The Kalbitaurus family saved me.
As we descended the endless snowfield, the building we were aiming for finally came into view. The three Kalbitauruses, unbothered by the deep snow, continued to forge ahead.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes, somehow. You’re really used to this, aren’t you?”
“Well, that’s part of it, but our hooves are flat, so we don’t sink in.”
Oh, I see. It’s like wearing snowshoes. For those who don’t know, snowshoes are shoe-like items made flat to make it easier to walk on snow. The wide surface area prevents sinking.
The village, covered in snow, was eerily silent. Warm light spilled from the buildings. Anywhere would do, I just wanted to be let in. I had lost all feeling in my feet. Naturally, the cold snow had seeped in and gotten everything wet. I might already be getting frostbite.
“D-Do you have anywhere we can stay, a-anywhere?”
“Yes, we do. But I wonder if we can fit this many people. I hope there aren’t any other guests. Please wait here for a moment while I check.”
Dander visited one of the houses. When he knocked on the door, a woman soon appeared. I had been told this was a Flower Harpy village, so naturally, the inhabitants were harpies. However, although she was supposed to be of the same race as Piyo, she had a much softer appearance. Her most striking feature was the chest hair that protruded from her clothes. It looked as if it had all been taken from a pillow and attached. Her legs were also furry, like boots. Her overall color was pale, fitting for someone living in a cold region.
The woman looked at me over Dander’s shadow. When I lightly bowed my head, she came outside.
“So that’s what they meant by a large group. To come to a place like this so thinly dressed… Come this way, the inn is available.”
We were grateful and decided to follow the woman. In the lobby of the old wooden inn, there was an equally aged fireplace. She quickly threw in some firewood and lit it. Lauren immediately took the best spot in front of it.
“Ah, ah, ah~ you saved me~”
“Hey, Spider Woman, move aside, you’re huge!”
“Karubene, don’t you have any sake?”
“It’s all gone, gyahhh!”
Despite Karubene’s efforts, he was kicked in the hind legs.
“Thank you very much. My name is Hiroaki.”
“Nice to meet you. I had heard reports, but you look different up close. I’m sorry, I don’t mean any offense. I am Lealo, and I serve as the head of guard for the Guard Wings here.”
Guard Wings, if I recall correctly, was the name of the Flower Harpy’s escort squad. She looked quite young, but she must be skilled. While she spoke gently, a hint of suspicion glinted in her eyes. She seemed to be sizing us up.
“I see. I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. By the way, where is this on the map?”
“Uh, it’s about here. Did you get stranded?”
“Something like that.”
What Lealo pointed to was far north of the forest where giants were said to live. Well, even with warp magic, it must have been difficult to set precise locations. I had to be grateful that they sent me to the north at all.
“I actually wanted to meet the giants who live here.”
“Ah, I see. In that case, you’ll have to head south.”
“Have you met them before?”
“Yes, several times. They come by occasionally to trade.”
Hmm, from what I heard, they don’t sound like bad people. It seems they do interact with other races after all.
“But not in those clothes. Stay here for a while.”
“Thank you, we will.”
Everyone, including myself, was quite exhausted. First, we needed to deal with this cold. When I took off my shoes, my feet, cold as ice and red, were revealed. Even warming them by the fire wouldn’t help much.
Then, Lealo brought some snow from outside, put it in a pot, and began to heat it on the fireplace.
“When it boils, soak your feet in it. If you leave them like this, frost injuries will worsen, and you might lose your toes. Also, dry yourselves.”
With that, she lent us towels. Pauline was helping Nina dry her long body.
“Haaah, I thought I was going to die. I hate this place. I’d rather be in the desert.”
“Yes, it’s quite troublesome. The only good thing about it is the water, perhaps.”
Philiana furrowed her brow as she dried herself. Beside her, Karubene sprawled unceremoniously on a large sofa.
“Geez, it’s one disaster after another, isn’t it? First, we were attacked by werewolves, then I was transformed, and now we’re being tortured by snow.”
He chuckled and looked at Veronica.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing. I just thought you looked cute as a man. I thought you had turned back into a fifteen-year-old.”
Everyone suddenly fell silent at this remark. He knew that and brought it up on purpose. Was he trying to get revenge now?
“Forget it.”
“Hey, you said if you were going to hold me, you wanted to do it in my female form, right? Aren’t you going to hold me? I’m waiting, you know.”
“I never said that.”
“Liar, how cruel! But, were you really okay with that, the ideal version of yourself?”
That’s true. She had said she was fine remaining a man. In fact, she even preferred it.
“It was… somewhat unsettling.”
This time, Veronica’s gaze shifted to Philiana.
