Chapter 41: What Is a Festival?

Some time had passed since they set off.

Thus, by the time the rising sun began to radiate its full heat.

As the surrounding scenery gradually shifted and they entered the paved roads in earnest.

Luke and Kariel happened to find themselves riding side by side.

“Ten years ago—no, even five years ago—I couldn’t have dreamed of a sight like this.”

Luke was the primary driver of the conversation.

With his helmet tucked under his arm and a relaxed smile on his face, a hint of pride could be glimpsed in his demeanor.

Below a wide plain that opened up as they climbed a hill.

A purple wave, like a painting, stretched out endlessly.

A fragrant floral scent drifted pleasantly on the breeze.

Along the wide, paved road—broad enough for several carriages to stand side by side—the purple waves flanking both sides were nothing short of a spectacle.

Expanding his gaze further, he could see various buildings and structures, some large and some small, scattered in the distance.

Faintly, some people could be seen painting on one side.

Beyond the purple waves, on the outer outskirts, there was a scene of dozens of sheep frolicking freely.

An open sky.

Beneath it, the vast purple waves emitting vivid colors were highlighted clearly by the warm, sulfur-yellow sunlight.

Despite being far away, the scent was intense enough to intoxicate; it was a dense field of lavender.

It was a landscape he had heard about in passing while studying regional geography at the Academy.

He had wondered if seeing it in person would make any difference.

It did.

…It was difficult to put into words.

The imperial capital, Bergharto, had been under the Emperor’s direct jurisdiction since early on.

This place was close yet far from there—a place that had once been a neglected border with no defined lines back when the Empire was not yet an Empire.

And now, it was the Marquisate of Widenberg, a fence for the Empire and the seat of one of the few Branch Houses of the Enzul family.

The Barony of Baronen, a part of that territory, was this very place.

At one time, the family had been plagued by notoriety for turning their backs on Saint Kariel, but the Baronen family had steadily proven their endless devotion to the Religious Order and the people under the guise of atonement.

Because of this, 300 years later, the Baronen family was recognized as the masters of this region.

Averse to entering central politics and remaining thoroughly loyal to the Marquess of Widenberg despite their proximity to the capital, they never looked outward.

They were almost the textbook example of faithful knightly nobility.

This had been proven without fail even during the Demon King’s invasion.

“The damage from the Demon King’s Army invasion was certainly great, but regardless, the war ended. After that, the most important thing was the internal administration and housekeeping—restoring the collapsed and devastated domain and making it a livable place again.”

However, if a knight were also skilled in internal administration, they would be a truly versatile worker.

At the very least, the Baron of Baronen of that era was lacking in that regard.

“Fortunately, my older brother had a talent for that sort of thing.”

Even during the war, while he wasn’t particularly skilled in internal management or logistics, including supplies… the reality was that he often showed a better aptitude than the Baron.

However, because his aptitude as a knight was deficient, he had often been overlooked since childhood.

Especially for the current Baron, who had been active even in the war and viewed protecting the name of Saint Kariel as an honor and a duty as the eldest son of the Baronen family, such incompetence may have been utterly intolerable.

“Still, it was a time of peace. There are ways like this too.”

As they entered a downhill slope and the road became lined with endless lavender fields.

By this point, it wasn’t just a scent… it was a concentration of fragrance so intense, as if a whole bottle of strong perfume had been poured out, that it almost made his head ache.

Still, it didn’t feel that bad.

Only.

“There are so many bees.”

“Those little ones are all our comrades.”

It had been less than a few years since Baronen became famous within the Empire as a honey distribution center.

Hadn’t some foreign merchants made a fortune by securing the right to distribute Baronen’s lavender honey?

“It rained quite a bit this year, so the harvest was delayed. Thanks to that, it overlaps with the Saint Kariel Festival, so it’s a very busy time.”

It had been vague from above, but seeing it up close, far more people than expected were busy harvesting, moving between the lavender fields.

If the sound of bees flying could be heard even on the paved road, Kariel worried slightly that the sound around the lavender fields might be deafening.

“Don’t the bees sting?”

“Just as we are intoxicated by the scent of the flowers, those little ones are also intoxicated and lose their minds. As long as you don’t unnecessarily touch or provoke them, we each go our own way and do our own work.”

That attitude of accepting and welcoming things harmoniously, without clashing even with a mere insect.

Did it signify benevolence?

Or did it signify composure?

No, was it a bit strange to be so immersed in something like this?

Kariel sank into his thoughts.

Luke, who had been calmly watching him, asked after a while.

“How about it? Doesn’t any poetic or musical inspiration come to mind? I’ve often heard that artists gain inspiration from seeing this place.”

“I’m not a bard. Not to that extent….”

“Well, some people are bards, so they sing, recite poetry, and play instruments. If you want to, you do it; if not, you don’t.”

“…….”

Those words truly gave him a lot to think about.

It was nothing special.

But to Kariel, it sounded like something significant.

He hadn’t even known there was a thorn embedded in his heart, but coming here and seeing and hearing these things made him realize it more clearly.

That he had to accept the pain of the thorn and endure it as something natural.

In truth, was that not actually natural?

The smile of a young lady sweating as she picked flowers.

The sunlight shining down upon her.

Everything was brilliant, bright, and sunny.

Even seeing a flying bee, instead of pulling her head away in fear or flinching in terror.

Rather, the composed sight of her smiling brightly and blowing a puff of air—hoo!—even playing a prank.

…A simple happiness, satisfaction, and composure that Kariel had never once seen or even imagined in his previous life.

Such things were wafting toward him in abundance.

Passing through the lavender fields, and passing through a few villages that seemed to have only a handful of households.

Far from having city walls to defend the exterior, there wasn’t even a single outer or inner castle rising prominently.

A small city where a single church stood tall and pointed atop a particularly lush mountain.

This was the inner courtyard of the Barony of Baronen.

Kariella finally entered his sight.

It was still a bit before the sun would set.

Just because he could see it didn’t mean they had arrived.

Nevertheless.

“We’re here.”

As expected, everyone’s heart seems to be the same.

Beside him, Luke let out a breath that might have been relief.

“Alright! Let’s go, quickly! Pick up the pace! We’re home! I’ll tell them to clear out the whole tavern for today! Let’s drink until we drop!”

Naturally, the cheers of the soldiers rang out like a battle cry on the battlefield.

“Hell yeah—!!”

…Among that cheering crowd, the Saintess was there, happily linking arms with the soldiers.

Kariel wondered for a moment if he should have pretended not to see that.

====

As soon as they arrived, Luke headed to the lord’s manor to report, and pushed all the remaining personnel into the tavern.

Thanks to that.

“I’m telling you! A ferocious wolf magic beast with bloodshot eyes was charging right at us! And then, the boy Luel grabbed the scruff of a trembling young man and pulled him back! And then he handles it so calmly! Do you think that’s all? He stepped on the knee of a bear-like magic beast, braced himself on its shoulder, climbed up, and then just—shink!—right on the head!”

As a young man climbed onto a round table and waved his glass while telling the story, the soldiers responded with a loud “Ooh!”

It wasn’t just the soldiers.

The residents who were mingling along with them also began to stare intently at the black-haired boy who was sitting in the corner, awkwardly sipping from a wooden cup.

“So it was that impressive, huh?”

At the words of a middle-aged man with a deep beard, the young soldier insisted further.

“I’m telling you, since it was before Lord Luke arrived, if he’d been just a little later, there would have been several casualties!”

Having arrived in the village ahead of the others to deliver the news per Luke’s orders, he continued to emphasize that he had almost been caught up in the chaos and nearly faced a disaster.

Literally, he likely did this because he knew that this was one of the few favors he could do for Kariel.

“So that’s what happened?”

“…….”

It wasn’t such a great feat, yet since he was acting like that, Kariel only felt awkward.

It had already been… exactly five days since they left the capital.

Since the horses needed to rest, excluding that time, they had traveled for three days while cutting back on sleep.

Whenever he took a brief nap, he would have nightmares, and he suffered from headaches and full-body pain that felt like seizures, so the reality was that he couldn’t sleep properly anyway.

However, the most serious thing… was the anxiety.

The anxiety that he could be chased or caught at any moment fueled his restlessness.

On one hand, there was a vague belief that Elhermina would manage things to some extent.

And on the other, the anxiety that she might ignore all that and try to find him in some way.

‘If they were truly determined to catch me as a criminal.’

He wouldn’t have made it this far.

But he didn’t know yet.

Not yet.

“Why aren’t you drinking this good stuff?”

Before his eyes, the woman called the Saintess was pouring golden liquid into a large glass.

And then she gulped it down greedily.

Having removed her armor, she looked exactly as she had when she woke up in the morning.

“Kuuuuh!”

…Was it really that good?

“Falling asleep after a drink is just the best.”

Suddenly, a man at the next table intervened casually with a flushed face.

“Miss, have you never experienced a hangover? I guess you have a constitution that doesn’t get them? You’ve got no fear! Is it because of your build? You’re more manly than a man! Your face looks kind of pretty, but then again, maybe not? Ah, right! Maybe ‘cool’ is the right word?”

“I’m human too, so of course I do. More importantly, calling a woman ‘manly’ is an insult, right? I hear I’m ‘cool’ a lot, but that’s an insult in its own way! They say my arms are thin but my legs are thick! Or why are my abs so strong! And despite all that, why do my breasts stimulate maternal instincts so much! Huh?!”

“Ah, but why are you drinking so recklessly? Did something good happen?”

“Mister, are you saying you don’t drink this good stuff because you’re afraid of hangovers? Or did your wife tell you to go pray hard at the church or something? Something good? Yes! Right, Luel?”

“Whoops! If you put it that way, this old man has nothing to say! Luel? What’s that? That dark-skinned kid over there?”

Laughter erupted among the drunks.

“…….”

Kariel watched the scene while only tasting the water.

She offered her glass, as if pushing it toward him.

“Just one drink! How about trying just one?”

“I’m not comfortable with my tension loosening.”

“Ah, so stiff! Just like a Knight Apprentice! So, did you come all the way to Kariella just in time for the Festival?”

…No.

He had intended to stop here, but it was the first time he realized it was right before the Festival.

The village was currently in the midst of preparing for the festivities.

…Wasn’t it originally not a festival, but over time it naturally became a unique festival of Kariella that combined the feast day and the celebration?

“By the way, did I mention I was a Knight Apprentice?”

“You handled the sword like a demon and took the lead in protecting the weak regardless of profit or loss, didn’t you? Since you were confident in your skills, it might not have been a great risk for you, and maybe you only lent a hand… but for people who have nothing, even that small help became the salvation of a lifetime. After all, refusing a reward and showing loyalty as if it’s natural isn’t something just anyone can do.”

“Is that so?”

It was true that he helped because they asked for help.

He could only say he was lucky.

On the other hand, he had been suspicious.

Wondering if they were pretending to ask for help to lure him into a trap.

…He had thought of all sorts of things.

In truth, it didn’t matter which it was.

If help was needed, he would help; if they tried to deceive him, he would simply deal with them.

“The sun is still high in the sky, are you already dying of exhaustion?”

“…….”

“Can’t sleep well?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m not used to it.”

When he gave a vague answer.

“Then, listen. Do you want to sleep with this big sister? I can teach you how to sleep peacefully.”

With a flushed face.

But with a gaze that was strangely filled with heat.

She—Alessia—put down her glass and leaned her upper body in subtly, making the proposal.

“How to sleep well?”

Was there such a thing?

Kariel pondered for a moment.