Interlude: The Great Adventure of Yatogami – Part 1

――Mount Edelgius.

My backpack was stuffed full, and I was completely prepared.

What I was doing, you ask? I was getting ready to embark on a grand adventure to obtain a present for Satou.

Ashros had desperately tried to stop me, but because Roze and Isabella were accompanying me, I was granted special permission.

Even though I’ve grown up now, Ashros’s overprotectiveness is truly a hassle.

Well, permission was granted and preparations were complete. Then it’s time to depart!

I squared my shoulders, slung my backpack over, and left the house.

“Milady, please be careful and avoid danger. Also, don’t cause trouble for Rose-sama or Isabella-san.”

“I know! And how could I possibly cause trouble? Rather, I intend to take care of them! Nuhahaha!”

“…Later, I’ll have a proper talk with you. If I find out you caused trouble, I’ll have to report it to Master.”

“I told you it’s fine! Ashros, you worry far too much! Now, I’m off!”

Leaving a glum-faced Ashros behind, I set out from Mount Edelgius.

At the base of the mountain, Roze and Isabella were already waiting. Roze yawned, looking thoroughly sleepy.

“Thanks for coming! —Though, Rose, why do you look so sleepy? We’re about to start a grand adventure!”

“…It’s just early in the morning. Plus, laziness won.”

“Hmm! Rose, book-loving as you are, you dislike adventures! If you went on adventures yourself, books would be even more interesting!”

“…I don’t get it. Imagining things in a book is fun; I don’t want to actually do it myself.”

“Where’s your sense of romance! Isabella, aren’t you excited?”

“Nope. It’s annoying. I only came because Ashros asked me to, so I had no choice.”

“Ugh…! Both of you, really! The adventure’s just starting!”

Honestly, both Isabella and Rose were a disappointment!

I wanted to scold them, but there’s no time for that now.

Once the adventure begins, surely they’ll start enjoying themselves.

Believing that, I shook off my disappointment and pressed onward.

“…Hey Yato, where are we going?”

“This time, our destination is Lake Raja! In winter, the lake freezes, and there’s a cave in the center that we can enter. It’s said that treasure sleeps there!”

“Lake Raja… isn’t that where the Death Frogs are? I don’t want to go if there are frog-type monsters.”

“…I can’t handle frogs either.”

“During winter, they won’t be there! Let’s move out quickly!”

I dragged along the two complainers, heading toward Lake Raja.

Honestly, I wanted to transform into my dragon form and fly there in one leap, but exhausting my energy before exploring the cave would be dangerous.

To conserve stamina, we chose to walk.

After a night of camping and a full day of walking, Lake Raja finally came into view.

“Whoa! Finally, Lake Raja is in sight!”

“We’ve finally arrived… It was so cold, the worst.”

“…I thought I might die last night.”

“You’re not going to die that easily! More importantly, this is Lake Raja! I expected more… excitement from you!”

They had been sulking the whole way, ruining the thrill of the adventure.

Shaking off my frustration, I approached the lake to check how frozen it was.

“Whoa, it’s rock solid! We can walk across the lake!”

“…It really is frozen. Well, I guess that’s expected with this cold.”

“It’s so cold that there’s almost no life around, not even monsters. I thought Yato might have been exaggerating.”

“I don’t lie! Let’s hurry to the cave!”

Inwardly grumbling at them, I was also shivering from the cold.

Inside the cave should be warmer, so I wanted to get in quickly.

However, the cave wasn’t visible from here, and I had no idea how far we had to walk.

The lake’s open view hides the cave, which means it’s still quite a distance away.

“…I can’t see anything. Is there really a cave?”

“Walking on the lake is a little fun, but… so far, it’s just cold. If there’s no cave, it’ll be a wasted trip.”

“The rumors said it exists, so it should be fine! …Probably.”

“…That ‘probably’ is what worries me most. Yato, you secretly want to turn back, don’t you?”

“Th-That’s not true! I won’t return until I find the present for Satou!”

Rose’s sharp remark reignited my determination.

But walking on ice numbed my feet almost completely.

At this point, there’s no turning back.

Suppressing the urge to cry, I kept pushing my feet forward—and then, something appeared in the distance.

Considering we were still on the lake, that was undoubtedly the cave!

My spirit, which had almost broken, reignited, and I hurried toward the cave.