After being reborn, I was turned into a slave girl by a princess.

"The clothes you are wearing now are made of ancient super-fabric. Although they are not resistant to impact, they are very resistant to puncture damage."

"what?!"

"Many microcomputers were also installed inside, so it was connected to the protective heating jade to ensure the heat."

Elusia pointed to the Protective Warm Jade, then stood up:

"Are you ready? If not, get on the road now."

"Okay, all done..."

As soon as Lonnies finished tidying up her clothes, Elusia picked up the collar and put it around her neck.

The humiliation of being bound made Lonnie tremble, while Elusia looked her over as if admiring a work of art:

"Hmph, I must say... although you're a masochist, you have excellent taste in aesthetics. Your features are delicate, and you always have a pitiful expression, making you very suitable for being trained."

"I didn't choose this because I wanted to be trained."

"So, I have to constantly train you to like this feeling, okay?"

"what?"

"Silver-haired velvet ball, set off on your journey."

"Waaah!"

Although Elcia was strutting along with Lonese, the silver-haired girl could sense that Elcia seemed very happy today.

The villagers didn't find their way here either, so the two of them continued along the snow-capped mountain: when they got tired, they would rest for a while; when they were thirsty, they would use their "phones" to melt snow water; and when they were hungry, they would eat grilled steak.

Lornes's stamina was much better than yesterday.

Therefore, the two made rapid progress that day without any unexpected incidents, and traveled about several dozen miles of mountain road before dark.

……

Just as dusk was falling, Lonnies saw something being dealt with on a distant mountaintop.

(It seems to be... a city?)

Under the cover of wind and snow, everything was not clearly visible.

However, upon closer inspection, Lonnie could still see that the thing resembled a city.

A massive silver castle stands atop the highest point. Below lies a city stretching for thousands of meters, its outer walls appearing as if covered by glaciers, exuding a chilling aura. Besides it, there seem to be many other buildings similarly covered in snow.

From this distance, Lonnie couldn't see any further details.

……

"Elusia, what's that?"

"That is our destination, the capital of the Snow Kingdom."

"The capital of the Snow Kingdom...?"

"Yes, it's the manufacturer of that magic furnace, a civilization that once lived in the snow-capped mountains."

Elusia was in a good mood and spoke more: "But this civilization has been extinct for a hundred years, so this capital city has been abandoned for a long time."

"..."

"However, there should still be some ancient magical weapons remaining at the main entrance, so we'll have to enter from below. The lower city is for ordinary citizens, so there are many underground waterways left behind."

Elusia gazed at the ruins of the royal capital, seemingly confirming the route she would take.

As Lonnie gazed at the city's layout, she felt a sense of déjà vu... but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

……

……

Moreover, the closer they got, the stronger this sense of familiarity became.

Lonnies felt that she might have been here before, but after carefully searching her memory, she could not find any fragments related to the snow mountain.

(What's wrong with me? Why do I feel this way...?)

The more Lornish couldn't figure it out, the more anxious she became.

But at that moment, Elusia's words interrupted her thoughts.

"Lonnies, hurry up."

"oh……?"

"We're going in."

Led by Elusia, Lonnies entered a passage that resembled a drainpipe.

It was spacious here, and the rusty metal gate was cut down by Elusia with a single stroke.

The sound of their footsteps echoed silently in the empty, deserted passage.

……

Perhaps the original sewers were filled with a foul stench?

But this place has been abandoned for far too long; patches of ice have formed on the ground, and much of the garbage has decomposed over time.

Therefore, the two walked slowly without encountering any obstacles.

……

However, as she passed a small, circular hall, Lonnie was startled:

"What...what is this thing..."

"Do not touch the weapons left over from ancient wars."

Lonnies was horrified to discover that in the center of the rotunda lay a limp metal combat puppet.

It looks like a giant praying mantis, with two huge front legs that are over a meter long, resembling two giant scythes that could easily cut a human in half.

Opposite the metal mantis were two corpses clad in armor.

Their muscles had long since weathered away, only their bones retained the posture they had before they died... They nestled together, seemingly enjoying the last moments of their lives.

"Was there ever a war here...?"

"It wasn't really a war, just a bunch of fools who were bewitched by the evil demons."

"what?"

"They have turned on the weapons that were meant to defend against foreign enemies and used them to attack their own people... Hmph, how utterly depraved! They will stop at nothing to achieve victory."

As she stared at the two corpses, a flicker of emotion seemed to pass through Elusia's eyes.

However, she did not bury the two bodies...

Perhaps this act of snuggling together is already eternal for them?

"Alright, let's move on."

"Elusia..."

“Lonnies, I know you have a lot of questions… but I’m telling you, there are many questions you don’t even need me to tell you, you’ll already know the answers.”

"what……?"

"This is an order from the master, no questioning is allowed!"

As Lonnie continued following Elusia, the sense of familiarity grew even stronger.

Now she was certain that she had been here before!

For example, certain deserted passages, or symbols carved into the stone walls as decoration... Lonnies could almost tell at a glance that she had definitely seen these things before.

However, I just couldn't remember where I had seen it before.

It's like when you were a child, you watched an adventure animation that left a deep impression on you. You can recall some of the characters' traits, but you can't remember the specific story or the name of the animation.

……

"Lonnies, what's wrong? You've looked like you have a headache ever since you came in?"

"Ah, no... me, that?"

"Hmph, I'm not saying this out of concern for you, but to let you know: we're about to leave the passage. If you don't want to be scared, you'd better be on your guard."

Elusia stopped in her tracks before a dusty, frozen door.

……

……

Chapter 20 The Past Sealed in Ice and Snow

Lonnie froze the moment she pushed the door open.

Not only was the entire street covered in ice and snow—but also because she finally remembered where she had seen this world before.

In my dream, I became a hero!

When I was handing over tasks to the union, when I was revered by the citizens, when I was staying at the hotel, this was the kind of place I lived in.

Although the street layouts are not exactly the same, the exterior of each building is exactly the same as I remember.

However, since everything is now covered in ice and snow, Lonnie didn't immediately recall it.

and……

Even the hall where he was bestowed with honors still exists.

It stood majestically atop the entire city. Lonnies remembered that it was bustling with activity, with not only ordinary people and noble ladies, but even the archbishop and the king coming to visit.

Everyone was congratulating their names in unison. The pure white lilies rushed from the city gate to the palace, stretching for hundreds of meters, a truly magnificent sight.

But now... what exactly is going on?