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In this world, beings worthy of being called gods exist as a matter of course.

Among them, the seven “Divine Beasts” are said to possess particularly immense power. These are mythical monsters whose names are recorded in the Book of Genesis—beings that transcend even the gods themselves.

The Primordial Sky, the Bringer of Dawn, the Serpent that Swims Through the Sun, Solwyrm.

The Primordial Darkness, the one who illuminates the twilight, the Great Wolf Sleeping on the Moon, Myrnagramr.

The Primordial Red, the one who circulates through the planet’s veins, the Fire of the Star, Starblood.

The Primordial Blue, the one who separates the great ocean, the Sea of the Abyss, Leviathan.

The Primordial Wind, the one that swims through empty sky, the Fish of the Sky, Zephyrus.

The Primordial Earth, the one that sleeps within the earth, the Silent Mountain Dragon, Middgard.

The Primordial Star, the one that guards the cradle, the Star Dragon of the Box-Keeper, Owlrechs.

These Divine Beasts were not mere fairy-tale creatures; they truly existed.

On a clear day, if you look up at the sky, you may occasionally see a shadow that looks like a swimming whale. That is “Zephyrus,” and records indicate that it has been circling the sky unchanged for thousands of years.

Needless to say, the Star Dragon of the Box-Keeper is a real dragon, revered as a guardian dragon in Alveria.

According to books on Divine Beasts, it seems that only the Star Dragon undergoes generational succession, and it was written that the current Star Dragon God, Owlnova, is still young.

Even so, it’s estimated to be over 10,000 years old—a truly staggering notion.

In terms of raw power alone, it’s a being capable of destroying the world single-handedly with power to spare. Given that such a creature actually exists somewhere in the world, many researchers, captivated by the romance of the idea, set out to track the Divine Beasts down.

Regardless of the credibility of the reference texts, many anecdotes have been passed down for future generations.

Among the stories told about these Divine Beasts, the most famous involve beings known as spirits.

They primarily inhabit unexplored regions where remnants of mythology linger, and are classified and referred to by ranks such as Lower Spirits, Upper Spirits, Spirit Kings, and Spirit Gods, depending on their power.

Born from fragments of the Divine Beasts’ power, they are the stewards of the world created by the Divine Beasts. While there are various theories, one thing is certain: without exception, spirits possess power that transcends human understanding.

As for Spirit Gods—said to be second only to the Divine Beasts themselves—their power is beyond imagination.

■■■■■

“I’d heard rumors that a Snow Spirit God was somewhere in the Eternal Ice Cavern, but I never thought it was true!”

The adventurers’ panic was palpable in the voices coming through the ice. The woman screaming seems to be a spirit user—I wonder if she can tell just by sensing the aura whether the entity she’s facing is a spirit or not.

“What the hell? Does that mean the Spirit God is the master of this ice cavern!?”
“I don’t know! If that’s the case, we don’t stand a chance either way! Drop your weapons right now!”
“But we’ve already attacked. I don’t think it would let us get away with it…”
“That’s right—no way am I going to just go down without a fight!”

The adventurers seem to be arguing among themselves about what to do, but the Long-tailed Tit’s aura feels incredibly still.

“…………?”

The sounds of heated arguments and the howling wind. Mixed in with them, a strange sound could be heard.

If I had to describe it, it was a “gogogogogo”—a rumbling sound like the earth itself, gradually drawing closer.

Just as it became clearly audible, the adventurers’ arguments turned into screams.

“Hey, hey, hey! Wait a minute—you’ve got to be kidding me!?”
“A w-wall of snow…”
“Please, Spirit God, we deeply apologize for our rudeness—have mercy on us!”

The voice of the female spirit user, now half-frantic, was drowned out by the rumbling. Through the transparent ice, the true nature of the sound finally came into view.

“Oh no…”

The wall of snow was closing in. It wasn’t so much an avalanche as a wave of snow so massive it could almost be called a tsunami.

“U-uuuuuuh! Sky Shattering Slash! Skywave Slash!”
“Fire! Raging fire! Clothe yourself in the wind and become a storm; annihilate all with the flames of purgatory! —Fire Disaster (Raging Flame Storm)!”

Both the shockwave blades and the whirlpools of flame were swallowed up by the snow tsunami and vanished.

The surging snow tsunami mercilessly swallowed up the adventurers’ screams and everything else in its path.

…The shaking subsided, and the ceiling turned completely white, blocking my view of the outside.

Right before my bewildered eyes, the snow suddenly swirled around, forming a round snow sculpture.

As soon as the snow sculpture was complete, the long-tailed tit emerged from inside with a “thump.” It shook its feathers vigorously, sending snow clinging to its body flying in all directions.

“—Kyupi?”
“So you’re the lord of this Eternal Ice Cavern?”

It seemed to have made its way back through the snow. It was clearly used to these powers.

When I asked about a part of our conversation that had been on my mind, the long-tailed tit blinked in puzzlement before nodding.

Ah, so it really was the lord after all.

I’d kind of hoped it would come along on the adventure, but now I couldn’t bring myself to tell it to abandon its home.

Still, those adventurers really had some bad luck. They managed to break through the sleep trap, only to be swallowed up by a snow tsunami.

“……?”

The striped long-tailed tit, who had been burying its head in its feathers, suddenly popped its head back out. Clamped between its beak was a mask that looked familiar.

“Is that—”

A black mask shaped like the long beak of a crow. It closely resembled the masks worn by a group of doctors known as the “Plague Doctors,” who treated infectious diseases long ago.

It was identical to the one worn by one Unknown… the Penguin Doctor who was knowledgeable about medicine. Not just the shape, but the scratches and the color as well.

“Why do you have…”
“Jururu.”

Since he literally never took it off, the fact that it’s here means that the Doctor…

The plague mask fell into the palm of my outstretched hand. As I reminisced about the cool feel of the leather, the Long-tailed Tit picked up one of the bags rolling around on the shoes by the entrance and swung it around.

There was a “rip” sound, and the contents spilled out in a heap. Even though it was small enough for me to hold with one hand, the amount that came out was clearly excessive.

I wonder if that bag was some kind of artifact that expanded its interior space.

……It seems to have completely broken just now, though.

What came out of the bag were clearly high-quality items—a staff, a sword, a robe… I wonder if they belonged to a mage.

As I watched to see what it was doing, the Long-tailed Tit picked up a black hooded robe with flashy decorations and held it out to me.

Um.

“You want me to put this on?”
“Cheep.”

Well, um, I have a fever right now, so I don’t really have the energy to try on equipment.

“Pip-pip.”
“……Alright.”

Pressured by it, I reluctantly changed out of my winter gear and into the robe.

The moment I put on the robe, the cold vanished instantly. Curious, I looked inside the robe and saw it was densely embroidered with magical runes.

I guess it uses excess mana leaking from the wearer’s body to regulate body heat. It’s a pretty old spell, but it’s incredibly intricate. It might have been made by a famous alchemist from long ago.

Perhaps the material itself is high-quality; even though it’s baggy, it feels light to wear.

Now that I’m free from the weight of my winter gear, I put on the plague mask. The mask, which was a bit loose at first, swiftly shrunk the moment it touched my face and snapped into place, fitting me perfectly.

Since it was the same as the Doctor’s—and since it was a gift from the Long-tailed Tit—I hadn’t been wary of it, but I was still a little surprised.

Perhaps thanks to the mask, breathing became much easier all at once. I feel like the dizziness and lightheadedness have improved considerably, too.

I’d never heard that the Doctor’s mask had such an effect, but maybe it’s because the item itself is something doctors used in the old days.

If I recall correctly, the Penguin Doctor used to be an ordinary penguin who found a mask thrown into his enclosure in the zoo by a visitor, and then………it’s probably best if no one but me uses this mask.

I don’t have a mirror, but a black robe and a plague mask… I can tell this is the kind of outfit a mysterious magician would wear. If I put on an alchemist’s coat over this, that’d complete the set.

So, what am I supposed to do now that it’s made me wear this mysterious outfit?

“Cheep-pi-pi”
“You’re telling me to ride you?”

After confirming I’d changed, the long-tailed tit turned its back to me and flapped its wings. I did as I was told, clinging on while buried in its cool feathers. The feathers on its back didn’t seem to be that thick.

As soon as it confirmed I was holding on, it cleared a circular patch of snow from the ceiling, and the long-tailed tit, with me on its back, flew out.

“Whoa…”

More than the thrill of flying through the air clinging to a bird’s back, I was startled by the cold and the strength of the wind.

Come to think of it, perhaps due to the tsunami, the shape of the snowfield had changed slightly. Looking up, I could clearly see bare rock—it seemed certain we were underground.

The long-tailed tit landed in the middle of the snowfield and raised one wing. The snow began to shift and stir, and from within emerged a group of adventurers who looked quite pale.

“U, u…”

There were two men and two women among the adventurers. Their lips were blue and their breathing was weak, but none of them were dead. The red mist that had enveloped their bodies had vanished.

Could it be?

“Did you go easy on them?”
“Cheep.”

I’ve always hated seeing people die right in front of me. This kid knows that, so it seems it did go easy on them, at least to some extent.

I appreciate the consideration, but even if I wanted to help them, meeting them face-to-face would just be a recipe for trouble… Oh, right—that’s why I’m dressed like this.

“Jururu?”

So, whether or not to help them is up to me, huh.

I have mixed feelings about this, but if I abandon them on a whim, I’ll never be able to face Sufi and the others again.

“I want to decide after hearing their side of the story… Will you protect me?”
“Cheep!”
“Thanks.”

As I stroked the head of the Long-tailed Tit, who nodded as if to say “Of course,” I began building a snow hut to shelter the adventurer for the time being.

***

#Author’s Note:#

Once you put on this mask, you’ll hear whispers saying, “Save them,” “Save people.”

Unless you have extraordinary mental strength, you won’t be able to take it off, and before long, you’ll become desperate to save people through surgery.¹