Chapter 94
I wasn't drunk, nor was it a dream.
There were more Marshmallows.
No, maybe I should change the name... It seems to like it.
I couldn't change it.
There were more Marshmallows, but... hmm, no matter how I looked at them, I couldn't tell what species they were.
They resembled the fluffies, but were somehow different.
Well, even if I worried about it, I wouldn't understand it, so I left it alone.
Thinking about it would just be a waste of time.
But this...
The amoeba had multiplied.
Things had settled down for a while, but then there were more of them again.
I was startled when one suddenly emerged from the snow.
I wonder why. The impression it gave me was somehow different from that of the original amoeba.
Was it because it had been in the snow?
It's an amoeba, right?
What's different?
...Could the magic power I sense be different?
The amoeba that had been in the water had magic power similar to that of the fluffies.
The new amoeba in the snow somehow seems closer to Marshmallow?
Could this not be multiplication, but an entirely different kind of amoeba?
...Well, either way, it means there are more amoebas.
For now, I'll assume there's no problem.
It's all right... right?
It's nodding, so I suppose it's fine.
It keeps nodding... I'll try petting it. It's cold.
It's colder than the water amoeba. Is it really all right?
Well, it burrows into the snow, so I suppose it's fine.
Anyway, let's get along.
...
It seems to have gotten a little warmer.
Is winter ending?
The snow hasn't melted yet, though.
Boss-san suddenly hoisted me up.
I panicked and froze...
For now, I'll leave it to you.
We went outside and moved to the riverbank.
One hole.
Another hole?
...This time, the hole had stairs.
As I wondered what it was, Shuri's face appeared from inside.
A new hole for Shuri?
Shuri beckoned me with a foreleg.
...I had no idea what Shuri wanted.
I went into the hole to see what it was, and... it was quite spacious.
?
A baby spider brought a bag of rocks.
Then it took out one rock and made a gesture as if attaching it to the wall of the hole it had made.
...Do you want me to make a rock wall?
For now, I tried coating the walls of the space with rock.
Boss-san and the baby spider looked satisfied.
Apparently, I wasn't doing it wrong.
I coated every inch of the hole's walls with rock.
Shuri pointed up, then down.
...Apparently, the ceiling and floor need it, too. I'll get to work.
It was perfect—so perfect that it looked like a space carved out of rock.
...So what do I do next?
The baby spiders were bringing snow in from the surface.
I see. Snow.
But I think it will melt if we leave it like this.
...Hmm, would a "freezer" work?
The entire hole became enveloped in cold air.
The snow shouldn't melt now.
The baby spiders were raising their legs in celebration. Apparently, I'd gotten it right. Thank goodness.
Had they learned to do that? When did that happen?
Baby spiders, baby ants, tiny ants, and tiny spiders carried snow in.
I helped by teleporting the snow in.
This was faster, after all.
It was over in no time.
...Huh? An amoeba.
This is the new amoeba's magic power.
It was... swimming through the snow.
Marshmallow was rolling around on the snow, too.
...Could these guys be unable to live without snow?
Come to think of it, Marshmallow never came inside the house.
The fluffies and flying lizards came in, though.
Could they be monsters associated with snow?
...So this is okay now, right?
I checked with Boss-san.
Apparently, it was fine. Thank goodness.
A snow monster... a snowman?
...No, definitely not.
I coated the stairs in the hole with rock as well and used magic to keep the cold air from leaking out through them.
To keep water from flowing in, I built up the soil around the entrance so it was slightly higher than the ground and secured it with magic.
I made a roof to protect against rain... Perfect.
Core and the others were concerned about what was above the underground space.
They had a point. Even if I solidified the underground space with magic, I was worried about tree roots.
We decided to expand it into a second plaza.
Huh? It's going to expand again...? Well, it should be fine.