NOVEL NEXT Ch32 - Rest and Meal
32: Rest and Meal
“Should we have someone keep watch over this monster?”
“It’s ice that will never melt… but still?”
“With things like this, Fenrirs can somehow sense it. But this monster is said to be unprecedented… so better safe than sorry, right? What do you think?”
“Being cautious is a good thing. Let’s go with your suggestion, El.”
The Fenrir readily agreed with my suggestion. Thank goodness; I was worried it might come off as a bit snide.
“Now, let me teach you how to summon the fairies. The snow fairies I called protect the tree at the mountaintop. For now, it would be wise to have the fairy king and queen keep an eye on this monster.”
“That makes sense.”
The unknown monster is far more dangerous and frightening than the forest animals that might prank the tree.
“I’ll give it a try!”
“Then, let’s do it together.”
The Fenrir took my hand. Encouraged by their comforting voice, I repeated after them.
“—Winter Queen Fenrir calls upon you. Snow fairies, with this contract, appear here before us.”
Prompted by the Fenrir’s gaze, I repeated the words. Then, raising my right hand, I called the names of the contracted fairies.
“Orb! Tito!”
The crest on the back of my hand glowed, forming a magical circle of snowflakes. We did it…! But wait, isn’t this magic circle a bit too big? We watched in awe as the circle, a meter in diameter, shone brightly.
“I am Orb.”
“I am Tito.”
“Have we already reached the mountaintop?”
The Fairy King and Queen emerged from the magical circle, shining brilliantly. They laughed lightly, perhaps amused by the affectionate nicknames, and looked around curiously.
“Another snowfield!?”
I almost felt like the word “Gah!” was dancing behind them. The Fenrir stifled a laugh, covering their mouth.
“Actually, the thing is…”
I explained the situation. Orb and Tito listened seriously, then shook their heads, saying they had no clue about the monster. They looked up at the ice and let out a surprised cry.
“Hmm. This place is close to our Fairy Spring. If the monster were to go on a rampage, it would be a problem, so we’ll take on the watch duty.”
“I hope we can find some clue soon.”
“Thank you so much!”
I was relieved to see that they were willing to become guardians. The Fairy King and Queen stood tall, then slumped a bit, looking dejected.
“We were looking forward to a stroll to the mountaintop…”
“To see the Fairy Tale Tree…”
“You were really looking forward to it, huh?”
Did they really need to feel that down about it? But I guess it must have been pretty boring being stuck at the spring for five years. Hmm…
“Fenrir, would it be alright to grow a tree here? I’d like to show them a tree.”
“El, if by any chance the monster revives and eats the tree fruits, it would be problematic. I don’t think that will happen, but just in case, as you said earlier.”
“Oh, right. Sorry… What about another plant?”
“If it doesn’t bear fruit, it should be fine.”
Fenrir gently patted my beast ears and kindly said, “I’m not angry, and you don’t always have to think of the perfect answer. We can all discuss and decide together.”
Ugh… you’re right… For the best results, we should all work together. That way, no one has to take sole responsibility.
With permission granted, I planted the Tear Pearl in the ground. Yes, I know I’ve been crying a lot. Since coming to this world, my tear ducts have been very loose. But it’s because my emotions are being accepted.
I imagined the Fairy Spring and created an arch of climbing roses. The flowers bloomed in full glory, with small, drooping vines forming a swing-like structure. Around the ice trapping the monster, I created sharp, silver thorned vines.
“I’ll call it ‘A Midsummer Daydream… in Midwinter!'”
It turned out beautifully and was also practical! It’s like a mini-theme park.
“Well done.”
Fenrir complimented me. I smiled with joy. They returned the smile with a beautiful one of their own.
“Ugh…”
When I turned around at the sound, I saw Grea and the prince trembling, covering their mouths. Ah, the Fenrir fan club is getting excited.
“You made this for us, didn’t you!”
“Thank you!”
Orb and Tito started playing around, walking through the rose vines and passing under the arch, squealing in delight. It’s definitely better than just standing guard in a barren snowfield.
“I’ll come back to check on things. If anything happens, let us know immediately.”
Fenrir told the fairies.
“We’ll promise to send word to the Winter Princess immediately.”
I also learned how to summon fairies, and now I can hear the voices of Orb and Tito.
After promising to stay in touch, we parted ways. I was so exhausted… I decided to head back to bed for the day.
“The sled that the prince made was destroyed, wasn’t it?”
“I can always make another one.”
The royal family of this country is truly skilled. What even is a royal family, I wonder.
I created an ice horse and had the prince mount it. He looked so fitting! As expected! I placed a part of the broken sled on the saddle to make it more comfortable to sit on.
“Yikes!”
Whoa!? Fenrir picked me up.
“Grea, can you let us ride with you? I want to stay in this form a bit longer since El welcomed me in this shape. I was really happy about that.”
“With pleasure!!!!!!”
I could clearly see Grea’s excitement rising sky-high. As expected, even their tail was wagging.
Still holding me, Fenrir gracefully mounted Grea, securing me tightly.
Glare is a large horse, so it seems fine for two people to ride. Not to mention, there’s no way he would let Fenrir fall.
“Shall we go, Prince Christopher?”
When I turned around, the prince was bowing to us. I’m getting used to it, so I left the snowy field without paying much attention.
It’s the first time I’ve felt warmth while riding on Glare’s back. Feeling Fenrir’s body heat made me a little embarrassed.
Levi came running over. When she hugged me, her warmth made me sigh in relief.
“I think I will.”
But just as I said that, my stomach growled.
“How cute.”
Please stop, Your Highness and Fenrir! I’d rather be teased by Glare’s mocking expression! This is so embarrassing… I started preparing a meal. I’m so sorry.
While warming up the retort packs in Levi’s hot spring, we discussed the monster, each of us sharing our thoughts. Everyone was in human form to make the conversation easier.
“You know, I recognized some of the monster’s parts… tools from my world were mixed in. It had ‘Made in Japan’ written on it, which means it was made in my country.”
“I see. Up until now, things that have fallen from another world were just small items like socks or tools. This is the first time a living person like Elle has come.”
“More and more things from other worlds are being discovered… I think there’s something going on.”
“Do you think that monster was sent from Japan…?” the prince asked me seriously. His words carried weight. He was facing me now as a politician.
“I don’t think so. There are no such monsters in Japan. I’m just saying that I recognized the tools that made up its parts.”
“I understand.”
“Um… do you believe me?”
“How could the people of the Kingdom of Felsnow not trust Lord Fenrir?”
The prince looked at me with sincere eyes. Trust… I gratefully accepted his feelings and bowed my head.
“I’ll relay Elle’s explanation to the kingdom as it is. Without adding my own interpretation, I’ll first share it and gather various opinions. And one more thing that’s on my mind is whether that monster was the only one.”
The prince’s words made me realize something. That’s right… There’s no guarantee that it was the only one…!? There could be more. The thought sent shivers down my spine. The idea of that terrifying monster charging at us is enough to haunt my dreams…!
“If it attacks people, the kingdom might be in danger.”
“That’s what I’m concerned about.”
The prince’s face clouded over at Fenrir’s straightforward words. Glare walked towards the entrance of the cave, and Fenrir closed his eyes in meditation.
“For now, I don’t sense any strange presence in this snowy field. When that monster was active, I felt uneasy, but that’s no longer the case.”
“I see.”
The prince’s face brightened. The situation hasn’t improved, but this information is reassuring. That’s good.
Glare returned with an owl perched on his arm.
“It would be best to relay this to the kingdom quickly, wouldn’t it? This is a mid-level magical creature, an owl. Please write a letter.”
“Thank you!”
The prince jotted down the information we just discussed on the letter paper Glare handed him, even drawing a detailed picture of the monster, and entrusted it to the owl. The owl gracefully bowed to us, then took off into the winter wind, disappearing in no time.
Levi brought the warmed-up retort packs. It finally feels like a break. I let out a long sigh of relief, and Fenrir chuckled.
I handed out the retort pack meals to everyone. Inside was doria (a baked rice dish). The prince chose meat sauce flavor, while Glare opted for white sauce.
“Fenrir, try both the meat sauce and white sauce flavors!”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah. You worked really hard today, so this is a special reward meal~!”
“Won’t that leave you without any?”
That’s true, there are only four retort packs of doria. But you know,
“I have this, so it’s fine! Ta-da! Plain rice porridge and wasabi-flavored ochazuke (tea rice)~”
With everyone watching, I shook the bag and sprinkled the ochazuke mix over the warmed porridge.
“It’s delicious!”
“Aren’t you just settling for the plainest option…?”
Everyone is so worried.
“This is traditional food from my homeland. It’s a comforting and familiar taste.”
They reluctantly accepted my explanation.
“Is doria a dish from a different region?”
“Well, the sauce originated in Europe, but doria itself is a recipe adapted in my homeland.”
We then talked about different regions for a while. In this world, besides the snowy Kingdom of Felsnow, there are various other nations like the Fire Country, Water Country, and Green Country. How interesting.
The prince finished his meat sauce doria with refined manners. Glare also finished his meal, saying, “There were no issues,” but I’m sure the white sauce doria with the onsen egg on top was delicious, right? Hehe.
Fenrir, with prince-like grace, spooned the food into his mouth, blinking with delight.
“It has a very rich flavor.”
Combining meat sauce and white sauce is a luxury. It probably tastes like lasagna.
“Elle, it’s delicious.”
“I’m glad to hear that! Huh?”
Fenrir had placed a spoonful of lasagna doria in front of me.
“I want to share something good with someone important.”
When he says it like that, there’s no way I can refuse. I took a bite and savored it. Ah, it really is delicious.
“It must taste even better because it’s a meal shared with someone important (Elle).”
Fenrir! When you say things like that! Both Glare and the prince were stunned. I completely agreed with the voice in my head saying, “This is the best.” It really is the best. Please let me join the fan club too.
I feel like I could recreate such a rich taste even in this world. The winter snow heals the land, and in spring and summer, plenty of vegetables are harvested. I’d love to serve them to Fenrir and the others again.
The prince’s eyes sparkled, so it might turn into a joint project with the kingdom.
As my stomach filled, my eyelids started to droop.
“Come here.”
Fenrir called out to me. He took my hand and gently pulled me to lie down behind him. He had transformed into his beast form. I buried myself in his silvery fur, oh, this is it—I love this!
“Goodnight.”
I slept deeply. I didn’t notice my phone ringing during the night.