Chapter 10: What is the Spring Festival?

　The year has come to a close and January has arrived.

　My life in the Royal Capital is going well, and my magical skills have improved considerably. I am now able to use water magic to fill the bathtub with hot water with ease.

　I have a bathtub of my own making that is large enough to stretch out my legs and fill with plenty of hot water. This is a great pleasure for people who like to take a bath. I feel happy soaking in the bathtub every day.

　Today, Ms. Kuala, who runs a clothing store in the neighborhood, is having lunch with me. She is about 40 years old and runs the clothing store with her husband. She wears her red hair in a bob, and I have never seen another woman with bobbed hair besides her, so she may be a fashionably sharp person.

　Ms. Kuala is a big fan of seafood rice, and today she is eating a hearty serving of it. This is a paella imitation. I would’ve liked to make the real thing, but I can’t find any saffron. I thought of converting the stamen of other flowers, but there are no flowers because it is winter now.

“It’s definitely delicious. I tried making this at home too. But it tastes different.”

“That’s just the way it tastes, Kuala-san.”

“No, I prefer this taste.”

　In fact, the cooked rice has its own homemade soup stock. The difference in taste is probably the pleasant savory taste component. I dry fish and mushrooms, make my own druggist’s mortar and with a scraping sound, grind them into a powder to make soup stock. Powder makes a thicker stock than using small fish or mushrooms as is… Next time I’ll give her some powdered stock.

　The druggist’s mortar was, of course, made from an iron pot.

“Father, the iron pot is here!” I’ve gotten used to the sound of the twelve-year-old son calling out to his father. I think he’s trying to keep his voice down.

　Maybe next time I’ll say, “Hello, I’m the iron pot. I’m here to buy my favorite iron pot.” I wonder if he’ll be like, “father, that scary person is here!”

　Kuala-san finished the cooked rice and spoke to me.

“You’re going to the Spring Waiting Festival too, aren’t you, Mai-san?”

“Spring Waiting festival ……. No, I haven’t decided yet.”

　In the first place, I have never heard of the Spring Waiting Festival. Is this another festival that everyone in the Kingdom of Wernos knows about? If it is a festival that all the people know about, like the Girls’ Festival in Japan, it would be better not to say anything bad about it.

“Do you have a boyfriend?　If you do, you should go. Your boyfriend will be disappointed.”

“That’s right”

“The best way to make him fall in love with you all over again is to get dressed up and go to the Spring Festival. And when you do that, Please visit our store then.”

“Yes, I will.”

　I  smile vaguely and wipe the counter.

　Now, I must ask someone. ‘What kind of festival is the Spring Waiting Festival?’ And who should I ask? Someone who wouldn’t be like, ”Huh? Are you serious?　Where in the world are you from?”……I guess Romi from the bar.

　She’s someone who doesn’t unnecessarily go into her customers’ affairs.

　Yes, let’s do that. Let’s secretly ask Romi about the Spring Festival tonight.

　I waited for night to fall and headed to “Romi’s Bar”. I’m not wearing stealth security wear with warding, because it scares the cats. Cats are an important source of relaxation for me.

　The restaurant is nice and crowded and noisy. The noise of talking and clashing dishes makes it hard to hear what other people are saying.

　The counter seats were also crowded, but I somehow managed to get a seat at one of the empty ones. There was a hooded man next to me on my left, but he was sitting with his back to me, so I sat down without even saying “excuse me neighbor”. The couple to my right were flirting, so I didn’t speak to them.

　Romi-san approached me with a smile on her face.

“Welcome.”

“I’ll have the usual spirits, some dried meat, and something I’d like to ask you privately. Sorry to bother you when you’re busy.”

“In private?　Of course it’s fine, what is it? Oh, I’ll bring you some liquor right now. Wait! It’ll be right away!”

　Romi-san scuttled back to the kitchen and returned to my seat with a plate of spirits, dried meat, and vegetable sticks. Her eyes are shining. I knew I made you expect a girls talk, didn’t I? Sorry about that.

“Okay, thank you for waiting. Vegetables are on the house. So, what’s up?　What do you want to ask me in private?”

“Oh, yes, thank you.  Um, what kind of festival is the Spring Waiting Festival?”

　Romi looked at me for about ten seconds without moving. Was this really that strange of a question?

“You really don’t know?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s hard to ask other people. Please tell me.”

“That’s fine, but ……you don’t know about  the Spring Waiting Festival. ……”

　I’m quite surprised. I’m really glad I asked this tough-spoken person.

“The Spring Festival has been going on for hundreds of years in this country. It celebrates the end of winter and the coming of spring. It is the second day of rest in February. In the capital, bonfires are set up on both sides of the main street and people walk slowly through them. It is said that the bonfires burn away the bad and unclean things that have accumulated in your body during the winter. There’s going to be a tight line of stalls between the bonfires.”

“So that’s the Spring Festival?”

“Yes. Many people die of colds and stomach-related illnesses during the winter, don’t they?　It’s also a way to celebrate that we both survived the harsh season and are happy that it will soon be spring. It’s going to be very crowded, with both young and old coming out to celebrate.”

“I see.”

　You lose your life in winter? ……. That’s right. There are no antibiotics or vaccines. I wonder if my customers will die too. I’d hate to see that.

“Also, most of the people in this country are farmers, right?　When spring comes, everyone will be busy with farm work. Before that, it’s a day for lovers to spend some sweet time together. In the farm villages, lovers spend a sweet evening together after walking between the bonfires. Of course, the lovers of the royal capital too.’’

“I understand. Sweet time with your lover.”

“That’s right. Sweet time is a source of energy. Okay, I’m going back. Have a good time with your boyfriend.”

　I have no plans to fall in love, but let’s talk about it.

“Yes, I will. Thank you very much. And, Romi-san, I never asked you this question ……”

“Oh, the basic rule of customer service is to keep your mouth shut and your back light, okay?　Don’t worry.”

　Romi winked at me and left.

　So this is a festival that the whole country has been celebrating since ancient times. So there is no one who doesn’t know about it.

It’s also pointless to make excuses like “I’m from another country.” I don’t even know anything about this country, let alone other countries, other than the royal capital and Orb Village. There’s no way I can get the information.

　I’ve managed to make it this far by avoiding saying anything unnecessary, but I was about to make a fool of myself in an unexpected way. It’s really scary not knowing.

　Information that can be obtained in a second with a smartphone or a computer is not available in this world unless you walk around with your own feet. Information is physically far away.

　I wish I could magically teleport. But still, …….

“That was close.”

“Mai-san”

“Yes.”

　I was so lost in thought that I was caught surprised after I answered. The customer to my left, who was sitting with his back to me, was looking at me, and it was Henry.

“Oh my God, was it you Mr. Henry?　I didn’t notice.”

　Romi-san and I spoke in a much lower voice, but I wonder if he heard our exchange. My heart beats faster.

“Mai-san is …… that ……”

“Did you by any chance hear me and Romi chatting?”

“I tried not to listen, but I have good hearing and it would be rude to cover my ears next to you, so I hesitated. I’m sorry, but I could hear you. And Mai-san…”

　Please pretend you didn’t hear anything!　Please!　I tried to bow to him, but Mr. Henry stood up. He was frowning and looked quite ill.

“Excuse me for interrupting the conversation. I’m going home.”

“Ah, yes. Good night.”

　Mr. Henry stood up slowly, put the money on the counter, and walked out of the store. He looks very sick, but I wonder if he will be all right? He’s a strong young man, so he won’t be attacked, right?

　No, if he doesn’t feel well, he might get attacked?

　I suddenly became worried. If I hadn’t been sitting next to him, he might have been planning to relax and sober up before leaving. Maybe he heard what I had to say and felt awkward, so he forced himself to leave.

　With that in mind, I couldn’t just ignore him. I left the money and left the store, but I couldn’t find Henry, who had just left the store. I ran left and right looking for him.

“Mr. Henry!　Where are you?　Mr. Henry!”

　There was no reply. Did he have a carriage waiting for him, and then rode it home? If so, that’s good, but Mr. Henry doesn’t usually use a carriage, does he?　I felt a terrible uneasiness.

　I looked around the nearby alleys one by one. Then, between the buildings in what could hardly be called an alley, I found the hooded coat Mr. Henry was wearing lying on the ground, as if it had been thrown off roughly.

　I felt my stomach knot up. Had he been attacked?

　When I picked up Mr. Henry’s coat, I found a plain white shirt, pants, and underwear in a slightly secluded area. And even a pair of boots and socks are lying around. Something must have happened to him.

　With trembling fingers, I picked up the fallen clothes and boots, held them up, and tried to turn back to Romi’s bar to call for people. At that moment, I heard a weak voice behind me.

“Wait. Don’t take my clothes.”

　I was startled and jumpy. The voice, it wasn’t Mr. Henry’s voice, was it?

　I gently turned around and stared in the direction of the voice and saw someone in the darkness at the end. I stared into it’s eyes, ready to escape at any moment while preparing my water magic.

　As my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, I could see a silhouette.

　In the gap of about 80 cm between the buildings, standing, was a cat as big as a foal.

TL Note:

Hinamatsuri (雛祭り), also called Doll’s Day or Girls’ Day, is a religious (Shinto) holiday in Japan, celebrated on 3 March of each year

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