Epiphany Festival
Today marked the start of the Festival of Descent, held in honor of the god Edel’s descent into the world.
The streets of the Sedes Holy Kingdom were overflowing with excitement.
“Mom, I want that one!”
“That one? Hmm… all right. But only for today, okay?”
“Yeah! Mom, you’re the best!”
“Oh, so I’m only the best at times like this, huh?”
“Hehe.”
At her child’s pleading, the mother, who would normally glare and scold, smiled helplessly and opened her wallet.
“Ah—! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“It’s fine. Clothes can be washed, can’t they? It was careless of me too, so let’s just let it go.”
Even when they bumped into a passerby carrying a drink and ruined each other’s clothes, the person simply let it slide generously, in keeping with the Edel Church’s teaching that mercy was a virtue.
“Honey, look at this. …What do you think?”
“…”
“What’s wrong…? Is it not good?”
“No. It was so beautiful I lost my mind for a second.”
“Oh, stop it, you’re making me blush~…”
“Ma’am, if you’re not buying it, could you please move along?”
Of course, among all those bustling people, there were still a few ruffians committing atrocious acts.
But even those atrocious acts only looked charming to people who were drunk on the festive mood.
It was such a peaceful sight that one couldn’t help but think that if every day were like today, the world might never have known conflict.
No matter what happened, it seemed impossible to shatter the smiles and cheerful atmosphere on people’s faces.
“…”
“…”
“…”
That was, until a girl and a woman appeared on the street.
They didn’t look rough, nor did they act threateningly.
In fact, they were so striking that passersby kept staring at them, dumbfounded.
First came the woman with shoulder-length black hair.
With slightly upturned eyes, a tall, slender frame, and a lean figure, she carried herself with such an alluring air that men’s gazes clung to her like magnets.
Natural beauty and hard-won refinement.
Very few people could have looked at that combination and felt nothing.
But the moment they saw the girl walking beside her, matching her step for step, the woman’s beauty vanished entirely from everyone’s mind.
How could a child be so lovely?
Her round little face and the delicate features packed neatly within it were so perfectly adorable that even if someone had tried to design her that way, it would have seemed impossible, making people itch to pinch her cheeks.
Every time her pink eyes blinked, she radiated a cuteness that made men and women alike clutch their chests.
If there was one flaw, it was that her expression didn’t match her cute face; she wore a rather stoic look. Yet that very expression only made her seem more mysterious.
She was the sort of girl who made people want to scoop her up and protect her.
She looked cute now, but if she grew up a little more, she was certain to become the most beautiful woman in the country—no, on the continent.
And yet, for all her sweetness…
“Are those two fighting?”
“If that little girl were my sister, I’d let her win all the time. Just let her win already.”
“Aren’t they sisters by blood? Well, if she were the older sister, she wouldn’t be acting like that, right?”
Because of the faintly vicious atmosphere hanging between them, people couldn’t bring themselves to approach and could only watch from afar, averting their eyes whenever the girl’s gaze swept over them under some inexplicable pressure.
Wherever the two walked, the crowd split along their path, opening a clear space before them.
The two of them parted the sea of people like a miracle.
After wandering like that for quite some time, the woman with shoulder-length hair, Journey, grabbed her head and shouted,
“This is not the kind of festival I wanted!”
“You startled me!”
“Tsk tsk! No wonder you fought with your little sister.”
Journey had somehow become the bad older sister who fought with her little sister, and she was about ready to go mad from the injustice of it all.
She didn’t even know why Kana was sulking in the first place, and if this kept up, they’d be facing a crisis where they might really end up separated. Yet the people around them were clicking their tongues and pointing fingers at her.
But she couldn’t exactly wander around saying to total strangers, “Haha, no, it’s not like that. You’ve got the wrong idea.” So she had no choice but to swallow her frustration alone.
Rather than trying to explain herself to random passersby, Journey devoted that energy to talking to Kana instead.
“Is there anything you want to eat? I heard from the nuns that during the festival there are tons of delicious things you don’t usually get to see. Even if you don’t want food, there are all kinds of interesting things too, so if you want something, just say the word!”
I’ve got money, you know!
…Of course, it was money she’d made by selling the corpses of the ogres Kana had captured, so in a way it was Kana’s money anyway.
Kana had dumped the matter onto Journey because it was a pain to carry around and had said she didn’t need the money, which had left Journey with a surprisingly large sum. And since she’d felt guilty about it ever since, spending it on something like this didn’t bother her at all.
And even if that hadn’t been the case, it still wouldn’t have felt wasteful.
“No.”
“Hmm, nothing comes to mind? Then how about chocolate, the kind you like, Kana?”
“No.”
“…Then meat? Meat, maybe? I saw an ork meat skewer on the street we passed earlier. There was even a line, so maybe it’s a famous spot?”
“I’m not eating it.”
But no matter what Journey said, Kana only answered in one word.
As if to say, Since you’ve gone this far, I’ll come along, but don’t get any unnecessary ideas.
Hoo—
Journey let out a small sigh so Kana wouldn’t hear.
This isn’t easy.
It was true that she didn’t want to part ways with Kana like this.
Was there anything sadder than being separated all of a sudden, without even knowing the reason?
But that wasn’t the only reason she was clinging to Kana right now.
“All right! Then let’s just wander around for now. If we roam aimlessly long enough, we might come across something interesting.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Journey called out brightly and took Kana’s tiny hand in hers.
Thankfully, this time no sword came flying out of nowhere.
Without letting go of Journey’s hand, Kana followed her in silence.
…
Journey stared at her for a moment, then shook her head vigorously.
Unwanted partings always came with regret and lingering disappointment.
Even if they ended up parting ways after failing to persuade her, she wanted to enjoy this moment as much as possible so there would be as little regret as she could manage.
With a sigh, Journey wiped the sadness from her face and forced herself to look lively as she wandered the street.
* * *
What on earth am I doing?
Led by Journey’s hand, I moved through the streets of the holy kingdom while thinking that.
Honestly, I didn’t want to accept Journey’s words.
She said she hadn’t made plans because she wanted to enjoy the festival with me.
I couldn’t be sure, but it probably wasn’t a lie.
But what did that have to do with me?
We lived in different worlds, after all.
To them, I—and everyone else—was just an NPC inside a game.
If this was a relationship that could only ever run on parallel tracks, then cutting it off here would be better not just for me, but for her too.
…
And yet, why had I?
The moment I was about to refuse, I’d caught sight of the long scar on Journey’s cheek and, before I knew it, accepted her invitation.
According to Edel, it wasn’t even a real wound.
I kept turning that contradiction over in my head, unable to find an answer, until eventually I came up with one.
…Because this is the last time.
No matter how I looked at it, I was the one cutting ties unilaterally without even giving a proper reason, so I ought to show at least this much consideration.
That was why I agreed.
…That had to be it.
Even after deciding that, my heart still felt heavy, as though a huge stone were pressing down on it.
While I drifted through the depths of some dark inner sea, Journey kept darting busily through the streets.
Sometimes she would peer into stalls selling sweet snacks, and other times she’d stop to look at places selling monster meat.
This time, she was peeking at a flower vendor.
“Wow, I didn’t know there were flowers like this.”
“It only blooms in the Great Forest. It flowers just during this season, so people also call it Edel’s Footsteps.”
“Edel’s Footsteps… what a romantic name. Can you tell me the flower’s meaning?”
“Expectations for a new meeting, and longing for the one who’s gone. Here—take it.”
“Huh? You’re just giving it to me? Is that… really okay?”
“I’m giving it to you because your little sister is cute, so don’t refuse.”
The merchant, who had been talking to Journey, glanced over here and lowered his voice.
“Just make up well with your sister, all right? When it comes to calming a child your age, it’s usually better to bend first, even if you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Ah, ahaha… Thank you for the advice.”
When her conversation with the merchant ended, Journey straightened from her bow.
“Take care!”
“Thank you! I’ll definitely buy something next time!”
After that, we—more accurately, Journey—continued our tour of the festival.
Every time she saw something small, she’d trot over to ask me about it, then return looking a little disappointed.
As this repeated over and over, the sun, which had been sinking in the sky, quietly disappeared from sight.
By nightfall, the street that would normally have been lit only by occasional windows had been transformed into a blaze of light.
Journey stopped at the edge of the street, avoiding the passing crowd.
“Thanks, Kana. I had fun because of you.”
“...Yeah.”
Was it really fun to drag around a block of wood that gave no reaction at all?
I narrowed my eyes and studied her face, but I couldn’t find even a hint of deception.
We stood for a moment, leaning on the streetlights and looking at each other.
As when I first met an Apostle, Edel’s power cloaked Journey, making it impossible to properly sense her presence or even see her face.
If I strained, I could make her out somehow.
For a while after meeting Journey, I hadn’t made the slightest effort to look at her face.
But at some point, I found myself doing it.
The catlike beauty was looking back at me with an unreadable expression.
She probably could see me without having to go to all this trouble, unlike me.
Even in such a trivial moment—just meeting someone’s eyes—I could feel the difference between us.
“Kana, did you enjoy being with me?”
“...Yeah.”
“...I see. Then I’m glad.”
Journey wore a faint smile.
“There’s somewhere I want to go. Will you keep me company until the very end?”
I nodded without saying anything.
I’d already kept her company this long. One more time wouldn’t hurt.
Journey released my hand at last and started toward somewhere.
We walked and walked, until she finally left the street behind and, without warning, began climbing a hill under the moonlight.
It was only a low hill, so we reached the summit quickly and were greeted by a wide, open view.
So this was the place she wanted to show me.
“Here?”
“Yeah. I heard from Celine that the view of the Festival of Descent from up here is supposed to be gorgeous.”
“…”
She was right. Even though it was only a low hill, it stood higher than the surrounding area, and from the top the whole broad street could be seen at a glance.
It was night, with black darkness settled over everything, but the street was alive with as much energy as it had been in daylight.
As if on cue, we both fell silent and looked down at the city.
When the hush had filled the entire world around us,
“Hey?”
Journey spoke.
“When I was little, I couldn’t even imagine climbing a hill like this. Because I was so sick. The doctor… the priest said he couldn’t even promise I’d live. I was that bad.”
