244 – Day of the Nymphs and Day of Pride # 4
Seo Ye-rim, Lee Jin-A, Yu Ara, and Cha Yura faced each other in our yard.
The atmosphere was awkward in many ways.
However, the nymphs brought by the women were chattering noisily.
“Hmm, then this Inoi declares that the first Nymph Day will be held on the rabbit-shaped land…! Thank you all for coming…!”
Inoi raised her hand dramatically.
Then, several nymphs raised their hands together.
“Let’s dance the joy of the nymphs…! This Coris has been trapped in the rift for a long time, so it’s been a while since I’ve celebrated Nymph Day, and I’m very happy…!”
“Eating snacks comes before dancing…! We must see what kind of snacks our esteemed nymph, Inoi Sister, has prepared…!”
“Let’s do the dance…!”
It was very noisy.
The nymphs who had come today included Illinois, Coris, Tairrenol, and Morales, and there was also the somewhat unique Cha Yura and the large nymph Kalilnoi.
“Phew, phew…!”
“No, Kalilnoi. Where have you been these past few days?”
I was a bit worried since Kalilnoi hadn’t shown up since the Chuseok holiday. Of course, I didn’t think Kalilnoi would suffer or encounter any danger while away.
As I gently patted Kalilnoi’s head, she spoke.
“Phew, phew…!”
Kalilnoi took something out from under her wing feathers and showed it to everyone. It was something that looked very fluffy, like a parka.
Winter clothing.
Seeing it, Inoi shivered with excitement.
“Ah! It must be an owl coat made of tiger owl fluff…! It’s warm enough for the nymphs to survive the winter…! It’s very splendid…!”
Kalilnoi handed out parkas of various colors to the nymphs.
The parkas were the same color as the nymphs’ hair.
Seo Ye-rim gasped in admiration.
“It would sell for a hefty price at the market. Tiger owl feathers are hard to come by as it is. Making parkas from them is quite luxurious.”
If Seo Ye-rim says it’s luxurious, it must indeed be a rare item.
Indeed, Kalilnoi was preparing such gifts for the nymphs welcoming winter.
At that moment, Illinois spoke.
“Hmmm, this is quite something…! I would say this is worthy of a trench water level evaluation for being the elite nymph…!”
“I think so too…! I believe this deserves a trench water level score…!”
“I also think this is very good…! I would give it a trench water score…!”
Are they grading something?
I asked Inoi, who seemed somewhat tense.
“What are you grading?”
“We’re boasting about what we can do for the nymph sisters and what we’ve done, while other nymphs score it…! The nymph who receives the highest score here becomes next year’s elite nymph…!”
I see.
Pop-.
Soon, Tairrenol climbed up onto the table where the snacks were finished.
Tairrenol said.
“Then let me tell you what excellent things I’ve done for the nymph sisters this year, so everyone should listen…! Speaking of Tairrenol….”
Rustle, rustle-.
As Tairrenol snapped her fingers, Tang So-hae appeared with pumpkin bees. Tang So-hae and the pumpkin bees were carrying lots of round fruits skewered on sticks, known as tanghulu.
“I, Tairrenol, will present delicious Sichuan tanghulu for the nymph sisters…! No other nymph could give such tasty tanghulu…!”
The nymphs happily munched on the Sichuan tanghulu.
I tried it too, and it was quite tasty.
“Not bad, huh?”
“Well, I made it. You can’t find this kind of taste in Korea. If you become my son-in-law in Sichuan, I can feed you tanghulu every day….”
So it was made by Tang So-hae.
There’s a saying about being a jack-of-all-trades, and it seems Tang So-hae was talented in many ways.
However, even if it was delicious, eating tanghulu every day would be a bit much….
It would surely rot.
“This tanghulu was very delicious…! This Inoi will give it a trench water score…!”
“I don’t know what’s what, but it’s very good…!”
“Hmmm, for a Chinese nymph, it’s pretty good…! I, Illinois, will also give it a trench water score…!”
Tairrenol earned 3 trench water points.
This was a score comparable to Kalilnoi, who had supplied parkas to the nymph sisters.
Inoi trembled slightly.
“This year’s competition is so fierce that I might drop out of being the elite nymph…! Heeek…! They’re all more wonderful nymph sisters than I expected…!”
Is that so?
To be honest, I don’t quite understand the grading criteria.
Seeing this scene, Seo Ye-rim also muttered, “I still don’t know what they’re doing. Isn’t the parka much better than the tanghulu?”
Pop-!
At that moment, Illinois jumped up onto the desk.
“Hmmm, then it’s time for me to boast about what I did this year…! Speaking of Illinois, I acquired an Illinois car this year…!”
Beep beep-.
As Illinois operated the smart key, a car parked far away beeped.
“Illinois Car.”
It was originally the supercar that Lee Joon-Hun drove, but Illinois had stolen it.
I don’t know how she took it from Lee Joon-Hun, but it was what it was.
“It’s a supercar with a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration of 1 second and is red, akin to Illinois’ hair…! It’s a nymph-friendly eco-friendly vehicle…! Quite excellent, indeed…!”
“That’s fantastic…! I, Inoi, also wanted a car…! I will give it a trench water score…!”
Inoi showed interest in the car and gave it a score.
However, other nymphs were indifferent.
The usually quiet Morales spoke up.
“I don’t see how that car benefits the nymphs’ rights…! Our nymphs can ride the subway and bus for free through interracial benefits…!”
“I think I prefer the tanghulu over the car…! It’s truly a taste that feels like cultural invasion…!”
I see.
The scoring criteria seem to be completely at their discretion.
I thought boasting about something expensive would be effective.
Soon Illinois chuckled.
“Well then, I will present our Core Ye-rim, whom I’m in charge of…! Core Ye-rim is a naturally born Core…!”
“What? Me?”
Seo Ye-rim flinched in surprise.
Did she not expect her name to come up?
Nymphs who had been aloof during the boasts about the supercar began to brighten their eyes and perk up their ears one by one.
Seizing this opportunity, Illinois spoke like a skilled salesperson.
“Core Ye-rim is truly a natural Core…! Unlike mediocre styled Cores, it’s on a different level…! A great nymph would surely know the difference…!”
“I also think the natural version is excellent…!”
“Hmmm, that’s not all…! Core Ye-rim can boil water or toast marshmallows with hot fire like an induction or microwave…!”
“I also like induction…! It’s a nymph-friendly magical tool that can boil things without flames…!”
Coris enjoyed it greatly.
Inoi also exclaimed, “I, Inoi, also like induction…!”
However, the person in question, Seo Ye-rim, frowned.
“No, if you’re going to praise me, there should be more to mention. I shouldn’t be compared to an induction or microwave.”
“Hmmm, Core Ye-rim is even on the verge of evolving to Prime…! Core Prime is truly a very good Core…! It’s absolutely wonderful…!”
“Core Prime, huh…! I, Morales, think that’s great…! In that case, I can’t help but give it a trench water score…!”
Illinois already earned 2 trench water points.
After contemplating for a while, Coris also said, “Induction Core is very nymph-friendly and wonderful…!” and gave it a trench water score.
That’s 3 trench water points.
Illinois quickly acquired 3 trench water points.
“Hmmm, then it’s Morales’ turn…! I, Morales, am a muddy water nymph, but originally I’m a laundry nymph…! What I will boast about is….”
“I don’t know what it is, but let’s just hit each other…!”
“Of course…! Let’s punch…!”
“I’ll join too…!”
Thud thud thud thud thud thud-.
As soon as Morales got on the stage, the nymphs started hitting her.
However, Morales managed to hold on well, unlike usual.
“Hmmm, this much punching doesn’t hurt anymore…!”
Seeing this, the nymphs looked at each other.
Then they exclaimed in awe.
“It’s clear that the dirt of the muddy water is almost all gone…! This is a very remarkable achievement…!”
“Of course…! That punch from Illinois is a medical punch…!”
“A reformation for betterment…!”
Morales received 3 trench water points for enduring the punches.
Yu Ara, who was watching, said, “I have no idea what’s going on. But everyone seems to be having fun.”
Is that so?
Thinking about it, it seemed so.
# # #
After lunch, the weather cleared up dramatically.
It was such hot weather that one couldn’t believe it had snowed just yesterday.
“Heeek…! This Inoi’s snowman, “Snowman No-i,” is melting…! I think this friend was worthy of at least 4 trench water points…!”
The snowman that Inoi made for the first time was melting away.
Just yesterday, Inoi had disliked the cold snow, but it seemed she had grown quite attached to the snowman in just a day.
Drip drip-.
In the end, the snowman melted completely under the hot, blazing sun.
All the nymphs were saddened to part ways with the snowman without even a moment to say goodbye.
Inoi said.
“For nymphs, winter is a sad season where we must part with everyone…! Opening Nymph Day is for nymphs who need to hibernate and must part with everyone…!”
That made sense in many ways.
The atmosphere quickly became somber.
Cha Yura tilted her head.
“What, do you all like making snowmen?”
Swoosh-.
S-ranker Cha Yura reached her hand into the air.
Pop-.
And as she opened her palm wide, a cold breeze seemed to blow, and the melted snowman froze solid again.
Seeing that, Inoi lifted her hands in joy.
“Ah! Snowman No-i has returned…! I’ve never seen such a mysterious skill…! Truly, the honorable nymph Yura…!”
“I also like a cool snowman…! Let’s all dance the joy of the nymphs…!”
Dum chit dum chit-.
The nymphs danced around the snowman at the center.
Cha Yura looked at her palm.
“I didn’t think making a snowman would bring this much joy.”
The nymphs all hugged Cha Yura tightly.
On that day, Cha Yura received four trench water points from the nymphs.
As of now, she was in first place.
# # #
A little distance away from Primal Village, on a hill.
On a small mound where Primal Village could be seen at a glance, a woman with long brown hair wore a black suit and looked down at everything.
Her name was Dullis, the Nymph of Relics.
She was an adult nymph who had lived since the beginning of creation.
“Nymph Day, huh…. I miss it. In the old days, various nymphs would gather and share stories, show off, and it was noisy. Even I think that snowman looks amazing. The first snowman made by the Summer Nymph is something incredibly wonderful to be proud of.”
“…….”
“Why is that? All our nymphs love snowmen. Even though we know we can only be together for a short winter. Even though we know we will eventually melt under the hot sun and part ways… we fall hopelessly in love all the same.”
Dullis felt a strong presence behind her.
It was a nymph with honey-colored hair.
A witch.
Her old name was Inoi.
Dullis spoke to her long-time friend.
“My dear friend, you have always been the most affectionate. Even as a Summer Nymph, you made various snowmen and named them. And you cried so sadly when they melted.”
Swoosh-.
Dullis noticed that the presence behind her had vanished.
However, her gaze remained fixed on the nymphs, the snowman, and the people with them.
For fairies who live for eternity, everything in this world melts away like a snowman, shining brightly for only a short time.
“Why is it that we are so easily captivated? By the stories of those lovely, foolish children…. Even though we know we will part one day… there’s nothing we can do….”
Dullis sang.
A fairy song honoring the names of the snowmen that melted over countless springs and winters.
It stirred a chilly breeze and caused the red leaves to fall like rain or snow.
“Ah! It’s raining maple leaves…! Such a nymph-friendly weather…! It’s clear that unusual climate isn’t all bad…!”
“A perfect Nymph Day like today won’t come again that surely…! Truly, Inoi organized a splendid festival on a wonderful day…!”
“Hmmm, I, Illinois, am a Fall Nymph…! My mood is very high on a maple rain day…!”
