It was the 30th day of the third month of winter.

Guess what day it is today? Woo-hoo, that’s right! It’s my birthday today. But since the New Moon Year starts tomorrow, my birthday was moved to the 31st.

I happened to be born on December 30th, just before midnight, but there wasn’t enough time — only the length of a single incense stick — to make it. This left my parents upset. I remember my father even hinting to my mother that, had she acted differently, she might have managed to give birth on time.

Listening to their strange conversation at the table and the enthusiasm with which they told the story, it was quite the spectacle. Aenari couldn’t help but reassess, given how easily they chatted about such things.

Tomorrow, we had decided to go shopping together. For some reason, Alfred joined us. When I asked why, he just pointed to Akano, puzzled.

I found this strange, but not that unusual. It must be that my father had some task for him.

Not waiting for them, I stepped outside. The winter here was like something out of a fairy tale. Every breath I took came out as steam. The cold air and the stillness of the molecules made this visible. Due to the temperature difference, the warm air I exhaled froze quickly, turning into visible vapor. The remaining moisture condensed into water droplets.

It's strange that I think about such things.

While I was lost in my thoughts, the others were waiting for me.

— Little Ao, we’re waiting for you! — called my mother, waving her hand.

I nodded and went over to them. We then headed for the market together.

On the way, we encountered crowds of people. The festive atmosphere was palpable in the air. Laughter, bright colors, the smell of freshly baked goods — all of this warmed the hearts of the residents on a cold winter's day.

Soon enough, we arrived. The Remire family was bustling with activity. Of course, it wasn’t as decorated as in my old world. It was a little disappointing, but not too much. Here, they had their own winter crafts and decorations. I had anticipated this, and now it was clear that the people were happy with the changes.

— Older sister, have you ever seen crystal magic candles used like this?

— They really are amazing! — the girl, about seventeen years old, nodded.

— Grandpa, what are these ice sculptures? — asked a little girl, pointing with interest.

— Let me think. I’m not mistaken, right? These are snowflake shapes, but they’re carved out of ice. They’ve been outlined with snow silk, with some branches of fir trees and golden bells added. How unusual! Ho-ho!

— My master, it seems everyone is pleased with these changes for the New Moon Year, - the butler remarked with approval.

— Indeed, — i replied.

Tina and Akano were also pleasantly surprised. When they learned I was the organizer, they were doubly surprised. They looked at me as if they were seeing me for the first time. But that’s only half of it. At night, every corner would glow thanks to the pelts of various small animals and insects that glow only at night. We made various shapes, such as pinecones, stars, garlands, and of course, there were lollipops. In the end, we all did our best by the end of the month.

In a Christmas mood, my mother and I started buying food and fruits, while my father and Alfred went ahead.

By the way, I also found pineapple, mandarins, pomegranates, and so on here.

After purchasing what we needed, we waited for their return, while also looking around.

— Mom, where are the groceries we bought? — i asked, looking around confusedly.

— Oops! They’re in my spatial ring, which can hold a small number of items. Convenient, isn’t it? — Tina explained with a smile.

— Yeah, it looks nice too, — I replied.

Now I understood why everyone was staring at us with hungry eyes. It must be expensive if you judged by the reactions of the locals.

— For some reason, they’re not here yet. Let’s get you some sweets.

— Okay. So we approached a stall selling a variety of sweets.

An elderly woman, seeing us, exclaimed, — It’s Lady Tina herself! It’s a pleasure to see you!

— Hello! Aunt Felen, — Tina warmly greeted her in response.

The owner of the stall was Aunt Felen, whom my mother knew well. Upon seeing us, she was about to give us some sweets for free, but Tina was not one to accept charity and preferred to pay.

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While my mother was talking, I chose a lollipop for myself. I picked a nine-colored one shaped like a kirin. After trying it, I was pleased, as it tasted very nice.

While we were looking around, suddenly there was a muffled explosion from the perimeter.

— Bdoof!

Then, black smoke started to billow from the explosion site. It was probably something like a smoke bomb, Aenari analyzed.

Moments later, from the smoke, the culprit of all this emerged, scaring the residents even more. He wore a black, slightly torn cloak with a hood that obscured his face.

Captain, he’s coming! — one of the guards shouted.

The captain immediately took control of the situation, loudly commanding, — Don’t panic! Suppression barrier, quickly!

The so-called suppression barrier was a scroll created by mages that could release a spell when used.

Meanwhile, the guards filled the barrier with their mana, which could easily suppress someone up to the first-tier rank. But for some reason, the barrier had minimal effect on him, and he seemed to be moving even faster, heading straight toward us.

Two guards, channeling mana into their weapons, prepared to meet him, but the rebel didn’t hesitate.

— You think you can stop me? — he sneered, using his skill.

— Blood wounds, murderous skill!

— Puchi!

With that sound, two guards fell, clutching their slashed throats. Blood gushed from their necks, instantly staining the snow red. A sickening, gurgling sound echoed through the air, as their bodies convulsed.

In haste, Tina activated an enhancement spell — our bodies immediately filled with strength, as if covered by an invisible armor. But she didn’t stop there; she uttered words to activate a second protective skill.

After finishing off the two guards, the man took a deep breath. Steam billowed from his mouth, thickening in the cold air — this was a clear sign of an impending attack.

— Damn it! — Ao swore in frustration.

Meanwhile, he disappeared from sight, quickly bypassing the guards and reappearing four yards from me.

In his hand, he held a hidden dagger. It wasn’t clear how we had offended him, but he was intent on killing us. And he was resolute!

Cursing his fate, Aenari tried to dodge to the side. But the cold gleam of the dagger betrayed the difficulty of avoiding injury.

Aenari’s heart pounded rapidly, and his reflexes were clouded by fear. All he could do was grit his teeth, hoping to survive.

The man in the black cloak began working with his daggers. Just before the moment of death, he suddenly crouched and jumped forward, using his body’s inertia to help him move at an unimaginable speed, disappearing from sight.

Then came the sound — Zang! It was Akano. He had used his skill and thrown his sword straight into the assassin’s neck, but the man sensed the danger, ducked sharply, and managed to evade it. Realizing the threat from Akano, the man in the black cloak chose to dodge and flee instead of continuing the kill. The sword embedded into a tree, making it shake violently, causing all the accumulated snow on the branches to fall, creating a snowstorm. It was a breathtaking sight. Of course, the assassin could have simply dodged, but he felt something was off, and it became clear that he had developed keen instincts.

Then, Aenari regained his composure. He froze, stretching out his left hand, ready to sacrifice it to save his life. Of course, he was driven to such desperation, but even then, his chances of survival were 1 in 10.

Taking a deep breath, Aenari noticed an unusual ring lying on the ground. He remembered how the assassin had crouched suddenly to use a leg technique and realized that the ring had probably fallen out of his pocket. The abrupt stop had caused the object to continue moving due to inertia and slip out. Picking it up, Aenari hid it back in his pocket, silently thanking his enemy for this unexpected gift. I know, it could’ve ended worse, but thanks to the sudden risk, I got a gift from an evil Santa.

While Aenari was pleased with his gift, Tina recovered and looked at me.

— Are you hurt? Does anything hurt? — she asked anxiously.

— I’m okay, Mom. He didn’t do anything to me.

As we were talking, chaos ensued. We decided to head home. Since I was still six years old, Alfred, picking me up, carried me on his back. We didn’t know who else might attack, and if anything happened, Tina and Akano could react.

This time, we got home without incident, and only once inside could we finally relax.

— Dad, who was that?

— That was a hired assassin. They’ll take any job if the reward is high enough and the risks are minimal.

— Why is...

— I know you want to discuss everything in detail, but later. Okay?

— Uh-huh. — I could only agree.

— Good thing we made it in time. It was close, — Akano sighed in relief.

Tina, ordering Alfred to prepare a bath, sat down next to me and hugged me tightly. We sat like that until Alfred announced the bath was ready.

After the bath, I asked Alicia to bring me books about herbs and plants, and mentioned making fruit tea.

She found two books for me. Both were for basic introduction. Books in this world ranged from one to a thousand pages. Yes, there were even books with just one page.

— What nonsense is this? — was Aenari’s reaction when he found out from Alicia.

Later, everyone started having dinner, discussing the attack from earlier. After learning the latest news, Alfred shared that the assassin in the dark cloak was from an underground organization called the Crimson Moon. There were many other smaller groups, but in the northern continent, it was the leading one. The Crimson Moon started operating 41 years ago. Rumor had it they had been gathering power for something grand. If the rumors were true, their leader was a third-tier assassin, and that instilled fear in many. So, even when thefts or murders occurred at the hands of these people, the local authorities did little to intervene. Who would risk their skin for a person already dead? Few, or those with a hero complex.

After discussing tomorrow’s plans, I rubbed my eyes and went upstairs to my room on the fifth floor. Alicia followed me, holding a mug in her hands.

Meanwhile, in the living room:

— Are we really going to keep putting little Ao at risk like this? When will it stop? Maybe we should move to the kingdom or a nearby city, where we wouldn’t have to worry about such incidents?

— We can't move for now. We need Ao to finish our family school in three years and get the seal. Without the pass seal, he won’t be accepted anywhere and could remain just a commoner. As for the academies in the kingdom, even if we sell all our treasures, it would last at most three months. We would be forced to work like slaves, and I don’t want that life for you or Ao.

— I understand all of that, but isn't there a school in the kingdom that teaches the basics of magic? Maybe we could arrange for our little Ao to enroll and study there.

— Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Yes, their education and skills are at a different level, but the requirements are strict too. You know that already. Don’t worry, if anything strange happens, we will leave, no matter the situation.

— Since you say that, I agree.

Forgetting the time, they sat before the fireplace for a long while, partly talking, partly admiring the fire in silence.

Today had been a full day. Becoming absorbed in a book about the origin of our kingdom, I didn't even realize when I fell asleep.

The candles continued to burn, filling the room with a soft warmth. In any case, the day had come to an end.