In the morning, everything was set and ready to go. Beatrice had extended the barrier to cover Roswaal Manor.
The result was exactly what everyone hoped for: a beautiful winter wonderland had descended upon the surroundings.
To accompany this wonderland was snowfall, not too light nor too heavy. It would've been a shame if only the six of them were there to enjoy this.
It obviously wasn't the case, as Xeno had called all of Arlam Village to celebrate this disaster-turned-festival.
The villagers from Arlam were all standing in the courtyard, and standing right at the center of it were Xeno and Emilia.
Xeno: "Greetings, everyone. I hope you're all doing well. Don't worry, I'm not really a speech guy, so I'll get straight to the point. To celebrate this Grand Snow Festival, we're holding an equally grand competition."
Emilia, standing next to him while wearing a magic cat hood to keep everyone from recognizing her, continued.
"A snow sculpture competition. The person who creates the most creative and impressive snow sculpture will win a prize... T-That's—"
She nervously spread out her arms, yelling,
"That's completely out of this world!" She yelped, slightly embarrassed.
The villagers, however, seeing her earnest attempt, still cheered.
"YEAH!"
Everyone spread out. The two, seeing everyone so happy, smiled themselves.
Xeno: "Well, that went well, didn't it?"
He turned to look at Emilia, only to notice she looked somewhat downcast.
Xeno: "What's with you? Aren't you happy?"
Emilia snapped out of it and quickly waved her hands.
Emilia: "No, no, I am happy, Xeno. It's just that..." She twirled her hair.
"I messed up our speech. I tried to be confident like you... but I ended up ruining it."
She looked guilty.
Emilia: "EEK!"
It didn't last long when Xeno flicked her forehead.
"X-Xeno, what was that for?" She massaged the spot where he had flicked her.
Xeno: "That was for blaming yourself. Seriously, you think you ruined our speech? You didn't. Stop needlessly blaming yourself. I didn't mind your earnest attempt, neither did the villagers, so don't blame yourself. And let's enjoy this festival. Okay?" Xeno sternly told her.
Emilia was surprised, then let out a soft smile.
Emilia: "Yes, I will, Xeno. I'll make the best snow sculpture there is." She cheered before turning to head toward her spot.
Xeno sighed before smiling himself. With that, the fun had officially begun.
...
The contest was rather simple.
Xenophanes and Roswaal would judge the sculptures, while Muraosa, an elderly man from Arlam, acted as a secret judge.
Making the total score thirty.
The reason for even having a secret judge was because, if everyone knew who the judges were, someone might try to bribe them or use an underhanded tactic.
Or so Roswaal says. Xeno wasn't too bothered by it, though. His right hand in his pocket, Xeno trudged through the snow at a slow pace.
The snow was really inconvenient for someone who had to use a crutch to move.
It was the only downside to this otherwise awesome festival.
Looking around, Xeno was amazed by how much artistic talent the villagers had. All of the sculptures were of various animals and structures like castles.
Well made, though unfortunately generic.
Turning to his left, he saw a certain tsundere come and join the party. Xeno smiled at that and painfully made his way toward her.
Xeno: "Well, well, well, look who decided to join us."
Beatrice: "Don't misunderstand. Betty is only here because Bubby insisted, I suppose." She crossed her arms.
Xeno: "Suuure you are. Don't deny it, Beatrice. You want to play with us."
Beatrice: "I am not, I suppose. Don't be ridiculous. I'm only here because Bubby."
Xeno: "Whatever you say. But here's the rules: no magic, and have fun. See you later, Betty." He patted her head.
Beatrice: "S-Stop that, in fact."
She brushed his hand away, embarrassed.
He chuckled, then began his begrudging trek through the annoying snow.
Xeno began evaluating each sculpture he came across.
All of them were excellent builds, despite being rather basic. Regardless, his ratings ranged from six to eight.
He couldn't really bring himself to rank anything higher than a nine. They just lacked the creativ—
Xeno stopped dead in his tracks.
He had come across a sculpture of the Boss Wolgarm. The man had gone as far as to use appas to replicate its eyes, making it frighteningly realistic.
The villager who made it noticed Xeno staring at it with empty eyes and excitedly approached him.
Villager: "Xeno-sama, do you like it?"
Xeno: "...I give you... 6.999 points."
The villager twitched and frantically waved his arms.
"N-Not even a seven!? Why, Xeno-sama!? Is it not good enough? Was it not creative enough?" he stammered.
Xeno's left pupil looked him in the eyes.
He pointed to his pupil-less right eye.
"No, it's really good. But you made the creatures that took my eye (even though it still works) bit and tore into my flesh. I'm deducting points for trauma." Xeno said that and, not wanting to continue the conversation, began leaving.
Villager: "Wait, Xeno-sama, I—"
The man stood there dumbfounded, watching Xeno slowly walk away, clearly annoyed.
"Xeno-kun! Over here!"
Shortly after getting away, Xeno turned toward Rem's voice. She and her sister were standing in front of a sculpture covered by a sheet.
Xeno was actually surprised that she and Ram were participating. Then again, he did tell everyone to have fun.
Ram: "You're finally here. Ram thought she would have to wait another hour." She said as Xeno slowly arrived at their position.
Xeno: "Not today, Ram. I will deduct points if I feel remotely insulted." He shamelessly declared.
Ram: "Tsk."
Rem: "Xeno-kun! Sister and I constructed this sculpture together." She was visibly excited.
Ram: "Ram and Rem's finest work. A compilation of our strength, artistic skills, and sisterly love." She smirked.
Rem: "Yes. I believe this is the best work my sister's direction and my meager abilities could produce."
Xeno: "I'm gonna ignore that comment for now. What's the name of your creation?" He raised a brow.
Rem: "We call it... 'The Statue of the Great Xenwaal.'"
Rem proudly took the sheet away, revealing a sculpture that combined the features of both Xenophanes and Roswaal.
Xeno: "..."
Ram: "I wanted to sculpt Roswaal-sama."
Rem: "I wanted to sculpt you, Xeno-kun. This was the compromise we reached."
Roswaal: "Oh my! What brings you three heeere?"
The maids and Xeno turned around to see Roswaal approach. Once he stood beside them, he noticed it.
Roswaal: "And... what's this?"
Ram: "Roswaal-sama, please take a look at this."
Unfortunately, he did. He looked at it in full detail.
Roswaal: "..."
Roswaal: "Dooon't you think it's an excellent representation of how cloooose we've become, Xeno?" He joked to hide how disturbed he felt.
Xeno: "I'd rather get mauled by Wolgarms again." He whispered.
Rem: "Roswaal-sama, Xeno-kun. Please be unbiased as you judge the culmination of both mine and Ram's sculpture."
Ram: "Yes, please judge us fairly." She turned toward Roswaal.
Seeing Xeno's intense silence, Roswaal decided to go first. He held up four fingers. Ram looked happy, stars in her eyes. However, it was short-lived, as Roswaal only gave them four points.
Ram had a look of complete and utter shock.
There was no way the combined talent of her and Rem was only worth four points.
Soon, she turned to Xeno hopefully.
Xeno: "Rem gets a three." He bluntly stated.
Hearing that, Ram fell to her knees in defeat.
Ram: "W-Worse than Roswaal-sama's score. Only seven out of twenty. Not... even... half. Even with a perfect score from the last judge, it'll barely be half."
Xeno: "Before you misunderstand, Ram, I want to clarify. I gave Rem four points."
Ram: "W-What?" She looked up at him, horrified.
Xeno: "I judge people equally. For this, you and Rem each get a maximum of five points, making ten in total. Rem got four points, while you, on the other hand, got a fricking negative one. For not helping."
At this point, he was just rubbing salt in her wounds.
Ram: "S-So if Ram h-had helped, you would've g-given us more points?" She was mortified.
Xeno: "Yes."
'No! The only reason I haven't evaporated that half-and-half abomination to kingdom come is because of Rem's feelings.'
Roswaal: "Ram, the quaaality was good, but something about your sculpture... just gives me chills."
With that last blow, Ram face-planted into the snow, tasting the cold, bitter snow in defeat.
...
Xeno had his fill of bullying Ram. Afterwards, he went to judge the last four sculptures left.
Five of the children had worked together to sculpt him.
Xeno: "Hmmm, I give it an eight. While I'm flattered, I can't rank it any higher. I still have a reputation to keep."
Emilia: "Hi, Xeno." She walked up to his left.
Xeno: "Heya, Emilia. I'm guessing yours and Beatrice's work is ready."
She nodded enthusiastically.
Emilia: "Me and Beatrice worked reaaally hard. Come on, let me show you."
The moment Emilia and Beatrice presented their sculpture, Xeno was confused.
He didn't know what he was looking at. It looked like a badly drawn cat.
Xeno: "Ladies, just in case... what am I looking at?"
Emilia: "It's Puck."
Now that he looked closer, if the intent was to give him an aneurysm, then he could see it.
Xeno: "Seven points."
Beatrice: "A measly seven!? How is that possible, I suppose?"
Xeno: "It's good. He just looks..."
'What's a polite way of saying retarded?'
"...weird, that's all. Still a good attempt."
They pouted at that.
And finally, it was Meili and Petra's turn.
The two guided Xeno to where their sculptures were.
On the left side was Petra's. It was an adorable little snow bunny.
Beside it was Meili's. It was... a small mabeast. A realistic one at that.
It had the head of a lion, the torso of a horse, and a snake-like tail.
The contrast between the sculptures was apparent.
Xeno: "Ummm, Meili, what's that supposed to be?" He asked curiously.
Meili: "This, Oni-chan, is a Gultiylawe, a ferocious, dangerous mabeast." She rested her hands on her hips.
Petra: "What do you think, Xeno-kun?"
Xeno: "Hmmm, excellent quality. Good job. For both creativity and design, I give both of you ten points."
The girls grasped each other's hands, jumping in joy.
...
Soon enough, the grear snow festival had came to an end. The winner of the competition was decided.
Petra.
She got a perfect score, which was honestly expected.
Meili was disappointed she didn't win, but that didn't matter much to her. She was secretly overjoyed that Xeno liked and approved of her sculpture.
As for Petra's prize that was "out of this world," it was—
Petra: "What is this, Xeno-kun?" She looked at something wrapped in paper.
Xeno: "First, kiddo, drop the 'Mr.' I think we're past that point. And second, it's a shawarma. Something I tried once and instantly liked. Enjoy it. I even wrote down how to make it."
Her eyes lit up. She grabbed both things with pure happiness.
Petra: "Thank you, Xeno-kun! I'll pass it down in my family from now on." She nodded excitedly.
Xeno: 'Kun? Isn't she going a little fast there? Now that I think about it, I just realized Rem has been calling me that for the last two days as well. Huh... neat.'
Bruh. It took him two days just to notice that!
...
The Grand Snow Festival may have ended, but the celebration certainly hadn't.
Under the starry night, everyone had gathered around the table, littered with various foods and, best of all, wine for the adults.
Everyone had a smile on their face...
Well, almost everyone.
It appeared Xeno once again took center stage for some reason.
Xeno: "Sigh, let's get this over with. I want to thank everyone for participating in this wonderful event. I hope you all had fun. I sure did. Matter of fact, let's make this a tradition. Next time, let's make everything bigger, badder, and even more epic. CHEERS!"
"CHEERS!"
Soon, the party commenced, with everyone enjoying the food and chatting with each other. Overall, the atmosphere couldn't be any brighter.
Some time later, Roswaal raised a bottle of alcohol.
Roswaal: "Xeno, what do you think about drinking alcohol? Are you the type to turn bright red and then say—"
He tilted his head to the side with a fake blush on his face.
"I don't... want to go home tonight." He winked at him.
"Or perhaps a reaction similar to that?"
Xeno: "...That was really creepy, but no. Like I said, I lived a very sheltered life. I can't even tell if I've seen a bottle of alcohol before."
Roswaal: "Is that so? I suppose, with how you act, that appears to be the case."
In the middle of their conversation, Emilia stepped forward, raising a finger.
Emilia: "Children shouldn't be drinking alcohol, though, because it'll end up stunting your growth."
Xeno's eye twitched.
Xeno: "Emilia, I'm nineteen. I'm literally the oldest one out of all of you."
Roswaal and Puck tried to object, but before they could—
Xeno: "You three don't count. And if you still object, then prepare to be called old for the rest of your life." He looked at them.
They wisely shut up.
Emilia: "I didn't know you were nineteen. I, uhh... assumed you were a lot younger." She looked at him innocently.
Xeno: "And just how young did you think I was?"
She thought for a bit, resting a finger on her chin.
Emilia: "Uhh... twelve?"
Xeno's eye twitched again.
Emilia: "Thirteen! Thirteen." She stammered, holding out three fingers.
Xeno: "Seriously? By that logic, Felt is what... five to you?"
Emilia: "N-No, I don't... think that." She turned away, embarrassed.
Emilia: "A-Anyway, Puck says I'm not allowed to have alcohol."
Puck: "Of course I said that. Because drinking is what bad grown-ups do." The spirit chimed in, crossing his arms.
"And if I see any put in front of Lia, I'll guzzle every last drop and take them down."
He pumped his fist, then playfully shadowboxed the air.
"TAAKAKAAKAK—"
Roswaal walked up to Emilia, Rem, and Xeno, holding a glass and a bottle of alcohol.
Roswaal: "That said, I see no problem if it's just for tonight—"
He started pouring a drink.
"See, it's been such a shame that all this aged alcohol I found in the wine cellar, go to waste."
He handed the glass toward Emilia, who curiously accepted it.
Xeno: 'This can either go really well... or horribly wrong.' He thought as he watched Emilia drink the alcohol.
...
Emilia: "Mmmmhmm."
She got drunk after a single glass. She ate a sweet, getting crumbs all over her breasts.
She stumbled, unable to stand still. She looked at Xeno, who looked stunned.
Emilia: "What's wrong, Xeno? You're making a reaaally funny face right now." She looked at him with a smile.
Emilia: "Woah, there's so many of you!" She said, surprised, then went dangerously close to his face.
"It's not fair!"
Xeno leaned back, surprised. Emilia put her hands on her hips.
"All you Xenos are trying to hug all at the same time."
She collided with him, and both fell onto the ground. The sudden impact caused pain to spike through his spine.
Xeno: "Ah! Frick."
He massaged his back, sitting cross-legged while looking at Emilia.
"Ouch. Emilia, I think you've had enough for tonight."
He watched as Emilia ate another sweet, more crumbs dropping onto her breasts.
Emilia: "Hic, but that drink was so yummy!" She grasped her cheeks, then pouted.
"No fair. You kept the secret for so long."
She held onto his right arm, slightly leaning against him.
"You've all been going behind my back with it and sneaking around..."
She pouted at him.
"Drinking without me!" She just smiled sweetly, giggling.
She then slowly rested her head on Xeno's right thigh, wrapping her arms around his right arm and closing her eyes.
Xeno: "Gaah!" He became flustered.
"Darn you, Emilia, for being so... so CUTE!"
Rem: "Xeno."
Xeno turned to his left, seeing Rem staring at him.
Xeno: "Huh? Oh yeah, Rem. What is it?"
Rem leaned in, resting her hands on Xeno's other thigh before softly biting his shoulder.
Xeno: "Rem... that hurt. I think you've also had enough for tonight." He looked at her, bewildered.
Rem kept her head still, gazing into his eyes with an accusing expression.
Rem: "Hmph. Don't make fun of me, Xeno, Xeno, Xeno."
Xeno: "You just said my name three times, but do you... umm... want something?"
Rem: "I'm usually very serious because my job is so important to me..."
She closed her eyes with a loving, tender expression.
"But since today is all about having fun, I guess I ended up letting my guard down a little bit..."
She wrapped her arms around Xeno's waist gently.
"Either way, this is your fault, Xeno."
She rested her head on his thigh, snuggling against him.
Now both Emilia and Rem were resting on either of Xeno's thighs.
The man himself didn't know what to do next, so he used his free hand, his left one, to ruffle Rem's hair.
At that action, Rem started purring like a cat. It was all too adorable.
Xeno: 'This is quite the fortunate situation I've gotten myself into.' He smiled softly.
Xeno: "You know, I'm honestly surprised. I thought demons would have better alcohol resistance."
Ram: "Well, that is true for demons as a race." She answered his question, pouring herself another drink.
"In fact, I often drank alongside the adults when I was smaller."
Xeno: "You just admitted to underage drinking. You're fortunate nobody here is a knight." He said deadpan, watching her gulp down the entire glass.
Ram: "Now don't be ridiculous." She hiccupped.
Xeno: "Sure you do. Sigh, I guess the moral of this story is that certain people shouldn't drink, even when given the chance."
Roswaal: "Now that's an extreme exclaaamation." He butted in, pouring alcohol down to Puck, who was currently resting inside a bowl happily.
Xeno: "Hey! Save some for me! I still haven't had a sip!"
Ram: "Is that so? Then come sit with us. We'll give you all the alcohol you want." She looked at him mischievously.
Xeno hesitated. He really didn't want to move from his current situation. Ram was doing this on purpose.
Xeno: "Oh, screw you, Ram!"
It was either his comfort or his curiosity.
Eventually, his curiosity to taste alcohol won. Sighing, he reluctantly called out to Emilia.
Xeno: "Hey! Emilia, do you think you can keep an eye on Rem for me?"
Emilia, her eyes closed, lifted her head from his thigh.
"Sure, no problem—"
She got up, pulling Rem closer.
"Hey, come here, Rem, okaaay."
She hugged her, wrapping an arm around her head and rubbing Rem's face against her.
"Hmmm, oh wow, you're so cute!" She giggled, despite both of their eyes being closed.
Snap.
Seeing this, Xeno pulled out his phone and quietly took a picture.
Xeno: "New homepage acquired."
Ram: "I'm burning this into my eyelids." She smirked.
...
Now at the table, Xeno poured himself a drink. He stared at the liquid.
Roswaal: "What's wrong? Aren't you going to drink? Or did you apply the moraaal of your story to yourself?" The clown said, amused.
Xeno took a deep breath, then chugged the drink in one go before lightly slamming the glass onto the table.
Xeno: "..."
Ram: "How was it then? Were you severely disappointed?" She asked with a straight face.
Xeno: "I... don't know what I was expecting... It tastes good, I guess. But now I'm even more curious."
Roswaal: "To experience the wonderful feeling of drunkenness? Why goooo ahead. Nobody's going to stop you."
He didn't need to be told twice.
He began drinking glass after glass, and before he knew it, he had drunk two entire bottles.
Xeno: "..."
Roswaal, Ram, and Puck watched the entire time.
All of them wanted to know what a drunk Xenophanes would be like.
Xeno: "I don't feel any different."
"Huh!?" They all exclaimed.
Xeno: "You heard me. I don't feel remotely tipsy."
His pupil turned red as he questioned,
'Hey, Gluttony. How come I don't feel drunk?'
[That's because your metabolism is way too good for you to get drunk.]
Xeno: "I... um... think I'm immune to the effects of alcohol, I guess." He scratched his cheek.
Everyone went silent.
Xeno once again proved just how much of an anomaly he was.
Xeno: "But that begs the question... is that a good thing or a bad thing?" He was genuinely wondering that.
"A bad thing."
All three said it at once.
Xeno was practically asking to be teased.
Xeno: "H-Huh? Why?"
Ram: "Ram was hoping she would get to see you making a fool of yourself. Sorry, a bigger fool of yourself." She corrected herself.
Roswaal: "It's really quite unfortunate. I was rather looking forward to the antics your drunk self would do. I'm sure they would've been... rather amuuusing." He smiled mischievously.
Puck: "Teehee." He agreed with both of them.
Xeno just stared at them blankly.
'With friends like these, who needs enemies?'
...
It was only now that he noticed Beatrice and Meili weren't here. As for Meili, he guessed she had gone to sleep. It was getting late.
As for Beatrice, he looked around and noticed her standing on the balcony, all alone.
Xeno: 'Being alone, is she? Not on my watch.'
He got up, grabbed his crutch, and moved outside.
Xeno: "You guys enjoy yourselves. I'll be back."
He leaned against the stone fence, looking at the loli.
Xeno: "You know, the whole point of a party is to spend time with everyone."
He handed her a glass of juice.
"Here's some freshly squeezed juice. It's cold."
Beatrice grabbed the juice without a word.
Xeno: "Still being a loner, ay?"
Beatrice frowned at being called that. Before she could retort, though, Xeno turned around and looked toward the courtyard where everyone's sculptures were.
Xeno: "I can understand what being a loner is like. I can understand what you're trying to do."
Her grip on her glass tightened.
Beatrice: "Don't pretend to understand what I'm going through. What I've experienced isn't something a human like you can understand."
She glared at him.
Xeno: "...Before coming to the capital... do you know when the last time I made a friend was?"
He sighed.
"Kindergarten. To put that into perspective, that's fourteen years of my life spent without a single friend. I simply just... didn't try."
Beatrice's eyes widened. She looked at Xenophanes, unable to believe that he, of all people, hadn't made a friend for that long.
Xeno: "All my life, all I did was isolate myself in my own world. My parents were worried about me for years on end, telling me to go outside and get along with people, but I just... didn't."
"I just isolated myself, perfectly content with my lifestyle. I had countless chances, yet I did nothing. I just didn't feel it was necessary, so I just watched. Watched as the people around me had fun, made jokes, and hung around, watching the world go round and round while I sat there alone with my thoughts."
"Hehe... sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
He looked at Beatrice.
Beatrice: "..."
Xeno: "So, I don't understand the scale of what you went through. I can at least understand some of it."
Beatrice: "How?" she whispered.
Xeno looked at her, confused.
Beatrice: "How did you change? How did you become... like this?"
Xeno: "...I don't know."
Beatrice: "You don't know!?"
Her mouth hung open.
Xeno: "I don't know how it all started or how I became like this. I... just did. Perhaps I was always like this, just hidden deep within, or maybe some catalyst made me change.... But I think it's a good thing."
He looked at her.
"If I was still my old self, I couldn't stand where I am right now, with you all... Sigh, so, Beatrice."
He didn't call her Betty. He straightened up. His next words were more of a wish than anything else.
Xeno: "I don't know why or how you're like this, but I have just a simple request. Even if you don't want friends... just don't isolate yourself. Even if it's just a single day for a single hour, go outside... Just go outside to feel the grass, the sun, or the rain. At least look at the beauty of this world once in a while."
Beatrice: "..."
She stood still, completely stunned. She didn't speak.
Xeno: "Sigh... I'll let you organize your thoughts... Bye, Betty."
He simply grabbed his crutch and went inside.
As he did, Beatrice whispered a single sentence, unheard by anyone.
Beatrice: "Betty will think about it."
...
Xeno: "Huh? Where did Roswaal and Ram go?" He scanned the room, seeing a distinct lack of a red oni and a clown.
Xeno: 'Ugh, don't tell me they secretly went to flirt.' He shuddered at the thought.
The only ones left inside were the sleeping Rem and Emilia, and Puck, still inside the bowl of alcohol.
Puck: "Oh, you're back, Xeno. How was Betty doing?" he asked with interest.
Xeno: "Better than usual, I guess." He sat in the chair Roswaal had been occupying.
Xeno: "So, how's your day been going? You really seem to be letting loose."
Puck: "You bet I am. I haven't had the chance to let loose in a while." He stretched contentedly.
Xeno: "..."
"Hey, Puck, how much mana do you have left?"
Puck: "I still have quite a bit of mana. Why?"
Xeno: "Good. You still have one last show to put on for someone." He turned his gaze toward the balcony.
Puck: "..."
All traces of his usual playfulness vanished, understanding what Xeno wanted.
Puck: "What do you need me to do?"
Xeno: "The beauty of this world."
...
The door to the balcony opened once again.
Beatrice turned around, thinking it was Xenophanes, but was surprised to find Puck, Xeno, Emilia, who was rubbing her eyes while in Xeno's arms, and Rem, who was rubbing one eye with one hand while the other was wrapped around Xeno's arm.
Puck: "Hey, Betty. I hope you've been ladylike."
Beatrice: "Bubby, what's going on?" While happy to see Puck, she was confused as well.
Puck: "Nothing much. I still have extra mana, so I thought, why not let the entire capital enjoy the snow?"
He spread his arms, and a massive beam of green light shot into the sky.
Across the capital of Lugunica, people stopped what they were doing and looked up in amazement.
It began to snow.
Everyone, from the knights and the other royal candidates down to the appa seller and even the thugs, looked into the sky in amazement.
But that wasn't all.
To further beautify the scene, countless lesser fire spirits dotted the skies.
Back at the mansion, everyone on the balcony watched in awe as the scene unfolded before them.
Puck: "What do you think? Pretty, isn't it?"
Emilia: "It's... beautiful."
Rem: "I've never seen anything like this."
Beatrice: "...Thank you... I love it."
Xeno: "Don't mention it. Now then, let's enjoy this while it lasts."
With that, everyone watched the horizon together in silence.