Cave King – 261

Chapter 261 – Snowy Cottage!

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As we rode on the shield, it slid down the snowy forest mountain, faster than any horse.

We were heading towards Sanfaris in the south.
Down the mountain and then up and over slopes and tree tops we flew.
About three hours had now passed since our departure.

“The wind feels so nice!”
“And the winter scenery is so beautiful!”

I could hear Fule and Rienna chatting excitedly.
They were really enjoying this journey through the sky and mountains.

As for me, I was just worried that I would be shaken off.

I was never good with heights, and so I was scared of flying.
And even though I had gotten used to the Mado Armors, this shield didn’t even have windows…

That being said, it wasn’t too bad. Because I was with Rienna and Fule.
I was not even holding onto Fule at this point.
Though, Rienna was still holding onto me…

Just then, I heard Rienna’s voice.

“…We’ve hardly seen any living creatures here. Only a few deers.”
“Well, with this much snow… Perhaps only really tough monsters could live here.”

As Rienna said, there was nothing here that appeared to be dangerous.
There were no flying lindwurms or black miasma like that other place.

It was just an ordinary snowy scene. Very peaceful.

“I suppose those other places were just unique. And this is a normal place… Still, we’ve been flying for hours and it’s all the same.”
“I don’t see any buildings. There is nothing but snow. I think it really will take a long time to get through these mountains… There is still some time until sundown, but perhaps we should think about setting up camp.”

Fule looked up at the sky.

“It will be too late to look for a campsite during the night. There might be bears and monsters in the forest. And the view will be poor. Since we can fly like this, we should choose some mountain. Perhaps there is a cave or flat area.”
“Indeed. A place where avalanches won’t occur…”

Rienna and I looked at the surrounding mountains.

However, we could not find any promising places.

And so we continued onward for another hour. And then Rienna raised her voice.

“Ahhh! Look at that mountain! The top of it is flat!”

I turned to the mountain on the west side that she was looking at.
Compared to the other mountains, the peak was quite flat.
We would not have to worry about an avalanche over there.

“Though, the ground could still collapse under us. Still, it looks promising.”

Fule nodded.

“There is nowhere else with better conditions! While we still have a few hours before evening, maybe we should just set up camp?”
“Let’s do that. It’s still the first day. And if we go too fast, Number Fifteen and… No, there they are.”

When I looked to the north, I could sense them approaching.

Even though I couldn’t see them, I could detect the shape of a great fish.

“Huh.. And the Mappa Go?”
“What? Really? Mappa must have modified it so it can fly. That’s amazing.”
“…That’s Mappa for you!”

Said Fule and Rienna. Though, they did not look that surprised.
Perhaps they already knew about it.

We could have just used it from the beginning then…

Well, perhaps they wanted me to overcome this fear of heights.

And it seems to have helped a little… No, maybe not.
I’m still scared when I look down.

“It’s good that they can keep up… In any case, let’s go to that mountain then. Though, we still don’t know if we can camp there.”
“Understood!”

Fule said, and we headed to the top of the mountain.

When we arrived, we got off the shield and inspected the area.

The layer of snow was thin, and you did not need to dig deep to see the rock below.
I suppose the rest of the snow had fallen off.

We could clear the area and set up camp safely then. And so we decided to stay the night there.

I used wind magic to remove the snow and secure a spot on the ground.

After that, the Mappa Go arrived, and the golems prepared the campsite for us.
First, they set up a fire and laid out logs around it so that we could sit down.
Rienna cooked some Sheorl fish and made soup.

And then…for some reason, Mappa made a small house out of snow.

It was half a sphere made of packed snow.
Surely it would be too cold to sleep inside… That was what I thought, it was surprisingly warm inside. Even Mappa was fine, and he was only half dressed.
We even had waterproof sleeping bags, so we decided we did not need to use the tents.

And like that, with preparations made, we sat down to eat.

As we surrounded the first, Rienna served the food on wooden plates.

First, the familiar fish from Sheorl. It was seasoned with spices from Sylpheum.
And then the clam soup. She had boiled them with milk from Arancia.

And so I picked up my fork and tried the grilled fish.

“It’s soft and juicy. Perfectly cooked, just as usual… But it tastes different when you have a different view. Even though it shouldn’t.”
“Indeed! It’s like the heat spreads in your mouth differently. The soup is more delicious than usual!”

Fule was also quite excited.
Indeed, it felt like the warmth from the food was spreading through your body.

Rienna answered happily.

“Hot food tastes better when you are cold. But also…the sky really is different here.”

She said as she looked up.
I too stared at the darkened sky.
It was filled with stars.

“There are so many of them… The sky was clear in Sheorl as well. But not this clear.”
“Yes! It does seem clearer here.”
“The outlines of the stars are more visible. As, there is the dragon constellation. I saw it a lot in Barleon.”

Rienna pointed at the sky.

“Is that what goblins call it? I can see how it would look like a dragon. But in Sanfaris, it is called a great eagle.”
“An eagle? Yes, it could look like that too. I didn’t know that humans have different constellations.”
“Indeed… Can you see that one to the east? That is the white lion.”
“What? Surely that is the kitten?”
“I guess it looked cute to you… Then what about that one? We call it the throne. Because it looks like a king is sitting on it.”

Fule was shocked.

“WHA!? No, that’s the cage! You see, the human Hero is caught in the cage. The goblin who captured the Hero is standing next to it. It is the most famous one.”
“Uh, that is very, very different…”

And so we enjoyed our food while looking up at the sky.
I was able to hear goblin stories that I had not heard before, while telling the others a little about Sanfaris.

After we ate, I helped the others clean up.
I washed dishes with water magic and dried them with wind magic.

“Ahh, that was delicious… Still, the sky really is pretty. I wish the others could see it.

Fule said as she wiped the plates with a cloth.

“Yes! Though, the children would just play in the snow… But I do wish the others could come. Perhaps we could make a house near the lake with the teleportation gate!”
“It would be nice if anyone from Sheorl could visit casually. Ah, Lord Heal. The bath is ready.”

Riena pointed to the shield we had ridden in.
It was now filled with hot water.
There were also magic tools around that blew warm air, so it would not be cold.

“So that shield can be a bathtub…impressive.”
“Mr. Mappa said to keep it a secret. Fule and I can help wash your back, if you want.”
“I-I’m fine. Also, you two…should go in first. Whichever order you want.”
“Well, if you insist. You go first.”
“Uh, fine.”

And so while a little embarrassed, I went into the bath.

Once again, I looked up at the stars while soaking…
Bathing in Sheorl while looking at the sea… That was nice as well. But this was amazing.

“Phew…”

I had thought that this would be a hard journey, but thanks to everyone, it was quite comfortable.
Without saying anything, the others did everything.

Now that I think about it, I had hardly done anything today…
Was it really fine to take things so easy?

Tomorrow, I would… Well, it would be best if nothing happened.

As I thought of such things, I was so comfortable that I drifted off to sleep.

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