Kays Translations

Chapter 28: Night of the Harvest Festival

In the evening, Lucius and his father, Lord Robel, were led to a room in Count Strauss's castle.

Although they were rural nobles, they held the title of Baron.

They were assigned a luxurious guest room.

"It feels uneasy for some reason."

"Yeah... What would happen if we accidentally broke this vase?"

"We might lose more of our territory."

"We should be careful... But, Lucius."

"Yeah?"

Robel furrowed his brows, his face serious.

"Listen, Lucius. I may not understand complicated things, but I can believe in something. If there's anything you need, tell me. I'll do everything I can."

It was about the story of the evil dragon they heard from Gufel earlier.

If Lucius doesn't allow the contracted evil dragon to gain the power it desires, which is evolution, he will be devoured by the dragon.

If they don't know what the contracted evil dragon desires, they have no idea how to make it evolve.

"Thank you. Don't worry, I will definitely become an outstanding Baron."

"I see, you're still my son after all."

Robel ruffled Lucius's hair affectionately.

Lucius chuckled shyly and shifted his gaze towards the window in the room.

The view of the town could be seen from the window, and it seemed like some kind of festival was taking place.

"Dad, what's that?"

"It's the Harvest Festival. It's held when the wheat harvest season is over."

"Oh, I see. Even in a big city, it's bustling like this."

Of course, there was also a Harvest Festival in the Silverheart Domain, but it was more like a gathering than a festival. It was a modest event where everyone brought better food than usual to share and eat.

Knock, knock, a knocking sound could be heard on the door.

"Come in."

Lucius responded with his voice.

"Coming in."

It was Olivia's voice.

Olivia opened the door, holding a book in her left hand.

"What's up?"

"W-Well, this. My book."

Olivia extended the book with one hand.

"A book?"

"You know, when we were in the woods, you asked me to lend you any books you haven't read, like books about national politics or the Genesis."

After Lucius made the contract with the evil dragon, he asked Olivia for information about the northern region and other things.

Lucius's goal was to become a Baron.

The duties of a Baron involved managing a small territory, somewhat similar to a village office in Japan. Lucius was mainly interested in the administration of the village.

He had been studying for that purpose, and it was undoubtedly important.

However, when it came to national politics, he lacked knowledge compared to Olivia.

The stories Lucius heard from Olivia, though using the same words as what he had learned about politics, had different content.

Lucius still had no interest in national politics, but he knew that if he didn't have knowledge about it, he would be slow to respond in times of need. Therefore, he thought it would be good to have an understanding of it as knowledge.

By the way, his interest in the Genesis was purely out of curiosity.

"Thank you."

"It's not a big deal."

Lucius received the book, but Olivia remained standing in front of the door.

Oddly enough, Olivia was hiding her right hand behind her back.

"What do you have in your right hand?"

"Eek!?"

"Well, no need to be so surprised."

"Anything is fine, isn't it?"

As Olivia exclaimed, something fell.

――A mask?

On the floor lay a mask resembling a dog or a wolf.

It was a dog, but it had horns.

It had eccentric patterns and even floral designs.

"Oh, no, this is..."

Olivia panicked.

"Oh, isn't that a Harvest Festival mask?"

Robel called out from behind.

"A Harvest Festival mask?"

"Yeah, it's a tradition to wear masks of Satyrs, creatures that bring prosperity, and participate in the festival."

"Masks of creatures?"

"I don't know the details, but apparently, during the festival, everyone wears masks to allow the children of Satyrs to visit the human town."

"In that case, Olivia should join the festival from now on. Have fun!"

"Huh?"

Behind Lucius, Robel chuckled mischievously.

"Lucius, you should go with her."

"Sure, I don't want to spoil Olivia's fun, and I also want to read the borrowed book."

"It's rare for you to be in the capital city at this time. Instead of just hearing about it, take the opportunity to see things directly while you're still young. Don't you think so, miss?"

"W-Well, I don't mind either way!"

Olivia answered somewhat hesitantly.

"R-Right. Lucius, go and enjoy yourself. And I believe you have a spare mask, right, miss?"

"I-I do... have one."

Another mask emerged from Olivia's hidden right hand.

"In that case, let's give it a try."

"Really!?"

Olivia's expression brightened.

Lucius picked up the black wolf mask and put it on, covering his face entirely.

Similarly, Olivia put on a white dog mask.

"Well then, Dad. We're going to go and have a look."

"Sure. Enjoy your youth!"

――Youth?

While Lucius had doubts in his mind, he and Olivia sneaked out of the castle and made their way down to the town below.

"There are stalls everywhere. And so many people."

It was a crowded street filled with people that Lucius hadn't seen in a long time.

Everyone was wearing masks.

The masks came in various colors, and many people were wearing masks that didn't resemble dogs or wolves at all.

Perhaps the tradition of Satyrs had become somewhat obsolete.

"Lucius, since we're here, let's buy something from the food stalls."

Olivia tugged at Lucius's sleeve with a brighter voice than usual.

"That's a good idea. I'm getting a little hungry. What should we get?"

The two of them went around the stalls.

Perhaps due to the festival's origins, which started as a tradition to welcome the children of monsters, there were many stalls selling lamb and poultry.

"Lucius, let's get that too."

"We can't eat that much, you know."

"It's okay."

Olivia held Lucius's hand and led him.

As they went, the two of them ended up buying anything that caught their eye at the stalls.

――Looks like I've spent all my allowance.

After walking for about 30 minutes, Lucius and Olivia had their hands full with an excessive amount of food and sweets.

"You really bought too much."

"It's fine. Lucius, can you come over here?"

Lucius followed Olivia as she walked ahead.

Gradually, the lights from the food stalls faded, and the surroundings became dimly lit.

"Olivia, there don't seem to be any stalls around here."

"That's right. We're in a place without any."

"Why?"

Olivia didn't answer.

They stopped in a square on a street away from the bustling main road of the festival.

"We've arrived."

Olivia exclaimed, and at that moment, a large crowd of people started moving from one end of the square.

――There's something there.

With the items he had bought still in his hands, Lucius instinctively reached for the sword hanging at his waist with his right hand.

"Oh, big sister!"

"You made it. Finally!"

"You're late! You came much earlier last year."

Children's voices filled the air as small figures approached from around the square.

――Children?

Upon closer inspection, they were indeed children.

There were children smaller than Lucius and older children as well.

The children flocked to Lucius and Olivia all at once.

A slightly musty smell emanated from them.

They seemed to have gone without a bath for a few days and hadn't put on any perfume.

"Wait a moment. Let's have the little ones choose first."

"Yes!"

The children responded in unison.

The youngest child, probably around four years old, playfully took a piece of lamb from Olivia's hand.

Next, the slightly older children followed in order, each taking their share.

"Oh, there's a big brother this year too. Haven't seen one in the past few years."

One of the older girls among the children spoke up.

"...Yes, that's right. He's returned after a long time in the eastern regions."

――Returned?

Confused, Lucius found himself facing the children.

"Please-...."

"Yeah, sure. Here you go."

Lucius offered his treats as well.

The little child's eyes lit up as they looked at the sweets and meat in Lucius' hand.

After a brief hesitation, the child chose a candy and walked away.

The line grew longer and longer, and one by one, the items Lucius had bought disappeared.

Soon, almost everything Lucius and Olivia had bought was gone.

All the children sat on the curbstones of the square, happily eating and enjoying their treats.

Observing their contented expressions, Lucius sat down on a bench in the square.

Olivia quietly sat down next to him.

"Orphans?"

"Yes. They are children from the city orphanage. They don't have money to buy things at the festival, so I buy them for them."

"That's why you're buying for them, Olivia."

From the children's conversation, it seemed like they did this every year.

"Exactly. The people running the stalls also have their livelihoods, so we can't expect them to give things to the orphans for free. That's why I use my own money," Olivia explained.

"It's a noble act," Lucius commented.

A shadow crossed Olivia's expression.

"I'm just imitating. My older brother started it," she said.

"Your older brother, if I recall correctly," Lucius replied.

"He's no longer with us. The mask you are wearing now, it's the one my brother used to wear every year. Everyone must have mistaken it," Olivia explained.

Along the way, some of the children had called out to Lucius, mistaking him for Olivia's brother.

"I see," Lucius murmured.

In his past life, too, he had lost an older brother. Though not as admirable as Olivia's brother, he was a kind and reliable brother to him.

"My brother used to always wonder what the difference was between nobles and those children," Olivia continued.

"The difference? I haven't thought about it much," Lucius admitted.

When he was young, he never thought about becoming a noble. But since he decided to become a respectable baron, he has been conscious of it, though he doesn't see much difference between himself and the common people. They are all human beings.

"I never had to worry about meals, had a place to sleep, and had the opportunity to learn a lot. Despite being in such an environment, why are there children who are abandoned by their parents or lose their parents and can't survive? My brother was always outraged about that," Olivia explained.

"Your brother was a kind person," Lucius remarked.

"He had a strong sense of responsibility. He always said that the existence of nobles was to reduce the suffering that the common people bear. Many of those children lost their parents in conflicts," Olivia added.

"Conflicts, huh?"

"He said he would go and end them quickly... That it was his responsibility. He said that and went off to war, but he returned in death."

Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes.

"Big brother was truly kind, smart, and handsome. But he always falls short at the crucial moments. He's just like father."

It seemed as if a sense of guilt was engraved in Olivia's deep azure eyes as she looked at the children.

"...Do you regret it?"

Olivia turned abruptly towards Lucius.

"...Yes. On the day big brother left for the Eastern region, I told him, 'Do your best.' I never even considered that he would die. I should have cried and pleaded with him at that time, asking him not to go."

"Olivia, it's not your fault."

"No, it's my own issue. Since then, I've been thinking that I should take action to avoid regrets, but I ended up causing trouble for Lucius too. It seems we truly are siblings who are similar in some ways."

"If it's about what happened in the forest, I don't mind anymore."

"...Thank you."

Olivia directed her gaze towards the sky.

Lucius felt that she was looking at the past, despite there being nothing there.

"Today, when I heard Gufel's story, I thought about it. Big brother's body returned to our hometown for the funeral, but he vanished somewhere, consumed by something."

"It seems to be the nature of contracts with monsters."

"Hey, Lucius. What exactly is nobility? They can live a better life than others, but they live and fight for their subjects, and in the end, they even sacrifice their own bodies to the monsters."

This world is a place where people die easily.

If everyone were to live for their own sake, without a doubt, the weak would be abandoned.

The children before their eyes, who are currently joyfully devouring meat and sweets, are probably just the beginning.

Someone must stand up for them.

Moreover, the decision to bear magical powers must be made shortly after birth, not by the individual's own will, but by the need for such a role within the clan.

"Still, I want to believe that even in such circumstances, their existence has value. I want to become an existence that is seen that way."

"...You always think that way, don't you? Hey, why are you so strong?"

I am not strong.

In my previous life, I was not allowed to remain as myself. I was forced to be a slave in my own house. I wasn't even given a true name.

I never want to return to such an era.

If I can be accepted as Lucius, no matter the sacrifices I have to make, I will achieve it.

—That's because it gives meaning to my existence.

"...I'm not strong. Anyway, it seems today's festival is ending."

Lucius stood up alone.

"Wait, tell me. I want to become like you too."

Lucius couldn't answer.

He had lived in a previous life over a decade ago. Even after reincarnating, he developed self-awareness within a month of being born and had done everything since then. In a way, he had lived his life wearing geta (traditional Japanese wooden shoes).

From Lucius's perspective, a mere ten-year-old girl who faced the deaths of her family and the responsibilities of nobility, yet still continued to move forward, seemed stronger.

"Olivia is much stronger."

"Don't tease me."

"I mean it—"

Suddenly, voices other than theirs echoed.

"Hey, hey, don't you want some meat?"

When they turned around, a child wearing a dog mask and horns stood behind the bench.

—Maybe an orphan.

"It's alright, you can eat it."

"But big brother and big sister must be very hungry, right?"

Now that they mentioned it, they were hungry.

They hadn't eaten anything from what they bought.

"We are hungry, but..."

"Then please have some."

The boy reluctantly handed the meat skewer to Lucius.

"Thank you."

"There's only one skewer, so big sister, please eat with him."

"Huh? Oh, um, thank you."

Saying that, the boy turned around and walked toward the narrow street leading from the square.

Lucius and Olivia stared in surprise at the skewer they were handed.

"Oh, big brother, thank you for sealing the evil dragon. Thanks to you, the fields remained abundant."

"Oh, well, it was half successful—eh?"

It's not a secret that Lucius performed the ritual on the evil dragon, but now he was wearing a mask. The boy was meeting him for the first time. It didn't seem like the boy knew him well enough to recognize him while hiding his face.

Panicking, Lucius raised his head, but the boy had already disappeared from sight.

Unless a person is contracted with a specific ritual, they wouldn't know which monster others were contracted with. However, it is said that some monsters can sense the presence of rituals hidden within human magic cores.

"...Could he be a genuine satyr's child?"

Both of them looked at each other in astonishment.

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