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“You were so adamant on accompanying me but then you just had to catch a cold!!”
“Cough, cough… I-I’m sorry…”

The day after leaving the initial village, our progress was promptly halted. Before me was Momo, lying on a wooden-framed bed, her sudden fever knocking her flat.

“Just a common cold, it seems. Get some rest, take your nutrients, and you’ll be fine. You were lucky to be near this village.”
“I’m sorry for the trouble, sir.”

Our luck had held as we traveled toward Elnato, stumbling upon yet another small village where they kindly offered us a bed.

Furthermore, this balding old man turned out to be an apothecary. Was this pink-haired girl truly favored by fate?

“As for the treatment fee, will this suffice?”
“Oh, quite long hair you’ve got there. This should more than cover it.”

I presented my hair which I roughly cut in the previous village. I thought this translucent silver hair of mine(?) could be useful in many ways, as it was filled with magic power.

“Y-You’re selling your hair…?”
“If you’re short on coins, you do what you must. Besides, it was getting too long anyway.”
“Worry not, I shall treat you in accordance. I’m warming up some soup right now, so eat up and rest.”
“Okaay…”

Perhaps due to her weakened state, Momo, who had been so lively until now, meekly crawled into bed.

“It’ll be nice if you were like this normally.”
“Mgh… Laika, don’t leave me behind…”
“I’ll keep my end of the contract. I’m just going to get some fresh air. You be a good girl and sleep.”
“Got it… zzz…”
“That’s some quick dozing off.”

“Fuuu…..uhhh…!”

Stretching my back, I exhaled deeply, the breath turning white and dissolving into the air.

The once harsh snow seemed to have disappeared entirely. The sky shone brilliantly, devoid of a single cloud. As the landscape became clearer, I noticed something peculiar that had escaped my attention before.

“…What in the world is that tower?”

Far in the distance, amidst the snow-capped mountains, nestled within the blue sky, was the faint silhouette of a massive tower. It had been invisible before due to the violent snow and wind, but who could have built such a colossal structure, and for what purpose?

“Oh, hello there, young lady. Is your big sister doing alright?”
“Haha, thanks to you, she’s managing…”
“You’re quite responsible for your age; I’d like my son to learn from you.”

Just stepping out of a house was enough to attract the attention of the elderly villagers who seemed to perceive us as traveling sisters.

Thanks to this misconception, we were easily accommodated in this village. But just the memory of Momo’s smug face made me irritated.

“Still… Pardon my rudeness, but this village seems to have quite a few elderly people.”
“Well, it’s a desolate village, you know. All the young ones have left for the big cities.”
“Then why did you remain here?”

Snow piled up, and there seemed to be no prospect of further development ahead. Moreover, there was the danger of being attacked by wild beasts or bandits. To be honest, it seemed like a harsh environment for the elderly to live together and support each other.

“Oh, we’re here to protect.”
“Protect?”
“Yeah, see that cliff over there? If you’re free, why don’t you go take a look? You might find it quite interesting.”
“Wow, that’s intriguing.”

Sure enough, in the direction the old woman hinted, there was indeed a steep cliff.

Judging by the distance, it wouldn’t take more than ten minutes to walk there, hopefully enough time to return before Momo started making a fuss.

…Assuming my stamina holds up, that is.

“I’m a bit curious now. Thanks, I’ll go check it out right away.”
“I’ll let your big sister know about you heading there. Take care on your way.”

“Haa… Huff…! T-This little distance proved to be so far…!”

I was naive, having underestimated the frailty of this body. With each step taken in the snow, my breath grew heavier. Both stamina and strength were lacking. Even the thick winter clothes, meant for insulation, felt burdensome.

It felt like I had been walking for an hour already, though in reality, not even ten minutes had passed.

“If only I had waited until Momo recovered… No, it’s too late to regret now…”

I was only halfway through, and turning back would require the same effort. There’s no choice. I didn’t want to resort to this, but dying of exhaustion here was not an option.

“…‘Wind Dance No.5.’”

Along with a brief incantation, my body, weighed down by fatigue, floated into the air. It was levitation by the power of wind. I didn’t want to waste magical power, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Once airborne, reaching the cliff would be a breeze.

“Seriously, if what awaits isn’t worth it, I’ll be furious.”

After deducting the time lost on foot, I arrived at the destination in good time.

The towering cliff was of a height that left no doubt about the fatal consequences of a fall. Surely, whatever “interesting thing” was said to be here must be along this rock face…

“…Hm? Is that… a cave?”

A quick survey confirmed it. In the almost perpendicular rock face, there was a gaping opening. I cautiously threw a pebble inside, but the lack of echoing indicated it wasn’t a spacious chamber.

Seemingly, I wouldn’t exhaust myself within this cave.

“‘Illuminate.’ So, this cave is what they’re protecting? This… is impressive.”

While checking for traps, I sent the light ahead.

The interior was only a few meters wide. Unlike the rough exterior rock, the inside of the cave was smooth and featureless. It was undoubtedly part of the continuous rock from the outside, likely carved by tools like chisels. Strangely, there were no traces of magecraft used, which was rather unsettling.

“So, this is the interesting thing?”

Following the floating fireball into the cave, what awaited inside was a single “painting.” It depicted abstract figures of humans fleeing from flames, lightning, armed individuals, and cannons.

It was a massive mural carved into the smooth wall, likely suggesting past calamities.

“Indeed, this is intriguing. I wonder how long ago it was created…”
“——Are you curious?”

The voice from behind startled me, as I hadn’t noticed their presence until that moment.

Instinctively, I wrapped myself in wind to create distance and accidentally collided with the mural. But I couldn’t afford to focus on such pain.

It was a young voice, not from the village elders. They must be quite skilled, at the very least.

“Oh dear… Are you alright? It seems I startled you.”
“Mmm, my apologies. This one seems to have scared a loli!”
“……Who are you two?”

Standing as if to block the only entrance to the cave were two figures. One was a blonde woman dressed in holy garb adorned with crosses, her eyes closed as if asleep. And the other… a towering 2-meter-tall golem clad in bizarre armor.