Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Four Seasons Blessing Parade
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The Four Seasons Blessing Parade was a quarterly event held every time the seasons changed.
Illeneias's heavyweights toured eleven predetermined locations, delivering encouragement speeches before the crowds. The purpose was to give thanks for the season that had safely passed and to pray for the new season to come in abundance.
Five of those locations were fixed as great powers, including Orelot and Roxidran, while the remaining six changed every year.
Being able to invite the continent's heavyweights to one's own country four times a year held tremendous political significance.
Not only could it forge alliances to bolster one's position in domestic power struggles, but it also provided opportunities to resolve international disputes with other nations that were difficult to publicize openly.
As such, there was said to be fierce gamesmanship and backroom dealings between nations just to secure one of those six spots.
It was a sharp political battle hidden behind the splendor of festival fireworks.
However, regardless of the upper class's circumstances, the Four Seasons Blessing Parade was an event eagerly awaited by the common folk as well.
The procession itself was a gesture showing that influential leaders were looking down graciously upon the Illeneias followers and lending them an ear.
Seeing the leaders who appeared before them made people feel that both they themselves and the lands they lived on were safe.
That sensation was incredibly precious to people.
"Customer, come have a look before you go! This isn't an opportunity that comes every day!"
"Sweet butterfly honey bread—try some before you leave! Haha, it's a fine day today, so no need to hold back. What do you think? We've got even more delicious treats inside the shop!"
"This one? Oh my, young sir has a good eye. Who'll be wearing it? You, young sir? Speaking of this butterfly earring..."
Seated in the wheelchair Calipan was pushing, I reached out slightly toward the fountain splitting into butterfly shapes.
The small coins scattered at the bottom of the fountain shimmered like brass floor tiles beyond the rippling surface.
It was a relief that Denpider was a tourist spot famous for its butterflies.
If it had been known for something like seasonal fruits, every step would have been pure agony for me.
The smell of butterfly honey bread was already driving me a little mad, just like delimanju.
I swallowed hard and muttered, "No, that's death if I eat it," trying to calm myself down.
"Huh, yeah, hold that pose for a sec."
I flinched and froze like ice. I could feel my previously natural expression hardening like stone.
But apparently it didn't matter, as I heard the whir of Yan's scene capture device saving the shot.
Unlike his initial expression that looked like he wanted to smash the device over Mayches's head, he seemed pretty serious now.
As expected of an artisan who didn't churn out shoddy work.
"You look like you're having fun, bro."
He did seem that way, a bit. He had even perfectly recreated the happy Doria vibe of her Day 1 self, full of professional satisfaction.
"Let's see if it turned out well."
Unlike Calipan, Daluh and Jayhan peered at the pebble in Yan's hand.
When Yan activated it, a single photo popped up in the air like a hologram.
Seeing it, I gently covered my mouth with both hands.
"This is... me...?"
I mumbled like someone in a romance novel who'd just finished their transformation cliche and looked in the mirror.
In the photo, I looked like a little girl I didn't recognize, splashing around playfully at a fountain in some quaint village square.
Curiosity and joy seemed to sparkle from eyes embedded with reflected waterlight like jewels.
Above all, even though I was sitting in the wheelchair, I looked so full of life—it hit just right for me.
Of course, this wasn't some quaint village, I wasn't actually splashing in the water, I was just trying to forget the butterfly honey bread smell, I hadn't felt any curiosity or joy, and I was still a paper doll that would truly tear if it touched water too long, so it was all lies.
"Wow, your little sister looks so... cute and tiny and precious, Mayches bro."
"So this is how Aiel looks in your eyes, Yan."
Yan, who had been beaming at the result, suddenly stiffened and turned off the pebble camera.
"N-No, don't read that much into it. I was just... bored and took a shot."
Just imagining pulling out this sudden life photo of mine to show Mayches and telling him how fun the day had been made me a little happy.
So, with what I thought was a pleasant expression, I teased Yan lightly.
"I get why Brother entrusted the pebble to you, Sir Yan. He trusted your eye for the world!"
"......"
"......"
I offered a quick apology.
"I'm sorry."
Had I lost my mind? Why did I keep crossing lines with Yan of all people, when I was usually so shy?
He kept making me want to say serious things, but since I couldn't, I just spouted childish nonsense.
If only I could read [Saintess Florang] one more time!
Then I'd meticulously note down every future event for these boys, and even jot down references to the Roxidran marquis family side character's praise.
"Cute miss over there! No interest in pretty souvenirs?"
"Yes!"
I immediately replied to the merchant who'd spotted us and was calling out.
In this situation, I was interested in anything that might drag me out of it.
Calipan, stifling a laugh, pushed the wheelchair right up to the stall.
From behind, I heard Yan snapping irritably, probably because Daluh had poked him again, but I pretended not to notice.
"Go ahead, take a look. All fresh off the oven—piping hot new arrivals!"
The merchant gestured along three stalls in a row.
Come to think of it, the tourists milling about all carried at least one souvenir combining Denpider's "butterflies" with the spring parade's symbol of "green leaves."
Should I pick up a postcard or keychain or something?
"Guys, isn't this pretty?"
Calipan held up a hairpin. It was a pale green leaf hairpin.
Unlike the long, slender green leaves hanging on the stall, this one was short and rounded into an oval shape.
A tiny yellow model butterfly attached beside it was the cute accent.
"You're asking us? For us to wear it?"
At Daluh's words, Calipan awkwardly rolled his eyes.
He hesitantly held the hairpin out to me.
"...Your taste?"
The question had changed? If he'd asked if it was pretty, I'd have nodded, but "your taste?" was a bit vague. Wasn't it too cute for me...?
As I was thinking that, Yan snatched the pin from Calipan's hand.
"Can I... touch your hair a bit...?"
"Huh? Oh, sure!"
Yan neatly swept my hair behind my ear, then pinned the leaf hairpin vertically above it.
"You look like one of those small spirits drawn human-friendly in the illustrations."
"Can't you just say it suits you normally?"
Yan pulled out the pebble camera again.
The merchant hadn't paid us any mind while we did this and had been staring at Jayhan.
Only when Calipan shoved money right under his nose did he snap out of it.
"Oh dear, my apologies. I don't know why my eyes keep going there, truly discourteous of me. Haha!"
I laughed awkwardly. So it pierces through face recognition blocking magic too.
Mayches had said this magic was a kind of hypnosis.
You could recognize hair color, facial features, height, and build separately, but it interfered with overall recognition.
Since magic that completely altered appearances was illegal, they'd developed this workaround.
Yet it seemed that workaround didn't work well on Jayhan, who was dazzling no matter which feature you looked at.
"What's this stuff?"
To divert the merchant's gaze, I asked about something I'd been curious about.
I meant the somewhat out-of-place items hanging on the third stall.
Lace gloves, portable liquor flask, pocket watch, bonnets all in the same design but different colors...
There was no reason they couldn't sell, but they felt oddly floating compared to the rest of the stall.
"Ah! These are the pilgrims' items."
"The pilgrims'?"
The merchant, seeing I didn't catch on right away, looked momentarily troubled as if to say 'Do I really have to spell it out?' before smiling shrewdly.
"They're homages to the pilgrims' belongings."
I still didn't get it...
As I continued grasping at straws, Calipan gave a hint.
"Look at that."
At the tip of Calipan's finger were several familiar fountain pens.
Huh? Those look just like Mayches's fountain pens?
...The realization flashed through my mind like lightning.
"No way, fakes—"
...thud?
I swallowed my words.
Fortunately, the merchant either hadn't heard my slip-up or kept his friendly salesman's face.
I could sense the confidence of someone displaying a bestseller that sold itself without promotion.
Feeling oddly guilty for no reason, I feigned interest with a "Wow, whoa...!" and picked up a knockoff of Mayches's fountain pen.
'A' and 'eo' are different, so it felt wrong to keep calling them knockoffs—I decided to think of them as merch instead.
Mayches, my own flesh and blood's... merch...