Rike and Diana were keeping Anne in check, leaving Samya and me safe from her attacks, but the moment we breathed a sigh of relief after dodging Helen’s attack, one of Anne’s snowballs would come flying our way. My daughters were also doing their best to hurl snowballs, but they couldn’t match our speed. Krul and Lucy ran across the ground while Maribel and Hayate flew through the air, dodging the occasional snowball that came their way. Their swift and elegant movements implied that they were dodging with ease. The four of them were squealing and laughing while running across the ground or flying through the sky. That alone made this whole suggestion worth it.
In any case, the match went on. We were ten—maybe twenty—minutes into the game. I managed to dodge one of Helen’s snowballs that’d come right after Anne’s attack. But then...
Thump! I felt something hit my back and realized it was snow. But I dodged both Helen’s and Anne’s attacks...
Confused, I turned around and locked eyes with a smiling Lidy. She’d completely concealed her presence until now so she could sneak up on me and aim for the perfect opportunity. I raised both arms in the air to surrender and left the field as I mulled over who exactly was most terrifying if angered.
The match went on for a good while. In the end, Samya and Helen were the only ones remaining, along with my four daughters. Technically, our daughters had infinite lives in this game (they had already gotten hit by snowballs and were just in it to play around). The two players who remained were running across the snow with astonishing speed while throwing snowballs at each other. Their precise movements reminded me of TAS back on Earth—also known as a “tool-assisted speedrun”—which was programmed to complete video games faster and with more precision than any human player. I guess some people can really push the limits.
“Let’s go!” Maribel ordered.
“Kululu!”
The spirit rode atop Krul’s back, and Krul rushed forward. Maribel hurled the snowballs as far as she could. Krul’s speed combined with Maribel’s precision allowed the pair to evade Samya’s snowballs while heading straight for Helen. The Lightning Strike was currently in a less than ideal position. If I’d been in her shoes, I definitely would’ve been struck by a snowball or two...or I would’ve tripped disastrously. But of course, that wasn’t the case with Helen. I had no idea what kind of footwork she used, but she managed to just barely dodge the snowballs while regaining her position.
Samya was just as nimble. She skillfully dodged Helen’s and Lucy’s attacks, and also those of Hayate, who threw snow from the air. Every time the two players dodged, they received a thunderous round of applause. This was a very interesting match—one worth watching. I truly think so, but... I had to call a short break for now since we were in a deadlock. We could have another match before lunch, and if people still wanted to play, a match after lunch.
We ended up doing two matches after lunch, but we had to call it quits there because everyone barring Helen was absolutely exhausted.
“Guess it’s tough—even for you, Samya,” I said.
She was lying down on the terrace, exhausted, and she waved at me. It seemed she was too tired to even speak. Steam rose from her body, making it apparent that she’d exerted herself quite a bit. In fact, everyone was steaming and exhausted, barring me. Once again (or for all four matches, really), I had gotten hit and been forced out early on. I was already cold from the air. Even Diana had removed a few of her fluffy layers because she’d gotten too warm after all the exercise.
“Don’t stay out in the cold for too long,” I warned.
Everyone replied languidly.
“Speaking of which, she didn’t come,” Lidy remarked. She’d been knocked out right after me during each game, so she’d already caught her breath.
“Huh? Who didn’t come?” I asked.
“Lluisa.”
“Ah...”
We’d taken a long break for lunch and been playing around for quite a while. Normally, Lluisa would’ve suddenly appeared and pondered which team to join. At the very least, she would’ve asked if she could stay and watch us play.
“She seems like a busy lady,” I said. “She’s the master of this forest, after all.”
“She frequents the hot spring quite a bit, though,” Lidy replied.
“Oh yeah, she did mention something like that.”
Ever since we’d built the hot spring facility, Lluisa had been visiting often. Someone in our family would report back if they bathed with her—the dryad apparently frequented the hot spring. Would someone like her miss something this fun? I find that hard to believe. Admittedly, these thoughts were a bit rude toward the forest’s master.
“I hope she’s all right...” I murmured.
And I hope that I didn’t jinx myself. To be a bit more ominous, I had an eerie feeling—a premonition of sorts.
Suddenly, there was a gust of cold wind, and Lluisa appeared out of nowhere. Everyone who was lying down immediately sat up, though they didn’t jump to their feet. Lluisa’s usual serene expression was gone, and her solemn appearance made me turn just as stern with concern.
“Sorry for the sudden pop-in, Eizo,” Lluisa said.
“I don’t mind,” I replied. Clearly, she wasn’t bringing any good news. I straightened my posture as I prepared to listen to her story. “Looks like you’re not here for anything pleasant,” I said. I noticed that everyone had gathered around me to listen in.
Lluisa nodded. “I suppose you can say that.”
She placed a finger on her chin, but her tone was more casual than I’d expected. At the very least, it seemed there wasn’t any pressing danger on our doorstep. I doubt the clapper traps will be useful in the snow. It was harder for us to hear them, and if snow piled on top, the weight would prevent the clappers from moving. I heard that snow doesn’t get this high very often, but maybe I should think of a solution.
Suddenly, Lluisa gestured at Maribel. The fire spirit tilted her head to one side and glanced at me. I nodded back. As the master of the forest, Lluisa likely wouldn’t do anything that would anger us, the strongest fighting force around this area. And if she had to do something, it involved the future of this forest. I planned on offering her my cooperation as much as possible.
Maribel floated in the air and gingerly approached Lluisa. For a moment, I thought that I saw the faintest of smiles on the dryad’s lips. Maybe she just wanted to observe the new life that had been born here. But her face soon turned stern.
“You’re the one who was born here recently, aren’t you?” Lluisa asked.