Uketsukejo ni Kokuhaku Shitakute Guild ni Kayoitsumetara Eiyu ni Natteta

Chapter 58: Snowman Festival

Afternoon of that day.

We arrived at the capital of the Ice Kingdom.

Dorami was trembling as soon as she got off the train.

“Uggh… It’s so cold outside…” (Dorami)

“Let’s find an inn and rest before looking for the guild.” (Jade)

“T-that would be best…” (Dorami)

While shivering and trembling, she followed me with her head down.

I don’t think she has any energy left to speak because it’s so cold.

But, as soon as we left the train station, Dorami became energetic.

“Wow~ It’s so lively!” (Dorami)

As expected of the capital. Even the snow-covered main road is bustling with the joyful voices of children.

It’s a sight that would give anyone energy just by looking at it.

“The people in this town are really lively.” (Jade)

“Dorami thought they’d all be staying indoors because it’s cold. Don’t they feel it?” (Dorami)

“I’m sure they’re just used to it.” (Jade)

“People from the Ice Kingdom are amazing…” (Dorami)

While Dorami was admiring the people, some children ran in front of her.

They were pushing a wheelbarrow filled with snow, it looked like they were helping shovel some snow.

Seeing the children cheerfully playing in the cold, Dorami suddenly slapped her cheeks.

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Ah, look, your cheeks are red…” (Jade)

“Dorami will also do her best! Alright! Dorami can’t lose either!” (Dorami)

She cried out and stomped in place.

Looks like it’s her method to warm up her body.

“Uooo! Time to get fired up!” (Dorami)

Dorami suddenly ran off.

She ran on top of the snow for a while before coming to a complete stop.

“It smells sweet…” (Dorami)

“You’re right. There’s probably a sweets store nearby.” (Jade)

“A-a sweets store…” (Dorami)

She made an audible gulp as she glanced at me.

“Dorami thinks it’s important to have some food before exercising…” (Dorami)

“Right. Let’s eat since it’s that important.” (Jade)

“Yeah! The smell is coming from over here~!” (Dorami)

Dorami skipped as we went to the sweets store.

She looked at the hands of the shopkeeper who was grilling something before letting out a voice.

“A-amazing! It’s a fish cake!” (Dorami)

T/N: Taiyaki, though Dorami says “fish in the shape of a cake” and the shopkeeper says “fish cake” literally.

“Young lady, is this your first time seeing fish cake?”

“Dorami’s never seen anything like this before! Why is it shaped like a fish?” (Dorami)

“That’s because fish is expensive in the capital. Since you can’t eat it very often, you can at least have it in shape.”

“Ooh! Dorami wants one!” (Dorami)

“Two freshly-made ones please.” (Jade)

“Coming right up!”

We got the steaming fish cake and decided to eat while walking.

Dorami gently bit into the head before her cheeks relaxed.

“It’s sweet~” (Dorami)

“Yeah. There’s also some custard inside.” (Jade)

“Eeeh?! Custard?!” (Dorami)

It seems like she wasn’t able to reach it because she had a small mouth.

Dorami took another bite and her cheeks relaxed even more.

“It’s so sweet~!” (Dorami)

“This is pretty delicious. It’s the first time I’ve ever had hot custard.” (Jade)

We finished eating in no time.

“It was delicious…” (Dorami)

“Should we have some again later?” (Jade)

“Umu! Next time, let’s buy a lot! We’ll take some home for Garnet too!” (Dorami)

“I don’t think it’d be a good souvenir because it’d get crushed.” (Jade)

“But Dorami wants her to try it…” (Dorami)

“We can just make it at home.” (Jade)

“We can do that?!” (Dorami)

“We can make it as long as we have a fish mold.” (Jade)

“Let’s do it! Kajimina will make us a big mold~!” (Dorami)

Dorami looked enraptured as she thought about a giant fish cake.

She continued to walk with light steps until we reached the square.

We tried to pass by, but Dorami suddenly trembled and stopped.

There were lots of snowmen lined up in the square.

“A fighting snowman?!” (Dorami)

“It’s just a regular snowman.” (Jade)

I pointed to the children.

They were working hard to make snowmen.

The kid who was pushing the wheelbarrow earlier was also there.

“Ah, I see. It’s because of the Snowman Festival.” (Jade)

“W-what is with that fun-sounding festival?” (Dorami)

“An old man sitting next to me on the train told me about it while you were sleeping.” (Jade)

The Snowman Festival is held to encourage children to help shovel snow.

They’re holding even so they can use the collected snow to make a snowman. A good method to make them enjoy shoveling snow.

“Dorami understands now! It’s something any adventurer has to participate in!” (Dorami)

“We can help people.” (Jade)

“Yeah! And, it also looks like it’d be fun to make a snowman!” (Dorami)

Before that, I took the enthusiastic Dorami to search for an inn.

Once we stored our luggage at a nearby inn, we borrowed a snow shovel and went outside.

“Alright! Let’s start shoveling some snow~!” (Dorami)

We took the snow that was piling up in front of a clothing store and loaded it into a wheelbarrow.

“Thank you, young lady.”

“You’re welcome!” (Dorami)

She looked very happy to be thanked by the store staff.

We diligently collected snow until the wheelbarrow got filled.

“Isn’t this enough?” (Jade)

“Dorami wants to collect a bit more…” (Dorami)

“If we get any more than this, it’ll collapse.” (Jade)

“But this can only make a small snowman.” (Dorami)

“Then, I’ll go make several round trips. You can start making it.” (Jade)

We headed to the square and dumped the snow in an empty spot.

There were children next to us also building a snowman.

It had buttons for eyes, sticks for arms, and a bucket for a hat.

“Dorami’s going to make something cool~!” (Dorami)

I left Dorami—who had begun to build the snowman—behind, and I went back to shoveling snow.

After about five trips, Dorami told me it was enough.

“…You’re good.” (Jade)

The snowman Dorami was building isn’t like a typical snowman.

It was very detailed, you can see not just the limbs, but also the facial features.

It was a snow sculpture modeled after Dorami.

“It’s not that good. It’s been a while since Dorami made one, so her skills have degraded a bit.” (Dorami)

“A while? Ah, right, you used to live in a cold place.” (Jade)

“Yeah, but it was too cold so Dorami didn’t have the leeway to make snowmen.” (Dorami)

Dorami seemed to have gotten her skills when she started traveling alone.

She must’ve felt lonely and sculpted some mud and dirt people to talk to.

“It’s complete~!” (Dorami)

It was a snow sculpture with a gallant look.

It had the Dorami Sword in its one hand and the other on its waist with its gaze pointed ahead.

“You did great!” (Jade)

“Umu! Dorami’s very satisfied!” (Dorami)

The children gathered around Dorami, fascinated by the snow sculpture.

“Hey, look at this! There’s something amazing over here!”

“Wow, you’re right! It’s awesome!”

“I-it’s not that good…” (Dorami)

Dorami scratched her cheek in embarrassment at the round of applause.

First, Sundeil, then Lingoc, and now the Kingdom of Ice… Dorami sure is popular with children wherever she goes.

“Hey, how are you so good at it?”

“When Dorami traveled alone, she wanted someone to talk to so she made a lot.” (Dorami)

“You traveled alone? Awesome!”

“So that’s why I thought you looked so reliable!”

“Are you still traveling?”

“Yeah, but Dorami’s no longer alone! She’s traveling with Jade as an adventurer! And, we’ve come here to defeat the Medusa!” (Dorami)

“R-really?! You’ll really defeat the Medusa?!”

One of the girls cried out.

Dorami nodded.

“We’ve made all sorts of preparations to defeat Medusa! All we need to do now is to go to the guild and find out where it is!” (Dorami)

“Do you know where the guild is? If you can, I’d like you to guide us…” (Jade)

“I’ll do it! It’s over here!”

The girl led us to the guild.

It was already dusk when we arrived at the guild.

We parted ways with the girl in front of the entrance.

The guild was a bit deserted, probably because it was about to close.

Only one counter is left, all the others are closed.

We headed to the receptionist.

“Hello, we’re here to take a quest to defeat the Medusa.” (Jade)

The receptionist’s face suddenly clouded.

“I’m sorry. The Medusa quest has already ended.”

Ended, not completed.

In other words, it was judged impossible for anyone to achieve.

“What do you mean by ended?” (Dorami)

“It means nobody can take it anymore.” (Jade)

“W-why?! But the girl earlier said that her father also accepted the quest!” (Dorami)

We heard about it while going to the guild.

The girl’s father is a six-petal class adventurer and hasn’t come back after taking the Medusa quest.

“A girl? Is it a blonde girl around your age?”

“Dorami didn’t hear her name, but she thinks so.” (Dorami)

“Could that girl be your daughter?” (Jade)

The girl’s eyes looked just like the receptionist’s so I asked her with a bit of confidence.

Then, the receptionist nodded.

“My husband took the Medusa subjugation quest. But, it was four years ago. After that, the Medusa subjugation quest was considered ended.”

“Why are they ending it? We were ready to accept the quest!” (Dorami)

“It’s because too many adventurers have been sacrificed.”

According to the receptionist, only parties with at least six petals are allowed to take it. And, only ones with seven petals are allowed to take it alone.

Both six and seven-petal class adventurers are considered valuable military strength to any country.

The more sacrifices are made for quests like this, the more dangerous it’ll be.

If the other quests lack adventurers to take them, the monsters will be left uncontrolled.

Is it a Medusa that won’t come out of its territory? Or is there a large number of monsters in the area?

It seems like they considered the Medusa quest over because it’s going to end up disrupting the balance.

“In that case, it’s my turn now.” (Jade)

“What do you mean…?”

“I’m a ten-petal class.” (Jade)

Completing quests thought to be unbeatable is also part of my job as a ten-petal class adventurer.

“You’re a ten-petal class…? From what I see, you look quite young…”

“I’m about to turn 23.” (Jade)

“For a 23-year-old, aren’t they going to have four petals at most…?”

I took off my glove to show the receptionist who was looking at me suspiciously.

The receptionist’s eyes widened at the sight of my fully-bloomed Flower Crest.

I also couldn’t help but notice the joy on her face.

I’m sure she has high expectations of me now.

For her sake, and for the girl who guided us earlier, I will defeat the Medusa!

“So, can you leave subjugating the Medusa to me?” (Jade)

“I will check with the guild master, please wait for a moment.”

The receptionist rushed to the back and brought back a slightly taller man.

It was the guild master.

“Are you really a ten-petal class?”

“Yes, this is the proof.” (Jade)

“O-ooh… It’s the real thing… A-are you perhaps, Jade-sama?”

“You know about me?” (Jade)

“There isn’t a guild master who doesn’t know about you. I heard rumors about Jade-sama and even thought about requesting you to subjugate the Medusa.”

The guild master of the Lingoc Kingdom also requested me to subjugate a black dragon before.

It looks like every guild wants to have me complete all the quests that are difficult to complete.

“If so, feel free to ask.” (Jade)

“No, but… If something happens to the great ten-petal class adventurer, many monsters will be left unchecked…”

“You don’t need to worry about it. I’m an adventurer, it’s my job to fight dangerous monsters!” (Jade)

“Be at ease and ask us!” (Dorami)

As we insisted in a strong voice, the guild master deeply bowed his head in gratitude.

When he raised his head, he began talking about the details of the quest.

“It’s been 50 years since the Medusa’s territory was discovered.”

“I-it’s been that long?!” (Dorami)

“Yeah. The Medusa subjugation also has a hefty price on it. 50 million Gol. Many adventurers were tempted and took on the quest.”

“Was Onyx-san one of the people who took the quest? He came from the Sundeil Kingdom about 12 years ago…” (Jade)

“If it’s about that person, I was the receptionist in charge of him.”

“I-is that true?!” (Jade)

“Yes. It was the day I became a receptionist, so I remember it well. Is that person your father?”

“No, he’s the father of someone very important to me.” (Jade)

“We’ve been traveling all this time to bring him back!” (Dorami)

“So, where is the Medusa?” (Jade)

“There is a golden mountain east of the town. The Medusa’s territory is an abandoned castle near the summit.”

Alright, the location’s clear.

All that’s left is to defeat the Medusa.

“Please defeat the Medusa.”

“Please save my husband, who was turned into stone by the Medusa… Please, dear adventurers, save him somehow!”

“Of course! I promise to defeat him!” (Jade)

“Leave it to us!” (Dorami)

With the powerful declaration, we left the guild with their many expectations of us.