「Big Sister Iris, don’t sleep, let’s go and play. It’s snowing again」

「Un…..it’s cold, it’s bothersome, and I’m in a mood to sleep, maybe another time」

「How terrible…….Marion and Jessica are sleeping too. Why?」

Yes.

Iris wasn’t the only one engaged in inactivity.

For some reason, the two climbed into Iris’ bed and clung to her from both sides as they trembled.

「Red dragons are bad with cold…..」

Said Jessica in a surprisingly listless voice.

「Yes……when it falls below a certain point all our energy just goes off somewhere……..it was okay the last time, but today is no good. I can’t leave the bed」

Hearing Marion, Iris nodded convinced.

Indeed, today was colder than ever before.

At such a cold day, climbing under the blanket is a matter of course.

Iris felt warmer that way too.

But why did the dragon pair chose this place to sleep of all others?

「They have a house of their own, right? Can’t they just sleep there?」

「It’s warmer like this……..and I wanted to sleep with Iris-chan too……」

「Mother came all the way here for such a weird reason…..j-just to be clear, It’s not like I wanted to sleep with Iris!」

「Ara, you could just stay behind, you know? You didn’t have to follow your mother here」

「T-This…..I came here to see Punigami!」

「Puni?」

Punigami stood on the floor all this time as he carried Eclipse on top.

「Do you want to play with Punigami, shall we switch then?」

Eclipse, the Kind, took Marion’s words seriously.

「I’m happy, but Punigami won’t fit onto the bed. It’s cold to get out, so I’ll decline」

「Okay, Then today Punigami is my chair」

「Puni」

Punigami wobbled joyously.

Even so, Punigami, who should have been frozen already, showed no signs of that.

Even though his body was mostly water, it didn’t mean he was weak to cold.

Well, thinking on a deeper level, everyone’s body was full of water too.

However, they won’t easily freeze at low temperatures.

Somehow mysterious, thought Iris under the blanket when the gate of the church suddenly opened.

「I’m Katie Astley, an Inquisitor of Supreme Divine Will Cult! Please cooperate with my investigation!」

Supreme Divine Will Cult. Inquisitor.

A name I have a recollection of.

It’s an organization that collects information about various gods around the world.

But before all that.

「It’s cold! Close the door! 」

Screamed iris.

「Right…..I’ll spit flames if you don’t…..」

「Mother can easily incinerate a village…..you better hurry up…………..」

The dragon pair complained.

「Ne, ne. Hurry up and close it. The snow is going to enter」

「Puni」

「Ah, sure」

Hearing everyone’s complaints, the Inquisitor, Katie, obediently turned around and closed the doors.

But even though she did it, Muriel and Sheryl barged immediately after.

Katie pursed her lips as she closed the doors again.

「No ja? Why are you looking so down?」

「…..It’s nothing!」

「D-Don’t scare me…….」

Muriel hid behind Sheryl.

「Katie-san, you can’t scare Muriel-sama like that! Muriel-sama has a delicate personality!」

「Ah, I apologize……」

Katie bowed in apology. She seemed to have an honest personality.

Well then, since the gates are closed and the cold wind has no way in, let’s hear why Katie came here. Or so Iris thought when she noticed an important detail.

「Waa, a stranger!」

Iris screamed, hid under the blanket, and hugged Marion.

「Eh? What happened?」

Said Katie in surprise.

「Iris-sama is extremely shy around strangers. She’s like this every time she meets one」

「Eeh………even though she’s a Guardian Deity….?」

「One’s shyness doesn’t correlate with one’s abilities as a Guardian Deity. Besides, there are always gods who refuse to appear before people」

「There are……but according to my knowledge and Supreme Divine Will Cult’s records, there are none who hide under the blanket to hide from people……..」

「Gods come in many varieties. Investigating that is Katie-san’s job, right?」

「Haa……..well……it is…….」

Katie let out a voice of bewilderment.

If it were, it would be a low priority work for sure. It’s better not to force it.

「You can just forget about your investigation. Spend a night in the village and come again tomorrow」

Iris stated from under the blanket.

「No, this can’t be done」

Having said so, Katie pulled on the blanket.

Iris faced Katie at close range.

「Wa, wa, a human, a human so close, what should I doooo?!」

In her panic, Iris strengthened her hold on Marion.

Marion and Jessica too, apparently feeling the cold, hugged her even tighter.

「Uu…cold……blanket…….it there isn’t any there is still Iris-chan’s warmth…..」

「Ah, Mother is cheating……split Iris with me…..」

「Hieee……because I’m being hugged by two people I can’t escape…….」

She very much wanted to hide under the bed, but Mario and Jessica won’t let her.

Of course, she could just fly away, but that would be too cruel.

As she thought about her escape plan, Katie brought her face closer.

「Hiyaa, so close….someone save me…….!」

「Stay strong, Iris-sama!」

「I don’t really understand but stay strong, Big Sister Iris」

「Puni」

She heard irresponsible cheers from the side.

「Umu…..there is a presence of divine power……..」

「I-Is that so…..? Whatever just maintain the distance……」

Iris was about to die from tension.

Maybe because of the dragon family on her sides she could endure it, although barely. Otherwise, it would’ve been an instant death.

「And please return the blanket…..」

「Cold…..it’s too cold…..」

The dragons trembled so hard the bed trembled with them.

「Is it that cold…….? Then let’s do it. Giga Inferno Flame!」

Katie exaggeratedly screamed and powered her magic.

The surroundings faintly became warmer.

「Ah, somehow it’s warm」

「It’s warm. I can move again」

Marion and Jessica seemed relieved as they relaxed their hold on Iris.

However, relaxed doesn’t mean separated.

Iris still couldn’t escape under the bed.

「F-For such a cool spell its effect is rather underwhelming…….」

Having calmed down somewhat, Iris decided to try speaking with Katie.

「I’m weak in magic department, so I need at least this much drive to make it work」

「I-Is that so……sounds problematic….」

「However, it’s useful to fight the cold. By the way, I use Giga Cocytus Blizzard when it’s hot to cool down!」

「I see…….very convenient…….」

Iris could blow a mountain away or freeze everything until the horizon, but regulating temperature might require some training.

In that regard, Katie’s magic that can set the temperature just right by using everything she has is quite convenient.

「Amazing, stay in this village until the winter ends」

「Dragon Breath has needlessly big range……you have a valuable talent」

The dragons showed their admiration.

「Fufufu. After all, I’m an Inquisitor capable of investigations by myself, despite being a novice! And I have a few questions to ask! Iris-sama and Eclipse-sama! In short, it’s a matter of you being evil gods or not!」

「What is an evil god?」

Eclipse innocently inquired.

Seeing this, Katie thought for a little before answering.

「Eclipse-sama is clear of all suspicions, Eclipse-sama is too adorable to be an evil god」

「Is that so? Wai」

Eclipse felt happy despite her ignorance.