Kays Translations

Chapter 240: The Snow Spirit

　I invited Nero and Lelie to join me for tea. At first they were both reserved, but it was lonely eating alone. So I asked for the impossible. And with my brothers gone, no problem.

　The turtle left in a hurry after being handed over the magic potion. Apparently, there are some spirits who are really in danger. I gave him some potions to restore magic power, so I hope that will help out.

“After all, when you’ve consumed all your magic, there’s nothing better than something sweet.”

“I thought my heart would stop.”

　Lelie gives a small nod to Nero’s words. It seemed that I had caused her a great deal of worry. I apologized repeatedly and promised that I would try to avoid such a situation in the future. They both seemed dissatisfied, though. There are times when a man has to do what he has to do.

“So Julius-sama can make magic potions without any tools.”

“Yes, well, I can. It is a very special method that I can’t show to anyone.”

“It’s amazing!”

　Lelie, who had regained her good mood after eating the sweet and tasty cake, said so with a twinkle in her eyes. Was she interested in the magic potion or in me? Is it the latter?　If so, I have a bit of a mixed feeling. As you can imagine, I can’t teach the “laboratory” skill. It is too special a skill in this world.

　After the three of us had tea for a while, everyone returned.

“Julius, have you finished making the potion yet?”

“Yes, I’m done. I gave it to the Spirit of the lake. He took it and took off right away, though.”

“I see. The spirit of the lake must be busy too.”

　Brother Alex laughed, but his expression was somewhat relieved. I’m sure he thinks it was a mistake. I think so, too. It would have been better if it had been in its previous “just like a turtle’’ appearance.

“I thought it wouldn’t be possible to leave tomorrow, but it looks like it’ll be fine.”

“Yes. There’s no problem. Please proceed as planned.”

“I’ll do that. There is still time today, so you should go out too, Julius.”

“Then I’ll take Nero and Lelie with me.”

　The three of us went out together to apologize for the trouble we had caused. Of course, an escort knight was following behind.

　The next day, the innkeepers saw us off. I really wanted to relax a little more, but I had no choice.

“Oh, it’s starting to snow.”

　As I casually looked out of the carriage, I saw something white and fluffy falling from the sky. The amount of snow was still a trickle, but it definitely signaled the arrival of winter.

　My brother Alex and sister-in-law Daniela were looking out the window at the sound of my voice.

“It’s strange. Seems a little early for snow to be falling.”

“Is that so?”

　Sister-in-law Daniela, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, looks worried. Maybe this winter will be harsh?　If so, we’ll need a lot of firewood in the territorial capital. They will also have to sell a lot of cold and hot air blowers. I’ll also have to prepare some magic stones to move the magical tools.

　As for firewood, we should be fine. I’ve done a lot of hard work to prepare firewood for this year. I am sure father is steadily preparing the firewood by now.

“I don’t think so, but we need to get to the capital before the snow blocks the road. I wonder if it snows more north than here?”

　Apparently, my brother is concerned that the city road will be blocked by the unexpected snowfall. Judging from his reaction, it seems that snowfall at this time of the year is unexpected. Is that so? We left the royal capital earlier than the other nobles in order to avoid being stopped by the snow-covered roads.

　A little anxious, we continued onward. The snow continued to fall until we reached the next inn town. The advance party ahead of us reported that the snow had not yet piled up. Not yet, huh? Would it pile up from now on?

　At the dinner table, snow was the topic of conversation.

“if the snow gets any stronger, we may not be able to go on.”

“If that were to happen, we would be stranded in the town ahead, right?”

“Yes, but none of the towns ahead of us are big enough. It would be difficult for this number of people to stay there for long.”

　That’s not good. If it snows, at least distribution will be disrupted. Then food and firewood would not be easily available. The burden on the town would be immeasurable if they had to supplement such a large number of people. The next day arrived with these concerns in mind.

　The next day was a complete change from yesterday, and the weather was nice. There was no snow. More than that, it felt noticeably warmer than yesterday..

“Something seems off.”

“That’s certainly true.”

　Brother Cain and sister-in-law Meeka also seemed to have noticed that something was wrong. Brother Alex and sister-in-law were also tilting their heads. The knights and servants who were staying at the same inn looked somewhat relieved.

“Didn’t it just happen that the cold air came down here yesterday?”

　In the world I came from, it was common for cold weather to fall even before the winter season officially began. So, I tried to simply write it off the situation as something similar happened in this world, but apparently it wasn’t so easy in this world.

“Does that mean, Julius, that the snow spirit has come down to this area?”

“Yes?　No, no, nothing like that. It just means that the cold air in the north must have come down to this area, not that the spirit of snow has come or anything. ……”

　At that moment, a knight rushed, perfect timing.

“Oh, I have a report. The Snow Spirit is here. He would like to express his gratitude to Julius-sama.”

　All eyes were on me. No, I don’t like it when people look at me like that, like, “Are you the cause of this?” I’m innocent. Even if I am the cause, I want to claim that I am innocent.

　I hurriedly got up from my seat and headed to the location I was guided to. My brothers were following me from behind.

　There was a turtle walking on two legs at the entrance of the inn I was guided to. This time the turtle is wearing a white mask. I heard a faint voice from behind me, “eek”. Was it my sisters-in-law? As expected, the figure of a man wearing only a loincloth is a bit.*

“Um, are you the snow spirit?”

“How very good. I am the Snow Spirit. I have come today to thank my friend Julius.”

　Jeez!　Before I knew it, I’ve  become friends with the snow spirit!

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