His father and mother put on their scarves, and while Yavine was crying, I remember my father coming close to me and saying.

"We'll be gone for a while, Evein. We'll be home before spring. Obvine and you will take care of the others," replied Evein's father. He then placed his hand on Evein's shoulder. "Take care of your sisters, Evein. Until I return, you'll be the man of the house... make sure nothing bad happens to them..."

Evein's memory ended. The boy woke up. A young woman, dressed in a conservative maid outfit, looked at Evein with her deep blue eyes and platinum hair.

"You've finally awakened," said the woman in a cold, monotone tone.

"I suppose I have," replied Evein. The boy got up from the floor and looked around; he was in the atrium of an imposing castle, yet this castle was made of crystal. He glanced at the sky; a light snowfall was falling, but the moment it touched the ground, it evaporated.

"Where am I?" Evein asked the woman.

"You're in the Winter Castle, home of Ella, lady of snow and frost, protector of the lands of eternal winter, the Winter Queen," the maid replied, and a small breeze traveled through the air, leaving a letter in the maid's fingers. "And who are you? From the letter, I know you're not Nicholas."

"I... I'm Evein Coaster, wielder of Saint Joseph of Arimathea."

"Wait, are you saying you're a Banned Warrior of Christendom?" the maid asked, somewhat surprised by Evein's statement.

The boy nodded.

The maid then took out a sheet of paper from her apron and a crystal pen from beneath her coif. She wrote something on the letter and then raised it to the sky. A gust of wind crossed the space and took the letter away. A moment later, another letter arrived, landing in the maid's fingers. She read the letter.

"Very well, Mr. Coaster. My name is Yuuki. Allow me to escort you to your quarters," the maid replied.

"Quarters?"

"Yes. Queen Ella prides herself on being a good hostess, so all her guests will have their private chamber in the castle until the Christmas Eve party begins."

"Christmas Eve? And when will that be?" the boy asked.

"The day after tomorrow," Yuuki replied. Then the maid began to walk toward the inner tower, and Evein followed closely.

"The day after tomorrow! And ¿couldn't I speak with the Winter Queen before the party? It's a bit urgent," Evein replied.

"Unfortunately, not. Queen Ella is very busy and cannot waste time on distractions," Yuuki replied.

"Even if I'm a Banned Warrior of Christendom?" Evein asked.

Then, a tall man with chestnut hair passed in front of them; he had masculine features and wore a strange crystal armor. On his back, he carried an icy spear from which emitted a frigid breath.

"Sir Silverwind!" the maid exclaimed. The man turned around and walked toward Evein and the maid.

"Oh, Miss Yuuki. What can I do for you?" the soldier asked.

"Sir Silverwind, do you know Evein Coaster? he is Banned Warrior of Christendom and a user of Saint Joseph of Arimathea"

"Only by reputation," replied the soldier, extending his hand to Evein. "It's an honor to meet you, Evein Coaster. The hero of Tule. I am Claudio Silverwind, knight in service of Queen Ella."

Evein shook Sir Silverwind's hand; the man had a firm grip, and his touch was cold.

"How do you know about Tule? You weren't present at the battle against Rausfanger."

"No, but we received an interesting report from a courier from Nussnakker; I believe her name was Kori. Besides, your participation in the battle against Kringle at Vader-Johan's Canyon reached us through our connections with Nicholas and his guerrilla."

"You're well informed for not being involved in the war against Alexander Noelius," Evein responded.

"Even though we don't participate, the entry of the mice into the conflict and the arrival of the Banned Warriors of Christendom bring winds of change," the soldier replied. "Volunteers who have the interest to fight are those who participate autonomously."

"I see. Perhaps you can help me. Tell me, what do I need to speak with Queen Ella?" Evein asked the knight.

The captain began to laugh. "There's nothing you could do to speak with the Queen; at this point, she's very busy planning her party. At this point, only her closest confidante could interrupt her tight schedule. Unless you're the Scarlet Knight. Queen Ella won't grant you an audience. But if you want, you can schedule one with Yuuki."

Sir Silverwind ended the conversation and disappeared down the hallway. Evein and Yuuki continued walking and climbed a spiral staircase to the next floor. Yuuki stopped in front of one of the doors.

"These will be your quarters, Mr. Coaster. You are free to roam the Winter Castle," the maid replied. "If you need my service, just shake the snow globe, and I'll be there in a moment."

The snowy woman handed Evein the curious artifact. Inside, Evein was surprised to find a small replica of the same maid.

"Nice," Evein replied.

Then, the adjoining door opened, and an old man dressed in a tailcoat, white shirt, and dress pants came out, holding a top hat.

"Good morning, Mr. Scrooge. How are you today?" Yuuki asked, making a slight

reference to the man.

However, the old man simply glanced over his shoulder, with a disdainful look and an air of superiority.

"The bed is very uncomfortable, snow maiden, tell the head of maids to change the mattress and not apply so much starch when washing the sheets next time."

"Of course," Yuuki replied solemnly.

Then, the man looked up and glanced at Evein for a moment.

"And who is this?" the old man asked.

"This young man is Evein Coaster, a Banned Warrior of Christianity," Yuuki replied.

The man's gaze hardly changed. He proceeded to put on his hat.

"I see, so the queen seeks to monopolize the available Warriors of Christendom. Haven't you heard of the free market?" Scrooge replied. "The queen will have to inform the league next time she makes such a daring decision."

"Of course, you know you have to file for an audience with the queen. She'll be a busy woman, but she'll always have time for the league."

"The league?" Evein asked innocently.

"Of course, the League of Extraordinary Magnates. What, you haven't heard of us before?"

"No," Evein replied.

"Well, what are they teaching youngsters in school these days? The League of Extraordinary Magnates— we are the ones who keep Purgis's economy afloat," Scrooge replied. "I'm surprised that, being a Banned Warrior of Christianity, you don't know."

"How would I know? I'm not from this world."

"Neither am I, but ignorance should never be an excuse for ignorance," Scrooge replied. "If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with the League right now, and I can't be late."

Scrooge began to walk and descended the stairs.

"I must admit that the queen has some very 'unique' friends," Evein replied.

Yuuki exhaled.

"Queen Ella may not agree with the motives of the League of Extraordinary Magnates, but without their support in the war, Purgis wouldn't have withstood the cost of the war," Yuuki replied.

The maid then opened the door. The inside of the bedroom was spacious, with a small living room, a fireplace, and a large bed in the back. On a coffee table, there was a tray full of sweets and snacks, along with a series of bottles in an ice bucket.

"I'll leave you to settle in, Mr. Coaster. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Yuuki then turned into snow and disappeared into the wind.

Evein felt strange. He left the sword leaning against the foot of the bed and fell onto the plush bed. A faint scent of lavender emanated from the bed.

"I wonder, what happened to Simma?... I hope she's okay at least," Evein thought. He remembered the young and jovial cardinal. Would she still be angry with him? Would he meet her again?

The boy fell asleep.

In his dream, he remembered a winter day long ago when Yavine cried because it would be another Christmas without her parents returning.

"Yes, I remember that day. I ran through the streets of Ström trying to find them; I went to the bus station, I went to the town square, until I couldn't walk anymore."

Then the crying boy headed to an alley where he found him. A man lying on the ground, covered by a thin layer of snow.

Evein woke up.

He felt hungry. The boy left the bedroom and headed toward one of the indoor gardens that adorned the atrium in front of the keep. Strangely, it was warmer than on previous occasions. The boy looked at the sky and realized they had put up a glass dome. He was surprised to see dozens of tables with guests dining in the garden, as well as maids and penguins serving tables, leaving plates of food.

Evein sat at a table. Soon after, a penguin arrived and placed a plate of roast loin with salad and a glass of orange juice and sparkling water in front of Evein.

"Thank you," Evein replied.

Despite spending so much time in Purgis, the magical realm still surprised him.

"Oh!" a woman exclaimed.

At the table behind Evein, a young maid had burned her hand while serving coffee.

"Oh, look at the mess you've made!" an old man replied.

"Apoligies, Mr. Scrooge, I'll bring you another coffee right away," the waitress replied, then hurried away. The old man's eyes met Evein's.

Then, the old man got up and walked to Evein's table.

"What can be done with this fourth-rate staff, right?" the old man replied and sat in front of Evein.

"We haven't been formally introduced. Ebenezer Scrooge," said the old man, raising his hand.

"Ebenezer Scrooge? Like the one from the novel 'A Christmas Carol'?" Evein asked, astonished.

"Ah, it seems someone has read a bit of my biography. Unfortunately, I can say that the writer, Dickens, never quite understood my character in that little novel of his. Come on, boy, it's impolite not to respond to a gentleman's greeting."

"Oh, my apologies. Evein Coaster," Evein replied, shaking the old man's hand. Instantly, the old man's face changed.

"This is interesting," the old man said while giving Evein's hand a series of small squeezes. "You shake hands like a pauper, but at the same time, your hand has the firmness of a well-to-do man. Tell me, Evein Coaster, what does your family do?"

"My family?" The boy was surprised for a moment, thinking about the true intentions of the old man. "My adoptive father worked in mining."

"Ah! That explains it; you're a 'rich-poor'!"

"A what?"

"A poor man who attained wealth," replied Scrooge. The old man then let go of Evein's hand. "Certainly, of the three Banned Warriors of Christianity, it's good to know there's a 'good man' among them. The other two are poor devils, poor city folk who definitely don't understand the complexities of us 'good men' who move this economy."

"Excuse me?"

"Tell me, young Evein Coaster. What has brought you to the court of the Winter Queen?" asked Scrooge.

"I seek her help to end the war," replied Evein.

"Of course, of course. Surely a man of virtue like yourself understands that war is bad business for us entrepreneurs," retorted Scrooge. "Unfortunately, I doubt you'll change her mind. After all, the Winter Queen doesn't grasp the complexity of the market's nature and takes refuge in her feudal thinking. For her and her people, the war must continue until it drains the life out of all of us who finance it."

"I'm not so interested in the market, but in ending Alexander Noelius," Evein responded.

"Then we are on the same page, young Evein," replied Scrooge. "Ever since that fool Noelius arrested me and had me in the custody of the Ghost of Christmas Present, it's been of particular interest to me to end Alexander Noelius. And since I've taken a liking to you, I'd like to support your cause with the entire economic capacity of the League of Extraordinary Magnates."

"Will you finance me?"

"Of course, lad. Do you know Nussnakker?"

"Yes, but that..."

"We financed him. Do you truly believe Alexander Noelius would be interested in getting rid of the vermin? No. Only us. And just as we financed Nusnakker, we can finance an army for you, one capable of taking the Astral Castle," Scrooge replied. "Tonight, in salon 3, I'll be meeting with the rest of the League. If you decide to come, we'll sort out the details of the loan, lad."