Usagi runs gloriously through the mountains and hops around the forest with only his right foot.

Luna came up behind him and released a string.

“Prison!”

The strings deployed instantly surround Usagi like a cage.

Then, they converge at once toward Usagi in the center.

(Fierce Wind Legs!)

“Kuh!”

With a single swipe of his right leg, the strings are instantly scattered.

This time, Noel jumped out from behind the trees, aiming at Usagi, that had just finished releasing his technique.

“There it is! Fire!”

She fires a net from her gun to catch Usagi, but Usagi avoids it without any difficulty.

(What’s wrong, you’re slowing down.)

“What the heck is going on with this maneuverability with only one leg…!”

“It’s actually comparable to what it would look like without the handicap…!”

Luna desperately chases Usagi that flies around the forest at high speed, while Noel shoots wildly with her net.

“Do your best, everyone!”

Lexia cheered from the top of the mountain.

(You can not reach me if you aim blindly. Watch your enemy’s movements.)

“Kuh…!”

Usagi kicked the trees with his right foot, leaping and searching for signs of his surroundings.

(…I haven’t seen the disciple of the Claw Saint for a little while now. Is she hiding somewhere while conserving her strength?)

As he was thinking about this, Luna and Noel deployed to the left and right of Usagi.

“Here we are! Let’s go, Noel! Spider!”

“Copy that! Fire!”

He realized that it seemed to be setting up something for an attack that seemed to pinch him.

(It won’t be good training if I pull away too much. I’ll just fall for it.)

Riding on the guidance of Luna and the others, Usagi avoided the attack and approached the bottom of the giant tree.

Then Tito, who had been waiting in ambush, jumped down from overhead.

“I’ll decide with this! Thundering Claws!”

(There you are, after all.)

Usagi stopped his feet, looking amused.

“I’ve got him!”

Luna’s strings, Noel’s net, and Tito’s claws rush in to capture Usagi, which has stopped moving for just a moment──

“Fierce Wind Legs!”

“Kuh!”

“Hyaahh!”

As soon as Usagi cleaved his right leg, a gust of wind erupted, kicking out all the attacks.

“Hah, hah, hah…”

Finally exhausted, Luna and the others rolled limply onto the snow.

“I-it was not good…”

“Not only can’t we touch him, we can’t even graze him… he’s a monster…!”

“I don’t think I can compete with him in the slightest…?”

(What’s the matter, are you finished?)

Looking down at the three exhausted figures, Usagi laughed.

Lexia was watching them from the top of the mountain with a serious look on her face.

“As expected of Usagi-sama, we can’t win in a mere battle of strength…! ──But wait! What are the conditions for passing this test…?”

Lexia suddenly realized and looked back behind her.

A cliff that seemed to be sucking her in was reflected in her field of vision.

When she remembered the time when she caught Vehicle Hawk, Lexia’s voice was strained.

“Usagi-sama, over here!”

(Hmm?)

Lexia attracted Usagi’s gaze and lightly ran up the slope,

“Eeeeii!”

Lexia leaped toward the edge of the cliff.

“””Lexia.””” “””Lexia-san──?”””

(What are you doing…?)

In an instant, Usagi ran to the top and grabbed Lexia’s hand as she fell.

“Kyaaa!”

(You tomboy princess…!”

Usagi leaped over the cliff with Lexia in his arms and landed softly, killing the impact.

“Thank you very much, Usagi-sama! Now we’ve passed the test!”

Lexia laughed lightly.

Her hand was firmly holding Usagi’s hand.

(! Don’t tell me you’re doing this for…?)

Usagi noticed Lexia’s intention and blinked at her.

Tito jumped on the victorious Lexia.

“Kyaaa, Tito!?”

“Ugh, I’m so surprised! I’m so glad you’re safe…!”

“You’re so bold…! I thought my life span would be shortened…!”

“How many times have I told you not to be reckless? If Usagi-sama hadn’t saved you, you would have died.”

“But I’m sure Usagi-sama will save me, though, won’t he?”

Usagi shrugged his shoulders in dismay as Lexia closed one eye.

(Good grief, you’re a hell of a fellow… but a pass is a pass.)

“I did it, everyone! We passed Usagi-sama’s test!”

“You need to do a little self-reflection!”

(Next time, I’ll have to pay a visit to King Arcelia.)

“D-don’t do that! Please don’t tell my father!”

Thus, thanks to Lexia’s ingenious plan, the group successfully passed the final test.

(Well, that’s enough of that. That is the end of your training. If you have overcome this training, you will not fall behind the ice spirit. I guarantee it.)

“U-um, thank you very much…!”

Tito bowed to Usagi, who turned his back to her.

Usagi looked back as she left.

(Look, negative emotions accelerate curses. The same goes for combat. Don’t get caught up in fears that have no substance.)

“Negative emotions accelerate the curse…”

Lexia repeated these words in her mouth as if they were etched deeply into her mind.

(Do not forget what you have learned in your training, and do the best you can.)

As Usagi kicked the ground and jumped, the ground he was using as a foothold bounced off with a bang!

“The impact of the jump was enough to create a hole in the ground…?”

Tito looked at the huge crater in the ground and shouted.

In an instant, Usagi moved up into the sky and left with tremendous force, like a bullet.

“A-amazing, that’s Kicking Sage-sama…!”

“As always, he seems to be going at his own pace, or rather, he seems to be elusive.”

Everyone stared in the direction of Usagi’s disappearance, half in a daze.

Luna shook her head in relief.

“Well, let’s go back to the village first and change our clothes; we’re all sweating in this cold weather.”

“I agree! We are going to catch a cold if we don’t change──Achoo!”

“Wawa, are you okay? You need to warm up quickly…”

As they were heading back to the village, Noel suddenly raised her glasses.

“…Wait. Is the ground shaking?”

“Eh?”

They noticed that the ground was indeed shaking lightly.

“W-w-w-what? What is it this time?”

“No way. Is it another monster attack? Or an avalanche?”

While Lexia screamed and Luna braced herself, the shaking grew louder and louder.

Tito suddenly perked up her cat ears.

“No, something is coming from… under the ground!”

And then──

Bwoosshhh!

A huge column of water rose from the ground that Usagi had gouged out.

And then, steam and heat were rising from the ground.

“O-oh… hot springs have sprung up───!”

“With that one blow as he was leaving?”

“As expected, it’s a little out of the ordinary!”

The column of water that had erupted so vigorously──the column of hot water gradually subsided, leaving behind a plentiful supply of hot water on the gouged-out ground.

“I-it really is a hot spring…”

“The temperature is just right.”

Tito peeked fearfully at the surface of the steamy water, and Noel put her hand in to check the temperature.

The hot springs suddenly appeared in the forest. Lexia opened her mouth with a mysterious look on her face.

“All right. This must be a sign from the sun god.”

“A sign from the sun god?”

“Yes.”

Lexia clasped her hands like a pious sister.

“The deep forests, the snow, the hot springs. There is only one thing for us to do: we are going to the hot springs!”

“What are you talking about?”

“The battle is tomorrow!”

But Lexia puts her hands on her hips as if it were a matter of course.

“You know, they say that cold is the root of all illnesses. We’ve got a hot spring; we have to make the most of it. First of all, we are all exhausted.”

Usagi’s training was indeed hard, and Luna and the others were in a state of physical and mental exhaustion to the utmost limit.

“First of all, we need to heal ourselves in preparation for the final battle. Besides, wouldn’t it be great to take a hot spring bath in the snow?”

“Uh…”

Luna, who had been completely captivated by the open-air baths thanks to Yuuya’s items, fidgeted, and her eyes swam.

“W-well, it was a strenuous training session. I just wanted to work up a sweat.”

“Right?”

“Hmm. With the sleighs that Snow Fang and the others are pulling, we should be able to leave tomorrow morning and still make it in time for the night.”

“This is the hot springs… a bath outside…!”

Seeing the three people’s reactions, Lexia closed one eye in a good mood.

“The decisive battle is tomorrow night! Before that, let’s take it easy and recover from our fatigue and regain our energy!”

＊＊＊

“Mmm, it’s great! It feels so good!”

Deep in the forest, Lexia and the others were soaking in a hot spring.

The blizzard had been weakening for a few days, and the wind and snow on their cheeks felt good.

“The hot springs in the cold are very special.”

“Woohoo…! It feels good to take a bath outside…!”

“Fufu. Tito, is this your first time in an open-air bath?”

“Yes! I used to talk with Emma about how I wished there were hot springs in this village!　Everyone will be so happy when they find out that a hot spring has sprung up!”

Noel also looked interested and pushed up her cloudy glasses.

“Hmm, this is a hot spring, huh?”

“Is this your first time too? I had the impression that the Romel Empire had many hot springs.”

“Depending on the location, hot springs are a major tourist attraction in some areas, but unfortunately, there are no hot springs in the vicinity of the imperial capital.”

“I see. Then you’re lucky you got to experience it!”

“Yes. It really warms you from the core and relieves fatigue. This is a good one. …Come to think of it, a long time ago, at the request of the people of the imperial capital, I invented a magic tool to be used in the bathtub.”

“Eh, what kind of magic tool is that?”

Noel takes a palm-sized object from her backpack.

It was a yellow duck.

“Duck-san?”

“Yes. It is ‘Floating Duck-kun No. 5’. If you float it, your bath will feel three times better.”

“How does it work?”

“The synergistic effect of the material inside and the magic ore──well, it would be quicker if you actually used it.”

The clear water turned cloudy white as the ducks floated in it, and the blood began to circulate to the tips of their fingers.

“Whoaaa!? It made me feel even warmer…!”

“My skin has become smooth, too!”

“The scratches I got from my training healed in an instant…?”

“Hmm, this is the first time I’ve used it in a hot spring, but it works even better than I imagined. By the way, you can also do this. Click.”

Noel pressed the duck’s head with a plop, and fine bubbles erupted from its beak and spread throughout the hot spring.

“Hawa, hawawa…! It feels so good when the bubbles hit me…!”

“I’m so tired, yet my body feels so light…”

“It’s interesting; it’s an unknown experience…! It’s really amazing that Noel can invent not only a strong weapon like a magic gun but also such a useful tool for daily life!”

Lexia and the others were completely captivated by their first experience with a Jacuzzi.

The hot springs in the midst of nature gave them an indescribable sense of freedom, and the four of them relaxed from the bottom of their hearts.

“Hmm! The air is so clean and refreshing…!”

Tito stretched out, and Lexia poked her breast.

“Ara? Tito, your breasts are getting bigger again, aren’t they?”

“Hyaahh? Lexia, you tickle me~…!”

Tito tried to run away in a panic, but Lexia hugged her from behind and wrapped her hands around Tito’s breasts this time.

“Eiii!”

“Nyaa!”

“Ah, they’re bigger than they were in the Sahar Kingdom, after all! There is no doubt about it!”

“Le-Lexia-san~, please let me go…! Hyahh…!”

“Hmm, it’s still soft and fluffy, just like before! What do you eat that makes you like this?”

The two of them are playing with each other, and Noel is tilting her head in wonderment.

“I thought about it when I was with the tailor, too… but what’s the point of obsessing over the size of her breasts?”

“It seems to be a serious matter to Lexia, don’t worry about it.”

Luna was dumbfounded, and Lexia’s shoulders were tweaked.

“Geez, Luna, you don’t get it! It’s very important for Yuuya-sama to find you attractive! Besides, skinship is important! Here, like this──”

Lexia now wrapped her arms around Noel’s chest.

“Eh…! Le-Lexia-san…!”

“Oh, they’re bigger than mine! And this elasticity is addictive…!”

“T-this is ticklish and feels strange…!”

Lexia was satisfied with the taste of Noel’s breasts, and her shoulders slumped.

“That’s a good thing, Noel. This kind of skinship is an important form of communication.”

“I-I see, communication. I learned a lot. …Now that I think about it, the spread of rumors in the court that this blizzard was a conspiracy against me may have been the result of my lack of communication. Next time, I will actively try to have this kind of skinship with my subordinates and the people around me!”

“That’s good!”

“That’s not good, is it?”

Noel looked up at the sky covered with gray clouds with a small laugh.

“…When we defeat the ice spirit, I will have to teach my sister about it. Thinking back, for the past several years, I have been confined to my room for the development of magic tools. I had not communicated with my sister for a long time because I was so desperate to make everyone’s life more convenient. I wanted to create a better magic tool for my sister, but it’s all a bit of a downfall, isn’t it?”

Lexia gently put her hand on Noel’s sad-looking shoulder.

“After the case is solved, let’s all take Flora-san and go to the hot springs together!”

“Yes!”

The four of them warmed themselves to the core before the decisive battle.