First Letter

***To my beloved Ian Percus,***

***I wonder, Is there anyone who doesn't like spring?***

***I heard this in the city center of Arancourt a while ago. He was an old gentleman dressed in stylish clothes. His dignified speech and restrained manners impressed me.***

***Now that I think about it, I suppose he must have used to work under an aristocratic family.***

***He said that he wandered aimlessly last winter, but his smile was as warm as the spring sunshine. It must have been because winter was over.***

***Every time we do, we think of what we've accomplished. To protect the world and become a hero.***

***I thought it was a vain story from a fairy tale I read as a child, but I am still unfamiliar with the fact that our names are engraved on one page of that book.***

***It's all thanks to you. No, as you said, it may be thanks to all of us.***

***I got used to life in Arancourt. I was worried about what would happen when I crossed the desert where sand was all one could see, but in the end, this place is also somewhere people live.***

***The sun is warm, and the sea shines with a light glitter. Did you hear the old saying, 'If you look through the eyes of a fairy, you can see hidden treasures'? That was it.***

***And writing a letter to you has also become an important part of my day.***

***At first, I felt a little puzzled by your suggestion to send a letter at least once a month. Hey, it's Ian, right? You, who always smiled without saying a word, still wanted to fight the loneliness that arises when your loved one goes far away, so my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.***

***But, as always, the excitement seemed to be only on my part. I send a letter every two days, but I get a reply back once a week.***

***Of course, I know working at the archipelago can be rough. I am not a woman so merciless as to not understand how heavy the burden you bear. Because I watched over you right by your side.***

***I saw your pain, sorrow, and even suffering.***

***As your fiancée, not being able to support my lover during such busy and harsh times was reprovable. I am still deeply reflecting on that.***

***However, protecting Arancourt, one of the three major trading ports of the Empire and a strategic point to protect the west coast of the continent, is also one of the duties of the nobles of the Empire.***

***Ian, you should know. The aftermath of the last war has not yet gone away.***

***Still, the reason I’m always taking the time to write to you is that I want you to see even a little glimpse of my deep feelings for you.***

***I miss you especially tonight. Suddenly, the month of the bow has arrived, and the sky is now full of stars dancing all together……just like that night.***

***It was during the hunting festival held in the month of the bow that our relationship deepened. The memory of that day is still a dear treasure for me, who has always suffered from a sense of inferiority.***

***Come to think of it, that year's hunting festival had a lot of accidents. It started when Emma of the Alchemy Department was found unconscious after being attacked by a mysterious beast when she went out to gather materials. I should have noticed then.***

***It was the same when a group of magical beasts attacked me during the practice class of the Swordsmanship Department. What would have happened if we hadn't acted quickly then? Yet nobody cared.***

***At that time, we thought that the forest was the stage for the hunting festival, so we deliberately neglected the proliferation of beasts. It was an easy decision for a student. I heard that there was a riot in the Ministry of Education at the time.***

***No matter how much I think about it, I think it was Dean Delemore's mistake to enforce that year's hunting festival.***

***But in the back of my heart, I am grateful to the Dean. Since that day, our relationship grew even deeper.***

***Plus, it was the first time I ever won a hunting festival. I wondered what would happen when I encountered that monster, but thanks to you, I was able to survive.***

***Even now, I still have doubts. How did you know that the monster's weakness was its horns?***

***Every time I ask a question, you just smile and say 'I have my ways', even now after 7 years it remains an unsolved mystery.***

***Even after defeating the monster, we were suddenly attacked, but we were the ones who somehow managed to loot the monster supplies. And now, I'm rather grateful for that day's attack.***

***Because it was the first time I had a taste of victory. Even though I have benefited from you and your friends, the memory of that day remains as a turning point in my life.***

***Since that day I started to  develop a deeper interest in you, so in many ways the events of that day became a precious time of my life. At that time, I didn't even think I would ever be in love with you.***

***The moon is already setting. I’ll quickly finish. It was a fun night to look back on precious memories with you.***

***The barren winter has passed, and a mournful spring has arrived. It's been a long time since the last snow of winter has disappeared, but my heart, which is still thinking of you, doesn't melt even in the spring sun.***

***I look forward to seeing you again tonight, Ian.***

***No, Ian Orabeoni.***

***I will pray that I can meet my Orabeoni even in my dreams.***

***PS 1: Recently, I heard that a sow from the Church has visited the island. I am not concerned, but I am hoping that even if the female cat hovers around you, my Oraeboni will not betray the trust I have in you. For your information, I haven't eaten alone with a man since I took over at Arancourt.***

***Then I’ll dream of you tonight as well,***

***from Sepia.***

***In the 571th year of the imperial calendar, on the fifth day of the month of the bow.***