The sky was blue, the sun climbing slowly to its peak, patches of white and gray to be seen, and the flock of birds flying ever so freely. It was a normal day... Well, it would have been normal if there weren't two platinum streaks bolting across such blueness.
Two massive figures darted across the vast blue sky, spreading their beautiful pairs of wings ever so freely and letting their eyes shine with such beauty. The very moment the skylight hits them, the glow is even brighter than the sun itself. They were just too eye-catching.
It wasn't just the sly which has changed. The scenery below has also gradually started to shift. From browns and greens which covered most of what could be seen, colors if black and white started to fill the ground the more they headed north. Not only that, the air was starting to get cold as well.
"Grey, how long will it be before we reach the Kosalvier?" ［Julius］
"It won't be long. If everything goes right, we should arrive before noon." ［Grey］
"That's awfully quick, isn't itー" ［Julius］
"Waah～! Snow!" ［Yuna］
Julius couldn't even finish his words, when a squeal suddenly resounded behind Grey. And despite them being high in the sky, the very origin of the scream jumped up and down without regard for her safety, not a trace of fear in her face.
One, five, thirty seven, up until it reached thousands. Snowflakes started to fall in front of everyone the more they zoomed towards the north. It wasn't a snowstorm or anything dangerous, just a simple, beautiful snowfall, filling the lands with gray and white.
It wasn't the first time Yuna had seen snow, she had done so many times over as she used magic over and over again. But seeing it occur naturally, she couldn't help but be mesmerized from their beauty. It was simply breathtaking.
"How beautiful..." ［Amelia］
"So this is what winter is like, huh..." ［Julius］
Even the usually energetic Julius simply stopped whatever he was doing to admire the wonderful spectacle. It was out of character for him, but who could blame him? When seeing such a scene unfold, it was inevitable for one to stop and admire.
It was especially true since it was the first time all of them had seen such a scene. Even Grey who has lived two lives has only seen such sights on the television. Although he doesn't show it much, he was also in awe, mesmerized even.
Although Alfrione, being a tropical country, was also beautiful in its own rights, there was just a different allure in snowy countries. Well, they would probably get used to it after a while, maybe even get annoyed by the snow, but for now, they were enjoying such a beautiful sight to the fullest.
There wasn't only snow-covered ground. There was also a frozen lake and frozen river unfolding in the scenery below. Adding to that is a couple of forests, evergreen and unbothered by the freezing snow.
"Everyone, do you want to go down and play?" ［Grey］
"Eh? Would that be alright?" ［Amelia］
"Of course. A day or two of playing won't affect us too much. Just think of it as if we are starting our sightseeing right now." ［Grey］
It was a hard to refuse offer with two opposing choices. Although they wanted to hurry up and get to their destination city, they also wanted to let loose while they still could. It would be hard to get the full experience with many eyes around, after all. It was the only chance they had.
"Agh! Dammit! Let's just go and let loose!" ［Julius］
"Un! I also want to play around!" ［Yuna］
"Mmn... I also agree with them. I think it's a good idea." ［Amelia］
The answer was settled with a unanimous vote. Everyone agreed to spend a day playing around and go wild on the white snowy landscape. A gentle smile appeared on Grey's face as he asked the familiars to descend down the snowy fields.
Cold winds blew and snow flew here and there as two figures descended, creating a small blizzard of their own as they flapped their wings. Their platinum scales blending with the snow, they would have been hard to spot if it weren't for their eyes and crystals which stood out like a sore thumb.
With a little leap, everyone came down from the familiars, their boots immediately sinking down the snow as soon as they did. It was a weird feeling, but none of them found it uncomfortable, only interesting.
"Oh, so this is how snow feels like, huh..." ［Julius］
"It's somehow fluffy...? Isn't it?" ［Amelia］
"Amazing! Snow! Lots of snow!" ［Yuna］
Julius stomped his feet around, Amelia squatted and played around with it with her hands, and Yuna ran around the place, not even bothered by the cold a little bit, her breath becoming visible with the drastic drop of temperature.
The familiars weren't left out either. As soon as everyone jumped down from their backs, they turned back to wolf pup forms. Grey also called out the other familiars, and so everyone was present. Well, everyone except Polaris, he was still guarding Eliza and so he wasn't called.
Grey felt bad that Polaros was always left out, but there was only so much he could do. Though they could bond during the Labyrinth dive, they couldn't do so when enjoying simple things like playing around. He swore in his heart he'll make it up to him when the time comes.
"Oh, is that a white rabbit?" ［Julius］
Well, they weren't the only ones around. Not only were there arctic rabbits, there were also arctic foxes and white owls to be seen. Despite looking like a frozen and desolate wasteland, the place was actually bustling with life.
"Hey, Grey, first one to catch the rabbit wins! And don't you dare use your absurd strength, you hear me!" ［Julius］
"Oi, Julius, wait a minute!" ［Grey］
"Ha! Make meー Ah! F*ck! So cold!" ［Julius］
Grey didn't even have to do anything. Before Julius could even take more than a dozen steps, he already fell down helplessly towards the cold snow, shivering and freezing aggressively, the sound of his teeth clattering echoing in the air.
The reason was simple. It was because he got out of Grey's barrier which has been maintaining a comfortable temperature for the duration of the flight. Now, he was feeling coldness he had never felt before. It reminded him of the ice bath during the founding festival he and Grey once suffered against.
He was now like a shriveling cat during the rain, no, actually, he was way worse. He looked like those cartoon characters whose noses were growing icicles from too much coldness as he went back to the barrier. It was only for a moment, but he experienced hell. A cold, freezing hell.
"You idiot, this is why I told you to wait... Here, a coat. I also have some other things. What would you like?" ［Grey］
"Gi... Gi-Gi... Give... Me-Me..." ［Julius］
"Haah... You're hopeless..." ［Grey］
Julius was shivering so much he couldn't even say two words clearly. Grey just decided to give him all he has for his sake. There was the coat, a scarf, a pair of warm gloves, and a couple more things, all enchanted with temperature regulation.
It wasn't just Julius. Grey, Yuna, and Amelia were also now wearing winter-suited clothing. Not only do they keep them warm and comfortable, they are fashionable as well. They all looked like models Grey once saw on the television.
Grey was wearing all black like he usually does. Julius had a pairing of beige and off-white colors. Amelia matched her hair and wore red colors with bits of black here and there. And lastly, Yuna wore white matching the snow around her.
The only things which weren't white on Yuna's attire were her black scarf and earmuffs. It was only given that she looked beautiful, but Grey couldn't help but look at her, his heart pounding wildly like a racing stallion.
"Grey, is something wrong?" ［Yuna］
"N-No, not really... It's just that... Umm... You look so beautiful... I couldn't take my eyes off you," ［Grey］
He was the one who said it, but he was also the most embarrassed, covering the lower part of his face with one of his hands. But it was to no avail, his ears only proved how flustered she was. Yuna's looks were just too explosive.
Meanwhile, Yuna couldn't respond with words. She only pounded one of Grey's shoulders as if she was protesting, her face getting redder and redder the more she pounded. She was just as embarrassed as he was, but also happy at the same time,
Well, it wasn't only Grey and Yuna. Julius and Amelia were also having their own moment by themselves. The familiars could only look at the two pairs warmly as they observed from a distance, giving them the space they needed.
Time passed and more snow fell from the sky. To pass the time, everyone decided to plan around the snow and build a lot of things. And what better thing was there to build with snow than a snowman. Building it was a must!
One after another, snowmen popped left and right as everyone built their own. There were small ones, tall ones, and even weird looking ones which couldn't be described by a single word. They played around like children without a care for the world.
"Ha! Grey, mine's taller than yours!" ［Julius］
"Hm? I don't remember us having a competition,.. Well, even if we did, you won't be winning anytime soon." ［Grey］
"Huh? What do... you... mean..." ［Julius］
Julius' pride was quickly crushed as soon as he looked at the direction Grey was pointing at. There, he saw a massive snowman standing more than five meters tall, and the ones who built it were none other than Yuna, Amelia, and the familairs.
"Hey, that's cheating! There's so many of you!" ［Julius］
"Fufufu, we didn't agree on the rules to begin with! So this isn't cheating!" ［Yuna］
"Yuna's right. Please admit defeat, Your Highness." ［Amelia］
"Amelia, not you too!" ［Julius］
Like a child who just got crushed horribly in a game, Julius' knees were down to the ground. Grey couldn't even remember there was a competition in the first place yet everyone was on board with Julius' sudden whim. He felt a little left out.
Nonchalantly, Grey bent down to the ground and cupped himself a bunch of snow. He then rolled it with his palm whilst humming to himself and without much thought, threw it in a random direction, a perfect trajectory, landing towards the back of Julius' head. It was a total coincidence. Yep, a total coincidence.
"Ah, sorry... Didn't mean to do that..." ［Grey］
"You bastard...! That's it! I'm pummelingー" ［Julius］
"Ah. I also didn't mean that one." ［Grey］
Total disrespect. Julius hadn't even finished his words when another snowball hit him. Now, it wasn't the back of his head, but rather, his very handsome face. Silence filled the place as the snow fell back to the ground.
Irked veins popping on his face, Julius slowly scooped up a bunch of snow and just as slowly, he stood back up, all the while forming a ball with the snow he gathered. No more words need to be said. A snowball fight has broken out.
At first, it was only Julius and Grey who were involved, but when stray snowballs hit Amelia and Yuna as well, the battle got bigger. Even the familiars joined the fray using bits of magic to throw snowballs one after another.
And just as the climax of the match was approaching, a strong gale howled as winds gathered in one place. It wasn't a blizzard or anything of the sort. Yuna simply used magic to gather snow and create hundreds of snowballs at the same time.
"Oi, Yuna! Using magic is cheating!" ［Julius］
"Fufufu, I'm sorry, Julius, but it's already far too late. Amelia, please hide behind me. I'm gonna fire a big one." ［Yuna］
"Okay～! And good luck, Your Highness～!" ［Amelia］
"Amelia, you traitor!" ［Julius］
Betrayed by his very own fiancée, Julius has no other choice but to run away. Soon enough, a barrage of snowballs rained down upon him as Yuna released her fury. If he was to ever slow down, he would undoubtedly be buried under the snow.
He was already running for his dear life when just in front of him, another storm started brewing up. Hundreds, if not thousands, of snowballs floated in the air, ready to be fired at a moment's notice. It was Grey.
"You're done, Julius." ［Grey］
With a flick on his finger, another barrage was after Julius' life. He was pincered both from the front and back, nowhere left to run. All he could do was stay still and wait for his cruel fate. It was over.
"Hey, this is bullying!" ［Julius］
A pitiful scream echoed throughout the snowy fields as Julius was buried under the brunt of Grey and Yuna's combined attack. He was the first to be totally defeated, knocked out without any hopes of recovery.
The match continued and thousands of snowballs razed the fields. After Julius, Amelia and the familiars were eliminated. The match only stopped when Grey surrendered. Well, who wouldn't? His dear Yuna has started using icicles, after all.
After the snowball fight, everyone stopped a little bit to rest. Grey and Yuna then moved their hands once again and cooked lunch for everyone. The hot stew and soups were especially appreciated with the cold climate.
"G-G-Grey, h-help me!" ［Amelia］
Her legs trembling, voice shaking, and heart quaking, A lone lady stood in the middle of the frozen lake, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as her face turned pale white, blending with the color of the snow around her. It was Amelia.
With nothing much to do, Grey decided to teach everyone how to ice skate. They didn't have any ice-skating boots, but with the help of ice magic, Grey was able to make improvised ones. It would be a waste to not use the frozen lake, after all,
Only after a bit of teaching, Yuna and Julius were able to learn ice skating quickly. One of them was even laughing hysterically, boasting about how much of a genius he was. It was obviously Julius.
The only one who hasn't progressed was Amelia. It wasn't that she had no talent for it. She was just simply too scared to move in such slippery ice. It has been several minutes since they started and she still hasn't moved an inch.
It would have been nice if her fiancé could teach her, but he was hopeless. He learnt it easily, but when it came to teaching, he sucked like a high-end vacuum cleaner, only making Amelia more confused with his abstract and intangible words.
"No, no, Amelia, you're trembling too much. Just put more trust in yourself, and start pushing and then push some more!" ［Grey］
"E-Even if y-you e-explain it th-that way, I-I'm still s-scared!" ［Amelia］
"Haah... Alright. Here, hold my hands. I'll be guiding you." ［Grey］
No other choices left, Grey held Amelia's hands and started guiding her closely. He pushed whenever she needed a push and supported when she needed support. Little by little, they were making progress.
But as such a scene unfolded, a little distance away, a certain silver-haired elf was pouting. She knew it can't be helped, but whenever she sees Grey holding another woman's hands, even if it was her friend, a certain emotion bursts in her heart. It was frustrating. Very frustrating.
"Ah, Ah!! Grey, look! I can do it! I'm really skating!" ［Amelia］
"Haha, good for you... Now, go to Julius and give him a good smack for me, alright? That bastard's got the guts to ditch his fiancée and have fun by himself. I think it's only fitting he receives a smack or two." ［Grey］
"Yes! I will do just so!" ［Amelia］
There wasn't a speck of mercy between the two. Even when Amelia truly loved Julius, him leaving her behind to skate on her own also irritated her a little bit. Needless to say, it wasn't going to be pretty for him.
And just as Grey waved his hands goodbye to Amelia, a certain elf tugged on his coat. It was none other than Yuna who was puffing her cheeks, pouting to show her dissatisfaction. She pouted even more as she looked Grey in the eye.
"Umm... Is something wrong...?" ［Grey］
Asked Grey but there weren't any answers. Yuna simply continued to pout, lifting Grey's hands and having her fingers interlock with his. She held his hands so tightly, it would have been broken if Grey was a normal person.
Grey couldn't be any more puzzled with Yuna's actions. It was only when he looked at her expressions once again that he remembered a certain memory. She wore the same face when she looked at the people back when they had their first date in the capital. Then, it finally hit him.
"Yuna... Are you perhaps... Jealous...?" ［Grey］
Yuna flinched at the mention of Grey's last word. Her eyes then went swimming in a different direction, trying to avoid Grey's gaze as her cheeks started to burn a fierce red color. As for her answer...
"N... No..." ［Yuna］
... It was an obvious lie. A gentle smile appeared on Grey's face as his suspicions were ascertained. He never knew his girlfriend could be so adorable, his heart going wild as an indescribable happiness surge inside of it, flooding it whole.
Grey then shook off Yuna's hands, making the latter surprised. But what surprised her even more was what followed after. Without any warning, Grey suddenly hugged her tightly, and as he leaned towards one of her ears, he whispered...
"Don't worry. My hands are only yours to hold tightly." ［Grey］
It was a critical hit! As soon as Yuna heard those words, she buried her face on Grey's chest, trying to hide her very flustered face. What's worse, she heard the loud beats of her beloved's heart, making her even redder than what is humanly possible. She has turned into a ripe tomato.
A satisfied smile floating on Grey's face, the day continued and a lot of things were done. After their ice skating, they went snowboarding, made more snowmen and snow angels, and also did some ice fishing.
The last one was especially fun where the competitive Canopus won by a large margin after swimming down the holes and fishes by handー or rather, by mouth. The other familiars also played along and they were able to get a lot of fish for dinner.
As for who got the smallest catch, there was no need to guess. It was Julius. He was just too energetic and impatient that he always scares the fishes away. There was once that he caught a very small fish which made everyone burst laughing.
Just like that, time passed some more and the sky started to change colors. For their shelter for the night, Grey made a certain structure he only saw in television and books back on Earth. He was very satisfied with the results.
"So this is called an igloo, huh... It's pretty well-made, too..." ［Julius］
"Amazing... To think that you could use snow to create a house to shield against snow. How ingenious." ［Amelia］
"Un! This house is amazing! I wonder if we can make a castle, too?!" ［Yuna］
Of course, it was an igloo. It was pretty big compared to the ones back on Earth since magic was used, but it was still an igloo nonetheless. It was warm, it provided shelter, and was also spacious enough for the four of them. There was nothing more Grey could ask for.
Well, if he actually went all out and built an ice castle like Yuna said, but for now, he was satisfied with the igloo. They were only going to stay for a single night, after all. If he was going to build one, it would be a project for another day.
"Grey, I've been wondering..." ［Julius］
"Hm? What is it?" ［Grey］
"Isn't it also your first time here in the north? How come you know so many things about it? I'm pretty sure some of it is your idea as well." ［Julius］
It was a natural question. No matter how one thinks about it, it was just too strange. Grey was too excited about playing with snow and ice, he completely forgot about his setting. He messed up big time.
"Ah, that... I just read a few materials here and there in my free time. As for ice skating and snowboarding, I've read something similar so I thought it would also work here, that's all." ［Grey］
"I see... So that's how it is..." ［Julius］
"Hmm... I've thought about it before, but you really are amazing, Grey, aren't you? I wouldn't have thought about it if it were me..." ［Amelia］
"That's right! My Grey's amazing!" ［Yuna］
Thankfully, Grey had also gotten better at lying. In just a quick second, he was able to whip up a reason that even Yuna, who knew of his circumstances, was also fooled. He was terrified of his own capabilities.
The amber sky only turned darker with the setting of the sun. And with the darkening of the sky, the scent of deliciousness filled the air as dinner was served. Everyone had a happy time together, chatting and laughing ever so happily. They then had a little rest as the sky turned black.
'Hm? It should be about time, isn't it?' ［Grey］
Such a thought revolving around his mind, Grey abruptly headed towards the exit and took a peek outside. His eyes looked over the horizon, a gentle smile appearing on his face as his suspicions were confirmed.
"Grey, what are you looking at?" ［Yuna］
"Haha, nothing much... Why don't we all go outside for a little bit? I want to show something to everyone." ［Grey］
Ending his statement with a smile, not only Yuna, but Julius, Amelia, and even the familiars titled their heads in their confusion. Even then, they granted Grey's request and headed outside the igloo.
But even when they went outside, there was still confusion in their faces. No matter how much they turned their heads left and right, they only saw snow and even more snow. They still don't know what the smiling Grey wanted to show them.
"Oi, Grey, are you playing a prank on us?" ［Julius］
"You bastard, how rude. You can go back if you want, you know?" ［Grey］
"Well, no matter how I look, it's just snow. There isn't anything else." ［Julius］
"Haah... How impatient. If you can't find it, you just need to look somewhere else." ［Grey］
"Somewhere else? What are you... talking... ab... out..." ［Julius］
There were no more words needed to be said. As Grey ended his statement, he looked up towards the sky, wearing the same smile on his face. The others soon followed and what they saw left them all speechless.
Red, blue, green, yellow, and all the colors of a rainbow. Like the waves atop the deep blue ocean, the colors danced around in the sky freely, not a single one restrained. They flashed and dimmed like fireflies in a dark forest. Oh, what a mystical sight to see. The northern lights, a true beauty.
There wasn't a single word uttered. Everyone was speechless, their eyes fixated on one of nature's greatest treats. The orchestra of light and colors, as the sky darkened even more, was forever engraved in everyone's hearts.
CHAPTER 176 END