For the Holy Knights who couldn’t walk, Egru rushed back to the cabin to get a sled.

When he tried to support them one by one, the one left behind fell into extreme panic. He retched while gasping for breath as if having a seizure.

“I-I’ll be right back! R-really!”

Afraid of being left alone in the snow, he kept grabbing onto Egru’s hand while crying. Egru managed to pry his hand away with difficulty. Even the most valiant knights seemed to become like children in the face of mortal terror.

D-D’Élysée must have always been this frightened too…

Egru sniffled with his red nose as he firmly grabbed the sled. Somehow, the Holy Knights, visible as distant dots, felt like younger siblings who needed looking after. He wished he could become strong enough to easily lift two people at once someday.

“Just wait a little longer! I-I’m almost there!”

By the time Egru entered the cabin with both Holy Knights, the sun was already setting.

As the door closed and the sound of wind ceased, only a dim silence permeated the interior. The second hand of the clock ticked as if nothing had happened. Salvanel, asleep upstairs, hadn’t seemed to wake up yet.

Egru first headed to the first-floor kitchen, where the nearest fireplace was, while laboriously moving the two Holy Knights who had difficulty walking.

Their gait was awkward, like walking on two icicles. Their knees wouldn’t bend properly. It seemed that even the blood vessels in their legs were frozen solid, preventing proper movement.

“F-first, I’ll help you remove your wet clothing. Oh, wait!”

He barely stopped one of the Holy Knights who was unconsciously trying to touch the fireplace.

“You’ll g-get hurt! Please stay still, I’ll take care of everything!”

But removing the wet clothes wasn’t an easy task. In the end, he had to practically tear them off and throw them far away.

After seating the two shivering, naked large men in front of the fireplace, he brought a big blanket from the sofa and covered them both at once. Finally, he brought them milk boiled piping hot with plenty of honey mixed in.

Egru’s hands trembled as he placed the cups in front of the Holy Knights. His frozen fingertips had turned from red to blue.

Egru clenched his fists tightly to regain the lost sensation. Still, he couldn’t feel the blood flowing. It seemed like his fingers could be cut off like wooden sticks, and he wouldn’t feel any pain.

“I-I need to go before another blizzard starts…”

His amber eyes looked out the window, where there wasn’t even a hint of wind. For a moment, he thought about removing his own clothes and warming himself, but quickly dismissed the idea. Looking back at the Holy Knights, they seemed much calmer than before.

“I’ll go to the village to get help. W-wait here. Oh, if I don’t come back…”

Before he could finish speaking, rough hands pulled at Egru. He nearly lost his balance but managed to steady himself.

When Egru looked up with confused eyes, the two Holy Knights opened their still-trembling lips.

“It’s dangerous. Avalanches usually don’t end with just one. We cannot stand by and watch our benefactor walk into danger.”

“Moreover, the terrain near the cabin makes it difficult for snow masses to fall. Yet an avalanche occurred, so we cannot ignore the possibility that it’s a trap set by forces hostile to the church. We need to contact the Papal Curia and observe the situation for a while.”

Egru suddenly realized:

So that’s why they were afraid of being left alone when I said I’d move them one by one.

Regardless, it was fortunate that they had recovered enough to communicate. Thanks to their excellent physical abilities, they had managed to endure in the snow for a long time.

“What are your names?”

“Cole… it’s Cole.”

“Nile.”

The two Holy Knights answered almost simultaneously to Egru’s question.

“If you can manage your bodies, please take care of the Pope upstairs. He collapsed from shock after seeing you both in danger.”

“His Holiness…”

As Egru naturally stood up to leave, Cole and Nile each grabbed one of his ankles. Egru nearly fell forward.

“Didn’t you hear our warning about the danger!”

“You can’t go out, we said!”

“But s-someone has to go.”

“Wait a moment! We’ll…!”

Cole and Nile exchanged glances. Nile, leaving Egru to Cole, crawled unsteadily. He headed toward a corner of the kitchen where wet outer garments were tangled.

“No, this can’t be…”

The communication devices from both their coat pockets were completely dead.

The signal circuits had burned black. This was also why they had received no response despite endlessly sending rescue requests from beneath the snow.

“Look at this. Surely someone with malicious intent destroyed it with long-range magic.”

Nile thrust the broken communication device in front of Egru’s eyes. Egru was startled and stepped back a little as the naked man approached. But seeing Nile stagger, he immediately supported him.

“This cabin has no built-in communication device.”

Nile continued, regulating his rough breathing.

“If His Holiness had a communication device, he would have requested rescue long ago, but that wasn’t the case.”

“T-then all the more reason for someone to go down to the village.”

“I’m saying it’s time to be cautious about every choice!”

When Egru hit the mark, Nile raised his voice even more.

“I agree with Nile.”

Cole said, gripping Egru’s forearm tightly.

“You are our benefactor, Egru. We don’t want to increase meaningless sacrifices.”

Waving his hand as if everything was fine, Egru pulled his frozen lips into a smile.

“I-it’s nothing. I’m just doing what a hero should do.”

“Hero?”

“Yes, I’m going to b-become a hero. So don’t worry. I’m extremely tough.”

Saying that, he tried to pull his forearm from Cole’s grip, but it didn’t budge at all. With a flustered face, Egru exerted all his strength to extract his arm.

“Then I-I’ll go to the village and send people this way.”

Cole and Nile narrowed their eyes and looked at each other. Egru carefully stepped back while watching their reactions.

“This won’t do, Egru. It would be better to wait here until His Holiness wakes up…”

“R-rest here!”

“Hey, grab him right now!”

Egru ran out hurriedly, crossing the kitchen threshold. Fortunately or unfortunately, they hadn’t recovered enough stamina to catch up with him.

“No! Stop!”

“You mustn’t go, Egru…!”

Egru closed the cabin door and headed straight for the village. The cold biting at his soaked clothes was fierce, but he kept moving without regard.

After gaining some distance, he looked back at the cabin. He could see two people pressed against the window, watching him.

Their eyes were tearful, mixed with concern and fear. Wanting to convey reassurance, Egru waved his hand in greeting.

His amber eyes turned forward again. White breath spread out as he exhaled. The day had darkened, and only moonlight illuminated the snowfield.

Egru walked following the lights visible under the night sky. Though it was so dark that he occasionally fell, he moved his steps while looking at the shape of the village. Behind his determined path, footprints deeply marked in the snow followed.

“Hah, haah…”

By the time he finally reached the village, his entire body was trembling even while standing still. Moving his legs, numb and frozen solid, he stepped heavily into a pub where lights were on.

Egru approached a woman who appeared to be the owner. His lips, thawed in the warm air, barely parted.

“P-please help…”

“Huh?”

The woman, who was wiping glasses with a dry cloth, turned to look at Egru.

“My goodness, you’re an elf?”

“An elf?”

The villagers showed interest in the outsider who appeared in the middle of the night. Egru was first relieved by the friendly atmosphere, even toward demons.

“What is it? What’s going on, elf brother?”

As a crowd of people of all ages gathered, Egru cautiously opened his mouth.

“We’re in d-distress. Since dawn, there’s been a blizzard, and an a-avalanche came down…”

“Blizzard?”

The villagers seemed puzzled.

“Where did you come from?”

“The cabin over th-there. There are still people inside. Three of them.”

“Of course, we know it. Isn’t that where the important person from the Papal Curia is staying?”

“They n-need medical treatment!”

Egru raised his voice slightly to emphasize.

“Some people were b-buried by the avalanche but made it out. Could I possibly borrow a communication device?”

“Hmm, our village doesn’t have such expensive equipment. You’d probably have to go to the next village.”

“See? The elf brother here says there was an avalanche. I told you I heard a strange sound earlier. Hand over those five copper coins.”

“Ahem, patient care comes before some petty bet. Let’s hurry, if treatment is urgent.”

After murmuring for a while, the villagers began to pour out. Egru followed them, continuously expressing gratitude.

“Are you coming with us?”

“N-no…!”

“Alright, you look like you’ve had a hard time getting here. Go inside and warm up a bit.”

“I have, well! I have somewhere else to go!”

Egru said, bowing deeply.

“Please t-take care of the people in the cabin!”

“Understood. It’s not that far, so let’s hurry.”

The villagers began preparing dog sleds. After confirming that the procession of torches was heading toward the cabin, Egru finally properly read his status window.

<system>

Regular Quest:

Increase [Gilbert Quel]’s likeability and recruit him as an [ally].

These were the words that had been shining by his side all along.

<system>

Would you like to move to the World Tree? (Y/N)

After taking one last look at the cabin, Egru pressed Y.