It was shortly after noon when I set out for the snow mountain.
Since the children had already eaten their lunch out there, I thought some sweets might be appreciated as a snack. I considered strawberries for a moment, but decided on dried fruit instead.
Dried fruit is essentially fruit with the moisture removed to concentrate the sugar. It offers a deep, condensed sweetness and a completely different flavor profile compared to eating fresh fruit. We had made several batches in the village before, but almost all of it had been claimed as snacks by the Fairy Queen. We simply hadn't been making enough to go around.
To fix that, I expanded the orchard area to boost production and increased the volume of our drying operations. Thanks to that, the other villagers can finally enjoy it as well, and it seems to have a good reputation.
The Demon King, Michael-san, and Draim all took a liking to it and wanted to take some home, but for now, I have no plans to export it. Because we produce it in such large quantities, we still see a fair amount of variance in quality. While a subpar batch is just a funny story within the village, sending it outside would be a serious hit to our credibility. I want to wait until our techniques have matured a bit more before we start shipping it out.
Of course, dried persimmons are also a type of dried fruit, but we have been making those in steady quantities since the early days of the village. Our skills there are well-established and failures are almost nonexistent, largely thanks to Rusty’s role as a dedicated dried persimmon enthusiast.
I wonder if dried sweet potatoes count as dried fruit? And pickled plums... that’s a difficult one to categorize.
While I was lost in these idle thoughts, I arrived at the snow mountain.
The children were sliding down the slopes however they pleased. They were using skis and sleds, and I even saw a few things that looked like snowboards.
Wait, what was that? Someone had mounted a chair onto a pair of skis. Apparently, it was designed so one could enjoy a cup of tea while seated. It didn't look particularly thrilling, but I suppose a willingness to try anything once isn't a bad trait to have.
"I brought some dried fruit for a snack," I called out. "Divide it up and enjoy."
The High Ogre maids had already prepared a warm lunch for them, and they were still keeping a pot of soup ready to help keep everyone’s body temperature up. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't just any soup. The smell was unmistakable: soup curry.
Soup curry is a perfect choice for the snow mountain; it really hits the spot. However, I found myself worrying if dried fruit would pair well with it. Dried fruit is sweet, but its flavor is more subtle than fresh fruit. I wondered if I had made a mistake with the snack choice. If they were eating soup curry, maybe ramen would have been better? Or yakisoba? Or even just steamed potatoes?
I had specifically wanted to give the children something sweet to help with their fatigue. What would be warm, sweet, and wouldn't clash with curry? Maybe grilled corn was the right answer?
"This dried fruit is delicious!" the children cheered.
Their voices snapped me back to reality. Well, if they liked it, that was all that mattered. Then I noticed what the High Ogre maids were doing. They were actually adding the dried fruit directly into the curry.
That was a revelation. I asked for a bowl to try it myself—soup curry with dried fruit. It wasn't bad at all. I think I'll try making it myself sometime.
While I ate, I noticed something else. "By the way, what’s that rope running from the base to the summit?"
Apparently, it was a climbing line for the children. Until recently, the dragons had been carrying the kids up to the top, but the children had eventually asked to climb on their own, so the line was installed. They hadn't just found the joy in sliding down; they had found it in the ascent as well.
Actually, that wasn't the whole story. It turned out Hiichiro had grown uncomfortable with the way the dragons gave preferential treatment to him and Gral, and Gral had agreed with him. They wanted to be on equal footing with their friends.
However, the dragons who had been relieved of their transport duties looked a bit lonely. Tiselle must have noticed my concern, as she took the initiative to send the youngest children over to them. Despite their reluctant posturing, the dragons' tails were wagging. They clearly didn't mind being relied upon.
The children played on the snow mountain until the sun began to set.
The next day, the rope had evolved into a proper lift. It wasn't the chair-style lift you would see at a commercial ski resort; it was still just a rope, but now it was motorized and moving toward the summit. Now, the children could reach the top just by holding on.
The kids were squealing with delight as they grabbed the line and were pulled up the slope. The Mountain Elves had looks of immense pride on their faces. The Giant Race and the High Elves had handled the installation.
"What's the power source for this?" I asked.
"A golem," they replied.
Very convenient. I made sure to check on the safety measures, but they assured me they had been incredibly strict since they knew children would be the primary users.
Finally, I had to address the dragons who were now even more depressed because the lift had stolen their jobs. Giral was looking particularly dejected. Gral, meanwhile, was happily using the lift alongside Hiichiro.
What could we do for them? Skis? Sleds? Snowboards?
We didn't need child-sized gear for them. We needed adult sizes. In other words, if the dragons took on their human forms, they could slide down the mountain too. They could just play right alongside the children.
I thought it was a great idea. I decided to be the one to invite them once Hiichiro and Gral came down. If the kids invited them, the dragons would likely feel they couldn't refuse, but an invitation from me would be different.
That day, the dragons seemed to truly enjoy the snow mountain with the children. Of course, I joined in as well.
I have to admit, skiing is quite difficult. I think I prefer sleds. They're much safer.