Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Kartea Festival (2)
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Timi, Elaine, and even Nix were all so delighted that I sat on a nearby bench and watched calmly.
After about twenty minutes, the fireworks that had been embroidering the night sky with brilliant colors seemed to be winding down.
“Looks like it’s over.”
“It was a bit short.”
They were both disappointed, but I thought it was enough.
I had recorded it, and Milli was getting quite bored.
“Alright, let’s keep moving… Nix? Nix!”
Nix, who had been perched on my shoulder, suddenly took flight.
In an instant, he soared into the night sky and began to emit a brilliant golden and red light.
“Wow, I guess it wasn’t over after all.”
“Mom, look at that.”
“It’s beautiful.”
The others sitting on the bench next to us let out exclamations of awe, but a cold sweat trickled down my spine.
My companions' expressions darkened as well.
“Hyeon-ung, that…”
“Nix, don’t tell me…”
Because Nix’s current appearance was one I had seen very often in the Labyrinth.
He had already transformed into a large red bird, and the light radiating from him grew stronger and stronger.
The feather attack that could slaughter thousands of monsters at once.
“No! Nix!”
I shouted, but it seemed my voice didn't reach him as red feathers began to erupt from Nix, scattering in all directions.
“Wow, Mom, it’s so pretty!”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before. Is it some newly developed magic?”
Magic, my foot.
A million thoughts raced through my mind.
‘Unidentified Firebird Annihilates Kartea Empire’s Capital.’
‘Casualties Nearing 10,000. Tens of Millions in Gold in Property Damage. Emperor Declares Act of Terrorism. Orders All Resources Mobilized to Find Firebird’s Master.’
‘Firebird’s Master Revealed to be Summoner Oh Hyeon-ung from Kramis…’
‘Emperor Enraged. Orders Execution…’
No matter how much Lord Almondeu thought of me, he wouldn't be able to clean up a disaster of this scale…
I considered using my volition to block it, but the range of the feathers was too wide.
Besides, they had already reached the tall buildings…?
The expected explosions didn't happen.
The feathers that touched the buildings split into dozens of light fragments, flickered, and then vanished.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful!”
“That’s really amazing.”
“Is it new magic developed by the Mage Tower?”
There were no fires at all, and everyone was enjoying it.
Feathers fell on us too, and while they felt slightly warm, they weren't hot at all.
“Hyeon-ung, it seems Nix wanted to imitate the fireworks.”
“Our clever Nix would never cause a catastrophe.”
You've got to be kidding me.
I saw all your worried faces.
That took ten years off my life. What a relief.
Whether he knew how I felt or not, Nix shot out a few more bursts of feathers, creating a spectacular finale.
“Huh? Hyeon-ung, Nix’s movements seem a bit strange.”
Nix began to fly erratically.
If he’s tired, he should just come back.
“No, I think he’s drawing something.”
Just as Elaine said, golden feathers remained fixed in the path Nix flew, creating a picture in the night sky.
A round face with equally round eyes.
Two small horns and wings.
Adorable little feet.
“Wow! Isn’t that a dragon?”
“Isn’t it too small for a dragon?”
“Who cares if it’s small? It’s cute!”
The people next to us all loved it.
“Hyeon-ung, that’s…”
“It’s our Gold Dragon.”
From its color to its form, anyone could see it was our Gold Dragon.
It wasn't the first time, and I thought I'd gotten used to it after a few experiences, but it seems he really misses the Gold Dragon.
The perfect image of the Gold Dragon created by Nix hovered in the air for about twenty seconds before bursting and showering down on the capital.
Of course, no fires broke out this time either.
With a popping sound, Nix returned to my shoulder.
“Poyo…”
He must have used a lot of energy, as he reverted to his original form.
No longer glowing.
Seemingly exhausted, he perched on my shoulder for a moment before slipping into my coat pocket. I gently stroked his head.
“Thanks for the great show, Nix.”
“Poyo!”
“The Gold Dragon will be back soon, so don’t worry too much.”
“Poyo! Poyo!”
After answering, I could feel him flop down, completely drained of energy.
“Well, Hyeon-ung, shall we go have some more fun now?”
“Next up, games as planned? Or shopping?”
Haha, so shopping was on the agenda…
“I heard that if you turn just a little way from the festival stalls, there’s an area with a bunch of clothing stores.”
“The head maid said they stay open late!”
I… I see.
What wonderful information she gave you.
“Um, Hyeon-ung? You’ve already spent a lot of money today, so maybe we should just stick to the games…”
“Milli. You don’t have to worry about the money.”
Money isn't the problem.
It's the time…
Will I even get to sleep tonight?
Somehow, I feel like tonight is going to be a very long night.
****
A strange sensation of my arm being shaken woke me. It was the butler, Keten.
“Summoner Oh Hyeon-ung, it is time to wake up.”
“My apologies. What time is it?”
“It is half-past seven. It seems you returned late last night.”
So I only got about two hours of sleep…
The games were mostly the same ones from the Kramis festival—things you get tired of quickly, like prize draws and balloon popping—so we finished them all in an hour. But the shopping was the real ambush.
As expected of the capital, all the clothing stores were huge and extravagant, and not a single one was closed even though it was past midnight.
The only saving grace was that we didn't visit all of them, only about four. But by the time we finished picking out clothes for the others, we didn't get back to the Duke's mansion until five in the morning.
“And it’s all thanks to you for giving my companions such good information.”
“Haha, it was nothing. I am glad to hear you enjoyed yourselves.”
That wasn't a compliment…
“If you do not prepare quickly, you may miss breakfast…”
I'm hungrier for sleep than for food.
Back when I was streaming, I pulled all-nighters all the time, but since coming to Elsia, I’ve maintained a relatively regular schedule.
“I’ll skip the meal. Don’t wake my companions; let them rest.”
If I'm this tired, the others, who can't use their powers outside, must be even more exhausted.
“Yes, I understand. In that case, please wash up and come to the entrance hall.”
“Got it.”
I gathered a change of clothes and was heading down to the bathroom when I ran into Misha.
She must have just finished washing up, as her hair was still damp.
“Are you just waking up now?”
“Yeah, I went to bed late last night. Did you sleep in too?”
“I’ve already eaten and just came to wash up. Excuse me.”
She gave a slight nod and passed by, but then I remembered I had to ask her about Sang-yoon.
“Misha, wait a moment.”
“What is it?”
“I have a favor to ask. Could you go easy on the guy you’re fighting this morning?”
“You mean your friend? Are you asking me to lose?”
She frowned.
“Not that. Just don’t be too rough on him. He’s not a bad guy. Just make sure his life isn't in danger.”
“Alright. But if he doesn’t give up early and keeps clinging on, then there’s nothing I can do.”
I nodded, telling her that would be enough.
Sang-yoon isn't the type to stubbornly try to make the impossible happen.
And I did warn him yesterday.
With a lighter heart, I washed up, changed, and went out to the entrance, where a carriage was already waiting.
When I boarded, Misha and the Duke were already inside.
“Good morning… Why didn’t you bring your companions?”
Lord Almondeu asked, tilting his head.
“We enjoyed the festival until late last night, so I figured they’d be tired. I thought it best to let them sleep in.”
“I see. What time did you get back?”
“We returned at five. The capital has quite a lot of clothing stores.”
We spent twice as much time shopping as we did enjoying the festival.
“It is the capital, after all. More importantly, are you alright? Your duel is the first one today.”
“I’m actually glad. I can finish it quickly and get some rest.”
“You seem very confident.”
“I’m a bit tired, but it shouldn’t be a major problem.”
My opponent in the round of 32 today is Kim Yoon-jeong.
Even if my condition were a hundred times worse than it is now, she would be no match for me.
“Still, your companions will want to see you when they wake. I will send Kasim to bring them over in the afternoon.”
“Ah, you don’t have to go to that trouble…”
“Don’t you have to attend the banquet this evening?”
Ah! That's right, the victors of the round of 16 have to go to the banquet.
I knew that, but my mind is still fuzzy since I just woke up.
“Yes. It’s shameless of me, but I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Nonsense. It’s no trouble at all. You must be tired, so try to get some sleep on the way.”
Man, no matter how I think about it, our lord is the best.
Ephelia is out of the question, and while Rachel supposedly supports her summoners well, comparing her to our Lord Almondeu would be an insult.
“Thank you.”
I leaned back in the carriage and closed my eyes for a moment.
Tap—
“Hyeon-ung, it’s time to wake up. We’ve arrived.”
At the sound of Misha’s voice, I opened my eyes to see the colosseum already outside the window.
I felt like I had only closed my eyes for a second. Was there less traffic today?
Just like yesterday, we parted ways with the Duke at the entrance, and I went with Misha to the contestant waiting room.
It felt quite empty, having gone from 128 people yesterday to 64.
“You’re here?”
Sang-yoon approached, greeting me cheerfully.
Kim Yoon-jeong was beside him, but she didn’t even glance our way.
I guess she's a bit conscious of the fact that we're dueling today.
Of course, Misha on our side also moved away as soon as Sang-yoon approached.
“You’re early.”
“You look exhausted.”
“Stayed out late enjoying the festival.”
“You went to see the festival again after meeting me? You’ve got some stamina.”
“My stamina stat is pretty high.”
He scoffed as if finding it absurd.
“Anyway, your silver tongue is as sharp as ever. Still, aren’t you underestimating our Yoon-jeong a bit too much?”
“Our Yoon-jeong?”
“Wh-what? No, I just mean… since we’re in the same guild…”
The way he blushed and flusteredly stumbled over his words made it seem like there was something going on.
“I’m just kidding.”
“Jeez, I can’t say anything around you. I know you’re good with volition, but you’d better not be too complacent.”
“You too.”
I considered telling him I'd asked Misha for a favor but decided against it.
It might unnecessarily hurt his pride.
If that made him cling on even more tenaciously, it would be a problem.
Misha did say she couldn't help it if that happened.
“I’m not saying this lightly. Yesterday, the Lord gave Yoon-jeong…”
“Alright, stop the chatter and gather over here.”
I hadn't heard the full story yet, but the event staff came in and called the contestants together.
“I don’t know the details, but I heard he lent Yoon-jeong some incredible item since she’s your opponent today, so be careful.”
An incredible item?
Did he lend her a legendary item or something?
Then again, he did propose a deal to Almondeu to throw the match…
I shouldn't be too careless.
“I will now announce the new rule that will apply to the round of 32.”
A new rule?
“In the round of 32, if a duel exceeds twenty minutes, it will be stopped and decided by a judgment. The judgment will be made by the Captain of the Royal Guard and the Captain of the Imperial Mages, and no objections from the contestants will be accepted.”
Oh, they must have added this rule because duels can get longer as the skill level increases.
“Any questions?”
It seemed everyone understood, as no one raised a hand… or so I thought, until Misha raised hers.
“Will the round of 16 this afternoon follow the same format?”
“The round of 16 has a thirty-minute limit. If there are no other questions, those whose names I call will now follow me.”
He began calling the names of those who would enter from the opposite exit.
I was separated from Sang-yoon again.
This time, we were the ones to move. The waiting room was slightly smaller, but not much different.
It also had a view of the dueling arena in the center.
Even though it was smaller, the number of people had been halved, so it wasn't too inconvenient.
Of course, with their duels coming up, no one was talking.
“The duels will begin in twenty minutes, so the first three contestants should be ready.”
As soon as the staff member left, a familiar man approached me.
“Hyeon-ung, do you have a moment to talk?”
It was Jeon Shin-wook, the Pioneer of the Aurelian Sea of Trees.
I was worried about Ji-seon and was thinking of asking about her anyway, so this was good timing.
“Yes, Shin-wook. Is Ji-seon alright?”
Jeon Shin-wook shook his head, his face grim.
“She’s been imprisoned in the mansion’s dungeon…”
“Im… Imprisoned?”
That psycho Ephelia, seriously.
“Yes. The Lord feels he was greatly humiliated. So…”
He trailed off, so I urged him on, saying we didn't have much time. Jeon Shin-wook hesitated before finally speaking.
“He said… she will be executed immediately upon our return to the Sea of Trees…”