As time gradually entered Frost Moon and the Frost Sky Constellation climbed ever higher in the sky, the cold, long winter of the northern continent descended upon the entire empire. From the perennially frozen mountains of the northern frontier to the Dark Mountains in the south, from the prosperous commercial hubs of the western borderlands to Longwind Fortress on the eastern frontier, it was as if a single night of frigid wind had swept away the last dead leaves, bringing snowfall to many parts of the country.
In that old era, winter's arrival meant the hardest days of the year had come. Limited food, the steep cost of keeping warm, appallingly poor urban and rural infrastructure... Most people could only huddle at home through such a season, carefully rationing their remaining food and firewood as they waited for winter to pass. There was no entertainment to speak of, much less outdoor winter recreation—that had been a privilege reserved for the upper class.
But before anyone realized it, such memories had already become relics of a bygone era.
Fielm stood at the edge of the plaza before the Magic Shadow Theater, bundled in thick winter clothes as he watched the crowd gradually gather. His understated attire made it difficult to associate him at first glance with the illustrious title of "founder of Magic Shadow Plays." On the snow-covered streets after a winter storm, he looked more like an ordinary young man who had happened to stop there, gazing at the new play's posters and promotional projections.
This was the world's first Magic Shadow Theater, and it was also his theater. His father had once been a moderately famous playwright in the royal capital and had even owned his own troupe, yet even so, his father had never possessed a theater of