The Snow Boar that was chasing Tia’s group must have been enraged somehow, as with every one of its grunting breaths, white bubbles frothed from its mouth.

(It’s probably a thrall of that ice Monster.)

If she had to guess, Jack was probably these Snow Boars’ boss. That’s why they would be so mad at Tia and co. for defeating Jack.
Even if that wasn’t the case, Snow Boars loved nothing more than freezing humans and breaking them to pieces. You could say this Snow Boar has the malice of a rampaging winter storm.
The force of its massive body alone was fearsome. Even Sevil didn’t try to stop its charge with her curved sword.
As Tia ran, she checked to confirm if the vial with candies was still in her pocket.
She had five candies at hand. If she used them, she could stand against the Snow Boar.

(……But)

If her identity were exposed, she couldn’t stay at the Wedge Tower. She couldn’t learn flight magic. That would be an issue.
The cold instincts of a Harpy whispered that she wouldn’t be found out if she just killed Wren and Sevil.

(I won’t. I don’t wanna.)

Tia was fine as long as she had fun things like singing and flying.
Wren and Sevil were ‘fun,’ so she figured it was okay to want to take care of them.

“Tia, Wren, over there!”

Running ahead of them, Sevil cut through branches obstructing their path with her sword, then pointed at a hollow between a boulder and a cliff.
It was a narrow opening. Just big enough that one person might be able to squeeze through.

“If we squeeze in there, that huge boar won’t be able to fit!”

“Sevil, can you make it in?”

“You two enter first, then pull me in!”

“Piyopp! Got it! I’ll pull you in!”

First Wren, then Tia slipped into the crack between the rocks. Both of them were small, so they could fit easily.
Finally, Sevil sheathed her curved sword, and slid her body into the crack. As they’d thought, it was a close fit. Her rear end got stuck.

“I apologize for my indulgent body!”

“What’s indulgent is your personality, not your body! Tia, let’s pull on the count of three!”

“Okay! One, two!”

Counting in sync with Wren, both of them pulled Sevil inside. All three collapsed into the cave, tangled in each other’s limbs.
Would it be okay to call it a cave? It was a damp, cold place. The inside wasn’t spacious, but it was enough for the three of them to sit side by side.
They could still hear the heavy grunting of the Snow Boar and its thundering footsteps outside.
The three of them held their breaths and waited for the Snow Boar’s sounds to become more distant.

“Has it left?”

Wren whispered. Tia shook her head.

“Nope. It’s still wandering around.”

Tia’s ears were good, so she could hear the beast’s footsteps clearly.
It seemed to have recovered from its enraged state earlier, but the Snow Boar was still wandering around the vicinity.
Looking at the color of the sky from the crack in the rock, Sevil’s face darkened.

“Sunset is fast approaching…….It would be difficult to spend the night here.”

Even after all that running, Wren and Sevil’s bodies both shivered in the cold.
The temperature in the cave was low, and it was damp on top of that. It wasn’t a concern to Tia, but Wren was rubbing his hands for warmth while Sevil was opening and closing her hands to keep her blood flowing.
Watching the sky through the crack in the rocks, Tia noticed something. Something was sparkling in the air around them.

(What’s that? Sparkling? I feel like I’ve seen something similar not long ago……)

“Hehe, ahaha”

A young laugh echoed in the cave.
In the time it took her to realize what was going on, the crack in the rocks—their only exit—was sealed by ice.
The thick ice blocked the sunlight, diving the environment further into darkness.

“I melted. You melted me. But that’s not enough for me to die.”

That was the voice of the ice Monster, Jack, that they had just melted with a fireball minutes ago.
Wren looked around nervously, and whispered as quietly as he could.

“What’s that voice…..? Where is it coming from…..?”

“This time, I’ll hug this whole cave!”

At that instant, the air became noticeably colder.
Every breath they exhaled became a white mist.
Wren mumbled in shock.

“No way, he……can become a gas!?”

Gas. Suddenly, Tia recalled a word she’d learned.

“Evaporation!”

Ice melts to become water, then if you heat that water it becomes a hazy mist.
However, that doesn’t mean the water has disappeared. Even if you can’t see the haze of the steam, it’s still there.

“Ahaha, ahaha…….Even if the frost melts in Spring, it will come back in Winter. Again and Again.”

At some point the cave became cold enough that even Tia, a Harpy, felt chilly.
Jack intended to freeze Tia and the others to death, along with the whole cave.
Even if they wanted to escape, the exit was blocked by a thick wall of ice. On top of that, the Snow Boar was still wandering around outside.

“Hey, Tia.”

Wren’s teeth chattered, but nevertheless he removed his own jacket and pressed it upon Tia.

“You’re the most lightly dressed here, so put it on. Pretty boys come with warmth built in, you know? It’s not cheap!”

“Then I shall lend you this as well.”

Sevil made Tia hold on to her red butterfly brooch.
The magical device, which had recently been used to set forth a fireball, still harbored some warmth.

“It can only fire a fireball once, however it still has some lingering warmth. You and Wren should share it.”

Tia was aghast.
Even in this darkness, Tia could see very well. Both Wren and Sevil’s faces were deathly pale, and their lips were purple. They had to have been much colder than Tia.

“I’m still fine. More importantly, you two…..”

Before she could finish her sentence, Sevil embraced Tia and Wren.

“Pay it no mind. I shall share your warmth.”

“Sharing warmth with a pretty boy is a luxury, you know.”

Sevil’s muscular arms held both of them in a firm embrace. Wren held tightly onto Tia’s hand.
……..She recalled the times her and her sisters would spend cold days at Breakneck Gorge wrapped in each other’s feathers.
A Harpy’s feathers were waterproof and fluffy, and when wrapped in them, it gave her a feeling of warmth and bliss.
At the moment, Tia had Wren’s coat on her shoulders and Sevil’s brooch in her hand. She didn’t have those fluffy feathers, but she was warm.

“Ahaha, ehe……How lovely, what a lovely hug.”

Jack’s jealous voice reverberated in the ice-covered cave.
As if stretching his invisible arms, the Monster who desires and steals the warmth of humans sent a wave of cold into the cave.
Wren and Sevil’s bodies became colder and colder.
Just as they had done to her, Tia tried to warm up both of them.

(Get warmer! Get warmer…..)

As she rubbed Sevil’s stomach, Sevil’s laughed, shaking her shoulders slightly.

“…..That, tickles, Tia…..”

“Sevil, are you warm?”

“Yes……..Very much so.”

Sevil’s voice became ever quieter.
Wren appeared to still have his consciousness, but If she called to him, he would only respond in vague words.
Tia’s throat shook in fear.

“Ah…….Uh……..Ah……..Wren, wake up! Wake up! You can’t sleep here! Look, it’s Sevil’s brooch! It’s a little warmer! I don’t need the coat either, Wren……”

He didn’t respond. He was cold.
Creatures that became cold would get thrown to the bottom of the Breakneck Gorge.

“Hehe, ahaha……Lovely. The moment the flame of life is extinguished……How lovely.”

Tia stretched her arms and embraced Sevil and Wren’s lethargic bodies from the front.
It was faint, but there was a response. Both of them were still alive.
The flame of life hadn’t gone out yet.

“How nice, how nice, I’m jealous.”

Being with Wren and Sevil was fun. That was why she decided not to kill them.

(That’s not it. They’re not just fun, they’re special.)

That’s why it was not just ‘she wouldn’t kill them.’ It was ‘she wouldn’t let them die.’

“If only I could hug…..”

“Shut up.”

With an emotionless voice, Tia cast her eyes towards the outside of the cave—towards the frozen crack.
In the darkness, her amber eyes glowed with intensity.
Tia removed her boots and coat, then reached into her pocket.
There were five candies in the vial.

“I won’t let you kill Wren and Sevil.”

She tossed one candy into her mouth and bit down.
The scent of flowers and an intoxicating feeling filled her mouth.
Pure white feathers emerged from the girl’s delicate arms.
Her bare feet bulged, grew scales, and transformed into bird’s feet with sharp talons.
The joy of liberation that occupied Tia’s heart was overtaken by an intense rage.

“I shall sing for you, with all my (murderous) heart.”

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