Rocking in the carriage for about a month.
As we neared Snowlake, snow began to pile up.
Aisha and Snow were excited to see snow for the first time, but for those traveling, it was nothing but a hassle.
The carriage slowed down, and from time to time, the wheels would get stuck in the snow.
Even with such troubles, the carriage moved forward...
And today, we finally arrived in Snowlake.
"Wow!"
Aisha sparkled with excitement as she got off the carriage.
What she was gazing at was the townscape of Snowlake.
Perhaps due to the thick outer walls made to keep out the cold, every house looked large.
And the roofs were sharp triangles.
They were deliberately angled like that so that snow wouldn’t pile up.
Even so, a fair amount of snow still remained on the rooftops.
That was true for all the buildings...
The entire town looked like it had been dressed in snow.
When the sun rose, its light reflected off the snow, making everything sparkle.
It was dazzling, yet beautiful...
It felt like the whole town was shining.
"Waa! Waa!"
"On!"
Aisha, clearly very excited, wagged her tail rapidly.
Next to her, Snow wagged her tail just as enthusiastically.
They made a great pair.
The heartwarming scene brought an unintentional smile to my face.
"Thank you very much."
After giving our thanks, we got off the carriage.
The merchant who had brought us this far waved his hand and said "See ya," disappearing into the town.
"Whew, we finally made it."
Sofia spoke, her voice tinged with a bit of fatigue.
A month-long carriage journey.
And near the end, the snow made it hard to move forward, taking up more time.
Even she must have been exhausted.
"You look energetic, Fate. What is it, are you resistant to cold? Or are you just as giddy as Aisha about the snow? Geez, how childish."
"Yeah, maybe I am."
Licorice teased me, but I didn’t deny it—I agreed.
Even though we set out fairly early…
As expected, I missed my hometown.
Seeing the white-covered town made it feel real—I was back—and all the fatigue vanished.
"How long has it been since you left town?"
"Hmm… maybe close to ten years."
After Sofia moved away…
I began training to become an adventurer, to keep a promise.
I was just a child, so I couldn’t do much, but I worked hard every day on all kinds of training.
A few years later...
One day, Sigurd and his group happened to visit the town.
They easily defeated a monster that had been attacking livestock.
Seeing them, I admired them and asked to join their group.
They welcomed me with smiles...
But those smiles were lies...
I ended up being used as a convenient slave.
"That’s why I couldn’t come home at all."
"…Those damn scumbags."
Sofia rekindled her anger, but quickly returned to a smile as she remembered Aisha.
"Then, it’s a long-overdue homecoming. Let’s go visit Fate’s house right away."
"Ah, before that, let’s go to the inn first. I think it’ll be fine, but if all the rooms are taken, we might end up having to sleep outside."
"You’re not going to stay at your house?"
"Showing up with this many people would definitely be a burden."
There’s me, Sofia, and Aisha.
And also Licorice and Snow.
Showing up with all of us would be overwhelming.
The house isn’t that big, so there probably wouldn’t be enough rooms.
We’d likely be short on bedding, and there might not be enough food either.
It’s better to just drop by to say hello today…
And secure a separate place to stay at the inn.
"So yeah, let’s go to the inn first, okay?"
"That might be true, but..."
Sofia didn’t look convinced.
Knowing how kind she is, she probably wanted us to relax at home and spend time there.
But even if we don’t stay the night, we can still visit and spend time with my parents…
There’s no need to rush.
"Alright then, to the inn—"
"No need to go there.
"...Huh..."
A deeply familiar voice reached my ears.
A voice I could never forget.
Just hearing it gave me a strange sense of peace.
And the owner of that voice was...
"...Dad?"
I turned around to see a man who looked to be in his thirties.
He was very tall—close to two meters.
His solid, muscular build made him look like an adventurer at first glance.
His skin was tanned, almost oddly so for someone living in a northern country.
"Hey!"
"...Dad..."
There was no doubt.
He was my father—Age Stuart.
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