Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Midnight Summer Festival
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In the Broken World, festivals overflow in abundance.
Of course, there’s the Esterro Academy festival, festivals honoring heroes, commemorative festivals for anniversaries, and even sizable villages or cities hold festivals showcasing their local specialties.
Among them, the most famous festivals in the Tekat Kingdom number three.
The Founding Commemoration Festival held in Eset on Foundation Day, the Snowflower Carnival in the southern city of Kailu during winter, and the Midnight Summer Festival in Riverflow during summer.
These are collectively known as the Tekat Three Great Festivals.
And I had already been staying in Riverflow for several days prior.
On top of that, it was the peak of midsummer.
The Riverflow of festival nights displayed a completely different face from daytime.
Lights illuminating the entire city shifted through countless colors.
From the towering church spires and clock towers to the whole of Riverflow, it was as if countless paints had been splashed across it.
Colored papers flying through the air absorbed the lights’ hues and reflected them, making the surroundings even more dazzling.
The stalls opened everywhere were impressively professional.
Even with the festival crowds thronging them, no issues arose at any stall.
Spectators busily enjoyed the festival with drinks or food in hand, while above them, musicians played or dancers stepped lively rhythms.
“The city events are incredible…!”
Even the usually quiet Memphis showed excitement.
Choco, riding not on my shoulder but on Memphis’s, bobbed his body.
Memphis boasted an unrivaled build even amid the crowds, so his shoulder apparently offered a fine view.
“You’ll be even more surprised later. There’ll be fireworks and a parade.”
“Fireworks and a parade… That’s unimaginable in Sterap.”
“Do they have festivals there too?”
“About twice a year. No parades or even stalls, though.”
“Then what do they do…?”
“Crafting. Everyone pours their all into making a piece during a set period and competes. They don’t take other orders during that time. Everyone’s on edge.”
Is that really a festival?
It seems different from my definition of one.
“City folk really love extravagance.”
“That doesn’t seem like something for you to say, Mr. Memphis.”
“I don’t particularly like flashy things. I think substance matters more than appearances.”
Memphis tilted the corners of his eyes as if wronged.
His ox-like, honest brown eyes stirred an odd guilt…
But Memphis’s famous gear had to look extravagant on the outside.
He’d engrave dragons on sword hilts, shape armor pauldrons as roaring lions, and the pinnacle was a treasured sword meticulously patterned from blade to guard and finished with jewels.
No wonder it was the most popular at art auctions.
“You’ll see later.”
I shrugged.
From Memphis’s shoulder, where he still looked aggrieved, Choco pointed at something.
Looking over, it was a ring toss stall.
“Wanna do that one?”
Nod, nod.
Choco really loves games.
He played dice games at the academy festival too.
Pushing through the crowd, we approached the stall.
Paying the entry fee got us ten rings.
The setup rewarded prizes based on how many rings you looped onto the long pole.
Looks like a teddy bear for merchants if you get all ten.
Choco, liking the doll his size, grabbed rings in both paws.
“Ooh…!”
What followed was truly mystical.
Choco tossed the rings using his whole body’s spring.
His form was odd, but every ring landed perfectly on the pole without fail.
Naturally, spectators gathered.
Soon, only the last ring remained.
Choco eyed it tensely and tossed it carefully.
The ring veered slightly upward.
A tiny margin, but it just grazed the pole’s tip.
“Aah…!”
It won’t go in.
The crowd sighed, thinking so.
But miraculously, the ring’s back end caught the pole.
Clang—the bounced ring lost its path.
As it threatened to slide back in midair, gravity pulled it down first.
Resulting in a perfect landing on the pole.
Ten for ten. All hole-in-ones.
Mission accomplished, Choco stretched his paws high.
“What a talented raccoon you are. Here’s your prize.”
The stall owner laughed it off and handed over the teddy bear.
More pleased with the bear than being called a raccoon, Choco hugged the doll tight instead of getting mad.
Cheers from the crowd followed.
More than that, no one batted an eye at a raccoon doing ring toss?
“Impressive raccoon. Most can’t even toss the rings.”
“Our Choco’s pretty amazing.”
Choco proudly carried his trophy like a triumphant general and climbed onto my shoulder.
Just as I wondered what next, someone shouted from the crowd.
“We’re holding an arm-wrestling tournament in the square! Accepting participants now—please join us!”
Arm-wrestling, huh.
I’m not keen on joining, but watching might be fun.
As I considered grabbing a snack, Memphis clenched his fists.
“I’ll show you something too.”
Striding through the crowd, Memphis signed up.
No way he’s competing with Choco?
Absurd, but meanwhile, the tournament began.
Eight entrants.
All burly men except one tall, slender woman named Elrigo.
Of course, Memphis was the burliest.
Memphis’s first-round opponent was a bald uncle with a beard instead of hair.
Memphis was bigger, but his gentle face had everyone betting on the bald guy.
And as expected, Memphis casually snapped the bald guy’s arm down for the win.
Everyone panicked at the upset.
I alone chewed butter-grilled squid with Choco and clapped.
Too bad—no betting system, or I could’ve cleaned up.
Next, round two: a barbarian warrior.
“Uwooooh!!”
Roaring to hype the mood, the barbarian took position first.
Everyone foresaw Memphis’s loss this time, but no upset.
Memphis twisted the barbarian’s arm like wringing laundry, effortlessly.
Then the awaited third round—the final.
Opponent: unexpectedly, Elrigo.
A matchup out of left field.
The crowd gripped sweaty hands, fiercely split on the winner.
I just casually cheered Memphis while switching to chicken skewers.
“Ooh…!”
“It’s so even…!”
The match seesawed.
Neither Memphis nor Elrigo budged far from center.
At a glance, it looked effortless, but they were surely locked in deadlock.
“…Aren’t they all way too serious about arm-wrestling?”
At this intensity, people dying in dodgeball or tennis wouldn’t surprise me.
While I couldn’t match the hype, the flimsy table under their match creaked.
Soon, with the table buckling, victory was decided.
“Winner: Memphis!”
He held the top when the table collapsed.
Perhaps due to luck, Memphis shook Elrigo’s hand with a dissatisfied look.
Only then, without the table, could I see Elrigo clearly.
She wore her sword on her right hip.
Meaning left-handed.
“See you again.”
Leaving cryptic words, Elrigo brushed past me.
Up close, she seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
Probably just my imagination.
“Good work.”
I offered the leftover chicken skewer.
Memphis smiled awkwardly and took it.
“Let’s leave before it gets bothersome.”
“Got it.”
Crowds make me uneasy.
Should secure a spot before the parade and fireworks…
“Hey~! Junior!”
Turning at the familiar voice.
Kane approached through the crowd, red hair swaying strikingly, dragging Leon.
“Kane senior, with Leon too.”
“Been ages since a sibling outing. He used to trail after his big sis, but now he’s all distant since he grew up.”
“…Never happened.”
Of course not.
Leon’s personality hasn’t changed since childhood.
“That the one you mentioned?”
Leon glanced at Memphis and asked.
I’d tipped them off over a meal to break the ice.
Nodding, they exchanged simple greetings.
“Nice sword you have.”
“…Thank you.”
“I’d love to examine it closely. Hope I get the chance next time.”
“I’ll visit when I have time.”
Ah, how perfect.
Leave them be, and they’ll bond naturally.
Smiling contentedly, Kane recoiled.
“That face—gives me chills, you know?”
“No idea what you mean. Anyway, looking for a fireworks spot too, senior?”
“Yeah, gotta have a good view! We met by fate—join us?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got a place in mind.”
“Think you know better than a local like me?”
Could be.
I’ve wandered Riverflow plenty.
Well, truthfully, not as much time as Kane or Leon.
“Confident enough—wanna see?”
“Oho, cocky, junior.”
“I’m curious.”
Leon quietly sided with me.
That seals Kane’s response.
“If my brother insists, I’ll tag along. If it sucks, you know? Club prez orders: you clean the clubroom all second semester.”
“You never clean anyway, senior.”
“…It’s prez orders!”
What even is prez?
How is Kane prez?
Anyway, we headed for the fireworks spot.
2
“You sure this is the way?”
“Senior, that’s the ninth time. Ninth time I’ve said yes.”
“Can’t help it if I don’t trust it.”
“I get it… sort of.”
To find the fireworks spot, we left Riverflow.
Crossing the river at night into the woods—hard to trust, naturally.
“Brother, looks like big sis got duped.”
“Unlikely. Had a similar experience—doubted till the end, but it paid off.”
Silently following, Leon fiddled with his holy sword hilt.
Looks like this guy didn’t fully trust me even en route to get the holy sword.
All the hardship I went through to hand it over.
Unfair, so unfair.
Only Choco and Memphis are reliable.
Glancing their way, Memphis whispered to Choco on his shoulder.
“…Is it okay to follow like this? Feels like walking into a trap…”
Scratch that—only Choco.
At that moment, Choco looked at me and shook his head.
Even you, Choco!
Like Caesar stabbed by Brutus.
Ignoring the aggrieved lot, I crossed the woods.
“We’re here.”
Finally, the woods’ heart.
Dark around, but one fact clear.
A colossal tree, easily a millennium old, stood solitary and proud.
“This the spot?”
“Precisely, up there.”
To Kane’s question, I led by climbing the great tree.
Even the lowest branch towered over other trees.
Vison opened wide.
Thick branches, no break worry.
Everyone followed me up.
Shoulders touching, we sat…
Boom! Bang!
Far off, Riverflow’s sky burst in colorful fireworks.
I dazedly traced the scattering light trails.
Close-up fills the view nicely, but stepping back for the panorama suits me more.
“Wow….”
“Beautiful….”
Kane and Memphis exclaimed at the dispersing blooms.
Leon silently watched the fireworks.
Doubting earlier, huh.
Ridiculous, but… given leaving the city mid-festival, distrust makes sense.
Gazing blankly at the fireworks.
Peak summer would slowly near its end.
Heat easing soon, cool winds blowing.
“Vacation’s flying by….”
My wistful sigh blended with the fireworks, melting into the dark.