The fierce snowfall that had raged all night finally eased as dawn approached.

“We’ll have to cancel the event.”

Lynen returned from checking outside, brushing snow off himself.

“Too much snow has accumulated—it’s dangerous to walk. We’ll head straight back once morning comes.”

“Really? Can’t be helped…”

Calliphe spoke with disappointment. They’d carried their lanterns so carefully all this way.

Still, at least they’d escape the old geezer and Vice Archmage’s surveillance.

“We’ll have to stay at the ducal castle when we get back. Let’s have fun together, the three of us, okay Noah?”

“……”

But Noah, who should’ve nodded happily right away, looked gloomy.

“Does that mean I can’t make a wish?”

“With this much snow piled up, the shrine is probably buried too.”

Lynen stroked Noah’s head apologetically.

“If the avalanche prevention work finishes early, we might be able to hold the event again. Or we’ll try a different approach, so bear with it even though it’s disappointing.”

“Okay…”

Noah nodded while thinking worriedly.

‘I wanted to make a wish for the Saintess to get better quickly.’

Noah had also noticed that Imelen was frequently sick lately. Still, she’d always bounced back and appeared lively again, so he hadn’t worried too much.

But the expression on the Saint’s face that he’d seen before coming here had contained a shadow he couldn’t hide.

That image tugged at Noah’s anxiety.

‘What if the Saintess is sicker than I think?’

Since she was a monster rather than human, they couldn’t show her to doctors carelessly. Same with the priests.

The more he thought about it, the harder it seemed for the Saintess.

That’s why his determination to make a wish had grown stronger, but now that he was blocked like this, he felt even worse.

Was that why?

Noah tossed and turned all night and woke at dawn.

When he came out to drink water, he could see the snowfield through the window, illuminated in the dim dawn light.

‘I wish the snow would melt quickly.’

He was sighing and drinking water when—

“…Huh?”

Something sparkled past the window. Just as he thought he’d seen it wrong, it sparkled again.

Noah opened the window and looked out in surprise.

A snowfield glowing blue.

Above it, a white ball of light resembling the Light Spirit floated gently. When it received Noah’s gaze, it bobbed up and down like a greeting.

That light was familiar.

“The Ortega ancestral spirit…?”

He’d once stood before the monument where the ancestral spirit dwelled in the Black Forest.

Noah had formally transferred his succession rights to Lynen there. The spirit had emitted light then, seemingly giving permission, and it looked very similar to the light he’d seen then.

Because it had a long tail and sparkled.

“Is that you, ancestral spirit?”

The light nodded again, seemingly answering.

Then it moved forward slowly, beckoning with gestures mimicking a hand motion.

‘Is it telling me to follow?’

He hesitated briefly, but the ancestral spirit that had acknowledged Calliphe, the Duke, and even himself as family didn’t seem likely to do anything bad. Maybe it was trying to help somehow.

‘I’ll be right back.’

Determined, Noah followed the light.

* * *

“Noah?”

Calliphe realized Noah was missing several minutes later.

Calliphe, who’d been sleeping lightly, heard Noah leave the room. She’d thought he’d return right away, but when there was no sign of him, she went out to check.

Noah was nowhere to be seen, and only a child’s footprints remained outside the window.

“Lynen!”

Lynen, who’d been discussing avalanche prevention measures with the managers all night, woke from his light sleep.

He too assessed the situation and his expression hardened.

“We need to find him. You stay here—”

“No, I’m coming too! It’ll be easier to find him with magic.”

Since that was true, Lynen readily lifted Calliphe, who was still in her young form.

“That way!”

Calliphe pointed in the direction where Noah was detected.

A simple search spell was easy enough without releasing her transformation. Thanks to that, Lynen could move quickly with long strides and catch up to Noah.

“Noah!”

“Oh, Duke? Cal… Ferica!”

Noah, who’d been standing in the middle of the snowfield looking around, was happy to see the two.

The moment Calliphe jumped down, she smacked Noah’s back.

“Geez! What were you thinking coming out here alone? Huh? Do you know how worried Lynen and I were?”

“I’m sorry…”

“You’re grounded for a month when we get home!”

“What!? B-but.”

Noah’s eyes pleaded to Lynen for help, but he too shook his head firmly.

“Consider yourself lucky you’re not being punished more. If you needed to go outside, you should’ve woken Mom and Dad first.”

“Wh-what?”

Noah stammered like he’d heard an awkward word. Lynen’s expression was also slightly embarrassed.

“Well, anyway, how worried Calliphe and I were…”

“I-I’m sorry. Mom… Dad.”

“……”

“……”

Mom and Dad?

At the words they were hearing from Noah for the first time, Calliphe and Lynen’s lips twitched upward uncontrollably.

The two struggled to resist the urge to immediately cancel the grounding and give him a reward instead, and asked,

“So why did you come out alone?”

“…The ancestral spirit called me.”

“The ancestral spirit?”

Noah pointed to where the spirit had been until just now, where the slope became steep.

“It was going ahead, then suddenly disappeared over there.”

“You probably mistook some other light.”

“No! It really was the ancestral spirit. A light with a long tail that sparkled like a shooting star.”

Puzzled, Calliphe and Lynen exchanged glances. If it really was the Ortega ancestral spirit, why would it appear here?

“Maybe it wanted to tell us something…”

Just as Lynen was muttering—

Rumble…

An ominous sound rang out and the air vibrated.

Lynen’s head snapped up and his vision caught snow masses slowly collapsing from the ridge. They soon scraped away even boulders and rolled toward them like a wave.

An avalanche caused by the heavy snow.

“Lynen, get Noah!”

The moment Lynen drew his sword, Calliphe stretched both hands forward.

Even if they hurried to escape, it was obvious that the shelters behind them and dozens of territory residents would be in danger. Then they had to stop it here somehow.

‘I need to stop it, even for a moment!’

Calliphe used high-grade stopping magic. Her mana depleted mercilessly and her transformation spell released on its own.

Thanks to that, the enormous wave of snow stopped moving, but—

Rumble!

Snow began sweeping down from another direction too.

Just as she felt dismayed, others appeared quickly on both sides of Calliphe and lent their strength.

“Don’t worry!”

“Old man, Former Marquis!? Marcel!”

It was Graham and Marcel.

Calliphe, whose heart had dropped for a moment, was dumbfounded seeing the two grinning reassuringly.

“Don’t tell me you were still surveilling us at this hour?”

“Ahem. Let’s solve this problem first and talk later!”

Graham looked urgently at Lynen.

“Hurry while the stopping magic holds!”

“Understood.”

When Lynen gripped his sword tightly, strongly condensed aura layered over the blade.

The more it did, the blue light of the aura faded and turned white like a blinding flash.

Noah, who’d been close to Lynen, flinched in surprise and stepped back several paces.

“The Duke’s aura is usually cold… but right now it’s incredibly hot.”

“You’d have to call this an energy mass rather than aura.”

There was no need to refine it like aura. All that was needed was energy to simultaneously erase the enormous amount of snow and rocks floating in the air.

“Hup!”

Finally, when Lynen swung his sword with all his might, the sharply shot energy mass flew through the snow.

It shone like a small sun and struck the snow mass stopped unnaturally in place.

BOOM!

The snow and ice chunks stopped in midair were ‘erased,’ turning into steam with a tremendous noise.

Patter patter—some of the melted snow poured down like rain.

The managers and people from the shelter who’d belatedly heard the commotion came out murmuring.

“Phew.”

Relieved, Calliphe then glared sharply at the two old men.

“Shall we have a little talk?”

* * *

Graham and Marcel’s misunderstanding was cleared the moment Calliphe revealed her true form.

It meant the Calliphe in the capital was fake, but the two, already feeling sorry toward Calliphe, couldn’t bring that up.

“Lynen had an outside child, what!? That’s absolutely ridiculous!”

“…No, I—”

“Even if something like that really happened, you shouldn’t blame Lynen! It’s because of you two that I can’t properly see my husband and child in the first place!”

“……”

The two were thoroughly scolded. Calliphe vented all her pent-up grievances.

Only after Calliphe huffed and reached a lull did Lynen add a word.

“I hope you two will take this opportunity to let go of your impatience and trust Calliphe more. Even without your urging, Calliphe will become a good family head and Archmage.”

“…I have nothing to say.”

“I’m sorry…”

Calliphe let out a sharp sigh.

“Whatever. Former Marquis and Vice Archmage, go back. I’ll stay a bit longer before leaving.”

“No, we also have a purpose for coming here, so we can’t leave before confirming it.”

“What purpose?”

“The shrine of the magical spirit.”

Graham revealed the information Yulid had passed on. Information that the great mage Offensa ancestor’s belongings might possibly be the power that granted wishes.

“…I see. Though this is the first I’m hearing of it.”

Under Lynen’s quiet gaze, the two old men bowed their heads deeply again. Lynen sighed.

“In any case, if there’s such a question, we should check it out.”

Calliphe’s group passed through the managers handling the commotion and headed toward where the shrine was.

However, that location was where the snow mass had swept through.

“Oh no, the shrine is broken!”

Noah looked sadly at the shrine broken in two.

Graham and Marcel examined not only the shrine’s upper body but also the lower part buried in snow thoroughly.

“No matter how I look, there’s nothing special.”

“Even using detection magic, I don’t sense any particular magical response.”

Just as they were disappointed—

“Wow, look at this.”

Noah pointed to a single flower behind the shrine.

Even though it was pressed close to the shrine, the flower that should have had its roots torn out or wilted from being swept by the snow was holding its head up, strangely vibrant.

“This flower is glowing!”

Calliphe and Graham bent down to examine the flower closely with their eyes and mana.

“…It’s definitely not an ordinary flower. I feel a very pure energy. Just like the refreshing air of a forest.”

“I think so too. Is this the true nature of the power that granted wishes… It’s disappointing it’s not our ancestor’s belongings though.”

“Uh, Graham. Wait.”

Marcel, who’d been tilting his head since discovering the flower, suddenly widened his eyes.

“I remember. This is a flower that elf healers used to cultivate preciously long ago!”

As old memories surfaced, excitement sparkled in Marcel’s eyes.

“I don’t remember the details well, but… I think they used this flower when affected by monsters’ contaminated mana. Yes, I’m certain.”

“W-wait, Vice Archmage. Are you saying… this has the same effect as holy power?”

“It’s less aggressive than that, but has superior healing power. Holy power is an opposing force to contaminated mana, so they cause great damage to each other, right? But elves mainly use nature’s purifying ability.”

“…!”

“It’s not a power that directly harms monsters or dark mages with contaminated mana, but it definitely has an effect in purifying the contamination they leave behind.”

“Then!”

Calliphe’s voice rose involuntarily.

“This could be a cure for Imelen!”

* * *

Everything after that proceeded swiftly.

With Lynen’s permission, Calliphe brought the flower to the Magic Tower, and while the Tower researched it, Marcel contacted the elves.

Marcel’s elven homeland didn’t respond at all at first, but—

“You discovered an angel flower?”

Once they identified through the few petals Marcel sent that this was an angel flower of exceptionally high purity, they agreed to talk.

Eventually, elf healers joined the research on the condition of cooperating in cultivating the flower and receiving seeds and seedlings.

Within a few weeks, a prototype recovery medicine to treat people transformed into monsters was produced.

Calliphe immediately delivered it to Allen.

“If it’s okay, have Imelen take it first. It won’t show effects all at once—she’ll need to take it consistently.”

“…Thank you, truly. Calliphe. Really…”

Now all that remained was watching the progress.

Of course, Calliphe had no time to play.

* * *

“Offensa has started exchanges with the elves?”

“I heard the Ortega family is cooperating too? If they can continue exchanges with the elves, both families’ prestige will rise even higher.”

Just as these assessments suggested, Calliphe and Lynen faced the crisis of falling into work hell for new trade.

But this time was different from before.

“Then, Former Marquis. Vice Archmage. I’m entrusting the Tower and family matters to you. You understand, right?”

“…Yes.”

“…Alright.”

After dumping work on the two, Calliphe went off on a honeymoon with Lynen under the pretext of going to conclude agreements with the elves.

Of course, Noah came along too.

The three enjoyed leisurely time, stopping by not only famous tourist spots but also quiet places with beautiful scenery without missing any.

Since the travel time was long, there were evenings like tonight when they did work, but…

‘I’m happy.’

After finishing the last document, that thought came naturally.

‘And maybe because we’ve been spending more time together like this… I’m gradually getting used to things like this too.’

For example, things like this.

“Honey.”

Lynen, who’d just put Noah to bed after he fell asleep doing homework, kissed Calliphe’s head.

“You should go in and rest too. If we’re going boating on the lake tomorrow, you need to conserve your energy.”

“What about you, dear?”

“I just finished work too, so let’s rest together.”

Lynen smiled and tucked Calliphe’s hair behind her ear.

Eyes looking at the most lovable person. Seemingly infected, Calliphe’s gaze deepened too.

Just as their faces slowly drew closer—

Blink— Blink—

The communication crystal orb left on the desk for work sent a signal.

“Who has such bad timing?”

Calliphe clicked her tongue and took the call.

However, the next moment, both froze seeing the person who appeared in the crystal orb.

—Calliphe! Duke!

“Allen? What’s wrong?”

—Imelen… Imelen finally!

What appeared next was a young girl in a form they’d never seen before.

Yet over her cheerful impression and shy smile, the familiar image of a capybara overlapped.

—Hello…?

“…!”

“Could it be?”

Wonder and joy gradually filled Calliphe and Lynen’s faces.

The two hurriedly woke the sleeping Noah with a fuss and brought him before the crystal orb.

Soon the sleepy child’s face also filled with joy.

That night, the conversation between one family finally able to spend time together and another family finally able to smile with relief continued endlessly.

It was an infinitely cozy night.

fin.