The New Year's Festival
Arnold led a small elite detachment of knights northwest.
"Fine weather today."
The day before had been a vicious blizzard, but this morning the sky stretched clear and blue overhead. After days chained to a chair drowning in administrative paperwork, simply moving his body felt bracing—almost like liberation. Finish this job and he was off the clock.
"Let's wrap this up quick and grab a drink."
That was when it happened.
"C-Commander!!"
One of the scouts came tearing back at a dead run. Beyond him lay a scene of pure horror—something out of hell itself.
"W-what in the world is this…"
The knight stared at Arnold as if begging him to make sense of it, because he certainly couldn't.
"…"
The hand adjusting his glasses twitched. The stench of blood hit so hard he almost clapped a hand over his nose and mouth on instinct. The bitter cold of winter had preserved the site perfectly. Countless monster corpses carpeted the ground as far as the eye could see. The sheer scale of it stole the words right out of his throat.
—You might want to bring more people.
—With that crew you'd have to make three more trips.
—While you're at it, drag along about five wagons.
Words that man had once tossed out so casually flashed through Arnold's mind.
His fist clenched tight.
He already knew that man was an absolute monster. And the emotion flooding him now was—
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH—!!!!!"
"C-Commander, why are you suddenly—?"
Overtime. Sacred Friday night, and he was looking at overtime!!! No—he might even be stuck on special duty through tomorrow. The sun was already sinking in the west.
"Damn it—!!!!!"
Arnold roared up at the blue sky.
If you're going to warn me, warn me properly!!!
A week had passed.
If anything of note had happened, it was that the New Year had arrived.
"Oh? What's the occasion today?"
"It's the New Year, isn't it? We ought to set the mood."
"I didn't know you bothered with things like that."
"I don't believe in superstition, but it would be nice if the year turned out well."
Breakfast arrived as always. The dishes laid out on the table were different from usual—though no less appetizing for it.
"Whew."
There was more food than normal, but leftovers were out of the question. Orion scraped his plate clean and rubbed his stomach. All three of them preferred silence during meals, which suited him perfectly.
"Ah—thank you."
Warm tea and a few light sweets followed. He used to head straight back to his room afterward, but lately he'd come to enjoy this little tea time. He had nothing but time to spare anyway. And those crisp, piping-hot egg tarts that only appeared in the morning were simply too good to pass up.
At this hour, only the other two ever did the talking. It was their rough briefing on the day's agenda, so Orion only needed to sit back and savor his tea.
"You."
Today, though, the conversation somehow tilted toward him.
"As of yesterday, the disposal of the monster carcasses has been finished. You certainly caught a great many of them."
"Ah."
He'd heard something about that in passing and completely forgotten.
"Sir Arnold worked hard on it, so when you see him, at least offer a word of thanks."
"Yes, well… I suppose I should."
So they'd actually hauled all of that away. No wonder Arnold looked half-dead every time they crossed paths around the estate—and no wonder he'd been glaring daggers. There'd been a reason for it after all.
"After deducting the basic taxes and transport fees, I intend to include the remaining sum in your wages. Do you have any objections?"
That caught his interest. It had been part of the job—work he'd been ordered to do—so it had never occurred to him that the money might become his. Ordinarily he would have snatched it up without a second thought.
"Hmm. Keep that money, Boss. I'd rather you distribute it as a reward to those two guild people I met back then. Without them, we never would have gotten to the bottom of this whole affair."
Karen's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh? I never expected to hear something like that from you."
"Don't get me wrong—free money is always nice. But helping those two feels like the better call. Honestly, I just feel bad for them. They're old enough to be my father, you know."
"Then why not deliver it yourself?"
"If I try to give it to them, they'll refuse on principle. It carries more weight coming from you, doesn't it?"
A pleased look crossed her face.
"Very well. If you insist, I'll do as you say."
It stung a little, but this was the right thing. He'd already written the money off as never having been his, so the regret wasn't crushing.
"Since you've said something so admirable, I suppose I should share my own thoughts as well."
Karen had taken something away from this incident too. The common wisdom was that monsters had to be dealt with as quickly as possible. But even among them there was an ecosystem—a food chain of predator and prey. And that had led her to a conclusion.
"On a trial basis, during the off-season when monsters don't appear as frequently, I intend to place a limit on the number of commissions any one person can complete. So that a handful of people can't monopolize everything."
Orion let out an impressed sound.
"Oh, that's a great idea."
Only during the off-season. There would be complaints, of course—but opportunity ought to be fair. This way, even the weaker hunters would get a shot at the leftover smaller jobs.
"The rest can be adjusted gradually as we go. And the remaining funds will be put to good use for the people of the territory. On behalf of everyone, you have my thanks."
Karen looked at Orion and bowed her head with formal courtesy.
An involuntary eep slipped out of him.
She was bowing? To him? Startled, Orion dipped his head in return.
"It really wasn't anything worth all that."
Yes, he'd worked hard—but he never imagined she'd go this far. Just in case, he pointed at the papers in her hand.
"Could I take a look at that?"
"Here. It's the settlement sheet for the monsters you killed."
Just how much money was it, that she'd bowed over it? He took the document with that thought in mind—
"Hwah…"
His jaw dropped. There were two more zeros than he'd expected!
Orion creaked his head up to look at the two of them. Both wore thoroughly satisfied expressions. How was he supposed to say, Uh… could I take back what I just said and have that money after all? under looks like those?
He forced the corners of his mouth upward.
"H-hahaha. As long as it's put to good use, I'm happy too. H-hahaha."
Sob. I should've just kept my mouth shut.
Before Orion could fully drown in regret, the money talk wrapped up. What followed, naturally, was discussion of the New Year's festival.
"The people of the territory are likely already celebrating in the streets. Why don't the two of you go have a look?"
"A festival?"
"Yes. In a region this cold, days this lively are rare. Calling it a festival is hardly an exaggeration."
Through the window, bright lights shimmered in the distance.
"Hmm. So are you going out to give a New Year's speech or something, Boss?"
"Nothing of the sort. And it's better if I don't go. My presence would only stiffen the atmosphere."
That was fair. Having people bow and greet you every few steps during a festival would be exhausting.
"I'm perfectly fine here. The two of you go enjoy yourselves. I intend to rest easy today. There's no need to feel awkward about it."
"Nah, I don't really need to go either. I'm not big on crowded places. And it's not like Secretary would want to go with me of all peop—"
She did, actually.
He glanced at her face. Those blue eyes were shining. She looked like she desperately wanted to go.
"Heily has never properly enjoyed a New Year's festival. If she goes with me, the mood turns rigid—and if she goes alone, men swarm her at every turn."
"Yeah, I can picture that without even looking."
The people of the territory were more sensible than most, but a festival still meant drinking. Spot a beautiful woman or a handsome man and of course you'd want to try your luck.
Not that it applies to me.
Orion nodded.
"All right, let's go. I can't send Secretary off alone. Leave the bodyguarding to me."
Joy flickered across her face. She was still expressionless, but by now he could read it. A moment later, though, a note of worry entered her voice.
"…If it's inconvenient, you don't have to come with—"
"No, it's fine. Now that I think about it, I need to pick up a new book anyway."
"…Is that so?"
"Besides, when else am I going to get the chance to go out with you, Secretary? It's an honor for me."
"…"
Heily seemed to steel herself and gave a small nod.
"Understood. Then I'll prepare at once."
"Uh, you can take your ti—"
She was already gone. Outstanding in every other way, and outstanding in sheer initiative too.
"Heh. Have a good time."
"Yes. We'll be back before sundown."
And so Orion and Heily headed into town.
"It suits you wonderfully."
"You're too kind."
Her outfit was brimming with quiet anticipation. It was the first time he'd seen her in ordinary clothes. Having to wear a hood was a terrible waste, but she was beautiful all the same—a fluffy scarf, mittens, every piece pure white. It matched her perfectly.
"Stay right next to me."
"Yes. Thank you."
The moment they stepped down from the carriage, the festival atmosphere hit them full force. The most striking feature was the three-meter campfire blazing in the center of the square. Heily couldn't tear her eyes from the flames, utterly captivated.
"Hm?"
Delicious smells drifted from every direction. He let his gaze wander toward them for just a moment—
"What?"
Where did she go?
He scanned the crowd left and right and finally spotted her at the far end.
"Did you come alone, by any chance?"
Of course. Some guy was already trying to get her number.
You've got to be kidding me…
So this was what they meant by not taking your eyes off someone for even a second. Orion felt the truth of it in his bones.