After completing her morning routine as usual, Rudis put on her straw hat and stepped outside. The early spring chill had already disappeared, replaced by a gentle, warm breeze carrying the scent of grass and flowers to her nose.

Outside, her eyes took in the fields dyed in deep green and the wildflowers blooming abundantly. The stream along the path sparkled in the sunlight, and in the distance, pale pink blossoms created a dreamlike landscape on the mountainside. These small but distinct changes in nature made her realize that after many busy days, the “Beginning of Spring” festival was now just around the corner.

By now, Ralph’s house had been completed, and she had heard he finally proposed. The farm continued to run smoothly thanks to Iska.

‘So, shall I start preparing now?’

‘Beginning of Spring’

While it might seem like a simple village festival at first glance, this celebration was extremely important to Rudis. Especially the highlight—the dance competition. The prize for the winner was none other than the Prosperity Scarecrow.

Though it was just a small statue shaped like a scarecrow, once installed, it doubled the harvest yield for the entire season—a truly remarkable item. Summer crops were particularly expensive, so doubling the yield was an opportunity she couldn’t miss.

“Hello, Rudis. The Beginning of Spring is almost here, isn’t it? Are you preparing well? What can I get you today?”

“The special beer, please.”

Rudis glanced around the tavern as she placed her order. Her relationship with Xenon had become somewhat more comfortable now. She still remembered that night whenever she saw his face, but it was more bearable than before. She could pretend to be somewhat okay now. That’s why she visited the tavern only when absolutely necessary, unlike before.

Given the season, conversations about the festival filled the air among the patrons. This was precisely why Rudis had come to the tavern.

“What’s the big deal about this festival? Why is everyone so excited? It just brings in outsiders who make a mess.”

“Grandfather, it’s a festival! Merchants come, and there’s a carnival. A festival without those things isn’t really a festival, you know?”

Rudis overheard the conversation between Old Luther, the village’s biggest complainer, and Martin, the village’s greatest dreamer.

“Buying things from those wandering merchants is just a waste of money. It’s all garbage…”

“Wasn’t the pebble I bought last year wonderful? It sparkled so beautifully. I wonder what exciting things will happen at this year’s Beginning of Spring? I’m so looking forward to it.”

The more Luther grumbled, the more excitedly Martin chattered. It was like a conversation between an unstoppable spear and an impenetrable shield.

“Besides, Grandfather, you should buy a mask too. I heard unmarried people can participate in the festival!”

“At my age? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Why not? Anyone who’s single can participate. Everyone would be shocked if Grandfather Luther won on the Beginning Night and removed his mask.”

“You’re crazy.”

The tavern erupted with laughter at Luther’s firm response.

As Martin mentioned, during the climax of the Beginning of Spring—the night celebration—unmarried men and women wear animal masks and choose partners to dance with. While dancing with unknown partners, judges select the best couple, and the prize is the Prosperity Scarecrow.

The winning strategy was simple: choose Ralph as a partner.

Though unemployed and unable to date without Rudis’s help, he was quite skilled at dancing. He claimed he had been preparing to join a dance troupe before an injury prevented him—whether that was true or not, Rudis couldn’t tell. But she knew from experience that partnering with Ralph always led to victory.

The only problem was not knowing which mask Ralph would wear. That’s why she had swallowed her embarrassment and come to the tavern on Saturday night, eavesdropping on conversations.

“My horse just had a baby, and it’s so cute! Want to come see my foal?”

Colin the blacksmith—horse mask.

“Why don’t lions hibernate in winter?”

Kuku the carpenter—lion mask.

“Grandfather Luther, I went up the mountain today and met a fox…”

“There are no foxes on the mountain, you lunatic.”

Martin—fox mask.

The villagers were giving hints through their conversations. During her first few years, Rudis had been frustrated by how everyone seemed to go crazy during festival season, but eventually realized they were dropping hints about the masks they would wear.

But when would Ralph arrive?

“Rudis. Here’s your special beer.”

“Xenon, hasn’t someone changed over there?”

As she looked around, Rudis noticed something strange. One of the outsiders who usually formed part of the background had changed. This was the first time in eight years she’d noticed such a change.

“Outsiders come and go all the time. I can’t tell who’s who even when I look at them.”

Xenon replied indifferently to Rudis’s whisper.

Huh? That’s strange. It really seems like someone has changed…

Rudis glanced once more at the unfamiliar outsider and furrowed her brow.

“By the way, Rudis. For this festival, I want to introduce our tavern’s special wine…”

Xenon, seemingly reading her gaze, changed the subject with a playful voice.

A quest!

Rudis’s eyes lit up.

“I’m short on ingredients. Could you help me?”

“Of course!”

“I know it’s not in season, but…”

This was also one of her favorite quests. He would request out-of-season fruit and then buy it at five times the normal price. Plus, the quantity was unlimited!

It was on a completely different level from the rewards offered by certain stingy individuals. Rudis had planted tons of grapes in the fall and stored every harvest in her warehouse for this very moment. It was like a jackpot she knew would eventually pay off.

“Could you get me some apples?”

“Yes! Leave it to me.”

She answered automatically but then froze a beat later in surprise. Apples…? Except for the first year, it had always been grapes!

“…Apples?”

“No. Grapes.”

“It’s grapes, right?”

“Yes. You must have misheard.”

That’s more like it. It was grapes after all. But no, he definitely said apples. Something felt off. As she deeply furrowed her brow, Xenon burst into laughter.

“Sorry. I was just teasing you.”

“Seriously… why would you do that?”

Her heart felt like it had dropped and then reattached itself. To reiterate, in this world, changes often led to new quests.

Xenon smiled and said in a voice full of mischief, “Well, lately you seem so uncomfortable around me. It makes me feel bad. Did I do something wrong?”

As Xenon brought his face closer, Rudis’s face flushed. She had suddenly remembered that night.

“N-no, you didn’t.”

Rudis stammered her reply.

“That’s good then. Oh! Ralph. What can I get you?”

Just then, Ralph entered and sat down beside them. Rudis lowered her head to hide her burning face and perked up her ears.

“A beer, please.”

“Here you go. The weather’s nice these days. Spring really is the best. How are your wedding preparations coming along?”

At Xenon’s question, Ralph let out a heavy sigh.

“Sandra wants to keep a cat, which is a big problem. For some reason, I start sneezing whenever I see cats.”

‘Cat mask, I see.’

Rudis mentally noted this and quickly rose from her seat.

“I should get going now.”

Having accomplished her goal for the day, Rudis left the tavern with light steps.

“She’s really cute.”

“The cat?”

“No. The rabbit.”

Once again, Xenon’s gaze followed her out the door.

* * *

Time flew by, and the festival day finally arrived.

‘This should be good enough, right?’

Rudis grabbed any mask from her storage and put it on before leaving home. Normally, people would wear masks just before the final dance competition, but Rudis couldn’t afford such luxury. Her bag was too small to carry a cloak, shoes, and a mask.

‘Better to just wear it.’

She couldn’t waste her already limited bag space. Especially on festival day, when she would inevitably buy various items from the stalls that only opened during the celebration. She needed to use her small bag as efficiently as possible.

The village plaza, filled with festival excitement, was already bustling. Stalls lined the streets, and from somewhere came cheerful music and people’s laughter.

“Welcome! Take your time browsing. These items aren’t available every day, so buy them while you can!”

The first place Rudis visited was, of course, the general store selling odds and ends. As Old Luther said, most items were junk, but among them were items that triggered hidden quests, so she couldn’t afford to miss any. The item she had completed by burning through the last day of winter had been purchased right here.

That “Lifetime Promise” thing…

When she inserted the Winter Crystal, the suspicious item revealed its true form. At first glance, it looked like a dog collar, but it had quite a grand name. Though she probably wouldn’t use it, Rudis was satisfied just to have filled another slot in her guidebook. So…

“I’ll take everything you have here.”

“…All of this? Oh, yes, yes! Thank you!”

She had no choice but to sweep up everything available.

“Have your fortune told! Only 10Z!”

There was also a fortune teller at the festival. Drawn by the enthusiastic call, Rudis headed toward the tent and handed over the money.

“Your future is…”