Chapter 77: Festival's Conclusion
It was surely just a passing remark.
When drunk, people often made slip-ups as their logical judgment became clouded by alcohol. That was why Shiron had been offering them drink after drink. He had immersed himself in the light-hearted atmosphere.
But then
What are you talking about?
Shiron realized he was unconsciously babbling, his steps then leading him towards the source of the conversation.
He approached the spot where the voices had come from. There was no specific thought or reason for his movement, just a curiosity about what elements of the game were not being shown.
Huh?
The red-faced drunkard widened his eyes upon seeing Shiron, a slightly awkward feeling arising as the boy who had been cheerfully pouring drinks froze.
Cough. Seems like youre interested in the story.
Yes. Would you mind elaborating more, if its not too much trouble?
Sure, its not a big deal.
The man sighed deeply and made a serious face, the slight buzz from the alcohol meeting Shirons gaze.
Have you ever read a fairy tale?
You mean the book where Hero Kyrie is the protagonist?
Lets be more precise, kid. Its not just a simple story about Hero Kyrie.
Margaret chimed in from behind Shiron.
One day, an evil god appeared and set the continent ablaze. Soon after, a hero named Kyrie emerged to save the world Thats the story.
Margaret gazed at her not fully filled glass of alcohol.
As time passed, the sunset reflected in the glass, the yellow and red hues mixing with Margarets golden eyes.
With a slightly flushed face, Margaret chuckled.
If its a family with hundreds of years of history, they all have a story to tell. Its not that special. Even my family, the Versailles, has a story where Hero Kyrie Versailles is the protagonist.
So
It wasnt until later that I found out there were countless families with similar stories. I know of at least twenty such families.
Thats fascinating.
Shiron nodded his head a bit belatedly.
When he first heard it, He thought it was nonsense. He thought Margaret, a woman, might have said some nonsense because she was drunk.
But in this place, in a place where quite a lot of people gathered, no one pointed out that fact. Rather, there were a few people who seemed to agree with what she said.
Its an unknown author, and we dont even know when it was written.
Dexter spat out a little nervously.
So, anyone who takes it seriously is a fool. We all believed without a doubt that our ancestors were legendary figures when we were children. But it was brutally shattered. The fact that the character Kyrie was not exclusive to one family How much we cried when we found out as children
Haha. This friend of mine. He may look fierce, but he has quite a pure side.
Enough with you.
Dexter clicked his tongue.
I had romance. I trained hard to become a hero in a story. I wonder how many of the people here did not do that.
Anyway, its too fanciful a story. I stopped clinging to it the moment I got older and had children.
But, Sir Hugo was different.
Margarets voice dropped a little as she gulped down the remaining alcohol in her glass.
Prient truly claimed to be the family that inherited Kyries bloodline and proudly declared that their family was the hero family in the story, which no one else had ever done.
The fight broke out in an instant. Margaret remembered when Hugo first came to the Arwen Plateau.
A country youth with a sword strapped to his waist.
That was their first impression of Hugo Prient.
It was natural that he became a laughing stock when a young man from the countryside with no title or decent territory to collect taxes from talked big. All the young nobles of the military laughed and ridiculed him.
So, what do you think happened next, young man?
There must have been a fight.
Right. Its obvious.
Margarets glass was empty, and Shiron hurriedly filled it up. Margaret smiled at his diligence.
But, those who fought with him instinctively knew.
Noses were broken,
Ribs were fractured,
Teeth were knocked out.
It wasnt just the young men who were beaten by Hugo. Even those in their prime, who were at the peak of their physical abilities, were no match for Hugo.
Thats not a matter of talent. We can only say its because our races are different. Having shown such power, both you and I had no choice but to acknowledge it. I was the head of the Versailles family back then as well, but after that incident, we locked all the ridiculous books of our family in the basement.
I burned them all. You have no conscience.
Igor smirked towards Margaret. Shiron thought that maybe Igor had a habit of picking fights when he was drunk.
But I dont quite understand. Just being good at fighting doesnt make one any different from a good-for-nothing, does it?
You are merciless towards your uncle.
This was said by Dexter, who was listening to the conversation.
Considering what Knight Hugo has accomplished, its too late to have such thoughts now. He spends most of the year near the North. He feels closer to a hero from untold stories than Hugo Prient, the human.
There are many reasons, but the biggest ones are Hugos character and strength. If a legendary existence like the Demon Lord or something appeared, he would have been the first to be elected as a hero.
I should get going now. It was a good drink.
Dexter brushed off his buttocks and stood up. He patted Shirons head a few times and stretched.
It had become unusually quiet around the gathering.
Turning his head, the fog had disappeared, and there were no moving monsters.
The main event of the Subjugation Festival had ended. Far away, a girl with her entire body stained red like a tomato could be seen.
The fog disappeared, and there were no more moving monsters.
Huff- Kheuh-
Lucia let out a short breath and thrust her sword into the damp ground.
How many had she cut down She hadnt counted, but it seemed like she had killed enough monsters to easily fill three digits.
Damn it.
Lucia felt her legs giving in, and she wanted to lie on the ground, but the sight of the monster corpses and blood around her made her change her mind instantly.
But her body didnt follow her will.
Plop-
Eventually, Lucias knees hit the ground. She tried to support her body with the sword that was thrust into the ground, but as the tension left her, her legs gave out.
Just then, before she could faint, someone poked Lucias shoulder.
Good job.
Slowly turning around, there was a face she wanted to punch right away.
Shiron Prient.
Where was he hiding and showing his face so shamelessly
You son of a bitch.
Lucias face contorted with anger as she glared at Shiron and swung her fist towards his chest.
Thump-
But with all her strength gone, she couldnt land a proper hit.
Thump- Thump-
You, you bastard
You were this weak? It didnt hurt at all.
Son of a bitch
Will I not faint even if you hit me now?
Awkwardly-
What, what are you doing!
Lucia stopped the hand that was hitting Shiron. She couldnt hit him. In the blink of an eye, she was on Shirons back.
What. Trying to piggyback for the first time?
You, just you wait.
Lucia felt her consciousness blurring.
She wanted to struggle right now, but her body didnt listen. Grinding her teeth, Lucia fell into a stupor.
After the punitive expedition ended, the sun completely set.
Hey.
Lucia opened her eyes wide at the presence she felt by her bedside. Shiron was lying on his back, looking at Lucia.
Son of a bitch.
You woke up quite quickly. I thought it would be dawn before you got up.
Yikes!
Lucia tried to quickly get up, but the throbbing pain throughout her body made her collapse back onto the bed. She tried again to raise her body and turned her head towards the ground.
Huh? Whats this?
Suddenly, Lucia was confused by the warmth she felt on her face.
It was too dark to see, but Lucia easily figured out that the warmth came from a pillow without even seeing it.
You You! What are you doing!
She realized she was using Shirons thigh as a pillow.
Feeling embarrassed, she quickly tried to lift her head and get up, but her body wouldnt cooperate. Lucia squinted her eyes and buried her face in Shirons thigh.
What the hell are you doing, really.
Shiron chuckled at Lucia with a somewhat incredulous look. He grabbed her shoulders and helped her get up.
It was dark, but he could see that Lucias face had turned red.
But this time, he couldnt tease her.
Heh.
She gritted her teeth, trying not to cry. Lucias face, trying hard not to shed tears, came into view.
Lucia knew it, too, and quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. But the texture felt strange. Her sleeve was as fresh and fluffy as new.
What the
Lucia looked around her body. She was wearing a light, fluttering dress.
Where in the world did this come from
Are you going to stay like that?
What?
Lets go enjoy the festival.
Shiron said, grabbing Lucias hand and helping her get up. Lucia was a bit weak, so she had no choice but to go where he led her.
It doesnt smell like blood from my body
Even as she was being dragged, Lucia kept touching her hair and clothes.
Her hair smelled of fragrant hair oil, and the shoes she was wearing were silk stockings.
Lucia looked around her.
At this late hour, when everyone was asleep, stars twinkled in the night sky.
And where Shiron took her, there were still embers in the bonfire that hadnt gone out yet.
A festival. Theres nothing here.
The moon and stars are shining beautifully. Isnt that romantic?
At Shirons grinning face, Lucia was at a loss for words.
Are you an idiot? Have you lost your mind?
Now, she didnt even have the energy to curse. But Shiron didnt care and extended his hand to Lucia.
What is this?
Are you not going to take it? Lets dance.
Sigh.
This place is like a ballroom. Its the perfect place to dance, right?
Instead of taking Shirons hand, Lucia touched her aching forehead. She had planned to beat him to death once she came to her senses. But somehow, she felt drained of energy.
You really are
Talkative.
Shiron took Lucias hands. Lucia tried to shake off Shirons hands, but somehow, she didnt have the strength in her hands.
No music was needed. Shiron danced to the sound of crickets chirping.
It was a bit
What Shiron did was take her small hand and sway.
His steps around the bonfire were clumsy to anyone watching.
Ahahaha-
Lucia burst into laughter at Shirons ridiculous appearance.
Idiot. Is this how you dance?
Uh? Isnt dance supposed to be like this?
Just shut up.
Lucia sighed deeply and glared at him.
Enough time had passed since she woke up, so she gradually started feeling strength return to her body. But for some reason, she didnt feel like hitting Shiron.
Why was that?
Lucia didnt know either.
Something fluffy seemed to be blooming in her chest, but it was hard to explain.
So, Lucia decided to go with how she felt. Lucia tightly held Shirons hand.
Fine. Ill take the lead.
The dance led by Lucia was impressive enough to even make Shiron admire it.
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