Chapter 110: The Binding Festival. [Release Version]

<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Storm Magic Lv. 2] [Space-Time Magic Lv. 5] [Mana Eyes Lv. 3] gained>

<Spell gained: [Sylphid’s Cloak][Warp Point: Exit]>

<Custom spell gained: [Ignite]>

<[Humanize (Major)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]>

<Sylphid’s Cloak: Become the center of a fresh breeze. Empower wind elemental spells and its composite elements by 30% for everybody within the effective area. Reduce Earth elemental damage by 30% for everybody within the effective area. Requires continuous mana costs to maintain the spell after cast>

“You two actually got drunk without me?” I eyed Saori and Tasianna with widened eyes, flabbergasted at how tired they looked to the point it was clear they partied yesterday. “You know, I honestly thought [Poison Resistance] would make it impossible for us to get drunk because, you know, it’s a toxin. Still, I didn’t think you guys would go out and have fun without me. Mhmm ...”

Seeing my jealous expression, Tasianna became flustered as she waved her hands in front of me. “No, no, Lady Hestia! We didn’t plan it, it was a spontaneous idea from Miss Saori because she said it’s a Japanese tradition. I-I didn’t even want to! The alcohol, all those loud drinkers, and the chaos! Ooh, it was so … It was so much fun—uhhh, ahhh, I-I-I mean, I hate humans! Humans are the worst!”

Whether there were humans or not, your race literally has the Goddess of Celebrations as their patron goddess, Tasianna. Of course, you would enjoy parties.

While I was helping Ellaine with her magic training yesterday morning, Saori and Tasianna went to the lower town, bought a ton of food and joined the chef and tailor guilds. In the afternoon, they went to the hunters guild inn to have some recreation time with drinks and food. In other words, adult stuff.

I didn’t notice when they actually came back, since I was already asleep, but I was wondering where they were when a bunch of crates with food and spices arrived at the mansion, signed under Saori’s name but delivered by a foxian man named Zeather. Barathan wondered where to store everything, but I simply had him help me put everything in my storage.

Anyway, after I woke up today, I was greeted by a refreshed-looking Saori and a hungover Tasianna. Surprisingly, there wasn’t an “Alcohol Resistance” in this world, nor did [Poison Resistance] make it harder for you to get intoxicated, you had to build up your tolerance like on Earth. Saori had a habit of drinking in her past life but her new body wasn’t used to it, so both Saori and Tasianna came back home completely hammered. Talk about irresponsible drinking, guys.

I asked Tasianna whether a god of alcohol existed, but she didn’t know. She knew all of Zephira’s subordinate gods, but she was less sure about the gods among the other pantheons; even she didn’t wasn’t too familiar with every single subordinate gog of Plesia. If I thought of alcohol in a fantasy setting, then I would think of a drunk dwarf.

I still remembered when Aurena called herself a “Primary Administrator” in her missive to me. If an Origin God were a primary administrator, then shouldn’t a subordinate god be an admin with lesser authority? If there were a god of alcohol, wouldn’t it be possible for them to delete the “Alcohol Resistance” skill to make it easier for people to get drunk? If it’s a dwarven god, wouldn’t they be a subordinate god of Crustacia, the patron Goddess of the dwarves?

Unfortunately, none of us had an answer on hand. No use thinking about it, for now, I guess.

Nevertheless, that wasn’t what we would be doing today. For today was the 8th of WinterSun, a LightDay. We had a very special appointment today revolving around the marriage of a friend of ours—Lorena.

On the first LightDay of the first full week in a season, a festival called the Binding Festival would be celebrated around the Kingdom of Artorias, or any other country where Aurena was the primary Origin God. Other races had the concept of the Binding Festival too, but they were celebrated on a different day of the first full week, depending on their primary god. In other words, dwarves would celebrate on EarthDay and levianewts on WaterDay.

“How does it feel to be a human, again, Hestia?” Saori asked me offhandedly.

My smile dropped and looked at my bare, human skin hands, before letting out a disappointed sigh. “Well, if we don’t have to fight today, then it’s okay. It just feels uncomfortable to have only 1/3rd of my maximum stats. I feel weak.”

No tail, no horns, no claws, and no scales. I didn’t look one bit like a dragonewt anymore since I was now a full human. I even had “Human” in my race field now. I was once again a frail human who couldn’t use her dragon abilities. Thankfully, I took yesterday’s opportunity to learn [Ignite] from Manuella, the head maid, so I could still use fire magic for [Pyrokinesis].

Master Kush already guessed that I could, but I proved it now with [Ignite]. I could still use fire spells as long as I learned them as custom spells, meaning, I had to do the hard work. In addition Ellaine explained it was totally possible for me to relearn lost [Inferno Magic] spells like [Scorching Sun] if I hit the books, but, honestly, it wasn’t like I needed to.

[Symphonie des Feuergottes] was an overkill spell and I had my scale-dust to rely on. Not to mention, I fully believed I could become overpowered by improving [White Flames] and [Corrosive Fire] so why should I go back to the old? Sure, Shiterno’s slimy little hands gave them to me, but I wasn’t picky where my strength came from. They were mine, now.

Now, regardless of that point, the reason why I was in this form in the first place was due to the Binding Festival. The only ones who could wed couples were white-robed priests and priestesses, which usually meant they were nobles. These priests and priestesses who stayed in Firwood over the God Thanking Festival at their own or family estates had to return to the temple to prepare for the festival.

Ellaine didn’t want them to recognize me, although I did mention to her that Aurena wanted me to understand the culture and workings of her church. After she learned literally every single big secret of mine, I honestly didn’t have a reason to hide something I considered this minor. She understood my reason, and couldn’t go against an Origin Goddess’s wish, but she still wanted me to delay it for a bit, at least, until her father gave her the okay.

I didn’t know what Count Helvas was planning, but I nevertheless agreed to help since I couldn’t say no when Ellaine gave me puppy eyes when she pleaded with me. Seriously, that girl could be manipulative when she wanted to. Then again, I also didn’t have a reason to rush it. Aurena did say I had a ton of time since I was born earlier than expected.

So, while attending Lorena’s wedding with her childhood friend Ruld, I decided to stay in human form and hide my face for the duration of the ceremony. As it was possible that one grey-robed priest we met could recognize us, Saori and Tasianna also had to take measures to hide their appearances with new clothes.

Funnily enough, I almost forgot to switch clothes. My white robe was a dead giveaway that I was a priestess, despite its original meaning, so I had to replace my entire outfit with another of Saori’s many creations.

According to Ellaine, the Binding Festival would start in the afternoon, and commoners would have their weddings first. Once that ceremony was over, the nobles would be wed, but that was unlikely to happen today since most nobles were currently at the capital. The white-robes returned to the temple in the morning from their homes in Firwood, so I shouldn’t run into any of the priests, but Ellaine still insisted I be careful and use her carriage.

“Lady Atsuko, we have arrived,” our coachman announced once we arrived at the gates. We entered the upper district and noticed a huge shift in the atmosphere.

Unlike the more reserved and peaceful noble district, the commoner district was filled with jubilation. The carriages of the wealthy were fully decorated from top to bottom with colorful accessories, while countless laborers and workers still dressed in their working outfits were crowding around the very few in clean, but simple, clothes.

Although it was cold outside with snow on the streets, the people didn’t care as they continued cheering and shouting on their way to the temple. Seeing as the sun was slowly turning orange, most of them must have been done with their daily grind. Even if the young single men and women were celebrating somebody else’s happiness, they still gave it their all to liven the mood.

Saori and Tasianna met with Ruld yesterday, so they discussed a place for us to meet. Curiously, when we arrived there, a bunch of young and older men were surrounding a dark green-haired young woman and a brown-haired young man. If they hadn’t been laughing and clapping Ruld on his shoulder as he bashfully scratched his neck, I would have honestly thought they were muggers.

“Lady Hestia! Saori and Tasianna too!” Prying herself out of the group of men, the green-haired bachelorette fluttered her spotless white dress as she moved to us. “May the light guide your path on this brilliant LightDay! I’m so glad you three could make it, today! Thank you so very much.”

With a big wide grin, I hugged her. “Congratulations, Lorena! I’m so happy for you, and, wow, you look amazing! Oh, I see Ruld is also wearing a white outfit. So that’s the outfit you’re supposed to wear for the ceromony?”

Lorena, one of the friends I made in Carine village, wryly laughed, looking a bit flustered. “Hehe, yes, our mothers and their friends rushed the sewing process so they could finish it before we departed from the village. The white signifies our purity as we stand before Goddess Aurena to show that we have left our past life behind to embrace our new one with our partner. Like a blank slate; the ceremony and blessing is like a repeat of our childhood baptism.”

Her dress was sleek but simple, having no special embroidery, but compared to her usual clothing, it was clean and made this young maiden even more beautiful. Her usually dirty face was cleaned up, and while she wasn’t using any makeup, the simplicity of everything made her look radiant.

Ruld in the back similarly suited up. Looking handsome and dashing, the men around him couldn’t help but make fun of his appearance and how much of a “lucky boy” he was to be married. Looking at the groom himself, his flushed face really hit the fact he was happy with this marriage, even if it was initially done for the convenience of the pair.

Oh, childhood friends with a crush on each other, and now they are getting married! That would send anybody’s heart aflutter! Their parents urged both to get married, but I was glad both chose the correct partner.

While I was hopping a bit like a bunny, Lorena noted how I was missing my dragonewt features. After I explained how I could transform into a human and how I wanted to hide myself from the church, Lorena understood I didn’t want to stand out. She knew I didn’t want people to mistake me for a priestess, so I just went with that misunderstanding.

Mingling with the group, we followed them to the temple. Once we passed through the commoner gates, we entered the temple’s premises. From here on, only couples who wished to marry were allowed to enter the temple itself after they registered themselves with one of the white-robed priests.

Seeing as the attendees weren’t causing trouble or being loud in front of the priests, it looked like the commoners in Firwood knew not to provoke them, much like in Carine village. The rambunctious atmosphere might be gone but the wide grins and soft claps to guide the couples into the temple kept the merry nature of this event going.

Ruld and Lorena joined the other grooms and brides in front of the altar and lined up into two rows. Once the temple bells rang, all the white-robed priests entered, and a couple of grey-robed priests closed the temple doors. The temple must be using the same temperature regulators the nobles were using, as the premises were comfortably warm despite the cold of winter outside.

“Saori, any problems?” I asked her as she stood beside me with closed eyes.

She shook her head, still with her eyes closed. “No problems, it sneaked in undetected. The temple itself seems to be blessed with holy element, but it is not as strong as yours so I might have fortified my [Shadow Snake] too much. It will not disperse until I will it to.”

We expected something like this to happen but we still didn’t want to miss out on this valuable chance to learn about the church of Aurena and its rituals and ceremonies. So, Saori sneaked in a [Shadow Snake] to watch the procedure while sharing with us her vision with [Telepathy]. As a Champion of Aurena, wasn’t it my duty to learn more about the church?

I could simply use my authority and title to ask to come in? Pah! Not only did Ellaine ask me not to reveal myself but where is the fun in that?! To see the truth, I must act like a hidden food critic or something like that.

After a short moment of silence inside the temple halls, a handsome purple-haired man dressed in a fine and highly decorated white robe stepped in front of the altar, staring at the crowd of pairs with a thick book in his arm. He had sharp but sleep-deprived eyes, giving him a pretty stoic and intimidating appearance, especially with that thick nose of his.

Unlike the other white-robes, he had a reserved smile, looking more like he was there just to do his duty.

“The High Bishop has entered the room,” a woman wearing a distinctively red and white robe announced, silencing any still whispering grooms and brides. At that moment, all doors leading into the altar room closed and all the grey-robed priests and priestesses leaned their backs against the walls.

Was she a shrine maiden? I thought as the woman’s dress reminded me of Japanese mikos, the shrine maidens on Earth.

Just as I was wondering about that, all the white-robed priests, priestesses, and, presumably, shrine maidens raised their arms above their head in an arch, closed them, and posed in a prayer style. This motion prompted all the couples to clap their hands together and also pray, only without the excessive movements.

The only one who abstained was the purple-haired High Bishop who placed his thick book on the podium. “I greet every young man and woman in these sacred halls of our beloved Goddess of Light. In her name, I, Theodore, will humbly accept my duty to bind every lover’s fate with their chosen partner, blessing them under her divine eyes for their new start in life.”

The High Bishop then began reciting a tale from his book in a calm but resounding tone, which I presumed was an extended version of the bible I read in Carine village.

He told the story of how the Binding Festival was once called the union between the Origin Gods and the world of Peolynca, about how they gave their initial followers the task to spread not only their names, but also the small bits of power they granted them. In doing so, not only did their religions grow but the wild elemental energy left untouched before their arrival to Peolynca was slowly converted and tamed, giving rise to the bountiful world we currently live in.

After the “bond” was established, the Origin Gods retreated back to their divine realms, leaving their followers to govern the mortal realm while they kept watch over us. In their honor, six days of a full week were named after them so that each god could be revered equally, while the seventh was called RestDay to symbolize their retreat to their divine realm.

Since Origdiviel Arashan happened on the 7th of AutumnMoon, the celebration of the Binding Festival would always happen in the first full week of each season to show further respect to the Origin Gods. With each season beginning with the moon changing color, they believed it was a sign from the gods.

That was why the church of Aurena would celebrate the Binding Festival only on the LightDay in the first full week of a season, as that was the day Aurena’s power and authority were the highest. The marriage bond they would create today would be blessed with her divine grace.

[“Lies,”] Tasianna called out telepathically. Apparently, the fairies and elves had a different tale to the creation of the Binding Festival. [“We named the days after the Origin Gods to revere them, yes, but the Binding Festival already existed long before the arrival of the Origin Gods over 2000 years ago. The tradition is so old, not even the elves have documented how and where it originated from. Mages and arcane practitioners already existed before the arrival of the Origin Gods. I’m not saying they haven’t granted us better control over our power with the Divine System, but even this is too far-fetched. The older races like elves, dragonewts, and levianewts already controlled the elemental power of Peolynca, but these humans simply erased their achievements from human history!”]

I guess a religion would want to promote the gods as much as possible. A commoner wouldn’t have Tasianna’s book smarts and it was likely they would believe somebody like a noble-born priest on stuff like this.

As I felt no attachment to Peolynca’s history yet, I couldn’t feel angry at the church of Aurena like Tasianna did. Saori and I could only nod as we understood a little bit more of this world.

The ceremony then continued after the High Bishop finished reciting the tale. Shrine maidens began filling two ornate grails with [Create Water] while white-robed priests and priestesses began praying loudly. The High Bishop then took out a vial of white liquid and began pouring it into both grails. He then touched both grails, causing them to glow an incandescent white as he declared it “holy water.”

I can’t use [Mana Eyes] since it’s Saori’s memories but it has to be mana. He has to be pouring mana into those grails.

The shrine maidens then began bringing the two grails to the couples, telling them to take a sip each. Once the last pair drank a bit of the “holy water,” the shrine maidens and priests returned to their positions as the High Bishop began preaching again, “May this holy water cleanse your soul and body from the trials and tribulations you have faced in the past. May it bless your now clean soul for the future waiting ahead of you and your partner. Now, let us pray to Goddess Aurena and ask her for her blessing!”

With this loud command, all clergy members aside from the High Bishop kneeled with their hands pressed together. Understanding what was happening, the grooms and brides also kneeled, holding each other’s hand as they closed their eyes.

“The Goddess watches over us ♫

In her name, we pray, we sing, we love ♫

For her merciful light, protects us all ♫

Purify the ground, wherever her feathers touches ♫”

A small white magic circle appeared on the High Bishop’s hand before growing in size using only his mana. It then slowly moved to the ceiling of the temple as he began singing the lyrics for the custom holy spell [Prayer].

Holy moly, this guy has a lot of mana! Not as much as me but still.

Although I wasn’t inside the temple, I could feel the dense mana concentration. There were multiple mana signals of varying strengths but one of them was the most remarkable. Considering I used to cast [Prayer] during my “clergy duties” in Carine village, I knew how taxing it would be for a single person to cast it by themselves.

After a while, [Prayer] activated and rained down white particles onto the newlyweds, blessing them. The High Bishop then told everybody to rise.

“Goddess Aurena has answered our prayers. No doubt, your future henceforth will be guided and watched over by her merciful care. In Goddess Aurena we trust. To finalize the binding of your souls, the grooms may grant their brides the embrace of love.”

With a heartfelt and warm kiss, the ceremony ended spectacularly. The grey-robeds then opened up the doors and the grooms stormed out of the church with their bride in their arms. “Congratulations, Lorena and Ruld!” the three of us and Ruld’s co-workers shouted as they came out, helping them find us.

“Awroooooo!” However, for some reason, all of Ruld’s cobbler friends howled like wolves, acting like a signal for everyone in the crowd to imitate. “Come on you lovebirds, the real fun starts now! Get going!”

Confused, I asked one of the older cobblers. “We got a tradition here in Firwood, once the weddings are finished, the husband has to bring their wife back home safely! Course, we ain’t hurting them for real so everybody will howl like a wolf. Awrooooo! You block their way and any newlywed ain’t allowed to touch ya, so they have to find a different path home! A man who can’t protect his wife is worthless!”

With a wave of “awrooo” everybody rushed out of the church. Before they left, I also learned where they lived and told Ruld to keep a day open ‘cause we wanted him to introduce us to a blacksmith. “Yeah, sure! I know a very good blacksmith recommended by a ton of adventurers! He’s a dwarf, too!”

W-what?! A dwarf?!

Sadly, before I could ask him for the deets, Ruld’s co-workers pushed both Lorena and Ruld outside the temple. Like a pair of rabbits, the two ran away after saying goodbye to us.

I hope you two will have a happy life!

Whether it was single men, women, or small kids; everybody made sure to give it their all as they passionately chased all the new husbands and wives back home. The town was so lively it was incredible.

The three of us could’ve joined but we had to finally buy our pendants. The Binding Festival had three phases: the commoners’ wedding came first, then the wealthy merchants’, and finally it ended with the private weddings of nobles. Before the merchants arrived, we had some time to buy our pendants while the white-robeds took a break.

We entered the temple the moment all priests and shrine maidens exited the altar hall and went to a grey-robed priest. “May the light guide your path on this brilliant LightDay. The three of us wish to purchase amulets of the Origin Gods,” I said as a greeting.

He bowed and led us to another grey-robed who asked us to follow him inside a room. If I remember correctly, the room with the altar of gods should be close by. However, before we could enter the room, a man suddenly appeared and said, “I will handle our guests, you may leave. Thank you.”

Turning around, a man in a white robe with golden embroidery stood before us. His medium-long purple hair was carefully combed back with only a single strand hanging in front of his nose. His well-defined jaw was cleanly shaved while his tired lilac eyes gave him the appearance of an overworked intellectual.

Only a single person stood behind him and it was a grey-robed priest. Considering the grey-robeds acted like servants and attendants to the white-robeds, it was very likely this person was a noble. And not just any one.

“H-High Bishop?!” I exclaimed.

“Shhh,” he shushed us as he pressed his finger on his lips. “Please be quiet, these halls were filled with merriment, but unnecessary shouts will only annoy the other members of the clergy.”

He didn’t seem angry, but neither was he happy. He just looked … tired.

[“Are we in trouble?”] I asked Saori and Tasianna telepathically.

[“Since when have you been this pessimistic?”] Saori replied. [“Whether he knows or not, it does not matter. If he is not asking, do not say a word.”]

[“I agree, let us buy the amulets and begone,”] Tasianna agreed, to which I complied.

The grey-robed priest excused himself as we followed the High Bishop into the room. Once inside, I inspected it. It looked like a storage room with all the cabinets and chests, only decorated with two rugs to keep the room looking decent. Otherwise, it was a very dull room compared to the altar hallway and altar of the gods room.

“You wish to buy amulets? May I ask where your previous ones are?” he asked us, turning around in the middle of the room.

“We are adventurers,” Saori responded. “Our adventure brought us to dangerous places, and at one of those places we lost most of our belongings, including the amulets.”

Very sly, Saori. Very sly. The only amulet and pendant we lost were Tasianna’s; her Plesia pendant and the amulet she got from Princess Schuri. Good job not lying.

He raised a brow for a moment but returned back to his neutral expression. “Amulets are simple material items; always replaceable. The Origin Gods will forgive you seeing as how you are ready to reacquire them. Now, let me help you.”

We told him which Origin God’s amulet we wanted: two Aurena’s and one Plesia’s. Since I was Aurena’s blessed now, I needed one to symbolize my standing with her. We initially wanted Saori to pretend to be a Marsven worshipper, but acting as Aurena’s was plain simpler. Even if mages usually followed the Origin God who governed their preferred element, it wasn’t rare for wind mages to worship Aurena or Plesia. Just take a look at Ellaine or Tasiana.

The High Bishop ordered his grey-robed like a noble a servant, directing him to two cabinets where he picked up two wooden boxes. Inside them were an amulet of Aurena and Plesia, which he handed over to Saori and Tasianna respectively.

For mine, he took out a key and personally opened up one of the chests, taking out an ornate white box, probably made from Fairnite, that ore nobles loved so much. When he opened it up in front of me, a glossy white amulet of an angel woman laid in the soft black furry interior, adorned with golden wings.

“W-wha—?!” I uttered with widened eyes. Even Saori and Tasianna stood silently, watching the amulet being unfurled before us.

“I must apologize but the church cannot accept any more donations today. Not only is it a blissful LightDay but multiple wealthy personages have donated a generous amount of Davi to us. For your continued devotion to the gods, please, accept these amulets on behalf of the church,” he stated before pretty much shoving the box into my hands.

“W-wait, High Bishop, we ca-!” I wanted to stop him but my voice was silenced by the temple’s bell, signaling the second part of the Binding Festival.

With a perfect reason to not stay any longer, he excused himself and ordered another grey-robed priest to escort us outside. After we were reluctantly guided out, grooms in beautiful white suits and brides in enchanting white dresses entered the temple. As we didn’t have a reason to stay anymore, we left the temple’s premises.

Holding onto the box, I picked up the amulet and stared at it. “Told you guys,” I said with a deep grimace.

<Amulet of Aurena: A detailed amulet dedicated to the worship of Aurena, the Goddess of Light.

Skills: [Holy Resistance Lv. 5] [Health Recovery Lv. 5] [Mana Recovery Lv. 5] [Holy Amp] [Holy Magic Efficiency]>

Saori’s amulet didn’t have any enchantments and neither did Tasianna’s. Mine was so richly adornment and crafted that if it wasn’t worn by a noble or priest, it would stand out greatly.

“… I was sure Barathan told me all information should be safe from the church. How is this possible?” Saori massaged her temples in exasperation, worry evident on her face as my identity was most likely revealed.

“Maybe he didn’t know? Maybe he saw the holy aura around you and believed you were a potential priestess?” Tasianna suggested, giving us a very delusional answer.

“Urgh, forget about it. I’ll report this to Ellaine, let her deal with it. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

So, instead of actually worrying too much about it, we instead went to the marketplace in the middle district of the lower town. The festivities were still going on, as the howls were echoing through the town’s streets. Thankfully, the night festival was about to happen at the market.

The Binding Festival had two parts when it came to the celebration. First, the marriage followed by the tradition of chasing the newlyweds back home, and then a night festival where singles could drink and eat until the night ended. It was supposedly a chance for potential bachelors and bachelorettes to find a partner for the next Binding Festival.

Taking this as a chance to have some fun with my friends, I told them to get some food while I prepared a space for us to celebrate. Taking out chairs and tables from my storage, I placed them on the ground and set out some dishware for us. I also took out a geigler I borrowed from Ellaine.

To liven everything up, I began playing the instrument nonstop; not even stopping when Saori and Tasianna returned with street food and eatery specialties. I was simply captivated by my chance to finally play the violin again, even if it was called differently. It also helped that a few townspeople began clapping as I played, crowding around us. Suddenly, the place turned into a mini dance floor.

That was when Saori’s eyes beamed with a glint of gold. Telling me to take out our cooking tools and utensils, she grabbed the ingredients and spices she bought yesterday to cook something. Telling me to continue playing to lure people in, Saori and Tasianna used their newly acquired chef guild membership to open up an impromptu cooking stall! What the heck!

Was this even legal?!

“Heat, please,” Saori called out as she placed a pan on my head, before using it to cook something.

Weirdly enough, although I was in human form, I could still control my body temperature even without my solar core. It shouldn’t be there while I was in this form, but I could still feel its warmth in the center of my chest.

Sure, I was naturally resistant to fire and heat with [Inferno Resistance] and [Lava Resistance], but this still felt mysterious. How exactly did my body work? I guess mana was just special, in general … although, why exactly were my friends abusing this fact to cook and bake food ontop of my head?!

Okay, I’m starting to really question my role in this party! Am I a steam cooker or an idol?! These two Dummköpfe were balancing rice crackers on my head to bake them! What the hell! Stop using me to steam and bake food!

However, even if my emotions were rebelling against them, my body couldn’t. I was enthralled by my own play and couldn’t stop.

You two win this time …

A lot of people actually did buy our rice crackers, meat skewers, and stuffed vegetables, earning us around 1975 Davi. “Urgh, I should have priced the rice crackers more. Shame, the stuffed vegetables did not sell too well,” she complained after we were done with our impromptu restaurant as the sky darkened.

Considering the amount of spices and meat we used, did we even earn back the amount we paid for this? Well, I wasn’t really big on math or doing taxes and such, so I could leave the rest to Saori. I was more interested in how people viewed my play. As an entertainer, the audience’s happiness was my greatest worry.

Before going home, Saori wanted to go to the mercenary guild to have my rank updated, but, sadly, my luck finally ran out. My aura of dissuading stupid people from approaching me had finally deactivated, as I noticed ten signals followed us the moment we closed our “stall.”

Come on … I’ve been able to control my [Battle Frenzy] for this long now and you guys want to provoke me? Come on, man. Not cool.

Sighing in exasperation, I told Saori and Tasianna to go into a dark alley. Like a bunch of easily caught fish, the thugs rushed after us with one of them suddenly bursting in laughter. “Hiehahaha, what a bunch of dumb bitches! Did you notice us? That elf probably did, so why would you lead us into this dank place?!”

Turning around, nine young adolescent boys menacingly blocked our way out. All of them seemed slightly intoxicated and wore cloth armor called gambeson. With their weapons hovering over their sheathed weapons, this instantly made me mark them as “thugs.” Meaning, they were free fodder for me to punch.

Wait, was the tenth guy a random? I thought, but decided to ignore it. My [Detection Sensor] was effective at finding people, but I couldn’t assess a person’s intentions. Well, one less person to deal with.

Saori, seemingly recognizing them, taunted them as her eyes began to emit a red mist. However, one of them just strutted forward, waving his spear around in an annoyed fashion. He insulted Saori and Tasianna and how they “shamed” them yesterday at the merc guild. They complained they were just trying to “help” out so what if they wanted to flirt with some girls?

Tasianna, though, didn’t let him finish as she was unable to hold her bloodthirst back. The chilly aura even made me uncomfortable. “I will say this once, humans. Back off now or face an icy burial!”

“What is your grand plan supposed to be? Kidnap us? Beat us down?” Saori aggressively exuded her [Terror Aura], scaring a couple of them.

The mace wielder’s eyes widened in surprise as he waved his hands in front of me, looking mortified. “W-wait, this is a big misunderstanding, we aren’t here for a fight, we just wanted to say our piece and-HUH?!”

Before he could speak, the people behind him began screaming and yelling as they were flung onto the walls. It might be dark, but with [Night Vision] it was easy to see their faces bruised and bloody, looking like somebody just beat them down.

“Hey, hey! Who the hell a-Ukuk!”

“W-wait, we weren’t tryi-Uwarrgh!”

“Stop, please, we wer-Puuwargh!”

… Huh? What just happened.

“That’s what you get for ganging up on people nine to three, punks!” A sudden intruder suddenly mowed down the “thugs,” taking out multiple of them with a boisterous laugh. This person wasn’t human, he was a beastman with sharp pointy horns and minotaur-like legs, and he gave us a thumbs up as we noticed him.

“Yo, girls, hope you weren’t hurt there.” His deep voice and carefree attitude gave me the impression he was a jock but something in my brain was telling me otherwise.

Wait, don’t I know this smell? Why does it smell sweet?

He stared at me for a moment before he began using his bull-like nose to sniff, widening his nostrils as if he caught onto the same scent I did. No, wait, was he smelling us?

Grossed out, I flinched back. “Hey, say something you creep! Wait, now I remember, I remember that smell! You’re the tenth guy! You must be taking advantage of the situation! Saori, sic’em!”

As Saori didn’t think my joke of treating her like a dog was very funny, she remained calm when the beastman told us he wasn’t part of the group.

Hey, you guys use me as a steamer and over, I get the chance to use you like a dog!

“The name’s Cernust, I’m a bovline. An ox beastman,” he introduced himself. “I’m an adventurer and alchemist, and I saw you three at that food stall.”

“Oh wait, now I remember! You were one of our customers!” Saori stated.

“Yeah, yeah, right! I really love those stuffed veggies. The meat and cheese really made the veggies shine, mhmm!” he fidgeted like an excited foodie. “Anyway, I saw these punks stalk you girls and thought I could send them flying if they try to gang up on you. Horny bastards, you know? I also wanted to use this chance to get a favor from you.”

Cernust? Oh wait, that guy I eavesdropped on at the gate when I arrived at Firwood! I suddenly remembered but didn’t say anything as I didn’t want to interrupt everybody.

Saori nodded to his request, wishing to hear him out. We didn’t need his help, but he did save us from having to deal with the trouble ourselves.

“Haha, awesome! Thanks, this really means a lot to me!” Cernust responded with joy, shaking Saori’s hand with fervor. “You see, I saw you guys exit the chef guild with smiles, and when I tasted what you did today, I was just blown away! You see, I have a companion who is a very, very picky eater. She didn’t like most of the food I got her and I can’t cook well. If you can make a dish worthy for a wealthy merchant, I’ll make sure to repay you for it!”

With this small problem settled, we went out of the alleyway, leaving the wannabe thugs behind. “We just wanted to complain…” I heard one of them utter, making me feel a bit guilty that Cernust suddenly pummeled them like that. Considering I saw him have some sorta special gauntlet and no other weapon, he should be a martial artist or monk, in RPG terms. Yeowch.

After getting my mercenary rank updated at, Saori and Tasianna went to the mercenary inn to borrow the kitchen to cook up whatever Cernust wanted to make. As I could easily protect myself from most threats, I went home by myself since the cooking would take a while.

Is somebody following me? I thought but gave up when my [Detection Sensor] couldn’t pick anything up.

When Barathan came to pick me up at the gate, he was mortified and gave me a lecture about how a young lady shouldn’t be outside in the night all alone. It was improper, he said.

Once I was back at Ellaine’s mansion, she suddenly asked me for more training for some reason. I initially wanted to decline but the fire in her eyes was hard to talk back to, so I agreed and told her to expect not to sleep tonight.

***

“… He made a mistake,” I said to Tasianna.

After finishing Cernust’s request, instead of going back home, Tasianna and I went to a small tavern in the depths of the lower district. Compared to the middle district, this place lacked the need to look good in front of customers as most of the buildings here were residential. They weren’t completely impoverished, it just looked plain.

Since we arrived at Firwood, I’ve been suspecting somebody was following us every time we were in the commoner districts. It felt uncomfortable that I couldn’t find them, meaning my detection skills were inferior to his stealth skills. However, in his little surveillance, he made the mistake of being caught in the atmosphere of the town.

In other words, he drank too much and got caught by my [Shadow Snake]. Thank you, Binding Festival.

Sitting on a double table, our spy was flirting with one of the barmaids, drinking down his mug of ale without worrying about the fact he has been drinking like crazy the whole day. After telling the barmaid we had something serious to talk with him about, she went away and we sat down.

“Hick, wow, never-ver thought some nice-looking girls would come and speak with an old man like me, hahaha!”

Despite his claims of being “old” he kept himself clean and shaved, only having a three-day beard. His dark brown hair was messy but it wasn’t wild or unsanitary. Although he was drunk, it seemed more like he was acting it.

Conjuring up a [Dark Bolt] and molding it into a dagger, I simply dangled it from my hand. “Please, drop the act. Who are you? Why have you been following us this whole time? Answers, please.”

His smile softened, he straightened his back, pushed the mug of ale away and began looking directly into my eyes. “Vice-Guild Master of the hunters guild. Farron told me to keep watch over you three and make sure you don’t cause trouble. The name’s Gael. You lovely ladies took quite a long time to find me. Heh.”