“Bwaaaaahchoo!” Nia sneezed, in a very unladylike manner. “Ah! Dammit.”
“Hey, whoa.” Shido reflexively grinned. “You okay there?”
“Not even. How can it be this cold?” Nia pulled her head deeper into the collar of her coat.
This was no wonder at all, however. Guided by the wolf, Shido’s party had passed through hills and fields to arrive at last at the castle town in question. But the moment they’d stepped onto its streets, the season, the weather, and even the time of day had all changed in an instant. White snow covered everything. The sky was already dark, and the streets were illuminated by street lamps. It was a totally different scene from only seconds earlier. This, too, was likely the hallmark of a world where stories mixed.
“Say, boy? You didn’t happen to bring that mascot costume, did you?”
“No. And, like, you’ve got a whole coat at least. Tohka, Yoshino? Are you okay?” Shido asked, and the two nodded at the same time.
“Mm. Nothing serious.”
“Yes. I’m used. To cold.”
Nia sneezed dramatically once more. “…Aaack, dammit. Boy, let’s hurry up and find the girls, and get back to someplace warm already!”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. Umm. The wolf said the scent was coming from that castle, yeah?” Shido turned his gaze toward the large palace visible deeper in the town.
They had parted ways with the wolf at the edge of town, anticipating the commotion that was sure to arise if they marched into town with an enormous canine at their side. In fact, the passersby did send curious glances toward Shido and his party and their strange outfits. Well, he and his friends were very obviously people of a different worldview and nationality, so this was no surprise. But it didn’t make him feel too great.
“At any rate, let’s head for the castle,” he said. “We don’t have any other leads anyway.”
Everyone nodded their agreement, and they started down the main street of the town. After walking for some time, they were nearly at the castle when they stopped.
The reason was simple. There was some kind of fight happening.
“That’s…” Shido squinted and stared. Three girls were facing a man who appeared to be a guard at the gates. It was…
“Kotori! Kaguya! Yuzuru!” he called out the girls’ names, and they all turned around.
“Shido! You’re oka— What’s with the outfits?” Kotori said, screwing her face up dubiously as soon as she saw them.
He smiled as he hurried over to the girls. “So you’re all okay, too, huh? What a relief… So what exactly are you doing?”
“It’s as you witness it.” Kaguya crossed her arms unhappily. “We would peer at this so-called mermaid inside, but…”
“Mermaid?” Shido asked with a frown.
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “A rare beast that is said to cry out ‘Darling, darling.’”
Sweat beaded on Shido’s forehead as he produced a pained smile. This was extremely persuasive.
“This guardsman, however, refuses us.”
“Dissatisfaction. He is saying that we may not enter the palace.”
“Of course not!” the guard said, a stern look on his face. “Today is the ball, a day when our peerless nobility gather in the palace. I could never allow in such a ragged bunch as yourselves!”
“What say you? You dare to declare that you are unseeing of the authority that our bodies do exude?!”
“Wrath. Only the lowest of the low would judge the worth of a person solely on the basis of their clothes.”
“Shut your traps! And now some new stragglers come wandering along! Not just ragamuffins, but entirely suspicious! Enough! Be gone, the lot of ye! Else I’ll toss you in the dungeon!” The guard’s voice grew rougher, and he waved his hands to chase them away. Apparently, the arrival of Shido and his party had stoked his doubts… Well, that made sense, though.
“Doesn’t look like we’re gonna be getting into the palace like this,” Shido groaned.
“Still, we can’t just walk away,” Kotori said. “Should we sneak in?”
“No. The faster means would be rendering him unconscious.”
“Praise. That is an excellent proposal.”
Kotori and the Yamai sisters tossed around ideas, evil looks on their faces, and the guard’s expression grew even more severe.
“I can hear every word you say, you brats! Ehhh, I’m not taking any more of this. You’re all—” The guard cut himself short and gaped, his eyes as wide as saucers, as a carriage raced up to the gates.
“Hm…?” Shido looked back and understood the reason for the look on the guard’s face.
An exquisite vehicle ran along the main street drawn by white horses with gleaming coats. The carriage itself glittered brightly, bathed in the light of the streetlamps. It was like something straight out of a dream. The Spirits were momentarily speechless, dazzled by the fantastical sight.
The focus of all attention now was the carriage up in front of the palace. The driver reverently opened the door, and a woman stepped out wearing a dress that radiated light as if embedded with precious gems, and with a face that was no less radiant. Breathtaking glass shoes sparkled on her feet. Her appearance was so sublime that the guard, the nearby ball guests, and the passersby all gasped.
“…Wait.” Only Shido—and his friends from the outside world—responded a bit differently.
She was indeed beautiful. It was truly no wonder she captured the eye. But before all that, this woman was…
“Natsumi?!”
One of the Spirits who had been sucked into this world together with Shido and the others.
“Oh my, Shido. And the ladies,” Natsumi said, a gentle smile rising up on her face. “How do you do?”
However, this both was and wasn’t Natsumi. She had a tall, slender body and silky hair. It was very clearly Natsumi after the power of Haniel had transformed her.
“Wh-what’s going on, Natsumi?” Kotori asked. “You look— You weren’t actually able to use your Angel, were you?”
“Mm-mm.” Natsumi quietly shook her head. “This witch came and turned me into this. Hee-hee, look at these glass shoes. Aren’t they pretty?” She twirled on the spot, making her dress flare up around her.