There were not just many ingredients, they were overflowing.
The snow was scattered everywhere, and it was still falling.
Honestly, there was nothing particularly special about calling it ice cream.
To be frank, the term ‘shaved ice’ would be more appropriate.
First, a large amount of toppings was needed.
If made with half snow and half toppings, it couldn’t possibly taste bad.
“If we sprinkle fairy honey on top of this………”
Sweet on sweet.
It was the completion of honey-flavored shaved ice.
I diligently chopped up the collected ingredients: carrots, tomatoes, Laylas, strawberries, and so on.
Sweet potatoes were being roasted in the furnace to make roasted sweet potatoes.
“Guys, squeeze these ingredients onto the snow.”
“Squeeze them?”
“Yeah. Squeeze them evenly. We’ll mix them later.”
“Ooh!”
Thus, it was called a mixed shaved ice.
Since there were many mouths to feed, instead of making individual portions of shaved ice, we decided to make one giant shaved ice.
While I was preparing the ingredients, the kids rushed over, each picking their favorite ingredient.
“Strawberries!”
Ara mashed the strawberries and squeezed them onto the pile of snow.
The juice from the strawberries fell onto the snow, turning the white snow red.
“Ooh!”
Ara liked it so much that she grabbed another handful of strawberries and squeezed them onto the snow.
Soon, she was smearing the squeezed strawberries all over the snow.
-Hohoho!
Frey, carrying the finely chopped Laylas I had prepared, hovered in the air on a starlight bug, pouring the juice from above.
Oh, I should leave the honey sprinkling to Frey.
Thus, the strawberries, tomatoes, and Laylas were well mixed into the shaved ice.
All that was left were the carrots and sweet potatoes.
“Ara, can you help me mash the carrots?”
“Sure!”
With Ara’s strength, she could probably squeeze the juice out with just her hands, but I thought it would be better to do it together, so we mashed the carrots to make the juice.
“Alright, the sweet potatoes are ready too…….”
Half of the roasted sweet potatoes were mixed with the snow to make a liquid.
I asked Frey to pour the liquid from above.
The other half was thickly sliced and tossed into the shaved ice.
“Hehe.”
Ara happily tossed in the roasted sweet potato pieces, occasionally sneaking a piece into her mouth.
With so many toppings, the once pure white pile of snow began to shine in various colors.
Now, for the final touch.
I had Frey sprinkle some of the honey we had collected.
Ssssh.
A golden spectacle unfolded.
The honey, glittering as it fell, was a delight to the eyes.
“Normally, we should mix this up………… but let’s just eat it as it is!
I then declared the completion of the fruit shaved ice.
“It’s done!”
“It’s done! Ooh! A giant ice cream!”
Ara’s choice of words was a bit funny.
Just as we were about to taste it.
-Ki! Rik! Ki! Rik!
-Ki! Rik! Ki! Rik!
We heard goblin sounds from somewhere.
Turning our gaze, we saw six goblins and Mammon running towards us from afar, carrying something on their heads.
“Huh? Mammon!”
-Great Lord! You are here!
Mammon quickly approached and pointed to what the goblins were carrying.
-A tribute!
“A tribute?”
Let’s take a closer look. It was a sculpture made of snow.
A sculpture of me and Mammon, crafted with incredible realism.
‘No way, they made Mammon look much more handsome.’
In reality, Mammon looked like a mischievous kid, but the sculpture depicted him as a dignified handsome figure.
“How is it? How is it?!”
“You did a great job. As expected of the goblins.”
At that moment, Frey flew over on her bug and started to complain.
“Hmph! The Great Lord’s clothes are too plain! If it were me, I would have engraved patterns to make it look much cooler!”
“It’s cool enough as it is!”
As the two seemed ready to bicker again, Ara stepped in to mediate.
“Stop it. This is a sacred mealtime.”
“Mealtime?”
Mammon, who had just arrived, didn’t understand the situation at first but soon noticed the tall pile of fruit shaved ice.
“Gasp!”
“Mammon and the goblins can eat too!”
“Re-really?”
“Of course. Let’s eat together. And there’s plenty of snow around, so try making some for yourselves. I’ll provide the ingredients.”
“Th-thank you, Great Lord!”
Joining the grateful Mammon and the goblins, we finally took our first spoonful of the shaved ice.
“Thank you for the meal!”
“Thank you for the meal!”
As Ara and I started eating the shaved ice, the other kids began eating as well. The shaved ice was so large that there was no need to worry, even with many kids.
“Yum!”
“Ooh! Ooooh!”
It was delicious.
No, it was genuinely fresh and familiar. The flavors of the crops I was already familiar with blended with the snow to create a new charm.
‘This refreshing and sweet taste!’
When I took a big spoonful and put it in my mouth, it filled my mouth but melted softly with a slight pressure. The various flavors and scents harmonized simultaneously.
It wasn’t strange since we had gathered only the most compatible sweet flavors. Instead, it created a harmonious mix of refreshing and sweet sensations in my mouth.
Moreover, since we hadn’t mixed the shaved ice, some parts tasted like strawberries, while others tasted like tomatoes.
“Wow, the honey was a great addition. It perfectly cleanses the aftertaste.”
“This is amazing! I want to eat this every day! It’s the best ice cream!”
“Really? How does it compare to the one made by Jae-seong?”
“…Ugh. Th-this one is better!”
“Haha.”
Ara’s adorable reaction made me laugh warmly. Although Jae-seong’s was probably tastier, she seemed to favor this one because she made it herself.
Things you make yourself always taste better.
“Purr.”
“Lick, lick.”
Purr focused on the areas with a lot of carrots, while Woofy licked the shaved ice in large circles.
Frey and Mammon were speechless. I figured it would suit the kids’ tastes, but it seemed to hit the mark perfectly.
“Hehe.”
Gulp!
And Kkumuris and slimes, as usual, were still eating the shaved ice nonstop, even though it was unclear what they were thinking.
As we kept eating, experiencing brain freeze occasionally, the small mountain of shaved ice started to diminish.
“Wow.”
Honestly, I thought we could store this for a few days, but we ate it all in one go.
Our kids’ appetites were indeed impressive.
“Whew.”
“Good job, everyone.”
Unlike the others, who ate little, Woofy and I watched as the mountain of shaved ice gradually disappeared.
As I petted Woofy that had rolled over onto its back, the warm and fluffy fur was quite addictive.
“Come to think of it, I should make something special for our Woofy too.”
Woofy was originally a carnivorous monster. Although, to be precise, it was omnivorous and did well on my crops, I couldn’t help but be concerned.
Hmm, should I try making some dog chews? I’ve heard there are chews made from grains.
While I was adding that to my mental bucket list, I heard Ara’s voice.
“Ugh, it’s all gone.”
“Oh, we really did eat it all.”
The ground was bare, as if we had licked even the snow off the ground.
The slimes were the last ones remaining. The other kids were already lying around, rubbing their full bellies and resting.
“It was so delicious that I overdid it.”
“As a mature goblin, I usually don’t like sweets, but the Great Lord’s food is just too delicious! I couldn’t resist…”
It was adorable to hear Mammon, who had eaten more than anyone else, say that. He must have come to his senses after gorging himself to the point of losing his mind.
“Oh, well made.”
“Hmph! Do you recognize my sculpting skills?”
Even before we could savor the aftertaste, Ara was already admiring the snowmen, or rather snow sculptures, that Mammon had brought.
She then pointed to my sculpture and exclaimed.
“It’s just like Kyu-seong!”
“Haha.”
I awkwardly laughed at Ara’s comment, as if she had just noticed. Mammon seemed a bit disheartened by Ara’s reaction.
“It is indeed the Great Lord!”
“Oh, Mammon is good at making these things. I want to try too!”
Ara soon started to mold the snow next to her. Considering how slow she was, like when she was in a snowball fight, it seemed like it would take forever to make anything.
“Hmm, should we each make one too? A snowman contest.”
“What is a contest?”
“We each make a snowman and then compliment each other’s creations.”
“Ooh! I’ll work hard to make one!”
Frey, Mammon, the goblins, and even Kkumuris and slimes began to make snowmen.
Oh! Gomgom teamed up with Ara to work in pairs.
I also started making a snowman, using my past experience of rolling snow.
I couldn’t sculpt like Mammon, so I aimed for a simple snowman.
As I made a small snowball and gently rolled it on the ground, it quickly grew in size.
“Wow, Kyu-seong! How did you do that?”
“Roar?!”
Ara and Gomgom exclaimed as if they had discovered a new civilization. I smiled and showed them how to roll the snow.
“You make a small snowball and roll it in a place with lots of snow.”
“Ooh.”
“Roar?”
Ara then followed my example and started rolling her snowball. Soon, her snowball grew just like mine.
“Wow! It’s getting bigger! It’s getting bigger!”
“Roar!”
Ara and Gomgom were so excited that they forgot about making the snowman and just kept rolling the snowball. Watching them roll the snow with such enthusiasm brought a fatherly smile to my face.
“Uh-oh…”
But that smile was short-lived.
I watched in horror as the snowball grew to an unmanageable size.
“Ara?! Don’t you think it’s big enough for a snowman?”
“Bigger! We need to make it bigger!”
-Roar!
The two were having a blast rolling the snow.
As the snowball grew larger, it also rolled faster, leaving Gomgom struggling to keep up.
“Roll roll~!”
“Oh no? Mammon! Watch out!”
“Huh?”
Ara’s snowball rolled toward Mammon. Mammon, who was carefully sculpting the snow, was horrified to see the gigantic snowball approaching.
“Roller! What are you doing!”
However, his voice didn’t reach, and he ended up getting buried in the snow. Fortunately, it was just soft snow, so he seemed fine, only buried.
But he ended up rolling along with the snowball.
“Oh no? Mammon? Why are you here?”
“You rolled this snowball, didn’t you!”
Mammon, with only his face sticking out, said as he rolled. Thanks to that, Ara finally stopped rolling her snowball.
“Wow.”
It was about the same size as the mountain of shaved ice we made earlier. No, since it was a round sphere, it was even larger in volume.
“Phew!”
Mammon managed to escape from the snowball. He glanced at Ara and then shook his head as he looked at his own sculpture, which had been knocked over like bowling pins.
“My snowman is ruined!”
“S-sorry about that.”
Ara drooped her ears apologetically.
Feeling a bit soft-hearted, Mammon sighed and pointed to Ara’s snowball.
“Just give me half, and I’ll forgive you!”
“Oh! You’re going to forgive me? That’s great!”
These simple-minded kids.
But seeing them make up and get along on their own eased my worries. They were so cute.
As the snowman-making resumed, various creations emerged.
“Oh, as expected of Frey.”
“Thank you.”
Frey’s modestly spoken work was a cute piece with intricate carvings.
It was called the Mini World Tree.
In such a short time, she had even carved each leaf, showing real craftsmanship.
“Hmph! I’m no less talented!”
Looking at Mammon’s boastful work, it was another sculpture of me.
It depicted me with a fierce expression, about to throw a slime.
What could it mean?
Still, the sculpture itself was excellent. The name “snowman making” seemed inadequate.
“Impressive.”
“Ha ha! I tried to capture the Great Lord’s majestic appearance!”
Next was Ara and Gomgom’s creation.
I tilted my head back to look up.
“Ahem, um, well done.”
“Hehe! It’s gigantic!”
It was a gigantic carrot.
Instead of a snowman, they made a snow carrot.
And the shape of the carrot was so odd that anyone could tell it was Ara and Gomgom’s work.
“It looks delicious…”
Even after eating all that shaved ice, Ara was drooling.
Now, let’s see the creations of Kkumuris and slimes. Especially Kkumuris’ work, which I personally looked forward to…
“…What is this?”
It was an indescribably strange sculpture.
And in front of it, Kkumuris were making their characteristic sounds, staring blankly at us.
-Hehe.
“Oh, it’s a work titled ‘The Boundary Between Light and Matter.'”
“What? The Boundary Between Light and Matter?”
I was momentarily speechless as I looked at the mysterious piece. Hearing the title made it seem like something out of modern art.
And next to it were the slimes’ creations, which were just as remarkable as Kkumuris’ work.
Squirm!
Squish-
“…What is this?”
“It’s a snowman!”
To me, it looked like nothing more than a bunch of snowballs. It seemed like they had just made round balls and scattered them around.
“Hmm, maybe it’s a snow slime since it’s from my perspective?”
Looking at it that way, it did seem plausible.
We spent some time appreciating and complimenting each other’s creations. We decided to display the finished works in the village by the field.
Thus, the first snowman-making contest came to an end.
Cliche Novel 