Chapter 29: The Night of the Festival of Five
White hair, blue eyes… she…
“Peilo, look, look! That dancer sister is looking at us!”
Beside me, Sarah was bouncing with excitement, pulling my hand up and jumping on her tiptoes, waving wildly at the performers on stage. The sudden movement startled me and broke my train of thought, so I instinctively turned to look at the woman… she seemed to smile at us.
That smile was lost amid the dazzling lights and thunderous applause, not particularly noticeable, yet in an instant, it made everything around us seem dull by comparison.
A perfect blend of grace and allure.
Before I even had the chance to properly see her face, I sensed something extraordinary from that fleeting smile—something not of this ordinary world.
“Oh my gosh, she’s amazing! I absolutely love her… hey, do you know who she is, what her name is…”
Sarah, still hanging onto my hand, became increasingly excited, starting to ask people around us about the woman’s identity, and I leaned in to listen, but unfortunately, I didn’t get the answers I wanted.
Applause gradually faded as the street performers left the stage.
This troupe of performers had a bit of fame; they hadn’t played in the Royal City for the first time. Yet before tonight, no one had seen the woman’s performance… Typically, there would’ve been an announcement before the show started, but it seemed no one had mentioned her name. Some speculated she might be a rookie or perhaps the troupe was hiding her to create more buzz, waiting for her to wow everyone.
The show wasn’t over yet; more performers were set to appear. We watched an opera called “Daphne,” followed by a duet. By the time the third performance rolled around, we were feeling a little bored, and that woman hadn’t reappeared either. After her performance, everything else felt bland…
Although the artistic value was high, without that stunning visual impact, it couldn’t stir our emotions any longer. Gradually, even Sarah lost interest, and standing in the crowd became too hot. So, when the fourth performance was announced as “The Heroic Knight Miss Silvya,” I quickly dragged them away from the crowd.
I really didn’t want to see someone else portray myself; that would be too weird…
Unnecessarily embarrassing…
With those feelings in mind, we squeezed out of the throng and began to stroll leisurely around the square.
Around the square was a lush park. The trees swayed, the lights flickered, and the winding path paved with bluestone led to the Sabell River, whose rippling surface was clearly visible in the east. The evening breeze blew from the river, warm against our faces but quite comfortable.
We made our way to the riverbank, where there were fewer people since no activities were taking place, and found a patch of relatively clean grass to sit on. Daisy mentioned her feet were a bit sore, so she took off her shoes, prompting Sarah to come over and massage her foot, while teasing, “What’s that smell? Like stinky salted fish…” Of course, it was a joke, but with Daisy’s thin skin, her face turned beet red, and she looked ready to swat Sarah for it.
The two girls started messing around, and I watched them for a while before gazing steadily at the river under the night sky. Finally, I dared to take off my sun hat and use it as a fan—this weather was just too stuffy, and the hair by my temples was all damp.
After a moment, Sarah suddenly rolled over from the grass, lying on her back next to me with her limbs sprawled out in a star shape. Then she abruptly said, “Actually… if you hadn’t pulled me away just now, Peilo, I wanted to stay and watch that ‘Heroic Knight Miss Silvya’ to the end.”
I pouted at her words: “What’s so great about it…”
“Hehe, I’m just curious!” Sarah giggled mischievously, “I just wanted to see how amazing the heroine who saves the Royal City… wait, no, the hero little miss is! Is she really cool like this, swoosh swoosh—”
As she spoke, the girl held her hand in the air and imitated swinging a scythe, demonstrating seriously for a moment before bursting into laughter, “Swings the scythe, cleanly chops off that monster’s head, rescuing us ignorant little folk from the depths of despair… Oh man! Just thinking about it is so awesome~”
After saying that, she widened her bright eyes under the night sky and stared at me without blinking.
“Sarah, you really admire Miss Silvya, don’t you?”
Hearing Daisy’s question from just a few feet away, Sarah erupted in laughter, flailing her arms in an exaggerated circle in front of her: “Absolutely! I admire her so much!” Then she winked at me.
“… It’s just a performance… probably… not real.”
I chuckled as I told her that.
Then I looked up at the bright moon hanging in the sky.
I could still hear the distant sounds of revelry…
In the festive atmosphere of song and dance tonight, whether it was the corner bard or the splendid acts on stage, even the vibrant scenes of the Royal City, all of this circled back to the Church and the great deity.
People were so immersed in the celebration that they seemed to have completely forgotten that just a bit farther south, if they ventured just a little bit more, they would find the magnificent Royal Palace and then discover the bloodstains in the square in front, which hadn’t been washed away entirely. The collapsed houses were still just charred remains, and some people buried within hadn’t been found yet.
But people really did forget all that.
“Sarah, have you been to the disaster area?” I asked her.
The girl paused for a moment, then flipped over onto her stomach and sat up with a grunt, shaking her head.
“I’m scared to go, I can’t handle that.”
“Yeah.”
I replied softly, then added, “I’m scared too.”
“Oh…”
Sarah lowered her head, pondering for a bit, then looked back at me, her smile fading and her brow furrowing: “Is it… really serious over there? Didn’t I hear that the Pope and Her Majesty the Queen had a talk and that repairs were not a problem?”
“… Yeah.”
“Lately… it seems like no one’s causing a fuss anymore.”
“Mm.”
“… Everyone is so happy tonight.”
Noticing I didn’t want to discuss such matters any further, she proactively changed the subject. She picked up a rock from the ground and threw it ten meters out into the river, sounding rather impressed: “Compared to previous years, this year’s Festival of Five is really lively… I heard that most of the famous traveling performers and dancers from Ethanbel were invited, and even the bards are several times more numerous than last year… everywhere you can see them, and they held five garden parties—four in the city and one outside…”
She paused for a moment.
“I actually really wanted to see the sword fights and horse races outside the city, but I couldn’t run over in time… I remember during the college speeches, both the Pope and Saint George mentioned that we should value this year’s Festival of Five, using the festive celebration to lift the spirits of the people, especially those who lost their families in the disaster… Hearing that made me happy, I didn’t expect the Church to care this much… How much would that cost?”
“A lot.”
I had heard from Beiyard that for this Festival of Five, most of the activities were funded by the Saint George Currency Exchange, and the cost… could probably feed a whole city’s worth of refugees in the Northern Region for many days.
“Never mind, why think so much… Let’s just have fun!”
“But what about the people in the south… those who lost their families, who are now alone and scattered? Will they feel happy about this?” Daisy asked.
Sarah went quiet for a second, then rolled her eyes: “How could they?”
“But… even if they’re sad, wouldn’t they put on a festive face tonight?”
“… I don’t know.”
“I actually think… this festival isn’t meant for them…”
“Daisy, don’t say foolish things.”
“Um, okay…”
I quietly listened to the conversation between the two girls. The evening breeze from across the river slowly blew in, and it grew increasingly warm.
… After all, they had both seen the Frost Order.
Thinking this, I raised my right hand above my head, extending my long index finger, focusing my mind as the Power of Order condensed at my fingertip—then with a ‘bang’ sound, a small jet of ice blue mist spewed forth and rapidly spread above us, eliciting a startled cry from Sarah and Daisy, and then the frost mist began to fall.
Ah, so nice…
“Wow!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—”
As Sarah exclaimed dramatically, she suddenly sprang up from the grass, bouncing around in the sparkling mist, then ran off, joyfully shouting, “So refreshing, so refreshing!” Daisy couldn’t resist coming closer, but soon she bolted away in panic, standing nearly ten meters away, hugging herself while shivering, her teeth chattering: “C-c-cold… Peilo… are you trying to k-k-k*ll us?!”
I tilted my head: “Is it very cold?”
They nodded vigorously, Sarah shouted: “Super cold!”
“Eh…”
Okay then.
It seems I still need to improve my control over the Frost Order… I was so confident just now, thinking the temperature would be just fine, believing they’d praise me…
Oh well, I’m enjoying myself anyway.
“Let’s go.”
I stood up, brushed off the grass from my backside, put on my sun hat, and turned to walk toward the brightest part of the park. The two girls quickly followed, and Sarah asked from behind, “Where are we going?”
“To get something to eat.”
“… Huh?”
“I’m hungry.”
“… Hungry?! Your mouth hasn’t stopped all evening!”
Hearing this, my face turned red, but I stubbornly replied, “I didn’t eat that much.”
“Not that much? Those were enough for me to eat for three days!”
“No way…”
“Yep!”
The girl sounded frantic.
…………
Midnight had arrived.
The sun, blessed by the Mother Deity, was soon to pass.
To the west of the park, a huge bonfire blazed, the dry branches crackling with a ‘snap’ sound, billowing thick smoke.
Next to the fire, many makeshift tables and tents were set up, with people moving in and out of the tents, sitting around tables in small groups. Some were drinking, while others borrowed small fires to cook food. Dancers wearing antlers twirled around the fire, their bells jingling in rhythm. Mothers and children wore beautiful flower crowns, holding hands in a circle, dancing and singing around the fire.
This was the final revelry of the night, one that would last the entire night.
I, along with Sarah and Daisy, played here for a long time, singing along with the people. When we got tired, we simply found places to sit and chat with strangers. Of course, we got hit on, but tonight… I wasn’t interested.
Later, encouraged by a few older ladies, Sarah started drinking beer and insisted that Daisy and I join her.
“Speaking of which, we’ve never drunk together! Let’s have some fun tonight, everyone lighten up!”
Upon hearing this, Daisy couldn’t refuse, and after hesitating briefly, I decided not to spoil the fun, so I ordered a glass, clearly indicating to them that I couldn’t drink much—just enough to join in.
So I lounged with peas while drinking.
“Bless the Mother Deity, cheers!”
“In the past, I sneaked into bars several times, terrified the whole time. Once, my mom caught me and scolded me fiercely, saying girls shouldn’t go to those places… Seriously, I’m a female knight! Isn’t there a knight who doesn’t go to bars? What kind of joke is that… you agree, right?”
Sarah was getting a bit tipsy.
Daisy was a little tipsy too, but her drunkenness was amusing—she wasn’t rambling on like others, just giggling foolishly at us.
Those older ladies who had urged us to drink were a bit tipsy too.
Their drunken faces around the table became increasingly blurry in my eyes.
My head began to spin…
But I was very happy.
“Ehehe~”
Eventually, I wasn’t even clear on what they were chatting about, but I felt happy and just started laughing along. Until the night grew deep and even the starlight had vanished completely, tipsy us finally remembered we needed to go home.
“Peilo…” In my hazy state, it seemed Sarah was helping me, “I’ll take you home… where do you live…”
Huh?
Oh…
After a few seconds of hesitation in my mind, I finally understood what she was asking.
But feeling joyful: “Longdoll Street… ehehe~”
“… Where?!”
“Longdoll Street… number 3… my home…”
“Right there…”
