Journey’s End and the Beginning of the Solstice Festival

""We're back,"" we said as we opened the door.

Of course, there was no one waiting in our shop.

Rit and I looked at each other and grinned.

""Welcome back!""

"Phew, shall we take care of the bags?"

"Sounds good."

We set our bags down and unpacked the dirty clothes, leftover rations, and whatever

else.

"I never did get a blue sapphire…," I muttered.

Mogrim had said everything had worked out, yet there was still no stone for Rit's

engagement ring.

"But it was fun," Rit replied as she hugged me. "We had lunch together out in the

meadows, entered monster villages, saw beautiful scenery, met old friends! And even

got to visit a hot spring together! There were lots of smiles!"

"You're right. I had fun." I hugged Rit back and then hesitated, unsure whether to say

what I was thinking or not.

"What is it?" Rit asked. She always knew when I was troubled.

"The thing is, I had intended to use the blue agate I'd placed on hold if I couldn't get a

blue sapphire for your ring, but…"

Blue sapphire suited Rit far better.

"At first, I thought it would be okay. However, after seeing Mogrim refuse to

compromise for Mink and go all the way out to the Wall at the End of the World and

come back with an iridescent ruby…"

"Yeah," Rit said with a nod.

"I started thinking that a quiet life isn't the sort of thing to be making compromises

about. Even if we take the longer route and go at our own pace, the point is to spend

our days the way we desire. That's why… I was hoping you could wait just a little

longer on the ring. I don't want to make concessions when it comes to something for

you."

"I understand," Rit responded immediately.

"Is that really okay?"

"Of course it is! You're putting so much thought into it, after all."

"How could I not? This is for my Rit."

"Eh-heh-heh. Then it's fine. I'll wait. And besides." Rit paused to look into my eyes.

"While I'm waiting, we'll still be together, right?"

"Always."

The two of us remained embracing each other for a short while until Rit suddenly

looked up. "Shall we take a bath together? It's just the two of us now, so it's fine,

right?"

"Y-yeah, let's," I responded.

Even though we'd just returned from a journey together, seeing Rit's happy smile felt

more like coming home than walking through the door to the pharmacy had.

The winter sky was clear and blue as far as the eye could see.

Today was the winter solstice festival for the continent of Avalon.

It was a celebration held during the shortest day of the year. It was a holiday where

the new winter demon was cast away and pork, bread, and wine were offered up to

Demis and Victy along with prayers for peace and a bountiful harvest.

"Are you ready, Rit?"

"Yep, I'm coming out now."

She poked her head out from the bedroom after changing.

"How do I look?"

Blushing, she performed a little spin to show off the dress she was wearing. The hem

of the skirt flared up a bit, revealing a glimpse of thigh.

"It looks great on you," I declared.

"Eh-heh-heh." Rit hugged me happily.

Today, she was wearing a silk scarf around her neck instead of her usual bandana.

The ends dangling down her chest were embroidered with vibrant flowers that

worked really well with her whole ensemble.

"Your coat suits you well, Red."

"Really?"

Seeing me redden slightly, Rit beamed, slipped her arms around my waist, and

pressed her breasts against my side. My heart started pounding from that soft

sensation, and, when she realized that, Rit's smile widened.

"It was nearly the winter solstice when you left Loggervia, wasn't it?" I recalled.

Rit nodded. "Now that you mention it, yeah."

"I restrained myself then, but I really wanted to spend the festival with you in

Loggervia."

At the time, we'd had to move on to the next battle after having saved Loggervia. Our

journey took us to Seren, the gateway to Cataphract Kingdom. We had heard rumors

about agitators pushing to reject all cooperation with Avalonia there and needed to

resolve that. It had been a bloody solstice fighting with insurgents spurred on by

demons, and I preferred not to remember it.

"All right, shall we go enjoy the celebration?" I suggested.

"Yeah!"

Rit released her grip on my waist and immediately slipped her arms around my left

one. "Mm… Okay, let's go!"

I hesitated for a moment, but we'd look fine during the festivities as we were.

It was said that if you failed to drive out the winter demon, the cold would last

longer, and the spring harvest would be bad. Those tasked with repelling the winter

demon were a Drake Rider and Saint with Victy's blessing.

In this case, the Drake Rider was a person on a float adorned with glittering scales

and made to look like a gold drake. The Saint bore a trident—Victy's holy symbol—

and chased off the winter demon, represented by someone wearing a goat mask. The

roles were played by villagers, this being a tradition that had lasted for many years.

Many people played the Drake Rider and Saint throughout the day, but the person

playing the winter demon remained the same. They wore a heavy costume and spent

all day walking around, dancing wildly, and running amok. So by the end of the day,

they would be exhausted and hardly able to move. At that point, the Drake Rider

would stab the winter demon with its sword, and the demon would stumble out of

the town.

Basically, everyone had to spend the whole day dancing, singing, and playing to wear

the demon out.

"Hey, Red! Having fun?" Gonz called. He was already red faced and a bit drunk. Tanta

was beside him, excitedly struggling to deal with a big piece of sugared bread.

"Hey, Gonz, looks like you're in a good mood," I replied.

"Of course! It's a festival. Everyone's off work. And I'm taking tomorrow off for the

hangover!"

"Tomorrow, too?"

"Who can work in this cold?"

Some people said that half-elves were all diligent, but that was not the case for those

in Zoltan.

Tanta looked inspired by Gonz's hearty proclamation. "You tell them, Uncle!"

Uh-oh—at this rate, Tanta's going to grow up to be a good-for-nothing adult.

"I'm going to be back on the job tomorrow, Tanta," I said.

"Ehhh? C'mon, just take the day off. I wanna go fishing with everyone," Gonz whined.

Rit's face lit up at that. "Oooh, that sounds fun."

"Right?!" Gonz answered.

"Uh, Rit…," I called, to no avail.

Gonz's suggestion had caught her interest, and the two of them and Tanta started

chanting, "Take a break!"

Cut it out, you guys; people will stare!

Finally, I caved. "I got it. I got it. All of Zoltan will be lying around tomorrow anyway,

so we can go fishing at the river."

"""Yay!"""

Gonz and Rit were frolicking around with their hands in the air like Tanta.

Sheesh…

"Yay."

Just then, I heard a calm voice from behind me, mimicking the cheers. Turning

around, I saw Ruti and Tisse with their hands up—their faces blank as usual.

"Eh, you two are taking tomorrow off, too?" I questioned.

"Of course. If Big Brother is, then so am I."

"It would be unfair if we were the only ones working."

Oh no. Ruti and Tisse have become good-for-nothings.

"Tomorrow's shaping up to be fun," Rit remarked.

I relaxed my shoulders and smiled.

Well, fine, I guess. This is Zoltan, after all. Getting lazy once in a while isn't so bad.

"Yeah, it should be."

Seeing me nod, the layabouts all cheered again.

Different parts of Zoltan had distinct cultures, so checking out how the celebration

changed from neighborhood to neighborhood was part of the fun.

The streets of the working-class section were lined with stalls. You could find meat

skewers, fish, fries, bacon-and-lettuce sandwiches, sugary sweets, sweet breads,

carved wooden toys, and even secondhand odds and ends for sale, though not for

particularly low prices.

"See you later. We're gonna look for Nao and Mido," said Gonz.

Tanta waved to us. "See ya, Big Bro. You can be as lovey-dovey as you want today, and

I won't laugh!"

"How rude. When have I ever been like that?" I shot back.

"When are you ever not?"

Tanta and Gonz laughed and headed toward a plaza where the sound of a lute could

be heard.

"Ha. All right, want to get something to eat?" I asked.

"Yeah," Rit answered with a nod.

Ruti briskly walked up to my right side and grabbed my hand. "I want to hold hands,

too," she stated, blushing ever so slightly.

"Sure. Shall we go, then?"

To my left, Rit and I had our arms entwined, and to my right, Ruti was holding my

hand. I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed as we drew gazes from all sides.

"We were supposed to meet up here, but…"

Rit, Ruti, Tisse, and I were looking around the bustling plaza.

"Ah, there!" a lively voice shouted over the crowd as a bob of golden hair peeked out

from the throng. Yarandrala wove her way through the crowd toward us.

"Phew, I'm glad you found us," I greeted her.

Yarandrala breathed a little sigh of relief. Unlike us, she was wearing her usual

clothes. Perhaps noticing my gaze, she puffed her cheeks out a bit.

"I really wanted to wear a dress, but there wasn't any time at all."

"Yeah, trying to get something made on such short notice would be impossible. But

your earrings look lovely on you," I complimented her.

Yarandrala's face brightened at that.

"Sharp as ever, Red. I'm glad you noticed."

The high elf had still tried to fit the mood despite not having an outfit ready by

changing her accessories. Earrings with gems embedded in them were dangling from

her long ears.

"There really are a lot of humans here. I didn't know it would be this lively, given how

far out in the countryside Zoltan is."

"Ah-ha-ha, even out in the sticks, celebrations are fun. And it's not just humans,

either." I pointed to a float being pulled by local dwarves on which a dwarf was acting

out a fight with a drake. "Dwarves, half-elves, high elves, and all the other demihumans living in Zoltan are all enjoying the festival, too."

Mogrim was sitting atop the float.

"And then the heroic dwarf thrust his ax into the single weak point in the demonic

drake's scaly hide!" He rang a bell while recounting dwarven tales. "And then!"

He turned the handle on the side of the float. The drake split into two halves that fell

to the side as a human woman wearing a dress emerged. The dwarven hero dropped

the ax he was holding, and a bouquet of flowers appeared in his hand.

"As a reward, the dwarf who had become a hero received permission from his king to

live with the woman he loved!" Mogrim proclaimed.

Applause rang out.

A float that could change scenes. That was dwarves for you. It really was an

ingenious display.

"I didn't know dwarves were such big fans of romance," Yarandrala remarked.

"High elves and dwarves don't get many chances to share each other's cultures, do

they?" I inquired.

"They do not. I've lived a long life, but there are still so many things I've yet to learn."

Pointing to a booth nearby, I said, "Would you care to know how the frankfurters

from that food stall over there taste next?"

Yarandrala nodded emphatically. "Yes, please! Are they good?"

"Yep, they're exquisite!"

"Then let's go now before people start to line up!" Yarandrala excitedly grabbed my

hand.

In the harbor district, the crews of the various moored ships celebrated in their own

cultures' ways, all having a raucous good time.

"Oh, that's a Veronian party. He's probably from the Kubashin tribal lands."

A brown-skinned sailor was twirling a harpoon while dancing on a little stage. It was

a dance performed by the people of southern Kubashin.

"You know about Kubashin, Big Brother? We never went there when we were

traveling together, though," Ruti said.

"When I was with the knights, I had a mission to dispatch a dust dragon out there.

We were sent to deal with it and support the pro-Avalonia faction in Kubashin."

When the Kingdom of Veronia was expanding its influence and territory under its

pirate king, many neighboring smaller countries had hoped to establish friendly

relations with the Flamberge Kingdom and the Kingdom of Avalonia to protect

against Veronian aggression.

Prior to the demon lord's invasion, the nobles and assemblies of many countries had

believed that the Kingdom of Veronia was a menace to the continent of Avalon.

"Kubashin is a state split by the sea. It's both an island and a port on the continent.

The two combined into a single state due to their close economic and cultural

relations. There are at least ten ferries back and forth between the island and the

mainland every day, carrying people and goods," I explained.

The harpoon the sailor was holding was the symbolic weapon of his home. The

region had developed around fishing, and unlike those in other lands, the bold

Kubashin fishermen even hunted sea drakes.

It was a practice that had led to many deaths, but there had been a time when only

those who had rowed themselves out alone on the seas and slain a sea drake solo

were considered worthy of becoming the leader of Kubashin. The harpoon was the

armament used for those ventures.

Nowadays, authority was granted by vote, but as part of the ceremony for taking the

role, the new leader would fish along the coastal waters as the captain of a rowing

ship to honor the old ways.

"Huh. I only knew the name as a place on a map, but it has quite the history," Ruti

commented.

Nodding, I answered, "Every town does."

Naturally, that went for Zoltan, too.

"Ruti! Tisse!" someone called.

A high elf leaped out of the oden stall.

"Oparara."

It was the high elf who ran the oden shop. Ruti and Tisse had helped her out a while

back, and they'd remained friends.

Oparara wrapped each of the other two girls in a warm embrace. And then she

noticed Yarandrala.

"Oh, a high elf I've never met before…"

"I'm Yarandrala. It's nice to meet you, Oparara."

"G-good evening, Ms. Yarandrala. It is an honor to meet an elf of the hallowed city."

Something was a bit off.

"What's up with you, Oparara?" I questioned.

Oparara grabbed my shoulder forcefully and pulled me away from Yarandrala before

switching to a quiet whisper.

"You never told me you knew a Kiramin elf, boss!"

"A Kiramin elf?"

"We high elves refer to each other by where we're from. I was born in Zoltan, so I'm a

Zoltan elf, and Ms. Yarandrala there is from Kiramin, so she's a Kiramin elf!"

"I'm amazed you can tell where she was born."

"Us high elves just sort of recognize it in each other! Anyway, Kiramin elves are

special! She's not going to think I'm just some country bumpkin for being born in the

sticks, is she?"

"I think it will be fine. Yarandrala's a good friend of mine, and she's been living

outside of Kiramin longer than within it."

"Hey!" Yarandrala called out to us. "Oparara, I was born in Kiramin, but that doesn't

mean anything."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Besides, I like Zoltan. Even though I came here to invite Red and the others to come

with me to Kiramin, they liked Zoltan enough to say they'd rather stay here."

"Yes, ma'am! This is indeed a great place! I don't know anywhere else, and I'm sure it

can't begin to compare to Kiramin's beauty and bravery, but I love this town!"

Suddenly realizing what she'd said, Oparara blushed and looked down.

If I remembered correctly, Oparara was about forty-five. She conducted herself fairly

maturely, but that evidently wasn't the case around Yarandrala.

It was Oparara's first time meeting a high elf from a different town, so it was

interesting to see her reaction.

"Yarandrala," Ruti cut in, seeing Oparara looking troubled. "Oparara is an amazing elf

who makes really delicious oden. You should try it."

"Really? I'd love to!"

"I can't say whether it would befit the palate of an elf from the hallowed city,

though…"

"It's okay, Oparara. Yarandrala is my friend. There's no need for friends to speak like

that with each other."

"But—"

"Ruti's right. I'd like to enjoy it to the fullest."

"Y-yes, ma'am! I'd be honored!"

"That's not how you normally speak while running your shop, is it? Don't mind me,

prepare your food as you usually would. If you don't, how will I ever learn what oden

in Zoltan is really like?"

When she heard that, Oparara's expression tensed. She had taken over this cart from

its old master because she loved it and didn't want to see it disappear once the

master retired. Her dedication was by no means trifling.

"Understood… If you're going to say that much, it'd be rude not to! The stand's right

this way! Grab yourselves a seat!"

Oparara still appeared a little nervous, but she had at least managed to get back to

her normal style.

Yarandrala grinned, evidently enjoying herself as we grabbed seats at the stall.

"So you're parked here today?" I inquired.

"Festival decorations occupy the place where I usually set up," Oparara replied.

"Huh."

"So what'll you have? I've got some nice octopus today. And the fish balls are

particularly great, too."

Octopus oden?

"Interesting. I'll try that. And some burdock, too," I said.

My sister spoke up next. "I'll have the octopus and some egg."

Then came Tisse. "I'll have the same as Ms. Ruti as well as fish balls, squid balls,

daikon, and two chikuwa, please."

Rit struggled to decide before settling on octopus, burdock, egg, fish balls, squid

balls, daikon, and beef tendon.

"That's a pretty big order," I commented.

Rit pouted slightly. "They all seemed so good."

"What about you, Yarandrala?" I asked.

"I'll have what Red is having. Octopus and burdock, and some fish balls as well,

please."

"Gotcha!" Oparara acknowledged.

We requested some alcohol as well. Rit was a little tipsy as she eagerly chowed

down. Tisse enthusiastically enjoyed her chikuwa in her own way. She looked

satisfied.

"Delicious," Ruti remarked.

"It really is! This is a flavor you can't find in Kiramin," Yarandrala chimed in.

Oparara flashed a gratified smile at their compliments.

The plan had been to just have a quick visit, but before I realized it, we had ordered

seconds.

"That reminds me, you've gotten more seafood on the menu lately," I remarked.

"Yeah, more of it has been passing through the port recently, so I've been able to get

good-quality ingredients at a better price, which has been a big help," Oparara

responded.

"Huh."

"Winter fish tastes fantastic. It's not oden, but I can grill you some if you like."

"That sounds great."

It was a full lunch course.

Hanging out at an oden stall, relaxing and enjoying drink and food—talk about a

luxurious slow life!

Oparara pulled out a few of the coals warming the oden, slipped them into a stove,

and set a metal mesh on top. Then she skillfully prepared a fatty isaki fish, dried it

with a cloth, and sprinkled it with salt. Zoltan salt wasn't famous or anything, but it

was pretty high quality if you asked me.

Then she placed a salted slice of fish on top of the mesh. There was a whoosh of

steam as the scent of a delicious fillet of fish being grilled filled the air.

"Order up."

The meat on the plate was grilled to a scrumptious brown.

"It looks great," Ruti said, quickly breaking off a little with her fork to try.

"What do you think?" Oparara questioned.

Ruti's eyes wavered in silence.

"Really? Great! I'll whip up another for you, on the house!"

Oparara understood just from that.

She was already hard at work cooking more.

"That's nice," Rit commented, watching Ruti and the others with a kind smile.

"Yeah, it sure is," I agreed.

We hung around the harbor district for longer than we'd intended, but there was still

plenty of time.

"Oh yeah, where's the winter demon?" Rit asked.

Putting a hand to my chin, I responded, "Around now, it's supposed to be in the

northside, I think?"

The festival's leading role, that of the winter demon, followed a set schedule and

route. Though with Zoltan's usual pace, it was only ever an estimate.

"We had a nice lunch, so let's head downtown since that's next after northside, and

we can just relax and take it easy there," I suggested.

Rit nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Great, it's settled."

Normally, everyone would be bundled up and hiding away at home to avoid the cold,

but today the whole town was out celebrating in the streets.

One of the guards was putting on a great performance with a trumpet, and some

thieves from Southmarsh were dancing lightheartedly to the music. Members of the

Mages Guild were shooting off dragon fireworks that dashed through the sky, while a

bunch of children who typically hated studying were pestering them for a lecture on

how they did it.

A group of half-orcs drummed to a beat as they walked around. Coupled with a

three-stringed instrument, it made for quite a cheerful sound. Behind were a bunch

of young humans, who commonly looked down on half-orcs. They were having fun

dancing along.

Rounding the corner, I spotted half-elves playing bright, refreshing music on their

wooden flutes. Even the downtown aristocrats stopped in their tracks to listen. A

bowl out in front of them was flipped over to show they didn't need any tips today.

The crowd encircling the half-elves offered thunderous applause instead.

"Thank you," one said before returning to his flute.

"Hm? Isn't that Godwin?"

"Oh, yeah. Is he really okay to be just walking around like that without hiding his face

or anything? And his clothes are kind of elegant compared to before."

Yarandrala and I had noticed Godwin milling among the throngs of revelers with a

beer in his hand.

"Hmm? Oh! If it isn't Red, Rit, Ruti, Tisse, and Yarandrala…"

Noticing us, Godwin staggered a little unsteadily over our way. Mister Crawly Wawly,

who was riding on Tisse's shoulder, raised one of his front legs when Godwin made it

to us.

Godwin raised his glass in response. "Hey there, Mister Crawly Wawly." The man's

consummate bad guy's face cracked into a broad smile. "Ha-ha, make sure you enjoy

Zoltan's festival, too, buddy."

"Hey, I know Mistorm is doing something to sweep your crimes under the table, but

should you really be wandering around town this openly?" I questioned.

"Heh-heh-heh. The lame old crook you knew is gone," Godwin responded, flashily

pointing to the area below the collar of his shirt.

My eyes went wide at the sight of what was there. "Isn't that a Merchants Guild

badge? You're a merchant now?"

I was also a member of that organization. I didn't make a point of wearing it usually,

but I had the pin in storage back home.

"Yep! I don't gotta do any sneaking around in the shadows to make my money now!

I'm gonna run the trade between Zoltan and the zoogs." Godwin puffed his chest out

proudly.

"Ohhhh. Yeah, if it's you, there shouldn't be any problems with the monsters near the

roads out that way, and the zoogs know your face," I said.

"And as a former affiliate of the Thieves Guild and associate of Bighawk's faction, I

can stare down any guys who might try to horn in on my business."

Godwin probably didn't have the insight to find new sales opportunities, but in that

sense, maybe he was the ideal fit for the job.

"From here on out, no more shadows for me. I'm gonna walk out in the open sun as a

respectable broker."

The man seemed to be enjoying himself, but when Yarandrala stepped closer, his

smile froze.

"Wh-what is it…?"

"Godwin."

"Y-yes, ma'am…?"

Yarandrala clenched her fist. Immediately, a look of terror spread across Godwin's

face. A ring of yellow flowers appeared in Yarandrala's hand.

"Congratulations. I'll be praying for your success."

"Ah, huh?" Godwin was dumbstruck as he accepted the blossoms. "Y-yeah. Thanks."

Never had he expected the high elf to offer her support. Nervously, Godwin scratched

his head.

"Heh-heh-heh. A little encouragement ain't half-bad," he said with a grin.

There were five churches in Zoltan, one in each district.

Excluding the one downtown, they were just simple wooden structures, like normal

houses modified slightly. That's not to suggest they were inappropriate, however.

Neither Demis nor the three disciples demanded extravagance from their places of

worship. Even Southmarsh's chapel, dilapidated as the homes around it, was fine in

the eyes of God.

"But then why do people want to build such opulent shrines?"

We were waiting outside the church downtown for the winter demon. There was a

big group of people there, all hoping to join the dance with the winter demon.

Zoltan's central place of worship was large, with two steeples, and the main hall had

an arched ceiling. The expensive stained glass gave it a majestic air, and paintings

and sculptures with religious motifs lined the walls.

"Something this big wasn't made by a Zoltan architect," I commented.

"For sure," Rit agreed.

Construction had required Zoltan authorities to hire a foreign architect.

Taking in the sight, I said, "It's still on the simple side compared to the cathedral in

the capital, though."

Tisse's spider hopped from his spot on the girl's shoulder.

"Mister Crawly Wawly says that it looks like a building that would be fun to climb."

"Ha-ha-ha. It must seem like an obstacle course to him," I answered.

We laughed a bit as Mister Crawly Wawly tilted his head and did a playful dance.

"It's probably…," Ruti began as she looked up at the church. "It's probably because we

need it. Not because God does."

I turned to face my sister. "The extravagant church?"

"We can't perceive beautiful things in places that aren't beautiful. God doesn't mind

any location, but we need an acceptable place to pray. That's what I think."

I looked up at the engraving set above the entrance to the church. It depicted seven

devils cowering in fear of Demis's light and fleeing.

"The seven devils who rejected Demis's Divine Blessing," I muttered.

The story went that they had tried to get humanity to deny their Divine Blessings

and thus throw the world into chaos. For this action, the demons were cast into the

seven circles of hell, where they suffered eternal punishment. It was believed that

some of the demons had possessed female forms. This quickly became an excuse for

artists to depict the nude female body in public spaces.

While we were looking at the church, I heard someone opening the door and walking

with a staff.

"Oh, so you're here, too," remarked an aged voice.

Facing the sound, I said, "Mistorm."

She was wearing the same plain, unadorned silver silk robe she'd had on the trip

despite being surrounded by nobles sporting the latest styles from Central.

"Ruti, Tisse, and Yarandrala, this is your first time experiencing Zoltan's winter

festival, right? Make sure to enjoy yourselves," she urged.

"I already am. Zoltan is an interesting town. There were lovely performances by

humans, elves, dwarves, even orcs. It's been a wonderful collection of firsts,"

answered Tisse.

Yarandrala bobbed her head in agreement. "Our races might be different, but the one

thing we all have in common is that everyone present is a stray who ended up here

after starting somewhere else."

Apparently, those two had fought during their first meeting, but that was hard to

imagine when one saw them casually chat.

"Whoopsie, I've got more company. I'm going to be barhopping with all sorts of folk,"

Mistorm stated with a shrug and a grin.

"I don't think anyone other than you would call visits with nobles barhopping," I

quipped.

"What else would you call going out to drink with old friends in familiar places?"

I frowned for a moment and then conceded the point. "I guess so."

"Ha-ha-ha, I'm just a retired old lady who hardly ever makes an appearance, so I

appreciate them not forgetting me and inviting me along. And delicious free booze is

always nice. Anyway, it would be rude for me to keep them waiting much longer, so

pardon me."

"Okay, don't partake too much," I cautioned.

"I'm a veteran when it comes to that!… The trip was fun. We should have a drink or

two and share some stories from the road sometime."

Mistorm waved before heading back to the nobles.

She was Zoltan's former mayor, the previous head of the Zoltan Mages Guild, and the

leader of last generation's B-rank adventurers. It had been a pleasure to travel with

that Zoltan hero.

"Yes, it was a lovely journey," Yarandrala muttered, as though to echo my thoughts.

"Ah! Red! The winter demon's here!" Rit shouted from behind us.

"Oh."

The winter demon with its goat head and body covered in black cloth had come. It

wasn't really staggering, either. For someone who had been dancing since morning,

those were some solid, mighty footsteps. The winter demon this year had

respectable endurance.

The float holding the Drake Rider and the Saint was chasing after it.

"Wait, wait! Hail, winter demon! Face me in combat!"

The Drake Rider gestured defiantly before leaping down from the papier-ma che

drake head and spun his prop spear. It was a pretty dangerous move, but the winter

demon made a show of evading it playfully, leaping around and dodging.

"Moving around that well while dressed up like that's pretty impressive," I observed.

While the Drake Rider was only wearing papier-ma che armor painted a woody

brown, the winter demon costume had a mask made from a goat's skull, and the

body was crafted of thick cloth, either of which should have limited the wearer's

mobility. Yet the winter demon's movements were enchantingly rhythmic and fluid.

The Drake Rider was energetic and vigorous, but you couldn't help but feel like he

was being toyed with, and before long, people were starting to laugh.

Just then, the Drake Rider glanced toward our group and froze. "Hm?"

Wait, that voice sounds familiar.

"Ohh! It's my beloved Valkyrie!"

The Drake Rider dashed over to Ruti with a thudding gait. He removed his helmet,

revealing a bearded face.

Ruti met his eager gaze evenly. "…Who are you?"

"I-it is I! The knight whom you traded blows with on the bridge!"

"???"

Oh, I remember now. He was that nuisance warrior who had been blocking the bridge.

Otto, I think?

However, Ruti didn't seem to recall him at all. She furrowed her brow.

"Ms. Ruti, he's the one you threw under the bridge when we were on our way to

Zoltan," said Tisse.

"Ah." Ruti plopped her fist on her palm.

"Oh, so you've finally remembered me! I am the Otto the Drake Rider. Commander of

the glorious Fafnir Knights' first company."

"No, I just vaguely recalled something like that happening. I don't remember your

face or anything about you at all."

That's a bit harsh, Ruti. He's going to get depressed.

Undaunted, Otto continued, "Still, for us to meet again here is truly fate. The

guidance of Almighty Demis. Now, let us join hands and defeat the winter demon.

Then we shall slay the hill giant Dundach and become nobles together!" Otto held

out his hand.

I was the one who grabbed his arm, however.

"Hey there."

"What are…?! You're that coward!"

"Tell me again, who was the coward?"

"What could be more dastardly than attacking an opponent unawares!"

"No, you definitely struck first. You were naked, as I recall."

The mere thought of that day was exasperating. Also, while I had grabbed Otto's arm

because I didn't want him touching Ruti, it was also for his own safety.

"…Grr…"

Ruti was clearly displeased, though Otto surely couldn't tell. If he had tried to touch

her, he would have gotten knocked away pretty mightily. It would have just been a

push, but a shove from the strongest person in the world was nothing to dismiss.

Even in the best case, Otto would have gone flying into the wall across the plaza,

broken every bone in his body, and had to undergo a months-long recovery course.

"Release me, coward, if you know what is best for you," the Drake Rider insisted.

"Hmph."

"Owww!!!"

Otto tried to break away, but I exerted pressure on his elbow. Tears started to well up

in his eyes as he desperately tapped my arm in surrender.

"I—I give! I give!"

"It's not like this is a contest."

"Wh-what are you even mad about?"

"I'm not mad."

"Eeeep!"

The crowd around us started laughing as Otto cried out pathetically.

Not good, we're standing out too much.

Unwilling to make more of a scene, I released him.

"D-dastard! Face me in a fair fight!"

"Very well."

What did I do to deserve this?

Rit and Ruti started doing warm-up stretches—Yarandrala, too.

It's overkill already. If the three of you join in, there won't be anything left of him.

Just then, an enormous shadow appeared behind Otto. It was the winter demon.

"Hgh?!"

Its big hand hit Otto on the top of the head with a thud.

That single blow was enough to send the man crashing to the ground. Then the

winter demon grabbed Otto by the scruff of the neck and dragged him away.

"Wait, is that Danan?" I wondered aloud.

Hearing that, the winter demon turned around and winked through the mask.

He's supposed to be recovering! What's he doing?!

Back in the center of the plaza, the Saint started hitting Otto over and over, evidently

upset at him for going off on his own. The comical act drew a big laugh and cheers

from the crowd.

In the evening, the exhausted winter demon—though he didn't look fatigued at all—

fled the town, and the festival finally reached its finale.

Everyone was supposed to revel in these final hours as much as possible in hopes of

spring arriving even one day sooner.

Nothing better suited Zoltan's mentality than putting one's all into living in the

moment, even during the dead of winter. It really felt like the celebration was the

seasonal event that everyone here got the most excited for.

"Hey, look. The baron's kid is dancing over there."

"No way! Maybe I should go, too!"

"Let's all go! Maybe we can marry into money!"

Three young women scurried after the bachelor. It sounded like one of them was

planning for the future.

While I watched, Yarandrala tapped my shoulder.

"Red, Rit, Ruti, Tisse, Mister Crawly Wawly. Thank you for today. It was great fun."

"Hmm, going back to the inn already?" I asked.

The high elf shook her head. "No, I was thinking of checking in on a friend first."

"A friend? Ahh, okay. It was fun to enjoy a festival with you again after so long."

"I had fun chatting with you, Yarandrala. But there are still many more things about

Red I want to discuss, so let's have lunch together sometime, just the two of us!" Rit

said.

"I couldn't do this sort of thing when I was the Hero. I'm glad I got to know things

about you that I didn't before," Ruti stated.

"Mister Crawly Wawly says he enjoyed our time together. And I did as well," Tisse

added.

Yarandrala beamed. "Yes. I'll be staying in Zoltan for a little while, so let's do

something again soon."

As Yarandrala took her leave, she kept turning back to wave reluctantly.

The sun hung low on the horizon, threatening to sink beyond it at any moment.

The people of Zoltan were still dancing, reluctant to let the light end today's revelry.

Mister Crawly Wawly was riding on the back of Tisse's hand, and she was watching

him as he danced around between her fingers. They stuck to their own pace, but they

were having fun, judging from their expressions.

As I watched Tisse, I felt a tug at my clothes.

"Thank you for today, Big Brother," Ruti said with a smile. "It was fun."

I patted her head.

"There's still one thing left that we haven't done, though," I told her.

"Eh?"

I took Ruti's hand. She reddened slightly.

"May I have this dance?"

"With you?… Can I…?"

"There's nothing wrong with siblings sharing a dance."

Ruti looked over to Rit, who grinned and waved for her to go ahead.

"But the last time I danced at a winter festival was before you joined the knights. I

don't know the steps very well."

I tugged Ruti's hand gently.

"The point isn't to move well. It's to enjoy yourself."

Demons supposedly hated joy. Of course, having fought the demon lord's army

ourselves, we knew that was just a superstition. Even so, it gave us a reason to relish

the moment, so there wasn't any need to debate that point.

"Shall we?"

"…Yes."

Ruti appeared a little unsure for a moment, but she accepted my offer.

The Zoltan musicians were striking up a jaunty spring song. The half-elves were

playing flutes of a style rumored to have been created by wood elves. The

instrument's proper name had not survived, though, and it was commonly referred

to as an elven flute.

Wood elf culture hadn't been concerned with record keeping, so little was known

about them. However, according to documents written by humans, wood elves had

composed and played flute music as a dedication to their lovers. That custom was

not still practiced by half-elves, however. These days, the instruments were just the

source of beautiful sounds and nothing more.

Ruti and I danced a simple, fun step in time with the rhythm of the music, hands

clasped all the while. My little sister's face was crimson, but she seemed to be

delighted.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"Is what?"

"Can I really be forgiven for being this happy?"

"You've suffered so much for the sake of so many people. It's about time you got to

experience some joy for yourself."

Ruti's eyes remained trained on me as we strutted. I slipped my hands around her

waist, lifting and spinning her.

I had always wanted Ruti to find her bliss. She had been my sister long before ever

being the Hero. Seeing her wounded during fights had been terrible, serving as a

constant reminder of my powerlessness to aid her.

"Big Brother… tha—"

"Thank you, Ruti," I cut in before she could offer her gratitude.

"Huh?"

"Thank you for finding happiness."

"Ah… uh…"

Tears welled up in Ruti's eyes.