New Year's Festival (3)
Having somehow managed to pick out a new book, Orion went looking for Heily.
She had been nowhere in sight for a while now.
It wasn't like her to vanish without a word.
As he wandered the bookstore, he finally spotted her in a far corner, hood pulled up over her head.
Hmm?
A book rested in her hands.
She was reading with total absorption, as if she had slipped into another world entirely.
He checked the section—it was dominated by romance novels.
So she likes novels.
His heart bubbled with a sudden, warm excitement, as though he had found a kindred spirit.
Even so, one never interrupted someone mid-read.
Aside from the newest releases, the books weren't wrapped, so standing and reading them was perfectly allowed.
Nothing wrong with it at all.
Orion crept closer without letting her notice.
About ten minutes passed.
Thud.
She closed the book.
Then she hugged it tightly to her chest.
She must have liked it quite a bit.
"Have you finished choosing?"
At Orion's voice, her shoulders gave a sharp jolt.
She hadn't noticed him at all.
"…Have you finished choosing as well, Orion?"
She played it cool, hugging the book even tighter against herself.
There was no need to hide it.
Everyone had their preferred genres.
"I've finished. Shall we go pay?"
"…Yes. I've finished looking around as well."
"Hand me the book you chose. I'll pay for it together with mine."
"Ah……."
At his words, Heily looked completely at a loss.
Normally he might have pretended not to notice, but he wanted to see her reaction.
And so he got to watch her flustered.
An extremely rare sight. So new and fascinating it almost made him laugh.
Orion firmly suppressed the smile tugging at his lips and held out his hand.
"…Thank you."
The book was slowly drawn from her embrace.
He casually stacked it atop his own books and turned away.
Then he snuck a glance at the title.
Hmm? I think I've read this one before.
What was it about again?
He would have to reread it once they got back.
Talking about the story with her would be a lot of fun.
On the carriage ride home.
"Did you enjoy yourself?"
"Yes. I enjoyed it very much."
That was a relief.
Her face was thoroughly content.
"By the way, what's that?"
Orion pointed to the paper bag resting on Heily's lap.
It was the item she had purchased the moment they stepped onto the festival street.
He had been distracted elsewhere at the time and hadn't paid attention.
"It's a small picture frame."
"A picture frame? You mean the kind you put photos in?"
"Yes. There wasn't a proper place to keep the photograph the two of you took back then."
Orion rested a hand on his chin.
When he first became a guard knight, they had taken something resembling an identification photo.
He had assumed it was purely formal.
"Hmm. Do you think the boss would actually put a photo of me in a frame like that?"
She had probably tossed it somewhere out of sight long ago.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Heily shook her head.
"Of course she would. The Grand Duchess keeps the photograph she took with you on her office desk, in the most visible spot."
"Uh……. I didn't know that."
"She is more affectionate than she appears. She even stores every single item she used as a child separately."
Ugh.
Hearing that made him feel oddly guilty.
I should have bought at least one gift myself.
He had spent every last bit of the allowance she had given him…….
After passing the time with such trivial conversation, they finally arrived at the mansion.
"Ah, you go on ahead. I have something else to do."
There was something he wanted to try.
With this much snow piled up, how could he not do that?
Honestly he had been too lazy to go outside for it, but since he was already out, he might as well.
In a region this cold, it wouldn't melt easily anyway.
"??"
Heily tilted her head.
"I will help as well. I do not know what it is, but finishing it together would be easier."
"Well, it's nothing major. I just want to make a snowman."
"A snowman?"
"You don't know what that is?"
"No. It is the first time I have heard the word. Judging intuitively, it seems to mean sculpting a human form out of snow."
This time Orion was the one left puzzled.
How could anyone not know snowmen in a place where snow fell this heavily?
Hmm, come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever seen one here.
They might have snowball fights, but snowmen? Never.
Maybe even the children got sick of snow after seeing so much of it.
"I don't have the skill to make an actual sculpture…. You just roll the snow into round shapes like this."
Orion demonstrated for clarity.
A tiny snowball grew larger and larger until it became a massive sphere reaching his waist.
There was so much snow that the ball was a perfect, pure white without a single speck of dirt.
"Ahaha. Then you just stick a smaller snowball on top and you're done. Nothing special, right?"
As he scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed over something so trivial, Heily spoke.
"Even without refined technique, it can be made so easily yet is aesthetically very beautiful. You know a great many things, Orion."
Huh?
She seemed to like it quite a bit.
Orion went a step further and decorated the face with twigs and leaves.
"How's that? Doesn't it look like a person now?"
"Hehe. It does."
And so, after creating three brothers, the snowman-making came to an end.
"Hmm."
Orion scooped up a snowball.
Looking at the pure white sphere free of any impurities, he suddenly wanted to throw it.
But he couldn't throw it at her. It would feel like some kind of blasphemy.
"Oh."
Just then he found a perfect target.
The circular pattern on the main gate.
A round design right in the middle of the door that practically shouted, "Hit here!"
"Ei!"
At that exact moment—
Creeeak—
"What are you two doing out he—"
Thud!
"Um."
Cold sweat slid down Orion's spine.
Startled, Heily clamped both hands over her mouth.
The snowball he had thrown on impulse couldn't possibly kill a dragon….
Glare—!!
It only stoked her anger further.
Her crimson eyes, half-hidden beneath the pure white snow, locked onto Orion with a chilling intensity.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds passed.
"S-Surprise~ A gift, maybe…?"
Orion presented the snowmen and forced the corners of his mouth upward.
But the heavens were merciless.
Crumble—
Suddenly the snowman's head rolled off and shattered into pieces.
The atmosphere plummeted even further toward absolute zero.
At times like this, he had learned a certain response.
"Run—!!!!!"
"Don't you dare move—!!!!!"
It was the same harmonious scene as always.
Time passed, and daily life returned.
After the magic beast incident, they had strengthened the forces and conducted weekly patrols, yet nothing unusual had appeared.
They intended to keep a close watch, but for the time being they concluded things would be fine.
"You. A task has arisen."
During morning tea time, a bolt from the blue struck Orion.
"We are scheduled to go to the capital in the near future."
"What?"
Ever since the magic beast incident, Orion had been living rather happily.
That was precisely why the news hit so hard.
"…What is the matter?"
Orion asked carefully.
"His Majesty the Emperor wishes to commend your achievements."
"What!?"
What on earth was this about now?
He had assumed at most there would be some minor business.
"Why does he want to see me?"
"There was the leader of the magic beasts you captured, was there not? The one in the black robe? In any case, when we sent the Magic Stone taken from that creature to the imperial family, they said their research made significant progress. Therefore he intends to bestow a reward."
Orion let out a sigh.
Receiving a reward was fine, but the Emperor was the highest authority in the nation.
There was far more than one or two things to worry about.
"Um, well… if he's going to give something, can't we just ask him to send it by delivery?"
"Would that work?"
"Hmm, then asking him to come himself……."
This time Karen was the one who sighed.
"I would like that as well. It is equally bothersome for me. Which is why I am asking—can you not simply go alone?"
"What!? Go there by myself?"
"Is it not enough for one person to make the sacrifice? I am also bothered. Since he summoned you, you should go alone."
A round trip would take at least a week.
He could not possibly be locked in the Room of Spirit and Time for that long stretch.
Even if he had to go, having at least one conversation partner would be fine, right?
Orion crossed his arms.
"Okay. If you're going to be like that, then I have no choice. If the boss doesn't go, I'm not going either."
"What?"
"You're the one who told me to catch the magic beasts, so you share the responsibility."
"I only told you to investigate. I never told you to capture them."
"Don't be childish. One way or another, the two of us are in the same boat."
"…………"
Karen wore an expression that clearly said she found him irritating.
Orion pressed further.
"Well, the one who looks bad for not going is you, boss. I don't feel awkward about it in the slightest. Either we go together, or neither of us goes. Decide."
"You… at times you can be quite cunning."
"That's a compliment, right?"
When Orion lifted the corners of his mouth, Karen shook her head.
"Haa. Fine. Let us go together. While we are there, it would be better to settle a few other matters as well."
Orion looked over at Heily, who had been quietly sipping her tea.
"Ah, right. The secretary is coming too, isn't she?"
"No. I believe I should remain here."
Karen added an explanation.
"Heily must stay and handle the work. Since I will be away from my post, she will need to process affairs in my place."
"Is that so? That's a bit of a shame."
Did that mean he wouldn't see her for at least a week?
"I'll buy you a gift on the way back, Secretary."
"Yes. I shall look forward to it."
And with that, the matter was settled.
"Then by when do I need to prepare?"
"Prepare now."
"What?"
"Can we not simply leave today?"
"What!?"