WTSP - 53

“Pom?”

“...Pompo?”

“Pom!”

In a truly unexpected moment, Pompo materialized out of thin air. Pompo looked around, as if trying to grasp the situation of where it was.

And the moment it spotted me, it let out a ‘pyaa!’ sound and rubbed its body against me.

I stroked Pompo’s fluffy fur, unable to hide my bewilderment. Where did it suddenly come from?

“Pompo, where did you come from? This is not the time for this...”

“Poo, hug.”

“I don’t know what you mean. Let’s get out of here first. Come here, Pompo.”

“Your Highness... what in the...”

Cloden, who had never seen Pompo before, gripped the hilt of his sword with a wary expression.

Sensing his hostility, Pompo puffed up its fur like a hedgehog and glared at Cloden.

Even though it was glaring, from a human perspective, it was an incredibly cute expression.

I quickly stepped in front of Cloden.

“Sir Cloden! It’s alright. This child is Pompo. It’s a bit of a long story to explain... it’s a kind of companion spirit.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean it’s really alright. By the way, why now of all times...”

The flickering flames reflected in its pink eyes.

The inside of the plaza was still in chaos. We had to put out those flames somehow. If we were even an hour late, the entire Grand Plaza could burn down.

I bit my lower lip anxiously and watched the situation.

“Poom, phoo...”

“Pompo, are you sick somewhere?”

“Phoo, phoo...”

But Pompo’s condition was strange. Unlike a minute ago, its fur was drooping and it looked weak. Just like a dog suffering from the heat.

‘Heat, heat...?’

One word flashed through my mind as I held Pompo with a worried expression: heat.

At that moment, my eyes widened and I looked down at Pompo.

“You don’t mean you’re hot right now?”

“Poom...”

“That’s right. Since you’re a spirit of snow, it’s natural that you’d be hot.”

I had forgotten for a while, but Pompo was a low-ranking spirit of snow. Then... could it be possible?

I held Pompo up with both hands and met its eyes. An unknown conviction filled my mind.

“Pompo, can you perhaps make it snow here?”

“Pom. Pom, phoo.”

“We might not be able to put out the fire completely... but we could slow it down. Can I ask you a favor, Pompo?”

“Pom!”

Cloden stared at me with a bewildered gaze as I talked to Pompo. He probably thought I was having an incomprehensible conversation with a ball of fluff.

Snow in late spring. I was worried about the aftermath, but what mattered now was reducing casualties.

I looked at Pompo, who seemed invigorated as if it could do it.

“Please.”

“Pom! Phyaaaaaat.”

Pompo gathered strength all over its body with a focused expression. The moment its downy fur stood on end, snowflakes began to fall one by one from the dim sky.

Tap. A white snowflake landed on my shoulder and melted away.

“Huh? What in the...”

“It’s snowing? In this weather?”

“That’s impossible! It’s not the season for snow! Oh my.”

People who had been hurriedly leaving stopped in their tracks without realizing it. Just like when the fireworks were at their peak, everyone looked up at the sky.

The snowflakes, which had been falling little by little as if barely visible, soon became thicker and fell onto the flames.

“What on earth is this...”

Cloden and Lena also stared blankly at the snowflakes. Pompo rolled around in the air, looking as if it had finally come to life.

The snow melted as soon as it touched the flames, but as the snowstorm, filled with cold air, intensified, the heat gradually began to subside.

“This is a miracle... Oh, my God.”

A man muttered to himself, completely dazed.

The fire gradually died down, but Pompo seemed exhausted, having used too much power at once. As if it couldn’t take it anymore, Pompo snuggled into my arms.

At that moment, the snow falling from the sky also noticeably decreased and soon stopped.

“You worked hard, Pompo. Thank you. Now... let’s go back to the Imperial Palace.”

The fire hadn’t completely died out yet, but at this point, the people should be able to gather their strength and extinguish it. I hugged Pompo tightly with one arm and spoke to Sir Cloden.

“Let’s go, Sir Cloden. Please guide us.”

“Ah, yes. Your Highness. I will escort you.”

Cloden, who had been standing still, unable to believe this sight, came to his senses. I took Lena’s hand with my left hand and followed behind him.

‘Everyone, let’s gather our strength and put out the fire!’ People’s voices floated in the air. Our pace quickened even more.

________________________________________

“So, you failed?”

“I apologize. The Empress Consort vanished amidst the confusion...”

“How on earth do you handle your work? You claimed to be a professional, but you’re an utter amateur.”

“......I have no excuse. I will surely succeed next time.”

“Next time?”

A man in black attire bowed his head to the figure sitting with his back turned.

He had never imagined that he would miss the prey right in front of his nose. He had thought all his plans were perfect.

He had planned to start a fire by making it look like the fireworks malfunctioned, and then deal with the Empress Consort in the ensuing chaos. If the flames spread as planned, he would then take care of the knight and the maid by her side.

However, the fire had a greater impact than expected.

He should have considered the possibility of losing the Empress Consort’s party in the confusion. This was clearly his mistake.

His steps felt excessively heavy as he returned after failing the mission.

“Do you really think you’ll be given a ‘next time’?”

“I understand that you are disappointed with this outcome, but I will surely succeed next time. Please, just trust me one more time.”

The white-haired man sitting with his back turned stroked his mustache.

It was rare for the Empress Consort to leave the Imperial Palace. To make such a critical mistake at such a perfect timing.

Tsk, the man clicked his tongue and muttered to himself.

“This is why you can’t trust mercenary bastards. You never know where they crawled out from.”

“......”

“Don’t even think about hoping for the next mission. You know the reason well.”

“......Understood.”

The mercenary gritted his teeth. His jaw felt stiff.

He could grovel for another chance, but it didn’t seem like the man would change his mind.

Having been known as a fairly skilled professional, his pride was especially crushed without mercy.

“You know the unwritten rules well, don’t you? I trust you to keep your mouth shut.”

“Of course. That’s something I know without being told.”

“It’s fortunate that you understand your place.”

The mercenary, staring at the figure who didn’t turn around until the end, clenched his fist tightly.

Honestly, these nobles. They treat people like pigs and dogs just because they were born with money and power.

A surge of anger rose up his throat.

“......Then I will take my leave.”

“Wait. Even if you’re leaving, you should receive your payment.”

“Payment, you say?”

The mercenary looked surprised at the mention of payment, which he had naturally assumed he wouldn’t receive.

Perhaps he wasn’t as ruthless as he seemed.

He felt a bit guilty about receiving money after failing the mission, but in this industry, conscience wasn’t an important value.

“Bring it. Even so, you did work hard, so I should pay the price for that.”

The white-haired noble gestured to the knight beside him. The young knight, who had been listening to the entire conversation with a blank face, slowly walked towards the mercenary.

Will he give me half of the promised amount? The mercenary couldn’t hide his anticipation.

“Then the payment is... guh.”

The mercenary’s face, as he held out a calloused hand, turned blue.

It didn’t take long to understand the situation. Looking down at the blade that had pierced his abdomen, he coughed up blood.

“You bastard...”

Thud. The mercenary knelt weakly on the carpet. Crimson blood stained his dry lips.

The knight looked down at the mercenary, whose eyes were still open even as he breathed his last. There was not a trace of mercy in his gaze.

He pulled out the sword that had pierced the thick abdomen with a natural movement. Then, the one who had lost his life without even letting out a death cry fell sideways.

The noble, sitting comfortably in his chair, didn’t even glance at this entire process. The metallic smell of blood stimulated his nose.

“I told you beforehand that the price of failure is death. You fool.”

“I will incinerate the body.”

“Tsk, he insists on dirtying a carpet more expensive than his life. The smell is foul, so get rid of it quickly. And this time, look for a more competent mercenary. I don’t want to have to do this twice.”

“Yes, I apologize.”

The knight in silver armor bowed his head with a calm expression. Soon, he mechanically hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder and disappeared from the room.

Only then did the noble rise and turn around.

“Goodness... it’ll cost a bit to clean this.”

He rubbed the blood-stained carpet with the tip of his leather shoe. His face was filled with displeasure.

The white-haired middle-aged man muttered to himself with his hands behind his back.

“Meredith, Meredith...”

The noble, who had been repeating the same words for a while, spoke in a chilling voice. His wrinkled lips twitched.

“Ophelia Meredith. How should I deal with you, who has fearlessly set foot in the Imperial Palace?”