There were four big festivals every year in the capital. The first was for New Year's Day, followed by the Harvest Festival. The third was the entrance examination for the knights and magic schools, and the last was the emperor's birthday. One would think that the emperor's birthday would be the first to be celebrated, but it did not apply to high-ranking nobles in the imperial court, or to low-level civil servants like me. You had to be invited to a birthday party to actually enjoy it. At best, there was a night market and a parade with some tax breaks to commemorate His Majesty. I looked over at Demuir, who was humming excitedly while fiddling with the accounting documents next to him.

"His Majesty the Emperor's Birthday is over, so it'll be the Harvest Festival soon."

"It seems so."

In the days leading up to the Harvest Festival, even adventurers often returned to their hometowns or took a rest. Thanks to this, there wasn’t much to do at work, so we only had to go in the morning. The entire office felt energized; everyone seemed to be looking forward to it, not just Demuir.

"Why don't you ask the bakery girl out front there on a date?" I asked slyly.

Demuir coughed and fidgeted around.

"Sh-should I? But what if I get rejected?"

"You scared? That’s unlike you. If you get rejected, we'll just go for a consolation drink."

Demuir seemed nervous,...