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“Take care of Alice!”
“Okay!”

As soon as I climbed down from Sufi’s back, our party’s two vanguards dashed out across the snow. Perhaps hindered by the snow and their winter gear, their movements were so sluggish they were barely recognizable.

“Watch out for the movement and sound of the snow under your feet.”
“Got it!”
“Yeah!”

Apparently, Ice Worms make a creaking sound when they charge at their prey in the snow. I heard that if you have a good ear, you can use that to gauge their timing and position.

In fact, even from here, if I strain my ears, I can hear the sound of something like hard rubber rubbing against something. It sounds like the people who jumped out of the box being pulled by the wolf are fighting.

Two women, two men, and eight Ice Worms.

They seem to have trouble moving on the snow, and they can’t keep up with the ice worms, which dart out, bite, and immediately burrow back into the snow.

…I can’t see them clearly because they’re all bundled up in winter gear, but their stances and movements aren’t bad. They’ve formed a defensive formation around the overturned vehicle and are managing to fend them off.

For adventurers who came to harvest ice, they’re way too unaccustomed to fighting in the snow.

“We’re here to help, nya!”
“Awoo!”

Noche and the others called out as they closed in, slicing through the ice worm’s unguarded torso mid-air. The giant arthropod, split in two, writhed in the snow, leaking blue liquid.
I was a little worried, but it seems that much is no problem.

The other side exchanged glances for a moment, then one of the women called out, “Thank you,” and focused on defending the dog sled.

From then on, the earlier sense of instability vanished, and the guards moved with confidence.

They really do look well-trained.

Once they got the hang of it, the Ice Worms were no match for Sufi and Noche. While I watched absently, all eight Ice Worms were defeated, and the battle ended.

“Thanks.”
“Nah, if someone’s in trouble, we help each other out.”
“Yeah, nya.”

After exchanging a few words, Sufi and Noche came back over to me. Well, I can’t move, after all.

The others, staying on guard, pulled two more people out of the overturned dog sled and were righting the vehicle.

The woman who emerged from the overturned sled was wearing luxurious fur-lined winter gear. The other person was wearing the same kind of winter gear as the rest of the group.

…I got a bad feeling from their wealthy-looking vibe.

“That was easy, nya.”
“Yup, it was nothing once Sufi got the hang of it.”
“You two are amazing…”

Sufi, Noche, and Filia chattered away, wiping swords with cloth. From a distance… I noticed the woman who seemed to be their leader watching us. She had golden hair that looked Eastern and hazel eyes. Age-wise, early twenties? She looks young.

“We should move on soon.”
“Huh, already?”
“I’m fine with that, nya, but why the sudden rush?”

I suggested to Noche we should head out soon, but I was a little too late. The female leader was walking over, accompanied by the two men.

“You all, thank you for your help earlier. My master insists on thanking you personally—please come with us.”

She wore a calm smile on her face, but her voice and mannerisms were stiff.

Having seen the reactions of friendly people like the Sister, the knights of Forligen, and even the alchemists, I know what this means. It’s the sound unique to people suppressing their emotions.

“It was nothing, nya.”
“Yup, yup. The Sister said helping each other is important, too.”
“…I see. Thank you.”

For kids our age, the people we call “Sister” are usually the caregivers at the orphanage run by the Luminism Church.

As if to confirm that my guess about her dealing with orphans was correct, I caught a fleeting look of condescension in her eyes.

Even so, with that stiff way of speaking, she really does seem like a noble or a relative of someone in power.

This is a real headache…

“Come on, this way.”
“…umm.”
“Ah… We don’t need the thanks, nya. It really was no big deal, nya.

As I struggled to find the right words, I noticed Sufi and Noche’s reactions had grown a bit stiff.

I suppose that makes sense. Sufi has seen her share of unpleasant people, and Noche has been through quite a lot. They’re quick to pick up on the contempt she can’t quite hide.

“Are you refusing my master’s invitation?”
“Your words of thanks were plenty, nya.”

This woman is keeping it together on the surface, but she’s clearly seething inside.

If it comes to a fight here, it’ll be a huge hassle. I don’t know who she is or where she’s from, but getting into a shootout with someone in power would have serious, long-term consequences.

…I hope I can maneuver things so we at least avoid the worst-case scenario.

“My master told me that words alone aren’t enough to show sincerity, and she’s even taking the time to speak with you specifically. …I’m not quite fond of speaking so frankly, but it seems this is the one time I need to do so. I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from being rude to my master.”
“……”

Noche’s mood is visibly deteriorating. I approach her quietly and gently tug at the hem of her winter coat.

“?”

I shake my head slightly in response to the two of them, who are watching me with just their eyes.

It’s best not to argue any further. There’s a chance she really just wants to say thank you. If we can get through this without any trouble, that’s fine.

“…Got it, nya.”
“I’m grateful you seem to understand. This way.”

Following the woman as she trudged through the snow toward the dog sled, we began moving forward, me being carried on Sufi’s back.

It felt as though the amount of powdery snow had increased just a little.

■■■■■

“Thank you for saving us from that dangerous situation, little ones.”

Waiting in front of the dog sled, which had been roused once more, was a young noble lady who looked every bit the part, with long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She appeared to be in her mid-teens, or perhaps just past adulthood.

“It’s no big deal, nya…”
“How rude!”
“Do commoners have no manners?”

They all looked like typical Easterners. But… hmm.

Their attitude is something I’m used to hearing, but strangely, it doesn’t feel like discrimination against beastkin.

It’s probably a mix of irritation at being saved by a child like us, and simply not being able to forgive a commoner’s manner of words.

I’d better not say anything unnecessary. Looking back, Langbert, who claimed to be a noble, was actually quite tolerant.

“……”
“Stop that. They are our savior.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

After Noche fell silent, there was a brief pause before the young lady reprimanded her attendant. It feels a bit like a performance.

“Since we’re in a hurry, I can’t offer much in the way of thanks, but please accept my gratitude. If you ever come to Alveria, please ask for the Filma family; we’ll do our best to assist you. And… Katezina.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

The woman who appeared to be the leader of the guards—who had been standing by, exerting pressure on us—received a wooden box wrapped in cloth from the attendant standing beside the young lady.

“Take this.”
“…Nya..”

Noche accepted the box with a slightly sulky expression. A clinking sound of something hard colliding came from inside. Judging by the sound, it must be silver coins. It seemed like it really was just a token of gratitude after all, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was surprised to hear the word “Alveria,” but I was glad it looked like it would end with just this brief exchange.

“That’s all. Stand back.”

At the leader… At Katezina’s command, we moved a short distance away from the dog sled.

Listening closely, I could hear them checking the sled’s condition and exchanging words like, “Do you think we can make it?” “I think we’ll manage.”

“Put me down for a sec.”
“Myu?”

Standing a short distance from the sled, the wolf was licking its own forepaw. It looked injured; perhaps bitten by an Ice Worm—the blood seeping through its fur was a painful sight.

“Yip…”

I approached and knelt down in front of the wolf. It looked at me and snorted. Despite its massive size, it seemed tame—almost like a puppy.

“Let me see.”
“Arf.”

I called out and reached out my hand. The wolf let out a bark of affirmation and held out its injured front paw.

I could sort of tell what it was saying. From the looks of it, the wound seemed shallow, but it must be painful to pull the dog sled.

“…You’re injured, aren’t you? What should we do?”
“You guys have potions?”
“We’ve run out…”

The one who spoke up was the woman who’d been fighting alongside Sufi and Noche—she was the driver, so she might be a handler.

We’d unfortunately clashed with grass wolves before, but this time, we’re on friendly terms. We’re fellow canines, after all. I’ll treat it.

I pulled a low-grade potion from the hem of my winter gear and snapped off the vial’s cap with my finger. As I poured the clear, pale green liquid onto the wound, the wolf flinched and almost pulled its front paw back.

“Endure it.”
“Ooorf.”
“I can’t believe this pup is so docile with a complete stranger…”

I gently scolded the wolf to keep it still while washing away the blood, then applied a generous amount of potion and wrapped it tightly with a cloth.

“All done. The wound will heal if it rests a bit, but you shouldn’t push it for a while.”
“Are you sure? I’m sorry for making you use a potion.”
“I have a connection with wolves, so don’t worry about it.”
“…Thank you.”

This should allow the wolf to move without any problems. Since they’ve come this far, so long they keep going straight, it won’t be long before they cross the snowfield.

I hope it’ll do its best from here on out.

I stepped away from the female coachman, who thanked me politely, and had Sufi carry me on her back once more. Then I whispered a suggestion to Noche.

“Let’s get out of here soon.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a bad feeling about this, nya”
“……Mhm!”
“Now, now.”

I didn’t intend to ask for the details, but they were likely a noble’s escort.

A noble who went out of their way to come all the way here from Alveria—even fully equipped with cold-weather gear and dog sleds.

From what I could tell up close, their combat prowess was by no means low. Frankly, they weren’t the kind of group that would get taken down by ice worms of that caliber.

In terms of adventurer ranks, the leader, Katezina, was upper C, while the others ranged from the top of D to the lower C. If they were just cutting across the snowfield, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Then why were they in such a hurry? What were they running from?

I couldn’t shake this bad feeling.

“You lot.”
“…Is there something else you need, nya?”

While I was lost in thought, Katezina walked over toward us.

“Yeah, just a little something… I’d like you to come with me.”
“…What if we say no, nya?”
“You should know better than to defy a noble, commoner.”
“Tsk… Just so you know, nya, we’re not going down without a fight, nya.”
“I have no intention of harming you. Come along.”

Noche ground her back teeth, and we ended up following the back of Katezina, who was leading the way.

Her back, moving further and further away from the dog sled.