The story of how I, who became the beloved child of Winter Fenrir, was healed from despair

Chapter 59: The Final Battle!

As I run through the snowy plains, I don my ice armor.

Crackling sounds echo as ice envelops my body, encasing me in an Ice Plate Armor. It even covers my entire face.

I also have Graya wear armor, just enough to not hinder his running. We need to be prepared for that terrifying monster. I want to minimize any injuries.

“Graya, you don’t seem to have any trouble running with this armor, right?” “Got it. I’ll cover you a bit more then.”

I add an ice helmet to Graya’s head.

“Your purple mane looks great with the armor.” <…Thank you very much.>

Graya snorts and seems embarrassed, his ears twitching slightly. I smile in response.

“Now for Misheyla and the others…”

“First, Misheyla.”

When I look at her, she gives a strong nod and says, “I heard you.”

I outfit her with a slightly lighter ice armor. Her moose mount already wears light armor with the Ferus Snow Kingdom’s emblem, so I decided to leave it as is to avoid hindering movement.

“Chris! Can you make the ice horse bigger?”

“Certainly!”

I confirm and double the size of the ice horse. Chris’s feet are now quite high off the ground. If he were to fall… injuries would be unavoidable.

We’ll protect him and take down the monster to avoid that!

“So, it seems that Misheyla and I will be the knights protecting the princess?”

Misheyla’s joke, delivered through magic to both Chris and me, makes everyone chuckle.

I check my smartphone. The monster’s location is getting close.

It doesn’t seem to be moving toward us. We create a small snow mound to hide our bodies and stop while on our mounts. We lean in close.

“Princess, if that device, the smartphone, is linked to the monster, could I… borrow it? It will help us keep the monster focused on the decoy for a longer time.”

…Chris’s request unsettles me. It will be the first time I’m without my smartphone. I think of my parents and bite my lip.

But I need to make a decision quickly.

“Oh? So the monster is targeting the smartphone? I thought it might be targeting you, El.”

Misheyla’s comment makes me and Chris flinch as I almost hand over the smartphone. It’s true that we’re uncertain about that issue.

Misheyla’s question lingers in my mind, softly.

“If you think the monster is targeting El, wouldn’t it be better for your brother, disguised as a princess, to be here? Then it’s better to give them something infused with El’s magic to make her look more like herself.”

…If it helps me look more like myself, maybe having the smartphone would be beneficial too?

I think this over while gazing at Misheyla’s kind smile, and understand that she’s looking out for me.

When I look at Chris, he’s smiling with a troubled expression but his eyes are warm, much like Misheyla’s.

I think Chris is trying to shoulder the problems from the other world that I’ve been dealing with. …I feel certain about it.

Tears well up in my eyes.

Both of them are so kind.

I…

“Since Chris has become a princess for us, I’d like to take Misheyla’s opinion into account.”

I say this jokingly and then temporarily remove my ice armor.

I melt the clasp at the back of my neck, remove the Tear Pearl Necklace, and put it around Chris’s neck. Graya snuggles up to the ice horse, and Chris bows deeply to me.

The Tear Pearl sways on his neck.

I hug Chris tightly, pressing my head against him.

The distance between us disappears. I rub my head against his neck.

“Princess!?” “Be quiet!”

Misheyla’s sharp command makes Chris instantly silent. Perfect training.

“…It seems better to have my magic attached. …Okay!”

I say this and continue rubbing. Chris’s neck turns bright red. I might have rubbed too hard. …Well, I understand he’s embarrassed too.

When I sniff, the necklace and Chris’s scent blend with the fresh winter aroma of the Fenrir race.

…Alright!

“Thank you, Chris. For all your concern. I really appreciate it.”

With my head resting on his neck, I choose my words carefully and speak sincerely. Sorry I can’t lift my face. Please understand by the twitching beast ears.

Deep breath.

“Let’s survive.”

I look up and say firmly.

His shoulders tremble.

“Of course. And thank you very much as well…! I will never forget the favor of being saved by the princess in the snow mountains and the kingdom. As a fellow scout, I’ll continue to do my best. I’m ready for the battle!”

“…Hehe. Thank you. Scout.”

We smile at each other, our red faces touching and grinning.

I tap Graya’s belly with my foot, signaling him to move away from Chris’s ice horse.

“You look very pretty with that red blush!”

I tease to hide the embarrassment and immediately put my ice armor back on to cover my red face. Chris, who is also blushing deeply, has no way to hide it, so he scratches his cheek and smiles weakly.

He then turns his face forward, tightening his expression. —He takes the lead.

Misheyla looks at his profile, nodding with a satisfied smile. Her cheeks are slightly flushed as well. Um, everyone’s matching now?

We set our formation and head out again! No more breaks.

From the trees in the forest, the ice horse charges out like a spear!

The skirt flutters, and the flowing silver hair captures all the attention.

“Gigi… gigi… gigi…”

The monster focuses on Chris. Its movements are slow and creaky.

With me holding the smartphone right behind Chris, I hope it aligns with their targeting.

The monster shines a red light on Chris. It seems to have locked on!

…But what is that monster’s form!?

It’s covered in everyday items I’m familiar with. It seems to have absorbed new items from the other world. However, since it hasn’t entered the Fairy’s Spring since then, it doesn’t seem to have increased in attack power.

It looks like it’s hard to move.

The door to my apartment, which is right in the middle of the battlefield, seems to be the most conspicuous example of this. Did they just gather everything together?

“…What’s the target?” “What’s the purpose?” The words of Michela from earlier echo in my mind.

The monster moved its body while making strange noises. As a machine, it seems the cold from the snowy mountain has frozen its joints, making its movements slow.

This is a good sign! During the half-day ceasefire, the situation has turned in our favor. They had no means of recovery.

To smoothly move the machine’s joints, heating and oiling are essential. If that’s the case, we should take it down before it warms up.

Chris advanced.

There was a sensation like the ground was writhing… Just as I thought.

“Earth, freeze!”

Pulling strongly on the reins of ice, I made Graea lift its front legs and slam them down on the ground with a resounding crash. I poured my magical power through Graea’s ice armor. A gigantic magic circle appeared on the snow.

The area began to freeze at an astonishing speed.

Chris and Michela, who were jumping high while riding the ice horse and moose, were safe. The beast struck the ice powerfully with its limbs.

I spotted a black object slightly peeking out from the ice. It was the tip of a mechanical leg. …Just as I thought!

I figured that a monster with an AI tablet wouldn’t be waiting to be attacked in a wide-open square with a good view.

The monster, now mostly immobilized, couldn’t move much. It only moved its upper body, trying to capture Chris with its spider-like long, sharp legs.

Skillfully maneuvering the ice horse, Chris avoided the attack. The monster seemed to be targeting the ice horse for movement rather than Chris himself.

“Ice Javelin!”

Michela pierced the monster with an ice spear. The monster half-turned to prevent the tablet’s screen from being damaged more than it was yesterday. But I saw a flash of electricity on that screen, so it seems quite weakened…

We can do this!

Chris closed in even further. The monster fixed its gaze on him.

I quickly shifted Graea’s direction to get behind the monster.

The monster turned its attention from Chris to me. …What!?

A shiver ran down my spine.

“It’s pointing this way! …It is!”

Chris’s desperate princess-like speech, but her voice is surprisingly deep!?

…Well, putting that aside, I hurriedly calmed myself and began circulating my magical power through my body. I felt the connection of Oberon in my right hand and Titania in my left…!

At that moment, the monster began making a strange screeching noise. The part of the tablet that serves as its battery was swelling!? Is it going to explode!?

A hot wind began to swirl around. This… it might be using a combination of the dryer and the snow fairy’s effects!

Electricity crackled around, and the ice holding the monster began to crack. The uniquely patterned legs of the monster began to emerge from beneath the ice.

This is bad!! …My anxiety swelled up.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Chris let out a loud roar and charged straight at the monster. The monster’s attention momentarily shifted to him. The lightning sword Chris wielded absorbed the electricity from the monster and definitely inflicted damage to its body.

Then, Chris was blown back by the recoil, and the hot wind from the dryer melted the ice horse.

“Princess Chris!!”

Michela swiftly rode the moose to safely recover the fallen Chris. They then moved a short distance away.

Graea continued to dodge the monster’s attacks with steps, but it was only a matter of time before getting caught. I was desperately maintaining my concentration.

“──Ice Magic Maximize!”

Many circular ice patterns appeared, enveloping the monster and squeezing tightly. The ice shackles extended thorns, piercing into the monster.

It’s a serious contest to see whether it will melt the ice with the hot wind or I will freeze it all first!!

Magical power flowed out of my body in the blink of an eye. The monster, making strange noises, was definitely raising its temperature, so it should be in a tight spot.

“Ice Javelin!”

I layered more magic, creating ice spears in the air. Piercing!!

The monster twisted its body, causing the attack to slam into the room’s door.

And… one, two… huh!?

Beyond the broken door was the interior of the apartment where I lived for about three years.

It’s a bit tidier without furniture, but there’s no mistake.

Wh… why? Is this a way back? …Now…!?

My mind went into a panic. …!! Damn it! My magical power is going out of control…!

My heart pounded heavily, and my throat tightened. Tears fell from the corners of my eyes, turning into pearls as they were sucked into the apartment door and made a hard clink on the floor.