as she mumbled.

“…It’s not a holy relic. It’s a divine relic.”

“…!”

Lucia and Nell flinched in astonishment.

Meanwhile, I nodded to myself.

As expected.

There was no way they’d place it in the most prominent position without a reason.

Netah took over the explanation.

“It’s a treasure among treasures. The divine relics, along with the Orb of Truth, number only three in the entire theocracy—”

“I know.”

“…Moreover, its usage conditions are extremely strict. While we don’t fully understand the power it contains, even the most powerful paladin with immense divine strength was deemed unworthy of it.”

“…!”

Once again, exclamations of surprise echoed around me.

The paladin—the theocracy’s traditional title for the greatest holy warrior.

In terms of divine power, they were likely among the top five in the entire theocracy.

I wondered idly where that paladin might be and what they were up to.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll take this.”

I adhered to my decision with calm determination.

There was no need to waver because the paladin had failed.

Even as a player, this ring was infamous for its brutal difficulty in meeting the requirements to equip it.

That’s because the “Lost Origins” in its full name referred to divine power.

While divine power wasn’t necessary to use it, a relic with such a name wasn’t going to be easy to handle.

It was no coincidence that it was categorized as a divine relic.

“Saintess. But…”

“It’s fine. There’s no problem.”

I was brimming with confidence.

I trusted in my abilities… no, in my very setup.

For some reason, whether it was elemental dungeons or other challenges, my build had never let me down.

Most relics seemed to have no issue with pure mana.

“The Ring of Origins.”

I picked it up and infused it with mana.

There was nothing to lose, after all.

If it didn’t work, I could simply choose something else.

I wasn’t thinking much about it, but…

Something unexpected happened.

─────!

A mysterious force seemed to pull me in, and my consciousness was sucked away somewhere.

The world around me receded—

“…Quellière?”

The last thing I saw was Nell’s startled face.