Festival
Several days had passed since the work at the sacred site was done.
After returning to the monastery, Lawrence checked the sealed grimoire case.
The Key to the Spirit World that had once looked like parchment had formed a new sigil beneath Lemegeton.
Codex Gigas.
It was unmistakably one of the Keys to the Spirit World Acheron had spoken of.
At last, the second one.
That meant the only Key to the Spirit World still remaining was Al Azif.
Even though he still couldn’t lift the seal or so much as open the first page, the fact that he had successfully recovered a grimoire was deeply encouraging.
From time to time, the Keys to the Spirit World would run wild like a haunted book.
It was eerie, as though the two keys were locked in a struggle for territory inside the small sealed case.
Five years was far too long to wait before opening the Keys to the Spirit World.
If he had a choice, he would make it three.
Lawrence intended to push himself until he hit that three-year mark.
To seize the mystery contained within the Keys to the Spirit World.
Surely then, he would grow in ways that could not even be compared to where he was now.
His body trembled with anticipation.
That fact captivated the boy’s heart more than any magic ever could.
A thirst for mystery could only be quenched by mystery.
Once he had stepped onto the path of sorcery, the option of turning back had never been given to him in the first place.
To handle magic was to understand the world.
And so, in pursuit of a higher mystery, the boy began to walk alone.
Yerina spent her days buried in cleanup work.
After the purification of the sacred site, the woman who had once stood smoking endless cigarettes in front of the chapel was nowhere to be seen.
First, she took care of Father Victor and the sisters.
The clergy of the Church had gone for days without proper food or rest, and they were exhausted to the bone.
Once he understood the situation, Lawrence hurried over to lend a hand as well.
He moved the sister into the room Luca had already cleaned, then laid a towel soaked in Water across her forehead.
That alone was enough to brighten the face of the sister who had been suffering from a light fever.
Father Victor, though, was in much worse shape.
Unlike the sisters, who could take turns reciting the prayers, he had shouldered the main prayer rites alone.
Because of that, Yerina’s face had grown haggard within just a few days as well.
Fortunately, it seemed everyone’s efforts had not been in vain. By the time half a day had passed, Father Victor’s expression had softened, just like the other sisters'.
“At last, I can breathe a little easier. I’ll handle the rest of the nursing with Luca. You should head down to the village and secure whatever supplies are still lacking, junior.”
That was what she called it—supplying.
With the urgent crisis past, it was really her way of telling him he could rest.
After heading down into the village, Lawrence checked on what had happened in his absence.
First, the mercenary guild.
The branch manager and most of the guild members who had left the village had returned.
The strange incident in Frang Village had been officially reported to the Royal Capital Corintos.
Even after Vodyanoy disappeared, the Horn Boars affected by the anomaly did not return to normal.
Following their altered traits, they had been designated a new species: Sea Horn Boar.
Frang Village was overflowing with mercenaries due to the extermination request for the Horn Boars.
As a matter of course, the guild had received a flood of reports.
And within those reports were detailed notes on the creatures’ characteristics.
For instance, that they were resistant to fire.
That blades were ineffective, so they had to be subdued with brute force.
That tricks that worked on ordinary Horn Boars no longer applied, so it was better to think of them as an entirely different species and deal with them accordingly.
There was plenty of valuable knowledge, drawn straight from hard experience.
Among all of it, Lawrence paid special attention to the stream of water the beasts spat out.
The water spewed by Sea Horn Boars was classified as poison.
For as little as thirty minutes.
For as long as an hour.
Anyone struck by it would suffer intense heat and paralysis.
For that reason, it was strictly recommended that anyone hunting them move in groups of at least two.
There was still no antidote.
If exposed to the poison, the best course was to wash it off with water.
Herbs, they said, could actually make things worse, so caution was necessary.
Perhaps because Vodyanoy was gone, the toxin that had even been corroding wood and iron seemed to have disappeared as well.
That was a relief beyond measure.
If that poison had remained, there might have been more victims like Ulrich.
Caelo was nowhere to be found in the village.
He had apparently said he was going to look for the rat, but he might have already left Frang Village by then.
Now and then Lawrence would pass someone with red hair on the street, but there was no giant greatsword on their back.
It was not merely a fleeting acquaintance.
Caelo knew about the pocket watch Lawrence carried.
The Four Knights of the Promise.
Invincible Caelo, taught by the Sword Saint, must surely belong to the Laynald Family.
Surely he knew Lurizisa as well?
Especially if he had called her a tomboy lady.
It was fortunate that Lawrence had made that pocket.
This time, he had lucked into meeting someone friendly.
Just as Cedric had said.
The greater a family’s influence, the more enemies it had.
Lawrence had no desire to get tangled up in noble society.
St. Pierre Monastery went into repair for the time being.
The Holy See had already sent new personnel for follow-up work. He had heard that among them were people assigned to preserve the sacred site and normalize operations at the monastery.
“Once the follow-up staff arrive, I plan to return to the Holy See. Naturally, that means I’ll be taking Luca with me. What about you, junior?”
At Yerina’s question, Lawrence shook his head.
“I don’t intend to go to the Holy See just yet.”
Someday, he might have to.
Given that he had purified the Lost Sanctuary and was managing relics from the Spirit World, it was hard to deny that there would be all kinds of clues there.
But not now.
If he went to the Holy See in his present, meager condition, the chances of getting what he wanted would be vanishingly small.
“Is that so? I don’t ask twice.”
“I understand.”
He would leave Luca in Yerina’s care.
Now that he knew what kind of person she was, he had no further reason to worry.
“Where do you plan to go?”
“I’m thinking of visiting the Magic Tower.”
The request Raul and Ulrich had introduced would be tomorrow.
It wasn’t a request to the Magic Tower itself, though.
It was a caravan escort heading in the direction of the Magic Tower.
A guard job bound for the great metropolis of Mistra.
He planned to inquire about a direct request to the Magic Tower once he arrived in Mistra.
“For magic, then.”
“Yes. For magic.”
He could not keep putting it off.
For the sake of his future growth as much as anything else, he needed to seek out the Magic Tower.
“What about the Royal Academy? It’s on good terms with the Church. And if you’re talking distance alone, the Royal Capital is closer than the Magic Tower.”
“I’d rather avoid the Royal Academy for personal reasons.”
He still did not want to meet her.
More precisely, he did not want her to see him like this.
One might even call it a pride swollen by vanity.
Childish stubbornness, perhaps. Still, if there was a woman he had taken a liking to, wanting to show her only his best side was something any man would feel.
“Is that so? If you’re from the Church, the Royal Academy probably wouldn’t reject you outright. Well, if you’re short on money, I’ve got nothing to say.”
Had she taken his personal reasons to be a money problem?
At Yerina’s words, the boy gave a bitter smile.
“Then that makes it even harder.”
“Just so you know, junior. I’m broke.”
“I wasn’t going to ask, so you didn’t need to say that.”
How much money could a member of the Church really have, anyway?
They could both tell at a glance how thin the other’s purse was.
“So the Magic Tower has a way through even if you’re poor.”
“I don’t know that much either. But there must be some reason for it. Otherwise, there’d be no cause for so many mages to gather there.”
Lawrence silently nodded.
“Junior. If you’re planning to go to the Magic Tower, make sure you hide the fact that you’re a clergyman of the Church.”
“I was planning to pose as a wandering mage already.”
“Hide the fact that you’re a believer too. Don’t show any connection to the Church at all. Those people hate us to a ridiculous degree.”
Better to tap the bridge before crossing it.
There was nothing wrong with caution.
“Anyway, it seems like most of the work is finished.”
“More or less. The rest is for the people who’ll be arriving later. Father Victor was the one in charge of St. Pierre Monastery, after all.”
In other words, everything urgent was done.
“In that case, could you spare me some time?”
“...What?”
For a moment, Yerina lost the thread entirely.
His straight, unwavering gaze seemed to catch her off guard; she lightly tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Mm, well. If my junior is asking, I suppose I can spare a little time...”
“I’m glad. Since there’s a festival going on in the village, I thought it would be nice if the three of us could walk around together. Luca would like that too. I heard today’s the final day of the festival.”
It was fortunate the timing worked out at all.
The first and last days were always when a festival had the most to see.
He wanted to give Luca at least one good memory before it ended.
“......”
The hand that had been moving her hair froze.
For some reason, Yerina glared at Lawrence sharply.
“Yerina?”
But only for a moment. She let out a small sigh.
“Nothing. Go on down to the street first. I’ll take care of Luca and bring her along.”
“No. I’ll go with you.”
There was no need to trouble herself like that.
He was the one who had made the offer.
She would probably find it easier to get ready if only Luca were her concern.
“You really are hopelessly oblivious, aren’t you? A woman’s preparations take time, you idiot junior. Hurry up and go down to the street, and learn how to escort a lady properly!”
Lawrence could say nothing when he saw the frown Yerina wore.
***
On the final day of the festival, Lawrence wandered through the village with the two of them.
The streets were overflowing with all manner of performers and oddities.
A troupe of acrobats from a faraway land.
Men who breathed fire without so much as a touch of magic.
Oddballs who ran through flaming hoops alongside wild animals that ought never to have been tame. Performers with long poles were also busy dazzling the crowd as they balanced on dangerous tightropes.
“Did you see that just now, Lord Lawrence?”
“I did. He’d die if he fell. He’s got no fear at all.”
“That’s what makes it amazing!”
“Yes, yes. From the looks of it, junior here is seeing all this for the first time, isn’t he?”
Yerina wore a sly smile.
With her long hair tied up, the nape of her neck was exposed.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Extremely. This isn’t something you think about with your head. You empty your mind and feel it with your chest. If it’s funny, you laugh. If it’s good, you clap. Festival-going is about paying what you think it’s worth and walking away satisfied.”
“That sounds difficult. Emptying my head isn’t easy.”
“What exactly are you talking about? That’s not what I mean. It’s something anyone can do. Since it’s a good opportunity, I’ll tell you this, junior. Your problem is that you think too much.”
“I agree. Lord Lawrence does think too much.”
“Mm...”
Seeing Lawrence look troubled, the two women laughed.
“They float candles in a bowl out into the sea. It’s a traditional event in our village, sending off the wishes of the year with little boats.”
The man showed them the candles, as though urging them to take a closer look.
The candles in the tray were barely half remaining.
The candles came with a wooden bowl and were utterly ordinary objects, the sort one could see anywhere.
“How much for one?”
“A normal candle is one silver. A white candle is two silver.”
“That’s expensive...”
What a rip-off.
It was a festival, sure, but this was shamelessly overpriced.
“The number of candles that can be floated on the sea is limited. If you keep that in mind, I’m sure you’ll understand it isn’t overpriced.”
“Give us three white ones. Do we write the wishes ourselves?”
“You may. Usually, though, having someone write them for you is standard.”
After buying the white candles, Lawrence handed them out between the two girls.
“You really do like meaningless things.”
“Didn’t you say festivals were for enjoying?”
“You learned that quickly, didn’t you?”
“You should treasure your lessons.”
The three of them each wrote their wishes on their candles.
Only Luca, who was not very confident with writing, had the man do hers for her.
“What did you write?”
“It’s a secret.”
Luca smiled mischievously.
They ate at a street stall with a clear view of the stage.
They hadn’t even ordered much, but the food was fairly expensive.
“Since we’re already doing this, just ask me to buy whatever else you want. Today of all days, junior won’t be able to refuse.”
“It’s fine. Honestly, there isn’t much I want.”
Lawrence ordered milk.
Yerina ordered wine.
Luca ordered a sweet fruit drink.
“What a saint you are. You’ll regret it later.”
“There is something I want, but... I know I can’t have it right now.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes. So I’m fine.”
As Lawrence watched Yerina toss out remarks while still quietly taking care of Luca, he once again felt that his choice had been the right one.
Not long after the dishes arrived, familiar people appeared on the stage.
Gypsies and an orchestra.
Though winter was near its end, the gypsies stepped onto the stage in thin clothing that made them look like dancers and began their performance.
Among them, the one whose dance was especially dazzling was Elvira.
Passionate and elegant.
Every movement of the body that commanded the stage was grand and unmistakable.
From the front, her dance might seem a little aggressive.
But the reason her gestures were so large was to let even those seated far away enjoy the performance.
The smile behind the veil never left her face.
That was not a smile made for the stage.
It was the kind of smile only a gypsy who truly delighted in the stage could wear.
As expected, Elvira was a gypsy who belonged onstage.
After one performance ended, Lawrence headed behind the stage.
“I’m the one who doesn’t know you, so I’ll sit this one out. Go on.”
“Sorry, Yerina.”
As if telling him to hurry up, Yerina waved him off.
“Lawrence. Luca.”
Elvira, who had just finished performing, was breathing somewhat heavily.
She gently embraced Luca as the girl approached.
“Do you have a moment now?”
“Not much. There’s going to be an event soon where we launch the candles out to sea. We’ll be handling the final performance after that.”
Her face was full of smiles.
She looked genuinely honored to be entrusted with the performance that would close the festival.
“I’m leaving Frang tomorrow.”
“So you’ve chosen your destination.”
“I’m thinking of going to Mistra.”
“I see. Then we’ll be going in opposite directions.”
“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
It was a brief bond, if brief was the right word, yet also long in its own way.
The first meeting had honestly not been very pleasant, but now that he thought about it, perhaps it had been her way of hiding her embarrassment.
“If I asked you to come with us even now, would you get angry?”
“Of course not. But I’d still have to refuse.”
As though she had expected that answer, she gave a quiet smile.
“Then Luca is going with you too?”
“No. I’m going to the Holy See, Elvira unnie.”
“The Holy See?”
“The sister waiting behind us is a sister of the Holy See. Luca will be going with her to the Holy See.”
Elvira could not hide her surprise.
“My, my. The Holy See is the Church’s central stronghold, isn’t it? If we meet again later, Luca will probably be someone extraordinary.”
“No way. That can’t be true, Elvira unnie.”
“You never know. The Church doesn’t bind people to their origins.”
As though offering congratulations, Elvira took Luca’s hand.
“It’s almost our turn, Elvira!”
“Yes! Coming now!”
It seemed they were short on time.
The gypsies began returning to the stage one by one.
“Thank you for everything, Elvira.”
“The same goes for me.”
After letting go of Luca’s hand, she embraced Lawrence.
With their cheeks touching, Elvira whispered into his ear.
“May the guidance of the stars be with you, Lawrence.”
“I hope you stay safe and well too, Elvira. And may the goddess’s blessing be with you.”
The scent, delicate as flowers, drifted away.
A sad smile hovered at the corners of her mouth.
“Don’t say that to the other sisters. They’ll definitely get angry.”
Elvira turned her back and climbed onto the stage.
It was not his imagination that her steps seemed somehow sad.
“You don’t need to follow her?”
Luca looked up at Lawrence.
“No. There’s no reason to. Elvira is strong. Just like you, she’ll stand on her own even if she’s alone.”
Lawrence turned away with Luca.
Someday, somewhere, he prayed their roads would cross again.
And when they did, he hoped they would meet as the closest of friends.
---