In the blink of an eye, two days passed, and the morning of the Autumn Festival arrived.
Around noon, I swung by the base camp to call back all the personnel who had been dispatched.
They had been working on stabilizing the base camp and, a few days earlier, had finished installing a teleport gate at the forward base. They were also in the midst of clearing that area.
I told them to take a full break during the three days of the festival. "You cant be away on missions while everyone else is enjoying the festival, can you?"
"Wow! City air! Its been ages!"
Kuilan stretched his arms wide and yawned.
The full moon was near, so all five Penal Squad beastn were back in their regular human forms.
It felt like Kuilans previous taphorshedding their fur every season like dogswas on point...
"The air slls delicious!"
Hannibal, who returned with Kellibey, shouted with a lively expression.
The elderly dwarf blacksmith and his young assistant headed toward the downtown forge, chattering along the way.
"The festival, its been so long. Itll be fun, wont it, Lilly?"
"..."
Godhand, who was pushing Lillys wheelchair, tried to make pleasant conversation, but Lilly responded with a sulky face.
Sweating profusely, Godhand worked hard to soothe Lillys mood.
I watched them and then approached Bodybag and Burnout to ask, "Whats up with them now?"
The two young elves shook their heads.
"They had a fight... Godhand keeps helping other won around the base camp..."
"..."
"Godhand didnt an it that way, but it looks pretty bad from the outside."
Their relationship really wasnt simple... I hope they work it out and have a good ti.
"And also, the reason were here is..."
I had invited all the base camps NPCs, but not many accepted. Only the Holy Grail Seekers had shown up.
Jackal wasnt ready to venture out into the world and declined. Coco the Severer was busy with other matters and declined. Naless had been missing since then.
The other NPC parties were still wary of . Well, I understand their sentints.
"Thank you for the invitation, Lord Ash."
As soon as she stepped out of the teleport gate in the mansions backyard, Verdandi bowed to .
"Its been 100 years since Ive been out in the world."
"Relax, eat well, and heal before you leave."
The complexions of the Holy Grail Seekers had improved compared to before, but they still had dark circles under their eyes.
I hoped they would enjoy the festival and rejuvenate their spirits.
After letting everyone unpack in the guest rooms of the mansion, I extended my hand toward downtown Crossroad.
"Alright, its the festival! Lets have a great ti for the next three days!"
***
Downtown Crossroad was bustling.
The tempting aroma of grilled and fried foods wafted from the various street stalls.
There were already people sitting and sharing drinks, fortunate folks enjoying their day.
Cheerful music echoed from all corners as children, crumbs from snacks still stuck to their mouths, giggled and ran through the alleys.
"Of all the tis Ive seen Crossroad since taking my post here, today seems the brightest."
"Of course! Its one of the few festivals in a year!"
In response to my muttering, Evangeline leapt up excitedly and replied.
"People have been waiting for today for so long! Ive also been on pins and needles these past few days just waiting for today!"
Hmm, fair point.
Not just the citizens, but even Damien and Junior, who stood beside , seed unusually cheerful. Both were happily munching on so snacks they held in their hands.
I was currently enjoying a leisurely day out with my main party mbers.
We were aimlessly strolling around, taking it easy, and even enjoying so snack ti.
It was so peaceful that it made all the intense battles weve fought seem like a distant mory.
Alternating my gaze between the smiling faces of my party mbers and the bustling cityscape, I mumbled absent-mindedly.
"Theres definitely so sort of magic in festivals that lifts peoples spirits."
"It just makes you happy for no reason. Oh! Do you want to eat that?"
Evangeline, who had discovered so sweets being grilled at a nearby stall that emitted a delicious aroma, dashed off.
I quickly pulled out a coin and tossed it to her.
"Hey! Get four portions!"
"Okay!"
Snatching the coin out of the air, Evangeline darted off and returned swiftly with four pieces of sothing resembling Korean hotteok.
How could sothing filled with sugar sandwiched between carbs taste bad?
As I took a hot bite and puffed on it to cool it down, Evangeline tilted her head and looked around.
"By the way, wheres Lucas?"
"No idea. Havent seen him since the day before yesterday."
I had told him to focus on recovering from his injuries rather than resuming his duties as a guard. Since then, hed been sulking and had disappeared from sight...
"Is he resting in his room?"
Shaking her head, Evangeline answered my question.
"He wasnt in his room. I knocked before I left."
"Oh? Then is he receiving treatnt at the temple?"
This ti, it was Damien who shook his head.
"No, Your Highness. The temple only provides ergency care and a ward for severely ill patients during the festival."
"I see. Even the priests need to rest, after all."
"Yes. Especially Saintess Margarita; she threatened to go on strike if she didnt get a break during the festival..."
"Hmm..."
Margarita... She mustve been under a lot of pressure. Well, she did have a tough ti during the last defensive battle...
"So where the heck did Lucas go?"
We had planned to enjoy the festival as a close-knit main party, perhaps even reconcile so differences. His absence made uneasy.
The main party of five felt incomplete without Lucas, who was usually responsible for bulk and brawn. The group seed to have shrunk sohow...
Just then, Junior, who was enjoying so candied tomatoes, squinted and pointed forward.
"Huh? Isnt that Lucas?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, it really is!"
Sure enough, in the direction Junior pointed, there he was.
His identity was easily revealed by the golden hair sticking out from under the hood of his robe and his distinctive build. What was he doing there?
Lucas, after glancing around, cautiously entered the military encampnt and approached a window guarded by a few soldiers.
The sign erected in front of the window read:
"..."
Watching this scene unfold from a distance, I broke into a cold sweat.
"Uh... A Martial Arts Tournant?"
"Its tomorrow, right? The Martial Arts Tournant."
"Is it a tournant big enough to involve soone like Lucas...?"
A mont later, Lucas seed to have finished his registration, swiftly making his way out. He looked around cautiously, pulled his hood tightly over his head, and hastily scurried away.
I should never assign him a stealth or infiltration mission.
He would definitely get caught, I thought as we headed toward the tournant registration counter.
"Ah, my Lord!"
"Youve arrived, my Lord!"
The soldiers who noticed saluted in unison. I returned their salute with a nod.
"Were in the middle of a festival; make sure to relax a little. Eat and drink moderately while you work."
"Haha, its not like its strenuous work or anything. And as you said, were snacking while on duty."
The soldiers awkwardly showed the snacks theyd hidden behind their backs. I chuckled and asked,
"Hows the tournant? Many participants?"
"Oh, absolutely! Its a madhouse, especially since new prizes were added yesterday."
"Prizes? Sothing new was added?"
"Yes! Didnt you know? The rchant Guild of Silver Winter has sponsored new prizes and made an announcent..."
"Oh, really?"
Curious, I looked at the poster the soldiers were pointing to. Lets see, the new prizes are...
[5th~8th Place - Unlimited Festival Stall Vouchers]
[3rd~4th Place - Silver Winter rchant Guild Voucher (Worth 5,000 Adels)]
[2nd Place - Free Full Set of Blacksmith Gear]
[1st Place - Knighted by the Lord]
"...?"
Wait.
Hold on.
Is the first-place prize so sort of joke? Knighted by the Lord? Who decided this?
"Hey, did the rchant Guild of Silver Winter propose this prize?"
"Yes, indeed! The guild master herself ca to post it!"
"..."
I grabbed the back of my neck, feeling a headache coming on. Serenade, what are you doing?!
While I stood there in shock, Evangeline eagerly wrote her na on the registration form.
"Im going for 5th place! I want to eat at the stalls!"
"Hey! This is not the ti for that!"
Juniors and Damien also cautiously stepped forward.
"Hehe, Ill go for 4th place..."
"Your Highness, please sign up for 2nd place!"
"This is not the ti for you guys either!"
I barely managed to stop Junior and Damien, who were excitedly getting ready to write their nas down.
No, wizards! Those with Far-Sight! You cant! People will die if you participate!
"More importantly, why are you all ignoring the first-place prize?!"
I felt a little hurt or maybe awkward that they were blatantly disregarding the first prize and only looking at the lesser ones. Look at the first-place prize! Being appointed as my knight is a big deal!
Evangeline then covered her mouth, giggling as she explained to .
"Ah~ that? Its called an Honorary Knight for the tournant. Its like a title given to the winner every year. Its more of an honorary award."
"Ah... So its not really granting actual knighthood?"
"Yes. Of course, if you win the tournant, your skills are more or less verified, so you might get employed on the front lines or even truly beco a knight."
I see. So the first-place prize was traditional, given out every year like this.
The uproar wasnt even about the first-place prize that had always been there; it was all because of the newly added rewards from the Silver Winter rchant Guildequipnt crafting permits, gift certificates, and vendor permits.
"Lets be honest, does winning an honor award get you food, money, or equipnt? I dont need first place!"
"Ah, such brutally honest beings of material greed!"
Id honestly been a bit pleased thinking the participants were crowding in because they wanted to beco my knights! How absurd that this isnt a competition where everyone wants to be first!
Evangeline patted on my trembling shoulder.
"By the way, what prize do you think Lucas applied for among these?"
"..."
I tightly closed my mouth and looked up at the wall poster.
I had a hunch why, but that sa reason tasted sour on my tongue.
***
Inn Ettis Honeybee, Dance Festival registration desk.
Fortunately, the Dance Festival rewards were relatively modest.
There were no rankings, just awards like Most Popular, Biggest Laugh, Cutest, and so on. This was a competition for fun, after all.
[Most Popular - The right to dance all night with the partner of your choice]
That was the top prize for Most Popular. Well, it couldve been worse...
"This is also a traditional prize for the winners who co down to the Crossroad Festival."
Evangeline said, pointing to the Most Popular award.
"If you win the Dance Festival, you get to dance with the partner of your choice. Sothing like that."
"I see..."
"Well then,"
Evangeline quickly went forward and fetched four application forms.
"Lets all participate!"
"Huh?"
"Whats huh? about it? You should participate too, senior."
Evangeline frowned and spat out the words.
"Isnt it common sense to end the festival by all dancing together?"
Its not a Bollywood movie; why would we end by all dancing together?
Whats more, Im uncoordinated! Apart from the social dancing I learned from Serenade, I cant dance!
I tried to escape, but sohow Damien and Junior had already grabbed tightly on either side.
In the end, I had to scream and forcibly sign the application form.
"This years Dance Festival! Our Lord is participating!"
The registration desk attendant cheerfully exclaid, stamping my application form. The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers and whistles.
I grabbed my head and scread.
"Theyre all going to watch and laugh at my dancing! Why are you making do this too?"
"Why, you ask? Well..."
Evangeline whispered with a devilish grin.
"Its a festival, isnt it?"
...Thinking about it, she was absolutely right.
Damn it!
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