Unbothered by the unrest in New Volsinii, the two wandered through the carnival together. Some people said it was a celebration of the new mobile city's founding, while others claimed it was to celebrate the Terran Alliance's victory over the demons. Both explanations were widely discussed, yet the boundless joy of wanting to lose oneself in the endless festivities remained the same.
Texas had already changed out of her Victorian maid outfit and into a sharp Siracusa-style coat. In the snowy chill of November, she slipped her hand into Felix's.
To be honest, Texas looked slightly out of place without her twin swords. She was not the bravest or strongest warrior on the front lines, but as mentioned before, Texas's combat ability, especially when paired with Lappland's ferocity, was more than enough. Whether in war or while transporting goods, she had long been used to carrying those twin blades.
Without them, she looked more like a cool and beautiful girl next door.
With a calm smile, she stepped forward, adjusted Felix's scarf downward, and then took the opportunity to lean against him, rubbing against him a few times more.
She knew these were among the few chances she had to spend alone with Felix, and she wished time could simply stop at this moment.
Sometimes Texas would think back to those chaotic but joyful days she had spent with Lappland in the family. She wished she had found the courage back then to step out onto this land with Felix. By the time she finally confessed her feelings, so many years had already passed.
A young girl's heart was always delicate and sensitive.
When she held Felix's hand, paused in front of a food stall, swayed with him on the dance floor, and drank beer amid the cheers of the crowd, Texas felt nothing but contentment. These precious fragments of time would become her memories, forever engraved in her heart and never forgotten.
"You are like little birds spreading your wings, each with your own interests and dreams, wanting to fly freely across this land." Felix sensed Texas's unusual and complicated emotions. She gently squeezed Texas's hand. "We are not far apart. You can come back whenever you want."
It felt a little strange to say it aloud, because usually these were the words husbands spoke to their wives before leaving for work or war, telling them to take care at home and promising that they would return.
But Felix's position was different.
His identity no longer allowed him to move freely across Terra. Unless he traveled incognito, every appearance he made would become a major diplomatic event.
Texas blushed faintly as she looked at the gray wolf mask on Felix's face and softly replied, "Mm."
Her lips parted slightly as she continued, "You've always been busy, so busy that you never get to stop. For Terra, for all its people, and for its future… we all want to help you however we can, to lighten your burden, to make you feel at ease, to let you relax. That's why we chose our places."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Even so, I really do like this position. Going out with everyone at Penguin Logistics to handle transport work is exhausting, but it's also fun. It makes me happy."
She lowered her gaze.
"But have you ever thought about this… Since I'm your girlfriend, I should also fulfill my responsibilities as your girlfriend. That means staying by your side… I don't want you to be alone, Felix, even though… you may not need me. After all, you already have quite a few girlfriends."
Texas looked away.
"I just… want to stay beside you. That's enough."
"Good."
Felix gently lifted Texas's hand and placed it against his own chest.
"In the future, we'll always be together."
"Will we still be together when our hair turns white?"
"Of course. Though I'm not sure I'll ever get gray hair."
Felix smiled.
Ever since the demons had been defeated and the new map, Talos-II, had been unlocked, he had noticed that the system had added many new functions. One of them was the lifespan display that came with racial evolution.
When Felix looked at his current lifespan, he saw that the combined bloodline of Teekaz and Diablo had added five entire figures to it.
It seemed absurd at first glance, but then again, ordinary Sarkaz and Sankta could already live for several hundred or even several thousand years. A pure Teekaz bloodline was clearly something else entirely.
He wanted to give everyone around him the chance for racial evolution as well, so that time and death would never be able to tear them apart.
"Felix, what does that mean?"
"It means we'll always, always, always be together."
"Okay. I believe you."
Texas nodded firmly, her gaze earnest, her eyes fixed on the man holding her hand.
"Hey, Texas, what are you doing here…"
Before she could finish speaking, the white wolf froze mid-wave.
There were bloodstains on her face and clothes, but in the middle of this carnival, everyone simply assumed she was cosplaying. Lappland's gaze lingered on the gray wolf mask for a moment, and then she burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
"Oh, so it's Your Highness." Lappland sniffed herself, and her expression suddenly turned a little awkward. "Well then, I'm going to shower first. See you later."
"Cellinia, remember to send me your hotel address~"
Lappland arrived like a storm and left just as quickly.
Felix thought for a moment. "I remember Lappland never seemed to care about getting blood on herself."
"Your Highness, even Lappland wants to leave a perfect impression on you."
"What do you mean, 'even Lappland'?" Felix was amused by that remark.
He pulled Texas closer, and Texas smiled, continuing to enjoy this rare moment alone with her boyfriend.
Terra was bitter, but thankfully, she had found her own white sugar.
After dinner, the two returned to the hotel. As Felix opened the door, she caught sight of Lappland standing on the balcony in a black evening gown. In the dim light, her smooth back seemed to glow faintly. Hearing footsteps, she turned slightly and smiled.
"Aren't you going to deal with the arson case?"
"Ah, that?" Lappland only smiled indifferently at Texas's question. "We already handled half of it, didn't we? Leontuzzo has been in the hospital for days, and the whole city is in chaos right now. I don't know whether it's because of the carnival, but all sorts of things that should and shouldn't be showing up are appearing everywhere."
She gave a soft laugh and slowly stepped forward. The light fell across her skin, making it gleam.
"My useless, cowardly, and conservative father has also come to this city." Lappland stepped closer, retrieving her spoils like a satisfied predator, her cheeks faintly flushed. "That Miss Ingrid I've met a few times is here too, and so is the Venezia family. Things are getting more and more interesting."
"The head of the Saluzzo family is still your father, isn't he?" Felix said with a grin.
"The head of the Saluzzo family is my adoptive father," Lappland corrected, rolling her eyes. "Which also makes him your father-in-law."
She noticed Texas shooting her a warning look before going into the bathroom to shower, and immediately smiled like a little fox.
"I'd really love to see that cheap old man thrown in prison."
"And what happens to the family if your father goes to prison?" Felix pulled Lappland into his arms. Lappland let out two dissatisfied little sounds.
"What does that have to do with me? I hate families more than anything."
"Wouldn't your father die of anger if he heard you say that?"
Lappland waved her hand dismissively. "He already died of anger once when I left the family. This time, when he goes to prison, I'll visit him again."
"Right now, though, there are more important things to do."
Lappland slipped out of her dress and curled up in Felix's arms. She smiled sweetly.
"You smell completely like Cellinia."
"What, do you want to leave your scent too?"
"You really have no sense of romance when you say it like that."
Lappland silenced Felix, and not long after, Texas joined in as well.
When Felix woke the next morning, Lappland was already gone. According to Texas, she had gone out to stir up trouble again and might even fight the Wolf Lord's child this time. Felix was not worried. Ever since Lappland inherited part of the power of the Desolate Beast Lord, ordinary warriors were no longer a match for her.
Today, Texas generously brought Felix to meet the people from Penguin Logistics. She had already monopolized Felix's time for an entire day. Even if they would be sharing the evening, having Felix to herself during the carnival was more than enough.
The moment Exusiai saw Felix, her eyes lit up. She took several quick steps forward, grabbed Felix's hand, and then simply grinned foolishly, refusing to let go no matter what.
Croissant and Sora were a little restrained at first, but after Texas and Exusiai started chatting, they gradually joined in too. Felix felt a faint sense of regret. His relationships with people could no longer return to the way they once were. In the future, he might not really have friends anymore, only subordinates who respected him.
It was... a little disappointing.
Exusiai clung tightly to Felix's arm and refused to loosen her grip. Usually, most of her time with Felix was shared alongside her older sister Lemuen and Mostima. She had indeed had chances to be alone with Felix before, but those moments were always brief.
Now that the war was over, it was finally time to spend with the girls who had always stayed by his side.
Holding Texas and Exusiai by the hand, Felix waved goodbye to Sora alongside Croissant and then led the two women back into the carnival.
That night, Exusiai's shy expression stirred a deep tenderness in Felix's heart, and he pulled her into his arms.
Exusiai held Felix's head close and quietly poured out everything in her heart, sharing trivial little things from daily life and the delicate feelings of a young girl.
Lappland was still out playing her werewolf game tonight and had not returned yet. Felix did not go looking for her either.
After whispering together with Exusiai for a long while, Exusiai eventually relaxed in Felix's embrace and fell asleep peacefully against his chest.
Now that the Earth and the stars had become something they could truly reach, Felix's heart was no longer occupied by petty struggles.
As for the so-called game of the Beast Lord, he had no interest in it at all. Besides, Lappland hardly had any chance of losing.
Felix spent a few more days in New Volsinii and ended up witnessing several satisfying spectacles: the Venezia family thrown into turmoil, the head of the Saluzzo family spending the rest of his life in prison, and Lappland winning the wolf's game.
Before leaving, Felix, as the man standing beside Lappland, still took the perpetually pouting Lappland to visit the head of the Saluzzo family.
He did not dislike that family head. In fact, he felt a certain gratitude toward him for what he had given him back then.
That had been his first pot of gold.
Still, the other man had always been the head of a family, and every one of his choices had been made for the sake of that family. The two of them were never truly compatible.
Once people became friends or partners, the old business relationship simply ended there.
Inside the prison, Felix met the somewhat disheveled Saluzzo family head, who was still holding his beloved orange in his hand.
When he saw Felix and Lappland, Alberto paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"The Saluzzo family will cease to exist."
"Mm."
Lappland waved her hand dismissively.
"You can just stay here and rest in peace. Take your time and recover."
Alberto's temples twitched.
He looked at Felix with a complicated expression, but in the end he simply nodded and said nothing more.
Felix smiled, returned the nod, and then turned to leave with Lappland.
"Lappland… a lone wolf without a family cannot survive," Alberto said hoarsely. "But if that lone wolf can find another equally reliable lone wolf, then the family no longer matters."
"Alright, old man. For the sake of that line, I'll keep sending you oranges."
Lappland made a face at Alberto, then quickly caught up to Felix and stood on tiptoe to bite him lightly on the neck.
Felix smiled.
He knew that this would be the last time he ever saw Alberto.
And Alberto knew it as well.
This would be the last time he saw Felix, and the last time he would ever say those words to him.
In truth, it had also been Alberto's request as a father.
After leaving New Volsinii, Felix returned to Kazdel together with Penguin Logistics.
There, Texas, Exusiai, and Lappland stayed in his home for several more days before they were assigned a new transport mission.
Lappland had originally thought that this time she would finally be able to monopolize His Highness's favor.
To her surprise, neither Exusiai nor Texas had any intention of leaving.
That made her a little annoyed.
Since when did these two stop working so diligently?
The Emperor was also slightly depressed about it, but after hearing their official reason for requesting leave — "to accompany our lover" — he could only reluctantly approve it.
And so Felix passed through a stretch of utterly shameless and blissful days, waking each morning to find several girls sprawled across the bed around him.
Looking at the sight of himself lying there in their embrace, Felix felt that his life had become somewhat decadent lately.
Still, he did not think it was a problem.
Terra had already been saved, and most of his work had now been handed over to Ines, Irene, Theresa, and the others. All he really needed to do now was show up and stamp the papers.
Soon, December of 1100 arrived.
On that day, the mission Ignite the Flames of War came to an end.
Victoria controlled 43% of the land.
New Tara controlled 36%.
The Kingdom of Tara controlled 21%.
"It's just a war game," some people said.
"This is a conflict between governing philosophies," others argued.
"Husband, we've arrived, sorry for keeping you waiting." said the Draco sisters.