Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

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 forced out of Aya-chan's mind, but the place I was in was nothing like the urban landscape I had just been in.

I glanced up at the sky—it was overcast, with no moon or stars visible.

…Did I enter the Ice Princess's mind?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a gust of wind blew through.

"C-cold!"

I realized belatedly that it was obviously freezing—there was snow on the ground.

I hurriedly wrapped myself in Silveit, using Elemental Change: Fire to warm my body. At the same time, I extended Silveit to my eyes to activate my night vision magic.

The forest around me instantly brightened.

"…What do I do now?"

I glanced at my chest, noticing a faint thread extending from it.

This thread connected me to the person I had resonated with.

So, does that mean the Ice Princess is here?

"…Hmm."

I thought for a moment.

So far, the only people I had resonated with were Aya-chan and Hina, both of them humans. I had never resonated with a monster before.

If this really was the inside of the Ice Princess's mind, what was I supposed to do? Should I exorcise the Ice Princess from her own mental world?

"…Guess I'll figure it out as I go."

With that decision made, I stepped into the snow.

First, I needed to understand the situation. If I found the Ice Princess, I'd just exorcise her. Standing around in the forest wouldn't get me anywhere.

As I followed the thread through the woods, I soon emerged into a familiar scene.

It was the same small village, nestled in a basin, as if it had been scooped out by a giant spoon.

"This place…"

It was the same place I had found myself during the orienteering exercise, right after I had resonated with Aya-chan.

Back then, I had resonated with a girl who looked just like Aya-chan. She had been taking care of her family, doing housework.

…Wait, does that mean the Ice Princess was inside that girl too?

If resonance strengthens with similar traits, and if the Ice Princess had been inside that girl, it would explain why she ended up inside Aya-chan. Could this be a memory from the Ice Princess?

As I mused on this, I began descending toward the village. Just as I reached the outskirts, I saw a light emanating from the center of the village.

The sudden glow caught my attention, and I saw a group of elderly villagers emerging from a house, each holding a torch.

They formed a line, stepping out one by one, almost like a feudal procession from a history book. I stood there, watching as they gathered, and in the middle of the group, I spotted a girl dressed in a white robe.

Her outfit reminded me of a traditional Japanese wedding kimono. I recalled a character in a mobile game I had once pulled with free gems who wore a similar outfit—there was no way I could forget it.

But the girl wearing it seemed far too young to be a bride. Her face was hidden under a hood, but she didn't look much taller than me.

More importantly, the thread extending from my chest led directly to the girl in the white robe.

With the situation this clear, it wasn't hard to guess who I was connected to.

As I walked toward her, a few of the elderly villagers noticed me and raised their heads.

I ignored them and kept moving until I stood just a few steps away from the girl. That's when I confirmed my suspicion.

The girl, dressed in an oversized wedding kimono, looked exactly like Aya-chan.

"L-lord Exorcist, what brings you to a place like this!?"
Enjoy new stories from m-v l'e|m,p| y- r

The sudden voice startled me. I turned to see the old man who had worshipped me the last time I was in this village.

Without answering his question, I asked my own.

"What is… all this?"

"What do you mean? We're about to end the winter…"

"End the winter?"

"Aye."

The old man nodded, looking almost dazed.

But that wasn't an answer, so I pressed further.

"How do you 'end' the winter? Winter ends naturally, doesn't it?"

"What are you talking about, Lord Exorcist? Can't you see for yourself? It's the ninth month already!"

The old man's voice was both anxious and confused, as if my question was nonsensical.

The ninth month…?

Ninth month… Ah, of course. It was called Nagatsuki in the old calendar, wasn't it?

I vaguely remembered learning about this from my father, thanks to our family's association with the old lunar calendar.

So, Nagatsuki was September… or was it one month off in the lunar calendar? I couldn't remember the details right away, but I shook my head to clear my thoughts. That wasn't the main point.

The main point was that winter hadn't ended, even though it was supposed to.

"The snow has been falling for so long. We've been trapped in this endless winter. There's no food left, and if the winter doesn't end soon, we'll all die."

"And what does that have to do with this ceremony?"

"What else? We're delivering a bride to the Lord of Winter. That's what the Exorcist from the capital said we had to do. Isn't that right, Lord Exorcist?"

The old man called out to someone at the back of the procession.

A young man, probably in his early twenties, dressed in the robes of an Onmyōji, stepped forward with a solemn nod.

"Yes, that's correct. The reason the winter hasn't ended is that the 'Lord of Winter' residing in the mountains is angry. The best way to appease this anger is to offer a bride."

"…The Lord of Winter. You mean the Ice Princess?"

"The Ice…? No, I'm not familiar with that name. All I know is that we're dealing with an 'Otsu-class' yōkai. There's not much humans can do in the face of such a being."

The exorcist standing before me lowered his gaze.

"So, when you say 'bride,' you mean you're offering this girl to a monster—to a 'magical being'?"

"Yes. The anger of yōkai stems from hunger. If we offer a child, brimming with life force, it should calm their rage."

So they were offering a child full of mana to satisfy the monster's hunger…

I guess the logic made sense, but wasn't this just a human sacrifice?

"Why don't you just exorcise it?"

"Boy, did you not hear me? It's an 'Otsu-class' yōkai. Only someone like the Crimson Priest could handle that. We common exorcists lack the skill."

"…"

I turned to look at the girl, who had remained silent this whole time.

Our eyes met, and I stepped in front of her, determined.

"So, you're saying… this girl will die?"

"That's right."

…I see. Now I understood what I had to do.

In this situation, there was only one course of action for me: I had to exorcise the 'Lord of Winter,' the Ice Princess.

This was her mental world. If I could exorcise the monster here, I could save this girl—and by extension, Aya-chan.

With that in mind, I stepped forward, dispelling the darkness with my resolve.

"I will exorcise the 'Lord of Winter'… I will exorcise the Ice Princess!"