“Have you calmed down a bit?”
“Uhhh. Well, I looked like a mess. Sorry.”

“It was cute, so it’s fine.”
“Huh?”

Isolette chuckled mischievously, her laughter ringing like bells.

Feeling a bit awkward, I looked away, but she scooted her chair closer so I couldn’t escape her gaze. Now we were sharing a bit more personal space.

“I always thought you were so consistent, Ed… but wow, you’ve changed a lot. We both have… we’re not the same as when we were kids.”
“Yeah, I guess so. A lot of time has passed.”

“When you were younger, you felt like someone from another world… but now that you’re a great author and a transcendent being, you feel so familiar.”
“Haha…”

Back when I first met her, I was still struggling to fit into “this world.”

Honestly, even now, I’m not sure I’ve fully adapted… but regardless, I was in a pretty mentally unstable place back then.

When I compare myself to then, I think I’ve definitely become way more sociable.

Maybe it’s because I’ve grown fond of this world in my own way.

“You still lack awareness.”
“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought, Ed, you see your work from a reader’s perspective, not a writer’s.”
“Oh, right.”

When I translate, I usually do my best to guess the author’s intent, but ultimately, I’m a plagiarist, not a real author.

So, trying to claim I have an “author’s perspective” would just be dismissing the original creator.

Of course, I can’t explain that to Isolette, so I just nodded and agreed with her.

“……”
“……”

A brief silence settled. The sound of the night mist brushing against the moonlight created a peaceful atmosphere.

It felt a bit awkward, honestly.

In the end, I turned my attention back to my book. I really should finish what I was reading.

This time, Isolette didn’t call out to me but sat quietly too. I glanced over, wondering if she had a book with her, and our eyes met.

“…Do you have something to talk about?”
“Not really. I was just watching.”

“Okay.”

I’m not sure why watching someone read would be entertaining, but…

When I think about it.

I really don’t understand people much at all. I turned the page again.

And so, the long night dragged on.

When I turned the last page and closed the book, I found Isolette sprawled out on the tea table, fast asleep. She looked a bit uncomfortable, with shallow breaths.

“Hmm. Is it really okay to just leave her like this?”
“Is that even a problem to ponder…?”

“Hmm? Are you awake?”
“Ugh…”

Somehow, Isolette groaned and dragged herself back to her room.

Just before she left, she turned back to say goodbye.

“Goodnight, Ed.”
“Uh, you too, Isolette.”

.
.
.

Walking through the Empire’s streets, you often come across some pretty bizarre scenes. To be specific, it’s common to see something resembling a cosplay event.

Like detectives in hunting hats and capes, just like Sherlock Holmes, or knights dressed as medieval wanderers like Don Quixote, and nobles in blue tailcoats with yellow vests resembling Werther, or kids pretending to be barbarians wielding sticks, girls in blue apron dresses, and people sitting on benches either crying or giggling while reading books…

And.

This winter brings one more unique change.

“It’s finally Christmas!”
“I was so excited for Christmas that I could hardly wait! The Christmas card selling preparations are finally done!”

“Phew, I can’t even count how much I spent to secure the rights for ‘The Little Prince’ for these Christmas cards.”
“Still, you should make more than that back, right?”

“That’s the point!”

It’s the Christmas season, decked out with tons of lights and decorations everywhere. Carols are rippling through the air, and shopkeepers are adorning their storefronts with green and red Christmas decorations while enthusiastically hawking their goods.

In the park at the town center, bards sing songs praising the joys of Christmas, and kids are bubbling with excitement for gifts and feasting.

“I heard there’s going to be furry folk at this Christmas Eve Mass.”
“What? Those cursed furballs? Beasts that go wild when they see blood—what gall do they have stepping into a church?”

“Who cares? It’s a good day; we should enjoy it. I even bought my little Poppy a Christmas fur coat.”
“Huh, buddy, that’s just weird. Why dress your dog like that?”

“Beastmen,” usually unseen on the streets, have decided to show themselves a bit this Christmas.

They’ve had to endure all sorts of discrimination and scorn due to their origins…

But the magic of Christmas blankets everything in pure white. That’s just how the spirit of Christmas works.

“Are the wizards from the White Tower here yet?!”
“They’re apparently summoning the clouds as we speak!”

“Christmas Eve is almost here! Hurry up! It has to start snowing before the mass starts!”

Up in the sky, the weather mages from the White Tower are bringing in snow clouds on their weather instruments.

In order to have a White Christmas, it needed to snow on Christmas Eve. The mages from the Gray Tower were also joining in by flying around.

“Father Paul. It’s chaotic outside.”
“Yes, Brother. It seems everyone is rejoicing the birth of the Savior. But more importantly, have we prepared all the linens and candles for the Mass?”

“Yes! The staff is preparing them right now!”
“I should join in the preparations too. Let’s all work together!”

The monastery and church were bustling to prepare for the Christmas Eve Mass.

It’s one of the church’s most significant holidays alongside Easter.

And since this Christmas Mass is expected to have an unusually high number of participants, we had to gather tons of candles and cloths.

“Uh-oh, watch out!”
“The Christmas decorations are falling! Everyone dodge—huh?”

“Phew, glad we’re not late. Is everyone okay?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! A monster—.”

“It’s Grub-uncle!”
“Uncle! Can you give me a ride on your back just once?”

“Well, if it’s just for a bit….”

Things could have gone chaotic because of all the excitement, but our hero in the form of a “scarab” swooped through the streets, averting several disasters.

He even played with kids trying to cause mischief.

“Commissioner. It’s reported that ticket scalping is rampant. We don’t have enough police to crack down on this illegal trade.”
“Wow, don’t they ever get tired of this?”

“Oh, and I confiscated a ticket from a scalper. The Commissioner’s daughter wanted to see the performance, so—ack!”
“Sigh. Put that back where it belongs. What does he think he’s doing? If we victimize confiscated goods like that, there’s no way we can face His Majesty the Emperor.”

“I apologize! I’ll fix it!”
“Anyway, leaving the scalper’s empty seats is a waste… We should figure out a solution in cooperation with the theater. Send a request for cooperation to the Homeric Foundation.”

“You mean the Homeric Foundation?”
“Yeah. Whatever they decide, most theaters will follow along. We don’t need to waste our administrative resources on this when we’re already understaffed.”

The theater district of the Empire was also teeming with couples who came to watch plays before Christmas.

In fact, many ticket scalpers were caught selling tickets illegally. The tickets we confiscated were repurposed into charity tickets for children in orphanages through collaboration with the Homeric Foundation. When the peak season tickets were auctioned, the proceeds were used to donate cheaper off-season tickets to the orphanage.

Thanks to that, children with artistic dreams could enjoy expensive performances without breaking the bank.

“It’s the Eternal King’s airship!”
“The King is watching me!”

“But something’s falling from the airship? A little parachute…? Something’s hanging off it.”
“Whoa! It’s a Christmas card from the King!”

“And there’s candy!”

In the Kingdom of Haren, the Eternal King’s airship decorated the sky with enormous Christmas adornments.

As the airship glided through the sky, tiny parachutes filled with wrapped candies and goodies tumbled down, raining treats for the kids to run and scoop up.

Carols resonated around the world.

The spirit of Christmas—the magic of Christmas—creates miracles even on the most extreme battlefields.

It took root in this world in the most colorful and grand fashion. Anyone who experienced this first Christmas would never forget it, and those future children who hadn’t would spend the year anticipating Christmas without shedding a tear.

“The Christmas Eve Mass is about to begin!”

A white Christmas Eve with white snow falling.

The streets filled with kids’ laughter, bards singing carols, merchants hawking, and lovers quietly chatting made it all very lively.

The church bells rang out.

.
.
.

“Hmmm. What’s this?”
“It’s a Christmas present, isn’t it?”

“I mean, who left a present by my bedside?”

On Christmas morning, I woke up to find a gift box next to my head.

Could it be that there’s a Santa Claus in this world? Opening it up, I discovered an old-fashioned book cover along with a Christmas card inside.

[Merry Christmas.]
[To my oblivious cousin, Ed Frieden.]