Chapter 14: Harvest Festival (3)

Chapter 14: Harvest Festival (3)

T/N: The schedule from now on will be releases on every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday according to CDT time. Itll start tomorrow and go until we catch up to the raws in about 15 weeks or so, wherein then, Ill start releases on the day I get the raws.

Therell also be 3 chapter mass releases whenever we reach major checkpoints like 1000 readers, 2000 readers, a top 10 weekly ranking, etc.

Enjoy the chap!



In the end, the outfit that had been chosen for him had been a black suit that was almost like everyday wear.

Why have I chosen everyday wear? Because its an unremarkable outfit that anyone can wear and look good in. You shouldnt trust your own sense of style, sir.

Aldios sharp comment was valid.

Now that he was dressed properly, he had finally realized just how awful his last outfit had been, a realization reinforced by Tyrias reaction once she saw him in the suit.

Tyria had breathed a sigh of relief.

Elric felt ashamed.

Anyways, after all that, they finally arrived in the city square.

Elric felt a sense of novelty. In retrospect, he hadnt been to the city square once since his return to Wiven.

On his first day back, he had taken the fastest route to the mansion, and his only two outings since then had been to his fathers mausoleum and to the Wyvern Estate

As such, the look in Elrics eyes as he gazed upon the square was both nostalgic and joyful.

Nothing has changed.

The square was, in reality, a circular plaza.

It was just a big circle with no fountains or other decorations in it, surrounded by several of Wivens most profitable shops.

The names of the shops were still the same as they had been a decade earlier.

As they walked by, people they met on the street had greeted him politely.

And as the people greeted him, Tyria said,

Even though youve been gone for ten years, the shops are still the same.

Is that so?

The only thing thats changed is that the restaurant you see over there has been passed down from the owner to his son and the sons wife.

I recognize that store.

Do you?

I got a lot of treats from there when I was a kid. The owner was very friendly.

When the neighborhood kids got hungry after playing for a while, the owner would call out to them with a big smile on his face.

-You troublemakers! Youve come again today?

Then, he would lead them to a table in a corner of the restaurant and give them sandwiches made of jam and meat on bread which Elric could still taste in his memory.

They werent particularly delicious, but they were always warm.

Maybe it wasnt the taste, but the warmth of the owner, who always treated them with a smile, that was warm in his memories.

Lost in his reminiscing, a smile naturally built up on his face.

Looking around the square and seeing all the ceremonial pieces being built in preparation for the harvest festival made him feel like he was back in his childhood.

As he looked around, Elric suddenly made eye contact with Tyria.

Or, more accurately, he had belatedly discovered that Tyria was staring at him.

Ah, I apologize. I forgot that I came out today to do some work.

Theres no need to apologize, its not like were pressed on time.

Haha, then lets get started. What do I need to do?

Youll be supervising. You just need to inspect the ceremonial pieces that have been erected and make sure theyre sturdy enough.

Elric nodded, and they both began to walk slowly with Tyria matching his pace.

There wasnt much to see. The largest structure was a campfire that was only slightly larger than the tallest building around.

Even after examining all the lines drawn on the ground for the ordering of or the marking of the position of various decorations commemorating the festival, only two hours had passed.

It had been a pretty easy job that had ended quite quickly.

It was at that moment that Tyria made a decision.

Now that were done, lets go meet the store owners.

Hmm?

The shops near the square get especially chaotic on festival days, so we need to do a safety inspection beforehand.

That made sense.

In fact, when he searched his memory, he remembered that there were ropes set up in front of the stores before the festival started to control the crowd.

You have to check all that?

Of course, that way, we dont have any accidents.

Be meticulous.

With his fathers personality, he would have been extremely wary of unplanned accidents, and would have taught Tyria to do her best to prevent them.

Elric nodded.



Feeling a sense of awkwardness, Elric turned to the shopkeeper and said,

Ill be back, then.

Please come back whenever you need clothes made.

Yes, I will.

After saying goodbye, they left the store and visited quite a few more stores.

The last place they arrived at was the restaurant where he had used to get his meals.

The owner had changed, but they were still someone that Elric knew.

Elric? Youre Elric?!

Sure enough, the son who had taken over the business had been a friend of Elric.

Holy shit, youre actually back?!

His name was Bart and he was always the supply soldier in war games. He was also the quickest to run away whenever there was trouble.

Meeting him again, Elric hugged him.

Small talk ensued.

But they were never able to capture that young spirit again in reminiscing about the past

Even then, his feelings of happiness did not easily fade away.

Do you remember the day we snuck up the back mountain?

Of course! We all scattered and fled when we saw the giant, wolf-like beast in the distance. It was a miracle no one was killed!

Yeah! You remember!

As they laughed and reminisced, Elric suddenly felt closer to the past, whilst his memories of rolling on the battlefield blurred.

Elrics smile deepened.

In the end, he never proceeded with the security inspection of the restaurant.

It was Tyria who had done the job.

Come on, were done here. Lets start heading back.

Oh.

As he fell into disappointment, Tyria said,

Its okay. I understand that youre glad to see your friend.

Im sorry.

Elric, youre a bad husband.

Bart chuckled, whilst Elric glared at him.

Bart shrugged his shoulders.

Goodbye. And make sure to come eat at my place during the festival.

Well, he was still pretty good at being cheeky.

Elric smiled wryly and waved him goodbye.

Yeah, see you later then.

And with that, he left the shop.



Bart had kept waving to Elric until he was out of sight.

Hey, honey.

Oh, sorry. Ill be right there.

What are you waiting for? I know meeting your friend is nice, but we have a lot to prepare in lew of the festival.

Just I was just excited.

Barts gaze was still stuck on the door behind the leaving Elric.

Are those two going to get married?

What? His wife replied.

Im just curious.

Bart scratched his cheek and looked away.

A past memory had come to his mind.

-Hey, Ugly!

-W-what?

-Youre ugly with your swollen face, right? Aldio told me! Pretty people only have really sharp faces!

Bart smiled wryly to himself.

No, theyre already married, arent they?

He had been one of the few people who had been able to approach her without fear after all, so maybe they were indeed a good match.

Bart shook off his thoughts and headed for the kitchen.

Their unexpected reunion had been quite pleasant.