Ordinary Days (Part Two)

"Lia, did you know? Lady Serie was recently assassinated because of her plan to establish the [Continental Magic Association]!"

Walking down the streets of Äußerst, Amber held Lia's hand and chatted with her as they strolled along.

Because of the significant improvement in their living environment, Amber now much more confident and cheerful when she speaks. Lia also much more outgoing than before, and her facial expressions are much richer, unlike her somewhat expressionless demeanor at the beginning.

But when he was with Amber, he mostly listened quietly to her speak.

"Assassination? Is Serie... the Elf who saved us before?"

"Oh really? Lia, you're an Elf too, so why are you so unfamiliar with Lady Serie? Besides, she saved us last time, and you didn't even remember that?"

"Well... actually, even among our own kind, we don't interact very frequently... most of the time we live our own lives and don't bother each other."

More than surprised, Amber was puzzled.

She didn't understand why the two of them, both Elves, didn't communicate properly. Moreover, Amber could sense that Lia's total Mana power was extremely vast, far exceeding her own and even most of the seasoned Mages in the Palace. Logically speaking, Serie shouldn't be uninterested in someone with such extraordinary magical talent, especially since they were of the same race.

Or perhaps the reason lies in "family ties"?

That's strange...

However, she quickly stopped thinking about it and returned to her original topic.

"I heard that the assassin who came to kill Serie was a very powerful warrior. He was even able to break through the barrier of [Absolute Defense] and get right up to Lady Serie... but in the end, he definitely didn't succeed."

As she finished speaking, Amber's tone became unusually light, just as everyone else had thought: assassinating Serie was, after all, an unimaginable future.

Is that so?

"Huh!? Is that all the reaction is? This is a big deal!"

Lia's reply was lukewarm, not because she was just giving Amber a perfunctory answer, but because she genuinely wasn't very interested in such matters. The only thing that attracted her was Serie herself, who was also Elf, and her status as the benefactor who had saved them last time.

However, for some reason, she always felt that Galan didn't seem to want her to get too close to this member of the same clan or have any contact with him.

After sticking out her tongue in apology, Lia asked Amber why she had called her out today.

She turned her head and looked around, and after noticing that the route the two of them were taking today was somewhat different from usual, she couldn't help but wonder.

"Oh right, speaking of which, you're not from around here, so you probably don't know the Winter Festival is just around the corner, right?"

"Winter Festival?"

"Yes! It's a very lively event; basically everyone in the city will participate."

"So, what's that for? Is it to celebrate something?"

Lia was curious; this was her first time participating in human activities, and she wondered what would happen.

In the past, the only activities she had come into contact with in her tribe seemed to be sacrificial rites, so she felt a sense of anticipation.

"Of course, it's to celebrate the arrival of the new year!"

A hint of emotion crossed Amber's face. "I really didn't expect a year to pass so quickly... It's winter again..."

"Hmm... time really does go by quickly."

After Amber said that, Lia realized that winter meant the end of the year.

But she didn't know why Amber reacted so strongly to this, or rather, why humans were so particularly concerned about such things.

It's only been a year, just a year, right?

For her, this was just a tiny, insignificant moment in her long life; perhaps hundreds of years from now she would even forget what happened today. And the changing of the seasons was simply a natural cycle, nothing particularly special about it.

"Well, at least there will be lots of delicious food at the Winter Festival, right?"

She immediately realized this and looked at Amber with anticipation.

Amber nodded happily, "There are so many! And many of the delicious foods at the Winter Festival are things you can't usually get! I'll take you on a proper feast this time!"

Seeing that Amber had said so, Lia's anticipation for the Winter Festival rose even higher.

"Hey, so what are we here for today?"

As they chatted, Lia seemed to sense something and asked again.

"Oh, right, speaking of the Winter Festival, there's also a bonfire party in the central square. Lots of couples will be exchanging gifts there."

"Hmm? So... what does this have to do with us being here?"

Lia was still somewhat puzzled.

Right now, Amber has led her into a store that mainly sells household goods.

Because it's winter, the shelves in the store are filled with winter items, such as coats, hats, and gloves.

"Of course we're related! You and your teacher... oh no, Galan, aren't you a couple? Given your relationship, exchanging gifts is only natural, right? Actually, I think it would be even better if you could knit a towel or gloves by hand..."

"However, it might not be easy to go from getting started to finishing in such a short time. I think it would be more convenient for you to buy a ready-made product."

Amber pointed at the shelf, offering advice to Lia without realizing that Lia was standing there dumbfounded, completely unaware of what she was saying...

Are Galan and I... a couple?

It wasn't that she didn't know what a couple meant, but Galan hadn't confessed his feelings to her yet. Besides, her feelings for Galan were more gratitude for saving her than love. Was it just Amber's wishful thinking to say they were a couple?

"This is nice too... Hmm, Galan would be so happy to have a suitable scarf for winter, wouldn't she?"

Amber...

"Um?"

Actually... Galan and I aren't a couple...

"Not... a couple?"

Upon hearing this, Amber froze on the spot, her face filled with disbelief.

Not a couple?

How is that possible?

When she was with the two of them before, she could sense Galan's favoritism towards Lia from various details. If that's not considered liking her... wait a minute?

Does this mean Galan hasn't confessed his feelings to Lia yet?

She seemed to realize something and looked at Lia in shock. "Could it be that Galan is just having a one-sided crush on her?"