NOVEL NEXT ch10 - Avalanche of Snowmen
10: Avalanche of Snowmen
“Let’s ask the snow fairies for some help.”
With that, Fenrir created a magical circle, and many snow fairies appeared.
Wow! They seem to be in high spirits—are they always this lively?
“We’re planning to patrol the forest. Help us look for anyone in trouble,” Fenrir said.
The snow fairies spun around once and then flew off in all directions.
“Do snow fairies live inside the magical circle?” I asked.
“There are fairy springs scattered throughout the forest. They live around those, but they always cooperate when I call on them,” Fenrir explained.
“You have a lot of influence!”
“Though I’m a beast, I suppose you could call it influence.”
Oh, right. Fenrir grinned widely, clearly enjoying himself.
“Speaking of which, a fairy spring sounds really magical.”
“Would you like to visit one, El?”
“I’m interested. Are they beautiful places?”
“They are very pure and beautiful, and the magical energy there is very dense. The springs have the effect of completely restoring magical energy for fairies who dip their feet in them.”
“If something falls, it might cause strange changes, so don’t play around,” Fenrir said.
“W-what? Are you accusing me of something?” I replied, feeling a bit defensive.
“Haha, I’m just happy to see you so energetic.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re not fooling me,” I grumbled.
Fenrir was teasing me. It was clear he enjoyed it. I was interested in the fairy springs but felt a bit apprehensive. The effects sounded pretty intense. Though, thinking about the tree I made… well, it was pretty extravagant too. Maybe I was just overthinking it!
I decided to communicate that I was enjoying the current scenery and didn’t need to rush to see the fairy springs.
“Understood. We’ll leave it for another opportunity,” Fenrir agreed.
A snow fairy returned and reported:
“There’s a gem cave over there.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” I exclaimed.
I wondered what kind of gems might be there. Was it a mine? I felt a bit excited. But, noticing that Greya was staring at me with half-lidded eyes, I quickly stopped my thoughts.
“Greya, are you staring at me too much? Why are you tilting your head like that?”
“I sensed an unusual presence”
It seems Greya’s serious nature allowed him to detect the unusual presence. I hoped he wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the stress.
Just then…
“Whoa!?”
Greya suddenly jumped up in surprise!
“What’s happening!?”
As I clung to him, he was again startled by a sudden sound.
”It’s an avalanche of snowmen! We need to run! ”
“Eek!?”
We all took off running! Behind us, we heard an unfamiliar, rumbling noise. It felt like the avalanche didn’t build up gradually but suddenly appeared.
After running about 10 meters, we stopped. When we looked back, the avalanche had stopped. It seemed to be a small-scale event after all, though there was still a considerable amount of snow piled up.
“Hmm? Is that a face…?”
It looked like a snowman’s face made with sticks and a carrot, but it was mostly collapsed.
I briefly recalled a faint memory from my childhood.
“A snowman.”
“I did mention a snowman, didn’t I?”
Greya’s tone was a bit sarcastic. But isn’t “snowman” just another way of saying the same thing? Or could “snowman” actually be a species name?
Fenrir tapped the snow twice with his front paws. He moved the snow and reconstructed the snowman. Wow, a three-tiered one! It’s huge!
As I waved my hand, the snowman’s stick arms waved back. Such a nice snowman.
“Thank you, Lord Fenrir. The snow this year is so powdery that we couldn’t make a proper body.”
“I see. Do you think you’ll get used to it?”
“I’m sure we will.”
The snowman moved its body a bit, as if trying out its new form. Thanks to the magic Fenrir used, the snowman didn’t crumble at all. The snowman thanked Fenrir once more.
“If you keep moving throughout the winter with that body, you should learn how to manage the snow by next winter. You should be fine now.”
“Yes, I can move now. Thanks to Lord Fenrir. But… our companions might be caught in avalanches in various places?”
Fenrir sighed and looked in the direction of the cave, seeming thoughtful.
“It seems that we will head to the cave guided by the snow fairy, and the problem there also seems to be an avalanche caused by the snowman.”
“I’m so sorry…! The special snow is my fault, so I feel really bad.”
As I looked down feeling dejected, I felt an odd sensation on my head. Oh, my beast ears are drooping too? They have become closely linked with my emotions.
“Are you the Winter Princess?”
The snowman, with its large body, slowly tilted and looked down at me, bowing deeply. What an imposing presence! I couldn’t help but return the bow.
“Thank you for the wonderful winter. It has been five years since you appeared here.”
“!”
I see… Winter hadn’t come for a while. Oh, Fenrir’s beast ears drooped too. Hehe! I might comfort him later… though it might turn into a mutual licking of wounds, but well, it’s okay here, right? Not mentioning that part at the office.
“Winter is fun”
The snowman, twisting its body (it doesn’t have legs, just rotating its round middle section), moved away.
“…Winter being fun. I think that pure feeling is something precious.”
I spoke to Fenrir, waving him over. He came closer.
“Ah, winter is a good thing”
Fuzzy, fuzzy, fuzzy~~! As I patted Fenrir’s neck, he looked very comfortable. I hope he feels healed. Also, as usual, Greya, who is close to Fenrir, seems extremely healed, but that’s a story I’ll skip explaining. He’s really smitten.
Let’s head to the cave!