The festival was set to begin at exactly ten o'clock.
With Sylph, Nox, Elina, and Sedina now reunited with them, Millen's group managed to meet up with Allen's party with about thirty minutes left before the festival began.
"......"
"...Looks like something happened?"
Since he had only just joined them, Allen had no idea why Sylph's group looked so downcast. At his muttered question, the four of them quietly shook their heads.
It meant this wasn't the kind of problem that would be solved by talking about it right now.
"I'm sure you're curious about what happened, but getting to the plaza comes first. Shiroe, lift us up with the wind spirits."
"Okay!"
Saaa...
As Millen, the eldest daughter, stepped forward and spoke, magic power overflowing from Shiroe's entire body began to surge around the children, rivaling that of a [Spirit Queen].
"Next, Nox. Hide us with a veil so no one can see us."
"I know."
Nox gave a blank nod, then drew out the power of a vampire noble, magic utterly opposed to that of holy spirits.
Fwoosh...!!
Before long, crimson flames wrapped around the children's bodies together with the spirits' magic power and transformed into a veil.
It was a concealment technique born from the combined power of the youngest [Spirit Summoner] and a [Transcendent], something that at minimum would require a [Demon Lord]-class being to use.
Watching it, Millen smiled in satisfaction, spread her demon wings, then turned her gaze to each of her siblings in turn and continued.
"Good. Let's go now."
Toward the Christmas tree.
*
Meanwhile...
"Hey, Cien. Didn't Lord Allen definitely say earlier that he and the other children were coming here?"
"...He certainly said they were on their way here."
"Then why aren't they here now?"
"Now, now, that's enough of that, Sir Moss. Perhaps they had business elsewhere for a moment."
At the base of the enormous Christmas tree rising high at the center of the plaza, the demons waiting for their young masters let out low groans.
"Still, I even asked Lord Rimuru to rearrange the guard positions for this, so if this happens then there's no point in...!"
Rumble!
"...??"
Just as the demons were beginning to wonder whether they should head back, something fell before them like a meteor.
"...W-what is that?"
"...I can feel magic power similar to our young masters...?"
"What in the world..."
Because they had landed right in the middle of the demons, the mysterious figures had managed to touch down without alarming the surrounding people too much. After confirming the demons gathering around them, they released their concealment.
"Phew... landing successful."
"L-Lady Renoel and... Lady Mirine??"
"Long time no see, Cien, Moss."
"L-Lady Millen too?"
"Oh! Jonda and Beiron are here too!"
"Lady Artia. So it really was you..."
"Hoho, it seems Lord Karuna is joining the festival this time as well."
"Come play with us later too!"
"...Well, that's how it turned out. Agera. And I'll play with you later, Esprit."
After each demon found their own young master and exchanged brief greetings, they yielded the spots they had been holding for them.
"After hearing from Cien that all of you would be coming right beneath the tree, we prepared a place in advance."
"We're on security duty during the festival, so normally we shouldn't interfere... but well, I'm sure Lord Rimuru will generously overlook at least this much."
Since they had given up a prime spot where crowds gathered thickest, it did seem to involve a slight abuse of authority, but the children either accepted it or merely smiled awkwardly.
To begin with, every child here was either royalty of their race, descended from a [Hero], or the child of someone with comparable power, so this level of privilege was hardly a problem.
"I do feel a little guilty about it... but still, I'm glad we made it in time."
At present, there were ten minutes left until the festival began.
It was almost time for the countdown.
......
"...We should get ready too, Veldora."
"[Kwahahaha! To think you'd be the one making me this offer first. Were you really that concerned about the children's festival?]"
"...Well, festivals are more fun when they have an event like this, aren't they?"
"[Kuhuhuhu, you're not wrong. I've wanted to try something like this at least once myself... so I'll gladly take part in this festival!]"
Hidden behind the festival until the countdown was nearly over were a [Hero] and a [True Dragon].
Thinking of the children who would one day rule this world, they slowly began to move in order to fulfill their promise.
As carefully as possible, so they would not be discovered until the very end.
*
Now there were only five seconds left until the festival began.
5!
As the festival that would close out the final days of the year approached, everyone gathered in the plaza shouted the countdown.
4!
So did the boy who carried the blood of the [Scorch Dragon] and a [Hero].
3!
So did the girl who carried the blood of the [White Ice Dragon] and a [Demon Lord].
2!
So did the families of the many people who had once fought as heroes.
1!
All of them, with one heart—
Boom!!!
"Waaaaaaah!!!"
—cried out together as fireworks announced the start of the festival.
And then...
Fwooooom!!!
The mascot of Christmas—
"—Huh?"
"Something just flew out from the top of the tree?"
"Yeah, a dragon in red clothes suddenly..."
"...There was a human silhouette on top of it too."
"...Huh?! Up there!"
"No way—"
"[Kwahahahahaha!!!]"
—Rudolph and Santa, too.
"—L-Lord Veldora and..." "—Father?!?"
Veldora dressed up as Rudolph, and Adelio wearing a Santa outfit.
After confirming the shocked faces of the people and children staring up from the ground, they smiled and spoke.
"Merry Christmas."
"[Merry Christmas!!]"
Flaaare...!!
While everyone on the ground was still stunned, Adelio wrapped the mountain of gift boxes stacked behind Veldora in magic power and dropped them. The boxes fell as though they had minds of their own, landing precisely before each individual person.
"...This is..."
Millen, the first to receive a gift box, opened it and found a set of clothes inside, tied with a ribbon.
"It's the outfit I saw before in the Kingdom of Ingrassia..."
It was clothing made by a famous artisan, and she had secretly wanted to buy it, but since she had been there on official business, she had given up on it.
And besides that...
"Wow... it's a [Legend-grade] sword!"
"There's a bracelet made of orichalcum too!"
"...It's a coat I've wanted for a long time. When did he even notice...?"
"I heard only the most renowned craftsmen in Dwargo can make a necklace like this..."
"What a pretty hairpin."
Weapons, clothes, ornaments, and more.
The children looked at the gifts each of them had received, smiles curving across their lips.
It meant the event had been a success.
"...Thank you, Father."
The festival promise—that all the siblings would gather together and enjoy themselves—
That promise was faithfully kept, all the way until the very moment the festival came to an end.
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