episode_0200

Proserpina’s Festival Dikalram

Now that Spes, Alten, and Veronica had gone outside, saying they would help with the festival preparations happening outside, I, left alone with Aria in Spes’s house, was still suffering from a headache because of the Cult. Was it because I was anxious about what would happen next and what results would follow…? I clung to the Cult in my mind, struggling to figure out their true intentions. At that moment, Aria wrapped her arms around my neck and spoke.

“Zeke-nim. It seems you’re thinking too much again. And this time, it looks like you’re worrying too. Is your head still complicated because of them?”

“….Hearing the elves here and Veronica’s testimony only makes my head more complex. Especially… since some of our predictions were correct, I’ve started to feel a little more uneasy. With my current strength… I wonder if I can truly fight them head-on…. And… and what else…?!”

The moment I began to breathe heavily, wondering if I could truly fight the Cult after hearing all the stories, Aria, who had her arms around my neck, began to shake me violently with both arms, causing me to panic greatly. Ugh! What in the world is this all of a sudden…!!!

“Zeke-niiiiim!! You’ve got too many worries in your head again!!! If this keeps up, Zeke-nim might get exhausted and collapse!!!”

“Ugh!!! But the current situation is… Nghh!!!”

“Zeke-niiiiim!!! Haven’t you told this Aria multiple times to entrust everything to her!!! Why do you keep forgetting my words every time and worry alone!!! If they keep troubling Zeke-nim like this… I…!! I will!!!”

“Ugh… Huh?”

Aria shouted at me not to worry alone, asking why I kept forgetting that she had told me to entrust everything to her, then suddenly let go. I grabbed my head, trying hard to shake off the remaining dizziness. Then, Aria suddenly grabbed the staff she had hung over the chair and began to mutter, radiating divine power from her entire body.

“If the Cult continues to trouble Zeke-nim, tormenting him until he can barely breathe… this Aria will kill them all right now…!!”

“….What!? No, you don’t even know where their headquarters are… Ah.”

As Aria expressed her anger, declaring that she would destroy the entire Cult by herself, I was greatly flustered by her words and tried to retort, asking how she could destroy them when she didn’t even know where their base was. But then I realized. That Aria had grown up in that very base… The moment I realized that and was momentarily stunned, Aria slowly began to head outside, causing me to cry out in alarm.

“Aria!! I was wrong, so calm down first!!! You can’t win by going alone!!!”

“How dare they torment Zeke-nim to this extent… Goddess or whatever… I’ll destroy them all…. I’ll kill them all…!!!”

“Alright, calm down…!! Ah, right!! We should enjoy the festival!!! Don’t you want to enjoy the festival together, holding hands, just like we did in Kartun, Aria?!”

“Kill them, kill them…? Festival…? Holding hands…?”

Realizing that Aria couldn’t be persuaded with ordinary words, I mentioned how Aria and I had enjoyed the festival in Kartun while holding hands, and persuaded Aria by asking if she didn’t want to enjoy it that way again. Then, Aria, who had been repeatedly muttering about killing, heard my words, turned around, and looked at me with a face full of smiles, saying:

“Of course, we should!!! A festival where I walk around holding Zeke-nim’s hand…!! Ahhh…!! Even though I’ll experience it again, just imagining it… Heheheheheh…..”

‘….This worked.’

“Is it still being prepared outside right now!? I’m so excited about enjoying the festival with Zeke-nim that I can’t possibly wait…!!”

“….You truly are incredible in another sense, Aria….”

As Aria showed that the anger she had just felt had completely vanished, unable to contain her excitement at the thought of enjoying the festival with me, I laughed wryly, amazed by Aria’s rapid psychological change. There’s probably no one else whose psychological state changes so simply besides Aria…. As I watched Aria sit on the chair, tapping her feet impatiently, desperately wishing for the festival preparations outside to finish, I chuckled, opened my backpack, and looked at the items inside, saying:

“Come to think of it, I forgot to tell Alten. I wanted to let him know that the phoenix feather he gave me earlier is still perfectly fine.”

“A feather? Ah, come to think of it, Alten-ssi did give Zeke-nim something like that last time. But wasn’t it unused because I can light up dark places? And fire wasn’t an issue since Zeke-nim has Iruvan’s fire.”

“Right… It made this gift meaningless since I received Iruvan’s power from Kroa Spring… Speaking of which, I wonder if Iruvan and Nerha are safe… It would be a relief if spirits also have unique constitutions like elves…”

“There’s a simple way to check that, Zeke-nim. Would you mind summoning Iruvan’s flame from your fingertip? A small size.”

“Huh? Like this?”

When Aria mentioned the power of Iruvan that I possessed, I worried about Iruvan and Nerha in Kroa Spring. Then, Aria told me to summon Iruvan’s flame the size of an ember from my fingertip. I did as Aria said, summoning a flame the size of an ember from my finger, and Aria, seeing it, nodded and said:

“I only recently learned this, so it might not be exact, but I understand that those who have received a spirit’s power cannot use it if something happens to the spirit. But Zeke-nim, you are using Iruvan’s flame, aren’t you? So it seems Iruvan is safe. Though there’s no way to know if Nerha is safe… In any case, to give you the conclusion, since Zeke-nim could use Iruvan’s flame in the Levarud facility, Iruvan is safe.”

“It’s enough that at least Iruvan is safe… Phew. It seems the Cult hasn’t discovered the spirits’ village in Kroa Spring… Or perhaps they escaped to another place early to avoid the Cult’s eyes… Still, it’s a relief for now. Truly.”

“….That’s the face, Zeke-nim.”

“Huh?”

The moment I smiled, knowing that at least Iruvan was safe, Aria suddenly pointed at my face with her finger, saying, “That’s the expression,” causing me to be bewildered. Then Aria suddenly touched my cheeks with both hands and said with a smile:

“I want to keep seeing this face of Zeke-nim, Zeke-nim. Because you keep frowning, full of worry and anxiety because of the Cult, I truly… my heart aches as if it’s been ripped apart. So please, trust this Aria and erase your worries and anxieties from your heart… I will take on everything, so please…”

“No, but I can’t help it. I’ve also speculated that the Cult might target you. I don’t want you to be in danger, so I end up worrying unconsciously.”

“Are you doubting my strength, Zeke-nim? I am strong enough that Zeke-nim doesn’t need to worry. I can assure you of that much.”

Aria’s face became serious, and she began to glare at me, asking if I was doubting her strength, causing me to flinch in great embarrassment. What is it…? Is Aria angry at me right now…? Is her pride hurt because I keep worrying about her…? The moment I realized I had just made a slip of the tongue and swallowed hard, remaining silent, Aria suddenly turned around and began to mutter:

“Still… hearing Zeke-nim worry about me always makes me happy… Phew-hee… How do I hide this…? Heh… Ah… I’m so happy…”

“….Aria… I can hear you…”

Seeing Aria trying hard to hide her laughter, perhaps truly delighted that I worried about her, I gave her a serious look and replied that I could hear everything. Of course… there was no way Aria would get angry at me… As we waited inside the house for the festival preparations to finish, Alten suddenly threw open the door and shouted at us:

“Aria! Zeke!! Have you waited long! The festival preparations are finally complete!! Zeke, hurry and get ready to record and come outside!! Everyone wants to see you both!!”

“….!! No!!! Only I get to see Zeke-nim!!… But if that happens, I can’t enjoy the festival with Zeke-nim… Ughhh… What should I do?!”

When Alten said that everyone wanted to see us, Aria hugged me, beginning to ponder whether to hide me from the elves or enjoy the festival together. Alten and I, seeing Aria in such a dilemma, sighed deeply with serious expressions. After several persuasions from Alten and me, Aria chose to enjoy the festival with me, so I came outside with Aria. Then, various fragrant smells and boisterous sounds drifted from outside, and as I made an astonished face at Proserpina, which sounded even livelier than before, Veronica, standing next to Alten, chuckled and said:

“This is the first time even I’ve seen Proserpina this lively, Zeke. It seems everyone wanted to repay their debt to you both.”

“You’re still unfamiliar with Proserpina’s culture, aren’t you, Zeke? Veronica and I would like to introduce you to what the festival has to offer….”

“It’s alright, Alten. Aria and I will just visit every event venue outside. We’ll manage here ourselves. Thank you for preparing such a festival.”

“That’s right, Alten. Leave this to Zeke-nim and me. Well then~!”

Alten offered to guide us personally since we were unfamiliar with Proserpina’s culture, but I, wanting to experience various things by walking around myself this time as well, declined Alten’s offer, took Aria’s hand, and walked towards the bustling area. Then Veronica, watching our retreating figures, chuckled and said to Alten:

“Commander Alten. Haven’t those two’s atmosphere changed a lot since last time?”

“Well, they’ve spent over a month together over there, so wouldn’t it be natural for things to change…? I hope Aria and Zeke like our culture….”

“I don’t know about Zeke, but Aria will probably really like it. Because our culture… you know?”

“….Indeed, you’re right.”

As Alten wished that Zeke and Aria would like their culture, Veronica assured him that Aria, at least, would definitely like it. Then Alten, hearing Veronica’s words, seemed to realize something, chuckled, and agreed. True to Veronica’s prediction, we were now enjoying looking at various items at the street stalls in Proserpina. For example…

“If you smell this incense, it has a calming effect, right?”

“Yes, Black Saintess-nim~. This incense is made from a tree that only grows near our Proserpina, and its scent is so good that it truly calms a person’s heart! The effect of Proserpina’s incense can truly be guaranteed, to the point that they sell these when Dikalram is held elsewhere.”

“Dikalram? What’s that? I haven’t heard Alten or Veronica mention anything called Dikalram…”

When the elf merchant who was recommending incense to us mentioned Dikalram, I, who had never heard that word from the elves or Veronica before, tilted my head and asked what it was. Then the elf merchant, seemingly surprised that I didn’t know about Dikalram, said:

“Oh my… You haven’t heard about Dikalram. Dikalram means a ‘reunion ceremony’ in our ancient elven language. It’s a festival held when a long-lost friend visits their hometown after a long time… Actually, it’s a festival held when a friend of all of Proserpina visits, so I’ve only experienced it once myself until now. And that was, of course, because another elf returned to Proserpina after checking on the outside world for a long time, right? This is the first time a human has revisited this place and caused this festival to be held. Everyone else will probably say the same.”

“Huh…? Then when was Dikalram last held…?”

“Let’s see… I experienced it when I was 24… so it’s been about 213 years. That’s why everyone is so delighted.”

“…..What?!”

Realizing that Dikalram was actually a reunion ceremony held when a guest so esteemed as to be recognized by everyone in Proserpina revisited the place, I was greatly shocked that we were so popular among the elves. Damn it…!! This means we’ve become famous after all!! Does this mean I’ll experience such festivals wherever I go…?! Of course, participating in such festivals is good if you want to properly enjoy the culture… but still, this is…

“Give me all of these. I’ll pay any amount of money.”

“Huh…? What!?”

“Huh!? What forest are you planning to make with these, Black Saintess-nim?!”

The moment I was greatly shocked that we had become famous and would receive such welcoming ceremonies in the future, Aria, who had swept up all the incense on display, asked for all of them, causing the elf merchant and me to be greatly astonished. Then Aria smiled sweetly and looked at me, saying:

“Lately, Zeke-nim has had so many worries, and his anxieties have grown. So I want to calm Zeke-nim’s heart somehow with this incense…!!”

“No, we’re just holding an event to share our goods with each other, so no money is needed. Besides, it’s an event where everyone takes one each, so taking all of them is impossible… Moreover, one incense stick lasts for over 10 years, so just one is enough for you!!”

“No…!! I’ll burn a lot to calm Zeke-nim’s heart until it completely melts… and then, Heheheh…..”

“….Eh?”

As Aria began to let out a sinister chuckle, as if plotting something after calming me by burning a lot of incense, the elf merchant was greatly flustered, and I sighed deeply, saying nothing. After barely managing to stop Aria from formulating her strange plan, I received five incense sticks from the elf merchant, placed them in a basket, and headed to another stall with Aria. Aria then puffed out her cheeks, seemingly discontent, and complained:

“Ughhh… I was planning to buy all of them to completely melt Zeke-nim’s heart… Five is too few.”

“….So you’d buy over fifty of them…? Are you trying to melt me completely?!”

“Heheheheh…. That doesn’t sound bad either… Zeke-nim, intoxicated by the incense and speaking his true feelings… Heheheheheh…..”

“….Oh, heavens…..”

When I shouted, asking if she planned to melt me by burning a lot of incense, Aria began to have sinister thoughts again, saying that didn’t sound bad either. I sighed, wishing Aria would stop thinking such things. As I tried to enjoy the Dikalram festival with Aria with an uneasy heart, back at Spes’s house, Spes, Alten, and Veronica were holding a discussion.

“Black Saintess Aria Ritt… It’s truly a relief that she’s safe. It would have felt terrible if our benefactress hadn’t been safe.”

“I agree, Chief Elder-nim. So… gathering us like this must mean… you’ve made a decision regarding what you’ve been pondering all along, right?”

“I don’t really mind… no, I’m actually in favor of it, Chief Elder-nim… Are you sure it’ll be alright? There will be many elves who oppose it…”

When Alten and Veronica asked if the reason Spes had gathered them was that he had made a decision about something he had been pondering, Spes sank into thought with a serious expression. Then Veronica, expressing her concern that there would certainly be opposing elves, even though she was in favor of it, Spes nodded and said:

“As you all know… our chances of winning if we fight the Cult later are slim. This situation… doesn’t it feel familiar? Isn’t it exactly like when we fought Alraune before?”

“….Indeed, it’s true. The world almost got destroyed because of our arrogance and recklessness.”

“It wasn’t just the world. This Proserpina that we love… beyond that, we almost ruined the welfare of the elves themselves… Realizing all of that, I had no choice but to decide. Even if not everyone agrees… this was a problem we should have attempted to fix again from the start.”

“You’re right. We even made a promise with Zeke and Aria. Commander Alten-nim, you agree too, right?”

“Of course. Then, Chief Elder-nim. When would be a good time to inform the other elves about this?”

When Veronica mentioned the promise they had made with Zeke and Aria earlier, asking for his agreement, Alten nodded without hesitation and said yes. Then, when Alten asked Spes when would be a good time to inform the other elves about something, Spes nodded and said:

“First, since it’s Dikalram, which we’re enjoying after a long time… after Dikalram ends… no, after Zeke and Aria leave Proserpina, we will inform the elves. That it is time for us to come out into the outside world… and that it is time to cooperate with other races…”

Spes’s decision, made after long deliberation. It was to abandon the reclusive nature that was inherent to the elves and come out into the outside world to cooperate with others.