Lug left Falc to tidy up the cluttered desk and took a break for a midday snack. He smiled to himself as he watched Falc, his former patient turned foster grandchild. Lug had sent Falc into town on errands several times before, but this was the first time he’d asked to go to a particular place. He’d noticed that Falc had been in a particularly good mood when he came into his office earlier, so maybe something good had happened while he was out. (I want to ask him all about it, but I’ll wait to see if he brings it up on his own. If it’s good news, he’ll spill the beans on his own anyway.) As Lug munched on the sweets with such a big smile, Falc looked at him with a puzzled expression. “What are you laughing at? Are the sweets I bought you really that good? I had to work up quite a sweat to get them, you know.” “Oh yes, they’re delicious. Next time, I’ll send you to a shop that’s a little more difficult to reach.” “Come on, cut me some slack… You have no idea what it’s like to wander around under the blazing sun for hours on end.” Falc made a sour face. Despite his complaints, he was the kind of guy who would do whatever he was asked without complaint. Thinking about it, Falc’s father had been a serious man, too. He was the kind of person who would choose his son’s life over his family’s pride. As a result, the family had fallen on hard times, and his father had suffered for it. Falc had been very young at the time, but Lug was surprised he’d grown up to be as well-adjusted as he was. “Ho-ho-ho! You’re doing a great job, Falc. Keep up the good work,” Lug said. Falc just glared at his with a sullen expression. Falc had a handsome face, one that would make all the women and girls in Lorio faint if they saw him, but unfortunately, Lug only saw a sulking child when he looked at him. Unfazed, Lug reached for a second piece of candy. Falc had been transferred to Lorio at his suggestion. During a meeting of the high priests at the Lorio Temple, someone had asked whether there were any experienced exorcists who could train the next generation of priests, and Lug had casually mentioned that there was a veteran in his hometown and asked if he should call him. The request had been accepted almost immediately. In general, exorcists were not fixed to any one place, and young, healthy male priests had predetermined periods for it. The reson for that was simple. Everyone hated that job, and this was the only way to make sure it got done. Cleanup operations were tiring because of all the travel, and the battlefield was fraught with danger. Sometimes the fighting was so fierce that there was no time to sleep, which often led to exhaustion and collapse due to overuse of magical energy. Most priests didn’t particularly enjoy being exorcists. To put it bluntly, exorcists passed the job around because no one wanted to do it. They were rotated through short-term assignments to ensure everyone had some experience, but in the end, no one actually mastered it. In this situation, Falc had raised his hand to serve as a fixed exorcist in the northern village. Perhaps the experience of losing his father to monsters had given him the push he needed. Falc had attended the military academy, so he already had one foot in the military. Falc had worked as an exorcist for several years and was now a seasoned veteran. Having an experienced exorcist around made it easier for other priests to work on the battlefield as well. When it’s easier to work, people tend to stay put, and by now, there were several fixed exorcists in the northern village, in addition to Falc. There were even some novices who set their sights on becoming exorcists from the very beginning of their training. — That's when the other temples took notice and began discussing the idea of establishing a fixed exorcist system as well. Lorio, the vice capital, had a large military presence and went to war more frequently, so they wanted to secure fixed exorcist priests early on. That's why they had quickly summoned the veteran White Falcon. Falc’s transfer had been decided the moment Lug said, “Well, he’ll come if I ask him,” but Lug had kept that a secret from Falc. The day after he’d arrived in the city, Falc had complained about how hot it was and said he’d never expected to come to a place like this. Lug once again started to talk to Falc, who was still wearing a sour expression as he tidied up the scattered books and documents on his cluttered desk. “Don’t be such a sourpuss. Getting to know this city is going to be your job from now on,” Lug said. “Getting to know the city?” “That’s right. Falc, you need a place to roost. Get to know the city, find your favorite places, , and make friends. Those will become your roost. It’s about time you learned how to rest your wings.” “Haaah…” Falc looked confused, as if he was mulling something over.

That was the face he made when he didn’t understand something. It was frustrating that he didn’t get it, even though he was clearly intelligent. Falc, as a high-ranking priest, usually attended to the medical needs of nobles when he wasn’t on military expeditions. Recently, after finishing his regular work, he had begun assisting lower-ranking priests with treating commoners. It was clear he was overworking himself. When Lug had asked him about it, he’d said he didn’t know how to spend his free time, so Lug had forced him to go to the city by putting him to work. Lug wasn’t sure whether Falc understood that he was trying to get him to have some fun, but whatever. Falc had spent his time in the north shoveling snow when he had too much time on his hands. There was no snow in this city, so he must have been at a loss for what to do with himself. As Falc casually returned the books piled on the desk to the shelves, he suddenly spoke up in a cheerful voice. “Oh, but I did find one place I like here in the city. I stopped by earlier because I had some business to take care of, and I found an ice-cream shop in an alley. Apparently, it’s a shop for frozen dessert.” “Oh, frozen dessert, huh?” It seemed the reason Falc had been in such a good mood when he’d entered the room was that he’d found a shop he liked. When Lug asked him about it with interest, Falc began talking enthusiastically. “They make a type of ice cream called milk ice out of frozen milk. Apparently, the owner is a young woman who’s planning to run the shop all on her own. Isn’t that amazing? She’s even younger than I am. Ah, by the way, the scarf I wore the other day was also borrowed from her.” “Oh, you mean that elegant blue scarf you were wearing the other day?” “That’s right. The owner is very kind…I didn’t tell her who I was, but she gave me her warm encouragement anyway. She said she was going to wave to me from the parade route.” “Well, that’s great, isn’t it? So did you manage to win her heart too?” Lug jokingly added. Instead of a reply, he got a loud thud in response. It sounded like Falc had dropped the books he was holding. “Wh-what?! Of course I didn’t try to win her over! She’s not that kind of girl! …I mean, it’s not like that, but she was very considerate to me, so I’m planning to visit the shop again.” “Well, well. How about I tell you about a shop that sells popular gifts for women?” “...Please do. I mean, it’s not like that at all, but still...” Falc picked up the books he’d dropped and put them back on the shelf. Lug watched him, letting out an exasperated sigh. “On the battlefield, you’re like a guardian angel to the soldiers, but off the battlefield, you’re like this. You’re just too easy to tease.” “...I’m just not used to this kind of banter. Please refrain from it.” “Well, I hope you find a good roost for the White Falcon,” Lug said with a smile. Falc looked a little troubled for a moment, but then he turned back to Lug with a serious expression. “Wh-what is it? What’s wrong?” Lug asked, slightly surprised by how serious Falc was. “Um, Master Lug... What kind of White Falcon do the people expect me to be?” Lug was taken aback by the sudden question. Was Falc asking about the public’s image of the White Falcon? “Hmm, let’s see…noble, aloof, mysterious, the prince of the temple. I’ve heard people say things like that.” “The prince of the temple… If the people’s image of the White Falcon is destroyed, they’ll be disappointed, won’t they?” “Who knows? Devoted fans might say ‘What a new side to him!’ But I guess the merchants would be in trouble. ‘The Noble White Falcon’ has such a cool image, after all. If he turns out to be a fluffy little chick, it’ll ruin their sales.” Lug had only meant it as a joke, but Falc was so flustered that he dropped the books he’d picked up once more. He was a straightforward guy who could easily be taken advantage of. His head didn’t work well in certain situations, and he’d say silly things. He complained about the heat every day, and recently, he’d gotten hooked on a commoner’s ice-cream shop. ―― That was the real Falcert Laltos. He was probably very different from what the public imagined him to be. Lug looked at Falc and saw him lost in thought, a difficult expression on his face. Finally, he muttered, “Is that so…? If I ruin my image, it’ll cause trouble… I should keep my status a secret, then…” Lug didn’t know what he was talking about, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Seeing his serious expression, he felt it would be inappropriate to call out to him.