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The party, having passed the gatekeeper smoothly, entered Winterhome. Unlike when they left, they had two additional bundles, but the gatekeeper, upon seeing Catherine, saluted and didn’t even conduct a formal inspection.

“By the way, about the Alraune byproducts we obtained this time,” Karem said, giving a gentle tap on the bundle held by Mary.

“Honestly, the condition isn’t that great, right?”

“The stems are limp and wrinkled, and the leaves and roots are wilting. They aren’t spoiled yet.”

Mary adjusted her grip on the bundle and hoisted it up.

“Still, I have reservations about the quantity we got this time. We should roast it dark like they do at the Adventurer Guild to preserve it quickly.”

Even if vegetables lose freshness and taste, cooking them over high heat for a long time can maintain a similar flavor.

Let alone, what was in the bundle were the stems, roots, and leaves of Alraune. The byproducts that looked like they were on the verge of spoilage turned out to be perfectly drinkable when Mary quickly roasted them over high heat.

Karem wasn’t well-versed in coffee. Still, he felt the taste was somewhat similar when steeped in hot water.

“If the rich aroma of the roasted Alraune is a problem, then… we’ll have to think about how to handle it.”

“Wasn’t that initially used as an air freshener? Is it possible to remove just the scent?”

“Are you challenging my determination?”

Mary let out a dry chuckle.

“I will definitely eliminate that smell. You can count on me, Contractor and Junior Karem.”

“Not particularly interested, though.”

Catherine said this seriously but suddenly fell silent, tilting her head in surprise and shifting her gaze.

Karem, curious, followed suit and turned his head.

A man clad in flamboyant patchwork armor adorned with an obsidian black sword at his waist, Gordon was being reluctantly pulled along by the fluffy-haired Alicia.

“What’s going on there?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Mary bent down and clicked her tongue at the sight of Gordon being dragged.

“Whether you’ve escaped or enjoying free time, did you stumble upon Lord Stark while wandering around?”

“Oh, right! Last time you promised to give Gordon a tour while you were being dragged away.”

Karem recalled Alicia, who had been dragged around like a lamb that recently tried to escape.

“Is this related to that?”

“Dragged along? Princess Alicia? By whom?”

“Baroness Poppins.”

“Oh.”

Catherine, who had tilted her head in disbelief at who could dare pull the princess of Winterhome, nodded, seemingly understanding now that it was one of those who could control Alicia.

Alicia, who had been chattering away, turned her head back and forth and finally locked eyes with the group. Her chubby cheeks were flushed from the cold.

“I discovered you over here.”

“Why are you treating Lady Alicia like some carnivorous monster—”

“She’s coming this way!”

As Mary said, Alicia dashed toward the group through the falling snow, with Gordon awkwardly trailing behind.

“Kitty! Are you going out? Mary and Karem too!”

“That’s not Kitty; it’s Catherine.”

“What’s in the bundle?”

“Don’t interrupt me! Huh. Alraune byproducts.”

“Alraune?”

Karem knew what Alraune was. A plant monster he had learned about while studying monsters. There were many things to it, but ultimately, it was said to be inedible.

Alicia’s interest quickly faded.

In the meantime, Karem asked Gordon, who looked at least ten years older.

“So, what exactly happened?”

“I was wandering around the castle without anything to do and ran into the princess, and now look at me. Seriously, what kind of six-year-old acts like—”

“That must hurt your back. Why not just carry her?”

“What? Like I’d hold her like a nephew? No way, that’s rude—”

Karem pictured Gordon with Alicia slung over one side, like a shepherd carrying a lamb that had escaped.

“Maybe not, but—”

“At least it wouldn’t look so awkward. That must hurt your back.”

“Well, not really.”

Straightening his bent back, Gordon suddenly scooped up Alicia, who had been prattling away like a lark, into his arms.

“Wow!”

Fools and little children love high places. Alicia’s eyes sparkled in awe of the elevated air.

“So, Lady Alicia…”

“Yes?”

“Where were you dragging Gordon off to?”

“I was heading to the greenhouse.”

“Hey, dragging isn’t the right word!”

Gordon quietly protested, but no one paid him any mind.

Upon hearing “greenhouse,” Karem thought of his lifesaver.

“Oh, right, I never properly expressed my gratitude.”

Caught up in his growing body and hazy thoughts, Karem had been led back to the tower by Catherine without a proper chance to thank her.

Two grand wizards’ interventions and (probably) the graces of Tutatis and Skadi, along with Flora, who seemed a bit out of sorts.

“I think I should bring something to eat.”

“Huh? Bring something? What do you mean?”

“For Flora. I never properly thanked her before.”

“Ah.”

Catherine agreed with Karem’s sentiment.

So they decided to do just that.

However, the group first dropped Mary off to handle the Alraune byproduct at the Wizard’s Tower before moving to the greenhouse.

The knight and soldiers guarding the greenhouse, upon seeing Alicia perched on Gordon’s arm, followed by Karem and Catherine, wore tired expressions and stepped aside.

“You need prior permission to enter the greenhouse, you know.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve never been permitted to enter, though.”

As Catherine entered the greenhouse and removed her hooded robe, she seemed to understand the reason why.

“Gordon! This is the greenhouse of Winterhome!”

“Is it just me, or is it warm inside even though it’s the middle of winter outside?”

“Yes?”

Alicia looked perplexed. There was none of the expected reaction; anyone not from Iceland was usually taken aback. Why wasn’t she surprised?

But there was something different about it.

“This seems to be the largest greenhouse I’ve seen so far.”

Even the ceiling and walls of the greenhouse were entirely covered and visible had thick clouds of snowflakes falling from above. Could all of this really be glass?

Not just Europa, but in many cases, even among the nobility out of hobby or for power, it was expected to have a greenhouse or similar facility. If not, they would certainly have some other comparable facility.

Though it had seemed unbelievable from outside, the greenhouse of Winterhome was the largest, most extravagant, and luxurious greenhouse Gordon had ever seen.

No, the entire facility was made of glass.

Furthermore, just how much magic had been poured into this seasonal feel?

Gordon marveled at the result of Alfred, who had become dizzy from transactions with the Kingdom of Adobice and squandering his youthful wealth in a single extravagant bout.

Truly.

Yet, it didn’t seem to satisfy Alicia.

“Hmph. Gordon, put me down now.”

“Yes, yes. Huh? Hmph?”

“Hmph!!!”

Expressing her displeasure with her entire being, Alicia tossed aside her fluffy outer coat and dashed forward along the path of the greenhouse.

“Well, kids sure are hard to understand sometimes.”

“How can one guess the thoughts of the young ones?”

“I suppose we should follow the princess, huh?”

“But first, let’s pick up the coat.”

As Gordon picked up Alicia’s fur coat, the group walked into the greenhouse, where the more they went inward, the more they couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Honestly, I thought it looked a bit too extravagant for a greenhouse. But a divided area showcasing different seasonal landscapes like desert, prairie, forest, wetland, and lake, with each having different flora and fauna?”

“They say the species of plants and animals differ in each area.”

“How much money did they pour into this!?”

“Last time when we received help with tomatoes and bell peppers, they used dozens of magic tools and artificially created the environment.”

“What are they, Druids?”

Of course, as previously said, this was a result of Alfred’s first and last personal indulgence in extravagance induced by the massive wealth that had fallen into his hands.

“Was this all from the start?”

“Not quite.”

Catherine switched her grip on her staff and took off her robe, smoothly handing it to Karem.

“I’ve heard the old Winterhome’s greenhouse was nothing like this. The ceiling wasn’t even glass. And instead of greenhouses, they grew barley.”

Well, assuming the condition of Iceland where even nobles sometimes faced famine, if the Felwinter family had flaunted such dazzling expenditures for a greenhouse, a rebellion would have likely erupted long ago.

“Today’s greenhouse was completely overhauled after trade began with the Kingdom of Adobice.”

“It must have caused quite a stir since it involved a lot of funds.”

The entire ceiling made of transparent glass that reflected the sky above. The area for the various seasonal environments. And an astonishingly vast greenhouse structure itself.

Not being able to speak felt more abnormal than the reverse.

“Yeah. The vassals and retainers said a word or two.”

“That’s for sure. No matter what, money—”

“Please be a bit more extravagant.”

“Overflowing, huh?”

Karem struggled to respond to the unexpected reply.

However, among those who followed or contracted with the Felwinter family at the time, they were sincere.

Wouldn’t they all want some extravagance?

They simply couldn’t afford to indulge in such luxury with their meager means.

Moreover, if the duke, the highest power in Iceland, lived in poverty (for a noble), even the vassals bound by contracts could not ignore the situation.

Thus, the vassals’ plea came with this meaning.

“Please, splurge a little. Let us indulge a bit.”

“A sense of hopelessness and desperation; it seems trivial to say it’s trivial.”

Gordon twisted his lips into a perplexed expression, neither smiling nor astonished.

“Is it so difficult to understand?”

“Well, apparently if one wears the same outfit more than three times to a ball, people start talking about it, so I guess they were desperate in their own way.”

Following Alicia’s path left by her wet shoe prints, they headed toward the central area of the greenhouse. That area stood in full autumn, with everything around them tinted in orange, red, and brown.

“Wow, autumn has definitely taken hold here.”

“They really meant it when they said each area is different.”

“Maybe if there were some chestnuts lying around, it would match perfectly.”

“Who knows? Maybe there are chestnut trees here.”

And the group suddenly came to a halt.

The reason was simple.

“Pororororong~~♬”

“Flora! Hello!”

Buried in the ground with only her head peeking out like a sprout, Flora was looking up at Alicia, creating a bizarre scene for their eyes to behold.

As autumn arrived in the central area, Flora’s hair seemed to embody it too, with various hues of yellow, brown, and red leaves scattered on the ground instead of flowers atop her green skin.

“…So, this multi-colored woman who dyed herself is your lifesaver?”

“Yes, though her hair has changed a bit.”

“And what are you doing with the princess right now?”

“Well, I guess… mole-catching?”

As Flora was saying this, Alicia was playfully hitting her on the forehead.

 

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