"You all can explore Kjerag on your own for a while. I have some pressing matters to attend to down below, so I'll be taking my leave now."
After chatting with the group for a short while, Kjarr suddenly glanced toward the distant mountainside not far away. She then offered a polite apology to them and departed ahead of the group, her form blending seamlessly into the swirling white mist.
"What's wrong with her? Did something unexpected happen in Kjerag?" Remilia asked, watching her leave in such a great hurry.
Flandre Scarlet recalled the plot of her memories and knew that nothing had gone wrong within the snowy borders; there was only one situation that would ever make Kjarr leave so hurriedly. That was when the little Saintess she was currently raising was calling out for her.
But this entire mountain range was Kjeragandr's ancient domain, a place where every word and action of their group could be easily known by the goddess. If she spoke of this matter out loud, it would easily arouse deep suspicion. After all, it wasn't particularly strange for an outsider to know about Kjeragandr or the holy Saintess, but it would be very strange indeed to know that Kjeragandr was secretly staying by the Saintess's side as a close companion.
Therefore, Flandre merely blinked her eyes and wisely did not take up the topic.
Remilia knew her younger sister was someone who usually couldn't keep secrets in, but if she was actively holding back her tongue, it meant one thing: this matter wasn't simple. Thus, the Eldest Miss didn't press her for further details. After waiting for a while and seeing that Kjeragandr had no immediate intention of returning, the group decided to wander around the snowy area on their own.
"I truly didn't expect this Kjeragandr to be a lady as well, and she really is as easy to talk to as Flandre said," Patchouli remarked with a rare sense of wonder as they floated gracefully over the thick, snow-covered ground to admire the alpine scenery.
"Right? I was thinking earlier that if I could live in a beautiful place like this, I'd actually be willing to accept even if she made some completely unreasonable demands of me!" Letty's face flushed a delicate shade of pink from the excitement.
"Ooh~" Hong Meiling moved swiftly to her side, gently nudging Letty with her shoulder while making a loud, teasing sound.
"What are you laughing at? This place really is perfectly suitable for my nature," Letty sighed happily as she walked over the drifts.
Even back in Gensokyo, there was only a very small, restricted area where she could comfortably live, and with the inevitable arrival of spring, she always had to retreat to even more secluded, freezing spots. After all, the high mountains of Gensokyo were basically occupied by powerful Great Youkai. A mere Youkai like her didn't possess the raw strength to compete with those ancient monsters for territory.
But here, in this grand place called Kjerag, it snowed beautifully all year round, and these massive high mountains were completely unoccupied by rival spirits. She could walk anywhere she pleased without worrying about accidentally wandering into some Great Youkai's personal territory and being eaten as a midnight snack. She only needed to follow what the gentle Mountain God said and not harm the living creatures here. To her, this place was simply paradise.
So, as long as the other party's requests weren't excessive, she would have agreed to them all. But to her complete surprise, during their brief communication, she found that the goddess possessed an incredibly good temperament. When Kjarr had first heard Letty's own requirements for survival, she was actually full of confusion. After all, those requirements seemed like essential requirements that should naturally be followed; true requests should be things like taking a beautiful concubine, or wanting riches, and so on...
It was only after the ancient being was loudly called out by Flandre Scarlet that Letty finally understood why none of those demands had existed.
The group flew through a frost-covered forest, laughing and playing together, before arriving at the slope of another mountain.
A few short minutes after they left the area, a young girl with a pair of white cat ears who looked incredibly lively appeared in the woods. She wandered around the snowdrifts for a long time, looking left and right before scratching her head in utter confusion.
"Strange, I clearly heard bright laughter coming from this exact spot just now. How come I can't find anything at all?"
"Second Miss, please be careful!" a steady, deep male voice came from the shadows behind her.
"Big Brother Matterhorn, I'm just wandering around our own woods, there's absolutely no danger here. Can you please stop following me so closely?" The girl looked helplessly at the tall man behind her, her tail swishing so fast in her annoyance that it almost became a propeller.
"That won't do, I am afraid. The Master explicitly said I must protect your safety at all costs." The man smiled warmly, standing a respectful distance from the young girl.
The girl let out a heavy sigh at this, then thought of something and eagerly asked, "Big Brother Matterhorn, did you hear any strange sound just now?"
"A sound? I suppose I did hear some very faint, distant laughter just a moment ago... but considering there are absolutely no signs of human activity or footprints in this valley, I think it might just be the trick of the wind. After all, when the heavy wind blows through these narrow canyons or dense forests, there's always a chance it makes that kind of echoing sound." Matterhorn gave his honest answer.
"Tch, how incredibly boring!" The girl pouted, swinging a fallen branch in her hand to sweep the nearby snow.
She had already searched this entire immediate area; there were absolutely no tracks, footprints, or broken twigs. So, Matterhorn's logical guess was likely true. It was just that such a mundane guess was far too boring in the eyes of an innocent, romantic young girl.
Of course, she couldn't even begin to imagine that a unique group of people who could freely fly through the sky had just passed through here. The laughter she heard was completely real, but since the visitors were soaring through the open air, they naturally left no physical traces upon the white snow. The girl and her loyal guard soon left the forest behind, walking toward their family home at the foot of the mountain not far away.
On the other side of the valley, Flandre's group had already reached the peak of another magnificent mountain.
"You know, even though Kjerag is composed entirely of snowy mountains, the scenery from the top of each individual one is beautifully different," Remilia remarked as she stood upon the frozen summit and scanned the breathtaking horizon.
The others nodded their heads in complete agreement.
"And this nation of Kjerag is much larger than we previously guessed from the outer maps. It's truly incredible that such a vast, perfect stretch of snowy mountains hasn't given birth to any native ice fairies," Patchouli noted, looking at the surrounding peaks from a more academic and magical perspective.
In such a flawless land of continuous ice and snow, if this were back home in Gensokyo, at the very least a hyperactive fairy like Cirno should have naturally appeared from the frost. But in reality, the only special, divine life form inhabiting this entire region was that ancient Kjeragandr.
"Perhaps it's simply because this is a completely different nation!" Remilia warned, keeping firmly in mind what Flandre had hinted at earlier—that this entire region was under Kjeragandr's watchful gaze, meaning the goddess could easily hear everything their group said.
So, she loudly and clearly reminded the others not to casually reveal the fact that they weren't original inhabitants of Terra while chatting. Everyone instantly understood her hidden meaning, so they became much more restrained and careful in their conversation.
After playing and exploring the high peaks of Kjerag for a few more days, ensuring Letty was completely settled into her new home, they decided it was time to head toward their next travel destination.
Remilia's original plan was to fly straight down the southern slopes back into Victoria to continue their journey, but Flandre had her own fun ideas. When they had stayed in that small frontier town earlier, hadn't she watched that exciting Kazimierz Major Knight Tournament on the television? Coincidentally, this northern mountain range wasn't too far away from the borders of Kazimierz, and she wanted to go see the grand matches with her own eyes.
Flandre loudly proposed her suggestion, and Remilia was also secretly somewhat tempted by the idea of seeing knights joust. She glanced sideways toward her librarian friend.
Patchouli noticed the subtle look Remilia sent her way and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Remi was wonderful in every single way, but she was just far too thin-skinned and proud. Even though she herself found Flandre's suggestion incredibly tempting, as the dignified older sister, she wouldn't easily give in or admit it for the sake of her majestic reputation.
"I think traveling to see the knights is a wonderful idea!" Patchouli spoke up, smoothly offering her full support to tip the scales.