The Summer Festival and Sunflower Seeds
"A colleague?" The elf in front of me asked, as if she’d just heard the most absurd thing in her life. She chewed on the word—"Colleague… a colleague, you say?"—and then, as if something had clicked, she leaned down to bring her face close to mine. "Are you… by any chance, a slave?"
"Yes…." I mumbled, feeling too embarrassed to speak clearly. Honestly, who would think they could say, "I am the Master's loyal slave," with a straight face? It was hard enough to just say "Yes" when asked if I was a slave.
"Oh, you poor little thing…." The elf clicked her tongue. "Come this way. If you try to go in that way, you’ll be crushed to death by the crowd."
"Crushed to death…?"
"It’s just a figure of speech." With that, the elf walked toward an alleyway running alongside the building. The alley was narrow and dark, devoid of light. The evening glow, painting the sky in deep, bruised reds, made the place look quite ominous. After walking a short distance, we reached a side door leading into the shop. Two armed men were guarding it—one was a tiger beastkin, and the other belonged to a race I didn't recognize. An orc? Or maybe an ogre? Regardless, their muscular physiques were impressive.
Since I mostly wandered around the shopping and residential districts, I didn't often encounter races with such massive builds, making it hard to tell them apart. Adventurers usually hung around the guild districts or pleasure quarters when they weren't sleeping, so they weren't the groups I typically saw. Besides, even if I did see them, it’s not like they’d randomly shout, "I’m an ogre!" or "I’m an orc!" on the street. I never had the chance to learn how to distinguish them. Since they weren't races connected to magic, Meredith hadn't told me anything about them either. Still, even though I didn't know the species, I got a good feeling from that giant. Or was it… a sense of nostalgia? It was a strange sensation. His fangs were long and protruding, hardly a friendly look, yet…
The two guards bowed deeply the moment they saw the elf, treating her with the utmost respect.
"Anything unusual?"
"No, Madam. Everything is clear." The tiger said. Why were female beastkin *kemomimi* (human-like with animal traits), while the males were just walking beasts? The squirrel soul inside me was screaming at me to run away from the predator. There was a reason beastkin couldn't use spells. They weren't people; they were just wild beasts.
"Hey, you’re scaring the child."
"My apologies. I will correct it." He then covered his face with the shield he was holding. What is this situation? Am I supposed to laugh?
"Is she a new recruit?" The giant asked in a low, rumbling voice.
"She’s a guest. Get back to work."
"Yes, Madam." Their voices overlapped, small but powerful.
"Come along, dear." The elf said with a faint smile. What is this place? It’s scary. I want to leave.
Contrary to my expectations, the inside of the shop was quite ordinary. I didn't expect it to lead to another world or anything, but honestly, when a place is guarded by such hulking brutes, you can't help but imagine something more. It was a place that perfectly fit the description of "backstage." Dancers were gathered in small groups chatting, some were slumped in chairs with their heads thrown back, and others had pushed chairs together to fall fast asleep. However, the moment they saw the elf walking by, they all flocked to her as if by agreement, offering polite greetings.
Once I got caught up in that, our pace slowed down. People without any marks followed us around, chatting familiarly with the elf. The main topic was, "Is she a new hire?" So, those without marks weren't from other shops, but belonged here. That made sense. Thinking about it, everyone without a mark had pointed ears. I couldn't tell how much human blood they had, but everyone chatting familiarly with Madam was an elf.
After carefully weaving through the crowd, I finally saw the face I wanted to see. It was Flora. She came running, pushing through the people, and shouted, "Madam!" She then tucked herself right into the elf's arms. The elf patted Flora's back a few times, as if she were used to it, and gestured toward me. "Flora, your guest is here."
Flora’s face turned bright red in an instant. The surrounding elves couldn't hide their laughter at the sight. Her face grew even redder. It was a radiant look, fitting for her name. We entered the center of the shop and went up to the third floor, where there were small rooms. They were apparently reserved for people who had talents other than dancing and singing. Aside from that, they were used as general reception rooms or places for guests to have private conversations. Indeed, the noise from the first floor felt like it was far away. It wasn't completely silent, but it was just right for a private chat. Important stories are meant to be told in noisy places, after all.
Flora, Madam, and I sat around a circular table. Why? Well, she said she wanted to listen, and since it wasn't a secret, I didn't stop her. Flora seemed incredibly embarrassed. The atmosphere felt like parents watching their child play with a friend. I decided to leave it be. It wasn't like we were doing anything wrong.
Perhaps embarrassed by having thrown herself into Madam's arms, Flora babbled a bit, but in short, she was a "middle-generation" person. A middle-generation race? As a half-elf, she lived longer than a human, but shorter than an elf. Because of that, the elf-blooded people here just saw Flora as a big kid. Conversely, having grown up among humans, she felt embarrassed if she didn't act her age in front of short-lived races. At first, her ego—which thought of herself as an old woman—had resisted, but now it seemed she had completely "fallen" into being a baby. So, she had instinctively hugged the elder of the house like a child, only to realize there was a real child standing right next to her! Even I would be embarrassed if I were her.
"So, Hazel, did you miss me?"
"I wanted to see you, and there was something I wanted to ask."
"Oh?"
I explained the situation in detail. I have a magic teacher who is leaving soon. Before she goes, is there anything I can do to make some final memories with her? That was the gist of it.
"Hmm… she’s leaving before autumn?"
"Yes."
"Then it doesn't align with the harvest festival…"
While Flora was deep in thought, Madam chimed in. "Why don't you try going to Cresville?"
"Ah, Madam, I was going to say that first!" Flora whined lightly. She was acting like a total child. She really had fallen for it…
"Cresville?"
"When the first crescent moon rises toward the end of summer, they hold a festival to send off summer and welcome autumn. There are only a few days left. The moon has long been a sacred celestial body to mages, so it should have its own significance." Madam sipped her tea after saying that.
"I see. That’s very helpful."
"How sensible of you. Is the tea to your liking?"
"Yes, the aroma is lovely." In truth, it wasn't. I didn't mind fermented, savory, or bitter tastes, but I wasn't fond of tea with a strong, lingering scent. It felt like I was drinking hot soapy water.
"You’re not very good at lying." Madam chuckled and offered me a small bowl she had placed beside her. When I opened it, it was filled with small seeds. Dark stripes on a light background—sunflower seeds.
Come to think of it, I had never eaten seeds or nuts on their own. I had only heard promises that they would be bought for me. Had they forgotten the promise to buy me hazelnuts? The moment I reached for a sunflower seed, I realized: Ah, this is definitely going to be delicious.
I bit the seed with my front teeth and twisted it with a flick of my wrist. With a small *crack*, the shell split open. A nutty aroma wafted out immediately. When I bit into the kernel, a rich, oily, nutty flavor exploded in my mouth. My eyes widened. What do I do? Am I allowed to eat something like this? I looked back and forth between Madam and Flora, feeling restless. Madam gestured with her palm, telling me to go ahead and eat.
The well-chewed sunflower seed slid down my throat. Crumbs and a lingering fragrance remained in my mouth. As I chewed, the scent seemed to change, different from the first bite. Only then did I snap back to reality and thank Madam.
"Thank you. It’s delicious."
"You can eat as much as you like." I finished the whole bowl right there.
"What a cute child. If I had visited that slave trader myself, I would have brought you along too. Does your master treat you well?"
"Yes."
"I see…." Madam stared into the distance, as if lost in thought. Flora whispered in my ear, "Actually, Madam was a slave once, too."
"Is it okay to tell me that?"
"Everyone who needs to know, knows. 'Woman's Smile' is a shop Madam built herself, after all." Flora smiled softly as she said that.
After a while, Madam spoke again. "The beginning of a relationship may have been as a slave, but in the end, it’s between people. Sincerity always finds a way." Madam said this while stroking the ring on her left ring finger. To the eyes of a short-lived race, she looked eternally young, but a seasoned, worldly atmosphere clung to her.
Even though I had eaten my fill, I was given another bag of seeds on my way out. I was told to come back and get more whenever I finished them. Could the world be any more beautiful? I was momentarily distracted, but I had clearly achieved my goal. A festival in Cresville. I should suggest it to them. It would surely make for a good memory. My tail swayed gently in the cool breeze.