TN: Please read my translations only on my website nyx-translation.com since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi, and join our Patreon to read up to 12 chapters ahead for this novel!
Sponsored chapter by Patreon. Enjoy~
ED: LonelyMatter
Part 3
“Lexiaaaaaaa!”
As soon as we arrived at the royal castle, a soldier escorted us immediately to Arnold-sama’s study.
The moment we stepped inside, Arnold-sama ran toward us at full speed.
He spread his arms wide and rushed toward Lexia-san, but…
“Kyaaa!”
“Whoa!”
Lexia-san was startled by his sudden move and quickly dodged out of the way.
As a result, I ended up being caught up in Arnold-sama’s embrace because Lexia-san had dodged.
Then, he hugged me tightly.
“Lexiaaaaaaa! You’re finally back!”
“U-um, sorry… I’m not Lexia-san; I’m Yuuya.”
“Huh!?”
When Arnold-sama finally came to his senses, he quickly pulled away from me.
“Why is Yuuya-dono…”
“Father, that’s cheating! I want to hug Yuuya-sama, too!”
“Wh-what did you say!?”
It was not really about me, but I wish Lexia-san had just let Arnold-sama hug her instead.
Just as I was about to smile wryly at this chaotic scene after our reunion, Owen-san arrived.
“It’s been a while, Yuuya-dono.”
“Ah, Owen-san! It’s been a while! How have you been?”
“Fine. Just the same old story with that idiot king.”
“Lexia’s the same as ever, too. We never seem to have a moment’s peace.”
“You’re absolutely right…”
At Luna’s words, Owen-san nodded and let out a deep sigh.
I found myself smiling wryly at their reactions when I was suddenly addressed.
“Yuuya-dono. It’s been a while.”
“Huh? Reigar-sama!”
I turned my gaze toward the voice and saw Reigar-sama standing there, looking completely healthy with all his wounds healed.
“It’s been a long time! Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you. I’ve been helping my father with his official duties.”
Reigar-sama smiled gently, then suddenly bowed his head.
“Once again, I caused you trouble. I’m truly sorry. And thank you.”
“N-no! Not at all. I’m really glad I could help.”
I hadn’t had much contact with Reigar-sama since the incident, but seeing him living a normal life put my mind at ease.
As we exchanged words during this long-awaited reunion, Arnold-sama spoke up.
“Speaking of which, you came back so suddenly. Did something happen? Could it be that you’ve decided to end your studies abroad!?”
“No.”
“Guh!”
After being flatly denied, Arnold-sama clutched his chest. Lexia-san continued speaking.
“The New Year has begun, hasn’t it? That’s why I came back to pay my respects.”
As Lexia-san explained the reason for her return, tears welled up in Arnold-sama’s eyes.
“Lexia, you didn’t have to come see me just for New Year’s greetings!”
“Well, I didn’t really feel like I had to come back, but Luna and Yuuya-sama insisted.”
“Lexia…”
Upon hearing Lexia-san’s brutally honest confession, Arnold-sama wore a dejected expression.
Then, Lexia-san chuckled softly.
“Just kidding. It looks like both Father and Brother are in good health, so I’m relieved.”
“Ah, yes. There haven’t been any major incidents lately. It’s been peaceful.”
That’s a relief. With all the trouble happening around me, I’m glad to hear things are peaceful here.
Just as I was feeling relieved by Arnold-sama’s words, someone knocked on the door.
“Hm? Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
“Iris-san!”
Much to my surprise, it was Iris-san, the Sword Saint.
When she spotted us, she smiled gently.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
“It’s been a long time!”
“Iris-sama, you were here, too?”
When Lexia-san asked that, Iris-san nodded.
“Yes, I’m currently making the rounds to pay New Year’s greetings to the various countries. You’re here for New Year’s greetings as well, aren’t you?”
“That’s right!”
As we chatted, something occurred to me, and I voiced my curiosity.
“Come to think of it, is there a specific New Year’s greeting in this world?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“In my world, we have a phrase to celebrate the New Year: ‘Happy New Year.’ I was just wondering if this world has a similar custom.”
“No, there isn’t really a set greeting.”
“That’s right. It’s just a simple ‘Let’s have a good year together.'”
I see. Well, I suppose that makes sense.
Just as I was sensing a slight cultural difference, I suddenly remembered something.
During my recent first shrine visit, I fought shadows modeled after Iris-san and the others.
“Um, Iris-san…”
“Hmm?”
“Has anything unusual happened lately? Like, have you fought some weird guy or something?”
When I asked that, Iris-san seemed to think for a moment.
“Hmmm… The evil beasts have almost all disappeared lately, so it feels like pure peace. But a little while ago, I was overcome by a strange sensation.”
“A strange sensation, you say?”
“Yes. How should I put it… It was like something was probing my body, and at the same time, it felt like my power was being pulled away a little. Anyway, I was overcome by a strange sensation.”
“Were you okay after that?”
“Well, yes. It only lasted a split second. More than anything, it felt like I was being pulled. It wasn’t like my power was actually being drained.”
She did experience that strange sensation, but it didn’t appear to be a persistent condition.
However, since the timing of the sensation coincided with the day I fought the shadow creatures resembling Iris-san and the others, I couldn’t say for certain that the two were unrelated.
If that was the case, then Master Usagi and Odis-san might have had the same experience.
In the end, the identity and origin of those shadows remained a mystery.
“Well, I guess I’ll just hope things stay peaceful from here on out.”
In stark contrast to the peaceful other world, an ominous atmosphere now hung over the real world.
As Iris-san said, all I could do was pray for peaceful days to return.
＊＊＊
Two days later.
Since Lexia-san had finally returned, we stayed at the royal castle for two nights before safely making our way back to Sage-san’s house in the Great Devil’s Nest.
Well, when it was time to leave, Arnold-sama threw another massive tantrum, leaving Owen-san holding his head in despair.
As I reminisced about that moment, I heard Lexia-san’s voice. She had returned to our home on Earth ahead of us.
“Eek!”
“Lexia-san!?”
I hurried to the house on Earth and, upon reaching her, found her there.
“Yuuya-sama, look! It’s snowing! There’s snow piled up!”
Sure enough, Lexia-san was absolutely thrilled by the snow piled up in the garden.
Then, Luna spoke up, looking exasperated.
“Didn’t you see plenty of that at the ski resort the other day?”
“I guess so, but that’s not the same, is it?”
“Wait, what do you mean…?”
“Well, that place was a facility for sliding and playing in the snow, right? That’s exactly why seeing snow piled up in a normal town on Earth is something I’ve never seen before. It’s so fresh!”
Lexia-san was right, of course. Ski resorts are naturally located in places where it snows frequently. In our area, even when it snows, it rarely piles up this much.
Lexia-san immediately returned to the room and called out to the others, who were each doing their own thing.
“Hey, everyone! Since we’ve got snow on the ground, let’s go play outside!”
Upon hearing this, everyone started to stir with excitement. However, Meiko, though confused, spoke up.
“W-wait, can I join you too?”
“Of course! It’s more fun when we all play together, isn’t it?”
“Hmph. Go ahead and play without me.”
Ouma-san just snorted dismissively, though, and promptly went back to his room.
“Hmmm… Ouma-dono is just the same as ever.”
“Well, I had a feeling he would be. What about Kuuya-sama?”
“Since we’re at it, perhaps I’ll join in as well.”
“Me too. I’d like to touch the snow for the first time in a while.”
In the end, everyone except for Ouma-san decided to play together. After making sure they were all properly bundled up, they went out into the snow-covered garden.
“So, when you say ‘play,’ what exactly are we going to do?”
When Luna asked that, Lexia-san declared loudly,
“Well, obviously… a snowball throw, right!”
“A snowball throw?”
“Oh my, Yuuya-sama, have you never played before? It’s a game where you make snowballs and throw them at each other.”
She meant a snowball fight.
Unfortunately, since I’d never had any friends, I’d never played in a snowball fight before.
So, while I was curious, I was also a bit hesitant.
“Lexia, I really don’t think we can have a snowball fight here.”
“Huh? Why not?”
At Luna’s words, Lexia-san puffed out her cheeks. But even though it was a garden, it certainly wasn’t spacious enough for a snowball fight.
“With this many people in such a small space, we might break something if we throw snowballs.”
“Ugh… You’re right about that. But what other snow games are there?”
“Well, how about we make a snowman?”
“A snowman?”
Lexia-san and the others tilted their heads in confusion, perhaps because they weren’t familiar with the term.
Then, Meiko spoke up.
“A snowman is a sculpture made by stacking snowballs, right?”
“Well, it’s not exactly a sculpture—that’s a bit too strong of a word—but yeah, that’s about right. Do you know what that is, Meiko?”
“Yes! I had that in my knowledge!”
Even though Meiko’s knowledge comes from sinners, I figured she’d at least know what a snowman is.
However, not only Lexia-san, Luna, and Yuti, who are from another world, but also Saara-san is tilting her head in confusion.
“Just an explanation isn’t enough to understand…”
“Well, then. I’ll show you how to make one quickly.”
I made two small snowballs, stacked them on top of each other, stuck two twigs into the bottom snowball, and used a small pebble for eyes on the top snowball.
“It looks like this.”
“So cute!”
“I don’t think I ever saw people making snow figures like this back in my day,” said Saara-san.
“Is that so?”
I’d assumed that people in ancient times played similar games, but maybe they just didn’t have time for such things.
“By the way, besides snowmen, some people pack the snow down to make proper sculptures, too.”
“That sounds great! Then let’s all make snowmen together!”
Lexia-san said that with interest, and Luna nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, you’re right. With snowmen, nothing too dangerous should happen.”
“Agreed. I think even I could make one.”
“I’m going to make a big one!”
With that, we decided to build snowmen and got to work immediately.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!