Chapter 93: The Harvest Festival
Sometimes, responding appropriately can make someone more willing to share.
But in the current situation, there was no need to respond particularly cleverly.
Senior mage Miss Mira explained to the newcomer Rhodes:
"It's the Harvest Festival. Magnolia holds a Harvest Festival every October. It's a celebration for everyone in the city."
"Oh~ it's the Harvest Festival." Rhodes recalled that last month, he and Natsu had participated in a special early celebration just for them.
In summary, it was eating, drinking, playing, making merry, dancing around bonfires, and freely expressing joy.
Rhodes asked, "Is it necessary to neglect missions for this?"
Mira said, "Of course! It's the grandest festival of the year, celebrating this year's harvest and praying for good fortune in the coming year... It's a very important event for everyone."
Rhodes nodded, "I think I understand a bit now."
He remembered that many places held harvest festivals in the autumn.
For the locals, the importance of the Harvest Festival was akin to the New Year; it's something that must be properly prepared for.
Mira added:
"It's not just ordinary celebrations. Our Fairy Tail, as the only mage guild in Magnolia, is responsible for hosting a magical parade on that evening.
Everyone is staying in the guild to prepare for this parade. It's a famous large-scale parade throughout the entire continent of Ishgar.
Even people from nearby villages and towns will come specifically to watch. At that time, the whole of Magnolia will be packed with people."
"Parade..." The result of reading too much negative news was that when this word was mentioned, Rhodes couldn't help but think of undesirable meanings.
In fact, the word itself isn't biased; it can refer to celebrations and commemorations, as well as demonstrations and protests.
Obviously, what the guild was responsible for was a celebratory performance, and since it was specially entrusted to a mage guild, they probably needed to use magic.
Rhodes asked, "So what exactly do we need to do?"
"What you need to do is—hurry up and clean that table!"
Laki complained, "Stop chatting! Honestly, my stomach is protesting."
Hmph, do two people need that long to clean one table?
Mira said to Laki, "Sorry, we'll be done soon."
Rhodes quickly added, "Sorry, sorry, I asked too many questions."
Laki put her hands on her hips. Darn it, that made her even more annoyed.
Rhodes picked up the dishes and carried them away on a tray, while Mira carefully wiped the tabletop clean.
After that, it was lunchtime for the tavern staff—the "fill the stomach" segment, as Laki called it.
But eating didn't stop them from continuing the previous topic.
"The most important part of the magical parade is the magic performances. They need to be magnificent and unique, fully showcasing our guild's style. Ideally, people would see it and can't help but want to join us."
Rhodes thought for a moment. If he participated in the parade by summoning a bunch of wild creatures running down the street...
That wouldn't look good.
Unless he had them perform some acts, like Shadow Wolves jumping through flaming hoops—but then it would turn into a circus.
"Looks like there's nothing for me to do. My magic doesn't have any flashy effects."
He couldn't very well cast a Crown of Embers on himself and then demonstrate hitting the Fire Dragon Slayer with flames that hurt.
Mira said, "How could that be? Summoning so many creatures out of thin air is magnificent in itself."
"Exactly, exactly! How could there be nothing for you to do?" Laki said, "There's a big event you must participate in, and that is—the Miss Fairy Tail Beauty Pageant!"
"..." Rhodes looked at her. "Me? Beauty pageant? Could it be any more ridiculous?"
Laki admired his thought process. "Who said you're going to be a contestant? Aren't you going to vote? Mira will be participating~"
Mira lightly touched her cheek with one hand, "Oh my, having Laki announce it so formally makes me feel a bit shy."
"Seems like there's something to look forward to?" Rhodes thought for a moment. "Wait, Laki, aren't you participating?"
"No way. I can't beat Mira anyway, so entering is pointless. I hate pervy guys. Being stared at like that is uncomfortable."
Laki waved her hand and said teasingly, "And you still have the mood to care whether I participate? Why not talk about what you'd like to see Mira wear that day."
"Of course I'd like to see..." Rhodes stopped himself. "Don't ask me such things; it's a competition, I don't really understand."
"Make a little wish. Maybe Mira will agree," Laki tried to entice him. "Like swimsuits, cat ears, bunny girl outfits—aren't you tempted?"
Even if he was tempted, he couldn't say it out loud. Rhodes declared righteously, "I'm not that kind of person!"
Mira laughed, "It feels like what you're saying, Laki, is something Erza would do."
The specific content of the magical parade hadn't been finalized yet, so it was pointless for Rhodes to ask.
According to Mira, in the past, there were many times when the guild master only assigned people on the day of the parade, and everyone improvised on the spot.
Sometimes, even when arrangements were made, unexpected situations would occur, forcing them to adjust last minute.
Anyway, no matter what, everyone would give their best effort on the day, and each time they'd deliver a visual feast.
A rather free-form magic performance—that's why Fairy Tail's magical parade is so famous.
It also fits Fairy Tail's style very well.
Time passed day by day amidst Rhodes' busy schedule.
These days, after work, he persisted in training until he was too exhausted to get up.
Then he'd grit his teeth and summon the Crimson Mark Treant to cast Crown of Embers on himself.
Although it couldn't restore his stamina, the healing effect of the Crown of Embers could help eliminate the damage from overtraining.
That way, when he woke up the next day, he wouldn't have severe aftereffects like sore back and leg cramps.
However, after entering October, Rhodes temporarily slowed down his training plan.
According to typical story tropes, such large festivals might have big events happening. It's necessary to maintain sufficient magic power and stamina to deal with unexpected situations.
Moreover, recently Magnolia had an influx of tourists and merchants; who knows if a few bad guys had mixed in—it doesn't hurt to be cautious.
"Morning, Rhodes! You're energetic today as well."
"Brother Goodman, I didn't see you come over the past couple of days?"
"Of course, it's because of that!" Goodman pointed to several large boxes piled on the first floor.
"These days, our whole family has been working overtime, and we've finally produced so many finished products. We're waiting to make a big splash during the Harvest Festival!"
During the festival, sales of handicrafts like wood carvings and woven items should be good.
"That's a lot of hard work. I wish you prosperous business then."
"Hahaha, thank you!" Goodman hung a string of colorful flags outside the shop, took out a pile of balloons, and prepared to blow them up and hang them.
"By the way, are you participating in the magical parade this year?"
"That can't be said for sure. I'm still a newcomer who joined the guild three months ago."
"I know, the strongest newcomer!"
"Even you know about that..."
It seemed that ordinary people also subscribed to Sorcerer Magazine.
As the Harvest Festival approached, almost every household was like Goodman's, putting up decorations like flags, balloons, and banners. The festive atmosphere was very strong.
Pedestrians on the streets visibly increased, and various merchants were gearing up to make a big profit during this opportunity.
Rhodes bid farewell to Goodman and headed to the guild with Wurm.
The little guy had grown from palm-sized to basketball-sized, still round and plump, restlessly running around Rhodes' feet.
There were too many enticing aromas in the air; Wurm was a bit dazzled.
So Rhodes decided that when they got to the guild, he'd toss Wurm into the kitchen to mooch food—in the name of helping develop Poro Delicacy version 2.0.