The Red Mountain Blanketed in Snow

It was heartwarming, they said. Crackle...Crackle... "Hngh...!"

"Cold?"

"It's cold..."

"Whoa, first time seeing snow here..."

"Kinda pretty, though?"

After the fight between NyaNya and the unidentified hero wrapped up, the entire area around my nest had frozen solid. The heroes huddled close around me. The Red Mountain where I lived maintained a cozy warmth year-round, but the climate had drastically changed from that battle just moments ago.

Whoooosh...!! A blizzard raged, the perfect weather to freeze to death without bundling up. I'd made a small campfire inside the nest, and the heroes stuck their hands near it like their lives depended on it.

"Whoa, changing the weather like that..."

"The power of a legendary weapon, huh."

"I could've gotten it too... tch."

As the heroes marveled at the staff's power, Haring muttered while poking the fire with a stick, hugging one knee to her chest. Those were treasures ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'd diligently collected to pay back favors. If they didn't perform like this, it'd be a problem.

I nodded with arms crossed. "The Snow Staff is one of the better ones among my treasures. NyaNya picked well."

"All the other weapons that good too?"

"Some are similar, some aren't."

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Snow Staff wasn't the absolute best, but I had plenty that were on par or had their own fame. Among them, the Snow Staff held the power of the glacier that birthed the Ice Elves—a national treasure and kind of a 'holy relic' in the Ice Elf Kingdom.

"NyaNya."

"Yeees...? Hngh...!!"

"Don't take that to the Ice Elf Kingdom. They'll try to snatch it for sure."

"E-eh...? W-why...?"

"'Cause I said I'd return it but got lazy and didn't."

I'd planned to use it a bit and give it back, but it was too far away to bother. I hadn't had much reason to go to the northern continent since. The Ice Elves never came to my nest demanding it back either.

Haring tilted her head. "Maybe they're just too scared of you to say anything?"

"Nah, I treated them nice. The mood was all heartwarming."

"Wasn't it heartwarming 'cause you're a fire dragon...?"

"Not like that."

We all got along great, okay? We ate delicious food, threw a feast, laughed ha-ha-ho-ho. The Elf King even saw them off at the castle gates himself.

"Heartwarming was actually all smoky and grilled..."

"Like this."

Thwack! Hidni clutched his head and rolled on the ground from my fist. This guy's been getting cocky lately.

NyaNya shivered violently. Even wrapped in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠three layers of clothes and the blanket from the treasure vault (an expensive one from the emperor), she couldn't shake the chill.

"Hngh..."

"Why's NyaNya like this?"

"The Snow Staff can only be used by those with a special constitution or at least four Mana Cores. It's treated like a holy relic, so just anyone can't handle it. Even chosen heroes of the goddess are no exception. Use it without qualification, and you might freeze yourself instead—a total disaster."

"I taught her how to use it briefly... but it was still too much for her, huh."

"It's cold..."

"Want another blanket?"

"...N-no, it's cold inside. Even with the blanket, it doesn't... help much..."

"Well, yeah, your insides are frozen."

The Snow Staff channeled magic through Mana Cores. No matter how bundled up, melting those frozen cores took time.

"...I-is there no way to thaw the inside?"

"Hm... there is, kinda."

"Lea breathes fire on her!"

"Oh, good idea! That'll blow away the chill in one go..."

"And NyaNya turns into roast."

I shook my head at the heroes' nonsense. Blindly blasting fire at something frozen would just shatter it. Plus, her Mana Cores were freshly made and unstable—adding my fire to the ice? Disaster.

"Her Mana Cores would shatter. Her insides would be a total mess, and in the worst case, she'd die or end ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up crippled."

"Gasp."

"...So what do we do?"

"There's one way."

I shot to my feet. As everyone watched, I stepped right up to NyaNya's face. She was still puffing white frost and trembling.

I cupped her cold cheeks with both hands. And then...

"Gasp, no way..!"

"Oh my."

"Eeeeeek?!!!"

"...?"

Whoosh... Warm embers flowed from my hands, gently enveloping her skin. Fire that spread evenly over the surface without entering her body.

"Wha...?"

Color returned to NyaNya's pale face.

"Warm, right?"

"...Not cold anymore. Well, not totally not cold, but. Yeah."

"Bearable?"

"Y-yes..."

"It's temporary. Just tricking your skin senses into feeling warm."

"Oh..."

"Your Mana Cores are still frozen, so no magic for a while. And don't even touch the staff."

"Okay."

Pat pat. I tapped her cheeks lightly, stroked her head, and turned away.

...Why the weird reactions? Haring was half-covering her eyes with her fingers, Yugi looked disappointed and pouty. The other heroes were mostly shocked too.

"Pervert."

"N-no, it's not."

"Nothing like that."

"Kawi..."

"?"

Crackle...Crackle... NyaNya wiggled her fingers with renewed vigor, then bowed her head. She seemed listless and deflated.

"Sigh..."

"Still cold?"

"No. Feels like I ate a ton of ice, but I can handle it."

"Then why?"

"...Sorry. You taught me magic, Lea, and I just defended then got wrecked."

"Hm."

"I could've won without the Frost Staff, but I got scared to attack..."

"That happens."

Who masters it from the start? Even heroes who'd slain countless monsters and legion commanders fumbled at first. They ran scared or cried they couldn't do it.

"Even the legendary heroes who made names for themselves were terrified beginners. But if you try, you get it done."

"...I see."

"It fixes itself with familiarity. If not, train more."

If it really didn't work out, quitting was fine. Heroes weren't rare like mercenaries anymore—no big deal dropping one NyaNya.

"What about Bahamut?"

"He killed everything from the start."

The guy punched monsters barehanded at age five without flinching. No wonder legion commanders trembled and the Demon King feared him.

"He's the exception."