READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 41
And as time passed, the day of Wintersend arrived.
The city was engulfed in the excitement of the festival.
Unlike modern times, there was an endless lack of entertainment in this era.
For the people, festivals were among the few special days in their tedious lives, and
with the early first snow, Coldon, which had been shrunken inwards, stretched its arms wide.
Naturally, it was obvious that the residents of Coldon, who were holed up inside buildings due to the terrible weather when there was no work, came out to soak in the festive heat.
Of course, today was one of those rare days without snow.
Festivals had a way of moving people’s sluggish consumer minds.
To encourage this, hawkers loudly advertised to draw in customers on every street and building, and workers, clowns, and bards raised their voices even higher to gain income and attention.
As noisy as Coldon was, Winterhome was just as lively.
Winterhome was fundamentally a fortress and the residence of the Felwinter Family.
Of course, those without permission couldn’t enter freely.
However, because it was Wintersend, the tightly closed doors opened a little for certain visitors.
Blacksmiths, bakers, jewelers, hunters, adventurers, and chefs—all recommended as offerers to present sacrifices at Wintersend.
Alfred Felwinter personally sent invitations to influential figures and nobles from cities, towns, and tribes.
And those merchants who paid a hefty fee for entrance or were permitted to supply groceries used during Wintersend at Winterhome.
Considering the existing servants and maidens, it was astonishing how the castle managed to maintain order despite the crowds and noise from early morning.
Karem had an instinctive thought that he absolutely didn’t want to get mixed up with that horde of people, but he too was one of the offerers.
Karem looked down from the Wizard’s Tower and shivered, grumbling.
“It’s extremely noisy.”
“That’s only natural. Most are related to the offerers, but it’s quite a crowd.”
“But… is it okay to be here?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Crisp.
Godwin, dipping a carrot into mayonnaise, inquired.
His left hand held a large bowl filled with mayonnaise.
In the opposite hand were a few carrots.
The initial impressive and witty demeanor he showed during their first meeting was completely replaced by an overly friendly attitude, as if asking what the problem was.
Karem felt a bit speechless.
Naturally, even during a festival, not everyone could relax and fully enjoy it.
It was the workers at the amusement park who had to work for the visitors to enjoy and spend money.
Moreover, most of Winterhome’s guests were people of notable standing, wealth, or skill.
Yet here was the son of the host, the festival’s organizer, acting like this?
Obviously, it shouldn’t be happening, but Karem decided to tease him a bit.
“Well, you’re the eldest son of the Felwinter Family, aren’t you?”
“Do you really think there’s someone here who doesn’t know my name and status?”
“Shouldn’t you be meeting other nobles?”
“Oh, that.”
With a look that seemed to say not to talk about it, Godwin frowned and shook the carrot.
From that attitude, Karem could feel the energy of a senior in high school desperately trying to avoid a mandatory break time.
“I’m already headachy because of that, so just don’t bring it up.”
“So you ran away, didn’t you?”
“No, how did you guess that?”
“Where is Sir Viktor?”
Having only met Viktor once, Karem couldn’t help but think that he must be the one keeping an eye on Godwin as his attendant.
Godwin’s reaction only sealed Karem’s thoughts.
Tsk, Godwin clicked his tongue lightly and cast his gaze over the castle walls outside the window.
The clear gesture revealed everything without words.
Karem felt the pressure he had initially experienced starting to dissipate.
“By the way, Karem, where was Atanitas off to in such a hurry?”
“He went to do the final checks on the flower orb set up in the Great Hall.”
“Hmm, that sounds like quite a chore.”
And Karem suddenly started piecing things together.
So he must have found it bothersome to socialize with other nobles or lords and shoved all the duties onto others to run away, right?
No wonder he had contacted Karem early in the morning.
It was clearly both an excuse to visit and a reason to bring oils and a hoard of eggs for mayonnaise.
Catherine must have allowed him in after having figured this out beforehand and it was certainly not a wrong guess.
Karem felt a bit uneasy as if the situation had turned upside down.
He was sure the dishes were thoughtfully prepared despite the lack of time.
Yet of all the dishes, why was it mayonnaise?
“Do you like mayonnaise?”
“Yeah, just tell me honestly.”
Godwin waved the carrot heavily coated in mayonnaise.
“This sauce keeps coming to mind, making it hard for me to eat anything else.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Ugh, I should’ve saved some instead of gobbling it all on the way back. No, if only the head chef had just let me have a taste…”
“What?”
He ate almost all of it on the way back?
Karem was astonished at Godwin’s appetite for mayonnaise.
The three basic ingredients of mayonnaise are: oil, vinegar, and egg yolk.
The egg yolk only acts as an emulsifier.
In reality, the core of mayonnaise is just a bit of vinegar and a lot of oil—essentially a lump of fat. And fat is akin to flesh.
Because of that, it could be argued that one could gain weight equal to twice the weight of the mayonnaise consumed.
There was a reason why people in the North, who loved fatty foods like mayonnaise, tended to gain weight significantly as they aged compared to their younger days.
By the way, Karem absentmindedly turned his eyes sideways.
Godwin’s clothes seemed a bit tight as he scooped mayonnaise with carrots.
His sharply defined jaw, which he had groomed beautifully, seemed to have gained a bit of weight too?
Karem casually tossed a warning.
“If you eat too much of that, you’ll gain weight.”
“Hmm?”
Godwin, who was chewing on the mayonnaise-coated carrot, paused.
Now that he thought about it, he felt a bit tight in his clothes that morning.
Could it be?
Godwin was the son of the current Duke.
If everything went well, that meant he was next in line to be Alfred Felwinter.
As the Duke’s heir, it was only natural he was busy with various schedules.
And being in his prime age, it was only natural that he, a naturally gluttonous person, was hungry due to intense activity and never received a compliment about being manly from others.
And yet he had maintained a rather slender figure.
If the custom-made clothing created by a craftsman was tight…
Godwin hesitated for a moment.
He momentarily set the carrot down next to the mayonnaise bowl and patted his stomach.
And he reached a conclusion.
“So this means… it’s that.”
“‘That’? What do you mean—”
“I can say it’s a pouch full of my experiences.”
“…So you’ve gained weight.”
“It’s a pouch of experiences! Why, isn’t Iona also sporting quite an impressive experience pouch?”
Karem nodded absentmindedly.
Iona, busy catering to guests at Winterhome, indeed boasted a remarkable belly.
But an experience pouch?
Karem presented the reality to Godwin.
“…If you’ve eaten nearly all that mayonnaise, it’s only natural to gain weight.”
“No, honestly, Karem.”
“I’m listening.”
“The bowl was a bit large, I’ll admit that. But I usually eat more than that in a day. Does it really make sense that I would gain weight just from that?”
“Most of the weight in that bowl of mayonnaise is oil, so it’s only natural to gain weight. You ate multiple bowls, didn’t you?”
“Anyway, I refuse to acknowledge it.”
As Godwin stubbornly denied his rapid weight gain and Karem insisted on reality, footsteps could be heard from beyond the door.
Mary opened the door, and immediately Catherine came in, removing her white gloves.
“Sir Atanitas, Mary. Are you finally done?”
“Phew, yeah. But Godwin, haven’t you left yet?”
At that, Godwin nodded as if it was fortuitous.
“Right. I should ask Atanitas.”
“Huh? What about?”
“Do you think I’ve gained weight, too?”
“What? Where did that come from?”
Karem swiftly explained the situation.
Only then did Catherine, who had been handing Mary her gloves, quickly scan Godwin from top to bottom.
And then she commented.
“Indeed, you’ve put on weight since before?”
“Hmm, I didn’t want to admit it…”
There was a sacred reality in the Grand Wizard’s clear words.
Godwin had no choice but to acknowledge it.
He was undeniably gaining weight.
Godwin closed his eyes for a moment and reflected on himself.
Indeed, it was understandable that he would gain weight after demolishing a bowl filled with oil, as it was the main ingredient in mayonnaise.
“Alright. In that case, Atanitas.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Can I have some more mayonnaise?”
Didn’t he just acknowledge it a moment ago?
Despite the puzzled gazes from Catherine and Karem, Godwin steadfastly held out his bowl.
And the bowl that had contained the mayonnaise was taken away by Mary.
*
Time passed, and as evening began to approach, various magic tools started to light up the castle with candles and torches around.
And people slowly began to gather in the central plaza of Winterhome.
In a square that seemed impossible to fill in normal times, people streamed in like high tide.
In the center of the plaza, a large bonfire surrounded by a long, beautifully decorated table was blazing brightly, sending sparks and smoke mixed with flames up into the sky.
On the elevated royal seats overlooking the plaza, members of the Felwinter family, including Alicia and Godwin—excluding Alfred—took their places along with esteemed guests.
Standing before the dais with attendants and priestesses were Iona and Alfred, who were deep in conversation.
Behind them, offerers with a variety of prepared sacrifices of differing sizes and varieties awaited the ceremony.
Among the crowd of offerers representing various ranks, races, and ages, Karem quietly admired the scene.
Winter nights come swiftly, and this place was no exception.
But at twilight when the gloomy sky darkened,
the magic tools set up around Winterhome began to emit a gentle glow and illuminated the surroundings.
The encroaching darkness and the majestic Winterhome.
The beautiful blend of soft glowing magic tools created an ethereal atmosphere.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Karem’s mind.
Could it be that all of this was orchestrated by Catherine?
Because from what he knew, magic tools were complicated items that needed the direct touch of a wizard.
And Karem’s assumption was completely wrong.
The magic tools that lit up the castle were items that had originally been stored in Winterhome, but Karem, unaware of this, decided to regard Catherine’s efforts in a new light.
Maybe he could do something special for her when this was over. While he was deep in thought,
Karem straightened up as the atmosphere quieted down.
Alfred stepped up to the dais.