—On December 25th, Santa Claus is coming to visit you!
The unexpected news swept through the Empire.
This wasn't just about Santa Claus leaving gifts at night.
"I heard Santa Claus is going to appear in the capital square!"
"Wow, does that mean we'll really get to see Santa Claus?"
The rumor that the much-talked-about Santa Claus would reveal himself sparked excitement among both adults and children.
Santa Claus had become the most sensational figure in the Empire.
"Santa Claus is a dwarf."
"Ridiculous! That foul-tempered race could never be Santa!"
"I saw him with my son—he's a burly old man. He climbed a chimney with his bare hands!"
"Stop talking nonsense. How could an elderly man climb a chimney with his hands?"
"I'm telling you; I saw it with my own eyes! Santa is a superhuman who can jump several meters in a single leap!"
"Are you saying a grand wizard has such physical prowess? You might as well claim Santa is an assassin."
"Hahaha!"
Late in the evening, people gathered at the tavern, enjoying themselves as they speculated about Santa Claus's true identity.
They were all eagerly waiting for December 25th to arrive.
There wasn't a single person who didn't like Santa Claus—the one who gave gifts to children without asking for anything in return.
Children who believed Santa Claus would come down the chimney hung socks by the fireplace and made wishes, while some adults even dressed up as Santa to keep the magic alive for their kids.
As so many awaited December 25th with hope and anticipation, our tower was experiencing a miracle.
"I can't believe this is actually happening."
"My goodness…"
"I've never seen nobles donate money voluntarily before."
These were the reactions of Aria, Ranya, and Zion.
On the table in front of them lay a paper showing the total funds collected by the Santa Claus Foundation. I, too, was genuinely surprised by the amount.
[22.5 million gold]
A staggering sum exceeding 20 million gold had been gathered by the Santa Claus Foundation.
'That's a lot more than I expected.'
While 10 million gold came from the Church and the imperial treasury, even excluding that, 12.5 million gold had been donated.
If this had been a simple "donation," such a huge sum would never have been collected.
People in this world weren't particularly inclined toward charitable giving.
But when the name "Santa Claus" was attached, the story changed.
The fact that the gifts distributed by the popular Santa Claus would include the donor's name inspired a flood of donations.
Among them, the largest contributions came from the merchants of the Empire.
To the merchants, Santa Claus's gifts presented a unique marketing opportunity.
Even while we stood in amazement, donations continued to pour in.
"We might really be able to deliver gifts throughout the entire Empire."
As Aria said, judging by the amount of money, distributing gifts across the entire Empire didn't seem impossible.
Though there was still the challenge of how to deliver the gifts...
'If the Church and the Empire help, it should be possible.'
Both organizations had administrative staff spread throughout the Empire.
Securing the gifts was not difficult, thanks to the merchants' enthusiastic cooperation.
While I was busy preparing for Christmas, time flew by, and December 25th finally arrived.
And then…
"Mom! M-Mom! Santa Claus has been here!"
"Where?! Oh! It's true!"
"I-It's a gift from Santa Claus!"
Children who woke up in the morning were overjoyed to find Santa Claus's gifts at their bedside.
On the midnight of the 24th, Christmas Eve, Santa Claus had snuck through the quiet night while the Empire's children were sound asleep.
Of course, since Santa Claus couldn't visit every region himself, the Church and the Empire lent a hand.
But to the children who received the gifts, it was a magical and mysterious experience.
"Santa Claus came to our house!"
"Wow!"
The surprise event of Santa Claus's gifts filled the Empire with smiles.
And this was only the beginning.
December 25th, evening.
Santa Claus was set to make an appearance in the capital.
Preparations to welcome Santa Claus were in full swing at the capital's grand square.
On the giant tree, Santa Claus's iconic sleigh, red clothes, stockings, staff, and bells were hung.
Church members climbed the tree and rooftops to hang large stars and prepare candles, while merchants set up their stalls in the square.
Everything was going smoothly.
The gifts had been successfully delivered on Christmas Eve, and the atmosphere in the square was pure Christmas.
Except for one thing.
"S-Sir! His Majesty the Emperor is on his way!"
"Who?"
"His Majesty the Emperor! The Emperor!"
"…?"
Everything was perfect—except for the Emperor's sudden visit to the tower.
"Wait, why is His Majesty…?"
Although his visit was unexpected, it wasn't a major problem in itself.
"…Your Majesty."
"Haha, does it suit me?"
"...."
The problem, if there was one, was that the Emperor had shown up wearing a Santa Claus hat that did not suit him at all.
*
A red hat with a white pom-pom, worn in place of the crown.
Julius II appeared wearing a Santa Claus hat over his ceremonial robes.
Behind him, a court official followed, drenched in a cold sweat.
"…The hat suits you well, Your Majesty."
I was at a loss for words, but I decided to start with a compliment—whatever came to mind first.
"Is that so? You think it looks good on me too?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The official glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, but I pretended not to notice and bowed my head.
With the Emperor himself looking at me with such hopeful eyes, there was no reason to worry about the official's reaction.
In fact, the Emperor's approach was incredibly clever.
With Santa Claus gaining nationwide popularity, the Emperor showing up in a Santa hat was more than enough to win over the people of the Empire.
Some might say it was an overreaction for just a hat, but for an Emperor of this era, it was an extremely bold move.
It was also a strategic gesture by Julius II to restore the public's trust in the imperial family, which had plummeted under the tyrannical rule of the previous Emperor.
He had a tendency to leave people bewildered from time to time, but he was genuinely a good person.
"Well then, I shall see you this evening."
"…?"
Did I have plans to meet the Emperor again this evening?
"Your Majesty, by any chance, are you planning to wear the Santa hat and go to the square?"
"I thought I might stop by."
The Emperor smiled warmly.
"I hear it's become a trend among the citizens to dress up as Santa and exchange gifts."
"...."
The Emperor gave me a pat on the shoulder, said he'd see me later, and disappeared.
His entrance and exit were both bewildering, but upon thinking it over, I realized this was actually a good thing for me.
No—
"…This is perfect."
"Are you crazy, seriously?"
Aria, who had heard my muttering, looked at me as if I'd lost my mind.
But I was perfectly sane.
"If His Majesty appears in a Santa hat, Santa Claus will become even more famous."
Who knows, it might even become an official state recognition.
Perhaps December 25th would be declared "Santa Claus Day."
And as everyone knew, Santa Claus was the mascot of our White Tower.
In other words, the Empire might end up with a "White Tower Day."
A sudden, brilliant idea struck me.
"If the Emperor wears a Santa hat, wouldn't it be polite for his subordinates to wear one too?"
"Excuse me?"
"Think about it. If His Majesty comes out in a Santa hat and the Chancellor doesn't wear one, wouldn't that be seen as disrespectful?"
"Are you being serious right now?"
"Aria, call everyone. As many as you can."
I began inviting high-ranking officials of the Empire, including Marquis Hughes and the Saintess, to the square.
Here was my plan:
When the Emperor made his surprise appearance in the Santa hat, I would seize the opportunity to sell Santa hats to the distinguished guests.
Of course, buying would be optional—but who wouldn't buy one?
With the Emperor wearing a Santa hat, refusing to do so would be akin to asking for trouble.
'This is it.'
It was the perfect opportunity to establish Santa Claus in this otherworld once and for all.
*
Late in the evening, as the sun had set.
The imperial square was bustling with countless people.
Most were parents accompanied by their children.
All of them had gathered to see Santa Claus.
"I didn't expect Christina to take an interest in something like this."
"I invested in this project. Of course, I had to come see if it's going well."
"That's true."
From a terrace overlooking the bright square, I watched the festival with Christina.
The square, illuminated by candlelight in the darkness, was filled with people laughing and chatting as they bought goods from the stalls.
It was a joyful festival where everyone seemed to be having a good time.
But Christina couldn't fully immerse herself in the festivities.
It was too dangerous for a member of the imperial family to step into a crowded space without caution.
Instead of joining the celebration, she had to watch from afar.
Perhaps this was the sadness of those who held high positions.
As I looked at Christina's profile, staring down at the square, I spoke up.
"Would you like to try this on?"
Christina glanced at the Santa hat I offered her.
"Are you asking me to become a clown?"
"A clown? Not at all."
Seeing my flustered expression, Christina chuckled.
"I'm only joking."
Taking the Santa hat, Christina put it on and teased me.
"When my beloved asks me to wear it, how could I refuse such a simple hat?"
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat and looked around.
Fortunately, the guard standing outside the terrace, Morian, hadn't heard anything.
Christina clicked her tongue at my reaction.
"Your courage is as small as a bean."
"It's better to be cautious."
If the Emperor were to hear that the unmarried princess called someone her "beloved"…
Just imagining it gave me a headache.
"Let's go out now."
I left the terrace with Christina and headed toward the square.
In the VIP seats prepared on one side of the square, the nobles who had arrived earlier were already seated.
Among them, I noticed the nobles I had invited, including Marquis Summerset and Count Andersen.
"His Majesty isn't here yet, it seems."
"Did you hear he was coming?"
"He wouldn't miss a festival like this, so he'll likely show up."
Christina glanced over the nobles and smiled subtly.
"Looks like something interesting is about to happen."
Her smile suggested she had a sense of what the future held for these nobles.
Soon, the nobles spotted Christina and approached her.
While she greeted them, I quietly slipped away.
"Where have you been?"
"I was just escorting Her Highness."
I returned to where the White Tower group was gathered and tilted my head.
"But where is the Tower Master?"
"She went for a quick look around with Lady Orca. But never mind that—here, eat this."
"Ah, thank you."
I took the chicken skewer Aria handed me and glanced to the side.
"Munch, munch."
In front of a stall, Iberkina was enthusiastically devouring chicken skewers.
In the brief time I had been away, she had managed to pile up dozens of empty skewers in front of her.
"Can't you stop eating already? You're going to put the vendor in a tough spot!"
Next to her, Lilith, holding a glass of milk, was scolding Iberkina.
Whether it was effective or not…
Munching on my skewer, I strolled around the square with the three of them.
'This is nice.'
The square was crowded with adults dressed as Santa and children with eyes sparkling with excitement.
The atmosphere was pure festivity.
However, there was one thing missing.
'No snow.'
Christmas always had snow, but not a single flake was falling in the square.
Well, if it wasn't snowing, then I'd just have to make it snow.
I bought a large apple pie from a street vendor.
"Iberkina, could you make it snow?"
"…Mm."
Iberkina, biting into the apple pie, nodded.
And soon enough, delicate snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.
"Oh, snow!"
"Wow!"
As snow started to fall, children burst into cheers.
The snowfall quickly blanketed the square in white.
Though the temperature dropped, smiles bloomed on everyone's faces.
As the Christmas spirit reached its peak...
"Huh?"
"Look over there!"
A man shouted, pointing somewhere.
The people who looked in the direction he indicated began to murmur.
"I-It's Santa!"
Under the round full moon, through the dark, snow-filled sky, a sleigh pulled by reindeer was descending into the square.
***
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