After hearing Letty's reassuring words, the entire group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Everyone looked at each other with relaxed smiles, and while Remilia was still quietly thinking about how to properly express her gratitude to the hidden local goddess, she suddenly saw Flandre face the tallest snowy mountain, raise her hands high into a proud V-shape, and shout at the top of her lungs:
"Praise Kjeragandr! I freely admit that Kjeragandr's beauty is completely unparalleled in the entire world!"
Flandre's sudden, dramatic outburst instantly left everyone else standing in absolute, stunned silence. The companions stared at the young girl, completely bewildered. Could this perhaps be some mysterious, traditional little ritual unique to the culture of Kjerag? If they didn't actively follow along with her chant, it might seem terribly impolite to the watching deity. But if they actually chose to mimic her, it felt far too embarrassing to bear.
Just as everyone was feeling incredibly awkward and caught in a complete dilemma, an ethereal, melodic, yet distinctly helpless female voice drifted over across the frozen plateau.
"You child, what on earth are you saying?! It is so incredibly embarrassing to hear out loud."
Everyone immediately turned their eyes toward the sound. Not far away, a young girl wearing a beautifully layered feathered cloak was calmly walking toward them over the drifts. She possessed a pair of deep, sky-blue eyes, and her physical features made her look like a member of the Vouivres race.
"Are you the true Kjeragandr?" Remilia asked, sensing the extraordinarily vast, divine presence radiating from the newcomer.
The other party offered a soft, patient nod.
"Just call me Kjarr. First of all, welcome to the snowy peaks of Kjerag. Secondly, I have already thoroughly explained the requirements for living within my domain to Ms. Letty. As long as she keeps her sacred promise not to bring harm to the common people or cause unnecessary environmental disturbances, Kjerag's gates are entirely willing to open for her."
"Ms. Kjarr, thank you ever so much for your immense kindness..." Remilia said softly, gracefully performing a flawless, aristocratic noble's curtsy.
Just as she was about to expand on her gratitude, she looked up and saw that her younger sister had somehow already slipped across the snow and arrived directly in front of Kjarr. Flandre was leaning in close, curiously observing the two miniature, floating "ice spirits" that danced around the goddess's shoulders.
"Big sister, you are so incredibly pretty," Flandre remarked with wide eyes. "But don't you feel super cold wearing such thin clothes up here?"
Kjarr's outfit didn't look like much of an issue down at the foot of the mountain where the sun reached. But this was the absolute summit of a towering snowy peak, a place where the freezing temperature remained well below zero year-round. Her fabric dress appeared exceptionally thin against the elements.
Kjarr knelt down on the packed snow, looking directly into the eyes of the young girl whose loud antics had just compelled her to reveal herself to the public. She offered a gentle smile, then extended her finger to point toward Sakuya Izayoi and Hong Meiling standing further back in the crowd.
"Two among your own companions are dressed even more thinly than I am, yet they do not seem to fear the mountain cold either."
Flandre blinked and looked back over her shoulder. Sakuya Izayoi was still wearing her standard, crisp fabric maid uniform, and Hong Meiling was even more reluctant to take off her signature, high-slit martial arts qipao. Flandre let out a theatrical shiver, wrapping her arms around herself. "Mm-hmm, you are right, they certainly do look quite cold."
"The freezing wind is exceptionally strong up here on the open ridge, and there are not many comfortable places suitable for staying for an extended conversation," Kjarr said, gesturing toward the rocky cliffs beneath them. "There happens to be a decent, spacious cave halfway down the mountain slope that is well-positioned and completely sheltered from the wind and rain. Why don't we go down there and sit together for a while? I happen to be quite interested in the true nature of your sudden arrival."
"Of course. We are actually quite curious about the culture of Kjerag ourselves, and we hope to learn much more from you," Remilia replied. She glanced sideways at Patchouli, and after seeing her friend offer a slight, reassuring nod of approval, she gladly agreed to Kjarr's hospitable proposal.
The group unfolded their wings and flew down the massive mountain together, soon arriving outside the hidden entrance of the cave Kjarr had mentioned.
The cave was remarkably well-concealed from the outside paths, yet the entire interior space was pristine, clean, and tidy. It "just happened" to possess the exact layout and size required for everyone to sit down comfortably together. Judging by how crisp and freshly cut the stone walls looked to the touch, it was highly likely that the goddess had simply manifested the shelter on the spot using her authority the moment she mentioned it.
Remilia's group didn't find this magical display strange or alarming in the slightest. After all, in their eyes, Kjeragandr was the true, localized deity of this mountain nation. As the ancient spirit who governed this entire land, digging a clean cave on a whim was naturally an effortless, casual task for her power.
After everyone had settled down onto the stone seats, Remilia watched Flandre immediately lean her entire body comfortably against Kjeragandr's side. Seeing this total lack of boundary, a prominent '#' throbbing vein mark popped up on Remilia's forehead.
"Flandre, come back over here and sit properly by my side."
"No!" Flandre replied instantly, grabbing hold of Kjarr's hand and playfully hiding her small form behind the goddess's feathered cloak. "Big sister Kjarr is a wonderful person, I want to be close to her!"
"I am deeply sorry, my younger sister is truly a bit too mischievous and forward with strangers," Remilia apologized, shaking her head.
"It is no matter at all," Kjarr replied gently. She turned her head, reaching out to dotingly pinch Flandre's soft cheek before looking deep into her eyes with a curious gaze. "Though I must ask... little Flandre, have you perhaps seen me somewhere before? I can instinctively sense that you seem remarkably familiar with my existence, yet I have absolutely no memory of meeting you in the past."
"Uh, in reality, this is completely our very first time meeting face-to-face!" Flandre stated with absolute, unblinking earnestness.
"In reality?" Kjeragandr tilted her head in confusion. Could the girl perhaps have glimpsed her form within a vivid dream?
"Yeah! I have only ever seen you in books and on screens before today," Flandre chirped.
This statement was the absolute, literal truth. Even if Satori Komeiji were here to read her mind, she would only marvel at how Flandre's mastery of language was truly artistic. The vampire girl had indeed only ever seen Kjarr in the pages of the official artbooks and on the glowing screens of her past world. But the rest of the companions inside the cave subconsciously misunderstood her words, assuming she had simply run across detailed intelligence and news regarding Kjarr while they were resting back in the information hub of Lungmen.
"I see. I truly did not expect the modern people of Kjerag to spread word of my identity so far beyond the borders," Kjarr murmured, thoroughly misunderstanding Flandre's true meaning. She paused for a brief moment to process this, and then turned her attention back to Letty. "So, is this grand mountain range the primary reason for your long journey?"
"That is exactly right," Remilia stepped forward as the official leader, confidently explaining their ultimate goals. "This is Letty Whiterock, our dear friend. I am certain you can clearly perceive that neither we nor she are ordinary mortals. She is a Yuki-onna, and she fundamentally needs to live in a pristine region dominated by continuous wind and snow. She has absolutely no need to consume human food or harm mortals; she only requires your permission to let her name circulate naturally within your territory, so that the local people feel a sense of natural fear and awe toward her presence."
After listening intently to Remilia's thorough explanation, Kjarr remained quiet, thinking seriously about the societal impact for a long moment before she finally spoke.
"That poses no problem at all. Within the borders of Kjerag, there is already a long-standing, ancient folklore known among the tribes as the Tschäggättä (Mountain Snow Ghost). Ms. Letty, as long as you occasionally appear a few times in the high passes without making direct physical contact with the human villages, and allow word of your presence to spread naturally through gossip, I can easily help publicize your existence. Before long, the chilling name of the Yuki-onna will naturally appear in the bedtime stories told to children."
Saying this, Kjarr offered a playful, charming wink to the group. Hearing the solution, everyone broke into light, relaxed smiles. Speaking of which, besides the crude threat of physical violence, what source of fear is truly the most abundant, stable, and enduring for a spirit? Naturally, it is the chilling fairy tales passed down through oral tradition from generation to generation.
Next, Kjarr formally stated that this comfortable cave would be granted to Letty as her personal place to rest and cultivate her power, though she was entirely free to make her own architectural arrangements on the peaks if she wished. Letty bowed her head low, expressing her deep, sincere gratitude for the generous gift.
Then, Kjarr looked at the rest of the travelers, asking if Remilia's group had any interest in taking an official tour around the cities and valleys of Kjerag.
"We would certainly be incredibly willing under normal circumstances," Remilia answered thoughtfully. "But we closely heard about the tense political situation in Kjerag on our way here. If a group of complete, undocumented outsiders like us were to suddenly appear within Kjerag's isolated borders, it would highly likely cause significant suspicion, panic, and military interception from the local factions—which would only make things difficult for you to manage as well. How about we save the grand tour for next time? Once Kjerag officially opens its borders to the outside world, we will happily come back to visit your home. What do you think?"
Kjarr did not show a single hint of anger or offense after Remilia finished speaking, because she knew perfectly well that the assessment was the absolute truth. The current era of Kjerag was indeed immensely closed off, conservative, and deeply xenophobic toward foreign faces. If Remilia's unique group were to rashly march through the valley towns, it would only lead to massive political misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict.