14-20. Snow Kingdom (1)

 

Satou's here. If we're talking about snow, I'd imagine about the time to be self-indulgent by amusing myself reading manga or playing games inside a Kotatsu. It's hard to leave out skis and snowboards, but being inside a warm room is better after all.


◇


"Snow!"
"Oh no nanodesu! Snow nanodesu!"

After crossing Muno Earldom and the monster dominion, we entered Kiwolk kingdom of the eastern countries beyond the mountain and witnessed a blizzard.
Since this was my first different world's snow, I temporarily canceled the [Canopy] in the airship's viewing deck and let the snow pile up to enjoy it with everyone.

Once there were enough snow to play around with, I called everyone but somehow, Tama and Pochi seem strange.

"Pochi!"
"Tama!"

After the two looked at each other, they ran up to me.

"Snow is bad!"
"Master, if we don't lump together quickly it'll be dangerous nodesu."

The two who tightly cling to my waist turn to everyone and desperately beckon them.

"Liza, quick~, Nana too~"
"Arisa, and Mia too, quickly stick close together nodesu! Lulu too, Karina too, quick! Nanodesu!"

I thought it was just a play, but Pochi is hiding her tail between her legs, and their voices sound too serious.

"Master, please excuse me."

Moreover, Liza who was called over hugged me from the front with a serious expression.
This is quite rare for Liza.

"Master, I was entrusted with an appeal for support. I'll protect the back."

My back found warm and happiness.
I'm intrigued with the beastkin girls' condition, but let's watch the situation for a little while. Since it's soft.

"Ehehe~ danger is bad isn't it~"
"Nn, prohibited."

Arisa and Mia happily cling to me tightly.

"Umm, excuse me Master."

Even while looking timid, Lulu put her arms around my neck from the side, embracing me.
Without knowing, she's the most glued one on me.

"I-I too, um...."
"I don't really understand, but me too."
"Satou-sama, please excuse me."

Leaving behind the hesitating Lady Karina, Sera and Princess Shistina embraced my left arm.
The two are wearing extra clothes for cold weather so there's not much happiness.

"Zena quick~?"
"Zena too, you'll die if you don't hurry nodesu."
"It's alright no one will die okay?"

Zena kneels down to match Pochi's and Tama's line of sight, and then she asks about the two's reasons.

"Snow is death god~?"
"Snow is pretty, but once you touch it, someone will fall if you don't stick together nodesu."

I don't understand, so I seek the explanation from Liza.

"There was a year where we had terrible blizzards when we were with the previous Master.... At that time there were several humans and snake-headkin who froze to death."

I see... It's a trauma from the previous master huh.

"Tama, Pochi, everyone here is alright okay."

To prove that I got rid of the snow on the viewing deck in an instant, and then filled the flight deck with warm spring atmosphere.
While I was at it, I stopped the blizzard and blew away the cloud outside the airship with the forbidden spell, [Weather Control], letting the sunlight in.

"Lukewarm warm~?"
"Master is really, really amazing nodesu!"

Tama and Pochi smile happily with their whole faces, losing their strength.
Among the girls who are dumbfounded, only Arisa who stares up at me while looking like she's given up.

I clap Arisa's shoulder to tell that's it's her turn.

"Tama! Pochi! After this Arisa-chan will teach you the true way to play with snow!"
"Nyu~?"
"Play with snow nodesu?"
"That's right! The default will be snowball fights and snowman making, but we'll also make a snow hut and eat some warm swe~et Zenzai and Oshiruko!"
"Shiruko~?"
"Are there meat in them nodesu?"
"Well, there's no meat in Oshiruko, maybe we should make Kenchinjiru too? Oden is also nice, but then I'd want sake and beers with it, so make that an exception."

The ways to enjoy a snow country that Arisa cited one after another won Tama and Pochi over.
After confirming that Pochi's tail has begun to swing energetically, Arisa starts to encourage them.

"Are you ready?"
"Aye aye sir~"
"Roger nanodesu!"

Arisa points at the snowfield with a whack.

"Then let's go!"
"Go~"
"Non-stop nanodesu!"

The youth troupe led by Arisa charge at the snowfield where the airship has landed. Together with Nana and Lady Karina.
It seems the snow is new, it's soft so they're buried into it.
Liza seemed to have noticed that, she made use of Magic Armor to create snow-shoes on the sole of her feet and ran with them.

"Let's play around here a bit."

I tell the senior group who are looking at the snowfield and then put down the ramp.

"So this is snow."
"It's cold, it's melting when it touches my finger."

It seems this is Sera's and Princess Shistina's first snow, they're enjoying the snow happily.
Lulu is making snow rabbits together with Zena-san.

I make a lodge that's often in ski resorts beside the airship using magic, and move many frost covered trees in the distant to near the building.
Next, I put a Kotatsu and a potbelly stove magic tools inside the lodge.
Taking the number of people into consideration, I've put a type of Kotatsu table that can accommodate a lot of people.

When I put my legs inside the Kotatsu, it feels like the good old Japanese culture.


◇


"Everyone, thanks for waiting."
"Sweet smell~?"
"Zenzai, nanodesu!"
"Nn, tasty."
"It smells nice isn't it."

Inside the snow hut, I distribute piping hot Zenzai from the heating earthen charcoal brazier to the youth troupe, including Lady Karina.
It's still to early for lunch, so these are just snacks.

"Let's play with the sled after we've eaten this."
"Then Pochi will pull the sled nodesu!"
"Tama too~?"

Arisa who saw the plaything I created earlier made a suggestion to everyone.
Arisa who took a glance at the skis and the snowboards muttered, "To have myself among riajuu even in another world....", please stop lumping enjoyable sports like that.

Looks like Nana is making a snow rabbit statue with mysterious pose together with Zena-san.
There are already snowmen for everyone now. Just how did they make a twintail snowman anyway.

It seems Sera and the princess are not good with cold, they're eating oranges on the Kotatsu inside the lodge.
Liza and Lulu are making Pork Miso Soup for the lunch in the lodge's kitchen.

"Satou-san, what are these boards used for?"

Zena-san who took a break from making the snow statue tilted her head in puzzlement seeing some skis leaned against the lodge.
Apparently there's no skis in Seryuu City.

It seems there's still some time before the youth troupe finish their Zenzai anyway, I'll teach Zena-san how to ski.

"They're tools called skis to practice marching on the snow. They make high-speed movement on the snow possible, so people practice using them since they're children in snow countries."
"U-Um! Can I use them too?"
"Of course you can."

Zena-san took it seriously, perhaps because I told her that it was military training.

After giving her a simple lecture, the two of us began to slide.
I have Zena-san to use flight magic along with it. This place isn't a maintained skiing area after all, so it's an insurance for if anything happens.

"Master, unfair!"
"Mwu"

When the Arisa and Mia saw us sliding on the slope, the two jumped out of the snow hut while carrying a Zenzai bowl on one hand.

"Pochi, Tama, Mia! Let's chase them!"
"Roger nanodesu."
"Aye aye~"
"Nn, pursuit."

They show up with Pochi pulling Arisa's sled and Tama pulling Mia's sled.
They somehow look like children playing train, but they're high-powered sleds equipped with Pochi Tama engine that won't lose to a snowmobile.

Two sleds are chasing us from behind while blowing up spray of snow.
The two's kicking power only blow the snow and there's not much driving force, they're slower than they look.

"Zena-san, the one who gets caught up first lose okay."
"Sa-Satou-san, wait for me."

To enjoy skiing that I haven't been for a long time, I'm not using use any skill or magic at all.
While enjoying the powder snow that won't lose to the one in Niseko, together with Zena-san, we carve skiing traces like dancing. <TLN: Niseko is a mountain range famous for its ski resorts in Hokkaido.>
Since Zena-san is skiing while using flight magic, she looks skillful enough you won't guess that she's a beginner.

"Wait there! I won't permit love elopement!"
"Wait~?"
"Wait~, nanodesu!"
"Too fast."

Arisa whose Pochi-powered sled was becoming pure white from the piled up snow shouted out some incomprehensible thing.
Mia who's in the Tama-powered sled looks a bit pale.

Zena-san who's sliding beside me muttered "love elopement" while blushing.
You've been floating away from the snow surface since a while ago you know?

--Huh?

After an illusion where my legs felt like they were pulled below, my body was thrown out in the air.
Apparently, the snow below became a cliff.

"Satou-san!"

Zena-san earnestly stretches herself and catches my arm.
I can just use Sky Drive, but for this occasion, I'll see the results of Zena-san's flight magic practice.

"Uwaa, nanodesu."
"Uhhyaa"

Pochi and Arisa fell off the cliff.

Arisa [Return Teleport]-ed halfway through along with the sled, but Pochi kept falling.
She probably went out of the magic range.

"Air kick nanodesu."

I saw Pochi kicking the air to decelerate and regain her posture.

"Trifling nanodesu."

Although, right after she took a shupin pose on the ground, she got swallowed up by the snow from above and rolled down on the slope. It's really like Pochi.
I open the map to retrieve her back to where everyone is with Unit Arrangement.

--Oh?

It seems there's a local child on the direction Pochi is going.

『Private Pochi, you've got an urgent directive.』

I pass a directive to Pochi who's currently slipping down the slope magnificently through Telephone magic.
















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