LIGHTNOVELWORLD Ch68 - The Arrival of Spring
Chapter 68: The Arrival of Spring
Due to the remnants of the Winter Festival, the shops were stocked with various bath salts.
“Everyone, it’s a day we can’t forget,” said the village chief, and the townspeople all nodded with bright smiles.
I spotted a Fenrir sign—an adorable blue paw stamp—on the doors of the shops, and the memories of that night came rushing back. I gently touched my ring.
Levi and Mimlette were excitedly picking out bath salts, their eyes gleaming as they admired the colors and patterns.
Hehe, I totally get it. This is their first big outing, so of course they’re excited about all the souvenirs. I picked one up myself.
“This design is so representative of the Kingdom of Fel Snow, with its beautiful snowflake pattern.”
The surface of the bath salt was adorned with intricate patterns, all hand-painted using natural pigments.
When I complimented it, the artisan at the back of the store suddenly burst into tears.
“Ah, um… this is kind of awkward…”
“I’m so glad I’m alive!!”
“Wait, that’s quite an extreme reaction! Uh, um, please keep up the great work making such beautiful creations.”
“That’s the best encouragement a creator could ever receive!!”
It seems I really fired up his creative spirit. With a sharp salute, he dashed back into the workshop.
Curious, we peeked through the door crack and watched.
The artisan was furiously working, painting a striking silver Fenrir and a blue snow fairy onto a fresh, white bath salt. He proudly showed it to us with a satisfied grin.
“Wow!”
“It’s wonderful.”
As Fenrir and I marveled at it, the artisan, still smiling… fainted.
Ah, scenes like this are quite common in the Kingdom of Fel Snow. Hmm… let’s leave this one to the lady shopkeeper.
As expected from a snow country woman, she revived the artisan with a perfect chop to his back.
“Hey, Winter Princess, I want this bath salt,” Levi said.
“It’s so pretty!” Mimlette chimed in.
Levi gently picked up the freshly made Fenrir-themed bath salt.
“I feel like I could soar into the sky with the Winter Princess…”
“Hey, what about me, Levi!? Don’t forget me!”
Mimlette squeezed Levi tightly, and the two of them began to float ever so slightly.
In a hurry, Glear separated the two. Thank you, assistant!
“If you ascend too early, you’ll fall back down midway. Be careful,” Fenrir warned.
“Yesss.”
Levi poked Mimlette’s puffed-up cheeks, causing her to giggle, while Mimlette looked a little sulky.
☆ ☆ ☆
We ended up buying bath salts for all the Hot Springs Maidens—30 in total!
“There were that many Hot Springs Maidens!?”
“They quietly appear in the forest clearing. We mostly traveled through the snowy plains, so we didn’t have many chances to meet them,” Fenrir explained.
That made sense. If a hot spring had popped up in the middle of our snowy runs, we might’ve fallen right into it.
“Snow fairies, please deliver the bath salts.”
Fenrir summoned 30 magic circles, and a group of snow fairies appeared to collect the bath salts.
After bowing to us, the snow fairies disappeared through the magic circles.
“It might take the maidens a little time to mentally prepare, so in the meantime, let’s get the stage ready,” Fenrir said.
“A stage…?”
“We’re in the town, so let’s take this opportunity to thank everyone for the bath salts by inviting them to witness the arrival of spring.”
When Fenrir’s voice echoed, the townspeople erupted into cheers.
“But how?”
“Remember how El created the ice altar at the summit of the snow mountain? Just like that…”
Hold on. The mere mention of an altar on a mountain summit had the Fenrir followers visibly shaken. This might become a pilgrimage site… did I accidentally create something monumental?
How would people even get to the top of that mountain? The royals might manage it with sheer willpower, but ordinary citizens… I wouldn’t put it past Fenrir to conjure up a magical express train just to show off.
“El?”
“Ah, sorry! I was just wondering how it would all play out… Haha,” I laughed awkwardly, unable to tell him what I had really been thinking.
“That’s reassuring. While I can use powerful magic thanks to your name, I’m still not fully accustomed to it. If you could assist, I’d be grateful. Will you help me set up the stage?”
“If it’s something I can do, I’d love to! But… how do we share our vision and magic?”
Fenrir’s eyes seemed to twinkle mischievously, causing me to instinctively step back half a step. But… his rare expression was too intriguing to miss.
Ah, the weaknesses of being infatuated…
“As long as we hold hands, it’ll be fine. We Fenrir can share our feelings.”
“Is that so…? Then, okay.”
Fenrir extended his hand, and I placed mine in his.
With the townspeople watching us with smiles, we walked to the town square, hand in hand, sharing the vision of the stage as we surveyed the town.
Ah, I see!
A word-of-mouth relay spread the event details, and the townspeople gathered around the square in a large circle.
“It looks like everyone’s here!”
The sense of community here was amazing. Alright, let’s get started.
Fenrir closed his eyes. I did the same.
Hearing the snow fairies call out, “We’re ready on our end!”, I opened my eyes.
Suddenly, everything felt incredibly vivid.
The gentle northern breeze, the snowflakes swirling around our feet, and the sunlight that warmly embraced us. The snow-colored magic that enveloped us.
Through my now brighter blue eyes, I could see everything so clearly.
“…Wow…! The world Fenrir sees is truly beautiful… Please, always… just like this, let’s continue together.”
“Of course.”
This time, Fenrir blushed, smiling as if I’d beat him to it. As he smiled, magic crackled like snowflakes around him.
“By the command of the Winter Queen Fenrir,” we said together, our voices harmonizing smoothly. Our magic combined.
“Raise the ice stands!”
As we raised our joined arms high, ice pillars began to extend from the four corners of the town.
The townspeople gasped audibly, their sharp hearing catching the sounds of their amazement.
Hehe, this is only the beginning.
Fenrir and I exchanged a mischievous glance and twirled our arms in a half-circle around our bodies.
“Wow! The ground’s turning into ice…!”
“Kyaaa!”
“Look, we’re rising up…!”
Though the townspeople were murmuring excitedly, they trusted Fenrir’s magic enough not to panic.
Ice walls formed along the pathways where everyone stood, and frost pillars pushed upwards, elevating the paths up to five meters. The paths connected, forming a corridor.
We rose to a height of ten meters.
“Perfect.”
“Now, they’ll have a great view.”
Standing at the center of the elevated corridor, Fenrir and I lowered our arms.
There was no ceiling—just the clear, cloudless sky above. Everyone followed our lead and looked up.
“The Hot Springs Maidens and Snow Maidens have joined hands,” the cheerful voices of Orb and Tito rang out beside us.
Ah, they’d been relaying information from the snow fairies. And the reason I’d been able to cast the spell so easily earlier was because they had subtly helped.
When I thanked them, they smiled back.
“Looks like everything’s ready,” Fenrir said, looking at Levi. Levi, in turn, nodded with a serene expression.
…It’s time to say goodbye until next winter.
As Levi gently cradled the Fenrir-patterned bath salt in her hands, its temperature rose, and it began to dissolve…