Ch.115115. Festival (2)

Was I perhaps influenced by Sione, who had been excited all day? My sense of time seemed to speed up as well, and before I knew it, the festival day had arrived.

After fighting the orc in the snowstorm, it was as if she had been waiting only for today. Sione woke up even earlier than yesterday and had already finished preparing to go out.

“This should do.”

Sione examined her appearance in the full-length mirror.

She wore a fur coat made of high-quality fur, perfect for the cold winter day. It covered her from ankle to neck, effectively blocking the cold wind.

She pinned her bangs with a hairpin and neatly gathered the sides of her hair back, tying it tightly with a string.

‘That hairpin…’

Ah, I thought it looked familiar.

It was the hairpin I had bought for her on our way to the Marquisate of Feiosha.

It was cheap and not particularly good quality. I’m surprised she’s still using it after all this time.

Flap!

She then put on a plain gray robe with a hood over her clothes. The long robe concealed the expensive outfit that was clearly visible underneath.

“Hmm…”

She pulled the hood down deeply over her head.

Her distinctive silver-white Sianella hair was hidden, and only her brilliantly shining blue eyes reflected in the mirror.

After nodding with satisfaction at her appearance, Sione handed me a robe as well.

“Ray, you should wear this too.”

Sione spoke with a deliberately noble tone.

Well, since this morning, there had been an unusual number of people passing through this corridor.

If Sione’s voice calling me “brother” were to be overheard, it would be quite troublesome, so I matched her tone accordingly.

“You want me to wear a robe, my lady?”

“Yes, today’s festival is to commemorate the achievements of the founding head of the family. On a day like this, people should be able to eat and drink without feeling self-conscious. If you and I walk around openly, wouldn’t the commoners feel uncomfortable?”

Sione placed a robe in my hand.

The fabric was quite excellent, and it seemed thick enough to provide good protection against the cold.

It wouldn’t be bad to wear it around.

“I could just hide my hair color, but the clothes you’re wearing are also those worn by people who attend to nobles. I’m worried that people who are enjoying themselves might feel uncomfortable because of our appearance.”

“You’re even considerate of the commoners. How thoughtful.”

“…It’s nothing. They’re all residents of our territory, so it’s only natural.”

Sione seemed a bit embarrassed by my compliment and quickly turned her head to look at her appearance in the mirror again.

While she was checking her outfit, I put on the robe she had given me. The length fit me perfectly, so it seemed that Sione had prepared one specifically for me.

I tried on the hood and examined my appearance.

‘A sword for protection, some armor, and a bit of money.’

Since I would be accompanying her as a guard rather than a simple male attendant, I was able to get some inconspicuous armor from Ainel.

‘…I really look like a knight now.’

For the upper body, I was wearing leather armor as a base.

However, as if to prove that her promise to take better care of me when we made the mana oath wasn’t just empty words, the breastplate had the county’s spelling and emblem intricately engraved on it.

For the lower body, I was wearing practical pants with leather shin guards.

It might not be as sturdy as the solid iron armor worn by the territory’s guards, but they were professionals who dealt with armed rioters and criminals.

I was just filling the role of a guard.

At most, I’d only have to deal with local troublemakers or pickpockets.

This level of armament should be sufficient.

After finishing my inspection, I took a sword hanging in Sione’s room.

A fine sword that had been bestowed by the royal family but had never been used, left neglected.

I handed the sword to her.

“You should wear this.”

“A sword?”

“Yes, although I will be by your side the whole time, since we’re going outside the count’s residence, it would be good to have at least minimal armament.”

“Hmm… you’re right. Having something to protect myself with is better than having nothing. But in that case, wouldn’t a bow be better than a sword?”

I shook my head without hesitation.

“It would be much more comfortable to carry just one sword for self-defense than to enjoy the festival with a bow and a quiver full of arrows on your back. Also, if something were to happen, it would be better to quickly subdue it with a sword than to shoot arrows in the middle of town, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, when you put it that way, you’re right. Hmm… it’s been a while since I’ve handled a sword like this…”

“Your body will remember how to handle a sword… and as I just said, I’ll be by your side, so don’t worry too much.”

“Hehe. I’m counting on you.”

The dust-covered sword finally received the touch of its smiling owner.

However, her interest in the sword lasted only until she fastened it at her waist. Then she unhesitatingly covered the sword with her long robe and lost interest in it.

For a royal gift, it was receiving quite cold treatment.

Well, anyway, we were ready to go out. I asked lightly:

“Did you bring enough money?”

“Of course! I brought more than enough, so don’t worry about money.”

I nodded at her words.

It was time for an enjoyable outing.

* * *

After many years, I was finally experiencing the scenery of the territory by walking on my own feet.

The difference between viewing the territory from inside a carriage and taking it in with my own eyes while feeling the wind was substantial.

The world beyond the window. That window separating the outside from the inside was thicker than I thought, blocking my five senses.

My ears caught various people’s thoughts and stories about their daily lives. My nose detected the fragrant smell of food mixed with the cold winter air, awakening my senses. Through my skin and eyes, I could see and feel the vitality of the bustling city.

“…It’s been a while.”

It had been an incredibly long time. Since I had walked through the territory without any worries like this.

In my borrowed life as a man, I thought the world given to me would only be my room in the mansion. It was immensely enjoyable to directly experience again the world from my lost memories, emerging from that small crack.

That wasn’t all.

Today was the day to commemorate the achievements of the founding head.

Along the long avenue, I occasionally heard minstrels singing songs praising her achievements.

“Hehe.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

I was proud of the county. Even if it was just luck, the fact that my blood originated from that great knight pleased me immensely.

But that wasn’t the only thing that caught my attention.

─In the snowy winter, brave women who haven’t forgotten the spirit of knighthood defeat monsters once again.

A minstrel was singing a song praising those who had subjugated the monsters that had invaded the territory this time.

The song was simple.

A hymn for those who remained dedicated to the territory and didn’t neglect the subjugation of demons and their minions, keeping the ancestor’s oath. Those who had once again protected the territory splendidly.

My shoulders straightened involuntarily. After all, I too had helped with the subjugation by catching Kobolds and piercing an Orc’s belly in this cold winter. In a way, that hymn was also for me, wasn’t it?

With an excited feeling, I looked around.

Everyone seemed intoxicated by this festival marking the end of the year. Children holding their parents’ hands tightly and smiling brightly. Couples shyly sticking together and talking. And friends laughing heartily and enjoying jokes.

Perhaps I too was influenced by their bright emotions. The corners of my mouth lifted slightly.

That’s when it happened.

“Sniff, sniff…”

The smell of fire and the sweet scent of meat wafting from the distance.

A scent that made my mouth water. I had brought plenty of money, so there was no reason to hesitate.

I called out to Ray, who was diligently keeping watch around us, silently standing by my side to fulfill his role as a guard.

“That!”

“That… you mean the skewered meat?”

“Yes, yes, I think it would be good to try that first.”

I fumbled in my money pouch and pulled out some copper coins to hand to him.

“Go buy some!”

I wanted to taste the skewered meat quickly.

* * *

The blue eyes visible through the pulled-down hood were shining like bright stars. Not only that, but her small lips were smiling, with no sign of the corners of her mouth turning down.

“Hmm…”

That walking style.

After passing by a minstrel earlier, her steps had become light, like staccato.

She was clearly more excited than necessary.

What was the song about again…? It seemed to be thanking those who had subjugated the monsters that invaded the territory this time.

It seemed that Sione, having participated in that exhaustingly difficult subjugation herself, was deeply moved by the song.

In the midst of this, Sione suddenly sniffed the air and abruptly said something to me.

“That!”

That…?

I followed her gaze.

Indeed, there was a skewered meat stall where people were lining up to buy.

“That… you mean the skewered meat?”

“I think it would be good to try that first.”

…I wonder if it’s really worth waiting in that long line.

I was skeptical, but my thoughts were secondary.

Sione smiled brightly and handed me some copper coins.

“Go buy some!”

Sigh… the troublesome tasks always fall to me.

“Ah… yes. I’ll go buy some.”

I eventually took the copper coins from Sione and bought the skewered meat she so desperately wanted.

One for Sione, one for me. We each held a skewer in our hands.

Since people were willing to wait in line, the taste must be guaranteed.

I asked Sione, who had already taken a bite:

“How does it taste?”

“It’s good. It wouldn’t be bad to have another one on our way back.”

…You want me to wait in that line again?

“…Perhaps next time, it might be a good experience for you to line up and buy it yourself.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, there’s a world of difference between watching from afar and experiencing it directly among the crowd.”

“If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be bad to wait together next time.”

…I was hoping Sione would stand in line alone next time.

But all I got was a promise of a conversation partner while waiting in line.

I also started eating the skewered meat as I walked with Sione through the streets.

The combination of sweet sauce and juicy meat was surprisingly excellent. After finishing this satisfying snack, I was leisurely sightseeing with Sione when a store caught my eye.

“That place…”

A store specializing in ornaments.

Come to think of it, I had been wanting to replace Sione’s hairpin.

After all, it doesn’t seem right for the daughter of a count to be wearing a cheap hairpin hastily picked from a small market.

I reached into Sione’s hood, lifting it slightly.

I lowered my waist to meet her eyes.

“R-Ray? Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“Just wait a moment, please.”

I checked the hairpin she had in her bangs, ignoring her confusion.

As expected, after quite some time, the hairpin had faded in color.

It would be good to replace it now.

She had just handed me copper coins, but as expected of a noble’s daughter, Sione had also brought quite a few gold coins in her money pouch. With gold coins, we could easily buy a small hairpin and have plenty left over.

Without hesitation, I took her hand and led her.

“I’ll buy you a new hairpin.”

Of course, with your money.

* * *

Clop! Clop!

Three people rode horses at a gallop.

All of them were fine steeds, cutting through the wind with vigor.

Unlike the horses, all of the riders were in far from normal condition.

The priestess at the front, holding the reins, had one arm severed with only basic bleeding control. Her priestly robes were stained with dried, twisted blood, with no trace of the sacred white and yellow colors.

The condition of those riding on either side of the priestess was no better.

The woman galloping fiercely on the right had her left eye blown out. The traces of blood flowing down from it and the numerous wounds covering her body testified to the fierce battle she had endured.

“…If only I had a little more divine power left.”

The priestess gritted her teeth, revealing the resentment of a woman filled with frustration.

She glanced behind her briefly.

All the other priests who had been dispatched with her, as well as dozens of comrades, had met their deaths. Only two rangers from the county remained by her side.

Even they were in critical condition with no part of their bodies uninjured. To save them, they needed to return to the county as quickly as possible.

“Keep your wits about you. When we get back to the county, the priests of the order will somehow save you.”

“…Understood.”

A voice was heard.

It was the woman following on the right.

And that was the problem.

Among those dispatched to the mountain range, the woman who had been the most talkative and skilled had shown no reaction, even though until just now she had been encouraging them and talking incessantly.

The priestess turned her head to look to the left, fearing the worst.

“You…!”

“…Go on. My consciousness is fading bit by bit, so I don’t think I have much time left.”

“We should stop the horses for a moment. I’ll try to squeeze out whatever divine power I have left!”

She shook her head.

“I know my body best. I want to live, but… I think there’s no hope for me now.”

“…But—”

“So my last request is this: don’t worry about me and keep moving forward. Time is of the essence, so I’d like you to deliver what we saw in my place.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“…Well, no need.”

Her frivolous laugh suggested she had resigned herself.

“What nonsense is this crazy woman spouting…!”

The right woman’s eye, or rather, the hole where her eye had been, followed the ranger.

She was swallowing her tears. They had grown up like sisters since childhood and were the closest of friends.

“I’m sorry for hiding it.”

“You… you…!”

“I had… I had a rather large wound. But if I had received treatment for this wound—”

The ranger’s posture suddenly faltered.

“I thought the priestess wouldn’t have enough divine power to heal you.”

The woman looked hopelessly at her friend.

“…You stupid fool.”

It was a voice barely squeezed out.

The ranger used her last strength to smile faintly. Dark blood was already seeping through her back and chest.

“Don’t cry disgustingly like a woman, just go forward, you bitch…”

That was the end.

She seemed to want to say something more as her final words, but she couldn’t utter a single hoarse sound to the world.

Fading focus. Dilating pupils. The strength left the hand holding the reins, and she fell from the horse helplessly.

Thud! Crack! Roll…

The body that fell to the ground hit rocks as it rolled, then collapsed lifelessly on the cold earth.

The ranger looked at her comrades in the darkening world. They pressed on resolutely.

She was about to close her eyes. But she couldn’t.

Because there was one who returned.

A horse she had cared for diligently like her own child and had been with. The horse that willingly returned when its master fell, merely nuzzling its face against her blood-covered face.

It was warm. And like this friend who remained by her side until the end, she wanted to be warm again.

…She didn’t want to die yet.

That’s why she was sorry.

Who was I to… Why didn’t I just ignore it and keep riding with them?

The only things that would come to me as I lay here growing cold would be hungry beasts and monsters.

I just… my beloved horse… by my miserable… side… to die—don’t know—sad—.