Volume 8 – The Warmth of the Freezing Winds
Chapter 41 – Lively New Year’s Eve
The day after the forest monitoring system began its operation, Rick-san and Noemi-san departed from Sidera. They were returning to Alfheim, the elven homeland.
Alfheim is a floating nation, consisting of an island and a castle that drift through the sky. It meanders over the continent, and currently, it’s said to be hovering southeast of Sidera, near the border with the Beastkin’s territory, just above Helheim Valley.
Travel to and from Alfheim is done on tamed hippogriffs—creatures that resemble a cross between a bird of prey and a horse. They’re related to griffins but are far more docile and have been domesticated by the elves.
Despite the commotion surrounding the Athenak clan and the Void Forest, Alfheim remained silent. The twins from Ejetia left to investigate whether the elven authorities were plotting something sinister or if there was a larger issue at hand.
They speculated that any discoveries might not come until mid-winter, possibly even spring. Alfheim’s location in the sky makes entering the nation a complicated process, which takes time, and further investigations would only add to that. They asked us to be patient.
Of course, they plan to keep us updated with regular reports, but if anything dangerous happens to them, I’ll ask Ji Liz to storm in if necessary.
In the meantime, there’s no use in getting anxious over something I can’t control, and we all still need to live our lives—especially with the new year fast approaching.
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「Special traditions? No, I don’t believe we have any particular customs.」
Grandma Seralinde replied as she sipped her tea from the sofa in the living room.
「I see… I thought I’d follow them if there were any.」
「It’s definitely a significant time of the year, but we don’t consider it a celebration like your world does. I don’t recall any such events even during my time as an adventurer.」
「Hmm. Elves do have one.」
Karen chimed in, folding laundry on the carpet.
「Three days around the new year, we put up charms in front of the house to wish for good health. It’s more of a custom than a festival.」
「Sounds like the talismans we use in Japan… It feels like elven culture carries faint traces of old Japanese traditions.」
Of course, after 2,000 years, the customs would’ve changed quite a bit.
「Now that you mention it, the Sidera market didn’t have that ‘year’s end’ atmosphere either. In Japan, the stalls would be full of specific items—like kazunoko, kamaboko, black beans, and sea bream.」
Not to mention non-food items like new year’s money envelopes and New Year decorations.
In this world, though, winter is a season when people have to ration food carefully, so there’s little room for indulgence. In contrast, there’s a festival called “Snow Melting” that happens in early spring to celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring, where people feast on the last of their winter stores.
「We’re home!」
「Bark!」
Just as we were talking, I heard voices from the entrance—Mint and Chocola, back with their usual energy.
「Welcome back! Is mother with you?」
During the summer, Mint and Chocola used to barge in and out through the large windows, but now that it’s colder, they’ve started using the front door to keep the warmth inside. Smart of them.
「Sui-kun, can you grab some towels? Mint and Chocola are soaking wet.」
「Got it. …Wait, soaking wet?」
When I went to greet them in the hallway, mother had a slightly troubled look on her face. She had gone foraging with Mint and Chocola, but something seemed off.
I grabbed two bath towels from the washroom. Sure enough, Mint and Chocola were soaked to the bone, enough to make me shiver just looking at them.
「Mint, let’s start with your head. Sui-kun, can you take care of Chocola?」
「Yeah, sure. Chocola, stay still for a bit. We’ll start with your paws.」
「Yeah!」
「Bark!」
「They both jumped into the river. It surprised me…」
「Oh no! Were they okay?」
「They didn’t seem to mind at all. Their sense of temperature must be different from ours. They were completely fine and full of energy, but watching them made me feel cold.」
「What were you two doing in the river?」
「Catch fish! They’re in mother’s basket!」
Mint said with a grin, poking her face out from under the towel.
「Wow, that’s amazing! Did you catch some too, Chocola?」
「Bark!」
「You hate the shower, but jumping into a freezing river is fine?」
「Kwuunn!」
Chocola whined and squirmed at the mere mention of shower. Just hearing the word made him twist his body in protest. Come on, stay still. I don’t want you splashing water all over the house.
「All done! Mint, go to the living room and get something warm to drink. I think Karen’s got something ready for you.」
Mother said as she finished drying Mint. Just as she said that, Karen peeked her head out from behind the glass door.
「Hmm, I made it already. There’s honey in it, Mint.」
「Woohoo! Honey! Karen, love!!」
Mint shouted and dashed down the hallway, wrapping herself around Karen’s waist.
「All right, you’re done too, Chocola. Want some milk?」
「Bark!? Bark!」
「Go on, then.」
I said, watching Chocola trot off to the living room.
After making sure they were both settled, I turned back to mother.
「How much fish did they catch?」
「Quite a bit. Enough for the whole family to have their fill.」
「Trout, right? I could fry them or maybe make meunière… Oh, by the way, mother, I was thinking of making something special for New Year’s.」
「That sounds wonderful. With aunt here, it’ll make the festivities even more fun.」
After the busy past two months with the rare existence commotion, a little indulgence for New Year’s wouldn’t hurt. Fortunately, we’ve got more than enough provisions.
「So, tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve, and the day after that is New Year’s Day.」
「In this world, New Year’s Eve is called Hakuboku Setsu. It means starting the new year with a clean slate. I remember explaining it to your father a long time ago.」
With a nostalgic smile, mother handed me the fish basket. Feeling its hefty weight, I headed toward the kitchen.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day—or Hakuboku Setsu here. To get everything ready, I’ll need to start prepping tonight.
What kind of menu should I go for? I’d love to make some Japanese osechi dishes if possible.
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Start of Volume 8!
We start with the family’s preparations for New Year’s.
And don’t worry, no big incidents will happen in this volume.
Come back tomorrow for a taste of true slow life.
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