Ch.3636. Festival and Omen (1)

“I’ll hold them off alone here. The rest of you take Aryen and retreat to the fortress of Evernode!”

Quenore Strope’s sharp voice echoed through the blizzard. Beyond the boundary line, as the giant approached, the temperature was dropping uncontrollably. The swirling snow had already piled up past ankles to above knees, and the hardy knights and soldiers of the north were beginning to disappear one by one to the giant’s subordinates attacking from within the snow.

“We cannot do that. We will die here too.”

“I never said I would die. Now retreat to the fortress and prepare for the siege.”

Quenore Strope’s aura was blowing away all the snow around him. Even moderately strong magical beasts were torn to shreds just by touching the edge of his aura, and his single strike could cut down even fairly powerful creatures. While Evernode’s soldiers retreated, only Quenore Strope advanced forward. The boundary’s blizzard had no effect on him.

“Fall back. Beyond this point is not your territory.”

Quenore Strope’s sword cut through the snowfall again. Named magical beasts stepped forward. Quenore paid them no mind and extended his foot deeper into the blizzard. The pitch-black night swallowed Quenore Strope. The swirling snow quickly buried even his footprints.

.

.

.

“…Damn it.”

It was a dream that left me feeling foul. Unlike usual, I couldn’t immediately rise from my bed and just stared blankly at the ceiling. The novel’s record remained in my mind as vivid images beyond mere text. I think it was because of the memories left by what the crown had shown me. Thanks to that, I felt as if I were still deeply immersed in the dream’s snowfall. I shifted my body and pulled up the blanket.

“You’re awake, Ilroy.”

George, in the same room, seemed to have already gotten up, finished his morning jog, and washed up. It was 7:30 AM. Quite a bit of time had passed. I struggled to sit up in bed.

“You’re quick even on holidays. How do you have the energy to get up and go running in the morning?”

“You’re the unusual one. Normally you wake up even earlier than I do.”

I exhaled softly. Perhaps out of consideration, George hadn’t yet removed the blackout curtains. Morning sunlight, along with outside sounds, squeezed through the gaps in the curtains.

“The festival starts today, right?”

“Yes. Lady Karin said she would guide us through the festival around lunchtime, so remember the time and don’t be late.”

I got up and pulled back the curtains. Though the festival hadn’t officially begun, people walking along the streets were already dressed in festival attire with smiles on their faces.

“Who would have thought we’d experience such a peaceful event while coming to conquer the Fourth Calamity.”

George muttered. I recalled the conversation I had with Grand Duke Quenore.

‘You really don’t need to do anything during the Summer Festival period. You’ve already coordinated enough with Evernode’s knights, and we can depart anytime without issue.’

We tried to decline, saying there was no need, but Grand Duke Quenore insisted that we didn’t need to help with anything during the festival. He told us not to even go on patrol, and that he would really appreciate it if we just enjoyed Evernode’s summer with his daughter for a while.

‘I’ll make time for one day too, so please don’t feel burdened.’

Whether it was something to be happy about or not, we ended up with an unexpected additional vacation in Evernode. I frowned at the sunlight piercing my eyes along the windowsill and closed the blackout curtains again. As I lowered my head, I saw the Holy Sword placed at my bedside and the wooden box beneath it.

“…”

I picked up the wooden box, then put it back down. Since that day, I had tried several more times to pass the crown’s trial. I thought I would face that snowy field again, but the crown presented me with different trials each time. Sometimes it gave me pain again, sometimes it showed me terrible sights. It also tried to test me with burning thirst, hunger, or drowsiness.

Of course, I hadn’t passed any of these tests yet. Rather, I felt like the more anxious I became, the shorter my endurance time grew.

‘…What a headache.’

None of the conditions the Holy Sword had set for the second stage of unlocking felt within reach. I had thought I would pass the crown’s test early, but I didn’t expect it would be the most difficult. I sighed and fully got out of bed.

“You should go for a run too. To clear your head. Or I could go for another round with you if you’d like.”

George said, throwing the towel from around his neck into a basket. When I looked at him as if I were looking at a bug, George shrugged as if he couldn’t understand why I was looking at him that way and pulled back the blackout curtains.

==

The most striking feature of the Summer Festival scenery was the flowers. Whether wildflowers or carefully cultivated home-grown blooms, Evernode was completely covered in flowers. Taking a deep breath, their fragrance mixed with the scent of grass and trees, filling the air and my head. Flowers were woven with leaves, vines, and stems, hanging from house doors, roofs, signs, and windows. I walked slowly through the streets, watching the parade of nameless flowers.

“Wow.”

Daphne, dressed in a white dress, exclaimed in admiration. With the partly cloudy sky as a backdrop, flower petals were fluttering through the air. The northern summer seemed to share the same path as spring. I looked at the people walking the streets, each wearing a flower crown.

“It’s amazing.”

“The capital is always splendid. But festivals with this kind of feeling are hard to come by.”

George also expressed his admiration, turning his head this way and that. Even Marianne, unusually for her, was looking at the flowers with slightly widened eyes.

“Were there no such festivals in the Holy Country?”

Marianne shook her head at my question. She was wearing her usual nun’s habit even on a day like today.

“There’s a Holy Day in winter, but no such festival in summer.”

She then looked at the various flower pots and gardens displayed along the street. The flowers swayed their heads in the warm breeze. I smiled watching Marianne, who was rarely so engrossed in something.

“So, what do you think?”

“…It’s beautiful.”

Throughout the town, tall pillars wrapped in vines had been erected, and people were forming circles beneath them and dancing. We watched the scene for a while before making our way to the Strope family mansion.

In front of the mansion’s main gate, Grand Duke Quenore was waiting in casual clothes I had never seen before. Just a light long-sleeved sweater. Why didn’t he dress like this all along, instead of wearing that heavy cape for the sake of style? The Grand Duke placed his hand on the shoulder of the Iron-Blooded Princess who had come to greet us with him.

“I entrust my daughter to you for today. Thank you for accepting my request. Now, Karin.”

Stepping forward, Karin looked every bit the young princess she was, minus the “Iron-Blooded” part. Her black hair was prettily tied in two braids, and she wore a long, pleated apricot-colored skirt with a shirt embroidered with red.

“Please guide the hero’s party well. And don’t forget to enjoy the festival yourself.”

“Yes, Father.”

Karin stepped forward with small steps. Daphne was the first to rush forward and extend her hand to Karin, who looked at Daphne’s hand with spinning eyes before reluctantly taking it.

“…I’m, so happy.”

George and I simultaneously twisted our lips and looked at the two with indescribable expressions as we watched Daphne’s excessive display of affection. Karin, please take good care of our Daphne today.

“Let’s go eat first. There must be traditional foods that can only be eaten during the festival.”

“Oh, food. Good, then I’ll have Evernode’s famous ale…”

“Save the alcohol for tomorrow.”

I jabbed George in the ribs with my elbow while scolding him. What are you thinking, wanting to just drink when the Iron-Blooded Princess herself is offering to guide us through the festival? I ignored George, who was holding his side, and bent slightly to meet Karin’s eyes.

“Lady Karin.”

“Please… just call me Karin.”

Karin said shyly, her fair face turning bright red. Daphne, looking down at her from the side, had a strangely excited look in her eyes. Hey, hey. You’re going to get arrested by the guards at this rate.

“Then, Karin. What would you like to eat for lunch?”

“…Smoked salmon… and potato bread.”

Wait. Salmon. So this world has salmon too? Well, they have beef, pork, lamb, and chicken, so there’s no reason they wouldn’t have salmon. Besides, this place corresponds to Alaska, Norway, or Sweden on Earth. The regions that produce the world’s most delicious salmon. It’s summer, so they might not be as fatty as they would be in fall, but how could I resist? I brightened my eyes and lifted my head sharply. Karin’s head tilted back following mine.

“Let’s go. Smoked salmon.”

“[How unusual to see you so energetic.]”

The Holy Sword interjected with a voice that seemed dumbfounded. Salmon is light and justice. Delicious grilled, delicious as sashimi, and smoked steak is even more delicious. This time, George and Daphne looked at my sudden enthusiasm with bewilderment. Even Marianne narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at me.

Well. What can I say? I want to eat salmon.

I took Karin’s other hand and headed toward an alley where delicious smells were wafting. Daphne was dragged along, attached to Karin’s other hand, and the rest of the members followed me with reluctant steps.

==

Of course, smoked salmon wasn’t the only delicious food at the festival. Especially the potato bread. When Karin mentioned potato bread, I thought it might just be bread with potatoes in it, but seeing it in person, it was bread made with potato starch to give it a chewy texture. We tried eating it by making the bread thin like dumpling skin and wrapping vegetables, herring, or salmon in it, and the combination was unbelievably delicious.

“If only we had some alcohol, it would have been perfect.”

George muttered, licking his lips. He had tried to secretly order alcohol at the restaurant but was thwarted each time by Daphne and me. Now that our stomachs were full, we had more leisure to look around. Karin, still holding Daphne’s hand, introduced various places in Evernode. Since the vendors recognized Karin, they gave her free items, causing her cheeks to remain puffed out from the beginning until now.

“Should we… buy one each of those?”

As we were walking, Karin stopped in front of a stall and pointed at the display. It seemed to be a shop selling flower crowns. Looking around, people of all ages walking by were wearing flower crowns on their heads. Daphne led Karin to the shop and bought flower crowns for everyone.

“How does it look, Ilroy?”

“…It suits you really well.”

Daphne asked, wearing a crown made of white flowers. The flower-petal colored hair and the crown complemented each other well. Karin, wearing a small flower crown on her head, looked even further removed from the word “Iron-Blooded.”

“One for everyone.”

Daphne, looking at Karin, distributed flower crowns to each member of our party. George, seemingly caught up in the atmosphere, immediately placed the crown on his head, while Marianne stared at the crown quietly before removing her hat and placing the crown on her head at Karin’s urging gaze. A crown of colorful flowers that matched her silver hair well.

“Now, Ilroy too.”

I looked at the flower crown Daphne handed me. Daphne gestured for me to bend down, and when I did, she placed the crown on my head and smiled.

“It suits you well too, Ilroy.”

A flower on this sharp-eyed face? I let out a hollow laugh and felt the flower crown on my head. Daphne smiled at me, then took Karin to find the next attraction. I quietly watched their backs and smiled bitterly.

“[What’s wrong?]”

The Holy Sword’s puzzled voice. Instead of answering, I quietly removed the flower crown from my head.

“There’s something else I should be wearing on my head.”

The image of the flower crown woven from wildflowers overlapped with the image of the crown lurking quietly in the wooden box.

“[Well, that’s hardly a reason for you not to wear a flower crown…]”

I placed the flower crown on the hilt of the Holy Sword as it spoke with a questioning voice. The Holy Sword was about to continue speaking but stopped when the crown was placed on it.

“There, you wear it instead for a while.”

“[…]”

Should I say it suits you well? I looked down at the sword hilt with the flower crown and smiled slightly. The Holy Sword remained silent for a while, and I moved my steps to follow the distant party.