#348
Dark World
Just when I was dumbfounded looking at the statue in front of the lodge.
Click.
Evangelin lightly clasps her hands together.
“Ha-wa-wa-wa! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung’s statue is here! I must take a selfie with Mr. Kim Deok-Sung’s statue!”
She says with her pink eyes sparkling.
Um, why take a selfie with my statue when I’m right here? That’s just wild.
Whether I sighed internally or not, Evangelin snaps a selfie with my statue against the backdrop of the snow-covered lodge.
“Phew. The photo came out really well! It’s a shame there’s no signal for cloud upload.”
Evangelin says with a slightly droopy voice.
Whooooosh.
The cold winter wind wraps around us.
Even thick ski parkas can’t block the mana-infused winter breeze.
Thanks to the biting cold that could freeze even a superhuman, our party, including me, was already exhausted.
In that situation, Evangelin’s lively demeanor is almost miraculous now.
Where on earth does she get her energy from?
“It’s better to go inside the lodge and rest now,” Aris says with a slightly tired expression.
Having a statue at the entrance is a bit unsettling, but at least there’s nowhere else to warm up from this damn cold.
“A human lodge? Not expecting much, but it would be nice if there were resources to replenish the dark energy inside. Though I highly doubt it,” Beatrice murmurs from behind.
“Ha-wa-wa-wa! Trixie, does that mean you’re hungry?”
At Beatrice’s words, Evangelin approaches and gently grabs her hand.
“Contractor, the Snow Devil that descended in this area attacked through the wicked cold wave, and I simply exhausted too much dark energy defending against it. I’m not hungry like humans are.”
“Oh, you mean you’re just tired from wandering in the winter wind and want to rest and eat inside?”
Evangelin translates Beatrice’s middle school syndrome comment right away.
At her words, Beatrice’s face slightly flushes.
My face slightly heats up.
Looks like it’s embarrassing to have all the middle school syndrome lines translated.
“······To interpret the high-dimensional words of the Holy Maiden of Scarlet Lotus in human language, you truly are the contractor of the Holy Maiden of Scarlet Lotus.”
Beatrice says with a slightly trembling voice.
Look at her trying so hard not to give in.
“Enough. It’s cold, so let’s not stand outside and hurry inside.”
I sigh internally as I stand in front of the cabin door.
“Understood! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung!”
“Got it. Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
I hear the voices of Evangelin and Aris behind me.
As I listen to their voices, I open the cabin door.
Creeeak.
With a noise, the thick cabin door swings open.
Beyond the door, the dark interior of the cabin is visible.
Clatter, clatter.
The sound of rattling windows due to the cold winter wind reaches my ears.
Thud.
Finally, Beatrice, who came in last, closes the door.
The cabin interior is dark, and there’s hardly any light, but for me, possessing the power of darkness, it doesn’t matter.
Using my gift, I can see the cabin’s interior clearly, like infrared vision.
This damn cabin, with the unfortunate name “Hero Kim Deok-Sung Resort Room 234,” was originally built to guard the Hero Kim Deok-Sung Resort situated in the treacherous mountainous area, serving as a base for emergency troop deployment and perimeter security.
Additionally, there were various emergency rations for potential accidents.
And there’s also the bonus of my picture hanging on the wall.
Is this North Korea? Why the heck is my picture hanging up here?
“Ugggghhh… The cursed cold wave unleashed by the Snow Devil is affecting even the inside of the building. Is there truly no heaven for mankind…?”
Shiver, shiver.
Beatrice mutters while trembling.
Even though it’s inside the building and there wasn’t wind like before, the cabin was chillingly cold, likely due to the lack of heating.
Clack.
“The lights won’t turn on.”
Aris, who was fiddling with the switch behind me, says.
The lights won’t turn on.
That means the cabin is currently in a blackout.
“······The water isn’t coming out either.”
Evangelin, who ran to the sink, says this.
Creak, creak.
She was touching the faucet, but not a single drop of water came out.
“······Electricity and water are both cut off…?”
I mutter in a despairing tone, hearing Evangelin and Aris’s words.
Since we’ve been isolated by a barrier, there’s no way electricity and water would connect.
I expected this much.
In the cliché of mountain cabin accidents, there were hardly any cabins with electricity and water.
“First, let’s search the cabin thoroughly to see if there are any available supplies.”
Evangelin says seriously as she rummages through the closets and storage rooms.
“I’ll help too.”
Following suit, Aris joins Evangelin in the supply search.
“I’ll go too…”
As I get up from my seat.
Grip.
Someone grabs my sleeve.
Turning my head, I see it’s Beatrice.
Inside the pitch-black cabin.
The inside of the cabin without one.
Whooooosh.
Clatter, clatter.
Amidst the eerie sounds and the winter wind knocking on the windows, Beatrice, with a pale, frozen face, says to me,
“Y-You can’t leave… Are you really going to abandon a mere human, the Saintess of Scarlet Lotus, alone in the Dark World?”
Beatrice spits out some bizarre lines.
Even in this situation, she’s still indulging in her delusions.
I let out a sigh and sat on the dust-covered floor.
“Are you scared or something?”
“Scared? Who’s scared? I’m just being cautious of the Dark Phantom, the King of Spirits who lurks behind the Dark World, aiming for the Saintess of Scarlet Lotus.”
Dark Phantom?
What kind of twisted fantasy world does Beatrice have?
I sighed inwardly and stood up.
“Oh? Really? Then I can handle it alone. I’m just going to look for supplies…”
“In the war against the Dark World, a vanguard is necessary. I appoint you, in the name of the Saintess of Scarlet Lotus, as my vanguard. You will take on the glorious role of the Saintess’ spearhead. Know it as an honor, human.”
Just as I tried to get up, Beatrice grabbed my wrist again.
Her hand trembled slightly.
[Partner. Can’t you just stay put?]
The Black Prince’s voice echoed in my head.
I always was a bit of a coward, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
There’s no helping it.
I sighed inwardly again and sat back down beside her.
“Do what you want.”
“Hmph. It seems you’ve been charmed by the charisma of the Saintess of Scarlet Lotus. Just don’t get too deep into it. I’m a being of a higher tier than mere humans, you know.”
Beatrice replied, her lips twitching.
Higher being, my foot.
Seriously, get a grip.
Squeezed.
Beatrice clutched my wrist in what felt like a silent protest against going anywhere.
Just then, while we sat in silence on the dark cabin floor,
“Mr. Kim Deok-Sung! I found firewood and blankets for the fireplace, along with a camping LED lamp in the storeroom!”
“Mr. Kim Deok-Sung! The girl brought solid fuel lamps, instant noodles, and rice from the kitchen cupboard! Even spicy fire chicken noodles! Hawa-wawawa!”
Alice and Evangelin approached, finishing their supply search.
They dropped the supplies they held in their arms. Alice tossed the firewood into the fireplace and ignited it with a torch.
Crackle, crackle. Whoosh.
As the fire caught, the temperature inside the cabin began to rise.
Clink.
When Alice turned on the camping LED lamp, the cabin’s interior was finally illuminated.
Aside from a bit of dust, the spacious interior came into view.
As the temperature climbed, the ski parka that had been frozen from the snowstorm began to thaw, soaking me with dampness.
“Ugh… I’m all sticky.”
Beside me, Beatrice wrinkled her nose at my words.
At her comment, Evangelin’s eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands.
No way.
This development, please no?
“My clothes are starting to get damp too! If I keep wearing these wet clothes, I might catch a cold! So now, I need to take them off and hang them in front of the fireplace to dry!”
“If you keep wearing damp clothes, you’ll catch a cold! So right now, it’s necessary to take off those clothes and hang them by the fireplace to dry!”
Up to this point, it’s a perfectly normal response.
Now, as long as we don’t go on about body heat preservation and end up hugging each other in some nonsense.
“Oh, won’t it be cold if we take off our clothes?”
“Hehe. Are you talking about body heat preservation? That problem can be solved by wrapping ourselves in a blanket and hugging each other tight!”
Evangeline presents a solution that’s very light novelish in response to Beatrice’s utterly sensible comment.
I knew this would happen.
Wrapping in a blanket and hugging, really?
This is driving me nuts.
“Th-that’s not healthy! Miss Stewart!”
Aris shouts, her face flushing red in response to Evangeline’s words.
Her bright red face was pretty cute.
“But given there are no spare clothes in the cabin, for the sake of body heat preservation and health, it’s something we must do! President Saionji!”
Evangeline logically counters Aris’s argument.
That’s right.
In this cabin, there are all kinds of emergency supplies in classic light novel fashion, but strangely, spare clothes are nowhere to be found.
Devastatingly, just as Evangeline said, the only option left was to hug each other in our underwear.
Who designed a cabin like this?
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of burning firewood quietly echoes.
A picture frame with my photo reflects the warm glow of the fireplace.
“Uuuuhhhh…”
Aris’s face turns even redder.
The heat from the fireplace warms her cheeks to a rosy hue.
“A-alright! If that’s the only solution, then we have no choice. This isn’t a scandalous act, just a necessary emergency measure in a situation of distress! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung! Take off your clothes while facing away! We’ll be doing the same!”
Suddenly, Aris stands up from her seat.
Yeah, we’re really going down this hellish path.
I sighed and, while turning away, quickly removed my wet ski jacket and wrapped myself in a blanket.
Seeing the blanket’s green color reminds me of the military.
No way, this isn’t a military blanket, right?
Just then, I heard the sound of clothes being removed behind me.
“Oh? Trixie! I always feel like you have quite the chest volume when you’re undressed! Hehe.”
“AHHHHHH! W-what are you touching!? Contractor!”
“Hehe. President Saionji is impressive even in her clothes, but without them, it’s really remarkable! Hawa-wawawa. Such a beautiful chest, I’m truly envious!”
“S-such scandalous acts are absolutely unacceptable… AHHHHHH!”
For a moment, an embarrassing sound echoed from behind.
“I-it’s fine now. Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. Y-you can turn around now…”
Aris’s voice sounded flustered.
What came into my view when I turned around was…
