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The Ice Worm’s charred head fell to the ground.

Confirming that their target had fallen completely silent, Geist and the Steel Blade let out a cheer. Ignoring them, we crossed the End Portal and returned to the snowfield underground.

I had no intention of getting more involved with them than necessary. We’d agreed beforehand that once we’d defeated them, we’d immediately put some distance between us.

I prayed that Rimona would understand our intentions.

“This is rough…”

For some reason, we were flying through the sky above the snowfield, where the blizzard had stopped. The sweat I’d worked up from feeling unwell and running a high fever was chilled, and my body heat was drained all at once.

As I clung to the Long-tailed Tit, fighting off the urge to lose consciousness, it flew past the hole where the door to Apartment 404 used to be.

“……?”

I found it strange, but for now, I had no choice but to let myself be carried.

Thanks to the plague mask, I’ve managed to stay conscious, but I’m nearing my limit…

“Cheep.”

I looked up at the chirp and saw a familiar building across the snowy plain.

“……Huh?”

As we got closer, it became clearer: the structure, with sharp, jagged edges on all sides, was one of the Unknown storage facilities that had once been numerous in Sector 0.

Storage Facility No. 2—a section where items with relatively strong influence were kept. It was also the place where small animal-type Unknowns, including this one, had been stored.

A large section of the wall had been cut away, and the Long-tailed Tit landed directly inside the building with me still on its back.

The moment it landed on the smooth floor, flapping its wings, a fierce blizzard began again. I wondered if this snow itself was falling to protect this building.

As I gazed at the raging blizzard through the open ceiling, the Long-tailed Tit began walking in short, hopping steps. The swaying was more intense and uncomfortable than I’d expected.

The door… had been slashed open, frame and all, by something sharp. In this freezer-like environment, I had absolutely no way of telling how much time had passed.

The interior was similar to how I remembered it from my previous visit, but there were bullet holes and scratch marks from claws all over the place. It looked like some kind of fierce battle had taken place here.

“Cheep.”

The tremors I’d been enduring suddenly stopped. Hearing a rustling sound, I peered down and saw, right in the middle of the room lined with desks, the long-tailed tit picking up a large backpack with its beak.

It was made of thick fabric, unlike the leather ones adventurers use. It looked like a modern Japanese design.

“Did you come to get that?”

The long-tailed tit nodded and looked toward the back of the room. Following its gaze, I saw bones. A skull with a long beak, and a pile of small, light-looking bones stacked beneath it.

I unconsciously touched my mask. I can’t identify a species just from bones, but given the long-tailed tit’s behavior, I understood.

“I see… The Doctor—”
“Cheep.”

The chirp in response was gentle. The fact that the other ones who had been housed here were nowhere to be seen meant they must have left this place by now.

I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but I had a vague idea why this child had stayed here.

I quietly closed my eyes and offered a silent prayer. Since we’d managed to communicate—something rare among the Unknown animals—the Doctor had occasionally served as my conversation partner. It was a bit of a hassle that he kept recommending surgery to drain my blood whenever I fell ill, but he never forced me to do it.

He wasn’t doing it to preserve research material; as a doctor, he was genuinely concerned for my well-being.

……I hope you rest in peace.

When I opened my eyes a short while later, the long-tailed tit had already started heading back the way we came, still clutching a backpack in its beak.

It headed toward the room I’d entered and took flight into the blizzard-filled sky. I found myself gripping the feather a little tighter in my hand.

I turned around on a whim and saw a massive avalanche engulfing the storage room, which was already shrouded in snow.

After another brief journey through the sky, I finally reached the door.

■■■■■

“――Aaaaaaah?!”
“……?”

I sat up at the sound of the scream. Considering I’d collapsed in that situation, I felt surprisingly well.

Normally, this would feel like a severe case of the flu, but right now it’s more like a bad cold.

“Wh-wh-who?!”
“……morning.”

My head isn’t working properly due to sleepiness and lethargy. I’m pretty sure someone carried me back to the apartment room, and I passed out the moment I lay down.

As I wake up to see Filia in a state of panic, I finally realize I’m still wearing my mask. I pull down my hood, remove the mask, and reveal my face.

“It’s-…guh.”
“A-, ALICE?!”

The moment I took off the mask, I collapsed backward. Oh no—my body won’t move, and I feel like I’m going to throw up.

It seems my good health was thanks to the mask’s stamina-restoring and fatigue-relieving effects. It wasn’t just for hiding my face—it was actually quite useful.

Using it to hide my identity by assuming the identity of the Spirit God’s Friend was a blunder…!

“Are you okay? Why do you look like that?! What happened?!”
“…can’t.”

She hurriedly helped me up, but unfortunately, my physical condition had already reached its limit. I couldn’t even answer her barrage of questions.

“Mask, please”
“Huh, t-this? Okay!”

Even though she was flustered, Filia snatched the mask from my hand and popped it onto my face.

…I really was able to move again, somehow.

“Thanks. I can move now, somehow.”
“W-what is that mask, anyway…?”
“Uh, it’s sort of an Artifact.”

It’s like a memento from an old friend, but for now, I can’t explain it any other way.

“W-what happened?”
“I’ll tell you when everyone wakes up.”

There’s just too much to explain, and repeating it over and over would be a hassle, so I’d prefer to wait until everyone’s awake.

“With that being said…”
“Alice? Hey, wait a sec?!”

I muttered “Good night” softly and collapsed. Ah, it’s warm over here. The cold air flowing in from the snowy plains acts as the perfect air conditioning.

Once Filia woke up, she helped with the housework, and thanks to that, I was able to sleep soundly and wake up repeatedly for the next few days.

Just as I was feeling much better, Noche woke up, followed a little later by Sufi, who also woke up safely. Everyone was finally awake about seven days after we’d defeated the Ice Worm.