Chapter 77

In the story of “Change the World,” a game I was hooked on in my original world, the protagonist is summoned as a “savior” to fight against the Demon King for peace. The story had different endings depending on the protagonist’s choices, including one where you persuade the Demon King to change his ways.

And now…

“Oh, it’s the first snow.”

I snapped back to reality at Gazelle’s mutterings as he looked out of the carriage window. It seemed I was spacing out. The escort mission from yesterday ended without a hitch, and today is a well-deserved day off. I was in the carriage with Gazelle and Felix, on our way to somewhere.

I leaned in toward Gazelle to look out the window. Sure enough, white flakes were starting to drift down from the mouse-colored sky. I did think it was cold during yesterday’s escort mission…

“It’s true. No wonder it feels cold.”

As I was looking out the window, Felix, who was sitting across from me, reached out to readjust the scarf wrapped around my neck.

“Thank you, Felix.”

“No problem. Next time, let’s go buy a new winter coat.”

“Is my current coat not sufficient?”

“No, that won’t do. It would be troublesome if Takumi catches a cold.”

“That’s right, Takumi. The winters in Ritzheim can be quite chilly.”

Saying so, Gazelle, who was sitting next to me, wrapped his arm around my shoulder. As his muscular body pressed against me through the fabric of our clothes, warmth emanated from him.

“Takumi, you’re so warm. You’re like a hot water bottle.”

“Really? I think my body is just normal as usual.”

I took Gazelle’s hand that was opposite the one wrapped around my shoulder. While feeling the warmth of his rough, callous fingers, Gazelle tightly gripped my hand.

When I looked at his face, he was smiling mischievously, and I returned a slight smile.

While chatting with the two of them, I looked out the window once more.

The falling white snowflakes would turn into water as soon as they hit the road. At this rate, it won’t accumulate much. Although Ritzheim has four seasons just like Japan, summer and autumn are considerably short.

The lack of humidity and dry summers were very comfortable. I had been transferred here in summer, but the temperature rarely exceeded thirty degrees. On the other hand, as summer was coming to an end, the temperature dropped rapidly, and a cool breeze started blowing. Just a few days ago, I thought the trees and street trees planted in the barracks had turned red… but now, the first snow has fallen.

Seeing the snow-covered scenery of Ritzheim, a place I had never seen in the game’s still images, made me feel excited but also a little lonely.

The familiar streets now looked like they were somewhere far away, and I turned my eyes away from the window. Then, I turned to Gazelle and Felix.

“Where are we going today?”

Until a month ago, there had been abnormal monster occurrences in Ritzheim, but that has calmed down quite a bit. During the time when there were continuous abnormal monster occurrences, rumors had spread among Ritzheim’s citizens like, “The sealed demon lord is going to rise again and take over Ritzheim.”

With all that said, Gazelle, Felix, and I are on our way somewhere in a carriage to enjoy our long-awaited day off.

“Sorry, but it’s a secret. I want to surprise Takumi.”

“The gift is more enjoyable when you don’t know what’s inside, right?”

But, my question was dodged by both of their smiles.

Hmm, I see.

Ever since Gazelle and Felix left the barracks saying, “We have a place we want to take you,” it’s been like this. Therefore, I have no idea where we’re going as we’re being rocked by the carriage.

Well, it’s fine. I can’t imagine Gazelle and Felix taking me to a bad place, and if they say it’s alright, then it must be!

“Where is this…?”

The carriage stopped in front of a mansion.

Continuing along a row of ginkgo trees was a corner paved with gray cobblestone. The large iron gate was wide open, and a middle-aged man impeccably dressed as a butler stood there.

“We have been waiting for you, Takumi-sama, Gazelle-sama, Felix-sama.”

Both Gazelle and Felix walked forward as if it was the most natural thing in the world, so I hurriedly followed.

The mansion is a two-story building with red brick walls and a black tile roof as its characteristic features. The garden is quite spacious, and at some distance, there’s another building made of the same red brick.

The man, who was wearing a gentle smile, didn’t seem surprised to see us; rather, he seemed to have been eagerly awaiting our arrival, leading us into the mansion’s grounds.

I could also see a well.

The path leading from the main gate to the porch of the entrance was paved with fine gravel. Around the gravel path, neatly maintained lawns were planted. Adding color to the area were faint pink Erica flowers and Japanese holly bushes bearing bright red berries.

“Takumi-sama, may I take your overcoat?”

“Ah, thank you.”

Upon entering the entrance, a man dressed as a butler once again greeted me with a gentle smile, and I handed him my overcoat. Surprisingly, just stepping into the entrance made it significantly warmer. Could it be because the building is made of brick?

The three of us then proceeded from the entrance to what appeared to be the mansion’s reception room.

The moment we entered the room, I felt a warmth that surpassed what I had felt in the entrance.

“―It’s a fireplace.”

Upon my mutter, Gazelle and Felix turned to look back at me.

“What, Takumi? Is this your first time seeing a fireplace? Well, we don’t have one in our barracks, after all.”

“Yes, it’s my first time.”

“As for that, this mansion uses magical formulas to amplify the heat from the fireplace and circulates it throughout the house via pipes. So even the entrance was quite warm, wasn’t it?”

“These days, there’s a more direct method of embedding magical formulas into the floors for heating. That’s why new houses rarely have fireplaces.”

“Fireplaces are a hassle with adding wood and cleaning soot, after all.”

Listening to their explanations, I was staring absentmindedly at the flames in the fireplace, which crackled and popped.

Wow, a fireplace! It’s so nice; it’s my first time seeing one.

The reception room itself is also lovely. In front of the fireplace was a comfortable-looking, spacious sofa and several cushions. Behind it was a tapestry with what seemed to be drawings of wisteria flowers in a navy and purple theme. At the foot of the sofa lay a rug with an arabesque pattern.

The room is truly exquisite. I thought to myself, how wonderful it would be to lazily read a book here while warming up in front of the fireplace, when Gazelle unceremoniously took a seat on the sofa.

“Eh? Uh, wait?”

We haven’t even greeted the house owner yet; is this alright?

“Hey, it’s pretty good. Takumi, come sit here.”

“Ah, alright.”

Urged by Gazelle, I sat down next to him, still puzzled. Felix also took a seat to my left as if he was well acquainted with the place.

Wow, this sofa is incredibly soft and comfy!

“Tea has been served.”

“Ah, thank you. Could you leave us for a moment? We’ll call if we need anything.”

“As you wish. If you require any other beverages, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

The middle-aged man who greeted us earlier placed a tea set on a small brass center table in front of the sofa. Alongside the tea, there were also cookies and other baked sweets on a small plate.

Hmm… Is this Gazelle’s house, perhaps?

No, but then the conversation Gazelle and Felix had earlier wouldn’t make sense… It seemed like it was their first time here.

“Takumi, please go ahead.”

“Thank you, Felix.”

In contrast to my confusion, Felix and Gazelle seemed quite relaxed as they sipped their tea. I also took a sip, following their example. The tea was strong, and its rich aroma quickly filled my mouth.

The warm tea gradually soaked into my chilled body. Furthermore, just gazing at the flickering flames of the fireplace seemed to relax me.

…This is bad. The ambiance is too cozy; I might just fall asleep here!

That wouldn’t be appropriate in a house where we haven’t even greeted the owner yet.

Feeling a sense of urgency, I returned my cup of tea to the center table and started a conversation with them.

“The snow seems to be getting worse. I’m concerned about the drive back.”

Looking outside the window, what was a light snowfall when we arrived seemed to have intensified.

The lawn and garden trees were now fully covered in snow. If we stay out too late, getting back to the barracks will be a struggle, especially with the bad weather affecting shared horse-drawn carriages.

“Don’t worry, Takumi. We took a bit of a detour today, but the distance from the barracks to this mansion isn’t actually that far. We could easily walk back even in the snow.”

“Is that so?”

“Also, if you want, you can stay the night here. They’ve prepared new beds, right?”

“Yes, they were completed yesterday.”

“…Stay over? A bed? New arrangements?”

Growing increasingly perplexed, I finally asked the two of them, “Is this Gazelle’s house? Or is it Felix’s?”

In response to my question, both of them returned smiles.

“Yeah, that’s right. This is a house where Felix, Takumi, and I all live.”

“The three of us?”

“Yes. You must also find it inconvenient sharing a room in the barracks, right? You’ll probably need your own private space soon enough.”

“…Whoa, wait a second.”

Wait, hold on!!!

Eh, what? What does this all mean?!

“A house for the three of us to live in? What does that mean?”