"Speaking of which… these cakes always end up being a huge problem."
Leon looked at the enormous cake in front of him.
It was absurdly large—far too large, in fact.
It reached nearly two-thirds the height of the mecha he and Anis had created earlier.
Every time his birthday came around and he had to cut the cake, he had the clear feeling that everyone around him was far more excited than he was—even though he was the one celebrating…
It felt like the others took it more seriously than he did.
"But… at least it's delicious."
Leon summoned Terminus Est.
After all, the birthday cake had to be cut by the protagonist of the day.
Although Nahida was clearly eager to do it herself, her height didn't help at all.
So, to include her, Leon lifted her with one hand.
In the next instant, with a single precise motion, the sacred blade shone—and in the blink of an eye, the gigantic cake, dozens of meters tall, was sliced into hundreds of pieces.
Each one perfectly identical.
Right after that, the pieces began to float through the air.
As if guided by an invisible force, they landed directly in the hands of those near Leon.
After all, no matter how large it was, the cake still wasn't enough for the entire population of Sumeru.
The girls from Night Raid, Lumine, Eula, Asuna, Alice, and the others received their portions and tasted them with happy expressions.
"Master… I am not a sword meant for cutting cakes."
The blade glowed, and in the next moment, she assumed her human form.
Est crossed her arms, pouting slightly in dissatisfaction.
She looked completely helpless in this situation.
After all, that sacred sword—which had slain countless demons and purified the evil of the world—had now been used as… a cake knife.
And not only that—Est looked down at herself.
Her body was covered in cream.
A sacred blade that shouldn't even be stained by blood—
Was now completely covered in whipped cream.
Her hair.
Her clothes.
Her cheeks.
Everything was covered in white.
There was an indescribable discomfort in her expression.
"Ah, hahaha… sorry."
Leon laughed, not particularly guilty.
"I'll help you clean that up later."
He reached out and, with his fingers, took a bit of cream from her cheek.
He brought it to his mouth and tasted it.
"Hm… it's really good."
He nodded, satisfied.
It wasn't surprising.
The cake had been prepared by Gamma, using only the finest ingredients possible.
Neither she nor Ningguang would ever hold back when it came to him.
But in the very next moment, Est did something completely unexpected.
"…Est, what are you doing?"
"Master… there's no need to thank me."
She replied with an innocent expression.
"Please… eat me."
"Don't put cream in weird places!" Leon's eyes twitched.
Still dissatisfied with being covered in whipped cream, Est simply began spreading even more cream over her own body.
Then she opened her arms, looking at Leon without the slightest embarrassment.
As if she were truly offering herself as… a human cake.
Or rather, she literally said it.
"Don't cause trouble for His Highness, Est."
At that moment, another figure appeared.
Restia.
With a handkerchief in hand, she began wiping Est's face.
"Stay out of this."
"Spreading cream all over your body is not appropriate for a lady," Restia replied with a teasing smile. "And normally… if you want to do that… you need to take off your clothes first."
"Hm? Take off my clothes?" Est tilted her head. "No problem… but can I keep my stockings?"
"Of course not," Restia replied immediately.
"You have to take everything off."
"Uhuu…"
Despite their opposite natures, Restia treated Est like an older sister teasing an innocent younger one.
Leon didn't hesitate.
BAM!
He smacked Restia on the head.
"Don't teach strange things to Est."
"Ah… that hurt…"
Restia held her head, making a cute expression and sticking out her tongue.
Leon simply rolled his eyes and then handed each of them a piece of cake.
"Go play over there."
Meanwhile, at the top of an observation tower overlooking the entire city of Sumeru, Nahida watched the scenery in silence, deep in thought.
She held a gift box in her arms but hadn't opened it yet.
Even though Leon was the only one who had given her presents that year, there were so many that it would take the entire day just to open them all.
"The view is beautiful… but what are you doing here alone?"
"I'm not doing anything… just… enjoying the moment." she replied.
"Really? Just standing there doesn't seem very fun." Leon appeared beside her.
Without ceremony, he easily picked her up and placed her on his lap.
Then he sat where she had been standing before.
Nahida's cheeks immediately flushed.
But she didn't resist.
"Let me say this again, properly… Happy birthday, Nahida."
"…Thank you," she replied softly.
"Happy birthday to you too, Leon."
She sighed, leaning against him while looking out over the city.
But deep down, she knew that the festival was actually for Leon.
Not just because of the birthday, but because of the coronation of a new king in Sumeru.
Before that day, she had been nothing more than a forgotten queen.
Imprisoned and ignored by her own people.
But he brought her into the light.
He made her the protagonist.
He shared that day with her.
Nahida's face grew even redder.
Feeling his arms around her, protecting her.
A strange feeling grew within her chest.
Leon was like a beam of light illuminating her dark world.
Like a hero from fantasy stories who came to free her from her prison.
She felt happy—but also indebted.
How can I repay this…?
Can I even repay it…?
"What are you thinking about?"
Leon rested his chin on her head and gently poked her cheek.
"It's nothing…"
Nahida replied, a bit hastily.
"I was just… thinking…"
"I wish my sister could see the Sabzeruz Festival today…"
Leon blinked.
Thinking of the former Dendro Archon, still sealed within the World Tree.
Then he smiled and took out the Heart of the God of Grass.
"Maybe… this year won't be possible. But next year… definitely."
He looked at the artifact in his hand.
"Actually… if I try a little harder… I might be able to make her join today's banquet."
"Eh…?"
Nahida was completely shocked.
Unable to understand.
After all, her sister was sealed by a forbidden curse.
Something that not even the best methods could cure.
But Leon seemed confident.
"Before… I'd say I had about a 60 or 70 percent chance."
He smiled faintly.
"But today… I received an unexpected gift. So leave it to me."
---
(End of Chapter)