Chapter 62
“I have never really participated in the Founding Festival. Every year, I was either away sowhere or helping with temple work. When I was young, I think I liked wandering around street stalls, though.”
Yujelia took a bite of a street snack—seasoned chicken skewered on a wooden stick.
The savory flavor of the salted marinade filled her mouth.
“Still, this year’s Founding Festival seems to have more people, and more exhausting work, than the last one. Perhaps it is because the Saint is here…….”
“Maybe it is because today is the last day to receive confession. The lines were quite long.”
“We have been receiving believers continuously for five days. Since today is the last day, there will probably be crowds until night.”
“Lady Yujelia, do you have ti today? You must be so busy…….”
After pouring tea into two cups, Shen handed them over and asked.
“Yes. I have been at the temple the entire ti until now! Ah, I do have to return to the temple again in the evening, but for now, I can rest……!”
Nodding, Yujelia seed truly hungry, because after tasting the skewer once, she began eating it even more energetically.
She looked as though she had exhausted herself dealing with the people flooding into the temple.
Still, aside from looking a little tired, her expression did not seem particularly dark, as though nothing serious had happened.
“Please eat slowly! There is more. Ah, this one seems fine too, so Young Master, you should eat this as well!”
After tasting it a few tis and deciding there was nothing wrong, Shen held out another chicken skewer to Aquila.
He was still holding a skewer he had not finished, but he accepted it without complaint with his other hand.
“The Old Items Auction is already tomorrow. It starts at two in the afternoon, right?”
“Yes. The auction itself starts at two, but we should probably go earlier to enter the venue.”
That morning, a telegram from rien Raiesel had arrived at Aquila’s lodging.
Along with an invitation, it said that she would co to Aquila’s lodging around eleven the next day.
They could have t in front of the amphitheater where the Old Items Auction was held, but since Aquila’s na was listed as the representative, it was decided that gathering together and going as a group would be better.
Aquila had registered under the na of Reschenhardt, and rien Raiesel was essentially attending as an add-on.
“Does no one know what items will be auctioned?”
“So of them beco known quietly, but there are items that are appraised on the day and then put up for auction, so there are more variables than one might expect.”
Applications to attend the Old Items Auction were accepted only before the Founding Festival.
That was so invitations could be distributed.
Even if a mber of the imperial family wished to attend on the day, they could not do so if they had not registered their na.
It was an event with deliberately strict rules.
On the other hand, if soone wished to put a valuable item up for auction, it could still be appraised by experts on the day and added to the auction.
Although it was called an auction, it was not much different from a form of entertainnt.
‘Quija’s Smile was said to be an item that was appraised on the day and then put up for auction. No matter how much the Raiesel family manages Portplum, they would not have known about that in advance.’
They likely never imagined that the rules set so strictly to make no exceptions, even for the imperial family, would end up binding them instead.
‘They said they went to explain the situation to the person who won the bid back then, but it was not accepted. I do not know who that person was, though…….’
Aquila set down the skewer he had finished.
In any case, taking advantage of the brief rest Yujelia had been granted, they had co out together to look around the street stalls.
Everywhere the eye reached was still crowded with people, but compared to the second day, or even just compared to yesterday, it was obvious at a glance that the crowds had thinned.
“You still have not found the item you are looking for, right? I will search diligently as well.”
Aquila had co out on the second day, then again on the third, and even on the fourth day.
All to obtain the item called Eye That Sees the Hidden.
However, no matter how much he searched the outskirts, or even went as far as the central area just in case, nothing that looked like a monocle appeared.
Since the item stubbornly refused to show itself, Aquila eventually had no choice but to ask others for help.
He did not say what it would be used for, but everyone readily agreed.
It was only natural that Yujelia, who had co to et Aquila while resting, would join that group.
After all, she wanted to enjoy the Founding Festival this ti as well.
“Shall we spread out and search? That might be better.”
“I appreciate the thought, but there is no need to go that far…….”
“Young Master wants to find it, so we have to find it! Should I not be helpful at tis like this?”
After setting down her fifth skewer, Yujelia wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.
She was dressed lightly rather than in her pure white robe, as though fully prepared to enjoy the festival.
When she sprang to her feet, her tightly tied hair fell like a long tail, swaying near her back as always.
“Then, Sir Heinen, will you stick with ?”
“If you plan to stop at every place that sells street food, I will have to reconsider.”
“Huh. Not Sir Heinen—, . I want to eat a lot.”
“Vice-Captain Cahena. What about guarding the young master?”
“Sir Heinen is here, and so is Shen. And look at our little young master’s hair. See how glossy and black it is today as well…….”
***
In the end, without splitting up, Aquila’s group moved together around the street stalls.
Since he had already bought most of what he wanted, nothing caught Aquila’s eye, but that did not seem to be the case for Yujelia.
She happily looked at this and that.
There was a green hair tie with magic defense as an option, which Shen bought and gave to Yujelia as a gift.
Yujelia was flustered, but pleased by the gift, and imdiately tied her hair again.
Shen smiled, and those watching them felt even more pleased.
Cahena nudged Aquila and Heinen with her elbow, grinning.
In any case, Aquila’s group wandered diligently again today.
‘Three days of walking around like this, and not even a glimpse. Is it still buried sowhere?’
But by the ti evening approached and the sun began to set, marking the ti for Yujelia to return to the Grand Temple, today was another fruitless search for Aquila.
There were a few items that looked like glasses, but they were clearly different from the monocle he was looking for.
“Hmm. There is nothing……. There were quite a few glasses like this, though.”
Putting on a decorative pair of glasses she had bought for three gold, Yujelia turned to look at him.
The lenses were pink.
“Could it be that it is not being sold at all? If we knew exactly where the rumor ca from, I could go and question them…… but where was it?”
Cahena spoke while chewing on a squid leg, a southern specialty.
Of course, Aquila could not give an answer.
How could he say that he had heard it last ti?
Although there were still two days left until the Founding Festival ended, the fact that nothing stood out this much made various possibilities swirl repeatedly in his mind.
‘What if that guy actually lied to ?’
He had said that he would never lie when it ca to bets, but considering that man’s usual personality, the thought suddenly occurred that it might have been a lie after all.
‘……Well. They are people who lie every ti they open their mouths. I should have trusted soone trustworthy.’
As Aquila inwardly lanted his own naivety, Yujelia, having examined his face, muttered awkwardly.
“I spoke so confidently. I am sorry…….”
“No. Lady Yujelia has nothing to apologize for.”
Aquila shook his head.
He was used to believing rumors he had heard in a previous life and running around to search for them himself.
Besides, he was trying to obtain it earlier than usual this ti, and it was an item he could acquire eventually anyway, so there was no need to be impatient even if he did not get it now.
It just stung a little that he had spent this much ti and still failed to find it.
In any case, the sky was darkening as night fell.
It ant that it was almost ti for Yujelia to return to the Grand Temple.
When they offered to escort her, she shook her head.
“No, it is all right. But could we look around just up to here? I do not think I have been to this area yet.”
There had been nothing of note when Aquila had looked around here yesterday, but with Yujelia’s eyes shining as though she absolutely had to find sothing, it was difficult to refuse.
He exchanged glances with those behind him for a mont, then nodded.
There was no reason to stop her from going if she wanted to.
“Yes. Let us go toward the alley.”
“All right. I really hope it shows up at the end!”
Even though it was already evening, Yujelia’s steps were full of energy.
Aquila, on the other hand, had been coming out and walking since the second day and was thoroughly wilted.
It was partly because his stamina could not keep up, but also because his expectations were gradually fading.
So this ti as well, Aquila followed behind Yujelia without much expectation.
As ti passed, so stalls had closed, leaving empty spaces here and there, but there were still places that stubbornly remained open in the alleys.
Those places usually sold either truly strange items or completely useless ones.
Among them, there were even genuinely dangerous items.
Of course, Aquila did not bother to report them, rely sweeping his indifferent gaze across the displays.
Naturally, there were not many items that differed from yesterday.
‘……Did soone buy that cursed item that was over there? And the glasses—of course, they are not here.’
Aquila found himself desperately missing glasses with only a single lens rather than two.
He let out a short sigh and lifted his head.
“Huh……?”
And then…… he saw it.
Black hair that did not seem particularly distinctive.
But to him, that back was unmistakably familiar.
‘……Ark?’
Aquila’s eyes flew open involuntarily, and as if possessed, he broke away from the path he had been following behind Yujelia.
Before he realized it, he had started running in that direction.
“Y-Young Master?! Where are you going?!”
Despite the voices calling out behind him, Aquila ran without hesitation.
A brown robe.
And a sword with a white hilt at the waist.
Everything was exactly the sa as Ark’s appearance when they first t.
Dodging through the passersby, Aquila hurried after the black-haired man.
However, on the fifth day, Portplum was still crowded, even though it was a ti when the crowds had thinned sowhat.
“Hey, ……Ark!”
Fearing he would lose him, Aquila called out the man’s na, but the black-haired man did not turn around.
“Ark Batchel!”
Aquila shouted with all his strength once more.
He ran as fast as he possibly could.
But—
Thud!
“…Ugh!”
He collided with a group he could not avoid in ti and nearly tumbled to the ground.
No, he would have tumbled.
Cahena, who had kicked off the ground and sprinted forward from behind in an instant, caught Aquila.
Without her help, Aquila would have fallen flat and rolled along the ground several tis over.
“Oh dear, oh dear! Young Master, are you all right?!”
Cahena asked urgently.
She was in a rare state of panic after chasing Aquila, who had suddenly started running off sowhere.
But Aquila did not answer.
Instead, he jerked his head up, shook off Cahena, took a few steps forward, and frantically looked around.
‘……Did I lose him?’
He had definitely been right there just a mont ago.
There was no way Aquila could have failed to recognize Ark.
Turning his head back and forth, he scanned the surroundings.
Black hair caught his eye everywhere.
But after looking away for only a brief mont due to being knocked aside, that familiar back was nowhere to be found.
As if it had vanished entirely.
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