The subordinates grabbed Allen and covered his mouth, making his twisted screams louder.

Distracted by the noise, Eric, who had been organizing his desk, looked up and asked with a puzzled expression.

“…What are you doing?”

“Uhuhuhuh? Uhuhuhuhuhuh!”

Allen made a sound as if he were wronged, but his mouth was covered, so no one could understand what he was saying, nor did they want to.

“Just dump that guy somewhere and leave before lunch.”

“Really?”

“Is it so surprising that I’m telling you to leave? What, do you want to work more?”

“No, I’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“Uhuhuh!”

Watching the subordinates keep their hands on Allen’s mouth until the end to prevent any mishaps, Eric chuckled and stood up from his seat.

Unlike usual, he pushed the documents aside and hurriedly put on his hanging jacket before quickly leaving.

(This is a time separator.)

The square looked lively for the first time in a while.

Apart from the spires, the square that had been destroyed during the previous joint training was completely restored, and a festival was deliberately held there to eliminate the negative perception that had been avoided because demons appeared.

To comfort and reassure the frightened citizens of the Empire, the royal family sponsored large and small performances, and provided support so that people could enjoy famous food and sights from various regions.

Alicia, who had agreed to meet Eric, was also there.

“He’s probably not here yet.”

Eric, who said it would end in ten days, had been stuck with the Knight Order and the palace for nearly a month.

Although he occasionally sent news, it was only a simple letter, so the first time she saw his face was when she went to the Lancaster Count’s house to take the twins.

And yesterday, when Eric contacted her saying all the emergency duties were over, Alicia replied that they should meet at the festival she wanted to go to.

Alicia looked at the clock tower in the square.

She had come out early because she was excited from the morning, and there was still some time left until the promised time.

“Everyone looks happy.”

Alicia looked around.

Perhaps because it had been a long time since a festival due to the demons, people’s faces were full of joy.

“They said there will be fireworks, too.”
A memory of the fireworks near the lake park came to mind.

Embarrassed by the thought of that day, Alicia covered her face with both hands, blushing.

Then she saw someone performing a puppet show for children on one side of the square.

‘A puppet show?’

Curious, Alicia approached.

A young man with rough, long gray hair soon began the performance.

Once upon a time, there was a wizard named Sevier.

She was known as a Grand Mage and created powerful magic to save the world, but soon became enamored with the demons who granted her power.

Absolute power. Pursuing only that, she made a direct pact with the demons and plunged the world into darkness.

The Dark Ages had begun.

Kingdoms fell, and people trembled in fear.

Then a hero named Keigan rose to eliminate Sevier.

Keigan fought Sevier alongside a wizard named Rectana, but could not completely obliterate Sevier, who had already made a pact with the demons.

So, he divided Sevier’s soul into seven parts, sealed them separately, and established the Britannia Empire to guard those seals.

Though the performance ended and the children clapped, the response was far from enthusiastic.

“What was that? An old story.”

“Huh?”

“No music, and the puppets are really worn out.”

“Huh huh?”

The longhaired man was flustered by the children’s lukewarm and frankly apathetic applause.

Watching this, Alicia gave a sympathetic smile.

Kids these days would prefer something more exciting.

Everyone knows about the founding of Britannia Empire and the fall of the wizard Sevier, but these days, kids are more familiar with theurgy than magic.

Soon, the children left, and only the performing man remained.

He began to pack up the puppets and props hesitantly.

“Here.”

Seeing him struggle, Alicia picked up a fallen puppet and handed it over.

“Ah, thank you, miss.”

“I found it enjoyable.”

“Is that so? Even if just one person enjoyed it, that’s a lot of consolation.”

The man beamed.

Alicia added, smiling awkwardly toward him,

“But kids these days don’t really like stories about Sevier or Rectana.”

“It seems that way. Well, it’s a 500yearold story, so that’s understandable.”

“They probably can’t even understand magic. They’re all more familiar with theurgy. Maybe you’d better tell stories about knights instead.”

“That’s true. But it’s something that should not be forgotten.”

Having finished packing, the man suddenly looked at Alicia.

“Miss, would you like to learn theurgy?”