Chapter 94 – Hippolius was strong against the cold

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When we were finished eating, Fio and I helped Ije with cleaning up.
Behind me, Hippolius and the wolf cubs were playing happily.
And Shiro watched over them.

It felt as if Hippolius had become more childish after shrinking

And so I left the children to Shiro, and washed the plates.
While working, I asked Ije,

“Ije. Is there anything that you need?”
“Need?”
“It can be anything. Though, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it.”

If there was something that would make life more comfortable, I would like to provide it.

“Hmm.”
Ije thought about it with a serious expression.

“Hmm. Something need…”
Next to Ije, Fio also thought about it.

Ije and Fio’s tails moved slowly as if they were in sync.
And then Hippolius and the wolf cubs started to play with the tails.

“Is there anything that you need, Fio?”
“Hmm… Clothes!”
“Clothes, huh?”

If I was being honest, making clothes with the crafting skill was difficult.
As were shoes.
It was not impossible, but an actual tailor would be able to make something more comfortable to wear.
Still, if I tried very hard, I should be able to make something that was decent.

However, the clothes that Fio was wearing now were from Kelly, and they were of high quality.
I didn’t think I could make something that was the same standard.

“Yes! Clothes! Winter is cold!”

Fio said with an enthusiastic tail wag.
This excited Hippolius and the wolf cubs even more.

“Ah, indeed. Winters around here are supposed to be quite severe.”

While the clothes Kelly gave were high in quality, they may not be as warm in the winter.
I thought this, but…
“Yes! Hippo smooth!”
Fio said as she picked up Hippolius gently.

“Smooth!”
“Kyuo?”

Apparently, Fio was worried about Hippolius, who had no fur.

“I see. Perhaps I should make clothes for Hippolius as well then.”
“Kyuo?”

Now that Hippolius was small, making clothes would be easy.
However, it would be very difficult to find enough materials to make clothes for Hippolius in its original size.

“Hmm. If Hippolius is large, then I don’t know if we can gather enough materials for clothes.”

As I said such things, Kelly, who had been working nearby, approached us.

“Being bigger means being stronger to the cold. So it might be better to prioritize its small form.”
“Is that so?”
“If they are closely related species, animals that inhabit colder regions tend to grow larger in general.”
“…Now that you mention it…”

In general, the demon bears and demon wolves I fought in colder regions tended to be larger and strong than those in hot regions.

“There are possible explanations about that… The larger the body, the smaller the surface area is in relation to their weight.”
“Hmm?”
“There is a theory that suggests the amount of heat generated is proportional to body weight, while the amount of heat dissipated is proportional to the surface area. Therefore, it
is believed that larger bodies have greater resistance to cold.”
“I see…”
“But there is the tail. It’s big…”

Kelly said as she touched Hippolius’s tail.
Hippolius’s tail was thick and long.

“Kyuo?”
“Smaller ears and tails release less heat, and so are stronger to the cold.”
“Yes, the hippos that live in warm regions tend to have shorter tails.”
“Mmm. There are those with short tails in hot regions. Well, Hippolius is not a hippo, but a sea hippo.”

Kelly said as she petted Hippolius’s tail and ears.
Previously, Hippolius had not liked it when Kelly tried to inspect its tail, but it was quiet now as Fio held it.

“Theo. While I’m curious about Hippolius’s life and habits, right now, I think it best to create clothes for small Hippolius before winter.”
“I see. That I can do.”
“Hippolius lived in the sea. According to the climatologist, the currents were cold, so the sea water was cool even during the summer. Isn’t that right?”

Kelly asked the climatologist who was nearby.

“Yes. It is as Professor Kelly says.”

The climatologist was young, still in his twenties. But very bright.
There were rumors that he came from a rich family.
And he was always very polite when he spoke.
Victor was also born as a noble. Perhaps they spoke politely because they were raised well.

They could be very different from the rest of us Adventurers, who were commoners.

“And so I think that Hippolius must be very strong against the cold.”
“Kyuo!”

Hippolius thought that it was being praised, and so it looked at us smugly and wagged its tail.

“That’s impressive, Hippolius.”

And so I just praised Hippolius anyway.

“Cold currents. So the sea is cool here during the Summer?”

Asked a young Adventurer who was nearby.

“Indeed. Even during the Summer, it would be best to not spend too much time swimming and playing.”
“…I see.”

The Adventurer looked disappointed.
Perhaps he enjoyed swimming.

While we were talking about clothes for Hippolius and the temperature of the sea, Ije was thinking and nodding her head.

“Ije. Have you thought of something that you need?”
“Umm… Want…place to store the condiments.”

Ije said while fidgeting.

Next Chapter

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