SS #38 Two Years Later, A Day in Each of Their Lives

#1 The Cat, the Wind, and the Knight

A mountain cabin stood at the border of the Argon Empire and the Wild Lands.

Heavy white snow fell, dyeing the entire area white. The cabin, set in the middle of the snowfield, was like a lighthouse in a dark, nocturnal sea.

And like a small boat making its way toward that solitary light, a single figure trudged forward.

A small frame.

White puffs of breath with every step.

Leather clothes and a cloak, worn so thick that it was impossible to make out a face, let alone a gender.

The figure, moving slowly but steadily through the snow that swallowed their feet, finally reached the cabin and threw the door open with a rough shove.

“Hah! Shit! I finally made it!”

The figure, letting out an exclamation learned from their dear master, declared the moment they stepped inside with a cascade of falling snow. A woman sitting so close to the roaring fireplace she was nearly stuck to it erupted in a shout.

“Close the door! You’re letting the cold wind in!”

As if chilled by the brief gust of wind, the woman hugged herself and roared. The newcomer scowled right back.

“If you’re cold, put on more clothes! You’re practically naked and you’re complaining about the cold!”

“I am not naked. This is the traditional attire of my tribe. The important parts are properly covered. Just close the door!”

At the second roar from the slender beauty with long, light-blue hair—Red Wind—the figure—Kirara—grumbled but shut the door.

Never mind Red Wind; a considerable amount of snow had blown in during that short time.

“You’ve had a hard journey. Come over here and have something hot to drink.”

“Sara, you’re the only one for me. Unlike someone else, you have some class.”

Kirara, having closed the door and taken off her cloak, approached the fireplace with a grin. Sara, who had been sitting opposite Red Wind, offered up her own seat and poured cocoa into a wooden cup.

“Cat, what took you so long?”

“Can’t you see this blizzard? Next time, we really need to change the meeting place.”

Sighing with an exhaustion that outweighed her irritation, Kirara blew on the cocoa Sara offered her and took a sip.

“Haaah… I can finally breathe. Thanks, Sara.”

As Kirara’s tail began to sway contentedly, Sara smiled, took Kirara’s discarded cloak and outer coat, and sat down.

“Shall we begin this meeting, then?”

“Good idea.”

“Sounds good.”

Once Red Wind and Kirara agreed, Sara smiled again and clapped her hands together.

“Alright, I’ll go first. The Empire is at peace. His Majesty the Emperor is scheduled to welcome his fifth empress next month, and the imperial grandchildren are all healthy.”

At Sara’s words, Kirara recalled the young emperor who used to chase after her dear master, shouting, “Angel! Angel!”

He had been a little kid, even smaller than Kirara herself, and now he had grown up so much he had five wives.

Is this what they call feeling the passage of time?

While Kirara unknowingly let a smile slip, Sara continued in her gentle voice.

“Leon is doing well, too. Lately, he’s been taking Tristan and Gwen fishing, and he seems to be enjoying it. Tristan seems to prefer the bow over the sword, and he definitely has a talent for it. Gwen really loves embroidery. Tristan wants to be a knight, but Gwen doesn’t… so Leon and I have decided not to force her into becoming one.”

The update, which began with Leon, the Captain of the Imperial Knights, naturally flowed into the affairs of their children.

“Then I will go next. The Wild Lands are also at peace. There are some minor disputes between tribes, but that is a daily occurrence. It would be stranger if there were none. Sun Song is still healthy. The children are healthy, too, but Wind Song wants to go see the imperial capital. Can you help, Sara?”

“Of course, anytime. Bring Sky Song and Night Song along with Wind Song.”

“Thank you. I will prepare for the trip when I return.”

The conversation between the wife of the Captain of the Imperial Knights and the wife of the Great Chieftain of the Wild Lands always began with updates on the Empire and the Wild Lands, but the real substance was always their respective family matters.

From the beginning, this gathering was less a grand exchange of information and more of a social get-together.

A social club formed when Red Wind happened to join a meeting between Kirara and Sara, who had grown close during their journey at the end of the Disaster War over a decade ago.

It feels strangely like one of those scenes in a novel where all the minor supporting characters are gathered at once to give an update on their lives! But… whatever.

Shaking off the bizarre thought that popped into her head, Kirara shrugged at the two women who were now looking at her and said,

“The Holy Nation is also without incident. And our Cordelia Church, which serves our master, is growing steadily.”

“That’s good to hear. What about you, Kirara?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Are you still not seeing anyone?”

As Kirara pursed her lips at Sara’s gentle prodding, Red Wind snorted.

“Hmph, as if. She’s an old maid cat. She can’t do the admirable work of strengthening the tribe by bearing many children like I have.”

Red Wind, who had six children with Sun Song, puffed out her chest and spoke proudly.

In the Wild Lands, bearing many children was a virtue, and a mother who could bear many was considered great.

Therefore, Red Wind felt she could look down on Kirara all she wanted.

After all, she was a cat who hadn’t even had a child, let alone found a partner.

“Tch, listen to you brag. Kaisa Hresvelg has had way more kids than you, you know?”

Kaisa Hresvelg.

The heroine of the kingdom, revered by some factions as an incarnation of the goddess of fertility.

“Grk… I, I will have more, too. Sun Song and I will work hard together.”

“…I think this conversation is getting a little strange.”

And why had the topic suddenly shifted to Kaisa when they were talking about Kirara in the first place?

With a bitter smile, Sara changed the subject.

“How is your missionary work? Do you have any missions you’re in charge of lately?”

Kirara was a bishop of the Cordelia Church, but she was also the lead missionary, tasked with spreading the greatness of Cordelia far and wide.

The very reason she, who was based in the Holy Kingdom, came all the way to this distant empire for their meeting was because her missionary work often brought her to the Empire anyway.

“The number of believers in the Empire has grown so much that I’m wondering if we should start expanding to the East… but overall, as I said at the beginning, things are going smoothly. And as for missions… I recently carried out an important one.”

“Important?”

“Yes, very important. I received a lot of praise from my master for it.”

Kirara puffed out her chest as if to boast, and seeing Red Wind react to the words ‘Cordelia’s praise,’ she grinned and began her story.

“It’s about the Magic Kingdom. We finally… found a survivor.”

The Magic Kingdom of Magellan.

A nation of High Elves that had prospered in the distant past, but now, even the ruins of its capital had vanished.

Sara and Red Wind were well aware that the Cordelia Church was searching for survivors of Magellan.

Why was the Cordelia Church looking for them?

What did they plan to do once they found a survivor?

Sara and Red Wind perked up their ears and focused on the story, while Kirara, her face softening, continued.

#2 Re: Fairy Challenge

That night, while Kirara, Red Wind, and Sara continued their meeting.

In the royal capital, where the time difference meant it was still afternoon, another meeting was taking place.

“The time for revenge has finally come.”

In a steaming outdoor bath.

With a magnificent view of the beautiful royal palace behind her, a red-haired girl in a red bikini clenched her fists, her fighting spirit ablaze.

And for good reason. It was in this very spot, over a decade ago, that the girl’s two mothers—Scarlet Hresvelg and Kaisa Hresvelg—had suffered a bitter humiliation.

“Please watch over me, Mothers.”

Seeing Vivian clasp her hands together in prayer, Regina thought:

Aren’t they both still alive?

They had even given them pocket money and packed them lunch, telling them to have fun.

In any case, the Vivian of today was pretty enough to make even Regina’s heart flutter, and she was a girl herself.

The bikini, hugging a body more mature than her peers, suited Vivian’s jade-like skin perfectly. Her haughty and confident face, framed by her red hair, looked exceptionally beautiful today.

And her shimmering red hair, truly as soft as silk, was breathtaking.

Vivian Hresvelg.

Age 14.

The girl with clenched fists swallowed dryly and took a nervous step forward.

Then, she submerged herself up to the top of her head.

Brushing back her hair, now damp with warm water, she sang.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ How I wonder what you are~”

Her voice was beautiful, and the song was lovely.

The sight of the water-drenched Vivian was so beautiful that she could have been featured in the monthly angel pictorial published by the Cordelia Church without looking out of place.

But.

They’re not coming out.

That’s right.

The fairies, said to appear when a beauty entered the water and sang, did not show up.

“W-Why.”

Having finished the entire song, Vivian trembled, looking genuinely mortified.

It seemed as though tears were about to fall from her reddened eyes at any moment.

But Vivian was Vivian.

Instead of bursting into tears and ruining the mood, she splashed her face with water once and let out an angry cry.

“Grr! Just how high are your standards?!”

Vivian, repeating the exact words a certain red-haired beauty had uttered over a decade ago, grumbled as she climbed out of the bath.

“Regina, you’re next.”

“Huh? Me? Uh… can’t I just skip it?”

“What do you mean, skip it? We all agreed to do it once. You want me to be the only one who gets embarrassed?”

Well, you know, they might actually come out if I go in. Wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing for you?

Normally, Regina would have said what she was thinking, but seeing Vivian’s face on the verge of tears, she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.

A-And they might really not come out, either.

Regina, in her white one-piece swimsuit, swallowed dryly and glanced toward the screen set up a short distance away—more precisely, at the large boy who was likely waiting beyond it.

“Regina?”

“Ah, alright. I’ll try.”

Getting up awkwardly, Regina took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks to focus her mind.

Regina Bayer.

Age 15.

“Here I go!”

She declared clearly and submerged herself, singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” just as Vivian had.

And.

“This is why I said I didn’t want to do it!”

At Regina’s tearful cry, Vivian was simultaneously relieved—and furious.

Why are these fairies so picky! Don’t they know how cute and pretty our Regina is!

Her protective older-sister instincts kicking in, Vivian shot a fierce glare at the innocent bath before leading the still-pouting Regina out of the water.

“Hmph, well then, next is…”

The last person present.

The black-haired girl sitting where Vivian and Regina looked gave a small nod and stood up.

Yuria August Bayer.

Age 13.

Dressed in a pink one-piece swimsuit, she didn’t show any of the nervousness Vivian or Regina had. Instead, she walked forward with a graceful stride.

And the very moment her toe touched the water.

“Wow! This one’s really pretty!”

“Won’t you come play with us?”

“Play with us. Please?”

Dozens of fairies, appearing as if they had been waiting, all raised their voices at once.

“We haven’t heard her sing yet, but we can tell. She’s going to be amazing.”

“Who are they?”

“They’re pretty too, I guess. Should we play with them?”

At the fairies’ words directed at them, Vivian clenched her fists again with a “Grr!” while Regina pouted.

In truth, based on looks alone, both of them were more than qualified to summon fairies.

On any other day, the two of them would have been able to call the fairies out on their own.

But today was a very special day, and because of it, the fairies’ already high standards had soared to the heavens.

“Let’s go see the Queens.”

“Yeah, yeah, the Queens!”

Sometimes once a year, sometimes once every two years.

And on very rare occasions, once a decade.

It was, in true fairy fashion, the randomly held grand assembly of the Fairy Queens.

Yuria, who already knew it was the day of the grand assembly since fairies popped out every time she bathed in the Holy Kingdom, glanced at Vivian and Regina as if to ask what they should do. The two girls, instead of answering right away, looked toward the boys waiting behind the screen.

If they were going to go play, they had to go together.

“I’ll go get them.”

Yuria nodded at Vivian’s words and gave a few perfunctory replies to the fairies, who had started chattering again. She then gazed down past the bath—more accurately, toward the streets of the capital.

The thought of going out to play had reminded her of two people who had been on her mind—no, who had been bothering her the entire way to the bath.

Well, if it doesn’t work out, it can’t be helped.

She hadn’t had high expectations for their meeting in the first place.

Shrugging off the thought, Yuria’s face broke into a bright smile at the sight of Yujin hesitantly walking out from behind the screen.

#3 Of the Retired Mercenary Angel and the Author-slash-Swordsman

At that moment, as Yuria took a shy Yujin’s hand and led him into the bath.

In a fancy cafe located in the city streets of the capital, two people who seemed to have no connection whatsoever—a blonde beauty and a white-haired beauty, to be precise—were facing each other.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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