Cthulhu Gonfalon

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Winter was the harshest season in the North. The whistling cold wind was as sharp as razors, and the ice would be frozen so solidly that even with a hammer, breaking the ice would still be extremely difficult. The land would be covered with frosty snow, so it was almost impossible for any car to pass through.

During the coldest time, if one held a cup of hot water and walked around the house, tilting the cup over would cause cold water mixed with shaved ice to fall to the ground. This shaved ice would not disperse. Instead, it would freeze together to form a mini icicle.

In such terrible weather, who would want to organize an outdoor activity? Only a super old person that had grown tired of living such a long life would want to.

But within Void City, holding an outdoor activity was possible. By virtue of the Void Mask's divine enchantment, the severe cold was blocked outside the boundary of the enchantment. Of course, within the city, it would still be cold, but the temperature was not so cold to the extent of being unbearable for the people. So long as they did not ask for trouble by running about in summer clothes, even the usual autumn wear would suffice in fending off the cold for a short time. As for those donning winter wear, many could not help but shed some layers so as not to feel uncomfortably warm.

"Republican calendar, December 25, year 20, sunny. Outdoor temperature, five degrees Celsius, level two winds from the northeast direction, air quality is good," Cambrona said as he wrote this line at the top of the daily governmental record sheet. Then he sent this record sheet to the archive room.

As the shift officer of the municipal office this week, he had clocked out later than usual for six consecutive days and even had to return to the office for overtime work during the weekends. Sending this record sheet to the archive room for filing every day was one of the important parts of his shift duties.

Having finished his work, he packed his things and went to the main door of the office. His wife, who had also changed into casual clothes, was waiting for him. In the rental carriage next to her, the coachman was holding a picture book. He was laughing while looking at it, almost to the extent of completely forgetting himself.

"Where are you going for dinner today?" he asked with a smile.

"Prol Restaurant," Jane replied with a smile. "Tomorrow will be Beta Grill, and the day after will be the Frog Prince Hotel."

"Ha, you've prepared in advance, eh?"

"Who could have expected them to come to such agreements, with a different restaurant serving food at a special price every day until the opening day of the celebration ceremony," Jane said with a smile. "Let's hurry up, if we are going to those mid or lower-end restaurants, then there's nothing to worry about. But Prol Restaurant is so high-end; if we are late, we will not find any seats."

"I think even if we were to run there now, it is likely that we might not get a seat…"

"Don't worry. Before coming here, I already made a reservation. The staff said that they'd give us half an hour to get there."

Cambrona felt relieved upon hearing this. Holding his wife's hand, he boarded the carriage next to him.

The coachman put his book away. Gently, he waved his whip. Then the strong horse started pulling the carriage and clattered its way ahead.

Thanks to the even road, the carriage was able to move swiftly and steadily. They arrived at the famous restaurant fairly quickly.

Without waiting for the coachman to release the footboard, Cambrona jumped off the carriage. As an officially registered knight within the Tolerant Knights, he could most likely be unscathed even if he were to jump down from three to four floors high. This little elevation would not have the least bit of an effect on him.

Seeing him stand by the side of the door, Jane did not wait for the footboard either. She jumped directly into his arms and was firmly caught by him.

"Have I gotten a little heavier?" she asked.

"No, you are very light," Cambrona said. "I happen to think you eat too little. This is not healthy enough."

"But if I eat too much, I'll get fat."

"What's wrong with being fat? Being a little chubby is very adorable too!"

Watching them banter with one another as though there was no one around them, the young coachman sighed and advised, "Dear Sir and Madam, if you want to show how lovey-dovey you guys are, the street is not the right place! Also, may I trouble you guys in taking away this bag, I still have a business to run."

Cambrona hurriedly set his wife down, touched his nose, and smiled awkwardly.

Taking their bag from the coachman, they paid the fare. Then the couple walked through the door, chatting while laughing. They spoke briefly to the usher at the door and gave him their reservation number. The usher brought them to the seats that were reserved for them, and at the same time, ordered the kitchen to start preparing the dishes to be served.

As they were about to walk deeper into the big dining hall, Jane suddenly frowned. Turning around, she looked out the main entrance.

"What's the matter?" Cambrona asked.

"Feels like someone is watching us," Jane said, "but I don't know whether it's just my imagination or not."

"You're so beautiful, so it's not strange at all, if there's someone looking at you," Cambrona said as he laughed. "Or maybe, that person is looking at me, studying exactly how a toad like me managed to swallow a swan's flesh."

"What 'swan's flesh'! I'm getting on in years…"

"You're still very young. Even after a hundred years, you're still as fresh as a swan's flesh."

"Shriveled swan's flesh?"

"Shriveled swan's flesh or not, you are still as adorable! Best choice for a shriveled toad!"

The couple talked and laughed as they walked, not taking the earlier matter of concern to heart.

At the same time, in a relatively more secluded room, an old mage with his eyes closed let out a deep breath as he finally put his highly-strung heart to rest.

"What a terrible intuition. I was discovered when using the spell for remote distance spying!" he said. He closed and re-opened his eyes; then with a tad of trepidation, he said, "Indeed worthy of being called a 'weapon of god,' even if I were to take the form of a mortal now, my original person would still exist."

"I must be more careful and avoid provoking her. Otherwise, even if I were to flee to the end of the world, I'll still be unable to escape death!"

"I feel that you're thinking too much," the voice of a young man suddenly resonated by his ears. "Before you even consider running to the end of the world, you might most possibly need to go to jail for a few years. Our Republic of Northwest has always been very strict about espionage."

The mage froze, then subconsciously lifted his hands to touch a ring. However, he did not even have the time to touch the ring that could instantly cast a life-saving spell. A cool sensation was felt pushing against the nape of his neck that immediately stopped him of any movement. He was rooted to the ground, not daring to move at all.

"Very well, your wise decision has saved your life," the voice said. The air around him vibrated slightly, and then the handsome Legendary Master, Clito, appeared. The long, black sword that was pushing against the nape of his neck, also appeared before the old mage. It was now firmly in the grip of Clito's hands. So long as Clito pushed it a little further, it would pierce through the neck of this spy, or even directly cut his head off.

Given the degree of sharpness of this advanced magic weapon, the latter was more likely to happen.

"I'm not a spy," the old mage said. He did not take Clito lightly just because of Clito's youthful appearance. He hurriedly explained, "I was just very curious about that woman…"

"Attempted trafficking with women and children; you will face a sentence of ten years' imprisonment. Consummated trafficking with women and children will result in a death sentence. Repeated offenders will also have their souls drawn out to receive further punishment," Clito said, without any expression.

"I have no intention of selling her, ah!" the old mage hurriedly called to redress his grievance. "I just wanted to obtain a little divinity from her…"

Clito froze for a moment as he saw the old mage's eyes become increasingly unfriendly.

"Murder," Clito said.

"No! You really got it all wrong!" the old mage yelled out of anxiety.

"You don't need to be so loud. Yes or no, it's useless to tell me. You should save some energy to talk to the judge," Clito said with indifference. "By the way, the woman that you secretly have plans for, her husband is one of the legal consultants of Void City. He is often assigned the role of a lawyer. I hope you won't be that unlucky to have to meet him in court.

"If you're so unlucky, then you're definitely going to be heavily sentenced. That Cambrona guy may seem to be big and strong, but he certainly doesn't have a big heart…"