“Aw, I’m so jealous. I wish I could be a kid at Medic Risurisu’s house, too.”
“I don’t remember having any child as big as you,” I said, but I also promised Ulgus I’d bring him leftovers the next day. “We can make grilled meat on the bone with sauce, but what else?”
“Fish!”
Charlotte’s tail and ears were sticking up straight. “I like butterfly tuna!”
A fancy butterfly tuna dish sounded sort of perfect for a celebratory occasion.
“But that would put us a little over our budget.”
“Really? How sad.”
Once he saw Charlotte slump down, Sir Aiskoletta raised his hand.
“If it’s butterfly tuna you want, then I shall capture some for you.”
“What? You know how to fish, Sir Aiskoletta?”
“Absolutely not. But nothing in this world is impossible for the likes of me!”
Yes, he was still a great hero, all right. He boasted that he could do literally anything.
“Okay, then why don’t we make butterfly tuna cutlets?”
As soon as we settled on that, Charlotte broke out into a big grin. Sir Aiskoletta took note of it and nodded, satisfied. They were exactly like a grandpa and granddaughter after spending so much time together.
“We have grilled meat with sauce on the bone and butterfly tuna cutlets. Now we need something sweet for dessert. What does everyone think?” I prompted.
“How about we make a big cake for them too?”
“That sounds great!”
I really wanted to make the couple a three-tiered cake topped with sweet strawberries. But there was just one problem.
“No one sells strawberries or raspberries at this time of year.”
It was too bad. If the party was just one month later, raspberries would have been in season.
But then Sir Aiskoletta raised his hand and made another suggestion. “Perhaps you could procure snowberries.”
“Snowberries? I’ve never heard of those.”
He explained that these were pure white strawberries that grew on snowy mountains, describing them as shockingly sweet and delicious. “They grow on a certain mountain in my territory. I only ever saw them long ago and do not know where they might be lurking now. Would you still like to go out in search of them?”
“Y-Yes, I would!”
“I’ll tag along too.”
“I’d like to join.”
“I wanna go too, but will I slow everyone down?”
“Don’t worry, Charlotte. You have good stamina and better reflexes than me.”
“Then I wanna come!”
We all decided to go out on a snowberry hunt for Garr and Fredrica’s sake…but that was when an unexpected member joined our ranks.
“Don’t forget little ol’ Album!”
I didn’t even realize he was at home with us. He was peeking around a corner, trying to join us in our plans. But Album did have a talent for finding food. He could probably help us hunt for snowberries.
“Then shall we depart in an hour’s time?”
“Okay!”
We needed to dress warmly since our destination was a snowy mountain.
“Ah, what should I do about that?” Ulgus asked.
“I’ll lend you my overcoat, June,” Zara offered.
“Wow, thank you! But I feel like the bottom will drag on the ground if I wear yours, Ahto.”
“It’s no biggie. I don’t mind if you drag it a little.”
“Ah, you don’t?”
I smiled and watched Ulgus and Zara leave, then helped Charlotte prepare too. It was her first time going to a place where monsters might appear.
“Why don’t you wear the thick leather coat you bought recently, Charlotte?”
“Uh-huh, I will.”
I also gave her a knife and rope to protect herself. I didn’t forget to pack nuts and biscuits either, just in case she got separated from us.
“Now you just need a scarf…” Since Album was nearby, I grabbed him and draped him around Charlotte’s neck.
“Wow! Album is soooo warm!”
“Of course I’m warm!”
Charlotte was ready for the mountain now, so next up was Amelia.
“Amelia, we’re going to head to a snowy mountain and harvest snowberries. I’ll get you a scarf and a cape since it will be cold.”
“Kreh!”
I wrapped the scarf I’d spent three whole months making around her neck. Amelia lifted her wings so that I could put on her cape too. Then I dressed her in the special griffin boots sent over by the Royal Mythical Beast Preservation Bureau so her paws wouldn’t get cold.
“That should do it for Amelia.”
Finally, I changed clothes and put on my warmest coat too. I also grabbed the scarf I’d spent a full week knitting. Then I packed a bag with food and gave it to Amelia to carry. Our hour of preparations was over very quickly.
When we regrouped in the garden, everyone was dressed for the peak of winter. Of course, Sir Aiskoletta alone was wearing his suit of armor. He’d simply added a fluffy cape for the occasion.
“Shall we set out?”
A magic circle appeared at our feet—a teleportation spell. The text of the spell glowed slightly and I felt my body float upwards.
“Whoa!”
I was flapping my limbs in the air until Zara grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him.
“Look after Charlotte, June.”
“Ah, right.”
Right when Zara said that, the teleportation spell activated. The scene in front of us switched out in the blink of an eye.
The feeling of suspension disappeared as we landed on the ground.
“Wow!”
A strong gust of wind swiftly knocked me over, sending me tumbling on top of Zara. At least we only crashed into a soft pile of snow.
“You all right, Melly?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Are you?”
“Totally.”
Charlotte, Ulgus, and Amelia seemed to have landed safely too. Album was desperately clinging to Charlotte’s neck so that they wouldn’t get separated.
We’d arrived at a silver mountain absolutely covered in snow. Everywhere I looked there was snow, snow, snow, and more snow. The sky was incredibly cloudy. It wasn’t a blizzard, but the wind was still so strong.
“Bad weather today.” Sir Aiskoletta was muttering under his breath. Perched on his shoulder, Komerv was trying hard not to get blown away by the wind.
“Um, Sir Aiskoletta? Should we call it off for today?” I asked.
“No, this will do.”