Chapter 54

There seems to be a festival today. This is the first New Year's event since I came to Iralin.

"Really, there are so many people!"

"Well, it's a festival day, after all."

Gustav sighed and muttered. Even on such a festival day, Gustav was diligently manning the store.

"Mr. Gustav, aren't you going to the New Year's festival?"

"I have to man the store. Besides, it's not that empty."

While signing some documents, he didn't even look up. It must be a busy time.

"…Why don't you go to the town? It's your first time at this town's festival, right?"

"That's true, but it's probably the same as the pioneer village. I heard there are fireworks, though."

"What did you do at the place you were before?"

"Well… I made sugar sculptures of cows and did fortune-telling, among other things."

At that, Gustav looked up.

"That's the festival in Meerman. It's a ceremony held in a region a bit to the north of here."

"Meerman, that's…"

"It's one of the secondary capitals, along the northern border."

He nodded and returned his gaze to the documents.

"Probably, the leaders of the pioneer village were from Meerman."

"Then, is it different in Iralin?"

Even within the same country, could it be so different?

I thought about it, but then I remembered that in Japan, New Year's customs also varied by region.

In this world, where information and people's movements are less frequent than in Japan, it's even more likely to be that way.

"Well, it's still a festival. But there are no sugar candies. What they do… well, you'll see when you go."

Without taking his eyes off the documents, he gave a meaningful grin.

"Probably, they'll be here soon, so let them show you around."

"Them? Who are you talking about?"

He didn't answer my question, just chuckled quietly.

"Mr. Crow! Are you there?"

The door was flung open, and a gray-haired boy rushed in.

"I'm here… Ah, Hailo."

It was Hailo. Riko was behind him.

They both looked well-dressed, and at first glance, I couldn't even recognize them.

"Good morning, Mr. Gustav, Mr. Crow!"

"Good morning."

They bowed in greeting, a far cry from their usual manner.

"Good morning. It's been a while, Hailo and Riko. Ah, and you don't need to use honorifics with me."

They were older than me, and there was no reason for them to call me "Mr."

"No! I can't do that!"

But Hailo didn't change his tone.

Riko, seeing this, smiled and added,

"Sorry, just go along with it. She still gets a bit rough with her tone sometimes. When she tries to use different tones for different people, she gets confused."

"Ah, I see…"

If you're not used to using honorifics, this is what happens.

I haven't had to think about it because I use honorifics with everyone, but I need to be careful not to make mistakes.

"Hey."

Gustav looked up from the documents, greeted them, and then returned to his work.

"So, what brings you here? You shouldn't need to use this store anymore, right?"

They were working normally, had received their salaries several times, and had moved out. They were now fully integrated into society. There was no reason for them to need the store for their daily lives.

"Today, we came to ask Mr. Crow to come with us."

"Right, that's it!"

Hailo chimed in enthusiastically. He didn't have to speak if he found it difficult.

"Hmm. What's it about?"

Was it a request to get some materials? Or some kind of rough job? If so, I think it would be better to ask Gustav.

"Come to the festival with us."

However, Riko's words were not a request.

"The festival…"

They had come to invite me to the New Year's festival, to the crowded town center.

"Hey? Don't you want to go?"

Imagining the crowd, my face must have fallen. Riko seemed a bit flustered.

"Ah, no, it's fine, but…"

Is it okay for me to go with them?

No, I don't mind going. But if I go, I'll be exposed to many people.

I am still a resident of the slums.

If they bring me, a member of the discriminated class, with them, how will it be perceived?

"Will it be a bother?"

From what I've heard, they have gained the trust of their surroundings and are working normally. But if they bring me, how will people react?

I don't mind if I get a bad reputation, but if they are seen as "bringing their old bad friends around again," won't people start talking badly about them again?

Such worries seemed absurd to them. Riko smiled and replied to my question, as if she had understood the situation.

"It won't be a bother at all. Don't worry, everyone is nice."

"…Is that so?"

They've invited me, and they say it won't be a bother.

I nodded firmly.

"Then, let's go. I'm not familiar with the town, so please take care of me."

If that's the case, I'll go out into the town for the first time in a while.

"Um… What is this?"

The town looked quite different from before the New Year.

The main street hadn't changed, but the side streets looked strange.

The streets were overflowing with garbage.

Not the kind of garbage like food waste or household trash, but more like household items.

Looking closely, there were discarded closets and chairs.

"By the way, Mr. Crow, this is your first time, right? Didn't you do something like this where you were before?"

"No. In the pioneer village, we didn't do anything like this."

As I said this, Riko, kicking a small piece of wood, explained with a happy face.

"In this town, people throw out old furniture like closets, chairs, and tables on New Year's Day."

"It's like a big cleaning, I guess."

Indeed, the closet looked well-used, with many scratches and peeling paint. The hinges on the door were bent, probably from the impact of being dropped.

"Of course, the main street is too crowded for people to throw things, but in the alleys, it's like this."

"We… I mean, we used to fix these things and sell them."

"Hey, Hailo, your tone."

Riko quietly reminded him, and Hailo looked dejected.

When we were in the slums, Hailo was the main one, but now it's the opposite.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Hey, this sausage is really good!"

Hailo ran up to a food stand, his tone already slipping.

"Let's eat together! I'll treat you!"

Riko couldn't say anything to his smile, just smiled wryly and looked at me.

"Let's eat."

"Sure."

If he's treating us, I have no intention of refusing.

Sausages, which I hadn't eaten much before, were large like frankfurters, wrapped in paper.

Biting into it, the flavor seeped out from the soft, fluffy meat wrapped in a tender skin. There wasn't much juice, but it was delicious.

"Every time I finish work, I buy sausages from this stand!"

"The stand… Oh."

I wondered if this stand was always here. Looking behind the stand, I understood. It looked like a butcher's shop that sold prepared foods. They probably only set up the stand during the festival.

"Even though you always eat them, you could have tried something different during the festival."

Despite the deliciousness, a complaint slipped out.

"But they're still good. I wanted Mr. Crow… to try them too."

He seemed to remember his tone halfway through.

The man who seemed to be the owner of the stand, who was manning it, laughed as he watched us.

"Thanks always!"

The store seemed to be a regular place for them, judging by the owner's greeting.

As we walked a bit, a noisy sound came from behind us.

Turning around, a procession seemed to be approaching.

"It's the nobles passing through."

Someone in the crowd said. The crowd in the distance seemed to be parting.

"Hailo, this way."

Riko called Hailo and guided me to the edge of the road.

Indeed, as Gustav said, the nobles would parade through the town.

The crowd gathered at the edge of the road, and we were swept along with them.

"Can't see anything from here."

Hailo and Riko were both small, and I was even shorter. The people in front of us blocked the view of the nobles.

The procession gradually approached, but we could only see glimpses through the gaps.

It was boring. We had come this far, so I wanted to see what it was like.

Curiosity was gnawing at me.

I could go alone, but I wanted to show the two of them as well.

"Hailo, Riko, come this way."

I led them to a side alley, and they followed without resistance.

"Don't you want to see?"

"From there, we can't see."

I pointed to the sky.

"Let's see from up there."

"Wow…"

I quickly muffled the scream. Using telekinesis, I lifted them to the roof as I flew. Then, I quietly set them down and looked down at the street.

"From here, you can see, right?"

"Hey, don't just fly people around like that!"

Hailo complained, but he didn't seem to really mind, so I just smiled and shrugged.

Looking at Riko, she was in bad shape.

"Whew…"

She was making strange noises, breathing heavily. She seemed to be trying to calm down.

After several deep breaths, she finally looked at me.

"If you're going to fly, you should tell us first…"

She seemed to be afraid of heights.

I calmed them down and looked down at the street. The procession of nobles was right there.

"Can you tell who they are?"

"Hmm, no idea. I don't remember the faces of nobles, and I don't deal with them anyway."

"Well, that's probably it."

In the procession, several people were being carried in what looked like rickshaws.

Around them, soldiers in elaborate armor were guarding them. They were probably private guards.

The most important person, probably the head of the noble family or their representative, was likely in one of the rickshaws. A couple was in one of the rickshaws at the back of the procession.

In the front, four young people were seated. They were probably children.

I listened to the comments of the onlookers.

"The Leibniz family."

"Yeah, they say a mage was born."

"It's the first time they're showing him."

"He must be proud."

"Only one arm, though."

Several interesting words were in the comments.

I looked again at the people in the carriage.

The smallest boy, probably around ten years old, was likely the one-armed mage from the south that Gustav mentioned.

He was smiling, but his eyes were expressionless. His hand was tucked under his leg, and he probably found it boring. He didn't talk to the others, who seemed to be his siblings, and just sat quietly, looking forward.

"Their clothes are so beautiful, nobles are really different."

"We were born differently, after all."

As we looked down, the two of them sighed.

They were the same age as us, but treated differently.

They seemed to have a philosophical outlook, or perhaps the nobles were so far removed from reality that it didn't affect them.

The lack of envy in their eyes was probably a virtue.

As we watched the procession, it soon passed by. It was probably heading to the center of the town.

"Since they've gone, I'll take you back down."

When I said this, the two of them froze for a moment.

I'll need to use a silencing spell again when I put them down.