落とし穴５８堀：雪とは？ (Part1)
**Pitfall 58: What is Snow?**
**Side: Hifie**
Snow piles up deep and high, turning the world into a vast, white expanse.
In the Holy Kingdom of Hifie, this scenery does not hold many fond memories.
While it only happens a few times a year, there are rare occasions when the snowfall continues for two weeks straight. During those times, many perish from the cold, and the collapse of supply lines leads to deaths from starvation.
My country has always been resource-poor, and until I unearthed Comet from her grave, we were constantly plagued by such sudden climate shifts.
Since excavating Comet, people rarely lose their lives to cold or hunger thanks to the Dungeon Master’s DP exchange skills. However, for me, the white of winter—the snow itself—is still burned into my mind as a harbinger of death.
……But.
"Hey!! More snow!! We need more!!"
"Higher!! Make it even higher!!"
"Yay!"
"Now, now, that’s dangerous. Let’s go to the play area over there, okay?"
"Okay!"
*Rustle, rustle...*
It seems that here in Weed, snow is not a problem at all.
In fact, they’ve gone out of their way to prepare a snowy floor layer and are holding some sort of event.
I was told this was part of my "work," but no matter how I look at it, aside from the children, these grown adults are just playing in the snow.
Surely there is something more productive they could be doing...
"Hey, Hifie! What are you doing?! Come on, help us out!"
"……Comet, what exactly are you doing?"
The one mixing in with the event and playing around is none other than my family’s shame: the former Dungeon Master turned Lich, Comet.
"Eh? Well, Yuki-kun ordered us to participate in the event, right? You have to follow your boss's orders. The loser has no say in the matter, you know?"
"Haa... Understood."
That’s right. I am no longer a ruler of a nation, nor am I a god; I am merely a commoner participating in this Weed event.
The one who governs this country, Weed, is Yuki, a Dungeon Master summoned from another world by Lady Luna. After many twists and turns, Comet and I faced off against him, and we were utterly... no, we were completely toyed with and defeated. Realizing my own immaturity, I have become a comrade under the current Dungeon Master, training and searching for a way to solve the mana depletion crisis together. But...
"Come on, roll that snowball up and bring it here."
"……Why must we do this?"
I couldn't exactly shout at the top of my lungs and ruin this lively event, so I rolled the snowball I was given, making it larger.
"Why? To learn the culture of Weed, of course."
"Is this culture?"
"It’s culture enough. Back in the day, when it snowed, we had no choice but to hole up in our houses and hide. Being able to turn that into a day where everyone can have fun together—you couldn't have done that, could you?"
"That is... true."
Indeed, as Comet said, in my homeland, all I could tell my people on days like this was to stay quiet in their homes and endure so they wouldn't freeze or starve.
"You might think of it as just playing around, but this event is so popular that people come from other lands just to watch, and some even participate. Look, over there."
"Eh?"
As I turned my gaze toward where she pointed...
"Hey! Higil, bring more snow!! We must recreate the shield of our nation!"
"Stop changing the plan on your own!! Listen, carpenters and blacksmiths, we are building the miniature Gartz Castle as planned!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Whyyy!! This would surely win us the championship!!"
"Do it by yourself, you idiot sister!"
If I recall, those are the royals from one of the five great powers of this continent...
"Now, Lady Lilishe. Please, have a seat."
"Um... I want to... make a snowman... with the children from the church..."
"Lady Lilishe, it is fine. The Litea Knights are assisting with that."
"Also... I am... Lilishe, you know?"
"My apologies. However, even if you are hiding your status, you remain our Goddess. To make up for our previous rudeness, we wish to complete a magnificent snow statue of Lady Lilishe!"
"Haa... I understand how you feel, Alstaire-chan. Please, make it as quickly as you can."
"Yes!! Everyone, full speed ahead! We shall recreate the Goddess of Litea in snow!"
"Oooooh!!"
And over there, the Saint of the five great powers...
"Oh, hello there, Hifie-chan."
"Ah, greetings."
"Oh? Are you an acquaintance of Lady Lilishe?"
"That’s right! This person is called Hifie-chan, and she is the same as me... mmmph?"
I sealed the mouth of this continent’s Goddess before she could blurt out something disastrous.
"Ah, hahah. Lady Lilishe and I trained at the same church long ago. I never imagined she was acquainted with the Saint of Litea..."
"I see, I understand. Thank you for being such good friends with Lady Lilishe. Perhaps it is thanks to having someone like you by her side that she hasn't been abandoned. I shall issue you a priest’s credentials later, so please bring this letter of recommendation to the Holy Capital of Litea."
"O-oh. Thank you very much."
"Well, that’s good, isn't it, Hifie-chan?"
...Damn it.
Why is such a laid-back woman a Goddess just like me?
More importantly, she has a much larger following than I do!!
What is this? Is being "fluffy and carefree" the current trend?
Suffering through that humiliation, I returned to Comet with the letter of recommendation.
"Bwahahaha!! Hifie, you look so pathetic!!"
"Listen here, you 'fluffy'... I’ll have a proper talk with you later."
"Eek!! My stomach hurts!! I’d rather be with Lady Lilishe than a scary person like you! Ahi-hi-hi..."
"Right. You faithless wretch. From now on, you’ll be doing all the cleaning and laundry yourself, won't you?"
"Wait!? Isn't that unfair!?"
"Unfair? Realize that having a Goddess act as your servant is the real problem here."
"Fine, see if I care! I’ll tell Taizo-san that Hifie is being mean to me!"
"You’re the one at fault, so stop doing things that ruin my reputation!! What will you do if Taizo-san gets the wrong idea?!"
Then, we began pulling at each other’s faces.
"Seriously!! Even after becoming a Lich, you haven't changed at all!!"
"That’s my line!! You stubborn, thick-headed woman!!"
*Squish, squeeze!!*
As we continued our pointless bickering...
"What are you two doing?"
Yuki, the one who threw me into this event, appeared.
Well, more importantly, I must punish this Lich who can't even take care of herself...
"……It’s a battle between women."
"Indeed. I often do this with Jessica, too."
"Eh? Why is that?"
"Well, you see, Jessica has actually gained weight over the last few months... *Mmph!?*"
"Ria. Don't you think we should stop fighting like that foolish Goddess and the Lich?"
"Yeah, yeah. So let me go..."
"OK. I get the gist. Hey, you two. Don't start ugly fights at a festive snow statue venue. Do you want to do a boiling water penalty game right here?"
At those words, we instantly stopped grappling.
If we were to be exposed in our swimsuits before such a large crowd in that state, I have a feeling it would be the end of everything for me as a woman and as a Goddess.
And Yuki would do it without a moment’s hesitation.
"So, what are you making over there?"
"Hehehe. Since we can't do anything as difficult as sculpting, we’re just making a snowman that’s right on the edge of the regulations!"
"I see. The others, like the dwarves and the bigwigs from various countries, are putting in way too much effort, so that might be for the best. Besides, my own people are like that too..."
Yuki shifted his gaze away from us. There...
"Aslin, Labyris, Shera, bring more snow! I’ll handle the fine-tuning! We’re building a fortress based on the snow castle we made last year!"
"Got it!"
"They’re very enthusiastic."
"Well, Yuki-san asked Firia to be the face of the snow statue event after seeing her skills last year."
"I suppose Firia wouldn't know how to hold back after being told that."
"Indeed."
There, a castle—small, literally speaking—was already taking shape, and the outer walls were beginning to cover it.
...Wait? Weren't those girls still just young children?
"Whoa!! Amazing!! As expected of Nardia’s top pick, Firia! Her talent is incredible!"
Comet was praising them from the side, but this was beyond that level.
After all, they started at the same time as everyone else, yet before I knew it, a castle that must have been five meters tall was already standing there...