Chapter : 7
Steam filled the room made of white marble.
‘Poison mist?’
I took a deep breath.
But there was no stinging sensation.
Instead, it smelled… very white.
“Doesn’t it smell nice?”
“It’s white.”
“White? Ah, you mean this place.”
A woman with brown hair braided into twin plaits that fell past her shoulders said that.
‘It smells like something from the eyes! Idiot! She’s an idiot! But she heard me!’
A skirt-wearing devil.
I wiggled my fingers and shouted.
“The snowman is gone! Did it melt?”
Then a voice came from outside.
“I’m waiting out here like this. Since I’m a snowman, I can’t go in there.”
“…!”
“Oh my.”
I felt like my body was getting warmer, so I splashed the water around, wriggling happily.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
The red-haired devil said gently as she floated a duck on the water.
Then, from the other side, the yellow-haired devil—who had been quietly keeping her hand in the water—pulled out a pirate ship and attacked the duck.
The red-haired devil smiled softly and smacked the pirate ship with the duck.
Squeak! Squeak!
Before the wreckage of the pirate ship could reach my hands, the brown-haired devil swiftly gathered it all up.
I splashed the water again and shouted.
“The pirate ship! It broke! The duck won!”
“…Impressive. Tch.”
The yellow-haired devil muttered.
These three skirt-wearing devils were apparently the ones preparing me together with the snowman.
They locked me in this white place, scrubbed my entire body, scrubbed me again with smooth foam, and finally soaked me in this fragrant pool of water.
And they gave me a duck, a bear, a lion, and a pirate ship.
Only the duck survived.
When I grabbed the yellow duck and started shouting and singing loudly, the red and yellow devils disappeared for a moment and came back with bumps on their heads.
The brown-haired devil approached and lifted me out of the water.
“Now then, little one? Shall we dry you off?”
“Hey, devil, this is strange! It didn’t hurt at all!”
The brown-haired devil fell silent for a moment, then quickly smiled again and answered me.
“…Of course it didn’t hurt! Now, little one, shall we try raising your hand high?”
“Magic? Raise! I can do it!”
When I gathered mana in my hand and turned it into light, the brown-haired devil’s eyes widened.
“My goodness. That’s amazing, little one.”
“But that’s not it. You stupid devil, I’m not a ‘little one’—I’m an assassin! A snowman assassin—”
I hesitated, then subtly changed it.
“Just an incredible assassin! You damn mages! Now interrogate me!”
At that moment, the devils quickly exchanged glances, wrapped my body in a large cloth, patted me dry, then unwrapped it and began dressing me.
“Alright. Let’s dry you off and get you dressed!”
“A prison uniform!”
“…How is it that you don’t know what a bathtub is, but you know something like a prison uniform…?”
At the brown-haired devil’s muttering, the red and yellow ones nodded and said:
“It’s not a prison uniform.”
“No, it’s not. It’s ready-made clothing, so it might be a bit big, but it’s new pajamas.”
“What are pajamas?”
“They’re clothes you wear when you sleep.”
Around then, I realized something.
Talking to these devils was different from talking to the snowman.
The more I talked with them, the more things I didn’t understand increased.
I couldn’t make sense of it.
‘Why do you need separate clothes just for sleeping?’
While I was thinking that, they made me raise my arms high and quickly finished dressing me. For some reason, they seemed to grit their teeth, then gently lifted me and carried me outside.
“She was washed with fragrant herbal water, so she should be more relaxed. Fortunately, she wasn’t afraid of water. And…”
The blue-clothed devil, who had been listening to their report, paused.
After a moment, he slowly nodded.
“Very well. Good work.”
The snowman gestured to the skirt-wearing devils, and they stepped back.
I watched them closely, then suddenly lifted my head and shouted.
“Are you interrogating me now?”
“Yes.”
The snowman’s shimmering silver hair swayed softly in a breeze from somewhere.
A few strands drifted in front of my eyes, gently swaying like willow branches.
Unable to resist, I grabbed them tightly and pulled.
They were so pretty—I wanted to touch them.
Holding them firmly, I asked again:
“Where are you doing it! The interrogation!”
“….”
“Y-Your Excellency.”
“Oh my. Heh.”
The snowman’s reply came very slowly.
“Here.”
And shortly after—
I was placed back into a basket filled with white.
I sank my bottom into it and sat there, facing the devils gathered around me.
The snowman with his hair tied back.
The blue-clothed human whose lips had been trembling.
A green-haired skirt-wearing devil and a large old devil carrying a big bag.
And a devil completely covered in black, with only their eyes visible.
There were five of them.
I stared blankly at them, waiting for the interrogation.
“So.”
The green-haired skirt-wearing devil adjusted her glasses and spoke.
“Do you like the cushion?”
The devil was pointing at the white thing that had been supporting my bottom the whole time.
I got angry and shouted.
“This is not a cushion!”
With an unexpected heated debate, the interrogation began.
The assassin insisted:
“This is not a cushion! A cushion isn’t this soft!”
“Yes, that’s called fluffy. And if it’s not a cushion, then what is it?”
“Fluffy… no! A cushion is hard and square!”
I was certain, because that’s what I had learned.
The green-haired devil narrowed her eyes.
I shouted:
“This is made of snow! I know everything!”
The snow here was extremely cold but fragrant, and when you touched it, it made a crisp sound.
But before that sound, it was soft.
It had to be made using that.
“Snow?”
The green-haired devil, who had been looking at me sharply, paused.
“Oh? What made you think that?”
“It’s soft! It’s white! It’s pretty!”
When I declared that solemnly, a faint beautiful light passed through her light-green eyes.
“How unexpected. I didn’t think you’d say it was pretty. And?”
Only then did I become completely certain.
Not just the snowman—these damn mages’ devils in this winter castle could all understand me and talk with me!
I felt laughter bubbling up, but I glared at the green-eyed devil as best as I could.
I was a captured assassin being tortured—no, interrogated.
I shouted loudly:
“If you pour mana into snow, it becomes like this! This isn’t cold, but I know! It’s made of snow! …Right?”
“Yes, snow here does have that property. Though controlling mana to make it like this isn’t easy. But I wonder why your eyes are sparkling so much.”
“I was right!”
“Perhaps. But you’re certainly a very clever little one.”
“Clever… that’s right! I’m a clever monster assassin!”
As I waved both arms energetically, the green-haired devil smirked.
“Very well. Then we’ll call it a snow lump.”
“…! That’s right! It’s a snow lump!”
I hugged the snow lump tightly and nodded over and over.
The green-haired devil’s lips twitched slightly.
I buried my face into the snow lump a little and giggled.
Even though the assassination failed, it felt like I had won the interrogation.
“Hah, look at that relaxed expression.”
The large old devil watching spoke in a booming voice.
“It seems we weren’t even necessary.”
“Examine her properly.”
“Hm. Very well.”
I watched as the old devil—already large even while sitting—rose up like a giant mountain.
As he did something to my hands and feet, I stared at him intently. When he nodded and stood back up, I shouted:
“A giant! Hey, devil, are you a giant?”
“Hoho… it’s been a while since someone asked so directly. I’m a human who grew like this by eating plenty of food three times a day! So you should eat well too, little one!”
“Sir Shura…?”
“Why do you call me, Duke Eden?”
“If I were her, hearing that would make me eat less…”
“Just as always, Your Grace, you do have a tendency to invite trouble!”
