Festival and Omen, Part 2
People danced in a wide circle beneath a cross-shaped wooden pole. The pole was lush and green, completely covered in leaves, vines, and vibrant flowers. From the top of the cross, ropes hung down like suspension bridges to its arms, supporting a circular floral wreath below. I squinted against the bright sunlight hanging just over the tip of the pole and turned my head away.
"So, why did you say that's called a Maypole?"
I asked Georg, who was sitting cross-legged on the grass beside me. He was grinning with sheer satisfaction, savoring a cup of ale he had somehow managed to smuggle in through sheer determination. Setting his wooden mug down on the grass with a soft thud, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and answered.
"Originally, the custom of raising those poles started south of Evernode... south of the North, that is. They used to raise them during spring flower festivals in May, which is why they call it a Maypole. Though nowadays, Evernode's Midsummer festival is far more famous."
The guy knows everything. I nodded slightly and turned to my left. Marianne, wearing a flower crown instead of her usual nun's habit, felt my gaze and looked back at me. Her silver hair, crowned with blossoms rather than a veil, shimmered under the Midsummer sun.
"...It might be a silly question, but are you sure you don't want to go join the dance?"
"Yes. I prefer to just watch."
Marianne nodded. She glanced briefly at the Holy Sword at my left hip and the flower crown hanging from its hilt, then returned her gaze to the Maypole. I could see Daphne, her pink hair fluttering as she spun in the circle. Beside her, holding her hand, was Karin, dancing along. It was a relief that Daphne was so fond of children. While children might respect Marianne, she didn't seem to have a knack for babysitting, and Georg... well, he had neither the personality nor the patience. We'd be lucky if he didn't make them cry. Still, I hadn't expected Daphne to monopolize Karin so completely that I wouldn't even get a chance to talk to her.
"Did you find the answer to what you asked me before?" Marianne suddenly inquired.
What I had asked her before—she must have been referring to our conversation during the night watch. I couldn't bring myself to nod or shake my head. It felt too premature to say I had figured it out when I had only grasped the faintest thread of a clue.
"I'm not sure. At the very least, I realized it's a sensation that can't quite be put into words."
A single petal drifted past my face. I raised a finger and swung it like a sword toward the petal. It seemed to linger on my fingertip for a brief moment before drifting back up into the sky.
"But the more I learn, the less I feel I understand. It's like an onion. You peel back one layer only to find another, and when you peel that one, you find an even tougher skin underneath."
Both in the Royal Capital and here in Evernode, I had spent my spare time slipping into the archives to pore over swordsmanship manuals. I studied everything from the most basic stances to complex forms and high-level martial theories. Using my authority as the Hero, I had even gained access to some highly renowned and secret sword styles, but none of them had brought a grand epiphany. They had merely served as decent references.
"That's just what it's like to wield a blade, Elroy. And it's not just the sword. Every warrior in this world probably feels the same way."
Georg, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, chimed in.
"Even with weapons that are simple and straightforward to use, like a mace or the morning star I wield, no one can truly boast that they've mastered them perfectly. So how much harder must it be for complex weapons like swords or spears?"
Georg let out a long sigh, thoroughly enjoying his buzz. His words made perfect sense, but hearing them from a guy holding a mug of ale made him sound like some middle-aged uncle giving unsolicited advice. The bizarre sight of the flower crown still perched on his head only added to the effect.
"If you have grasped even that much of a clue, I believe you have already passed the greatest hurdle," Marianne spoke up again. "In the end, that clue will act like a tiny crack in a dam, eventually bringing the entire wall crumbling down."
"I feel like I'd understand if it just became a little clearer. Right now, it feels like I only have one foot over the threshold."
When I knew nothing, it was at least blissfully vague. Now that I could faintly perceive it, the ambiguity was only frustrating.
"It's a phase that almost every swordsman or spearman goes through at least once. Once you overcome it, the world you see when you hold your blade will change entirely."
Georg spoke as if he had personally experienced and conquered that very phase. Well, he was a former knight commander, so his advice was bound to be mostly accurate.
"But why are you looking for a breakthrough now, when you've been fighting perfectly fine all this time?" Georg asked out of curiosity.
I frowned deeply at him.
"Isn't it obvious? Because I'm still not strong enough to defeat the Calamities."
"...True. There's no guarantee we'll be as lucky in the next battle as we were with the Kraken."
Crash! The dancing circle beneath the pole collapsed in a heap. Those who fell laughed as they scrambled out of the way, while the remaining dancers began reforming the circle to spin again. Daphne and Karin were still holding strong in the lineup.
"You've changed, Elroy," Georg said. Realizing his mug was empty, he shook it upside down, clicked his tongue, and set it back down on the grass.
"Your obnoxious personality is still the same, but you've become a bit more... how should I put it?" Georg furrowed his brow. "More human, I suppose."
"You make it sound like I wasn't even human before."
"Who knows? You were always hostile to everyone except Isis, and you barely spoke. I won't ask why you were like that back then. But why the change?"
Even if he asked, how was I supposed to answer? I let my face twist into a sullen pout.
"I don't know. Maybe something shifted when I decided to dismiss those two after defeating the third Calamity. It was just a feeling that things couldn't go on like this."
"...Right. It was a risky move, though. I never in a million years imagined you would kick out all three of your original party members. I certainly didn't expect you to dismiss Nella, who actually seemed to be on your side."
I narrowed my eyes. "It's not like I chose the original party members anyway. They were just pushed onto me through various recommendations and orders. Yourself included."
"True. I figured I'd be purged eventually too, so I'm honestly surprised I'm still standing here."
I shrugged. Why would I kick Georg out? Even in the original novel, after going through so much, he was the steadfast guy who stayed with the Hero's party until the very end.
"You remained neutral until the end. During the conflict between Aryen and me."
"..." Georg nodded silently and flopped backward onto the grass. It looked like he was planning to take a nap.
Meanwhile, beneath the pole, Daphne tripped over her own feet and fell. Karin, who had been holding her hand, tumbled right on top of her. Daphne brushed the grass and dirt off her clothes, did the same for Karin, and then walked over to where we were sitting.
"Whoa, that was so much fun!" Daphne said with a laugh, her hair speckled with stray blades of grass. She looked incredibly innocent. I recalled that when she was in the mercenary group in the original novel, she had never been this bright. This was probably her true personality.
"You looked like you were having a blast."
"Except for the part where spinning so much made me dizzy. Do I look like I'm acting too childish for my age?"
I let out a dry chuckle and looked at her. "How old even are you to be saying that?"
"Twenty-three. Come to think of it, I still don't know how old everyone in our party is."
Georg rolled his head over to look at Daphne and me. "I'm thirty-three. Right in my prime."
"You look older."
"Why, you little..."
I turned away from a scowling Georg and looked at Marianne.
"I am... twenty-two."
Twenty-two. She was younger than I thought. I had assumed she was older than Daphne, but she was actually a year younger. It wasn't that she looked old like Georg, but her mature aura... Well, thinking things like that would be rude.
The Holy Sword spoke to me. I had to suppress a sudden, overwhelming urge to ask how old she was.
She spoke in a voice that was half-dejected and half-pouting. ...Just because you try not to think about something doesn't mean you can succeed. It's like being told not to think of a pink elephant; you can't help but picture it. My bad, Holy Sword.
Just then, Daphne tilted her head slightly and looked at me. "What about you, Elroy?"
My age? Wait, I didn't actually know. In the original novel, Isis was twenty, and Aryen was twenty-nine. What should I do? I really had no idea. The original story barely mentioned anything about Elroy's background.
Beside me, Georg was also staring at me with curiosity. Wait, you don't know either?
"Twenty-seven," I blurted out, guessing based on what I had seen in the mirror. Was that right? He definitely didn't look over thirty, but he also looked a bit too mature to be in his early twenties.
"Twenty-seven... I see." Daphne nodded, then wobbled slightly as she sat down between Georg and me, pulling Karin down with her.
I reached over to brush away the blades of grass stuck in Karin's hair as she grinned happily. She closed her eyes and waited quietly for me to finish, but then, as if suddenly snapping out of it, her eyes flew open and she gasped. She quickly dodged my hand and began vigorously shaking her head to clear the grass herself.
Oof. Did she dislike my touch that much?
"...She probably wants to look mature," Daphne whispered softly.
I raised an eyebrow at Daphne. She offered a gentle smile and stroked Karin's head.
"You're good with kids."
"I used to look after a lot of children in the village I lived in before coming to the Royal Capital. I had younger siblings, and since I was the oldest among the village kids, they all followed me around like I was their leader."
As she spoke, Daphne plucked a stray leaf that Karin had missed from one of her pigtails. Having tidied herself up, Karin quickly shook off her dizziness with the resilience of a child and sat up straight.
"You can lie down a bit longer if you want," I said.
Karin shook her head. "An Iron-Blooded Princess must overcome minor dizziness in an instant."
Her expression as she spoke was remarkably resolute for a nine-year-old. I lowered my head to meet her gaze.
"Why do you want to be an Iron-Blooded Princess so badly?"
"Because the Iron-Blooded are strong," Karin said, pouting slightly.
I offered a wry smile and nodded. "And why do you want to be strong?"
"...I want to get strong so I can help my brother and father, just like you do, Hero. But Father is already so strong, he probably doesn't need my help." Karin lowered her head. "I wish I could be like you, Hero."
"It's okay if you're not strong yet," I said, gently stroking her dark hair. "You just need to become strong by the time they do need your help. There's no need to rush, Karin. And the most important thing for the Iron-Blooded is..." I tapped my chest. Karin followed my lead, placing her small hand over her own heart. "Right here."
"The heart?"
"Yes. The heart. As long as your heart is strong, you can achieve anything."
Iron-Blooded. I didn't want to tease her about it. Ultimately, the words I chose to tell her now would shape how she grew up. Laughing at a child's dream was something I refused to do.
Karin nodded blankly, and I smiled, giving her head another gentle pat. Bright laughter continued to echo around us, and the sun of the longest day of summer wrapped everyone in its warm, gentle embrace.
Suddenly, drowsiness washed over me. Georg was already fast asleep, and Marianne lay beside him with her eyes closed. Daphne was rubbing her eyes, looking equally exhausted. Karin had already curled up next to Daphne. Maybe I should take a quick nap too. I was brushing my hand against the grass, looking for a comfortable spot to lie down, when—
Thud.
The change came without warning. Instantly wide awake, I bolted upright and whipped my head toward the outer walls of Evernode.
"Elroy?" Daphne's voice called out.
And then, rumble, rumble, rumble. The ground began to vibrate with a faint tremor. The festival-goers, caught off guard, began looking around in confusion.
"Is it an earthquake?"
"The ground is shaking all of a sudden..."
The Holy Sword's voice echoed in my mind. My senses flared. Even without her warning, I could feel it. Beyond the mountain range, past the deepest valleys, in the dead center of the most desolate land on earth—something had begun to move.