Chapter 408: Bad Luck Is All Yours

The Floo Network was truly a wonderful thing. Even though the secret behind the production of Floo Powder remained tightly guarded to this day, its low cost allowed wizards to enjoy a mode of transportation far more convenient than anything available to Muggles.

So, even though they had woken up in the morning still at school—listening to that guard ramble endlessly about the grand match they had missed—by noon, they were already happily eating at a small shop at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Yes—exactly. They hadn’t even climbed the mountain the entire morning. There were simply too many places to shop around here.

As a result, Allen’s wallet inevitably took a hit—and that was with them only buying food...

Under normal circumstances, the rest of the journey would follow the designated tourist route. Unfortunately, neither of them had any intention of doing that. As for the possible trouble that might arise from wandering off the beaten path... well, who exactly would be in trouble was hard to say.

However, what the two, who were determined to avoid the main route, didn’t realize was—they had arrived too late.

At this time of year, Mount Fuji was closed to climbers. Although there were still plenty of tourists, most of them stayed at the base for shopping.

Since this trip took place in a normal, non-magical area, the two were naturally dressed in ordinary clothing. It was already mid-November. While snow hadn’t begun to fall yet, the temperature had long since dropped below what light autumn clothing could handle.

Especially in Japan, where the humidity was high, every gust of cold wind carried dampness that seemed to pierce straight through one’s defenses, seeping into the bones and trying to steal away the last traces of warmth.

Even wizards had to bundle up against the cold—whether it be wool socks or anything else.

The coat Annie was wearing now had been a gift from that foolish werewolf’s wife—a windbreaker dyed with a pigment the werewolves called "Moon-Viewing Flower." Under its effect, the entire coat was a pure, brilliant red without a trace of blemish, like a bonfire in the night, radiating a sense of warmth just by looking at it.

At this moment, they were already halfway up the mountain—Allen had lazily teleported them there using magic. After all, they were now outside the country, and the Trace no longer applied to them.

A faint wind picked up, bringing with it a chill. Annie pulled up the hood of her coat, wrapping herself tightly. She had on a white down jacket Allen had just bought for her at the base. Though made of genuine materials, the craftsmanship of the era made it look rather bulky.

Normally, that wouldn’t be much of an issue—but once she threw her cloak over it, it became a problem.

From behind, she looked like nothing more than a fluffy ball.

Stepping on the frozen ground, Allen stared at the fluffy figure ahead of him, nearly unable to hold back his laughter. Yet the "furball" herself had no idea—she suddenly pointed excitedly at a rabbit that darted out of the bushes.

"Allen, look!"

"Mm, mm. The rabbit is very cute."

The rabbit hadn’t fully grown its winter coat yet, its patchy fur making it look rather comical. Allen managed to hold back his laughter—barely.

"How about we roast rabbit for dinner?" Annie suggested seriously.

"...Huh?"

This time, seeing Annie’s completely earnest expression, Allen couldn’t hold it in anymore.

HAHAHA—!

His laughter echoed loudly across the empty wilderness. Startled, the rabbit that might have become dinner quickly dashed away with astonishing speed—prompting Annie to huff angrily before marching forward.

Finally catching his breath, Allen hurried after her, combining several steps into one. Along the way, he managed to lure a squirrel with some food. It now perched on his shoulder, chattering noisily with Valor, though no one knew what they were saying.

At some point, Valor even pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds, and the two of them shamelessly scattered shells all along the path as they walked.

Allen didn’t bother stopping the little freeloader. After all, sunflower seeds weren’t exactly harmful to the environment.

Catching up to Annie, he suppressed his laughter and handed her a handful of seeds as an offering—only then did the girl’s sulking expression soften.

Naturally, they didn’t encounter a single person along the way. They weren’t following the main path to begin with, and with the mountain closed for the season, even those determined to sneak up would have been stopped at the base.

For Annie, this was the perfect outcome. She even released Tibbers, shrinking him down to his smallest size to take a walk with them.

As they walked and chatted, her eyes sparkled with joy—until she grew tired.

Which was perfectly normal. Wizards weren’t warriors; they didn’t possess that kind of stamina. Especially not when bundled up in so many layers—it only made exhaustion come faster.

Her eyes darted around a few times before she turned to Allen with a mysterious expression.

"Big brother, I need to tell you something—come here."

"Just say it. Why so secretive? There’s no one else here."

"It’s about form! The form is important!"

...

With a sigh, Allen crouched down as instructed, waiting for her to whisper this "secret" into his ear.

Then—suddenly—his back sank under weight.

Two arms locked around his neck.

"Mm, the secret is—I’m tired. Carry me up the mountain."

My head hurts... Where’s the most basic trust between people?!

You little brat, get down here or I’m going to smack you!

But it was already too late. The person on his back had no intention of getting down.

Allen could only smile wryly as he carried the fluffy "ball" forward, grumbling nonstop.

"Wasn’t this supposed to be a fun outing? Is this what you call fun? You’re not even looking at the scenery!"

"I can still see it like this—and I won’t get tired. Isn’t that great?"

The girl played dumb, stuffing a piece of pastry into his mouth.

Rolling his eyes, Allen ate the snack and snorted, no longer arguing. Accompanied by the girl’s cheerful giggles, he continued forward—his eyes landing on a patch of wild fruit ahead, growing particularly well. He planned to give them a taste.

Unfortunately, he was too late.

By the time he got there, Tibbers had already devoured everything—leaves and all—leaving only his large backside behind, chewing noisily as if mocking him.

So, naturally, Allen gave the idiot a shove to vent his frustration.

This time, he used a bit too much force. Tibbers’ backside shifted slightly—then, visibly, half of it disappeared.

Both of them froze in shock.

Tibbers, however, didn’t care in the slightest. He wiggled his rear in an exaggerated manner, and the missing half reappeared before their eyes.

Two voices spoke almost at the same time:

"Magic?"

Then, a third voice followed:

"Of course it’s magic. Brats, why did you have to come at this time? If you’d come during the regular season, you might’ve lived... but now—"

From multiple directions at once, several voices rang out:

"Avada Kedavra!"

.....

180+ Advance Chapters on [P]atreon.[c]om/Veltoria [remove brackets]