NOVEL NEXT Chapter 353
The three Kikimora forest guardians, having successfully achieved mediation that could determine the fate of the entire group, wiped the cold sweat from their brows.
Some of the Snow White Ice Bees, on high alert to defend their nest from unexpected intruders, began to gently descend.
Buuuuuuuuung—
The sound of their wings, which had been menacing like that of a fighter jet, decreased to that of a strong fan. Although the swarm was still noisy given their numbers, it was unmistakably quieter than before.
As the Snow White Ice Bees approached the ground, the range of the dust rising in little circles from below gradually widened.
“Here, sit here.”
“I’ll introduce you to the contractor comrade!”
One Snow White Ice Bee carefully landed on the arm of the Kikimora standing in front.
The remaining Snow White Ice Bees also slowly settled down onto the other two Kikimoras one by one.
“Well… you said you’d explain, right?”
“Uh… I don’t know where to start.”
The leading Kikimora scratched her head and cradled the Snow White Ice Bee that was nuzzling into her like a cute puppy.
“Shosna. Shouldn’t we explain from the very first meeting?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Though the Kikimoras referred to it as their first meeting, it turned out that nothing terribly grand had transpired.
In the early spring of Iceland, where the snow had yet to cease.
The whole incident began when a Kikimora belonging to the forest guardians discovered an injured Snow White Ice Bee.
Despite being a monster, it was not hostile, and being small, it looked quite juvenile. After they carefully healed it, they sent it back to the wild. Before long, it returned with others and made a nest.
Other Snow White Ice Bees, seemingly aware that the Kikimoras were their saviors, did not act aggressively, and thus a trade relationship was formed, deepening their bonds.
“Traditional taming, huh…”
Catherine murmured as she observed Shosna holding the Snow White Ice Bee she had cradled.
“Traditional, you say?”
“Yes. It’s nothing special. It’s about healing an injured creature with utmost care, building a relationship, and gaining their trust so they naturally follow you.”
Catherine, who seemed oddly impressed, suddenly narrowed her eyes.
“But these days, there’s been an increase in attempts to forcibly tame using various magic tools, drugs, and even violence.”
“Uh… is that really okay?”
“Of course not. While their numbers have increased, correspondingly, the cases of retaliatory attacks have gone up as well. The number of deaths has increased too.”
Catherine shrugged, adding that despite that, the newer methods had become fashionable over the traditional ones.
For the sake of speed and convenience.
“Uh… let’s set aside those ominous thoughts for now. Did you say Shosna?”
“These kids aren’t bad monsters!”
“Yes. That’s obvious at a glance. But what about the trading relationship?”
As Shosna desperately nodded her head, her conical hat flopped up and down rapidly.
“Oh, let me show you!”
Shosna set the Snow White Ice Bee cradled in her arms on the ground. Before it, she raised her arms above her head and began to wiggle them, performing a dance reminiscent of a kindergarten or elementary school recital.
‘What is this? A talent show?’
Catherine and Karem thought to themselves, but suddenly the Snow White Ice Bee twitched its antennae and shook its plump behind, then took off toward the nest.
And upon returning…
“What’s that? Honey? Jelly?”
“…Ah, so that’s why.”
A sticky droplet that appeared to melt from clear, translucent emerald.
Catherine instantly understood the situation.
The dessert served at lunch was suspiciously sweeter than just honey, sugar, or syrup.
Considering its unique flavor, the truth behind the sweeteners used in the Kikimora Cake and Zolloto served by the Kikimoras was undoubtedly that.
“Hah! I never would have guessed the house fairies would freely indulge in the divine nectar of the Snow White Ice Bees, which even nobles struggle to obtain!”
“Divine nectar? Not honey?”
“Snow White Ice Bees are pure herbivores. They feed on grass, leaves, and tree sap. That stuff is like… the juice of aphids.”
Catherine, who had been silently savoring for a moment, let out a short laugh filled with admiration.
“Yes. It’s sweetness concentrated to at least several dozen times that of regular honey or sugar. It ranks among the sweetest known sweeteners. Thanks to that, the imperial forces of the past overexploited them, and their numbers have drastically decreased.”
Catherine muttered about them being endangered. Karem accepted a small spoon that Shosna pulled from her skirt pocket and lightly scooped up some of the divine nectar floating in the air to feed to Catherine.
The moment it touched her tongue, Catherine felt a subtle whisper warning that it might kill her veins and heart.
“The difference is vast compared to the one I tasted from the ruins of the empire.”
“Difference? Wait, you mean to say you ate a relic thousands of years old?”
“This divine nectar preserves as well as honey does.”
Though she didn’t know what its composition was, if its properties were similar to honey, then—
However, Catherine found Karem’s astonishment at just having tasted an artifact from thousands of years ago quite exasperating.
“More importantly, is that something you should be surprised about?”
“Well, who wouldn’t be surprised?”
“Hah! A rabid chef who goes wild about everything!”
“No, even so, those are fresh ones made not too long ago… You know what? Just drop that look.”
In response to that, Catherine retracted her dirty gaze.
“You, of all people, have no right to say that. Hmph, it is indeed summer now. Is that thing from before it was concentrated?”
“Did you just say concentrated?”
Shosna’s eyes sparkled as she spun around, still holding the honey with her telekinesis.
“It’s already incredibly sweet. And you can make it even sweeter?”
“Yes. Snow White Ice Bees begin to concentrate their divine nectar from the fall. During that process, they shed their fur.”
“Is that why they’re called white?”
Catherine silently nodded her head, crossing her arms.
“Yes. Because in winter, they are as white as snow.”
“The injured one from spring was definitely white.”
A Kikimora, locked in a tug-of-war with the light green fluff stuck to its body to eat honey, testified. Seeing this, other Kikimoras and Shosna began to peel it off one by one.
The Kikimoras, already careful, became even more cautious.
It was already sweet; a more concentrated honey would be nothing short of irresistible to a creature like a Kikimora.
Of course, the Snow White Ice Bees wouldn’t share that with them.
Concentrated divine nectar was the winter food source for the Snow White Ice Bees.
Unlike the pouring out of divine nectar during other times, concentrated divine nectar was a precious good that directly related to their survival.
Naturally, the Palatino Empire was unaware of such things and had no interest; they simply over-harvested and consumed them.
“So, what, are you guys renting divine nectar from them?”
“Beyond that, we help them out in other ways too!”
“We diligently pet them all over!”
While treatment could count as rent, “Petting? Like the petting I’m thinking?”
“Exactly! We even brush them!”
At Karem’s words, Shosna declared she would show it directly, picking up a Snow White Ice Bee that had been sitting on the ground and petting under its wings.
The reaction was dramatic.
Brrrrrrrrrr—
The Snow White Ice Bee, shaking its body once, spread its fluffy wings wide as if begging for more pets.
Not stopping there, it lifted one furry leg onto her arm, as if to say, “Hurry, pet me more!”—mimicking something akin to a prairie dog.
“…They really do like being petted.”
“Is that really all? Just petting?”
The unexpectedly trivial reward against virtually zero labor intensity had Catherine holding her head in disbelief before taking a deep breath.
“Yes, there are house fairies in this world who find joy in taking care of others. So I suppose such a behavior could exist.”
As she muttered this, Catherine suddenly realized that, within what she knew, this behavior fell surprisingly within an acceptable range.
At least, compared to the unicorns obsessed with virgins or the bicorns with their lust for the non-virgins, the lesser-known tendencies of the Snow White Ice Bees seemed extremely wholesome, good, and moderate.
“Would you like to try petting them, contractor?”
“What?”
At the sudden proposal, Karem was taken aback, but Shosna was already wiggling her behind.
Seeing that, a smaller Snow White Ice Bee turned towards Karem and slowly flew over.
As it approached, it gently descended and landed on Karem’s outstretched arm. It was slightly lighter than it appeared and warm.
As Karem pondered what to do, the Kikimoras eagerly mimicked the actions of petting the Snow White Ice Bee he held in his arms, prompting him to reluctantly follow suit.
Sruuuuuuu— sruuuuuuu—
“Hmm. This is surprisingly nice.”
It simply continued to be petted with fervor.
“When you first saw it, you were horrified. Looks like you’re okay now?”
“Uh… Was it just the appearance? It doesn’t feel particularly bug-like.”
It seemed that, upon seeing it up close, the Snow White Ice Bee looked more like a deformed creature just out of a game than he initially thought, which was rather reassuring.
There was even a hint of a game character doll about it.
It had body heat, was a bit heavy, and was moving, nevertheless.
“What should I even call this? The texture is quite something.”
“… I seem to recall reading somewhere that they used to weave fabric from that fur—”
“Would you like to try touching it?”
“…Me?”
“It feels fluffier and warmer than you’d think.”
Karem presented the Snow White Ice Bee he was cradling in his arm.
Catherine eyed it curiously as the fluffy beast wriggled in his attentively petting hands.
“Then, I suppose I’ll try petting it just a little.”
“Are you that nervous?”
“What do you think of me?”
“You were the first to suggest capturing them as soon as you saw them.”
Momentarily flustered, Catherine glared at Karem before sighing.
After all, when monsters invade the world, it’s only natural to hunt them down first. Who would inquire about their reason for visiting?
“So, you will pet it, right?”
Faced with the taunting tone, Catherine slowly extended her hand, gently patting the creature.
Sruuuuuuu- sruuuuuuu—
“This is quite something.”
“So, what’s your impression?”
“I think I understand why the texts say they wove fabric from this fur. With this kind of texture…”
Catherine’s face reddened slightly with joy and excitement as her palms and fingers brushed against the texture.
Though they were bug monsters, their extensive and thick fur gave no impression of being hard. In fact, they felt quite warm and cozy.
To think she had wandered around Europa, encountering all sorts of furs and fabrics—
Tadadadadadak—
Suddenly, the Snow White Ice Bee darted away from Catherine’s hand, scampering across Karem’s arm, hiding behind his back, peering its little head over his shoulder.
“…”
“…”
“So, you don’t like it?”
“…”
In a clear rejection of Catherine’s touch, her hand froze mid-air.
“That kid just said they don’t like the hand of the contractor.”
Upon hearing Shosna’s and the Kikimoras’ translations, Karem couldn’t help but think that made sense.
After all, the reason the Snow White Ice Bees had fluffy, soft, and warm fur was to withstand the cold of northern Europa.
Thus, it was only natural for them to reject Catherine’s chilly touch, which was always maintained at low temperature due to her ice attribute mana.
What’s more, even if she perfectly controlled it, there was no way a monster more sensitive to magic than people wouldn’t feel the power emanating from Catherine.
In other words, to the Snow White Ice Bees, Catherine was akin to a fearsome polar bear.
Even if a polar bear felt full and had no reason to be hostile, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t be terrifying.
A polar bear is simply a polar bear, after all.
“Conversely, the contractor’s aura is pleasant to them!”
“They say they feel a delicious smell and good energy!”
“The other kids are jealous of the one sitting on the contractor’s shoulder!”
An evaluation that was remarkably polarized.
Catherine understood it in her head.
However, she felt a pang in her heart, betrayed by the long-forgotten sense of innocence that had awakened within her. The feelings long buried by time went unreciprocated.
“Hmm, I suppose that could happen.”
“Ahem. Catherine, what about that—it seems easier to digest now. Shall we take a look around somewhere else?”
“Hah? Who are you trying to cheer up? Karem, I’m perfectly fine.”
“I didn’t say anything about cheering you up.”
“In that case, care to explain the meaning behind that look?”
Karem swiftly passed the Snow White Ice Bee that had rejected Catherine to Shosna, taking the opportunity to lead Catherine away. The Kikimoras sighed in relief as they bid them farewell.
“By the way, the hot spring. I heard there’s a hot spring around here.”
“Karem. Hey. I asked you to clarify that look earlier, you know?”
Karem thought about Mary, who wasn’t here right now… No, that was a foolish thought. If Mary had been around, she would have said it outright.
‘By the way, when is that house fairy coming?’
In a state of mild rage, Catherine pressed Karem, who desperately needed Mary’s influence to deflect the aggro he was currently facing.
That house fairy must have gone off to make a mess instead of sorting it out.