Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Harvest Festival (3)
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In the end, the outfit he chose was a black suit close to ready-made clothing.
"Why are ready-made clothes called ready-made? Because they're uncontroversially safe no matter who sees them. Young Master, you mustn't trust your own sense of style."
Aldio's sharp words had hit home.
Once he changed into it, he could finally see how horrific the previous outfit had been, and Tiria's reaction only solidified that conviction.
Tiria let out a sigh of relief.
Elric felt a pang of shame.
Anyway, after going through that ordeal, they finally made it to the city center.
Elric felt a fresh sense of wonder. Looking back, he hadn't visited the central square once since returning to Weibin.
On the first day back, he'd taken the quickest route straight to the estate, and his two subsequent outings had only been to his father's grave and the Weibin family estate.
As such, his gaze upon the square was filled with both nostalgia and delight.
"Nothing's changed."
It was a circular plaza.
With no fountains or other decorations—just a vast open space—surrounded by the most prosperous shops in Weibin.
Even the shop names were the same as they had been ten years ago.
Passersby on the street greeted him politely.
As Elric waved in response, Tiria spoke up.
"No one stepped down in the ten years of peace."
"Is that so?"
"The only change is that the restaurant you see over there passed it on to the owner's son and daughter-in-law."
"...I remember that place."
"Do you?"
"I used to get snacks there all the time as a kid. The owner had quite the booming voice."
He'd lead the neighborhood kids out to play until they got hungry, then head there, and the owner would bellow with a hearty laugh.
"You little rascals! Back again today!"
Then he'd usher them to a table in the corner of the restaurant and hand over sandwiches stuffed with jam and meat in pre-meal bread. The taste lingered in Elric's memory.
They weren't especially delicious, but they were warm.
Perhaps it was the owner's kindness, always greeting them with a smile, that had made them so comforting.
Lost in those memories, a smile naturally crept onto his lips.
Seeing the temporary stalls being set up everywhere for the harvest festival made him feel like he'd returned to his childhood.
As he looked around, Elric's eyes met Tiria's.
More precisely, he belatedly noticed her staring right at him.
"...Ah, sorry. We're here for work today."
"No need to apologize. Time isn't pressing."
"Haha, then let's get started. What do I need to do?"
"Supervise. Check the temporary stalls to ensure they're built sturdy. That's it."
Elric nodded, and Tiria began walking slowly to match his pace.
There wasn't much to inspect. The stalls were mostly simple stands, with the largest being a campfire pit the size of a small building.
Even after checking the lines drawn on the ground for order and the various commemorative decorations, only two hours had passed.
He figured the job was done easily.
It was at that moment.
"Now, let's go meet the shop owners."
"Hm?"
"The shops near the plaza get chaotic with crowds on festival days. So we need to do safety checks in advance."
It was a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Indeed, rummaging through his memories, he recalled that shops would set up ropes twisted from cords out front when the festival approached.
"You're checking all that?"
"Of course. We can't have accidents."
How meticulous.
Well, his father would have been extremely wary of any unplanned mishaps.
Elric nodded.
"Let's go. I'd like to greet the shop owners myself."
Would they still remember him?
That thought crossed Elric's mind.
*
The shop owners didn't recognize Elric at a glance.
Given how even Aldio had been unsure, it was only natural.
But he wasn't too disappointed.
Because they all remembered him from childhood.
"Uh, hmm? Is that really you, Young Master Elric? The little terror of Weibin?"
Elric chuckled heartily at the shop owner's words.
Joy filled his heart.
"You remember me."
"How could I forget? The amount of fabric you ruined in my shop—I still get headaches thinking about it!"
Elric flinched at the clothing shop owner's booming laugh.
"D-Did I...?"
"Oh yes. I remember you dragging all the neighborhood kids in, yelling about sieges and whatnot. Wow... to think that little terror turned out like this...!"
The shop owner grinned nostalgically, but Elric couldn't laugh.
Come to think of it, yeah, that had happened.
No, he'd definitely caused trouble at least once in nearly every shop around here.
Naturally, he glanced at Tiria.
Rolling his eyes awkwardly, he saw her face was impassive.
"Why do you ask?"
"...Embarrassing. I was a bit of an odd kid back then."
"I knew that."
"Y-You did?"
To think his notoriety had reached even the Weibin estate—Elric grew wary of his own past.
Meanwhile, the shop owner said,
"Anyway, we're glad to see you. We heard you'd left Weibin, but to come back like this—it's wonderful!"
"...I'll make sure to compensate for all that fabric I ruined back then."
"Forget it. I don't even remember how much, and looking back, you brought so much life to the market."
The shop owner's face soon turned wistful.
"Things are so quiet these days. I think back to those times now and then. You know? Almost all the kids you used to cause trouble with went off to the big cities. They left five years ago to make it big, and they still haven't come back...."
It wasn't anything special.
The invention and advancement of steam engines had shortened distances between cities.
With travel becoming freer, it was natural for ambitious young folks to head to the big cities.
Hardly anyone inherited the farm work anymore.
"...Well, they do send letters now and then. Ah, do you remember Luton? Your right-hand man."
"How could I forget that friend."
"He became a knight."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, Weibin's pride. His dad's still bragging about it everywhere...."
Elric felt a surge of delight at the shop owner's words.
-We're gonna be knights! The top royal knights in the kingdom!
-Yeah! I'll follow your lead, boss!
Ah, that's right.
They'd dreamed of becoming knights together.
Thinking back, he was a sturdy kid with great strength— he could've become a knight anytime if he wanted.
'You achieved your dream.'
It was fortunate.
Unlike himself, who'd become a war mercenary, his friend had fulfilled his aspiration.
"Family Head."
Tiria spoke.
"The safety checks are done. Shall we move to the next shop?"
"Ah, right."
It seemed they'd finished the work while chatting.
Feeling sheepish, Elric said to the shop owner,
"Then I'll visit again."
"Come anytime you need clothes made."
"I will."
After bidding farewell and leaving the shop, they visited quite a few more.
The last stop was the restaurant where he'd always gotten free meals.
The owner had changed, but it was still someone he knew.
"Elric? You're Elric?!"
He had no choice but to recognize him—the new owner was Elric's friend, who'd inherited the place.
"No way! You really came back!"
His name was Bart. In war games, he was always the supply soldier, and the quickest to bolt during mischief.
Encountering this unexpected connection, Elric embraced him.
What followed was chatter.
There was never enough reminiscing.
The joy showed no signs of fading.
"Remember that time? Huh? The day we snuck up the back mountain."
"We spotted a wolf-type magic beast from afar and all scattered running. No one dying was a miracle."
"Yeah! You remember!"
Giggling like that, the past drew closer, and the self who'd rolled through battlefields faded.
Elric's smile deepened.
Was that the problem? This time, he didn't do the safety check at the shop.
Tiria handled it.
"Family Head, we're done. Time to head back."
"Ah...."
Hearing his dazed exclamation, Tiria said,
"It's fine. I understand meeting an old friend."
"Sorry."
"You're a bad husband, Elric."
Bart snickered, and Elric shot him a glare.
Bart shrugged.
"Take care. Come eat during the festival."
His cheekiness was as lively as ever.
Elric chuckled and bid him farewell.
"Yeah, see you then."
He left the shop.
Bart kept waving until he was out of sight.
"Honey."
"Ah, sorry. Coming right now."
"What are you staring at? I get you're happy to see your friend, but we have preparations to do."
"Just... it's surprising."
Bart's gaze lingered on the spot where Elric had left.
"I never thought those two would get married."
"Huh?"
"Just saying."
Bart scratched his cheek and turned away.
His mind drifted to old memories.
-Hey! Ugly!
-...I'm not.
-You are ugly! Your face is all puffy and ugly! Aldio said so! Pretty people have super slim faces!
A smile tugged at Bart's lips.
'No, maybe that's why they got married.'
The guy who'd fearlessly approach even that girl—perhaps they suited each other.
Bart shook off the thoughts and headed to the kitchen.
The unexpected reunion had been quite pleasant.