Baby Prisoner of the Winter Castle

“Basic swordsmanship…” 

The Duke paused for a moment as he spoke.

The opponent was a prisoner of war. He couldn’t allow her to practice swordsmanship.

So, is it simple self-defense?

No, that too was dangerous.

If the child had talent in martial arts, there was a risk of running away from the knights of the castle. 

The Duke turned his head and looked back at Quentin, who was avoiding him from a distance.

He just stood there with a frown on his face, probably because he was opposed to Clarisse’s outdoor activities. 

“Quentin, do you have any information about outdoor activities for children?”

“The children of Sheridan catch frogs.”

“But it’s winter.”

“Then pick hard icicles and play war games… ah.” 

Quentin’s cheeks turned red, and he shut his mouth quickly.

Apparently, he was worried about discussing the war in front of Clarisse.

“Ehem, other than that… ah, right! Make a snowman. It’s a competition to see who can put the biggest snowman in front of their house.”

“I see.”

The Duke looked back at Clarisse.

“You will participate in that competition. You represent the mansion and make a snowman.”

“I’m… the representative?”

“It’s for outdoor activities.”

“I, I will do my best for the Duke’s honor.”

Clarisse responded with her arms clasped tightly together, and the Duke said he had nothing more to do and went back with Quentin. 

“What should I do?” 

Clarisse, left alone in the room, blushed slightly.

“I’m already doing something for the Duke! Let’s work hard to make the biggest snowman…” 

But there was a small problem with this.

“Snow…man?” 

The point is that Clarisse is from Grezekaia, which is sweltering.  

“…Who is that?” 

* * *

Once he said ‘outdoor activities’, Clarisse went out into the hallway and raised her hand.

Sir Benson, who was guarding the hall, approached, and the child raised her head and spoke cautiously.

“Sir  Benson, the Duke has ordered me to go outside.”

“Oh my, ehem!”

Benson cleared his throat and put on a hard expression. It is to keep the Duke’s order, “Treat the child as a prisoner.”

“I, I heard it. Have you been given permission to go into the garden as of today?”

Clarisse, a little intimidated by his overbearing attitude, lowered her head. 

“Yes… He told me to participate in a snowman-building contest.”

“Then you will need carrots.”

Clarisse was startled.

A man made of snow was very different from a man made of stone.

But she even needs food! 

‘…It’s not a scary person, right?’

Benson cleared his throat again, probably realizing that Clarisse was flustered.

“Hmm! I will bring you carrots that are not used in the kitchen.”

“Sir…Berson will?” 

When Clarisse stared at him with her hands together, he hurriedly looked away. 

“I, it’s absolutely not to be kind to you! Because you’re a prisoner!” 

“But…” 

“I’m only cooperating to compete with the village children for the Duke’s honor, no misunderstanding!”

He pointed to the stairs with the tip of his chin, leaving behind a word of hope that Clarisse would never misunderstand. 

It’s an uncomfortable staircase used by servants.

“You can go now.”

But at that moment another order from the Duke came to mind. It means he shouldn’t give the child even one scratch.

The stairs for the servants were dark and high, so there was a risk that the child would fall down while moving alone.

“I can’t help it. I’ll move you down to the bottom. You have to be careful on the stairs.”

“I know how to go down the stairs by myself.”

“No. But—”

Benson looked anxiously at Clarice’s short legs, and eventually decided to follow the child heading to the stairs.

Benson threw his hands forward and made a noise every time the child’s body tilted back and forth as she hurriedly descended the high stairs.

“Uh! Oh my! Huh!”

Only after confirming that Clarisse had safely descended the stairs did he return to the corridor on the second floor, which was his position.

Clarisse came out through the front door and raised her head up in that wide and high space.

When she thought about it, she realized that she hadn’t been able to look around the mansion properly because she had been in her room almost the whole time.

In the mansion she was seeing properly for the first time, things that aroused her curiosity kept coming into her eyes.

But Clarisse had a hard time keeping her eye because it kept trying to go somewhere else. She had to go to the garden.

She has to figure out what a snowman is there, feed it carrots and put it in front of the mansion.

“I’ve heard the story, Clarisse.”

Rosalie, who just came out of the front door, opened the door for her.

“The Duke has given permission for you to use the central staircase as well as the entrance hall.”

“M, me?”

The great central front door was accessible only to the Duke or his entourage.

‘He gave me permission because of the value of my activities for the honor of the Duke.’

Clarisse somehow put a lot of strength into her shoulders.

“I’ll do my best!”

“I’m looking forward to it, too.”

Clarisse was even more excited to hear that Rosalie was looking forward to it and headed across the front door.

“Ah, right.”

After belatedly remembering that she had to ask about the snowman, she turned around.

But Rosalie had already gone somewhere.

“I forgot. Even Mallang said doesn’t know what the snowman was…”

What to do? Clarisse became sullen.

But also for a moment.

When she saw the pure white world spread out in the garden, she was so ecstatic that she forgot all her troubles. 

“Whoaa.”

The snow-covered scenery has always been viewed through the window, but it was even more mysterious to actually face it in front of her eyes. 

‘I’ve always wondered how it would feel if I stepped on it.’

Clarisse remembered Benson’s advice and cautiously descended the stairs and hopped over the snow.

Poof.

She felt like her feet were farting, so she laughed for some reason.

“Now what?”

Clarisse jumped over the snow once more. 

After making a farting sound with her feet for a long time, she turned around and found it interesting that there was a deep footprint where she stepped a while ago.

“This way, I will never be able to play hide-and-seek with Mallang.”

It’ll find out where Clarisse is hiding, just by looking at her footprints.

The girl has been jumping around the snow several times since then, leaving her footprints in every corner of the garden.

However, after running around like this for 30 minutes, she got a little tired.

For a moment Clarisse came to her senses.

It wasn’t the time for this.

She had to ask quickly what a snowman was like.

*****

Clarisse circled around the mansion and looked for stones to talk to them.

The interior and exterior of the mansion, that is, the inner and outer walls, look like one stone, but they are made of different stones, so she will encounter stones different from those on the inner walls.

It would be nice if every stone in the world could talk like Mallang, but it can’t.

From a very young age, she could tell the difference between such stones and those that were not, which were rare in Grezekaia.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s a very strange mansion.”

In Grezekaia, there were very few stones that could tell a story, but in this mansion, she could find several stones that could tell a story.

Since she first came to the mansion, they have always helped Clarisse.

“Didn’t they say that the building was made of a giant stone creature called a golem?” 

It was the first time Clarisse had heard the word ‘golem’ itself here, but she somehow liked it because it was a creature related to stone. 

“It is a very nice stone. To be a building and help people.”

She’s not sure if Mallang will be upset if she says this. 

“Ah.” 

Just in time, Clarisse ran in front of a stone that looked like it could tell a story. 

Unlike other bricks trimmed into a square shape, it was a stone that retained its natural shape.

“Hello.”

When Clarisse greeted it by touching the surface of the outer wall of the mansion, the answer soon returned to her mind. 

[You’re the prisoner that the inner wall guys were talking about].]

The mansion was all made of stone, so they sometimes talked among themselves.

“Did you hear about me?” 

[Hmph, do you think I’ll answer a sinner like you?] 

“Ah…” 

[The stupid inner wall seems to be talking to you, but our outer wall is a knight guarding Sheridan Mansion and shows no mercy to sinners.]

“It’s okay if you don’t have mercy on me.”

[If you know, get out of the inner wall right away! To hang out with the weak fools who are melting in a warm place!]

“But I must build a snowman in the honor of Sheridan Manor. If you know, could you tell me how?”

[….]

There was no answer coming back.

It’s a stone that values the honor of the mansion, so it will explain it in a way. 

“…You don’t know?” 

[I am a brave knight who faces the cold wind head-on! Do you treat me as a fool just because I don’t know how to play like children?!]

That wasn’t her intention, so Clarisse shook her head. 

“It’s okay. I don’t know either. I am not stupid either.”

[Now you’re like a prisoner! I will show you the power of Sheridan Mansion’s great outer wall corps right now! Guardian stone of the outer wall! The prisoner is wandering around, so ring the bell twice!]

Clarisse’s heart skipped a beat at its loud cry.

Even if it wasn’t, there were many such wonderful stones gathered on the outer wall, so she expected something great.

[Whoo, I’ve reserved my magic for this day.]

Clarisse lifted her head and looked up. 

She happened to be under the bell tower. The place where the broken clock on the outer wall is hanging.

Since it is a bell on such a magnificent building, it must be sure that a magnificent sound will soon resound—.

T—tiling! 

No, the sound was a bit petty.

Is there something wrong?

The sounds of soldiers passing nearby looked up at the bell tower and clicked their tongues.

“That stupid bell is ringing on its own again. I’m glad I can’t hear it well.”

“How on earth did you know the crisis and rang alone in the past?”

“It’s just a sound. Where in the world is such a great species?”

“Phew, that junk. I wish I could sell it somewhere.”

For some reason, Clarisse felt sorry for the outer wall.

“Are you okay?”

[Go away! I don’t want to talk to someone like you!]

Clarisse tried to speak to it again, but the outer wall didn’t answer.