Chapter 6
A Fun Festival
The Harvest Festival started early the next morning.
“Here you go.”
Hot soup was served to the people involved in the event, who’d gathered in the northern district plaza. It was the first event, the Zoltan Soup Meet, where each farm provided a few vegetables to make a soup for everyone helping out with the festival.
Normal guests couldn’t attend. It was something you could only enjoy by being involved.
“Delicious!”
“Yeah, and it’s nice and hot.”
Rit and I both sipped at the soup. We filled our cheeks with the floating bits of potato, and both of us made silly faces as we huffed and puffed, trying to endure the heat.
Unable to hold it in, we laughed at each other’s faces.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget that joy.
Once the soup meet finished, the stalls immediately opened for business.
The crowds at the festival differed in the morning, afternoon, and night, though some people really loved festivals and spent the whole day wandering around.
A lot of the guests in the morning were farmers from villages near Zoltan, who were more interested in the stalls selling food, supplies, and daily accessories.
At Red & Rit’s Apothecary stand, we did quite well selling medicines for dealing with snake and insect venom.
“Nobody’s commented on the medicine bottles yet, though.”
Rit looked a bit disappointed, but we’d expected as much. People who didn’t always buy medicine in Zoltan wouldn’t notice that the bottles were different from normal. Knowing that, I had stocked the farm-oriented medicine that would probably sell better in the morning in the usual bottles and paper bags.
The main event would start in the afternoon.
As for Ruti’s and Habotan’s stalls on either side of us…
“Everything’s going great.”
“Nobody is stopping by at all…”
Ruti raised her arms happily in the air, while Habotan’s slumped dejectedly.
Well, that was also what we expected.
There were a lot of people in the morning crowd looking for breakfast. And since they tended to want to try something a little different, given the festive mood, Ruti’s medicinal cooking was the perfect choice. Her dishes made using food smoked with medicinal herbs were selling like hotcakes, and as a special morning bonus, they were offering a normal soup, which was a big draw.
The soup was one I’d made yesterday, so it was nice that people seemed to be enjoying it.
“Habotan, your stall is mainly targeted at people who’ve come to the festival for the games.”
“Urgh.”
Most of the farmers from outside Zoltan didn’t know Habotan was a ninja from the Far East, or that she was selling authentic ninja gear. For people looking for practical goods, it was unlikely they’d stop at a stall selling tools where they didn’t know if they were authentic or not.
“Whoops, it’s almost time for my shift.”
It was time for the ceremony celebrating the volunteer soldiers.
I had been asked to help with security and directing guests, so I put my bronze sword on my hip.
“I’ll be back. I’m leaving the store in your hands.”
“Got it! Be careful, Red.”
“I’m gonna have to be careful not to get drawn into a fight and smacked around.”
“Haha, there isn’t anyone who could land a hit on your face.”
As she said that, Rit closed the distance between us in one fluid motion and lightly kissed me on the forehead.
“Other than me, that is.”
“You even used your skills.”
“Hehe, I’m the only one who could do this to you.”
Rit giggled as she saw me off.
…Yeah, I’m ready to go!
In the plaza in the northern district, a little over twenty volunteer soldiers sat in chairs on a temporary stage.
They were all wearing formal dress. Several of them looked uncomfortable, and every once in a while, someone started fidgeting.
One seat was empty. It looked like someone was missing.
It wasn’t a ceremony where participation was mandatory, but the empty seat was for a son of one of the nobles living in the center of Zoltan. I’d thought he would take part even if just for the sake of his family’s reputation.
“Young men and women raised here in Zoltan, your efforts in fighting the fearsome demon lord’s army to the end shall be forever engraved in Zoltan’s history and passed down through the generations. We shall—”
The head of the Adventurers Guild, Harold, was famous for being long-winded.
Apparently, he was planning to retire next spring, and Galatine would take his place, so he was eager to make a show of the ceremony.
Galatine sat in a chair, averting his eyes with a grimace on his face. He preferred keeping things simple, with the key points easy to understand, so his speeches at times like this were also short.
When the head changed from Harold, who was so focused on preserving traditions, to Galatine, who was more workmanlike and knew how things functioned on the ground level, the Adventurers Guild would probably be reformed in all sorts of ways.
Zoltan was a place that prioritized seniority, and the occasional standout generation would reform the rules and balance things so that even ordinary folk in the next average generation to come could run the country.
There was a mountain of pointless rules, but Zoltan had still somehow managed to make it from its founding to now without any major issues.
“…”
As for the volunteers listening to the long speech…most of them wore calm expressions.
Maybe the guild chief and his long-winded speeches just reminded them that they really were back home. A couple of them even nodded along, making it look like maybe the speech was surprisingly decent if you actually listened to it. It was pointlessly long, but the atmosphere actually felt quite peaceful.
The ceremony continued until after noon.
As the guests started increasing, it began to get crowded outside the plaza.
I wondered how Rit, Ruti, and the others were doing with all the customers.
Maybe I should’ve asked Tanta or Ademi to help out at the store, even if just to cover for me while I’m gone.
As that thought went through my mind, the gifting event drew to a close, with children singing a song and handing out bouquets of flowers.
Just then…
“Kyaaah!”
I heard a woman’s shout from outside the plaza.
What should I do?
It was hard to imagine something happening in the plaza here, but I’d still been asked to serve as security. I had a duty not to leave the spot…
“Ah!!”
But one person moved faster than anyone else.
“Harmon!”
Even though he didn’t have a weapon, Harmon leaped down from the stage and raced away.
I had to catch up to him. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to him.
He had to find the same Zoltan happiness as everyone else!
It was clear from the direction people were fleeing in where the incident was happening, and Harmon must have thought the same. He made his way through the waves of people without stopping until he reached the source of the scream.
“Red!” Galatine shouted from behind me. “What’s happening?!”
“I don’t know. You and the adventurers in the plaza should calm down the people! I’ll follow Harmon!”
“Got it, leave this place to us!”
But instead of moving through the people…
…I leaped onto the ceiling of a stall!
“H-hey!”
“Sorry! I’ll be careful not to damage anything!”
I ran across the roofs, chasing after Harmon.
With the added height, I could immediately see the cause of the panic.
“That’s the guy who was missing from the ceremony!”
A sloppily dressed man in a noble’s outfit was holding a bottle of strong alcohol in his left hand and a drawn saber loosely in his right. He’d caught a young woman and was holding her against him with his right arm.
“Eeek!”
The woman cried out as the saber dangled in front of her chest.
“What, you don’t wanna go out with me?”
“I—I have a husband…!”
“Liar!”
The man unleashed a ferocious shout, then suddenly started laughing. He took a swig of alcohol from the bottle in his left hand.
He was emotionally unstable. There was no telling what might happen!
“You! All of you! You’re the same as my parents!”
The man pointed the tip of his saber at the people watching from a distance.
“I can tell you’re laughing at me! It’s only because of me you can laugh like that! Whose fault do you think it is I ended up like this?!”
“Stop!!” Harmon shouted as he arrived at the scene.
The confused man was holding a saber, while Harmon was unarmed.
This could get ugly…!
“Stop!!” Harmon shouted.
Making his way through the crowd, he stood in front of a comrade from a different battlefield, whose name he didn’t know.
“Hey, that medal on your chest suits you,” his comrade said with a sneer.
“You had the right to receive one, too.”
“I want booze more.”
“Stop this already… The reason we fought was to protect a world where everyone could smile and laugh in peace like this, right? That’s why we chose to dive into hell.”
“I regret it.”
His comrade pushed the woman to the ground and pointed his saber at her.
“Eep…”
“Stop!!”
“Why am I the only one who’s unhappy…? I fought for a peaceful world, so why…?”
He started crying and staggered unsteadily, waving his saber around. It was a highly dangerous situation.
“Let her go. If you want a drinking buddy, I’ll drink with you.”
“Ha, haha… Aren’t you scared?”
“…”
“If you were on that battlefield, then you know how terrifying it is being unarmed when someone else has a sword. If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.”
“I am scared. I know the fear of death better than anyone…but I’m not unarmed.”
“What, you got a knife on you?”
“No.”
Harmon pulled a compass out of his pocket.
His comrade looked dubiously at it.
“I have courage right here,” Harmon declared quietly.
For a moment, his comrade stared blankly, then raised his saber with a shout.
“Are you making fun of me?!”
As his pitiable comrade charged toward him, Harmon raised his arms.
All he could do was sacrifice his arms.
To keep his comrade from becoming a wretched criminal for killing an innocent woman, he had to restrain him without getting either of them killed.
The saber swung forcefully down on Harmon’s resolve.
But the pain didn’t come.
“Sir Gideon!!”
A black-haired swordsman stood before him.
The saber fell to the ground, knocked away by a bronze sword.
“Y-you’re…?!”
A fist hit his stunned comrade in the cheek.
“Guh!!”
The man was knocked back to the ground.
The alcohol seemed to have dulled his pain, because his comrade tried to stand up, but then stopped, stunned at seeing blood flowing from his nose.
“So you’re the guy who was called one of the wings of humanity’s hope… You really were here in Zoltan.”
“Yes. I’ve been living here for more than two years.”
Red sheathed his sword and walked over to look down at the man on the ground.
“Your nose is broken; we need to stop the bleeding. Luckily for you, I’m an apothecary. Come with me, and I’ll get you all the medicine you need.”
Harmon’s comrade held his nose, glaring at Gideon with bloodshot eyes.
“You have no right to punch me! You ran away from the fight!”
“I do have the right!”
Red knelt down so he could look the man in the eyes.
He grabbed Red by the chest. Blood trickled from his nose, and he glared at Red with a ghastly look on his face… His comrade was filled with such murderous intent that Harmon wondered whether he should put himself between them.
But Red gently touched the man’s hand and looked him in the eye.
“As the apothecary Red who’s been living in peace in Zoltan, I have the right to save you, who fought for the sake of the world.”
“Don’t screw around with—!”
“You’re more hurt than anyone else here, and you’re the one in the most pain from what you’re doing.”
“…Dammit… It wasn’t…wasn’t supposed to be like this…”
The man gripped Red’s chest and wept feebly.
Seeing his comrade who’d fought for the sake of the world in such grief, Harmon looked up to the heavens.
Ahh…
Harmon’s thoughts raced as he looked up at the sky.
He thought it must be fate that Gideon and Ruti were in Zoltan.
Fate had guided them to save the volunteers like Harmon and his comrade, who’d been broken during the fighting.
Destiny had drawn them together. A destiny different from that which Demis had intended with Divine Blessings—one that was more conceptual, driven by the actions and decisions of people.
That was what Harmon believed.
Clutching the previous Hero’s compass, Harmon offered up a grateful prayer to whatever fate that was.
“I’m glad I’m alive.”
And in saying that, he finally laughed out loud from the bottom of his heart.
After taking care of the wounded soldier, I gave him medicine for both his body and his mind. He even agreed to come by the shop regularly in order to talk.
I would have to get some medicine for dealing with alcohol dependence and work with Dr. Newman to get even more medicines stocked.
By the time I got back to Rit, it was already after two—more than an hour later than planned.
“That sounds rough.”
“I should have gone, too.”
When I came back, Rit already had a spare set of clothes ready for me so I could change out of my bloody shirt.
Ruti and Tisse gave me some food, since I hadn’t been able to eat any lunch. Apparently, the smoked meats and medicinal eggs at their shop had been really popular, and they’d had orders constantly flowing in. Ruti had been handling the customers, while Tisse and Mister Crawly Wawly worked hard in the back to prepare the dishes.
Habotan’s stall was also a big hit with adventurers and families with children. She’d had so many customers that the gear she had on hand was already sold out, and now she was only running the shuriken throwing experience.
And as for Rit’s and my stall…
“What fancy medicine.”
“Oh, this is medicine? Can I put something else in it after it’s empty?”
“I had no idea Stormthunder could make something like this!”
…we were getting rave reviews, too!
All of the medicine we’d had out on display at the start of the day was sold out, and Rit had already put out more. At this rate, we might actually sell out of all our inventory by evening.
“Everyone is stopping by and checking out our shop!” Rit said excitedly.
Of course, I was just as glad.
Seeing something we’d worked on together turn out like this was a memory I’d treasure forever.
“Let’s try to sell out of everything!”
“Yeah!”
“Ah, but…”
“What is it…?”
Thinking back about what I’d done, I felt my mood sink a little.
“No, it’s just, during the commotion earlier, a guy shouted out about the ‘twin wings of humanity’s hope.’ Between that and what happened yesterday, I was thinking some people might come by to ask about me and Ruti.”
“Ah, I see.”
Rit patted my head in consolation.
“You did what needed to be done. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.”
“And if anything happens, we can overcome it together!”
“…That’s true!”
All my worries were blown away by Rit’s beautiful smile.
As long as I’m with Rit, I’m invincible.
“I’m here, too.”
“Mister Crawly Wawly and I will also help.”
I could rely on Ruti and Tisse, too.
And Mister Crawly Wawly on Tisse’s head made an appeal with a determined look.
“This one will also support you!” Habotan said with pride.
“I’ll try hard, too, I guess!” said Frank…
“I don’t know if our relationship’s at that stage yet, Frank,” I said.
“I just thought it’d be good to go with the flow,” Frank said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.
Seeing that, everyone laughed.
Thanks to them, my heavy heart became lighter.
I’d resolved myself to it happening yesterday, so there was no point in worrying about it now!
That was my intention, at least…but the Harvest Festival went smoothly, and we were able to have a great time.
By the time the lamplight started to look pretty in the dark evening, our shop was completely sold out of medicine.
“And that’s everything.”
I took down the sign in front of the shop.
It was unfortunate we hadn’t been able to show off our new bottles to the nighttime customers, but most of the people who’d come at that time were looking to play games and have fun, so noon to early evening had been the more important sales period.
“Still, though, no one asked about us at all.”
“It was nice and peaceful.”
Ruti and I were eating medicinal eggs, with a mixture of confusion and relief.
We’d hoped for things to be peaceful, but having nothing happen at all was also surprisingly anxiety-inducing.
“What’s this, sold out already?”
“See, I told you we’d need to go early to get Red’s medicines before they sold out.”
We heard voices behind us.
“Galatine and Mistorm!”
“It’s been a while,” the old mayor Mistorm said with an easy smile.
It felt like she’d gotten a bit older since we’d last met.
“I guess it can’t be helped. Maybe the shop next door will let us buy a couple of medicinal eggs.”
“Thank goodness they’re not sold out. Megria seemed quite taken by them and came to say they should be put on the menu at the Adventurers Guild.”
“Oh?”
“If possible, the guild would like to set up a regular order of medicinal herbs.”
“A big customer!” Ruti said happily. The emotion was clear in her voice.
Mistorm let out a whistle.
“I’m glad you seem to be enjoying yourself here in Zoltan.”
“Yeah. Ruti has been growing up a lot lately, and it’s all thanks to this town.”
Mistorm and I watched Ruti warmly.
“Also, I’m sorry if this brings down the mood, but given my position, there’s something I would like to confirm.” For once, Galatine’s voice was quiet. “Is it true that you two are the Hero and her brother?”
“…Yes. My real name is Gideon Ragnason. I’m a member of the former Hero’s party.”
“I’m Ruti Ragnason. Former Hero, current proprietor of a medicinal herb plantation in Zoltan.”
Galatine nodded and continued. “I see. That’s all. I’m sorry for probing into your past. I hope you understand that having some information gives us more options for protecting you.”
“No, it’s only natural for you to ask… If anything, I was surprised no one was talking about it while we were running our stalls today.”
“Oh? The word’s out?”
“You already knew, didn’t you, Mistorm?”
“I couldn’t help but hear during the fight with Leonor,” Mistorm said with a shrug. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m living proof.”
“…Proof of what?”
Ruti and I both were confused by what she was saying.
Galatine smirked. “We’ve been keeping Mistorm’s secret for fifty years now, haven’t we?”
Zoltan was a lazy, peaceful land.
The country’s nature was to never do today what could be put off until tomorrow.
It was a determination to believe that there would always be a tomorrow just like today.
If Ruti and I were happy today, then Zoltan would protect us so the same thing would happen tomorrow.
Apparently, there’d been no reason for me to worry.
Zoltan’s such a great town…
Rit, Ruti, and I walked around the plaza in the northern district, surrounded by the excited clamor of the festival. Now that our stalls had calmed down, it was time to make the rounds ourselves.
The sun had already set. Hanging lamps were set out, lighting up the dark plaza.
It was usually a tranquil place, but during the festival today, it had become the center of Zoltan. That was particularly true this year, celebrating the Harvest Festival right after the long war with the demon lord’s army had finally come to an end and the world was at peace.
The festival had been incredibly raucous.
The stage in the center of the plaza was being put away.
The plays and dances using the stage had finished by the evening, and the main thing now was for it to be a space that people could use freely.
Cheerful adventurers played a violin and an elven flute at the northern side of the plaza, raising the spirits of everyone enjoying themselves.
“Big Brother.”
Ruti had stopped in her tracks. She was staring at a croquette made from fried dough filled with pumpkin cream.
“A fried food stall?”
“It looks so good.”
“Oh, welcome. If it isn’t Ruti and Red, the talk of the town,” said the man at the stall.
Ruti’s shoulders tensed. She seemed a little nervous.
“They just came out of the fryer.”
But he didn’t say anything else about Ruti’s past.
“Wanna try one?”
“…Mhm!”
Ruti and I both nodded.
“Three pumpkin croquettes, please.”
“Comin’ right up!”
The fried croquettes glistened in the lamplight.
“They smell great.”
“I want to eat it straightaway, but it feels like I’ll burn my tongue if I bite into it.”
Ruti and Rit chatted happily, standing there with their croquettes.
I bit into mine.
Sure enough, I burned my tongue…but it really was delicious.
As we ate our food, we walked through starlight, lamplight, people, and music. Along the way, we tried our hand at a game of throwing rings at targets, and we also bought an accessory that looked like a toy.
After the croquettes were gone, we bought candied apples and some fruit juice.
There were all sorts of foods on offer using the fresh autumn harvest.
They were all simple street foods, but each one was delicious.
And now, Ruti was blowing on a round, glass toy. It was a whistle shaped like a flask, and it made a strange sound whenever she blew into it.
“Interesting.”
Ruti was fascinated by this new trinket.
“Was this brought in by someone who moved to Zoltan?”
“Yeah, the seller said it was a toy from a northern land.”
Ruti blew it again, making a low echoey sound.
“Red.” Rit called my name.
She was holding a glass of amber liquor.
When had she bought that? The stall next to us was selling drinks.
“It’s this year’s brandy!”
“Ooh.”
“And there’s grape juice for you, Ruti.”
“Mm, I like that better.”
Ruti preferred juice to alcohol.
The two of us went to the counter and received our drinks.
“It’s good.”
Rit’s cheeks had a red glow as she drank the brandy.
At seeing that, I felt my heart skip a beat.
I looked down at the cup in my hand, feeling a little bashful.
It was grape brandy.
Putting the grape juice Ruti was drinking in a cask and fermenting it would make wine. If that was then distilled and put back into the cask to age, it became brandy.
Thinking about how this alcohol had been made with grapes grown long before we’d come to Zoltan made me feel a little emotional.
“You’re thinking something strange again,” Rit said with a smile.
I guess I have a habit of letting my thoughts wander when I get shy.
I definitely hadn’t been like that when I was in the Hero’s party and had been focused on dealing with the situations right in front of our eyes. But now…
“You had to suppress that side of yourself because you were on a journey to save the world.”
“I guess so. It wasn’t a quest that would forgive indulging weaknesses.”
I raised the glass to my lips.
The brandy had a mellow scent, a faint sweetness, and a strong alcoholic taste.
It was good, but the festival wasn’t over yet, and if I had too much, I’d start to get drunk. My blessing didn’t have any poison resistance, so I wasn’t too good at holding my liquor.
“I love you as you are now the best,” Rit said, looking into my eyes.
She was already on her third glass.
Unlike me, her blessing has a strong resistance to alcohol.
“Your strengths and your weaknesses are all parts of the Red I love.”
Rit wasn’t drunk, but it looked like she’d had enough to get a little tipsy.
“I love everything about you, too, Big Brother.”
I downed the brandy left in my glass so that I would say it, too.
The glass let out a thunk as I put it down on the counter.
“Rit and Ruti, I love your strengths and weaknesses and everything about both of you… That’s what it means to be family, I think.”
Ruti squeezed my hand, and Rit broke into a big, happy smile.
Looking around, I saw all sorts of people enjoying themselves in their own ways.
Even with Ruti’s identity and mine revealed, normal days in Zoltan wouldn’t change.
It really is a great town.
“Tanta and his family are over there,” Ruti said.
A little ways away, Gonz, Tanta, Nao, and Mido were eating baked potatoes with butter. They were all smiles, a happy family spending time together.
It’s something so familiar, but people fight to protect that, don’t they?
Once Yarandrala’s back, we should…
“Rit, I’ve kept you waiting a long time, but…”
“I know. This will be our last fall like this.”
“Yeah.”
By next year’s Harvest Festival, we would be taking part as husband and wife.
It would be similar to now, yet different.
As the night grew long, the festival’s end drew near.
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