Chapter 7: Uninvited Guest (2)

"She has suffered greatly at the hands of heartless humans, but at the

same time, she is here with us today thanks to the kindhearted human who

extended his hand in help. She is an admirable and kind girl." At Syldora's

introduction, Latifa gave an awkward bow. Then, like the other children

before her, she walked towards Dryas' altar.

"This way, Latifa."

"Y-Yes." Urged forth by Dryas, Latifa went right up to her.

"This makes you an official resident of this village. I hope you find

yourself at home here," Dryas said, before suddenly scooping Latifa up in a

hug. This was a lot more contact compared to the others, who had only

received kisses. The crowd murmured quietly.

Latifa, in shock, unintentionally let out a yelp. "Fweh?!"

"Fufu. You've suffered so much until now, I thought I'd give you a little

special treatment. I can only do this much for you, but I hope you'll always

find strength in your heart."

"Y-Yes!" Latifa gave a great, emotional nod.

Dryas then placed a gentle kiss against Latifa's forehead; a faint light

immediately began to shine from Latifa's body. Despite the unexpected

occurrence, Latifa too received Dryas' blessing.

And with that, the blessing ritual was complete.

If the festival had been following the same progression as prior years

had, this was where the closing ceremony would be held before moving on to

the banquet. However —

"Lastly, I wish to introduce the one who rescued Latifa. Our one-sided

misunderstanding caused him much trouble in the past, but he forgave us, and

allowed us to start over anew. Thus, we are greatly indebted to him. Allow

me to introduce you to Latifa's benefactor — and ours too — Lord Rio,"

Syldora began his introduction.

With a light nod, Rio climbed up the staircase of the stage. Once he was

standing beside him, Syldora continued. "Lord Rio has taught us many

interesting food recipes. They are delicious, and they will be served at the

subsequent banquet, so do look forward to it."

The mood over the shrine grounds softened a bit.

"Lord Rio has contracted with a humanoid spirit. This is a truth that has

been confirmed by the Great Dryas herself, so there is no mistake. ...Silence!"

Syldora barked at the flurried villagers; his words had caused the grounds to burst into noisy chatter.

Until now, Rio's contract with the humanoid spirit had been kept a secret

from those outside of the village council. But they had chosen to play their

hand at this very moment. The result was perfect.

"As a member of the village council, I cannot allow someone who has

contracted a humanoid spirit to be disrespected — no matter whether he is a

spirit folk or not." At Syldora's words, the elders all gave great nods of

agreement. The aim of their action was to outwardly express the unity of the

council's opinion on the matter.

"Lord Rio is our benefactor. His wonderful personality has been made

more than clear over the past six months of his stay here. That is why I am

considering accepting Lord Rio as a sworn friend of us spirit folk. Does

anyone object?" Syldora inquired in a loud voice, causing a silence to fall

over the shrine grounds. Deeming there to be no objections, Syldora

continued speaking.

"Then, I would like to humbly request that the Great Dryas grant Lord

Rio a blessing kiss as a symbol of our sworn friendship. Lord Rio, Great

Dryas." At Syldora's urging, Rio approached the altar where Dryas was.

"Fufu. Let's get along, small human hero." Dryas smiled. Once she had

awarded a kiss on Rio's forehead, Rio's body began to glow with a soft light.

After a beat of silence, the grounds burst into loud cheers and applause.

"Now, the ritual has come to an end! It's banquet time! Get ready!"

Dominic announced the end of the ceremony as the applause died off.

Immediately, the bustle of the villagers became directed towards the

food, and the banquet management staff began the preparations in a fluster.

They freely used spirit arts to guide the crowds, set up the banquet area, and

distribute the food and drinks efficiently. A young male elf and winged

werebeast flew in the air above, acting as messengers, dispatching work

orders, and guiding the villagers with voices amplified by spirit arts. Dwarf

men were using spirit arts to manipulate the dirt, creating makeshift tables

and chairs throughout the shrine grounds at a quick pace.

Meanwhile, Orphia and several other elf girls were using their Time-

Space Cache artifacts to bring out completed dishes and drinks one after

another, as the men of varying species raced to carry them to every table.

Thus, work progressed as the others looked on, and before long all the

preparations were completed. The banquet began with a loud toast.

"Gahahaha! You're sure drinking well today, Rio, my boy!" Dominic held a sake cup in one hand as he laughed heartily at Rio, who was drinking

with him.