Chapter 502
Chapter Title: The Twilight Festival
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Fweeee! Bang! Bang!
“Waaaaaah!”
Fireworks soaring high into the sky and cheers erupting from all around.
This signaled the start of the Twilight Festival.
The countless people on the streets wore bright smiles.
Lumeria City, the center of the world, was always vibrant, but today it was overflowing with even more life.
Many races, usually a rare sight, walked the streets.
Because of its name, the Twilight Festival was often mistaken for a celebration honoring only Lumerne, but that wasn't the case.
Statues of the Heroes of the Beginning were erected throughout Lumeria City.
And adorning the central plaza were none other than the statues of the Great Heroes.
The massive crowds visiting Lumeria City offered flowers to the Great Heroes.
This year, in particular, saw many flowers offered to Ar-on.
Last summer.
The impact of Ar-on appearing in the present day and subjugating a fragment of Erebos was significant.
The children on the streets ran around wearing the costumes and masks of the Great Heroes.
“It's just like Gardsrone.”
Luna muttered, standing dazedly on the street.
Indeed, the sight of a city where countless races coexisted radiated the atmosphere of Gardsrone.
“Of course, it's fundamentally different.”
The festival was peace itself.
There was no anxiety to be found; everyone wore bright expressions.
Luna closed her eyes.
*This is the world we saved.*
Her heart swelled.
She had realized before that they had saved the world.
But seeing the countless people in the streets smiling happily warmed a corner of her heart.
It was, quite literally, moving.
It was then.
Thump-!
A child, busy playing and not looking where he was going, bumped into Luna.
“Oof!”
“Are you okay?”
Luna's eyes widened as she helped up the little boy who had fallen after bumping into her.
“Yes. I'm okay. I'm sorr—”
The boy, who was getting up with Luna's help, looked at her face and gasped, “Wow!”
“You're a lady who looks just like Lady Luna.”
“I look like Lady Luna?”
“Yes! You're super pretty!”
“An honest little boy, are you?”
Luna smiled brightly and helped the child to his feet.
While brushing the dust off him, she noticed his hand was scraped and healed it with magic.
“That's amazing! You're a mage, miss!”
“Because I look like Lady Luna.”
“But miss. Have you been drinking? You smell like alcohol.”
“Yep. Had a little.”
Luna grinned.
“Here's a question.”
Luna said with a serious face.
“Of all the Great Heroes, who is the greatest?”
“Lord Dweno!”
The boy clenched his fists, his eyes sparkling.
“Lord Dweno is the one who made the divine weapons the Great Heroes use! My family are blacksmiths! That's why I think Lord Dweno is the greatest Great Hero!”
Sure enough, the boy was dressed in Dweno's costume.
And on his back was a Dweno mask.
Luna smiled brightly and said.
“Nope. Wrong. The greatest Great Hero is Lady Luna.”
“Aw, come on.”
The boy wore a look of disbelief.
“It's not an 'aw, come on.' That Dweno was a perverted and cranky dwarf.”
“How would you know that, miss?”
“Because I am Luna.”
“Miss, you're drunk, aren't you?”
“In that case, I'm confiscating that mask. I'll buy you a Luna mask to replace it.”
Luna tried to snatch the Dweno mask.
The boy took a step back with a frightened expression.
“What are you doing to a kid, you drunkard.”
“Early education is important! It's absurd to let this young, pure sprout admire that perverted old geezer!”
“Don't shatter the kid's dreams.”
“Reality is harsh! Kids need to know what's what! No! That old man isn't a respectable figure in the first place!”
Luna wailed.
Naturally, the eyes of the people around them fell on the two.
The boy, who had been staring blankly at the scene, waved his hand.
“Bye-bye, pretty lady who looks like Lady Luna! Have a nice date with your boyfriend!”
The boy smiled brightly and disappeared into the crowd.
“Did you find Lady Luna?”
Just then, Chen Xia and Eiran came running over in a flurry.
The two had been together when Luna suddenly vanished, leaving them quite startled.
“As you can see.”
Leo grabbed Luna by the scruff of her neck and pulled her upright.
Looking at Luna, Chen Xia said.
“Lady Luna, I think you've had quite a bit to drink. Perhaps you should stop for now.”
“I'm fine.”
Luna shrugged.
Indeed, looking at her face alone, she seemed perfectly fine.
If it weren't for the strong smell of alcohol wafting around her, one would never have guessed she'd been drinking.
But her actions were uninhibited and reckless.
The exact behavior of a drunk person.
As soon as the festival began, Luna had started downing drinks from the street stalls to her heart's content.
And only the hard liquor with a very high proof.
As a seasoned drinker, Luna was like a fish in water at the festival.
“Mister! Another one over here!”
When Luna demanded another drink from the stall owner, he laughed heartily and handed her a cup.
“An elf lady! You've got spirit!”
“Kyah~ This is the life!”
Watching Luna drink with gusto and delight, Eiran spoke with concern.
“I-Is she going to be okay?”
“Once she gets going, nobody can stop her.”
Leo clicked his tongue.
Then, he took a small map from his pocket and said.
“First, let's head to the inn Karl booked.”
Karl had already secured lodging for the Twilight Festival.
His connections extended not only within the academy but outside as well, so he had boasted about getting a great place.
“Hey. It's time to go.”
“Just a little more.”
Despite Leo's words, Luna showed no intention of moving.
Unable to watch any longer, Leo approached Luna, wrapped an arm around her waist, and tucked her under his arm like a sack of luggage.
But as if accustomed to such treatment, Luna simply held a cup in each hand and kept drinking.
Watching this, Chen Xia muttered.
“I knew she was an eccentric person, but... this is something else.”
The true nature of the Great Hero she had admired since childhood felt both familiar and, at the same time, bewildering.
Chen Xia glanced sideways with a slightly worried look.
For a naive elf like Eiran, Luna's drunken behavior might be a shock.
When she turned her head, Eiran had her hands clasped together, smiling brightly.
“Lady Luna... is so very beautiful.”
*That?*
The sight of her dangling from Leo's side as he carried her away was far from beautiful.
*Then again, Miss Eiran does have somewhat unique tastes.*
Chen Xia accepted this, took Eiran's hand, and followed behind Leo.
***
A short while later.
Leo's group arrived at a place that served as both a tavern and an inn.
Seeing it, Chen Xia tilted her head.
“Is this really the right place?”
“It is.”
Leo muttered as he looked at the tavern's name.
Karl had said he'd gotten a great place, but this was far from what Chen Xia or Eiran would consider “great.”
It was then.
“Ooh! You're here! You're here!”
The tavern door opened, and Karl rushed out with a welcoming face.
“Come on! Don't just stand there!”
With his characteristic sly smile, Karl led the group to the back of the tavern.
“Is this the 'great place' you were talking about?”
“Yep. I rented out the entire top floor! And for free!”
Karl winked and gave a thumbs-up.
“Well, truth is, I helped this place out before. So I was able to borrow it thanks to that connection. But there's a condition.”
“A condition?”
“Yep. For one day, Lumerne's student council president, Leo, has to work as a waiter!”
As he said, Karl was dressed in a waiter's uniform.
Looking at Karl, Chen Xia narrowed her eyes.
“Are you saying you intend to make Young Master Leo work as a waiter?”
Chen Xia's eyes turned cold.
Seeing her, Karl winced.
Karl knew that Chen Xia served Leo like a master.
So it was only natural she wouldn't be pleased about having Leo do something like waiting tables.
“Not just the lodging... but the food and drinks are free too. I thought it'd be a good memory...”
“The drinks are free?”
At that, Luna, who had been off to the side, shot her eyes wide open.
“Let's do it.”
“What? You, Lady Luna, will work as a server?”
Eiran was utterly flustered.
To have the greatest hero of the elven race work as a server!
What an outrageous, heaven-defying act!
“What's the big deal! The drinks are free! Leo! You'll do it too, right?”
But Luna didn't care.
At Luna's words, Leo let out a smirk.
“Sounds like fun.”
“Ooh!!”
Karl cheered.
“Since those two agreed, there's no problem, right?”
Karl grinned at Chen Xia and Eiran.
The two girls, who usually smiled often, just stared at him.
“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Karl.”
“You will be divinely punished.”
Seeing the two of them squinting at him, Karl winced.
***
Step- Step-
Night had fallen, but as befitting a festival, the streets of Lumeria City were still bustling with energy. A red-haired elf was walking through the streets.
As the beautiful elf passed, the crowd parted.
They had unconsciously made way, overwhelmed by the charisma she exuded.
The elf, Lunia, walked calmly through the gap and scoffed.
The presence emanating from her intense red hair and eyes had grown even stronger.
*I was supposed to come with Eiran.*
Lunia expressed her regret inwardly.
She was envious of her friend who had gone to Lumerne first as an exchange student.
Of course, Seirun, like Lumerne, was a hero academy, so it wasn't as if her education was lacking.
But still, Lunia envied her friend.
*Eiran must have been with Leo all the time, right?*
Leo Flove was at Lumerne.
And Lunia wanted to show Leo how much she had changed in the short time since the break ended.
It hadn't been a long time, but Lunia had definitely grown stronger.
She had made a pact with the Phoenix she had so longed for.
On top of that, the magic Leo had taught her, the Flame Emperor, had been enhanced even further.
She wanted to show him her changed self as soon as possible.
She had surely taken a step closer to Leo Flove.
But unfortunately, she had only just found the time after handing over her position as student council president.
*I was planning to come in the morning.*
Lunia smacked her lips.
Something had suddenly happened at the academy today.
News that Rune, the acting principal, had collapsed spread throughout the entire school.
At first, the academy was in an uproar, but the commotion ended after Rune himself announced it was nothing serious.
*He said he'd be fine after a few days' rest, but Lord Rune's face was dark.*
He didn't show it, but Rune's expression was grave.
Feeling uneasy, Lunia stopped walking.
*First, I should let Eiran know.*
She thought Eiran had a right to know, as it concerned her grandfather.
With that, Lunia turned into an alley.
*That Karl guy definitely said he got a place around here, right?*
It being the Twilight Festival, crowds were everywhere.
Many elves who disliked visiting human cities could be seen there as well.
Just as Lunia was looking for the address.
“Tsk. To think she'd wear a human's servant uniform and serve humans.”
“She's a disgrace to all elves.”
“And on top of that, making a scene in an alley while drunk. As a fellow elf, I'm ashamed.”
From a distance, she could hear the voices of elves grumbling.
*Elves like that are everywhere.*
The type who, out of excessive pride in their race, despise their own kind who don't meet their standards.
Lunia clicked her tongue.
They were a type of elf she didn't particularly like.
Just as Lunia was about to continue searching for the inn.
“Ugh! Bleeeargh!”
The sound of someone vomiting came from somewhere nearby.
People passing by the alley snickered.
Lunia, who had involuntarily looked toward the sound, let out a dry laugh.
There, an elf in a waitress uniform was leaning against a wall, retching.
“Bllllleeeeeeaaaargh!”
*That is definitely embarrassing as a fellow elf.*
Lunia felt a sense of second-hand embarrassment.
Just as she was about to turn away from the elf who was disgracing their entire race and leave.
“Are you alright?”
A familiar-looking elf rushed out of the alley.
*Eiran?*
Lunia's eyes widened, and she approached Eiran.
Eiran hurriedly patted the elf's back.
“Eiran... ughhh... thank... Bllllleeeeeeaaaargh!”
The elf tried to express her thanks but couldn't stop.
“Eiran, what are you doing—”
“Lady Luna. Perhaps you should refrain from any more alcohol...”
“What?!”
Hearing Eiran's words, Lunia let out a horrified shriek.
Her eyes wide, Eiran spotted Lunia and her face lit up.
“Miss Lunia!”
“What? Luni... aaaaaargh?!”
Luna turned her head, only to face the ground again.
After confirming the face, Lunia's expression froze.
“Right. It's a dream. A dream. Yes, I'm dreaming.”
Lunia denied reality.
*Right. Why would Lady Luna be here in reality? Would a miracle like with Lord Ar-on happen so easily? Yes. It's a dream. A nasty nightmare. In the first place, it makes no sense for Lady Luna to be vomiting like that. Right. Let's wake up.*
The Luna that Lunia knew was a beautiful, pure, and benevolent elf.
A perfect elf who, of course, also had a somewhat eccentric side that made her cute.
Just as Luna was desperately trying to ignore reality.
“Unfortunately, it's reality.”
Leo, who had appeared in the alley at some point, said coolly.
“This is Luna's true form.”
“Lies!”
A shocked Lunia shook her head.
“You become an adult by seeing a lot of ugly things.”
“No!”
“Congratulations on becoming an adult.”
“If this is what being an adult is, then I don't want to be one!”
Lunia, who had been desperately denying reality, staggered.
Startled, Eiran supported her.
Leo took over for Eiran, patting Luna's back.
“Bringing shame to your entire race. Are you satisfied now that you've shattered a kid's fantasy?”
“What is?”
“Nothing, just keep doing what you were doing.”
At his words, Luna looked back down at the ground.
Patting Luna's back, Leo muttered.
“Is it because you're so shameless, thinking I've already seen it all, that I failed to notice?”
“What? What did you just...?”
“Just talking to myself.”