The Kingdom of Everlasting Night and the Last Ball

Now, come on, it's raining lightly in the morning.

On the morning of the Harvest Festival, it was darker than expected, and the gray scenery edged by the cloudy window glass was somewhat gloomy.

It must have happened that the weather was worse because it was colder than the seasonal temperature.

It must definitely be so.

Suddenly, looking at the misty garden, he stopped looking at the wreath of wheat that was hanging on the door.

This festive wreath has a complicated ornament, and it's actually a little bit cute to grab.

(That said, I can't do that....)

Someday, I want to try to get a cute Harvest Festival wreath.

I wonder if Dia is the only one who is secretly hiding such a dreadful wish.

The harvest festival festival decorations of the fur citrus style, with lacquered black ribbons, is accompanied by plenty of purple and red hues of flowers and tree nuts.

But Dia's position was far too special to get such a lease personally.

(I have a lot of things I want)

Liberfilia ornaments on the harvest festival wreath.

A cute handkerchief with a beautiful picture book in a can of brightly colored sweets, and a small pattern that was laughed at as plain by an aristocratic woman.

I think that the glittering crystalline stone remains like a stone without being processed into jewelry.

The elegant burgundy ribbon decorations that the civil servant woman had were also lovely.

I was filled with desire when I thought about it, but today's Dia had a sad reason to peek into the corner of the dark room.

(Well, why did you hear about the haunted man without a head on the day of the Harvest Festival, when the fire of the festival is causing havoc......)

It began with a little curiosity.

At the Harvest Festival Mass where I went out after breakfast, the young ladies were talking in secret with a sad face, so I couldn't help but ask if something was wrong.

What a monster without a neck that was depicted in a picture book that was once a problem at Farsital appeared in the royal palace from the evening to the evening of the Harvest Festival.

Dia was the worst monster since she was a child.

Dia, whose first love is the king of the night, is proud to be immune to the unbelievable, but the only thing she doesn't like is the monster in the picture book.

Even Dia has a feminine and delicate side, so she also has the poor side that there is something she is afraid to say no to.

(Besides, you're the monster from that story...!)

The church in Farsitar had several children's picture books.

Perhaps it was made to make the learning of faith easy in the form of pictorial books.

The nobility is thanked for the donation, and the people of Ichii think that the children can read freely on the day of Mass at the church.

And in one of them, there was an extremely scary story of children who broke the adult's words and went out to the place where the alien creature appeared, and thus destroyed themselves.

The picture book titled "The Haunted Object" was a horrible work that easily destroyed the mind of a young Dia who wrapped the page in excitement, saying that it would be interesting if the unknown appeared.

While reading the picture book, Dia cried out in a hurry. She was held up by her brother, who rushed to her in a hurry, and she managed to stop crying, but now that she had grown up, her memories of that day were still burning in her memory without fading.

Perhaps a picture writer of unbelievable skill has imaginatively recreated the fierce monster in the story.

Besides, the priests, who seemed not to be good at making stories for children, did not correctly understand the line of fear that this would be the case.

Thus, the problematic work that left an indelible scar on the hearts of the children of Farsitar became a banned book in about three years, and it has given rise to a negative chain that the treatment of the banned book increases the fear of the story to this day.

Unfortunately, Dia, who was a young child when the picture book was in the world, was one of the pathetic victims who could not escape the curse of a picture book that she had only read once in a long time.

That's probably why I'm thinking about this.

(...... I don't think so, but...... it's a true story that was really passed down by the Farsi Royal Palace......)

I don't know what to do.

"Waaaah!?"

However, at such a time, the reading book that must have been placed on the edge of the table would fall to the floor.

Dia sat on the floor snoring at the noise that suddenly echoed in the empty room, and trembled.

I'm afraid of the things that scare me, even if I live in the danger of poisoning myself every day after being taken over by the royal palace by the people who killed my family.

The neckless monster that appeared in the picture book inadvertently searches the target's house for the missing neck every day, but when he said that he did not know such a thing and drove it back, for some reason, the neck that the monster was looking for came out of the cabinet and in the fight, and the monster that knew it became angry that you were the culprit. It was a terrible story to look back at when you were this age.

The main character's child broke the adults' orders and entered the forest and encountered a monster, so he probably wanted to make it a scary thing that would be out of his control if he took the adult's advice lightly.

However, it is not a very easy development for young children.

If something like that comes out of the battle, it will die of fear, and if it meets, it will be the last time. The monster's ability to act is also quite scary.

(This place is deep inside the royal palace, and there aren't many people here, so I'm sure it's okay... "......!? No, it wasn't okay!! Even if a monster appeared, no one would come to help me...!!)

Knights guarding the Night's Wing will abandon Dia lightly when monsters appear.

There's no one left in Dia to help us or to protect our family.

I noticed this over and over again, and Dia was no longer in tears.

"...... Noin"

If there is no figure of Noin that I want you to come at this time, why don't you try a plan to hit the king of the night with something you don't know well?

I'm sure the monsters wouldn't come if Noin were here, but Dia was full of sarcasm.

I called that name out of grief, but it still doesn't seem to be nearby.

That said, you can't stay on the floor forever.

I stood up and picked up the book that had fallen to the floor and put it back on my desk.

However, at such a time, the best way to escape into the bedroom was to move to the next room, and I was surprised by my shadow on the window glass, and I almost lost my breath, and I still encountered scattered eyes after that.

(Sigh, how come you're so scared of things you don't normally think of......)

Normal Dia could walk through the royal palace on the day of the winter solstice by herself, but she was highly resistant to fear in her field.

Everyday life is in danger, but since I met Nein, I've been wrapped up in a sense of additional mystery.

I thought that if I was going to harm Dean, it would be Nein, and there would be no sneaky little scary things passing by.

(And yet...!!)

"Why did you let me tell you that story....."

However, now, the book just fell from the desk.

I cursed the Ladies who had shaken up the memory of that picture book, but that didn't alleviate my fear.

I thought Ricardo would be fine if I had someone in the room, but the royals are busy because it's Harvest Day.

We have troublesome preparations and socializing for the prom to celebrate the Harvest Festival.

Unlike last year, Dia lived in a wing that was more secluded than usual.

(If someone was with me, I could run away even if something scary appeared...!!)

Even Dia, who is out of company, is no longer at the ball this year.

We need a way to protect ourselves from monsters that may appear.

While thinking about it, I snorted my nose dullly.

"...... what are you dressed like?"

"Giggle!!"

Suddenly, a voice was heard from behind.

I suddenly saw signs of someone other than myself in the room.

Already filled with fear, Dia is about to stop breathing.

You must have caused another commotion, right?

I wonder if Noon's eyes are so far away because Dean was hiding in a blanket fort so that the monsters wouldn't see him.

But it's also a fine piece of gear, so don't make a fool of yourself.

"...... Noin"

"...... What's the matter?"

Somehow, a monster will be revealed.

"I haven't been able to say it yet."...... Monsters? "

"Even though you don't have a neck, it's a horrible monster who hides his neck in this house and then adds to his troubles..."

"...... Oh, it must be an erosion fairy doing that." The genealogy of dusk. "

"Giggle! It's real!!"

"...... I thought it wasn't real, but were you scared?"

Noin asks weirdly, lifting Dia by the blanket and peeking into my face.

When I saw the beautiful purple eyes, I felt a little relieved, but I wondered if I could expose my weakness to someone who could never be said to be an ally.

I was lost, but in the end, Dia couldn't stand it and confessed everything.

I guess I didn't want to tell anyone that I was scared.

And after I said it, I waited for Dia, who was shivering and laughing.

"...... it's not a laughing matter, is it?"

"I don't think so, but... did you seriously believe in the content of the children's picture book?"...... "

"W-We 're laughing too much!!...... Mmm!?"

Dia, who tried to protest that she was so scared that she was trembling, became even more angry when Noine pulled her nose and smiled happily.

But the more Dia protests, the more Noine laughs.

In a very vicious circle, Dia can only shake with humiliation.

"...... I don't want to. I called her by name, so if you think of it as something..."

"...... well. Did you call me by name?"

”Even if I try to deceive you, I can't deceive you?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Nein took out a small, jewel-like tart of grapes out of nowhere.

There are two tarts on a white plate that I think you can use in two bites.

"...... tart"

"I will spare the Harvest Festival to this tart." I made it. Those of dusk's genealogy won't be able to get close to you. "

"Tart....."

"...... rather than eating it, I guess I'll just get rid of the monsters."

"Ha! That's right..."

"In return... don't touch the harvest festival wreath tonight."

"...... well, you shouldn't touch Reese."

I was absent from this year's ball, but I was invited to a small social seat before the ball, so Dia was very disappointed to hear that I was going to gently touch a wreath through some door at that time.

Unexpectedly, Noine knew about Deer's wish and may have paid for it.

However, I nodded firmly because this was the price.

"...... I'm busy today, but I'll stay here for a bit." You should eat in the meantime. "

“Yes, it's delicious.”

Maybe Noin will have a Harvest Festival night ball tonight.

Do you dance with beautiful women in the grand hall or in the castle in the country at night?

With that in mind, Dia chews on delicious tarts made from crisp grapes.

(...... I wanted to dance with Neun again, like last year)

I didn't know Dia back then.

That evening, Nein, who was returning, secretly removed the evil fairy that was nesting in the wreath in the royal garden.

It seems that the Ladies were talking about monsters because there was someone who actually saw strange shadows.

It was rumored that the church was bewitched and quickly disappeared, but on that Harvest Day, something definitely wasn't good was nearby.

"When I caught him, he still had his neck." The Farsitals are defenseless, so they must have been trying to choose which one to eat. ”

"No, please don't say it!!" I don't want to know! "

One day, after stopping for her last ball at Farsital, Diaeres was shaken up by the mistaken Noine who suddenly taught her such a thing.

Since humans are delicate creatures, it is not good to be reminded of that picture book again.

Besides, after you know there's a creature there.

(...... and......)

Then, Dia was pulled secretly because she wanted to eat so much grape tart.

It was the same grape tart that Nein pulled out of nowhere, raising his eyebrows in amazement as if he had noticed it.

"There's only one."

"Tart...!"

"I wonder what it's all about, as usual....."

Delicious tarts are pushed into your mouth, making you feel happy.

However, if a monster without a neck appeared, I would ask Noin to stay with me until I fell asleep.