We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A bear!
The Earth Spirit, summoned by Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan, blew away a giant rock!
However, even after the large rock was gone, all that was visible was a bare rock slope, and there was no cave entrance anywhere.
“Hmm, so that’s how it is.”
Alicia-chan smiled cheerfully at Momo-chan, who stubbornly refused their intrusion with sheer will.
“Priscilla, are you ready?”
“Hmm, leave it to me!”
The Mimicho sisters gave their next instructions to the Earth Spirit.
The Earth Spirit let out a groan.
Then, it began slamming its fist, like a boulder, into the slope.
With heavy thuds, dull impacts echoed deep within the mountain range.
As the Earth Spirit’s heavy consecutive blows dug into the slope, the rocky surface gradually chipped away.
“Go!”
“Heave ho!”
In response to Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan’s shouts, the Earth Spirit gained momentum.
And finally, Momo-chan’s barrier was broken.
The rocky surface collapsed with the force of a mudslide. Then, a gaping hole appeared in the slope.
“It’s small, isn’t it?”
Ruiseine crouched down.
The cave entrance, which had finally revealed itself, was only large enough to require crouching to enter.
“If the entrance were large, it would be too conspicuous.”
After all, they couldn’t create a new dwelling in a place that was already known.
No matter how much they hid the entrance, if someone suspected “There was a cave here, right?”, it would defeat the purpose.
That’s why we searched various places in the mountain range last year and finally found this spot.
Originally, it was a cave that opened quietly behind a large rock.
However, just a moment ago, or rather, just before, Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan went on a rampage, turning it into a conspicuous hole like this!
“Spirit, please process the entrance so it’s not conspicuous.”
When I asked, the Earth Spirit nodded silently and brought the large rock it had blown away.
“Alright, then, let’s depart for exploration!”
“Hooh!”
No, it’s not exploration.
It’s clearly an illegal intrusion into Momo-chan’s residence!
Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan entered the cave through the small entrance with cute determination.
Elnea and I followed suit, exchanging bitter smiles.
The inside of the cave was completely dark.
Then, Priscilla-chan summoned a Light Spirit.
“Wow. Priscilla, you’re amazing, aren’t you?”
“Hmph!”
Praise from her beloved older sister made Priscilla-chan puff out her chest happily.
We proceeded through the cave, illuminated by the Light Spirit, while crouching.
Then, the ceiling suddenly became high.
“The narrow part is only near the entrance, isn’t it?”
I nodded in response to Ruiseine’s question.
Unlike the entrance area where we had to crouch, after proceeding a little, the ceiling became high enough to jump around freely. Moreover, the width also greatly increased.
“Amazing! I can’t believe there’s a stalactite cave here.”
Alicia-chan exclaimed as she looked around.
From the ceiling illuminated by the light, several sharp, smooth rocks like icicles hung down.
Transparent drops dripped from the tips of the stone icicles.
“Whoa! It’s cold!”
Priscilla-chan, catching the falling water drops with her small hands, giggled with delight.
“It’s a fantastic landscape. And it’s not cold at all.”
Although white breath puffed out, it was significantly warmer than outside the blizzard-swept cave.
“It doesn’t get that cold no matter how much it blizzards outside, and the water flowing on the ground is clean. It’s surprisingly comfortable.”
The ground underfoot was wet from the dripping water.
As we proceeded further, small streams formed in the cracks of the rocky surface, and in some places, they turned into springs so deep you couldn’t see the bottom.
We carefully advanced, listening to my explanations.
After all, the wet floor was slippery.
It was difficult to stop Priscilla-chan from wanting to run around the spacious stalactite cave.
“Momo-chan is further in here, isn’t she?”
“You know, Priscilla wants to see her soon!”
If Momo-chan were a Great Eagle created by magic, everyone would have seen her. But of the entourage, only Elnea and Nimia had ever seen Momo-chan herself.
What kind of person could she be, Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan wondered, holding hands as they walked while their imaginations ran wild.
“Fufufu.”
Then, Ruiseine also took my hand and started walking.
“Reporting to Mist Older Sister, nyan.”
“Oh my, oh my, Nimia-chan. I’ll give you delicious treats later, so please keep it a secret, okay?”
“Understood, nyan.”
“I’ve been bribed!”
As expected of Ruiseine, she knows how to handle Nimia.
I definitely wouldn’t have been able to bribe her.
We proceeded through the cave, looking up at the mystically undulating ceiling and peering into deep springs. Priscilla-chan, after slipping twice and falling on her bottom, still made good progress, excitedly touching the trickling waterfalls.
“Elnea-kun. Is Momo-chan’s residence further in?”
I wrung my neck, pondering Ruiseine’s question.
“Ah!”
Alicia-chan, who had been watching, rushed to my side with a whoosh.
“Could it be that Alicia and the others have fallen into Momo-chan’s trap again!?”
Oh, you’re quite perceptive.
In fact, if we continue through the stalactite cave without incident, we’ll end up at the exit on the other side.
I wanted to surprise everyone without saying anything, though.
“Nyan.”
Nimia also hadn’t pointed anything out until now. This means, like me, she was planning to surprise everyone.
“Mmm, mmm. There must be a hidden side path somewhere. Alright, Priscilla, let’s try hard to find it!”
“Hmm, let’s find Momo-chan!”
Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan began to retrace their steps, believing there must have been a side path leading to Momo-chan’s residence along the way.
And this time, they walked carefully, touching the walls and meticulously checking suspicious areas.
“Fufufu, this looks like fun.”
“Ruiseine, will you join us?”
“Yes, I think so. Since we’re here, I’d like to enjoy it too.”
Ruiseine, also full of curiosity, joined the search for Momo-chan’s residence.
Now, I wonder if the three of them will be able to find the hidden side path safely.
After all, their opponent is Momo-chan, a grand sorceress.
Just like the cave entrance, the immediate trap is impossible to see through.
As expected, the three, who initially searched with enthusiasm, gradually wore expressions of distress.
“Uuuuh. Older Brother, can you give me a clue?”
Priscilla-chan, her eyes welling up, clung to my leg.
“Priscilla-chan, are you giving up?”
“You know, Priscilla wants to play with Momo-chan a lot. But does Momo-chan dislike Priscilla?”
It seemed she thought Momo-chan didn’t want to see her because she disliked her.
“No, that’s not true. It’s just that Momo-chan is shy.”
After all, this is a trap to prevent intruders from discovering her whereabouts. No matter if the opponent is the Demon Lord, it’s designed to be absolutely impossible to find.
Even for the wise Alicia-chan, finding it without any clues is not easy. In fact, it might be impossible.
However, I couldn’t let Priscilla-chan look sad any longer, and I couldn’t keep it a secret like this. So, from now on, guided by Nimia, we proceeded through the stalactite cave.
I walked carefully, not to slip, while carrying Priscilla-chan, who was complaining of tiredness.
Nimia, flying a little ahead, suddenly began to circle.
“There’s a side path from here, nyan.”
But where she indicated, there was only a wall.
“It’s a magic trick again, hiding the wall.”
With that, Alicia-chan summoned the Earth Spirit.
However, the moment the Earth Spirit braced itself, the stalactite cave wall disappeared, and a new hole suddenly appeared.
“It seems Momo-chan has given up too.”
“She probably thought it was better to guide us honestly than to have us rampage around the stalactite cave.”
It seems Momo-chan’s resolve also broke down against Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan’s passion.
“Momo-chan, wait for us!”
With Nimia, who had guided them, perched on her head, Alicia-chan proceeded deeper into the side path.
We followed Alicia-chan.
Then, the quality of the air changed.
Or rather, the smell changed.
“It has a slightly unsanitary smell, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does.”
A pungent smell, like sweat. And also a musty, dusty smell.
It’s the kind of smell that comes from an unsanitary living environment.
Nevertheless, we proceeded down the side path.
The path beyond was also a stalactite cave. The ceiling was high, and the width was considerable.
The Light Spirit, illuminating the surroundings along with Alicia-chan, suddenly stopped.
“There’s someone… in the back.”
Just beyond the reach of the light. Behind a large icicle extending from the ground to the ceiling, something was moving.
“Whoa! It’s Momo-chan!”
“Found Momo-chan!”
Priscilla-chan jumped out of my arms.
Alicia-chan, raising her hands happily, also charged towards the moving shadow.
“Both of you!”
They didn’t even consider that it might be a monster!
But their assumption was not mistaken.
Perhaps surprised by the two Mimicho rushing towards her, the hidden shadow moved as if to escape.
But once its form was revealed, it was over.
Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan, activating Spatial Jump, closed in on the shadow in an instant.
And then, they hugged it tightly.
“Gyaaaah.”
“Momo-chaaan…? A bear?”
“Hmm, it smells?”
Convinced it was Momo-chan, the two of them hugged her.
However, as the figure emerged from behind the icicle and was illuminated by the Light Spirit, not only Alicia-chan and Priscilla-chan, but also Ruiseine tilted their heads in confusion.
It looked like a bear!
Covered in brown fur, large hands and feet with sharp claws were noticeable.
However, the head of the bear was unnaturally hanging forward.
And for good reason…
“Gugigi…”
The bear wriggled as it tried to escape the unsolicited embrace of Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan.
Then, the unnaturally drooping head moved with a slither.
For a moment it looked as if the bear’s head had been ripped off by their embrace!
But behind the shifted head, a new head appeared.
A much smaller and slenderer woman’s head than the bear’s.
“Hur…ts. He…lp.”
“Whoa! You’re wearing a bear stuffed animal!”
“Priscilla, no. This is fur.”
“Hmm, it’s cute. But, it smells?”
Momo-chan struggled, flailing about. However, she couldn’t escape the embrace of Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan.
And the Mimicho sisters, still hugging her, observed Momo-chan.
Upon calmer observation, it became clear.
Compared to the bear’s fur, Momo-chan was too slender and small.
That’s why the bear’s head drooped, and its arms and legs, lined with sharp claws, dangled limply.
“Fufufu. It seems that woman is Momo-chan herself. However, this smell…”
Ruiseine also seemed to have realized that the bear was Momo-chan.
“Like when we first met, Momo-chan usually wears animal skins.”
Technically, she was wearing coarse cloth underneath the fur.
However, for Momo-chan, who lives hidden deep in the mountains, opportunities to obtain woven cloth products are virtually nonexistent.
As a result, in winter, she inevitably has to wear animal skins for warmth.
And Momo-chan, who is close to a wild child, has almost no concept of tidiness or maintaining cleanliness.
The bear fur she must have worn for a long time has likely never been washed, and Momo-chan’s own hair is disheveled, and her face is dirty.
The reason the back of the side path has an unsanitary smell, and Momo-chan smells, is because she doesn’t usually pay attention to hygiene.
“Oh my, oh my. It’s not good for a woman of marriageable age. That’s right! Let’s take a bath from now on!”
Thinking she had a good idea, Ruiseine clapped her hands and smiled.
