Under the full moon, with snow falling heavily, a sleigh pulled by giant reindeers appeared.
It was a magical sight, straight out of a fairy tale.
The reindeers, galloping through the sky, gradually descended, slowing their pace. When the sleigh finally landed in front of the square's grand tree...
"It—It's Santa!"
"Really! It's the real Santa Claus!"
A roar of excitement erupted.
Sitting at the front of the sleigh was none other than Santa Claus himself, with his bushy white beard.
"Santa Claus!"
"Wow!"
Whether children or adults, everyone who saw Santa shouted with joy.
The square was instantly filled with noise, but no one rushed toward Santa. To be precise, they couldn't.
Imperial knights had formed a barrier around the large tree in the square, preventing anyone from approaching.
This was done at my suggestion.
If Santa Claus appeared in a square packed with tens of thousands of people like this, there was a real danger of a stampede.
A stampede doesn't just injure one or two people—many could be hurt or even killed.
A festival meant for joy could quickly turn into a tragic disaster.
To avoid this worst-case scenario, I prioritized maintaining order at the festival.
Guards were stationed throughout the square to keep order, and the number of people allowed in was carefully limited.
Thanks to these efforts, the Christmas festival remained free of chaos.
Not only the area around the tree was off-limits; a wide path encircled the square, large enough for two carriages to pass side by side.
It was a kind of parade route.
Tap, tap.
The sleigh, pulled by reindeer, began to move slowly along the path.
"Happy Holidays! Ho ho ho!"
Santa Claus stood up on the sleigh, waving to the crowd in the square.
"W-Wow!"
"Santa Claus!"
Children's eyes sparkled like stars as they reached out eagerly, while adults offered solemn prayers.
Happy Holidays.
Enjoy the holy day.
This was the phrase I had asked Santa to say.
In this world, the last month of the resting season was also called the "Holy Month."
We decided to call December 25th "Happy Holiday" to celebrate this special day.
'Merry Christmas' would sound a bit odd here.
While the gods of this otherworld had many names depending on the region, one thing was clear—it was not someone with a name "Christ."
Therefore, "Merry Christmas" would have no meaning here.
In a similar way, the multicultural United States had adopted "Happy Holidays" instead of the more Christian-centric "Merry Christmas."
In this multi-ethnic Empire, "Happy Holidays" was a perfect fit.
"Heehee, Happy Holidays!"
"Santa Claus, I hope you have a wonderful resting season too!"
Just seeing Santa Claus was enough to keep the children laughing.
Meanwhile, the adults were astonished by what they had learned.
"My goodness, Santa is a Dwerg...?"
"Aren't Dwergs known to be a stingy race? How could this be…?"
The shocking truth was that Santa Claus was a Dwerg.
Dwergs, a mix of dwarves and humans, were often associated with a negative image.
But Santa Claus was nothing like that.
He was a saint of the resting season, sharing hope with children.
This left the citizens of the Empire in awe and made them reconsider their views on the Dwerg race.
"If Santa Claus is a Dwerg, then maybe the rumors about them being evil were wrong."
"I told you before—not all Dwergs are bad."
It was a small shift in perception, but a significant one nonetheless.
"Ho ho ho! Happy Holidays!"
"Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy the resting season too!"
Happy Holidays.
The magical phrase was breaking down barriers between races and spreading joy to everyone.
"Aha-ha!"
The pure white snow, falling heavily from the sky, seemed to bless all who had gathered in the square.
While everyone laughed and celebrated...
"T-The Emperor!"
"Where? Oh my!"
A carriage carrying Emperor Julius II entered the square along the long, open path.
The Emperor's unannounced appearance astonished the citizens.
But then...
"Is that a Santa hat?"
"Really? He's wearing a Santa hat!"
Seeing the Emperor in a Santa Claus hat, the crowd's eyes widened.
But the most surprised were the nobles sitting comfortably in the VIP section, watching the parade.
"H-His Majesty is wearing a Santa hat."
"Shouldn't we... wear one too?"
"...!"
The nobles jumped to their feet and rushed to the vendors selling Santa hats.
"Give me a Santa hat!"
"Hurry! A Santa hat, please!"
In no time, all the high-ranking nobles of the Empire were wearing Santa hats.
This scene was fully visible to the public.
"Look! Even Marquis Hughes is wearing a Santa hat!"
"And so is the Minister of Magic!"
To the citizens of the Empire, who only saw Santa Claus as a kind old man who gave gifts, this was a fresh and surprising sight.
The fact that the Emperor himself was wearing a Santa hat elevated Santa's status even further.
Santa Claus was not just a grand wizard but a great saint whom even the Emperor revered.
While the citizens stared at Santa Claus with newfound respect...
Hiss—!
"Huh?"
"Is that... coke?"
"Oh! It's coke!"
Suddenly, Santa Claus on the sleigh pulled out a coke and began to drink it refreshingly.
"Look! Santa is drinking coke!"
Santa Claus sipped the coke as if making sure everyone saw it.
At the same time, several large, red magic-powered vehicles with the Boli-Cola logo entered the square.
From these vehicles, people dressed as Santa Claus stepped out.
"Happy Holidays! Come get a free coke!"
"These are gifts from Santa Claus himself!"
"Woohoo!"
People went wild as they received the free cokes from the red sacks.
The square quickly filled with people holding red coke cans.
Then, Santa Claus raised his coke high and shouted.
"Happy Holidays!"
"Happy Holidays!"
People lifted their cokes and echoed his call.
The sight of the entire crowd holding up coke cans was a spectacular view.
"Happy Holidays!"
Even the Emperor and the nobles stood up, raising their cokes high.
And then...
"Senior, this is a massive hit!"
Aria exclaimed excitedly.
Through the crystal orbs placed throughout the square, this moment was being broadcast live to every arena across the nation.
On this holy night, with snow pouring down...
Everyone was enjoying coke together.
—In the refreshing season, enjoy coke with Santa!
At this moment, Santa Claus had officially become the symbol of coke.
*
The vibrant festival came to an end as Santa Claus rode off on his sleigh.
The square, which had been filled with tens of thousands of people, fell eerily silent.
Since there were so many children present, everyone was sent home early to avoid any potential accidents.
"How was it?"
"It was quite an enjoyable experience."
Christina chuckled softly as she gazed at the square, now shrouded in darkness.
Noticing the hint of emptiness in her laugh, I spoke up.
"Now, let's enjoy the festival."
"But it's over. What festival is there to enjoy?"
"It's not entirely over yet."
I pointed to the square.
Though the people were gone, the stalls and structures remained, still holding the warmth of the lively celebration.
I was suggesting to Christina that we enjoy the empty square.
As a member of the royal family, Christina couldn't mingle with the crowd earlier—she could only watch the festival from afar.
It couldn't be said that she had truly experienced it.
Even if the people had left, I wanted her to feel the remnants of the festival firsthand.
"An interesting proposal."
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Seeing this, Morian, the princess's guard, quietly turned away.
"I'll take a quick patrol around."
Acting as if he knew nothing, Sir Morian began to circle the square.
I offered him a small nod of gratitude.
"Shall we go?"
Hand in hand with Christina, I walked through the square.
We tried on Santa hats, drank coke, and played games at the stalls, like shooting arrows to win prizes.
We enjoyed the festival, just the two of us.
Ding—! Ding—!
The bells rang through the capital, announcing midnight.
It was a Merry Holiday.
***
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