NOVEL NEXT ch11 - Gemstone Cave
11: Gemstone Cave
Guided by the snow fairies, we arrived at the cave. It’s a cave, after all, though the entrance is completely hidden under a mound of snow.
“Is this mound of snow created by the snowmen again?”
“Well done,” said the snow fairy.
“Glare, are you mocking me?”
“I complimented you,” Glare responded.
It seemed a bit sarcastic, so I decided to playfully squeeze Glare’s cheeks. I couldn’t help but be a bit forward, driven more by instinct than consideration of manners. But I wasn’t trying to be too mean—just playful!
“Did it hurt?”
“With just this?” Glare snorted disdainfully.
So, he’s quite tough, huh? Good to know. I kept up with the playful squeezing, despite Glare’s complaints.
“What are you doing, you two? You seem to be having fun,” one of the snow fairies remarked.
“Not at all!” I replied with a smile.
“Yeah, it was probably fun!” I said cheerfully.
“Probably!? What do you mean by that!?”
“Glare seems energetic now,” I added.
“Indeed. It must be thanks to you, El. I was worried because he was always too quiet, so I’m glad to see him talking more,” Fenrir said.
Glare was grumbling, likely due to Fenrir’s comment about being happy that he’s more talkative. It’s good to see him happy, though.
“Anyway, let’s focus on the cave!”
“Let’s wake up the snowmen,” I suggested.
“Quick to switch gears, El. Alright, let’s do that,” Fenrir agreed with a chuckle.
Fenrir took a firm step, and a magical circle resembling snowflakes spread out. The snow began to move, and three large snowballs formed, stacked in four layers. The top snowball turned towards us, its face adorned with eyes and a nose made from twigs.
“Fenrir-sama…?” one of the snow fairies asked.
“Yes. This year’s snow is quite light and fluffy. It might be a bit different to handle, but I hope you get used to it. The new Winter Princess created this snow,” Fenrir explained.
Fenrir turned to introduce me. I felt a bit nervous, especially since this particular snowman was large and imposing. Its face, made from twigs, had a neutral expression that made it hard to read. I tightened my grip on Glare’s neck, ready to protect if needed.
“Could you please go easy on us?”
“Be sure to protect me if necessary, Assistant.”
“Assistants aren’t knights, you know.”
“True, but I’m more on the receiving end.”
“El-sama!!”
“Hahaha!”
The snowman burst into hearty laughter, creating a gust of wind that sent powdery snow swirling around us.
“The new Winter Princess is very amusing. After laughing, the snow feels more familiar. Thank you!”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Fenrir responded before I could.
Glare and I exchanged a glance. We hadn’t intended to make the snowman laugh; it just happened.
“Well, it’s good to know,” I said, trying to reassure everyone.
This Fenrir idiot.
The Snowman stretched out grandly, seeming proud of its role with a puffed-up chest.
It’s huge! Bigger than the previous Snowman by more than a size… and it’s collecting snow to get even bigger—five layers, five layers!
As I stood there with my mouth open, looking up, the Snowman’s eyebrows (made of branches) gently turned into a soft, worried expression.
“Oh, it has a kind expression.”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
The expression “stern and scary” cracked me up. When I smiled, the Snowman let out a relieved sigh, and a cold breeze gently brushed our cheeks.
“Really?!”
Oh, curiosity was clearly leaking into my voice. Is it a bit too materialistic to react to jewels like this? It was a bit embarrassing.
The Snowman stepped aside from the entrance, waving and saying, “Have a good time” as Fenrir and Gréa, carrying me, entered the cave.
Inside the Cave
The cave was bright. This was because there were ice pillars sprouting everywhere, glowing softly. They were like giant icicles!
“Wow…! Did these appear as soon as winter was summoned?”
Fenrir blew a breath toward me, and—whoa! The wind hit my ear, making me shiver! My beast ears twitched. Oh, was he trying to remind me that I’m half Fenrir too? He’s surprisingly playful.
“Oh, right, Gréa.”
For him, that was quite kind. When I peered at him, his eyes were dreamy. Ah, Gréa must also love beautiful jewels.
Gréa led me to one particularly dazzling pillar. Oh! There are gems within the ice… Is this what was sparkling? They look like gemstones that have already been brilliantly cut, rather than raw crystals. The principle behind it is unknown. It’s such a fantasy!
“What kind of gemstone is this?”
Garnets themselves aren’t particularly rare, but “Imperial”! That sounds impressive… It must be incredible. As I looked around, I saw red, green, blue, yellow—gems of all colors embedded in the ice. This mine is like a luxurious treasure trove!
Suddenly, I locked eyes with Fenrir. Ah, he was grinning.
Fenrir slammed his front paw down with a thud!
The magic circle centered around Fenrir began to expand rapidly. Snow-colored characters were drawn on the cave walls. Then…
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
What’s this incredible sound? It’s like the roar of the earth…
The ceiling of the cave began to crack open from the center. I stared up in astonishment.
“Wow… There are gems packed inside the cave rocks!?”
Gréa sounds very knowledgeable.
Gréa seemed very pleased to be praised. I thought it would be nice to pet and compliment Fenrir later too. Both of them would be happy, right?
Oh, that’s a bit embarrassing. I buried my face in Gréa’s mane, and received a complaint. Heh, let’s enjoy the blush alone for now. Once my face returned to normal, I asked Fenrir:
“Why are there so many different kinds of gems together?”
Ah, a vague answer. Maybe it’s fine to think of it that way with nature… especially in a world where magic exists. Huh?
“Hey, over there. Isn’t that some kind of machine stuck in the rocks?”
“The gray one…”
I got off Gréa and pointed towards it. Fenrir nudged me up towards the ceiling with his snout. Wow! I reached out and grabbed it. It seemed a bit fused with the raw stone, giving it a slightly colored appearance.
“…This is a portable radio.”
“What!?”
The rusty, square machine had a tuning knob and looked just like an old-fashioned radio from Earth. And it even had “Made in Japan” written on it. What’s going on here?
I felt a chill run down my spine. Is someone else here…?
As I stood there, Fenrir nuzzled me with his face. So soft!
“Well… I might not be okay.”
“Okay.”
Fenrir is very kind and a powerful being with special abilities. It’s really reassuring to have him as an ally…
“Thank you.”
“Hehe. You see, I was thinking maybe the owner of this radio is somewhere in this cave…”
It seems my explanation didn’t quite hit the mark. Fenrir and Gréa didn’t seem to get it right away.
“Well, I suddenly appeared in this world, right? With my bag and all. This radio… it’s probably from my world, but I thought maybe someone came here along with the radio, and they might be wandering around the cave or even stuck inside the rocks…”
I felt a shiver run down my spine again. I shuddered.
“I-I see.”
Are Fenrir and Gréa’s explanations accurate? That’s quite a strange occurrence. Sometimes stylish socks are found in the forest, and occasionally a single sock goes missing—was that actually due to interdimensional travel? I’ve heard interesting stories about soap that creates smooth bubbles being fought over by noblewomen. Huh!
…Did I miss something important in the explanation?
Fenrir stomped his foot again.
“Whoa! The ground is shaking.”
The cave ceiling began to close back up… Ah, it was so beautiful. It’s a bit sad to see it go. Gréa also seemed mesmerized, trying to memorize the sight. The raw gems, arranged like stained glass on the ceiling, created a dreamlike scene.
I suddenly thought to fiddle with the rusty radio’s dial.
“———!!”
“It’s, um, an unpleasant sound!”
The noise was like fingernails scraping on a blackboard, which was painfully clear through my beast ears. It was truly horrible! I covered my ears and squirmed, and I felt like Fenrir and Gréa were looking at me with a bit of disbelief…
“Hmm?”
As I finally stood up, a single pearl fell from the radio.
“…Wait, what?”
Tears seemed to overflow from my eyes. I only just realized it from Gréa’s concern. Fenrir continues to pamper me. Oh, I just want to be surrounded by fluffy warmth!
I stayed clinging to them for about ten minutes. It’s odd; even I wonder why, but I couldn’t stop trembling. I stared vacantly at the radio I had placed on the ground.
“Should we take this radio with us…?”
Crunch. …What!? Fenrir just casually stepped on it! He’s really grinding it underfoot, making sure it’s thoroughly destroyed. Ah! He’s smiling, but the way he doesn’t even glance at the radio is actually quite frightening!
…It’s definitely squished flat now. Probably. I can’t see it under his foot.
Okay, nothing was there! I’ll just take Fenrir’s concern to heart. I’m happier with Fenrir’s kindness than with the unknown radio. I’ll offer a silent thank you in my heart.
“Yeah, I am.”
My stomach rumbled loudly. I climbed onto Gréa, and we headed towards the exit. Oh, Gréa also kicked sand over the old radio with his hind legs.
“Wild!? Nooo, I really don’t want raw meat!”
My scream was drowned out by the sound of the beasts running off. I just ran over a reindeer.