Chapter 18

It had been about an hour since then.

The captain and the others had not returned.

"Maybe, if my poison arrow didn't hit properly, the captain and the others are fighting the snow bear—"

Ulgas clutched his head and whispered in a trembling voice.

"Don't worry. Your arrow hit just fine."

I boasted that not only my ears, but also my eyes are good.

"Maybe they have resistance to the poison..."

"Don't worry, you're overthinking it."

No, I don't know about their resistance to the poison, but it's not good to think the worst here. Absolutely not.

"Ulgas, let's eat some chocolate! Oh, and there are marshmallows too!"

I rummaged through the noble's gift bag and took out some sweets.

"I've never eaten marshmallows before."

Marshmallows are made by mixing sugar, egg whites, water, and gelatin. They are fluffy and melt in your mouth. In a popular story in the village, they were depicted as a standard treat that the young lady always ate. As a child, I used to dream about what marshmallows were like. I never thought I would get to eat them one day. The marshmallows in the bag were round, soft, and had cute light pink and yellow colors. Imagining the knights and older brothers eating them made me feel quite warm inside.

I placed one marshmallow in Ulgas's palm and took a bite myself.

"Wow, so fluffy! Delicious!"

They were as fluffy and soft as they looked, with a smooth surface. A faint sweet aroma and a juicy, slightly sour fruit flavor could be felt when bitten. It was like eating snow, with a refined mouthfeel.

"Ulgas, this is amazing! Try it!"

The marshmallows were even more delicious than I imagined. Ulgas just stared blankly, so I took the marshmallow from his palm and stuffed it into my mouth.

"Mmm!"

"Chew it well, please."

Ulgas chewed the marshmallow, but his expression didn't improve, even though I said it would make him feel better.

"Oh, right! I read in a book that roasting marshmallows over a fire makes them even more delicious!"

I immediately skewered two marshmallows on a fork and started roasting them.

Roasting them seems to require some skill. The first time, I got too close to the fire and burned them. It might be better to describe it as searing them with heat waves.

Ulgas watched the second marshmallow being roasted with a vacant gaze. This time, I was careful not to get too close to the fire and turned them when they started to brown.

"This time, it's done well."

They were still hot, so I let them cool before eating. The sweet aroma filled the cave, lifting our spirits. I blew on them to cool them down before taking a bite.

"Hot!"

They were still hot. I blew on them again and took another bite. The outside was crispy, and the inside was gooey. Roasting the marshmallows seemed to intensify their flavor. Oh, so delicious. Even in the dim snow, I felt happy. Seeing me eat, Ulgas also took a bite.

"Wow, delicious..."

Ulgas's cheeks relaxed, and the wrinkles on his forehead smoothed out. Indeed, delicious food can ease one's mood.

"Ulgas, let's make hot chocolate. We can float marshmallows in it."

This is also something the young lady in the story drank.

"It sounds incredibly sweet."

"Yeah, it does."

But usually, we wouldn't drink it because it's too precious. We have high-quality chocolate from the nobles, and delicious marshmallows.

Just as I was about to put the pot on the fire, I noticed something approaching.

"Is something wrong, Riris the medic?"

"Something's coming!"

The footsteps were heavy and dragging.

"Is it a snow bear?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell..."

I could hear multiple footsteps. Could they have brought friends? The wind was stronger than before, roaring and making it hard to distinguish sounds. A chilling aura made my skin prickle.

"Riris the medic, behind me!"

Ulgas crouched low and drew his bow.

"If anything happens, escape the cave while the snow bear is distracted by me."

"But, that's—"

"Calling for reinforcements is also an important task."

I couldn't bear the thought of escaping by sacrificing Ulgas.

"Understood?"

"Y-Yes."

I couldn't believe we would have to fight snow bears here. Especially since Ulgas and I are young and not very tasty. They wouldn't find us delicious at all. I desperately sent my thoughts to the snow bears.

The snow bears approached, making a crunching sound.

"Two of them! The auras were from two snow bears!"

"This is the worst..."

Finally, the snow bears entered the cave entrance. They approached slowly—

"Wait, what?"

"What's wrong?"

"Um, well..."

I gently asked Ulgas to lower his bow.

"No, it's dangerous! The auras are intense!"

"It's okay, because—"

In the dim light, something was approaching vaguely.

"This is bad! The strongest aura I've ever felt from a monster!"

"Who said it's a monster!!"

A low voice echoed in the cave. It was the captain's.

"Huh?"

"You guys were eating sweets while we were in a dire situation!"

Ulgas finally lowered his bow and started to tear up.

"Captain~!"

Ulgas jumped up to hug the captain but was firmly rejected by being grabbed on both cheeks.

"Gross, why are you hugging me!!"

"But, but~"

I can understand his feelings. I thought it was a snow bear and that the captain was dead.

Not only the captain, but Gar, Vice-Captain Berry, and Zara were also alive. Moreover, the missing noble boy was on Gar's back!

"We found him halfway. But he was stuck on a cliff, and it took time to rescue him."

The captain and the others worked hard to rescue the boy. Vice-Captain Berry's eyes were hard, Zara's hair was messy, and she looked tired. Gar's tail was drooping.

"Damn... Because of this guy, we were in a terrible situation."

I see. They were so exhausted from the rescue that they were filled with anger.

The boy was laid on a mat and groaned. When we called to him, he responded and could say his name clearly. Good, he was conscious.

First, I checked his condition. He had red rashes on his hands, feet, and cheeks, likely mild frostbite.

We needed to warm him up first. I took off my jacket to lend it, but Gar stopped me, saying he had fur and offered his jacket to the boy.

"Thank you, Gar!"

Gar's coat would cover the boy's body completely.

We increased the number of fires to warm him up. We brought snow to boil water, and once it was at the right temperature, we gently warmed his fingertips. To improve circulation, we wiped the moisture with a towel, massaged the affected areas, and applied moisturizing cream.

The emergency treatment was complete. Next, we needed to keep his body temperature from dropping.

The storm outside was fierce. It was a miracle they made it here.

"Gar said he smelled something sweet. I bet it was your doing, so I took a chance."

"That's right."

Thanks to the roasted marshmallows, we were able to reunite. Marshmallows are amazing.

"Right! Roasted marshmallows are super delicious!"

"I'll pass."

When he said he wanted something else to eat, I snapped back to reality.

"Sorry, let me get you some food... Oh, I'll make some tea!"

I had been relaxed after treating the boy, but the captain and the others hadn't eaten.

I offered them the canapés I had prepared, boiled water, and grilled sausages.