Bidding Farewell to Summer
The sun had vanished beyond the horizon, yet its lingering glow still stained the sky. Though the darkness had not yet fully claimed the heavens, the impatient stars were already beginning to flaunt their brilliance. Leading this restless celestial host was the moon—a slender crescent, shyly hanging in the western sky, scattering its soft, silvery light. The festival had truly begun.
Though night had descended upon the world, Cresville refused to lose its luster. Every major thoroughfare was lined with torches, and the villagers themselves carried lanterns or torches in their hands. If one wished to conserve oil, they simply extinguished their light, only to reignite it from a nearby torch whenever they approached a darker path. With so many point-sources of light bobbing through the streets, it felt as if the night sky had descended to earth. To the east of Cresville, the vast expanse of wheat fields seemed to merge with the star-studded heavens, creating the illusion of standing at the center of a boundless universe.
The night view was spectacular, but the food was even better. Shops along the road had thrown their doors wide open, bustling with late-night trade. Some were not even shops, but private homes, their owners clearly looking to make a tidy profit during the festival. We wandered about, buying enough buttered black bread, bits of cheese, and dried apricots and berries to fill our bags. Then, each of us grabbed a skewer of freshwater fish and began to roam the village.
"This tastes better than the one we had last time..." Meredith murmured after taking a bite of her skewer.
Was it really that good? Curious, I took a hurried bite, but it just tasted like plain, savory fish. It wasn't bad, but was it really worth such praise? Perhaps she had just stumbled upon a particularly good stall.
There wasn't as much to see as I had expected. It was a dark night without electricity, and the village was primarily agricultural. Still, the sight of the village lit up so brightly gave it an exotic charm that I enjoyed. Besides, the people by my side were good company. Just wandering around with them was enough to make me happy.
How much time had passed? Suddenly, the sound of a bell rang out from the tallest three-story building in the center of the village. As if by silent agreement, the crowd began to surge in one direction. We followed the flow of people, eventually arriving at the spot where the giant communal tree we had seen earlier stood. Even though people had gathered in a wide circle far from the wooden tower, the sheer number of attendees made it incredibly crowded. I could barely see a thing.
Seeing me struggle, Jiun crouched down and said, "Get on."
Get on? On what? A piggyback ride? No, no matter how you look at it, it’s a bit embarrassing to be getting a piggyback ride at my age... As I hesitated, Meredith came up beside me and nudged my back, saying, "It's fine, look over there. Even someone bigger than you is doing it."
Even if she said that, it brought me more shame than courage... After a brief moment of struggle, I finally climbed onto Jiun's shoulders. I realized that if I kept refusing, the situation would only become more awkward as people began to watch us with warm, amused eyes! The moment I realized that, I had no other choice.
"Alright, hold on tight."
Hold on? Where? I’d thought about this even when I was a child, but there’s really nowhere to grab when you’re riding on someone’s shoulders. If I put my hands in the most comfortable spot, I end up covering their eyes; if I grab lower, I end up choking them. Pulling their hair feels like bullying, and their forehead is a bit awkward, too.
"Up we go!" Jiun shouted as he stood up.
No, wait—I wasn't just being treated like a child; I was being treated like a toddler. Is this how I’m supposed to live? But wait... it’s high. No, it was incredibly high! It was scarier than I thought. I hurriedly grabbed his head. I reached my hands around to his temples, pressing my palms against them like I was putting on a pair of headphones... Doesn't this feel like a form of corporal punishment? It felt a lot like the "Seoul Tour."
Regardless, my view was definitely secured. The feeling of having my upper body towering over everyone else was overwhelming. I suppose you could call it a sense of omnipotence. I saw other children tugging at their parents' clothes, pointing at me. Cute little things. I made eye contact and waved at them.
As I did, a woman draped in a white, toga-like garment walked into the center of the clearing.
"Please, quiet down!"
"Everyone, be quiet!"
The surroundings were absolute chaos. Once the area finally fell silent, the woman opened her mouth.
"Oh, Lady of Fire who rides the crescent moon. We offer this great flame so that you may contend with the legions of hell. Please, protect us from the harm of demons until the next summer."
"Oh, Blazing Arrow."
⟨ Incantation ⟩
As she recited the incantation, a small ball of flame flew toward the wooden tower. Soon, the fire began to spread, and eventually, the entire tower was engulfed in flames. A searing heat washed over us. The surroundings became as bright as midday. Between the wooden tower and the people, whole pigs, cows, and chickens were set up on long stakes. The meat began to glisten and roast in the red flames. They certainly knew how to make the most of things.
"They say the people who lived in this region believed that natural disasters and other misfortunes were the work of demons. So, they offer a great fire to the Lady of Fire so she can use it as a weapon," Meredith said, wrapping up a story she must have heard somewhere. I thought she knew the whole thing, but apparently, she only knew the middle part.
But a woman riding a crescent moon? I turned my head, and sure enough, the crescent moon was hanging over the mountain range in the west. So that’s when the moon sets.
"They say we can buy roasted meat later. Should we fill our stomachs a little?"
It would take forever to roast meat like that—wouldn't we have to wait until tomorrow to eat? This body needed so much sleep. I wondered if I’d even get a chance to try it. But I was the fool for thinking that. They simply sliced off the cooked portions and roasted the raw meat underneath... a process that repeated indefinitely. It felt like less than an hour had passed, and we had already bought more than enough of every kind of meat.
We settled on a hill with a good view of the giant campfire. It didn't seem like a place people would come to, so there were no lights.
"Oh, Light."
⟨ Light ⟩
However, we had a promising Academy student with us. It was almost too extravagant to use as a dinner lamp, but the sheer wastefulness felt so fitting for the festival atmosphere that I found myself enjoying it. Our meal was a luxurious sandwich with meat and cheese tucked between slices of black bread. The atmosphere helped, but the food itself was more high-end than what I usually ate, which was nice.
After finishing a satisfying meal, I was staring blankly at the burning fire when Jiun spoke up. "Hazel, did you have fun?"
"Yes. It was wonderful."
At those words, Meredith gently stroked my hair. Then, Jiun kept his gaze fixed on me, watching me in silence for a long time. It was as if he had something to say, but it was too heavy to easily put into words. It was the kind of behavior that made me unnecessarily anxious. After watching me for a while, he finally managed to speak.
"Hazel, do you want to go to the Academy?"
Ah, the Academy. I had to think about this seriously. If this were a game, this would be a major branching point. Not only Jiun, who had brought it up, but Meredith was also waiting for me to speak. If only reality had a save function. Various thoughts swirled in my head. Would Jiun go to the Academy, too? He must have things to do, which is why he was staying here. Then what would happen to the "main story"?
Then, a thought crossed my mind. If I go, is it a given that Jiun will follow?
"If I go to the Academy, will you come with me, Jiun?"
"No. But Meredith is..."
"Then I don't want to go."
I said that and buried my face in his clothes. If I played it this way, he wouldn't be able to push me away. Jiun definitely had something he hadn't revealed to me yet. From the moment we first met, he treated me like a mage, and there were those strange things that happened when we fought the gnolls. The risk of leaving Jiun's side was too great.
"But Hazel, it hurts when you use spells, doesn't it? If you go to the Academy, maybe you can be cured."
"I don't want to. I can endure it."
"Hazel..." Meredith said from behind, sounding heartbroken.
"We're family..."
I felt Jiun flinch at my words. This came from the heart. I think a few tears even leaked out. It was definitely an act—I wasn't actually that sad—but Meredith gently rubbed my back.
"Hazel, I'm sorry. I was only thinking of myself and pushed you too hard. Then, will you make me one promise?"
"A promise?"
"Yes. If you ever get to the point where you truly can't endure the pain, promise me you'll go to the Academy."
I looked up at Meredith. She was holding out her pinky finger toward me. I hooked my finger around hers.
"We promised under the moon, so that means we promised in front of the Lady of Fire, right?"
Meredith smiled as she said that. She was like the sun. Even though her hair was blue. That’s what I thought.
Not long after our journey ended, Meredith left Silverion. She said she’d cry if she saw us off, so she made the final class our last goodbye. How could everyone I meet be so capable of cutting ties without a shred of lingering attachment? They were truly remarkable people. I could still close my eyes and picture her vividly.
She was like summer. Passionate, energetic, and spontaneous. Sometimes fierce, but also warm. She came when the sunlight grew harsh and left just as the cold winds began to blow. She left so cleanly that it felt almost natural. Meredith is summer, so when autumn comes, she has to make room. Something like that.
The air was cool. It was time to welcome autumn.
<Bidding Farewell to Summer - END>