As morning approached, before dawn had fully broken, Ciel awoke, rubbed her eyes, and opened the window of her room.

The moment she did, a chill cold enough to send a shiver down her neck infiltrated the room, causing the girl, a beastman resembling a mountain cat, to instinctively shrug her shoulders.

“Brr, it’s gotten considerably colder lately.”

It had been just over two months since Sora and Claira Berch had set off for the imperial capital. The season had transitioned from autumn to winter, and the city of Ishka was now enveloped in a freezing cold during the mornings and evenings. Although the cold would ease slightly during the day, one could not go without their cold-weather clothing.

Lately, the faces of the people walking through the streets seemed notably gloomy and melancholic.

Not so long ago, Ishka was bustling with increased foot traffic due to the wedding of Prince Azhar and his bride, bringing a temporary return to the vibrancy it had before the magical beast rampage. However, this warmth faded after the wedding, and the arrival of the full brunt of winter seemed to cool off any remaining excitement.

Sighing, Ciel’s breath quickly turned white. Seeing this, she hurriedly closed the window to cut off the morning chill and, rubbing her hands together, left the room.

Walking down the eerily quiet hallway, with only her footsteps echoing back at her, Ciel made her way downstairs. Currently, besides Priestess Sarah and three children, only Ciel and Suzume were present in the “Blood Spraying Sword” residence.

Miroslav, Lunamaria, and Wisteria had gone to Titis Forest to level up, and Claudia had returned to the royal capital to the Dragnaut residence for some business. Priestess Sarah’s daughter, Iria, was staying in the west in Belka, so she was not here either.

With Miroslav and the other adventurers away, Ciel felt a responsibility to protect Sora’s home in their absence.

However, despite her resolve, she couldn’t shake off a sense of loneliness. It wasn’t unusual for Sora to be away from home, but this was the first time there had been no word from him for nearly two months.

Ciel believed nothing bad could have happened to Sora, yet she couldn’t help but feel anxious from time to time. The cold, oppressive weather of winter only added to her worries.

“…I wonder when Sora will return.”

Murmuring to no one in particular, Ciel headed towards the kitchen, where she greeted Priestess Sarah, who had woken up earlier.

“Good morning, Sarah.”

“Good morning, Ciel.”

With her long black hair tied back, the priestess of the temple smiled warmly at Ciel. The kitchen was filled with a pleasant aroma that whetted one’s appetite, indicating that the preparations for breakfast were already underway.

Ciel was an early riser, but she had never managed to wake up before Priestess Sarah.

Admiring the priestess’s diligence anew every day, Ciel lifted a large fodder bucket from the table with a heave.

Containing breakfast prepared by Priestess Sarah for Clau Soras, the bucket’s delivery to the stables was one of Ciel’s morning duties.

“I’ll take this breakfast over to Clau Soras then.”

“Please do,” came Priestess Sarah’s voice, sending Ciel off with the fodder bucket towards the stables. The bucket was filled with pickled meat, making it quite heavy. If it had been Ciel before joining the “Blood Spraying Sword,” she might have struggled just to lift it.

However, as a member of Sora’s clan, Ciel had reached the level of a full-fledged adventurer, thanks to daily training and missions. Therefore, carrying the fodder bucket was no significant task for her.

Upon entering the stables, Ciel found Clau Soras, an indigo-winged wyvern, lying down with its long neck on the ground, asleep.

The creature’s face seemed somewhat sullen, probably not just Ciel’s imagination. With Sora being away for so long, Clau Soras had been in a foul mood lately.

Its occasional solo flights to Titis Forest to indiscriminately slay magical beasts were likely out of frustration.

“Clau Soras, breakfast time!”

At Ciel’s call, Clau Soras lazily opened one eye, looking somewhat annoyed.

Usually, it would show more excitement at the mention of food, but either it was still sleepy or not feeling particularly hungry this morning; the response was not enthusiastic.

However, that lackluster reaction changed once Clau Soras noticed the contents of the meal Ciel brought.

Noticing the pungent smell of vinegar, Clau Soras raised its long neck with a “pui!” sound, recognizing its favorite dish of pickled meat. The thumping of its tail against the floor was a gesture of joy.

Seeing Clau Soras’s reaction, Ciel couldn’t help but secretly laugh to herself, thinking how easily pleased it was, as she placed the fodder bucket before the eager beast.

While Clau Soras eagerly dug into the bucket, Ciel began cleaning the stables. There was no shortage of places to clean: after the stables, the garden, then the street in front of the gate.

Ciel wanted to finish the cleaning in the morning, as there were clan missions to attend to after breakfast.

Fortunately, there were no troublesome missions at the moment, but trouble often came without warning, something Ciel knew from experience. So, having some time to spare was always better. Though without any basis, Ciel felt something might happen today.

Just as she thought this, Clau Soras, who had been focused on its meal, suddenly lifted its head from the fodder bucket and looked outside the stables, then started to chirp happily.

To Ciel’s knowledge, there was only one person who could elicit such a reaction from the proud indigo-winged wyvern, Clau Soras.

Before she knew it, Ciel had rushed outside the stable. She ran to the gate, unlatched it from the inside, and stepped out onto the street.

There, she found Sora, the sight she had dreamt of, and her face lit up with joy.

Seeing Ciel burst out from the gate, Sora waved at her. Ciel dashed across the cobblestone street to Sora and, with a broad smile, exclaimed,

“Sora, welcome back!”

“I’m back, Ciel. Sorry for being away for two months.”

Sora, petting Ciel’s head, smiled and said, “It’s good to see you well.”

Ciel, seeing Sora’s smile up close, inadvertently caught her breath and, before she knew it, stiffened up on the spot.

Ciel was captivated by Sora’s smile.

Just looking at Sora’s face made her cheeks involuntarily flush and her heart race uncontrollably.

Not that Sora’s appearance had drastically changed over the two months. His hair had grown slightly longer, and his facial expression had become more resolute, but that was about the extent of the visible changes.

Yet, Ciel couldn’t take her eyes off him. It wasn’t just about superficial changes like hairstyle or facial expression; she intuitively sensed a significant inner change in Sora.

This intuition was partly due to her keen senses as an Ocelot beastman and partly because she harbored feelings for Sora as a young girl.

Sora’s smiling face, looking at Ciel, seemed to have something decidedly removed from before, something hard to explain in words.

To Ciel, Sora had always been the coolest man in the world, but comparing the Sora from two months ago and the Sora now, she found the current Sora more appealing. The reason being, he seemed much more confident and happier than before.

Seeing Ciel frozen and blushing, Sora tilted his head in confusion. Ciel, realizing this, panicked and tried to speak, but couldn’t find the right words and just ended up opening and closing her mouth.

Worried that Sora might think of her as strange, Ciel, in her fluster, decided on a strategic retreat. After all, as Miroslav said, fleeing is also a valid option when you’re at an impasse!

“S-s…”

“Yes?”

“I’ll go and tell Suzume and the others that Sora is back!”

Saying this with a quick bow, Ciel spun on her heel and dashed back to the garden like a startled rabbit, then ran straight into the house.

Sora blinked in surprise, watching Ciel’s retreating figure disappear into the house.

After a moment, Sora turned around as if remembering something and saw Claira, Ursula, and Kagari standing there.

Realizing why Ciel had run off, Sora scratched his head apologetically.

“I see. It was thoughtless of me to pat a girl’s head in front of people she hasn’t met before.”

Normally, Sora would refrain from such gestures in public, but Ciel’s face was so filled with joy at welcoming him back that he instinctively reached out to pat her head without considering the presence of others.

Thinking he would have to apologize later, Sora reflected on his actions, while the three behind him smiled wryly, each with their own expression.