Ice and snow are pure and flawless, often used to describe a person’s innocence.
But even a snow domain filled with blizzards will breed filth, and quite a lot of it.
Even in the Southern Holy Land, bathed in divine light, the various rumors and secrets surrounding the Star Gods hide an unknown darkness.
The girl’s name was ‘Huan Moxi’.
She shared the surname ‘Huan’ with Huan Xuezhi. Most would think it was a coincidence, but Weilin had learned from the Snow Maiden… that she was Huan Xuezhi’s younger sister.
To be precise, she was a sister without blood ties, adopted by the previous king from the snowy mountains.
Huan Xuezhi’s memories of this sister stopped at the year she turned six.
That year, Huan Moxi was only three.
Two Saint Realm experts came from the distant Star God Free Federation. They used a gemstone to detect that Huan Moxi had the perfect potential to be a ‘Capricorn Star God’ candidate. They gifted the Snow Kingdom many treasures and Demi-Divine Artifacts, but requested to take Huan Moxi back to the Federation for training.
Capricorn is the constellation that symbolizes the beginning of winter.
The old king believed it was a blessing from the Heavenly Dao. For Xi’s future, he agreed. Huan Xuezhi, only six years old at the time, didn’t feel the separation deeply, at most feeling like she had ‘lost her only childhood playmate’.
But after that parting, they never saw each other again.
Huan Xuezhi would occasionally miss this sister she wasn’t deeply attached to.
Seven years passed like this, until the old king passed away, and the burden of an entire nation fell upon Huan Xuezhi.
In fact, starting three years ago, envoys from the Empire and the Federation frequently visited, explaining their intention to demand the Nation-Guarding Divine Crystal from Huan Xuezhi.
Externally, powerful enemies encircled her. Internally, several of her royal brothers hid daggers behind their smiles. A month after her father’s passing, Huan Xuezhi happened to go out one day and actually found a loli unconscious in the snowy mountains at the border of the Snow Domain. Several ugly burn scars on her face had ruined her once dignified and lovely appearance…
“Xi…?”
Huan Xuezhi couldn’t believe this was her sister who was supposed to go to the Federation to become the Capricorn Star God…
Seven years ago, the servants, the steward, and the two Legendary Mage escorts the old king had specially arranged to travel with Huan Moxi—none of them returned alive. Her once adorable sister had become this wretched state…
Why was this?
The new Capricorn Star God was rumored to have less than 75% compatibility, yet she squeezed out Xi, who had perfect aptitude?
Even the two famous Saint Realm experts from the Federation who took Xi away disappeared during a purge of Star God factions within the Federation, their fates unknown… or rather, their life or death uncertain.
Unless it was absolutely impossible to find a single suitable candidate, an outsider from the Far North Snow Domain could never be allowed to become a Star God of the Federation.
From then on, Huan Moxi stayed shut-in at Frostwinter Magic Academy.
The older sister was shut-in, the younger sister was shut-in.
Naturally, there wasn’t much communication between two shut-ins, even if they were once sisters.
Because Xi’s misfortunes were all thanks to her magical talent, it seemed that as soon as she displayed her strength and talent, she would recall the past, her spirit consumed by endless fear, helplessness, and pain, causing her to collapse without a fight.
And the task Huan Xuezhi entrusted to Weilin was to help Xi walk out of her psychological shadow.
…
“This afternoon, Frostwinter Magic Academy will hold a magic competition to decide the dean’s direct disciple. If you can convince Huan Moxi to use her true strength and win first place in the academy, the task will be considered complete.”
The Snow Maiden calmly explained, “…But you only have one morning.”
“I understand. Also, where is the thing I asked for?”
“…How did you know Her Majesty would have something like that?” the Snow Maiden couldn’t help asking.
“Because they’re sisters, aren’t they? …Ah, two shut-in maniacs. How could their feelings possibly reach each other like this? This is where my little bit of help is needed.”
?
Inside Frostwinter Magic Academy.
In a spacious classroom, as the Magic Instructor on the podium solemnly announced “Class dismissed,” the students, who had endured the dull magic theory to their limits, cheered in unison and immediately scattered like birds and beasts.
It was lunchtime. Students left the classroom in pairs or small cliques, amidst laughter and chatter, heading to the main cafeteria.
Soon, the large classroom was empty.
Only one loli remained, sitting in the most inconspicuous corner, seriously chewing over the profound theories in a magic book.
The Snow Domain weather was frigid; wearing a hooded cape wasn’t strange. But this girl’s deliberately lowered hood seemed more to conceal her face.
At that moment, in the quiet, cold classroom, a shadow suddenly slipped in.
“Can I sit across from you?”
Huan Moxi heard a very pleasant voice asking her, then smelled a nice fragrance. She glimpsed an exquisite bento placed on her desk. Startled, she raised her eyes and met a girl’s bright smile, as warm and gentle as a spring day.
“…….”
Suddenly realizing the scars on her face might scare the other person, Xi hastily lowered her head in panic and asked weakly, “…Big Sister, who are you looking for?”
“Don’t cover it. Xi’s appearance isn’t as frightening as I imagined… No, rather, Xi’s reaction right now is a bit like… Sylvie. Quite cute, actually.”
“…Big Sister knows me?”
“Mm, I came specifically to find you. Xi hasn’t eaten yet, right?” The girl opened the lunchbox, pushing the steaming, fragrant bento in front of her, and snatched the Dark Magic Encyclopedia from her hands, tossing it aside. She smiled, “Eat while we talk. Let me say this upfront: no refusing! I made this especially for you. Even out of respect for my effort, I won’t allow you to refuse, understand?”
(Airi: Using food to flirt with girls again, Weilin, just how practiced are you at this?!)
Xi held the silver fork that had been forced into her hand, bewildered.
“No friends? Xi.”
“…Had… some.”
“Had some?”
“Mm…”
From age three to ten, during her time living in the Federation, Huan Moxi had quite a few friends who treated her very well. But because she was caught in the vortex of the Star God, her servants, steward, friends… all either went missing or died tragically, meeting unnatural fates… All because of her!
Now, she was alone again. Not counting her sister.
“Then, let me become Xi-chan’s friend.” The girl curved her eyebrows in a smile.
“…No! I… I don’t need friends.” Xi reflexively refuted.
Her voice was trembling. Her pupils, her body, the hand holding the fork… Even her soul seemed to tremble helplessly in fear.
Because everyone who became her friend… had died.
“I’m not afraid. To become Xi’s friend, I will not fear the consequences, even death.”
The girl stared into Huan Moxi’s timidly buried red eyes. Her gentle voice was filled with unwavering determination, and a hint of something else suggestive, “…Not only that, I will also protect Xi, ensure Xi suffers no grievances, until this body is destroyed. So, Xi doesn’t need any worries at all. Xi can continue to run away… continue to be cowardly… continue to slowly play hide-and-seek with ‘those things’. When Xi finally wins at hide-and-seek someday, just come out and collect my corpse, arrange a nice grave for me, that will be fine. But Xi doesn’t need to worry, because after I’m dead, the Illusory Snow Queen will send others to protect Xi. Xi just needs to… be protected by everyone at ease. That will be enough.”
