Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari:Web Chapter 379

The Christmas of the Shield Hero, Part 1

“Achoo!”

On that day, I had just finished my job and was in the middle of returning to the village.

It’s also fine to return through the portal, but the moment I reached the village, I had work to do.

It seems that I can only rest when riding the carriage.

It’s been about half a year since the end of the last of the waves.

I look to the sky and see it covered in thick clouds.

The temperature is dropping by the day, and it seems that even colder days are coming.

My breath has also turned white

So Melromark also has four seasons.

It seems the climate had been in disarray during the wave.

“Ah… ” (Naofumi)

“What’s wrong?” (Raphtalia)

Raphtalia asks me from outside the carriage.

I hold up my hand, and look to the sky in silence.

“Ah…” (Raphtalia)

Raphtalia follows my lead and stares at the sky.

“It’s snowing.” (Raphtalia)

“So it falls in Melromark too.” (Naofumi)

“The summer is hot, and the winter gets this cold.” (Naofumi)

It’s not like we’re in the tropics, but the summer was still pretty hot.

But the winter gets cold enough for it to snow.

“Naofumi-sama, do you hate the cold?” (Raphtalia)

“I don’t hate it, I just thought it would be a pain to put spikes on the carriage’s wheels.” (Naofumi)

“…. Should the hero who became an archduke and saved the world be saying such things?” (Raphtalia)

Raphtalia's words are correct.

But when I think of the money and labor wasted, it still seems like a pain.

“It seems that you are still trying to increase our wealth, but what do you plan to use it for?” (Raphtalia)

“Nothing in particular. If I were to use it, it would go towards decreasing the aftereffects of the wave.” (Naofumi)

And it never hurts to have extra.

My experiences till now have made saving money a habit deeply rooted in my psych.

Well, this habit had helped us out quite a bit.

But as an Archduke, I was granted a large sum of wealth and an estate.

“And having money is better than not having it.” (Naofumi)

“As expected of Naofumi-sama.” (Atlas)

Atlas left the shield and floated in the winter sky.

What do you mean by ‘as expected’?

Well then, half a year has passed since the wave, but even now, its effects are still clear.

Melromark’s castle town still has the mountain of the Spirit Turtle occupying much of the town, and the casualties of the countries that had the dragon’s hourglasses were very high.

Though we may have achieved peace, the everyday lives of the civilians is still harsh.

There’s no way that reconstruction could have finished in a mere half-year.

That’s why our current job is to go around the world and sell supplies to the troubled populace, while helping the unfortunate.

Well, we are gaining a small profit from this enterprise…

As expected, this job is quite tiring, and in order to take a well-deserved break, we are proceeding towards the village at a leisurely rate.

Well, I did return to the village by portal yesterday.

“Don’t worry about it. The snow’s picking up, isn’t it?” (Naofumi)

“KUE!” (Filo Rial)

Oh, by the way, the bird pulling the carriage right now isn’t Firo, but her number one follower Piyo.

Firo is currently travelling the world with Melty, so she got Piyo to pull the cart for us.

Piyo is staring intently at the falling snowflakes while walking.

“It sure is.” (Raphtalia)

“How much snow does Melromark usually get?” (Naofumi)

No matter how many meters of snow cover we get, it will still be troublesome.

We may even be troubled further by winter-specific monsters.

“It depends on the year, but every year we get enough to dye the landscape white.” (Raphtalia)

“Fumu…” (Naofumi)

Based on Raphtalia, we will be getting quite a bit of snow.

Well, we don’t have to be that worried…

We survived fighting that bitch goddess. We should be fine whatever comes our way.

“Anyways, the cold-resistant goods we prepared seem to be working fine.” (Naofumi)

“You’re right… By the way, Naofumi-sama, do you need anything?” (Raphtalia)

“Hm?”

Both me and Raphtalia have learned to use the power of gods… no let’s call them spirits… to some extent.

But in order to use it, we must offer our own power to them.

Anyways, we both gave up a majority of our godly powers, so we were pretty much indistinguishable from humans.

Well, we could use them to some extent…

We became somewhat half-assed existences and we were still affected by the heat and the cold. All’s well with the world.

Anyways, the armor I had equipped was quite useful, as it was temperature resistant.

“I’m not cold at all.” (Atlas)

“Well that’s because you’re… By the way, Atlas, this conversation isn’t getting anywhere. Can you please be quiet?”

Atlas was always like this. She would always interrupt the conversation and take it in a weird direction.

You’re not cold because you became a spirit.

“I’ll have to make sure no one in the village catches a cold.” (Naofumi)

“Yeah, it seems that Kiel would run around, even in this weather.” (Raphtalia)

Would the Loinclothed Dog be circling the village in joy now?

“She seems like the type that would get excited in snow.” (Naofumi)

Yes, it seems she would be the type to roll around in the snow.

Even though she is the Hero of the Scythe, you know.

“KUE!” (Piyo)

Piyo cried out.

We could see the village that was our destination.

We had finally arrived, huh…

“Niichan, Niichan! It’s Snow! It’s snowing!” (Kiel)

Kiel, who had been excitedly running around the village, ran in front of me.

I get off the Carriage and start towards the Village.

There doesn’t seem to be any noticeable change.

The Bioplant forest seems to be strong against the cold, and some tomato-esque fruits are growing.

And, as expected, Kiel is extremely excited.

What a simple fellow.

“Yes, yes, it’s snowing.” (Naofumi)

What about it?

Is what I wanted to say, but dealing with her would be a pain.

And the happy feeling derived from snow was something that I could kinda understand.

But seeing my home covered in snow gave me a slightly melancholic feeling.

“Welcome back, Hero of the Shieldǃ” (Imya)

“I’m back.” (Naofumi)

Imya, who had been chasing Kiel, arrived.

As always, these two seem to come as a set.

Oh yeah, that’s right.

“Imya.” (Naofumi)

“Yes?” (Imya)

“It’s getting cold, so could you start making some cold-resistant gear?” (Naofumi)

“I’ve already made enough for the villagers; do you want more?” (Imya)

How considerate.

To be ready even before I asked.

“If you find any free time, could you make some more?” (Naofumi)

“Leave it to meǃ” (Imya)

I praise Imya and pat her head, then I start cooking.

Today will be cold, so I’ll cook something warm.

“Oh yeah, Niichan!” (Kiel)

“What is it, Kiel? You’re not running around in circles anymore.” (Naofumi)

“What do you take me for…? Nevermind… Anyways, it’s almost Christmas right? What will you ask Santa Claus for?” (Kiel)

“Well, you are a dog… Wait, Christmas?”

Are you meaning to tell me that an alternate world also has Christmas?

“There is Christmas here?” (Naofumi)

I’ll ask Raphtalia later.

As it’s Kiel, she may have just heard it from the other heroes.

"…"

“Of course there’s Christmas.” (Raphtalia)

My question was reflected quite smoothly.

Fumu…

“Originally, it was a tradition spread by the former heroes. Melty told me about it.” (Raphtalia)

“To see this Christian holy festival in another world…” (Naofumi)

“Holy Festival?” (Raphtalia)

What?

Isn’t Christmas supposed to celebrate the birth of Christ?

Wait, the former Heroes were Japanese, weren’t they?

They may have spread Japanese Christmas customs.

“What sort of day is Christmas?” (Naofumi)

“Isn’t Christmas just Christmas?” (Raphtalia)

I didn’t get anything from that.

These people simply might not know the origin of the holiday.

“Do you know anything about this Atlas?” (Naofumi)

“Oh, the former Heroes simply said that Christmas was a day to give presents, and never explained its purpose.” (Atlas)

The former Heroes probably wanted an opportunity to celebrate with their party members, so they had just given a general outline of the event.

It doesn’t seem these people care about the birth of a holy man.

“And, who is this Santa Fellow?” (Naofumi)

“He gives presents to all the good boys and girls when they are asleep.” (Atlas)

I see. So they only shared the fun parts of Christmas.

They completely left out its religious aspects.

“That’s how it is! So what do you wish for Niichan?” (Kiel)

…Kiel’s eyes are shining.

She seems to be having a lot of fun.

“Do adults receive presents as well?” (Naofumi)

“Oh right, Niichan is an adult.” (Kiel)

“What is that supposed to mean?” (Naofumi)

Are you trying to tell me that I’m childish? (Though I won’t deny it.)

“Anyways, presents! It’s going to be fun!” (Kiel)

Does that mean that I am supposed to give out presents? What am I supposed to do?

In my world, the role of Santa was usually played by the parents…

“Raphtalia?” (Naofumi)

“Yes?” (Raphtalia)

Hmm… The probability that she believes in Santa is quite high.

I don’t want to break hers, or any of the villagers’ dreams.

Okay, just in case, I’ll ask someone who seems knowledgeable on the matter.

I could go ask Trash or the Queen, but they are probably busy.

Oh well, I guess I’ll have to ask someone else.

Now who would be knowledgeable on such matters?

I don’t really want to, but the one who knows the most about the villagers is probably that person.

“Excuse me, I wish to speak with Sadina.” (Naofumi)

“…Are you alright, Naofumi-sama?” (Raphtalia)

“………” (Naofumi)

Recently, whenever me or Raphtalia approach her, she asks about our relationship. She seems to be faithful to her turn.

But I am already getting used to that.

By the way, previously Sadina saidː

“Oneesan, I’ll definitely teach you some techniques.”

Or some other irresponsible thing and slipped away.

The feeling of fear from being pushed down by her is still embedded in my skull.

I’m sure she’s still aiming for me or something.

In a way, she might be a more troublesome person than Atlas.

For what reason is this person pressuring me to this extent?

It seems that person would act the same regardless of whether I was the Hero of the Shield, or the world’s savior, or not…

That’s why dealing with her is an extremely scary task.

“I’m coming with you.” (Atlas)

“Go away! Raphtalia and Atlas, I don’t need you monitoring us.” (Naofumi)

“Yes. Come Atlas-chan, this way.” (Raphtalia)

Capturing the spirit Atlas was a task that, for now, only Raphtalia and I were capable of.

And so, I left Atlas to Raphtalia so she would not follow me.

“Ah. It’s Naofumi-sama.” (Imya)

For the love of…

Yes, that’s right, it’s like that.

“Imya, your uncle is calling you.”

I don’t want to deal with Sadina and these two at the same time.

These idiots don’t act rationally towards other people.

“I understand.” (Imya)

“Kiel, you…” (Naofumi)

“What is it Niichan?” (Kiel)

“Let’s have fun later.” (Naofumi)

“YES!” (Kiel)

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