Wait a moment. A pale cloud of dust rose far in the distance.

The flock of Rakmadius was approaching. Due to their enormous size, they seemed as if mountains were moving.

Among them, when the leading Rakmadius let out a cry, a young one responded by moistening its eyes.

“There’s the mother coming.”

“We should step back.”

Raymond’s advice was sound.

As the adult Rakmadius approached with heavy thuds, the ground shook violently, making it difficult even to stand still.

Raymond quickly steadied Yerpi, who was struggling to keep her balance.

[Hmm, what is it? Uh…?]

The strong vibrations woke Dante, who had been sleeping soundly in Yerpi’s arms.

Dante, eyes still heavy with sleep, poked his head out from under the cloak and rubbed his face vigorously upon seeing the massive spirit beasts.

He seemed unable to tell whether this was a dream or reality.

Worried he might be frightened, Yerpi lifted Dante onto her shoulder.

“It’s okay. They’re gentle creatures, as long as we don’t provoke them. Now that the mother has arrived, they’ll soon clear the path. But we still shouldn’t get too close, right?”

[Ah, they really are spirit beasts. They seem even larger than the ones I saw in the domain of summer. Amazing.]

Dante burst out in admiration.

Perhaps thanks to the prior warning, the child didn’t act rashly.

Meanwhile, the Rakmadius individuals rubbed their heads together, reuniting after their separation.

All that remained was to wait for the flock to clear the path.

But for some reason, the mother who had returned the young one to the group was now staring fixedly at the spot where Yerpi stood.

‘Why is she doing that?’

Yerpi wondered if the creature was wary of her, but its gaze didn’t seem hostile.

Soon, the mother Rakmadius turned around. Yet after a few steps, it stopped again.

“Could that be…?”

“Is it trying to tell us to follow?”

Raymond continued, observing the mother’s actions alongside the others.

Given their immense size, one had to be cautious even when following.

Cautiously treading behind the mother with Raymond, Yerpi soon turned her gaze toward the direction the Rakmadius was indicating with its tail.

There lay a vast snow-capped mountain range. To reach the domain of winter, they would normally have to circle far around this peak.

This was also why reaching even the nearest pass would take over three days of travel.

Why was the mother pointing toward that mountain?

Noticing Yerpi’s gaze fixed on the snowy peak, the Rakmadius soon returned to its young and the flock.

The mother who had guided Yerpi departed without looking back.

A blizzard quickly erased the traces of their passage.

Before the snow mountain the tail had pointed to, a shallow forest stretched out.

Yerpi silently studied the area and sensed something.

“There might be something there.”

“According to the map, it’s just a snow mountain. I’ll send a knight to check. Just in case, let’s keep our distance.”

While Raymond issued orders to a knight, Yerpi quietly stepped back and waited.

Fortunately, the forest wasn’t deep, and the investigation concluded within an hour.

The scouts who had gone to inspect the snow mountain beyond returned and reported first to Johan.

Soon, Johan approached Raymond, his expression noticeably brighter.

“They report that if we cross through here, we could reach the domain of winter by tomorrow afternoon. There was an earthquake recently, and it seems the snow mountain split open, creating a passage large enough for people to pass through.”

“Excellent.”

It seemed the Rakmadius had wanted to show Yerpi a shortcut.

The knights’ faces, previously worn from enduring the bitter cold, instantly brightened.

The prince felt the same, and Ubbus, who had dreaded the cold ever since climbing the ice wall, now wore a look as if he had just met a savior.

Admiring glances poured toward Yerpi.

She never expected helping the spirit beasts would lead to such a result.

She, who had worried Dante might catch a cold, now felt deeply grateful for the beasts’ help.

“That’s a relief.”

“Let’s double-check whether the path is safe before moving forward.”

A snowslide during transit could be disastrous.

While other knights verified the safety of the newly formed path through the mountain, a brief wait was necessary.

In the meantime, Yerpi spent the time playing with Dante.

“If you gather snow and roll it, it gradually grows larger. Make one big ball and another smaller one, then place the small one on top of the big one—that’s how you make a snowman.”

[Yeah! I want to make the biggest one!]

Dante enthusiastically gathered snow and began rolling it across the snow-covered plain.

The small snowball gradually grew, soon becoming larger than Dante himself.

[Haah…! I can’t roll it anymore. I want it even bigger!]

He strained to push it, but clearly struggled and eventually fell over. At that moment, a hand reached out and caught the large snowball.

“I’ll help you. You go make the head.”

[…! Yeah!]

Dante’s mood brightened instantly. His ears perked up and he spread his wings.

He began rolling another snowball, diligently increasing its size just as before.

Raymond, in charge of the snowman’s body, was no different.

The snowball, which hadn’t budged when Dante pushed it, now rolled forward as easily as downy fluff.

The snowman’s body now reached up to Raymond’s upper torso.

Yerpi, who had initially thought of this as mere child’s play, was astonished by their earnest effort and asked.

“How big are you planning to make it?”

“Well, as big as Dante wants? He seems to want one as large as the spirit beasts earlier.”

Raymond chuckled playfully as he leaned against the snowball he had rolled.

Meanwhile, Dante rolled his snowball over.

When the large head, rolled to match the size of the earlier body, was placed atop the body Raymond had made, a snowman larger than an average carriage was completed.

[Wow! So big! Yerpi, have you ever seen such a huge snowman before?]

“Indeed. This snowman made by Dante is the biggest one.”

Yerpi laughed and played along. But the snowman was still incomplete.

Yerpi picked up a fallen branch from the ground and inserted it into the snowman’s body.

The branches on both sides became the snowman’s arms.

“This is how we decorate the snowman. Dante, can you gather materials for the eyes, nose, and mouth?”

[Right! It needs a face!]

Excited, Dante flew around the forest, collecting pinecones, acorns, and dry leaves.

He carefully selected the most attractive ones to craft two eyes and a nose, then layered leaves to form a mouth, completing a splendid snowman.

“What a magnificent snowman.”

[Wait! It’s not finished yet!]

No sooner had Yerpi praised the snowman than Dante took off his own scarf and wrapped it around the snowman’s neck.

But because the snowman was so large, the scarf barely covered its shoulders, draping more like a shawl.

[I wanted to keep it warm with a scarf… but it’s a bit too small.]

Dante’s voice sounded dejected as he examined the finished look from the front.

Seeing this, Yerpi took off her own scarf. She then combined it with Dante’s and wrapped both around the snowman’s neck.

It was a bit loose, but now the scarf looked more fitting.

The knights watched as the duke and duchess created the snowman.

When the snowman was complete, the knights applauded. Dreohn, who had watched alongside them, also praised Dante, calling him impressive.

“Young master certainly has a talent for art.”

[Don’t flatter me so much!]

Even as he said this, Dante’s smile stretched from ear to ear.

Seeing this, Yerpi’s heart warmed. Leaning her head on Raymond’s shoulder, she whispered softly.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve spent time together outdoors like this.”

“Yes. It’s just like being on a trip.”

This wasn’t the first time they had traveled together across the domains of the seasons. But it had been a long time since they’d had such a relaxed moment.

Soon, the scouting party returned from inspecting the snow mountain. The path was safe, with no risk of snowfall blocking it.

“It’s time we should be going now.”

[Already?]

Dante seemed reluctant, already attached to the snowman. Yerpi comforted him before walking over to Raymond’s side.

A harmonious family left footprints across the snowy plain.

Behind them, walking closely together, were watching eyes—Dreohn and Ubbus.

“How truly envious.”

Dreohn didn’t hide his feelings.

The firm Duke who ruled Growen, the gentle Duchess, and the heir who had retained his innocence.

Not a single thing was missing—a perfect family.

Ubbus didn’t respond, but he understood Dreohn’s heart better than anyone.