Chapter 282

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 can't be away on missions while everyone else is enjoying the festival, can you?"

"Wow! City air! It's been ages!"

Kuilan stretched his arms wide and yawned.

The full moon was near, so all five Penal Squad beastmen were back in their regular human forms. 

It felt like Kuilan's previous metaphor—shedding their fur every season like dogs—was on point...

"The air smells 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, it's been so long. It'll be fun, won't it, Lilly?"

"..."

Godhand, who was pushing Lilly's wheelchair, tried to make pleasant conversation, but Lilly responded with a sulky face.

Sweating profusely, Godhand worked hard to soothe Lilly's mood.

I watched them and then approached Bodybag and Burnout to ask, "What's up with them now?"

The two young elves shook their heads. 

"They had a fight... Godhand keeps helping other women around the base camp..."

"..."

"Godhand didn't mean it that way, but it looks pretty bad from the outside."

Their relationship really wasn't simple... I hope they work it out and have a good time.

"And also, the reason we're here is..."

I had invited all the base camp's NPCs, but not many accepted. Only the Holy Grail Seekers had shown up.

Jackal wasn't ready to venture out into the world and declined. Coco the Severer was busy with other matters and declined. Nameless had been missing since then.

The other NPC parties were still wary of me. Well, I understand their sentiments.

"Thank you for the invitation, Lord Ash."

As soon as she stepped out of the teleport gate in the mansion's backyard, Verdandi bowed to me.

"It's been 100 years since I've 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, it's the festival! Let's have a great time 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 times I've seen Crossroad since taking my post here, today seems the brightest."

"Of course! It's 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! I've 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 me, seemed unusually cheerful. Both were happily munching on some snacks they held in their hands.

I was currently enjoying a leisurely day out with my main party members.

We were aimlessly strolling around, taking it easy, and even enjoying some snack time.

It was so peaceful that it made all the intense battles we've fought seem like a distant memory.

Alternating my gaze between the smiling faces of my party members and the bustling cityscape, I mumbled absent-mindedly.

"There's definitely some sort of magic in festivals that lifts people's spirits."

"It just makes you happy for no reason. Oh! Do you want to eat that?"

Evangeline, who had discovered some 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 something resembling Korean hotteok.

'How could something 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, where's Lucas?"

"No idea. Haven't 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, he'd been sulking and had disappeared from sight...

"Is he resting in his room?"

Shaking her head, Evangeline answered my question.

"He wasn't in his room. I knocked before I left."

"Oh? Then is he receiving treatment at the temple?"

This time, it was Damien who shook his head.

"No, Your Highness. The temple only provides emergency 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 didn't get a break during the festival..."

"Hmm..."

Margarita... She must've been under a lot of pressure. Well, she did have a tough time 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 some differences. His absence made me uneasy.

The main party of five felt incomplete without Lucas, who was usually responsible for bulk and brawn. The group seemed to have shrunk somehow...

Just then, Junior, who was enjoying some candied tomatoes, squinted and pointed forward.

"Huh? Isn't 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 encampment 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 Tournament?"

"It's tomorrow, right? The Martial Arts Tournament."

"Is it a tournament big enough to involve someone like Lucas...?"

A moment later, Lucas seemed 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 tournament registration counter.

"Ah, my Lord!"

"You've arrived, my Lord!"

The soldiers who noticed me saluted in unison. I returned their salute with a nod.

"We're in the middle of a festival; make sure to relax a little. Eat and drink moderately while you work."

"Haha, it's not like it's strenuous work or anything. And as you said, we're snacking while on duty."

The soldiers awkwardly showed me the snacks they'd hidden behind their backs. I chuckled and asked,

"How's the tournament? Many participants?"

"Oh, absolutely! It's a madhouse, especially since new prizes were added yesterday."

"Prizes? Something new was added?"

"Yes! Didn't you know? The Merchant Guild of Silver Winter has sponsored new prizes and made an announcement..."

"Oh, really?"

Curious, I looked at the poster the soldiers were pointing to. Let's see, the new prizes are...

[5th~8th Place - Unlimited Festival Stall Vouchers]

[3rd~4th Place - Silver Winter Merchant 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 some sort of joke? Knighted by the Lord? Who decided this?

"Hey, did the Merchant Guild of Silver Winter propose this prize?"

"Yes, indeed! The guild master herself came 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 name on the registration form.

"I'm going for 5th place! I want to eat at the stalls!"

"Hey! This is not the time for that!"

Juniors and Damien also cautiously stepped forward.

"Hehe, I'll go for 4th place..."

"Your Highness, please sign me up for 2nd place!"

"This is not the time for you guys either!"

I barely managed to stop Junior and Damien, who were excitedly getting ready to write their names down.

No, wizards! Those with Far-Sight! You can't! 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 me.

"Ah~ that? It's called an Honorary Knight for the tournament. It's like a title given to the winner every year. It's more of an honorary award."

"Ah... So it's not really granting actual knighthood?"

"Yes. Of course, if you win the tournament, your skills are more or less verified, so you might get employed on the front lines or even truly become a knight."

I see. So the first-place prize was traditional, given out every year like this.

The uproar wasn't even about the first-place prize that had always been there; it was all because of the newly added rewards from the Silver Winter Merchant Guild—equipment crafting permits, gift certificates, and vendor permits. 

"Let's be honest, does winning an honor award get you food, money, or equipment? I don't need first place!"

"Ah, such brutally honest beings of material greed!"

I'd honestly been a bit pleased thinking the participants were crowding in because they wanted to become my knights! How absurd that this isn't a competition where everyone wants to be first!

Evangeline patted me 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 same reason tasted sour on my tongue.

***

Inn 'Etti's 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 could've been worse...

"This is also a traditional prize for the winners who come 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. Something like that."

"I see..."

"Well then,"

Evangeline quickly went forward and fetched four application forms.

"Let's all participate!"

"Huh?"

"What's 'huh?' about it? You should participate too, senior."

Evangeline frowned and spat out the words.

"Isn't it common sense to end the festival by all dancing together?"

It's not a Bollywood movie; why would we end by all dancing together?

What's more, I'm uncoordinated! Apart from the social dancing I learned from Serenade, I can't dance!

I tried to escape, but somehow Damien and Junior had already grabbed me tightly on either side.

In the end, I had to scream and forcibly sign the application form.

"This year's Dance Festival! Our Lord is participating!"

The registration desk attendant cheerfully exclaimed, stamping my application form. The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers and whistles.

I grabbed my head and screamed.

"They're all going to watch and laugh at my dancing! Why are you making me do this too?"

"Why, you ask? Well..."

Evangeline whispered with a devilish grin.

"It's a festival, isn't it?"

...Thinking about it, she was absolutely right.

Damn it!