Chapter One: The Demon Lord’s Worst Nightmare

The next morning, Anima was awoken by lively chatter. He turned toward the voices and opened his eyes to see Myuke and Marie excitedly jumping up and down at the windowsill.

“Myukey, look! Iss white!”

“Sure is! Wow, look! It’s even snowy over there!”

“Ah! There too!”

“Whoooa! The whole world’s white!”

“Ehehehe!”

The two were not-so-quietly enjoying the snow-covered spectacle. Curious, Anima silently got out of the bed, snuck up behind them, and looked out the window. The snowfield was slightly illuminated by a dim light. It may have been dim because of the clouds, but since Luina was still sleeping, Anima figured it must’ve been really early in the morning.

“You girls are up early,” Anima whispered, being careful not to wake Luina.

“Ah, did we wake you up?”

“Don’t worry about it. You do have to be quiet, though. Mommy’s still sleeping.”

Myuke nodded, and Marie covered her mouth with her hands in response to Anima’s gentle warning.

“I can quiet,” she whispered.

“Thank you, my big girl.”

He stroked her still-disheveled hair, much to her enjoyment. Then, as if she’d just remembered something, she turned right back toward the window and pointed outside.

“Daddy, look! Lossa snow!”

“Hmm, let me see… Wow, you’re right!”

The vegetable field was draped in a white blanket, with the cabbages looking like they were wearing little hats. The nearby forest had also gotten a complete makeover; the once-bare branches were covered in snow, and the ground foliage was nowhere to be seen. In a single night, the scenery they knew had been changed completely, resembling something from a different world. It made perfect sense that the girls—especially Marie, who had never seen snow before—would be excited.

“I’m happy to see that it survived overnight.”

“I wanna play!” Marie chirped, fidgeting from the excitement. She was so ready to rush outside at a moment’s notice that the call to do so was likely the only thing that would get her to pry her eyes away from the window.

Snow was nothing new to Anima, but to the four-year-old girl, it must have been a brand-new world to explore. He must’ve experienced his first snowfall with the same excitement over a hundred years ago. It was an early hour, but there was no way to put Marie back to bed with the winter wonderland waiting for her outside, so Anima decided to instead dress her up.

“You need to have breakfast before heading out. Would anyone like to help me make it?”

“Meee! I bring water!”

“You’ve gotten very good at bringing glasses of water to the table. Do you want to help us too, Myuke?”

“’Course I do, but I’ll need to borrow Luina’s stone.”

Luina was in charge of cooking for the family, with Anima and Myuke always there to help her out and even take up the cooking itself every once a while. Unfortunately, however, they each only knew how to make a single dish, so with the main task almost always in Luina’s hands, she kept the ring that housed the fire lizard stone on her finger at all times. It pained him to wake his slumbering wife, but they needed the stone if they wanted to actually make anything.

“Luina, can I borrow the magic stone?”

“The magic stone?”

Her long eyelashes shook as she slowly opened her eyes at Anima’s whisper. She had been the first to rise for as long as he could remember, but she’d taken a liking to spending more time in bed since getting pregnant.

“We want to cook something.”

“It’s that late already? Give me a little bit, I’ll be downstairs soon.”

“Go back to sleep, Mommy. We’ll take care of breakfast.”

“I can do breakfast! I’m big girl now!”

“Just give it to ’em so you can stay in bed and snuggle me, m’kay?” Bram sleepily proposed before letting out a big yawn.

“What’re you saying?” Myuke responded with a sigh. “You’re coming down to help too.”

“But it’s cold, m’kay?”

“Get used to it now and it’ll be much easier to go outside.”

“Brum, Brum! Get up!”

“Haah… I can’t say no to you, Marie, m’kay?” Bram reluctantly climbed out from under the blankets, got out of bed, and immediately hugged Anima. “Daddy’s warm. I wanna walk like this, m’kay?”

“Jeez, just how much do you hate the cold? Don’t you think it’ll be hard for Daddy to walk like that?”

“I don’t mind. I can walk perfectly fine with a little readjustment.” Anima picked up Bram, who comfortably rested her head on his shoulder. He then turned his attention back to Luina. “We’ll call you when breakfast’s ready.”

“Make sure to keep your stomach warm!”

They said goodbye to Luina and made their way down the stairs. Once they got to the dining room, Bram climbed down from Anima’s arms and stopped in front of the cold fireplace.

“We can still use this wood. Myuke, do your thing, m’kay?”

Myuke nodded, then stopped for a moment. She had only ever used the stone a handful of times, so she must have been worried that something could go wrong.

“Maybe we should get some water ready. Just in case.”

“There’s no need; you did it perfectly last time. You’re great at handling magic stones, so just go for it, m’kay?”

Bram’s words of encouragement seemed to have worked. Myuke cleared her throat, then got ready to use the magic stone.

Every time a monster was killed, it left behind a crystal. Channelling mana into that crystal would call forth that monster’s powers, albeit at the cost of a minor physical alteration in the form of temporarily inheriting one of the monster’s characteristics. In the case of the fire lizard stone, that characteristic was its tail. Anima had noticed that neither of the girls enjoyed that part of using the stone, as both Myuke and Luina became incredibly self-conscious after lighting fires. Regardless, Myuke did as she was asked, then proudly turned toward Bram.

“No need to thank me.”

“Awesome! You’re the best, m’kay?!”

Bram hurriedly warmed her hands in front of the flame, letting out a comfortable moan as she did. While the room was still cold, the warmth of the fireplace from up close was enough to give her a moment’s bliss.

“How are you planning to help us work in the kitchen from all the way in here?”

“I’ll give you moral support, m’kay?”

“You gotta be kidding me… Whatever, it’s fine. Daddy and I are gonna knock this breakfast out of the park! Marie, can you cheer us on?”

“Good luck, Myukey! Good luck, Daddy!”

“I’m going to make something super yummy for you.”

Energized by Marie’s cheers, Anima and Myuke made their way into the kitchen. The cold winter winds blowing in through the lattice vents made the room just as cold as the outside.

“It’s pretty cold, not gonna lie. I can barely touch the utensils.”

“Would you like a hug?”

“A hug? Hmm…” Myuke glanced around. Apparently, getting pampered in front of her sisters was embarrassing for her, as she latched onto Anima the moment she confirmed that the door was closed. “Nice and warm…”

“I’m glad to hear that. Take all the time you want to warm up.”

“Thanks, but I’m good. I don’t wanna fall asleep in your arms.” She stepped back, then looked up at Anima. “So, what are we making? I can do vegetable soup, but that’s about it.”

“We’re in the same boat, then. In which case we’ll need the large pot to make it.”

Anima reached for the pot, which, to his surprise, had leftover stew inside of it. Luina had probably made extra the night before as a way of lessening her chores for the morning.

“Here, let’s warm this up.”

Myuke used the fire lizard stone once more, lighting the stove. She then picked up the ladle and started stirring the stew to keep it from burning. In the meantime, Anima set the table, filled the jug with water, and… that was it. His work was done.

“Do you want to switch?” he asked, ready to take on another job.

“Just sit back and watch, Daddy. When I made the vegetable soup with Bram and Marie, I realized that I love cooking. It’d be awesome if I could help Mommy in the kitchen every day.”

“Good girl.”

“This isn’t about being good. I’m the oldest, so helping Mommy out is my job. Plus, I’ll learn more and more recipes from watching her up close.”

“Maybe it’s time to get you your own personal magic stone.”

“Really?!” she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She knew a lot about magic stones, but the only one she held was a splurting slime stone. Anima had never seen her use it before, so he thought it safe to assume that it didn’t have any real-world applications.

“Really really. You help us around the house all the time, so you more than deserve it. I’ll get you one the next time we’re around there.”

“Woo-hoo! I love you, Daddy!” Myuke hugged him tightly, putting a big smile on his face. He had no idea how much a fire-type stone would cost, but her hug was priceless. “I’ve wanted a fire rabbit stone for the longest time! I wouldn’t mind a fire lizard stone either, though the tail’s a bit… y’know. Fire rabbit stones are super common; you can get them at any magic stone shop, so now we just have to figure what to put it in. I was thinking a ring or a bracelet, ’cause I’d need to take off a necklace to take a bath.”

If it’s a common stone, it probably doesn’t cost too much, Anima thought to himself.

“Why didn’t you say anything if you wanted one so much?”

“I was gonna ask for one for my birthday! Aaahhhhh, I’m so happy! I’ll be able to do so much stuff once I get my own stone!”

Myuke hummed a merry tune as she stirred the stew, and soon enough, its sweet smell began to permeate the room. Anima put the flame out and ladled the stew into five bowls, then the two of them carried breakfast into the dining room that had been warmed by the fireplace.

Bram was sitting in a chair, her head drooped over the table. Marie was fast asleep, though strangely, her mouth was moving. She was articulating ‘Good luck! Good luck!’ Apparently, she was cheering Anima and Myuke on even in her dreams.

“C’mon, let’s go!” Myuke clapped after they put the plates down on the table. “Pull yourselves together!”

They both sprang up instantly.

“It smells yummy, m’kay?”

“Nummy!”

“When did you get so good at cooking? This stew looks just like Mommy’s, m’kay?”

“’Course it does. This is yesterday’s leftovers.”

“That’s still incredible, m’kay?! I totally woulda messed it up, but you warmed it up no problem!”

“Myukey’s imcebible!”

“I didn’t do anything special,” Myuke replied, blushing after hearing her sisters compliment her breakfast-making. “This is only natural for someone my age.”

“You’re helping out a lot, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’ll go get Mommy. In the meantime, can you bring the cups and jug in here?”

“Of course!”

Myuke hurried back to the kitchen, and Anima went upstairs. A couple moments later, the family was finally gathered at the table for breakfast.

“Thanks for the meal!”

Following Marie’s example, they all said their thanks and started eating. The thick, sticky sweet potato and carrot stew danced across Anima’s tongue. The soft, bite-sized vegetables practically melted in his mouth as the wonderful taste overtook his senses.

“Is it too hot, Mommy?”

“No, it’s perfect. You’re really good at gauging how much things need to be heated.”

“Thank goodness; I was afraid you might burn yourself. Anyway, get this: Daddy said he’s gonna buy a fire rabbit stone for me!”

“Did he now? I’m so happy for you. Make sure you give him a big thank you.”

“I’ll wash your back today!”

“Me too! I like rubbity-rub!”

“You can rubbity-rub me, m’kay? Whaddaya think?”

“’Kaaay!”

“I swear, you’re getting lazier by the day.”

“I bloom in the heat. You’re doing a lot for me now, but I’ll pay you back a hundredfold in the summer, m’kay?”

“I can’t wait.”

Another idyllic day was waiting for the Scarlett household. Listening to his family’s cheerful conversation, Anima quietly enjoyed the mellow taste of his stew.

◆◆◆

After breakfast, Anima immediately began cleaning off the table. Luina was quick to jump in and help, but he shot that idea down right away. He couldn’t let his pregnant wife work in the cold kitchen.

“It’s okay, let me handle the dishes. I’m good at washing things. Which reminds me, leave the laundry to me, too.”

“I’d feel bad if I had you do all the work.”

“Don’t worry about it; I could do this all day. The most important thing right now is that you relax.”

Myuke strongly nodded.

“I’ll have those dishes sparkling clean in a flash!”

“I do sparkly too!”

“I’m glad my sisters are so reliable, m’kay? Gives me time to chat with Mommy.”

“You should help out around the house too.”

“But it’s cold, m’kay…?”

“C’mon, chop chop. All of us gotta help with the chores or we’ll never get to play in the snow.”

“All right, all right.” Myuke’s excitement must have rubbed off on her, as she reluctantly got up and joined Myuke. “Just tell me what to do, m’kay?”

“Help Marie carry the laundry to the well, okay?”

“Lessgo, Brum!”

Marie was dying to go outside. She’d been brimming with excitement since the night before when Myuke had introduced the idea of playing in the snow to her tiny world.

“Marie, make sure that Bram stays with you and helps.”

“You stay, Brum!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m staying, m’kay?”

Marie took Bram’s hand and dragged her toward the dressing room, which was where they kept the laundry. In the meantime, Anima and Myuke made their way into the kitchen and opened the back door.

“Wooow! It’s beautiful!”

Myuke was completely spellbound by the smooth layer of twinkling snow. Unable to contain herself, she started running through the garden, the snow crunching below her feet as it preserved each step. When Anima followed after her, he sank ankle-deep into the snow. The sun was shining brightly enough to make him squint, yet the weather was still quite cold. It seemed to him that the snow was going to hang around for a while.

“Ah, look!” Myuke shouted. “The bucket’s full of snow!”

“So it is. Try turning it upside down.”

She flipped the bucket over, gave it a couple whacks, then slowly lifted it up. Doing so left a perfect, bucket-shaped clump of snow on the ground. After taking a good look at the result of her hard work, she proudly glanced at Anima.

“Look! A baby snowman!”

“It’s very cute.”

“It’ll be even cuter once I make the eyes and arms!”

“I can’t wait to see it. But first, let’s go wash the dishes. Then your sisters can come out and play with you.”

Anima drew water while watching Myuke stick her finger into the snowman to make its eyes. He then dampened the washcloth, and the two of them started doing the dishes.

“So mush white! Wooow!”

“Whoa! I gotta admit, this is breathtaking, m’kay?!”

Marie and Bram voiced their excitement as they stepped outside. They were wearing warm clothes and matching scarves.

“Daddy, Myukey! Snow! Lossa snow!”

Marie merrily trotted through the yard. Following behind her, Bram carried the basket of dirty laundry. Dressed warmly and completely taken aback by the wintry wonderland, neither of them so much as noticed the cold air.

“The roof’s completely covered too, m’kay? Ooh, did you make this, Myuke?”

“Iss cute!”

“Right?! It’s a snowman! If you think this is cool, just wait till I actually put in some effort into building one!”

“I build ’nowman too!”

“I’ll show you how to build them once we’re done with the chores.”

“I’m more excited about the snowball fight, m’kay?”

Even though the chores were nowhere near done, the girls were itching to play. Anima didn’t mind, though; he could finish washing the dishes and doing the laundry on his own.

“Let me take care of the chores. You girls go play.”

“But…”

“It’s okay, I love doing the dishes. How about you make it up to me by promising to wash my back tonight?”

Figuring that it would rid them of any sense of guilt, Anima gave the girls a way to pay him back. Myuke put on a beaming smile, telling him that his plan had worked like a charm, and the three of them began running happily through the snow, carefree as birds.

“Lossa foo’pints!”

“Aww, yours are so small. It’s adorable.”

“Hey, watch this, m’kay?! Nyah! Look how deep I sank!”

“Crazy that you were inside shivering just a few minutes ago.”

“I can’t feel the cold anymore, m’kay?”

“Just make sure you don’t catch a cold.”

“I’m fine! Running around’ll keep me warm, m’kay?”

The girls’ excited chirps made Anima want to join them, but he still had work to do. After finishing with the dishes, he moved on to doing the laundry. The heavier clothes didn’t need to be washed often, and letting them air out in the sun on occasion was enough to keep them feeling fresh for the most part. Thinner garments, however, had to be washed almost daily. Despite the cold weather outside, it was easy to work up a sweat in the warmth of the dining room, which would get underwear and other delicates dirty very quickly. The thin fabric required extra care to avoid any accidental tears, too. He wasn’t good at meticulous jobs like that, but he did his best at it because he knew it would make his family happy. Doing it for their smiles took all the tedium out of the work. More than that, though…

“I can draw with my footprints, m’kay?”

“Wow, that’s actually not bad.”

“Me too! I wanna daw too!”

…listening to the girls’ lively chatter gave him all the power he needed to finish his task.

“All right, the laundry is done.” he said, and glanced at the girls with a sense of accomplishment. The three of them were busy collecting snow, then tossing it into the air. They were creating artificial snowfall. “Make sure the snow doesn’t get into your clothes!”

After warning the girls to be careful, he picked up the laundry basket and made his way inside. He entered the dining room through the kitchen, where he found Luina peacefully snoozing at the table. He quietly passed his sleeping wife, but the wooden floor suddenly let out a loud creak.

“Nmhhh… Are you finished with the laundry?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Thank you. You must be cold; let me make you a cup of warm milk.”

“I’m okay. Let’s save the warm milk for after the girls are finished playing.”

“They’re loving the snow. I can hear their voices from in here.”

“Are you lonely?”

“I really want to play with them, but I can’t fool around in the snow while I’m pregnant. It’s not just my health I’d be putting at risk.”

Anima hugged his melancholic wife.

“The next time we have a day like this, be it next year, the year after, or a decade from now, I promise we’ll play all day in the snow together like the happy family we are.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She looked into Anima’s eyes with a gentle smile as their daughters’ lively voices seeped in through the windows. “Thank you, I feel much better now. I’ll bring the laundry back, you should go out and look after the girls. We don’t want them to wander off into the forest.”

Hunters worked hard to keep monsters out of the town, but the forest was still dangerous. It wasn’t outlandish to think that excited children would wander off to explore their familiar surroundings painted in a new light, either. They would likely be okay, especially with Bram and her Jade Dragon stone by their side, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Make sure you don’t catch a cold.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” he reassured Luina, then headed outside.

Just as Anima was opening the door, Myuke crossed in front of it. She was rolling a giant snowball.

“Are you going to throw that?” he asked.

“No way, that’s dangerous. This is gonna be the body of our snowman. It still needs some work, though. We need to make it nice and smooth.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a great snowman.”

“You bet it will! Just you wait!”

Trying to impress Anima, she continued rolling the snowball until she could no longer control it. Anima considered offering his help, but he knew Myuke’s personality, so he decided to let her do her own thing; he would give her a hand if she came and asked for one. Until then, all he could do was send silent words of encouragement her way.

While watching Myuke wrestle with the work-in-progress snowman, another one of his daughters ran up to him.

“Daddy, we’re having a snowball fight, m’kay?!”

Bram stopped about fifteen steps before him and notified him of the incoming barrage, Marie right next to her making snowballs all the while. For a moment, he’d hoped she was making him lunch—similar to the time she’d fed him dirt pies—but that didn’t seem to be the case. She finished making one last snowball, then turned toward Anima.

“Daddy, run ’way!”

“All right, then! Whoever hits me gets a tour around the house in my arms!”

“Yaaay!”

Marie went in for the first throw. After drawing a small arc, her snowball plopped onto the ground several feet in front of him. Up after her was Bram, whose snowball would easily have reached him, if only it had gone in the right direction. They were genuinely trying to hit him, and he was genuinely trying to get hit, it simply wasn’t working out. Unfortunately, with Marie’s order to run, he couldn’t just stand by and wait for their next attempts. He turned around and started moving with large but dramatically slow steps.

“I’ll get away if you don’t hit me soon!”

“I’ll get you, m’kay?!”

“Wait! Wait!”

They ran circles in the garden while bombarding Anima with snowballs. Soon enough, one hit his back.

“Bullseye, m’kay?!”

“Wooow! Brum’s ’mazing! Me too!” She waddled up to Anima. “Nh!”

With a poff!, she scored a direct hit on him as well.

“Yaaay! I hit!”

“You’re like a master archer, m’kay?”

The girls high-fived, celebrating their success. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves, but hitting Anima apparently took more out of them than they’d expected. Their faces were completely flushed, and they were panting heavily. It was high time for a break.

To that end, Anima turned toward Myuke. She was glancing around the garden, standing next to her snowman. Standing at about the same height as Marie, both its head and body were round and slippery-smooth. Her masterpiece looked to be complete.

“That’s an impressive snowman if I’ve ever seen one!” Anima commended her cute creation.

“Thanks, but it’s not done yet. I still have to make the face and give it some arms. Do you see any pebbles or sticks lying around?”

“Maybe there are some under the snow.”

He could blast the snow away with a single step if he so chose, but that would completely ruin Myuke’s fun.

“I guess the forest is my best bet.”

“I’ll go and find some for you. You should stay here.”

Luina’s worries were right on the mark. Had he stayed with her instead of watching the girls, Myuke would have gone out into the woods searching for twigs and pebbles.

“Thanks. Grab two sticks that are around the size of Marie’s arms, and two small pebbles. Also, if you can find a reddish leaf, that’d be awesome. I can use it for the lips.”

Judging by her detailed list, she seemed to have already finished the snowman in her mind. Anima would have to work hard to help Myuke build her perfect snowman.

“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” he said, then headed for the front entrance of their house.

The road leading to the forest was impossible to make out under the thick layer of snow, but that didn’t matter to him; he set his eyes on the treeline and walked straight toward it. Making his way into the woods, he noticed that the brown veins of the forest—the tree roots protruding from the ground—were covered in snow, turning them into dangerous hidden obstacles. He had to be careful not to trip and fall.

Choosing a random tree, Anima crouched and swept away some of the snow around it. Sure enough, underneath was a cluster of small pebbles and a red leaf. A few moments later, he happened upon two sticks around the length of Marie’s arms. His mission was complete. He was excited to see Myuke’s delighted smile, and made his way back in high spirits. However, his return didn’t go as expected.

“What are you doing?!” He wasn’t welcomed with the smile he’d wanted to see. Instead, an ear-splitting scream cut through the quiet winter wonderland as Myuke stomped on the ground, fuming. “I worked so hard on this!”

“What happened?”

Answering the confused Anima, Myuke pointed toward her snowman. He followed her finger until she spotted a terrible sight: the snowman’s perfectly round, smooth head had been the victim of a ruthless attack. It had clearly been hit with something.

“Bram did that!”

Myuke glared at the perpetrator.

“It wasn’t on purpose! I didn’t mean to throw the snowball at it, m’kay?!”

Anima was sure that Bram had apologized when the incident had occurred, but she’d presumably gotten irritated when her attempt to calm Myuke down had failed. As a result, both of them were glaring at each other.

“That doesn’t matter! You destroyed my snowman and that’s that! I was just about to finish it, too!”

Myuke was ready to explode, and her rage was completely understandable. She’d worked extremely hard on her snowman, even opting out of the snowball fight to get it done.

At the same time, though, it was surely an accident. Bram wasn’t the kind of girl who would purposely destroy something Myuke cherished. She probably thought that after finishing her creation, Myuke would be raring to join in on their game.

“Look, Myuke, she clearly didn’t mean to hit your snowman. Why don’t you make up with her?”

“Huh?! You think she’s right?! You’re saying I’m wrong here?!”

“N-No, I didn’t mean that…”

“So you think Myuke’s right? M’kay.”

“I didn’t mean that, either…”

“So you’re on my side after all!”

“Yeah right, m’kay?! He’s clearly on my side! He likes me better, m’kay?!”

“What?! In what universe?! I help him around the house all the time! I love Daddy, and he loves me too!”

Anima was happy they both loved him so much, but he would rather they didn’t fight over him. The best outcome was for them to make up and hug it out, and the first step was to quell the fire.

“Why don’t we make a new one?” he suggested. “Together. All four of us.”

“No! I’m done! She’ll just destroy it again!”

“I told you! It was an accident, m’kay?!”

“No fight!”

They both immediately felt the weight of their words when Marie spoke up. It was impressive that the smallest of the three could quiet the others down with a single sentence. Even so, though things had quieted down, nothing fundamental had been solved.

“Listen, Marie, we aren’t fighting, okay? As the oldest, it’s my responsibility to tell someone when they do something wrong. That’s all I did to Bram.”

“That wasn’t a warning! You’re just mad, m’kay?!”

“I’m mad because you don’t understand what you did!”

“I already apologized, m’kay?!”

“Oh yeah?! And how did you do that, huh?! Going ‘Teehee, my bad, m’kay?!’ doesn’t sound sorry!”

“I didn’t know that I hit your snowman yet, m’kay?! I gave you a real apology right after, didn’t I?!”

“Why do you think everything in this world can be fixed with a simple apology?!”

“’TOOOOOP!”