Published: September 10, 2025
※2015/12/19 Typo corrections made.
※This time, it's a bonus short story from a mob character's perspective.
I am Pipine from Avalanche Village, located in the northwest of the Kiwalk Kingdom.
Mr. Pon, a traveling merchant who comes from the Shiga Kingdom, calls this country the Kingdom of Snow and Frost, but it’s just a small, cold, and poor country.
We have a bad relationship with the neighboring Kogork Kingdom, and every few years, we go to war.
My grandfather, my father, and my older brother were all taken as soldiers and never came back.
“Big sister, you shouldn’t go hunting.”
“That’s right, Pipine. If you go hunting alone, the snow leopards will eat you.”
My younger sister and grandmother try to stop me, but I have no choice.
In this drafty house, there is no preserved mountain vegetable pickles picked during the short spring, nor is there dried meat, dried fish, or even snow vegetables left.
When we still kept yaks, I could get milk, but during this long winter that has lasted two years, we got rid of them all.
I have only been drinking water for these past three days, and strength is starting to drain from my body.
If I don’t get some food now, sooner or later I won’t be able to avoid starving to death.
I’m not asking for luxury like snow rabbits.
Even if it’s mist bugs, squirrels, or weeds under the snow, I have to gather something.
Kicking open the frozen door, I stepped out into the snow.
—Shiro, shiro, white.
In the usual scenery, I used the Kiwalk Mountain in the distance as a landmark and proceeded forward.
“Frost tree grass.”
This grass isn’t edible, but Mr. Pon the traveling merchant buys it at a high price since it’s used for “rensei.”
If I can survive until Mr. Pon comes in spring, I’ll exchange it for preserved food.
I smiled, feeling lucky at this unexpected find.
I have to use this luck to find something edible.
—Yuki, yuki, snow.
Even wearing snowshoes, the powdery soft new snow swallows my feet and drains my precious energy.
Beyond the snow, I saw a small white figure moving.
Could it be a snow rabbit?
Today, it really seems like I’m lucky.
Filled with hope, I took the short bow off my back.
With a thud, snow fell from a nearby tree.
—Stupid! What if the snow rabbit runs away?
I cursed while nocking an arrow to the short bow.
Snow leapt up where I had seen the white figure.
—I won’t let you escape!
Reflexively, I dashed forward, but what appeared in my vision against the white snow was a pink triangle.
Snow scattered and danced around, along with a white mist-like steam flickering around the pink.
—This is bad.
By the time I realized that, it was already too late.
Rising from the snow was a snow-colored beast.
It was the ruler of the snowfields — the Rocket Wolf — which even snow leopards prey on.
With a sound like an avalanche, it blew away the snow behind it and appeared right before my eyes in the blink of an eye.
—PHYUSWYURUUUUUU.
Warm, foul breath blew onto my face.
Droplets dripped from its sharp white fangs, leaving deep marks in the snow.
—Ah, this is where I end.
I worry about leaving my sister and grandmother behind, but if I can escape from this life of suffering, that wouldn’t be so bad.
Even my resigned heart was blown away by the warm saliva dripping onto my face.
—I don’t want to die, I DON’T WANT TO DIE, I don’t want to die!
“So, someone, help meeeeeeeeee!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
—Huh?
※The next update is scheduled for Sunday, 12/20.
※A bonus short story from volume 6 of Desuma titled “Narou Special” has been uploaded in the activity report section. Please check it out if you like.