Chapter 87: First Snow Miracle

“Wow! Look at this!”

“Yawn…”

Elenia’s voice pulled me out of sleep.

But I really didn’t want to crawl out from under the warm blanket…

“Are you still sleeping?”

I tossed and turned for a moment before finally dragging myself out.

“What’s up?”

“Look over here!”

I peered down toward the ground—and the whole world was white.

“It’s the first snow!”

“It’s really snowing?”

Winter had arrived in full force.

“I wish it would snow on the Floating Island too…”

Elenia said with a hint of regret.

Well, yeah. The Floating Island floats above the clouds, so snow never falls here.

“Right!”

Suddenly, a great idea popped into my head.

I immediately headed down to the surface with Dorori.

I scooped up some snow, set it on the ground, and rolled it bigger and bigger. 

After making two huge snowballs, I carried them back up to the Floating Island.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a snowman.”

I placed one ball on the ground and stacked the other on top like a tower.

Poke, poke.

I stuck olives into the face for eyes and jammed a big fat carrot in for the nose.

I gave it branch arms and plopped a bucket on its head.

“Ta-da!”

“Wow! A snowman!”

Elenia’s eyes sparkled.

“How’s my handiwork?”

“It looks just like a snow spirit.”

Seeing how delighted she was made me grin from ear to ear.

At that moment—

“…Huh?”

Something cold landed on the tip of my nose.

“No way… snow?”

A miracle was happening.

Ding.

[A passing snow spirit has cast its magic.]

[Snow is falling on the Floating Island.]

…How is snow even possible here?

Huge, soft snowflakes began to fall thick and fast.

The Floating Island was soon blanketed in pure white.

“Snow! It’s snow!”

Elenia bounced around in pure glee.

Piiit! Piiit!

Tap tap tap tap.

Dorori started sprinting across the snow on his short legs. 

There was actual madness in his eyes. He was completely hyped up by the snow.

Moooom! Hmph!

The cow rolled around in the snowfield, puffing out huge clouds of breath.

Puu! Puu!

Plop! Plop!

Even Puu dove headfirst into the snow and started burrowing around like a mole.

Everyone was losing their minds with joy.

Whatever the reason, who cared?

Enjoying this moment was what mattered!

“Alright! I’m not gonna lose!”

Crunch crunch.

Every step I took in the snow sent a satisfying sound up to my ears.

I scooped up a handful of snow and packed it between both hands.

“Take this!”

Whoosh!

Thwack.

“Piiiit!”

Dorori yelped in surprise as the snowball hit him.

“How’s that taste?”

“HH!!”

He immediately grabbed a double handful of snow with both wings, flapped up into the air—

“Wha— hey!”

—and dropped a snow bomb right on me from above.

“Arghhh!”

“Piihihit!”

He cackled with satisfaction at the sight of me completely covered in snow.

“Fine! Take this back!”

A pea-sized snowball struck my right cheek with a tap!

“Bullseye!”

Elenia crowed triumphantly.

“You dare start a war? Alright! Let’s see who wins!”

And so began the great snowball fight between Elenia and me.

Moooom!

Puu puu!

“Piiiit!”

The cow, Puu, and Dorori watched the battle and cheered us on with full enthusiasm.

Whoosh whoosh!

Elenia was small and fast—impossible to hit.

Meanwhile, every single snowball she threw landed square on me… though the damage was basically zero.

After the epic fight ended, we each grabbed a fertilizer sack and climbed up the hill.

“I’ll show you how it’s done first.”

I spread the sack flat on the ground and sat on it.

“Here we go!”

Swoooosh.

The fertilizer-sack sled shot down the slope.

“Yaaahoooo!”

The speed was way faster than expected, so what came out of my mouth was some weird mix between a scream and a cheer.

Dorori and the cow came sliding down right behind me.

“Piiiit!”

“Moooooo!”

Elenia rode inside a brass basin instead of a fertilizer sack.

“I’m going too! Puu, push!”

“Puu!”

Puu gave the basin a shove and it slid down the snowy slope.

“Wow! So fun! Wait— uwaaaaah!”

It picked up speed, then suddenly started spinning like crazy.

“Aaaah!”

“I’ve got you!”

I caught the basin and finally stopped the wild spinning.

“The woooorld is spiiiinning…”

Elenia’s eyes were literally swirling.

“Hahaha. Look at you.”

Sledding was so much fun that we kept climbing back up and sliding down without ever feeling tired.

“Ahh, that was awesome.”

Shiver shiver.

Dorori and the cow were starting to tremble from the cold.

“Oh no, we’re completely soaked.”

“I’m starting to feel chilly too.”

“I’ll light a fire right away.”

Crackle crackle.

Flames roared up in the brazier.

“So warm…”

We sat in a circle around the fire, thawing our frozen hands and feet.

But our clothes were still drenched and clammy.

“If only we had a bathtub right now… I’d soak in hot water.”

I should’ve built a bathroom earlier.

I really wanted to melt away in a nice hot bath.

“Puu puu!”

“What? For real?”

“Puu!”

Just then, Puu made a very tempting suggestion.

I followed him down to the third basement level.

“No way… it’s real!”

“Puu!”

***

There, built neatly from stacked stones, was a proper hot spring bath.

“How is there an onsen here?”

Ding.

[Ancient Hot Spring Bathhouse]

[Warm hot spring water melts away all accumulated fatigue.]

“So this is an onsen the ancients used? This is insane!”

To think such a facility was hidden inside the Floating Island.

Just how far did the ancients’ wonders go?

Steam steam.

Warm vapor rose gently from the spring.

Explanations could wait—I wanted to jump in right now.

“Alright, bath time!”

“Piiiit!”

“Moooo!”

“Puu puu!”

Everyone except Elenia—who already had her own bathroom—stepped into the deliciously hot spring.

“Ahh… so warm.”

How long had it been since I last soaked in a hot bath?

My ice-cold body melted into a pleasant, drowsy looseness.

Relaxed sigh~

“This is pure happiness.”

***

‘He really comes and goes like it’s his own house now.’

The gnome secretly watched Fabir.

He had been a little tense, wondering if this was revenge for stealing the crops last time, but instead the human suddenly started enjoying the hot spring.

Sweat beads formed on Fabir’s nose.

Gulp gulp. “Kyah! Nothing beats drinking something cold while you’re soaking in a bath!”

‘J-juice…’

The field crops he’d brought from the surface tasted unbelievably good.

Especially when he roasted sweet potatoes the human way over an open fire—the hard texture turned soft and melty, dissolving on the tongue.

The sweetness was amplified so much it made even the gnome grin stupidly.

Slurp.

The gnome wiped away the drool running down his chin.

“Aren’t you getting hungry? How about some hot kimchi jjigae upstairs?”

‘Kimchi jjigae? What’s that?’

The gnome’s ears perked up.

Judging by how excited everyone was, it must be pretty delicious.

“Ahh, so refreshing.”

After getting out of the spring, Fabir changed clothes and headed back to the surface.

Ahem… kimchi jjigae, huh…

He had no idea what it was, but judging from the roasted sweet potato precedent, it was surely another human-style dish. Just hearing the name already made it sound insanely tasty.

‘…Should I just take a look?’

After a brief hesitation, the gnome stealthily followed him. Hiding behind a rock, he spied on Fabir’s actions.

“First, let’s take out the kimchi.”

Fabir lifted the lid of the fermentation jar and pulled out the kimchi. The vivid red color caught the eye immediately.

He tore off one leaf and popped it into his mouth.

Crunch crunch.

“Mmm! Perfectly fermented!”

‘Th-that looks delicious!’

The gnome could tell just from the sound. That thing was definitely tasty!

Chop chop chop chop.

Next, Fabir roughly sliced the kimchi with a knife and started stir-frying it in a pot.

Sizzle.

Sniff sniff… What is this spicy-sour smell?

The aroma of frying kimchi tickled the gnome’s nose.

He was instantly intoxicated by the powerful, unfamiliar scent.

Sniff sniff… What could it possibly taste like?

While the gnome closed his eyes and tried to imagine the flavor from smell alone—

Bubble bubble.

Before he knew it, the kimchi jjigae was finished and steaming deliciously.

“Let’s see… how’s the rice coming along?”

Fabir lifted the pot lid, revealing glossy, perfectly cooked white rice that looked incredibly appetizing.

“Mmm! The fragrant smell of fresh rice never gets old.”

He scooped a generous heap of the fluffy rice into a bowl.

“Everyone! Food’s ready!”

“Food! Food!”

Elenia zoomed straight to the table. The cow, Dorori, and Puu hurriedly gathered around as well.

‘To think they’d surrender to mere human cooking…’

The gnome glared at them. He vowed that he, at least, would never submit to that human.

“Mmm! So this is kimchi jjigae!”

“Try it quick. It’s insane when you eat it with rice!”

Fabir scooped a big spoonful of the stew, drenched the white rice thoroughly, and brought it to his mouth.

“Mmm! That sharp, spicy kick really wakes up your insides!”

“It’s seriously amazing!”

Elenia beamed. Puu, the cow, and Dorori were all showering it with praise.

Gulp.

Just watching was torture. The gnome wanted to rush over and devour some right that second, but—

‘No! I can’t give in to a mere human!’

He pinched his own thigh hard, desperately shaking off the temptation.

“Another bowl!”

“Sure, eat as much as you want.”

Groan.

‘This isn’t going to work. Time to leave.’

If he stayed any longer he wouldn’t be able to hold back. The gnome hurriedly turned and headed back underground.

“Puu?”

Puu, who happened to catch sight of him, tilted his head.

A short while later.

Crunch crunch.

Back underground, the gnome chewed on a carrot out of sheer hunger.

The carrot was still tasty, but somehow the emptiness in his stomach refused to go away.

“Puu! Puu!”

Just then, Puu came hopping over with an extremely excited expression.

His belly was bulging more than usual—he looked happier than ever.

“Hmph. Traitor.”

The gnome clicked his tongue at Puu.

“Puu?”

“Don’t talk to me! I’m in a bad mood!”

“Puu puu?”

“Why? Do I need a reason?”

The gnome whipped his head away. He kept getting more and more irritated.

“Puu?”

“What? Why did I go to the surface, you ask?”

The flustered gnome rolled his eyes wildly.

“W-well, uh… I just went for a walk! That’s all! Why?”

The gnome twisted his lips. You saw me, yet you ate all that delicious food by yourself?

“…Was it tasty eating alone?”

“Puu?”

“No! Hmph!”

Crunch crunch.

Annoyed for no good reason, the gnome roughly chewed and swallowed the carrot.

‘I don’t care about human cooking anyway! I’m not the least bit jealous!’

The gnome sulked.

“Ah!”

Then suddenly—

‘Right! If it’s just cooking, I can do it myself!’

Yeah—if he just made it himself, that would solve everything, wouldn’t it?

“Heh heh…”

The corners of the gnome’s mouth twitched upward.