“That’s a thought that would naturally come to mind to anyone who is well-versed in the scriptures of Elahe. It’s not like we’re making up stories out of thin air.”
“Yes, yes! The High Priest is right! Hohoho!”
Beatrice rejoiced, clapping her hands in agreement with Gabriel’s words.
Even if such rumors spread, not many people would believe that Carlyle actually summoned a demon.
However, there is such a thing as image.
Until now, he had the image of being the ‘Sword that Protects the Southern Empire’, but from now on, he will be seen as ‘the one who committed so many murders that he was able to summon a demon’.
‘They will forget all about the peace he brought them.’
Beatrice was delighted by the fact that she could make Carlyle’s hardships seem like nothing.
However, there was a fatal flaw in this plan.
“But High Priest. If we annul Carlyle’s marriage and send that child to the battlefield instead of Matti wouldn’t people revolt?”
Since Carlyle killed so many people on the battlefield, there might be some backlash that he was about to bring about the real devil.
However, Gabriel laughed off Beatrice’s concerns.
“We can just come up with another pretext when the time comes. It doesn’t get any easier than that.”
“pfft! Oh hohoho!”
Beatrice laughed, shaking her shoulders as if she had heard a really funny story.
“Ah, High Priest! That’s why I like you.”
She seemed to know very well what Gabriel meant when he said he wasn’t blocked. He had shown exactly the kind of flexibility that appealed to Beatrice.
And Gabriel didn’t feel much guilt about his own words.
After all, he thought that humans who were swayed by rumors like ‘if not’ were stupid, and that he had done nothing wrong by simply conving the words of the scriptures.
‘All my actions are for the sake of creating the Empire of God, so there is no way it can be a sin.’
Even if it was a sin in the human world, he sincerely believed that his destination after death would be right next to Libato.
***
As Asha predicted, the harvest was finished by the end of October. Soon after, frost descended and the air grew cold.
November flew by in a flurry of activity as everyone prepared for winter. Before they knew it, December had arrived.
Pervaz had been buried in snow since late November, but the people were having the most enjoyable winter they could remember.
“It’s been ages since I’ve lit a fire in the fireplace!”
“The pantry is full of ham, pickles, and dried vegetables. Just opening it up makes me feel full.”
“The ice on the Sebiche River is solid now. Let’s go ice fishing once the snow stops and the weather clears up a bit.”
It felt strange to have a winter without the usual suffering from cold and hunger.
However, the people adapted quickly. Instead of just staying inside and waiting for winter to pass, they ventured out to ice fish and gather more food.
Most of those who were successful in fishing offered a portion of their catch to the lord.
“The lord has suffered so much for us. It would be wrong to be stingy with a few fish.”
Thanks to their generosity, the castle’s underground cellar, which was below freezing, became filled with frozen fish. This would be enough to last them well into spring, even after the temperature in the cellar started to rise.
While the people of Pervaz were enjoying a warm and well-fed winter, those who came from Zyro were experiencing something entirely different.
“This is… truly… incredible,”
Carlyle muttered, feeling overwhelmed. He was staring out at the blizzard raging outside.
He had never witnessed such a violent display of nature’s power.
Asha, who was also looking out at the snowfall, sighed and said,
“There were times during the war when I was grateful for this snow. It snowed so much that there was no choice but to have a truce during the winter.”
“That’s true, but there must have been many who froze to death.”
“There were.”
Asha could still vividly picture the scenes from past winters.
After heavy snowfall, the Lures would disappear for a while. At the same time, the people of Pervaz would suffer from the cold and hunger.
“Many elderly and young people died. In one instance, a whole family was found frozen to death in an isolated house. There were also quite a few who lost their hands or feet to frostbite.”
It was horrific.
Everywhere she looked, there were scenes of desolation and misery. Everyone was struggling to survive, but there must have been just as many who perished.
The air was filled with the cries of the suffering.
Parents desperately pleading to save their dying children, patients terrified of having their frostbitten limbs amputated, people who fell ill after eating snow to fill their empty stomachs…
Asha still felt like she was going to suffocate and faint whenever she thought about those times.
The despair, fear, and sorrow of that time were beyond words.
“Hey.”
Asha came back to her senses thanks to Carlyle patting her shoulder.
“Breathe.”
“Ah…”
It seemed like she really hadn’t been breathing, as her breath escaped only after Carlyle spoke.
“Your already pale face has gotten even paler.”
“I’m okay now.”
“Not really.”
“No, I’m really okay. Because we ultimately survived that hell, after all.”
This was the first ‘peaceful winter’ Asha, who was born and raised in Pervaz, had ever experienced.
Whenever winter approached, she would become anxious and restless without knowing why. Even now, that feeling would sometimes rise up reflexively, but the same situation as before would not occur.
“The castle’s warehouse is filled with stored food. The infirmary has all the necessary medicine and medical equipment. Every household has been given plenty of firewood, and though it’s just a part, the border defenses have been solidly established.”
The past six months, spent busily handling all that work without a moment to breathe, had been tough on her body, but her heart was filled with endless joy.
She had never imagined such a plentiful winter…
“This is all thanks to Your Highness. No matter what price you ask me to pay, I will gladly follow.”
At her solemn words, Carlyle let out a small laugh.
“It’s not Pervaz paying the price, but you, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Even if it’s a disadvantageous contract, it’s no use regretting it now.”
Carlyle shook his head and tossed some firewood into the fireplace.
“It might sound unfair to you, but in Zyro, December is the most exciting month of the year.”
“Yes? Why is that?”
“A year ends, and a new year begins.”
“…And?”
At the expected response, Carlyle burst out laughing.
“In Pervaz, such things probably didn’t have any meaning, but for the ‘haves’, it was something to commemorate.”
“How do you commemorate?”
“Well, it’s obvious. You invite close friends over, have a party, and eat winter-themed foods. Things like roasted meat, cookies with wild berry jam, and cinnamon-infused liquor.”
Asha gulped audibly, and Carlyle almost laughed again.
“Ahem, ahem! And you exchange gifts with each other. Even people in difficult circumstances make sure to prepare at least gifts for their children, and when the new year arrives, you go to the temple and make a wish for the new year.”
Carlyle thought of the year-end banquets held at his maternal family’s mansion and the boxes of gifts that used to pile up in his room.
He used to find things that looked nice and give them as gifts to his maternal grandfather or uncle, but now that he thought about it, they were all useless things.
‘It was unexpected that they were kept neatly in the drawer of my grandfather’s study.’
In fact, he didn’t enjoy his life at his maternal grandparents’ house that much at the time, but looking back at it now, it seems like he had a happy childhood, considering how excited he got every December because of those memories.
Of course, there was a reason why he enjoyed the middle of winter even after he grew up.
‘Because there was no war, as Countess Pervaz said.’
A season to return to Zyro and rest.
He returned with the improvement ceremony and rested his tired body and mind by reading books in front of a warm fire, attending moderately enjoyable banquets.
There were also things he had to do to avoid assassination attempts and various conspiracies, but it seemed like a kind of pastime. Compared to the winter that Pervaz had to endure.
‘If I were in the same situation as Pervaz, I would have been terrified of winter coming.’
It wasn’t very pleasant to realize this, but he certainly didn’t know much about the lives of the imperial people. As many nobles do…….
However, Asha, who was listening next to him, spoke with a dreamy face.
“It’s impossible this year, but…… next year, we too…….”
“Hmm? Are you saying that we should hold a year-end banquet at the castle next year?”
“Rather than a banquet……I would like to let the people of the territory know that there is such a custom at the end of the year. So that the children of today can immerse themselves in memories like Your Highness…….”
The beginning will be so simple that it will look shabby.
The gifts to be given to neighbors or relatives would be something like food that has been saved, and the children would be given dolls made of dried corn husks or knives carved out of wood.
But everyone will be happy. Just the fact that we are giving something to others will make us feel like our lives have changed.
As Asha was envisioning such a future, Carlyle scratched his cheek slightly and got up from his seat to open the drawer of his desk.
“When you talk so nobly, I feel like a fool for having prepared this…….”
He handed a small box to Asha.
