Chapter 29

Most of the villagers had finished harvesting their wheat and crops, and today marked the start of the harvest festival.

The annual harvest festival, which could be considered the highlight of the year for the villagers. During the festival, most people would not work, instead feasting, drinking, and dancing to celebrate the year's bountiful harvest. Even in years of poor harvest, the scale would be smaller, but such occurrences were rare. In years of poor harvest, they would pray for a better one next year.

This year, not only was the harvest exceptionally bountiful, but thanks to the profits from Reversi, the festival was particularly lavish. Guests from outside, such as Lord Merne, who knew Father Nord, and the Yurina family, were expected to attend.

As a result, our Slowlett family was busy preparing food for the guests.

The main event would be in the evening, so it would only get busier.

"Hey, are the vegetables ready yet?"

"Yes, we have them."

"We don't have enough plates."

"Alright, then just cut the vegetables as they are."

"Got it!"

"Hey Mina, those are for the guests, so don't use them."

In the kitchen and dining room, voices of hustle and bustle could be heard.

It seemed quite hectic.

I was heading to Sera's restaurant, the usual venue for the Reversi tournament, as I had been invited to participate.

When I entered the restaurant, about forty men and women were already gathered. Even with the expansion, Sera's restaurant felt cramped with so many people.

Women didn't take up much space, but men like Roland took up the space of two people.

"Are there going to be more?"

"Huh? Oh, Lord Alfrid, you're here. About twenty more will come."

"Are there going to be more? It's bound to get too crowded."

"We can use the outside space."

What was so amusing, or were they already in a festive mood, the men started laughing.

"Hey, Sera, can we set up chairs and tables outside?"

"Sure, if it means getting rid of those boisterous men, I'll be relieved. Thanks."

'Buuu!'

I asked Sera, who was preparing, for permission to set up chairs and tables outside.

The men who were booing immediately fell silent when Sera glared at them.

I then used earth magic to set up chairs and tables outside the restaurant.

My vision was of the outdoor seating area of a typical café.

The sun wasn't too strong, so I didn't add parasols, as they might get in the way.

I checked the completed setup.

It might be a bit angular and rugged, but it wasn't too bad, I thought.

If it lacked elegance, I could add some colored cloth, but that would make it look quite different from Sera's restaurant, which might be a bit jarring.

"Can magic really be done so easily?"

A man with his arms crossed, a young man with short brown hair and a slightly intellectual look, asked the man next to him.

"No, it shouldn't be... At least, I can't do magic on this scale."

"I have fire attributes, but I can only light the firewood three times a day."

"Comparing Roland and Lord Alfrid is ridiculous."

"Westa, you have water attributes, right? How much can you do?"

"Listen and be amazed. I can produce a bucket full of water!"

"What? That's pathetic. You can't even put out a fire with that."

"What are you saying! You just make things worse and are useless!"

Roland and Westa, the men, started shouting and grabbing each other's chests.

"Oh, oh. That's dangerous."

The chairs and tables made with earth magic were quite hard.

"Alright! Go ahead!"

"Roland and Westa are entangled... entangled together!"

"See! It's just as I thought! Roland is the attacker and Westa is the receiver!"

"What are you talking about? Westa will turn the tables and become the receiver, while Roland will be the weak one!"

What are these腐 people talking about?

"Be quiet! You guys! If you want to fight, do it with Reversi! It's a Reversi tournament today, right?"

As expected, our mom said something wise.

"Oh, right. If we're going to do it, let's settle it with Reversi."

"That's what I was going to say. Try not to lose before you face me."

Roland and Westa stood up and laughed at each other.

The腐 people nodded in agreement.

What? What is it? What has been established in your world? I have no idea.

Then, they cut their eyes and walked in different directions.

Roland and Westa started walking in a cool manner, but the venue was just the next-door restaurant.

Roland turned the corner and headed for the front entrance. Westa went around to the kitchen side and entered through the back door.

"Hey! I always tell you not to come in from here!"

"Uwah! Sorry! I'll leave right away! Don't throw the ladle at me!"

Wow, Westa is so uncool. He looks smart, but he must be a bit of a dork.

After that, Roland and Westa didn't wait for the afternoon and were both eliminated in the first round of the morning.

The second round started after lunch.

After lunch, we went to the stalls in the square. The villagers, with their loose purse strings, would try to sell their best dishes. The profit wasn't much, but they competed to see whose stall had the best food.

In the capital, it seemed that shops and stalls lined the main roads all the way to Misfit Castle.

I wonder how many there are. I have no intention of living in the capital, but I would like to see it once.

We wandered around, visiting various stalls.

"What should we eat?"

Hmm, I feel like having a warm soup.

"Hey! There it is. That big pot must be soup."

I saw a stall where they were just about to serve soup in a bowl to a customer.

I immediately joined the line behind two customers.

"Would you like our vegetable soup?"

A kind-looking woman with silky blonde hair smiled at me.

"I'll take one, please."

And I'll take one too.

"Sure, do you have money? Three silver coins."

"I'm good. Here it is."

"Alright."

The woman smiled as if looking at something endearing, stirred the pot, and poured the soup into a bowl.

The hot soup steamed, and the sweet aroma of various vegetables wafted through the air.

It looked delicious. Looking into the pot, I saw chunks of vegetables and a bit of meat. The ingredients were common: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and mushrooms. There were probably some herbs as well.

"Here, be careful, it's hot."

"Thank you."

I blew on the hot vegetable soup to cool it down and took a sip.

The chunks of carrots were not too hard and were well-infused with the flavor of the soup.

The sweetness of the ingredients gently entered my stomach. It didn't seem like much salt was used.

"It's really delicious."

"Hehe, thank you."

The dish was delicious, maximizing the flavors of the ingredients. I should study it with Baltro when I have time.

I quickly finished the soup and returned the bowl and spoon to the woman. The bowls and spoons were reused at the village stalls.

Satisfied with the vegetable soup, I returned to Sera's restaurant.

"I wonder if Carla will advance this time?"

When I returned to Sera's restaurant, some pairs had already started the second round. The first-round losers and onlookers were watching.

"Wouldn't it have been better to place it there and flip a lot of stones?"

"Idiot, if you place it there, the opponent can take it back. It's better to control the opponent's stones there. That's why you're weak."

Roland and Westa were at it again. You guys are really close, aren't you?

"You lost in the first round, didn't you?"

"Ah, that was just because the opponent was tough. I would have won against anyone else."

"Wasn't it that squinty-eyed guy? I haven't seen him around here. Is he a new immigrant?"

"Don't know. I don't go out much. But he's strong."

"I see."

"By the way, who did you lose to?"

"A guy who was eating nothing but omelets."

"Was he that strong?"

"No, not really."

"So you were just weak."

"No! That's not it! If I had been more serious..."

I left the two of them arguing, which was bothering everyone around them.

I don't know everyone in the village, but the squinty-eyed guy who beat Westa was unfamiliar.

I felt a bit of unease, but it was probably just my imagination.

I asked Elman, the organizer, about my next match.

"Lord Alfrid's next opponent is the guy eating omelets over there. When you're both ready, you can start."

Following Elman's gesture, I saw a rather large man sitting with his legs spread wide, shoveling omelets into his mouth like a bowl.

"Miss, another serving!"

"How much can you eat? Do you have money?"

"Yeah, I have money."

He turned his money pouch upside down, and silver coins spilled out. There were even gold coins mixed in.

Is he a fellow adventurer like Rumba? He looks strong, and not many people in the village have gold coins.

"But it's not allowed. If you eat more, there won't be enough for everyone else."

"Hmm? That's a problem. I'll stop here."

The man stood up and walked over to where Elman and I were.

"Organizer, is this kid my next opponent?"

"Yes, that's right. When you're both ready, you can start."

"Alright, let's go, kid. I'm Merne."

The man looked down at me with a nihilistic smile.

"I'm Alfrid. Nice to meet you."

I bowed and headed to the table where the Reversi board was set up.

"Alright, let's have some fun."

As we played, I realized that Merne wasn't very strong.

"Huh? I thought I had the edge, but I got a painful counterattack."

That's the corner trap. You give up one corner to take the other.

"I see, the strength is different in the real place."

"You're from outside the village, right?"

"Yeah, that's right! It's only recently that the Reversi games have started coming to where I live. The village where it originated, Koriat, is in a different league. I give up!"

Merne laughed and stood up. The board was almost entirely covered with my white stones.

"Miss, one more omelet!"

"You've had enough. Get some spaghetti instead."

What a refreshing guy. I would have thought he'd be upset about losing to a kid.

"Your way of thinking is impressive. It's interesting and very helpful. If we play again, I look forward to it."

As I was impressed, the squinty-eyed man, Yurina, stood next to me.

He said, "My name is Yurina," and then ordered spaghetti like Merne.

Hmm, Merne and Yurina. I feel like I've heard those names somewhere. Maybe it's just my imagination.