Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Enjoy the Festival
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Enjoy the Festival.
It was time for the festival.
We had practiced enough for the stage, and now it was time to reap the rewards of our efforts.
The children's faces were filled with tension.
If they just performed as they had practiced, there would be no problem.
But a real performance was different from practice.
Although the children had grown accustomed to their roles, their faces stiffened at the thought of performing in front of so many people.
Each of them tried to steel their resolve, but with their bodies so tense, they wouldn't be able to perform at their best.
A heavy silence enveloped the children.
In this difficult situation, Rene waved her hands as if to dispel the heavy air.
“Come on, brighten up. Let's enjoy the festival. We still have a long wait before we go on stage.”
The children's eyes widened as if they had just realized something.
The festival.
What was happening here and now was a festival.
A festival wasn't just about the performance.
It was about having fun at the attractions, eating food, and walking around.
Before being actors on a stage, the children were also people who should be enjoying the festival.
Their stiff expressions loosened slightly, and the children nodded.
Yes. That's more like it.
Just as Rene said, the performance hadn't started yet.
Even after it began, we would have to wait a long time for our turn.
Until then.
We could just enjoy the festival to our hearts' content, without a care in the world, just like usual.
As we enjoyed the festival, our tension would naturally fade.
Rene raised an index finger toward the children.
“Ah, but don't have too much fun or eat too much. It'll be a disaster if you get tired or have a stomachache before the performance.”
"""Yes~"""
“Alright, let's go!”
"""Yeah!"""
Rene thrust her arm into the air.
The children followed her lead, raising their arms as well.
With a shout of spirit, everyone began to wander the festival streets.
The festival streets were bustling with crowds. The children trailed closely behind Rene, looking around, careful not to get lost.
As befitting a festival, there were all sorts of amazing attractions and foods.
The children's eyes sparkled every time they saw something new.
Holding strange snacks in their hands, the children giggled with delight.
This time, the mask I wore didn't have a lower half, so I could also comfortably taste the food.
Its shape, texture, and taste were similar to takoyaki.
The only difference was that when you put it in your mouth, it squirmed inside as if the ingredients were still alive.
With every chew, a tiny, pitiful 'kyu kyu' sound came from inside my mouth.
It was a fun snack to chew on.
What's this called?
“Ugh. How can you eat something like that?”
“Sometimes, I just can't understand Lily's taste in food.”
“You'll get a stomachache if you eat weird things...”
When I chose and ate the strange snack, the other children gave me weird looks.
Not understanding, I tilted my head.
Aren't culinary discoveries made through challenging the unknown and by chance? That very spirit is the driving force behind finding delicious things, and in fact, this one was discovered just like that.
Despite the children's harsh judgment, the snack I was eating was exceptionally flavorful.
When I offered them a bite, the children's faces turned pale.
They shook their heads vehemently, refusing.
To not eat something this delicious... they don't know how to enjoy festival food.
As we were enjoying the festival, Lena murmured softly beside me.
“It would have been nice if my sister were here too...”
Her voice, unfitting for a festival, was tinged with a bit of loneliness.
Red was busy as one of the festival organizers.
That was why Rene had come out after a long time to lead the children instead.
I took the lonely-looking Lena's hand.
At my action, Lena looked at me with slightly surprised eyes, and then her somber lips curved into a giggle.
The children's steps were light and cheerful, as if they were floating.
The smiles had bloomed on the children's once-stiff faces. Their laughter, far sweeter than any snack, melted into the festival's atmosphere.
A festival held by Red and her acquaintances.
The festival itself wasn't incredibly glamorous or vast.
The variety of snacks and attractions was limited, far less than the filth-ridden festivals held inside the city.
Compared to the amusement park we visited before, this place was tiny.
It was on a scale for the people of the outskirts to enjoy modestly.
But it was far more brilliant and dazzling than any other festival.
Unlike the superficially glittering festivals inside the city, this one illuminated the streets with a pure sparkle, as if stars were embroidered on the ground instead of in the night sky.
The faces of all the visitors, adults and children alike, were filled with joy.
Laughter full of happiness.
The lively atmosphere, so fitting for a festival, made one momentarily forget this was the outskirts.
Caught up in the festival's fervor, a pleased smile touched my lips.
“Let's go over there next.”
“I want to try that.”
“Doesn't that look delicious?”
As time passed, the festival's heat, rather than cooling, only intensified, enveloping everyone's hearts.
We moved on, searching for more fun things together.
The first place we arrived at was an arcade game that had drawn a crowd.
It was a game where you slashed at fruits appearing and falling on a large screen.
1st Place, 5680 points.
2nd Place, 5300 points.
3rd Place, 4980 points.
The children took turns playing the game.
But none of their scores made it onto the leaderboard.
The children expressed their disappointment.
When my turn came, I grabbed the sword.
With the start signal, fruits suddenly appeared on the screen.
Following the arc of my swing, the fruits on the screen were sliced.
Ding~
As the game ended, a congratulatory sound announced the crowning of a new first place.
1st Place, 10001 points.
The crowd murmured.
“Good heavens... Look at that, is that score even possible?!”
“No way. Who in the world was that?”
“Whaaaat?! That kid in the mask is number one? A little kid like that got such a high score?!”
I placed my hands on my hips and proudly lifted my head toward the children.
The children praised my skill one after another.
But I wasn't one to be satisfied with just this.
We moved on to another arcade game.
Whack-a-mole, a shooting game, a single-player survival game, and so on.
I participated in various games, and each time, I overwhelmingly took first place.
“What's the deal with that masked kid? Who are they to keep winning like that?”
“Ugh, how can anyone beat that score... It's impossible. The first-place prize is out of reach.”
“The god of gaming must have descended into that child's body.”
Hmph.
I never go easy on my opponents, no matter who they are.
This is how a festival should be.
I stored the first-place prizes in a separate locker, planning to pick them up when we left.
As we were enjoying the festival, time flew by, and soon it was time.
The doors to the large building prepared for the performance swung wide open.
People began to file inside to watch the show.
The seats filled up quickly, and the audience's faces were full of anticipation.
Thump, thump.
As performers took the stage and put on wonderful shows, thunderous applause erupted.
The more the people enjoyed it, the louder the applause grew.
The children's faces began to stiffen again.
Oh, for goodness sake... the tension we'd chased away by having fun was creeping back in.
Well, it's only natural to be nervous with so many people watching.
As our turn drew closer, I stopped by the restroom to wash my face.
Before heading back inside.
I stepped outside to cool my body, which had become flushed from the joyful heat.
‘I hope everything goes well until the very end.’
It was a rare moment of peace.
The children had also prepared desperately for the performance.
I made a deep wish that all their efforts wouldn't be in vain, and just as I was about to go back inside...
A long shadow fell over me, and a chilling darkness engulfed me.
***
Inside a shabby cathedral.
Long pews filled the space to the left and right, with an aisle down the center.
One person sat on the left, and another on the right.
They were Gray, the leader of the Cult of the Grim Reaper, and Yiyeon, the cult's prophet.
Yiyeon was in the middle of explaining the plan he had devised to Gray.
After hearing the full explanation, Gray organized his thoughts behind his skull mask.
He opened his mouth.
“So, your plan is to ruin the festival held by the Crime Killer and her companions in the outskirts?”
“That's right.”
“And you intend to do this by sending our followers? That will be difficult. Our opponent is Red. And her companions are likely quite skilled as well.”
“No, there's no need to send our people. I've already placed my person inside. The plan is proceeding smoothly, even as we speak.”
Gray's eyes, hidden behind the mask, narrowed.
He glanced sideways at Yiyeon, and sensing the question behind the mask, Yiyeon spoke.
“I simply intend to use the chaos that will ensue after this incident to mobilize our children and amplify it further. To spread it throughout the entire city. Chaos is an excellent hymn for summoning death.”
“...Do you believe this incident will become a storm that sweeps the entire city? Such things are common in the outskirts. It will soon be buried by another incident.”
Yiyeon fully understood Gray's skepticism about the operation.
In the outskirts, incidents big and small dissipate before they can become even a breeze, let alone a storm.
But this time is different.
A smile played on Yiyeon's lips.
“You're certainly right. But this festival was hosted by Red's side.”
“...”
Gray tilted his head slightly.
Yiyeon explained.
“That festival, you see, is a festival of hope. It's meant to show that there's still hope in this world, to demonstrate the possibility of a better future... It's filled with all sorts of such positive wishes.”
Yiyeon knew Red's personality well.
He knew about the beliefs she held.
A person with a strong faith in others, unlike most people in this world.
On that faith, he would strike.
Yiyeon let out a low chuckle and continued.
“In a festival like that, one for the people of the outskirts, what do you think would happen if people from the outskirts themselves were to ruin it?”
“Don't tell me...?!”
Yiyeon nodded as if to confirm Gray's thought was correct.
“Even for someone like Red, wouldn't a crack form in her convictions? Even a tiny one is enough. It's all too easy to exploit that crack and shatter them completely.”
“But how do you intend to do it? It will be difficult to divert the Crime Killer's attention, no matter what.”
“That's not a problem.”
His assertive voice was filled with confidence.
“Midas, the Sin of Greed, will make his move.”
“Greed?!”
One of the Seven Deadly Sinners, Greed.
Gray knew well from what he'd heard that the Seven Deadly Sinners were strong.
But even when all seven of them attacked at once, they were no match for Red.
He couldn't help but feel uneasy.
“Will it be alright?”
“Ah, no problem. It's thanks to the friend I sent before.”
Gray furrowed his brow slightly behind his mask.
The person Yiyeon was referring to was Adam.
Adam, who had stepped forward so confidently, had lost his life to Red.
“After that friend of mine failed, the flow of money has been gathering around Mr. Midas. He's amassed considerable power. He'll be more than capable of playing his part in tying her down.”
“If you say so, then I suppose it's true.”
Gray shifted his gaze to the statue of the Grim Reaper standing tall on the dais.
“If this plan succeeds, we will be one step closer to the prophecy.”
His voice was steeped in emotion.
However.
A shadow fell over his mask.
It could have been simply because the room had grown darker, but it also seemed to reflect the state of his heart.
As if reading his mind, Yiyeon said.
“You don't look well. Is there something about the plan you don't like?”
“No. There's nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Silence fell. Then, as if he'd realized something, Yiyeon's slitted eyes opened.
His sinister red eyes were revealed, and their corners curved into an arc as if mocking him.
“Are you feeling guilty now that so many people will die according to the plan?”
“Of course not. If you must ask, it is simply because your plan doesn't consider people's hearts.”
“Hearts...?”
The strange answer brought confusion to his red eyes.
Gray said.
“Your plan is to ruin the festival. The people enjoying themselves there must be very happy. And the deeper their happiness, the deeper their despair will be.”
“So what's your point?”
“We of the Cult of the Grim Reaper seek to break the flesh to save the soul, and to let new life sprout from the earth where death has been sown. But your method shatters people's souls, leaving nothing but ashes upon the land. Is it not a truly violent method...?”
At Gray's sermon, Yiyeon clutched his head with his hands.
His shoulders began to tremble, and soon, he burst into laughter.
He swung his legs back and forth.
“Puhahahahaha! Are you still saying things like that? It's so absurdly funny.”
After laughing for a good while.
He pretended to wipe away tears with his finger.
Then, Yiyeon's laughter vanished completely.
“Well then, shall we call off the plan right now?”
“You ask an obvious question. I may not like your methods, but our priority is the advent of our god. Nothing is more important than our god's descent. Personal feelings must be set aside for the greater cause.”
His voice, tinged with a fanatical belief, was solemn.
And.
Gray lowered his gaze.
He placed his hands on his knees and clasped them tightly.
His eyes behind the mask were filled with sorrow, for the souls that would be mercilessly trampled by violence.
“May the warm hand of death caress those souls.”
He mourned in silence.