Chapter 525: Ice Skates and the Snowball Fight (Part 2)

He strapped the ice skates under his boots and, under Carrot’s astonished gaze, leaped onto the ice. With his supreme physical control, Leech quickly went from stumbling awkwardly to stopping on a dime and skating backward with ease and delight.

He could even use his cheat-like physique to perform a bit of figure skating. It was just a shame he didn’t have a partner.

Leech looked at the stunned Carrot. “Ice skating with another man isn’t much fun.”

And so, Arkke, Pitz, and the other maids all came running over gleefully when they heard there was a new game to play with the Lord.

To avoid showing favoritism, the male servants were called over as well.

Leech even pulled over the young dragon-kin, Luca, to serve as a human furnace and help with the metalwork.

The ice soon became a beautiful sight, with the young maids stumbling about, their expressions a mix of fear and excitement. The scene made Leech roar with laughter.

Even Lacy Sith rushed over to join the fun.

Everyone had worked hard all year, and this heavy snowfall was a chance for them all to stop and take a break.

Whatever the Lord did became the next big trend.

As soon as the blacksmiths got word, they immediately started forging.

The water-powered hammers couldn’t be used, so they used hand hammers. After all, it was just a matter of shaping some iron sheets, and there were plenty in stock. With a few modifications, they could be used as skate blades. Even the carpenter’s workshop was forced to open up and collaborate on making ice skates.

Sales of ice skates grew by the day, even briefly causing a scene in the commercial district where people were crowding and lining up to buy them despite the heavy snow.

「On the fourth day after the heavy snow.」

The ice skating craze spread like a virus. Soon, the ice was packed with skaters, dense as a forest. It seemed like more than half the young people in Porcupine Territory had come out to play.

Thankfully, the river was wide enough, and along with the man-made lake created from digging clay for the old brick kiln, it could accommodate thousands of people skating at once.

Some of the blossoming young men and women also took this excellent opportunity to pair up, using “teaching” as an excuse to skate together, their hands naturally finding each other.

Although they often fell in a tangled heap, they would just rub their sore behinds and laugh heartily.

Leech was very pleased. ‘It looks like next year’s birth rate won’t disappoint me.’

‘When people feel happy and their lives improve, they naturally want to have children.’

‘If you just push them to have kids without improving their environment and standard of living, when they’re already struggling just to get by, how could anyone possibly want to have more?’

‘The Desert Area and the Eastern Gorge are clear examples of this.’

The only thing Leech regretted was the snowball fight. As soon as he joined in, all the snowballs would swerve around him, leaving him with no sense of participation at all.

Even Lacy, a Transcendent, found her snowballs losing their accuracy when she faced Leech. What’s more, she always seemed to throw herself in the path of any snowball he threw.

‘This is no fun at all.’

Leech could only build a snowman all by himself.

‘It’s not easy being a Lord. I can’t even have some proper fun.’

To avoid ruining the atmosphere, he had deliberately found a secluded spot. After all, his presence was intimidating and would make the couples too nervous to relax, so he found a place to build a snowman by himself.

‘I never thought my contribution to the territory’s marriage rate would just be staying away.’

His snowman-building skills were average, at an abstract level that perhaps only he could appreciate.

After struggling to shape it for a long time with no result, he decided to just use Magic. With a bit of transfiguration, the messy ball of snow transformed, becoming a small figure holding a shield and shortsword, and wearing a hat.

It could even move and make “Heh!” and “Hah!” sounds.

“The movements are still too stiff,” he mused. “I wonder if I could get a better result by combining it with Alchemy and Runes. It would be great if the effect could be permanent.”

Just as he was lost in thought…

THWACK~

A snowball hit him in the back.

Leech turned around and saw Arkke standing in the distance with Pitz beside her.

“My Lord, Arkke threw it,” Pitz stammered, trembling as she pointed at the tall girl next to her. ‘My brain must have frozen solid; otherwise, how could I have agreed to come with Arkke to throw snowballs at the Lord?’

The more she thought about it, the more scared she became, and her eyes quickly reddened.

‘Am I going to be beheaded?!’

THWACK~ THWACK~

Two snowballs flew out. One hit Pitz right on the forehead. The soft snow burst over her head. It didn’t hurt, but it stunned her.

‘The Lord threw one back? I feel so wronged! I didn’t throw one!’

Meanwhile, the tall girl beside her had nimbly dodged.

Her fear and worry instantly vanished like a bubble when she saw the Lord’s smile. It turned out he wasn’t angry.

“Ah! Arkke, you actually dodged!”

Pitz thought to herself, ‘I should just hit Arkke. I don’t dare throw one at the Lord.’

Then she saw Arkke pack another snowball and fearlessly hurl it at the Lord.

‘Where did the girl who blushes every time she sees the Lord go? Who are you?!’

THWACK! Arkke didn’t play favorites; another snowball hit Pitz in the face.

Not only that, but the Lord’s snowball came flying over too.

After several consecutive snowball hits, Pitz’s hair was completely white with snow.

‘Screw it, if I die, I die!’

She bent down, packed a snowball, and charged at Leech. “Ahhh—!!”

But Leech’s snowball was faster, whistling accurately as it struck her on the cheek.

With an “Oof,” Pitz fell face-first into the snow.

But as Leech was chasing and throwing snowballs at Arkke, she quietly got up and launched a sneak attack.

Success!

When the Lord turned to look at her, Pitz shrieked “Ah!” and ran away.

The snowball fight quickly turned into a three-way free-for-all. No one used any Extraordinary power, and no one tried to dodge.

When they finally stopped, Pitz felt her burning hands and suddenly snapped back to her senses.

‘I threw several snowballs at the Lord, and I even hit him on the head!’ Her heart skipped a beat.

But as bold as she had been, Arkke was downright audacious, secretly stuffing snow down the Lord’s collar.

“Alright, time to head back, or you’ll catch a cold.” Leech walked over to Arkke and patted her on the head, sending a flurry of snowflakes down.

The girl who had been so wild just moments ago now stood there obediently, her bright red hands clutching her clothes as she let Leech pat her head. A blush seemed to creep up from her hands, quickly reaching her cheeks and spreading to behind her ears.

It was the first time Pitz had ever seen Arkke act so wild, almost as if she were being coy.

Then, to Pitz’s surprise, the Lord raised his hand and patted her on the head too, brushing off the snow.

The unease in Pitz’s heart was smoothed away as his large hand gently rested on her head. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

‘So this is how reassuring the Lord’s hand feels.’

She peeked at Arkke, only to find her looking back with a smile.