Chapter 437
Chapter 437
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 437
Chapter Title: Merry Christmas (9)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even a boring experience can become an unforgettable, special memory depending on who you're sharing it with.
Watching a play that turned out less entertaining than expected was still a unique thrill when done alongside Sharon.
The two left Lenormand Town and entered the square in Tarot Town.
The Harvest Festival reached its peak once the sun went down.
As the long twilight shadows finally vanished beneath the spires, a massive chorus of song rose up, and flames burst to life in the bonfire at the center of the square.
Musicians played oboes, lutes, bagpipes, and all sorts of instruments, hopping about like rabbits in their excitement as they performed lively tunes. Men clutching tankards followed behind with hearty laughter.
Older women lined up under the tents with food they'd prepared at home, while blooming maidens—barley stalks tucked behind their ears—turned away the young men's advances with coy expressions.
Street vendors hawked their wares from trays overflowing with flowers and trinkets, targeting loosened purses amid the festive revelry. Couples linked arms and spun in circles around the towering flames reaching for the sky.
It was a festival where not a single face twisted in displeasure—everyone simply reveled in the joy, shining bright enough to outdo the stars in the night sky.
"Dit tan da ra dit tan."
Sharon looked absolutely thrilled at first glance.
She'd been unable to contain her bubbling excitement for a while now, bouncing on her heels with every step. She sang along to the catchy music, hooked her arm through Si-woo's, and twirled him around.
"You're loving this, huh?"
"Yeah! It's been ten years since the last Harvest Festival!"
Sharon, born and raised in Gehenna, had nothing but fond memories of the event.
She'd been too buried in massive debts before to spare any thought for festivals, but now—to enjoy it so carefree, and with her boyfriend Si-woo no less—felt unbelievably good.
"Si-woo, wanna try some of that?"
"What?"
"Vin Mariani."
And then there was one thing that really heated up the festivities...
Vin Mariani—Gehenna's very own Red Bull.
The recipe was simple enough. Steep coca leaves lightly in well-aged wine, and done.
Unlike cocaine, which extracted only the narcotic components from the leaves, brewing them raw like this stripped away nearly all the addictive qualities. What remained was an excellent pick-me-up with nourishing effects and a mild euphoric buzz.
Taverns in Tarot Town even sold it legally on holidays.
"Sure, I wanna give it a shot!"
They were coca leaves, after all...
That thought crossed his mind, but if Sharon wanted it that badly, there was no real reason to refuse.
With his autonomic defense in place, his astral body was essentially immune to drug addiction anyway. And Gehenna's Vin Mariani wasn't highly addictive to begin with.
Just a little deviation for the sake of a unique experience.
"Cheers!"
He handed over a few silver coins, bought a bottle each, and they clinked them together in a love shot.
Sweet grape aroma filled the air as the wine went down smooth and easy.
The effects? Honestly, barely any.
Just a pleasant buzz and a bit more pep, that was it.
No surprise there. Gehenna's city hall kept a tight lid on narcotics; they wouldn't let anything truly dangerous circulate.
"Not much to it, huh?"
"Nope."
They exchanged silly grins before melting seamlessly into the festival.
They browsed bronze trinkets and glass crafts at stalls, split spicy ginger cookies sold by street vendors.
The boisterous energy of the crowd turned into vitality surging through their veins.
Weaving through the packed throng from stall to stall, a girl who looked no older than twelve suddenly called out to Si-woo.
"Mister! Handsome mister!"
The place was so noisy and the term so unfamiliar that neither realized at first she meant him.
Only when she tugged insistently at his sleeve did it click. Sharon, her cheeks flushed from the drinks, burst into giggles at the minor mishap.
"Si-woo, when did you become a 'mister'?"
"Don't tease. What is it?"
Si-woo crouched to her eye level with a wry smile.
The girl, her freckled cheeks overflowing with bold mischief, proudly showed off the flowers in her hand as she spoke.
She'd spotted Sharon as a witch at a glance, yet showed no fear whatsoever.
This kid wasn't your average brat.
"See? I've got the perfect flower for the lady witch! They say it takes courage to win a beauty's heart! Gift it to her right now!"
"Sounds good. Mind if I buy one?"
"Whoa! Pretty! Ahem, pick a nice flower there, tough guy."
The girl's enthusiasm fed off their warm vibe, and she ramped up her sales pitch.
Guess I'd better buy one.
Everyone else had flowers or barley stalks tucked into their hair or behind their ears. It'd suit Sharon perfectly.
"Alright, how much for a rose?"
Si-woo smiled as he fished out his wallet.
The Jemernai funds had dried up, but he still had some cash left from hostess club tips.
"The true value of a gift lies not in the gift itself, but in the size of the heart behind it."
"Huh?"
"This is just an ordinary flower, but on a special day like today, offering it to a beautiful witch—that's what matters."
She's getting long-winded...
Sharon, grinning wide with her white teeth on display, watched the haggling—or more like the hard sell—with keen interest.
"In your eyes, mister, how much value does this flower hold when it adorns the lady witch's hair so prettily?"
In other words: pay whatever matches how much you want to gift it, factoring in the sentiment.
Si-woo just blinked, so she sighed dramatically.
"Wouldn't 2.5 pennies per stem express at least half that burning affection?"
Gehenna prices were tricky, but a single rose for 10,000 won? Highway robbery.
Still, she was cute, and it was a festival—might as well buy out her remaining roses.
Once she sold them all, the kid could go play.
"Fine, I'll take 'em all. Keep the change."
"Yes! What a gentleman! I'll trim the stems right now! I'm the best in the village at making flowers look pretty!"
In the end, Si-woo shelled out a ridiculous sum for four roses.
The beaming girl chattered nonstop about picking only the biggest, ripest blooms, how everyone in town clamored to buy from her—unasked trivia galore.
"Thank you so much! Have a beautiful romance!"
The moment she scampered off, Sharon unleashed the laughter she'd been holding back.
Si-woo knew he'd played the sucker out of fondness for the kid, but his initial bewilderment had stuck with her too vividly.
"Haha... haha... What do I do... Laughing so hard tears are coming... What do I do..."
She draped herself over him like a leaning post, shaking with sobs of mirth.
"It's been ages since I felt this chill of pure joy... Tarot Town really is something else..."
"You did good, though. Sharing makes the world go 'round, and that kid's sharp as a tack. Good on our dashing gentleman, Mr. Shin Si-woo."
It wasn't a huge sum for Si-woo, but it meant that kid's family could enjoy their meal even more warmly.
2.
As midnight drew near and the night deepened, the festival only grew more lively.
Two men got hauled off after brawling over a village maiden, but folks took it in stride as part of the fun.
The grand finale of the Harvest Festival? The massive fireworks display at midnight, of course.
A blend of magic and gunpowder created dreamlike fireworks unlike anything in the mortal world. Even as a slave, Si-woo had stared at them in a daze.
The square was packed solid, not a foothold left.
People climbed rooftops to escape the crush or lounged on terraces overlooking the plaza.
The bonfire's licking flames were buried in sand, lanterns covering streets and stalls hooded.
Gazing up at the reclaimed starry sky, the crowd buzzed in hushed anticipation.
"Feels just like a theater right before the movie starts."
Sharon nailed it.
Everyone stared skyward at that exact moment.
-Piiiing!
A shrill whistle sliced the night as a shooting star of sparks streaked across the heavens, splitting the sky longwise.
Prismatic fireworks unfurled left and right like parting curtains, heralding the festival's climax.
"Whoa... Still a sight to behold, even on repeat."
Unlike ordinary fireworks, these didn't just bloom and fade.
Magically controlled with precision, they twisted into intricate shapes.
-Boom! Boom! Boom!
Snowflakes, massive whales for bountiful harvests, barley stalks, even verdant fields at times.
In a world lit bright as day, couples who'd found their match turned to face each other as if by prior agreement.
"You know what?"
Snapping to, Si-woo realized Sharon was gazing right at him.
"They say lovers who kiss under Harvest Festival fireworks will be together forever."
Amid the riot of colors scattering like spilled stars, Sharon pulled Si-woo's neck close.
A kiss.
Pressing lips together, mingling saliva—the act of affirming each other as the most precious being in existence.
Was it the stunning backdrop?
His heart raced like it was their first kiss.
Sharon felt it too, clutching his sleeve tight, her long lashes quivering.
Sweet breath.
Fading crackles of sparks.
A good, clean scent.
Faint whiff of wine.
Time that felt eternal yet instantaneous slipped by, and they parted lips gently.
Like true feelings leaking from a hole in his heart, the words slipped out unbidden.
"Sharon, I love you."
Hearing that, Sharon beamed wide once more.
"Not fair—I was gonna say it first."
Hand in hand, they looked back to the sky.
Was it okay to be this happy? A moment he'd never forget, even at death's door, amid the blaze of fiery blossoms.
Then.
Rain.
Fell.
It started with a drop or two, then spread to blanket the thousands in the crowd and all of Tarot Town in a hazy veil.
The fireworks neared their end amid rising clamor from the people.
But no one grumbled at the sudden rain—they were too immersed, ready to chalk the commotion up as another fond memory.
Yet Si-woo felt a sinking dread in his chest.
An inexplicable anxiety that squeezed his heart.
Something was off now.
This level of drizzle should've turned to snowflakes and dispersed immediately.
At worst, sleet.
But this rain...
"Huh?"
A faint ripple of mana pierced the magical arrays controlling the fireworks.
An anomaly unseen in normal festivals—Sharon noticed it too.
"Si-woo..."
Si-woo pulled off his eyepatch and looked up. A clear magical structure came into view.
And that mana pattern was all too familiar to him.
Because...
"Amelia..."
It matched Amelia's autonomic magic pattern perfectly.
The moment her name left his lips.
Tarot Town was swept away in a torrent of cascading particles, like falling stars.