Chapter 828: Harvest Festival Day 10
After dancing with Laurier, well, next up should be the close-knit duo of Oregano and Savory. These two and Laurier belong to the same Golden Clan and are childhood friends. Oregano and Savory, in particular, are rare 「Same-age childhood friends」 in the forest. In the northern forest, where the population is declining sharply, and among elves who have a lower conception rate compared to humans, it’s rare for two from the same clan to be born in the same year. People said it felt like twins, human-wise. I thought it wasn’t quite the same, but I couldn’t come up with a proper counterargument. Anyway, since children grow at a human pace, I suppose they were raised with that twin-like feeling in an environment where children were scarce. These two seem to have a division of labor in their interpersonal dynamics: Savory is the pushy, aggressive one, while Oregano is the cautious observer. It’s not that their personalities are polar opposites; their interests themselves seem quite similar. But Savory takes on the role of charging ahead, figuring 「Oregano will cover for me if anything happens」. Oregano, for her part, places complete trust in Savory’s improvisational skills, thinking 「Savory’s good at winging it」, and quietly follows along if Savory seems capable. They seem to maintain this mutually supportive relationship. Though they’ve never been at the forefront of adventures and haven’t stood out much until now, their abilities are not to be underestimated. It goes without saying that Savory excels as a tavern girl, wielding her extensive information network with ease. Oregano, too, makes full use of her dexterity, actively contributing to both exporting the forest’s textile techniques and fashion culture, and researching Polka’s fashion culture. What started as a temporary shop assistant has now grown to occupy half the clothing store, where she creates various items—a sign that, like Savory, she’s fundamentally proactive. Unlike the rough-and-tumble knight girls, these two have a particular passion for fashion, surpassing the average person’s interest.
“Sorry to keep you waiting”
“Well? Do I look different?”
Oregano emerges from the clothing shop in an elegantly intricate dress, while Savory wears a flashy outfit that feels more like a costume than formal attire. Oregano’s dress is made of a fantastical pale blue fabric adorned with delicate lace patterns. Its eye-catching color immediately reveals the high quality of the material, and it’s clearly a labor-intensive masterpiece. Her usually intricately braided silver hair was instead worn straight down today. Though she’d had her usual hairstyle just moments ago, not a trace of braid pattern remained—probably thanks to some amazing forest magic or styling product. While braided hair is typically the pinnacle of festive elegance, she’d instead weaponized her undone look. This showed she truly understood and controlled her image—a true master of style. Though she usually gives off a quieter impression, dressed in this meticulously chosen gown that suits her perfectly, she possesses a magnificent beauty that wouldn’t look out of place beside a princess of a nation. Truly, an elf fashionista. As for Savory, her skirt catches the eye—it looks like giant leaves connected in a radial pattern. Of course, they’re not real leaves, just leaf-shaped designs made from elf fabric, but it feels more like a costume for a children’s play than something for a harvest festival. Adding to that impression were the chicken-sized wings attached to her back and the deep green hairband. You wanted to ask, 「Did you get the wrong idea about the theme?」, but surely Savory, who was usually so well-informed, couldn’t be the only one who misunderstood the festival’s purpose.
“Oregano looks absolutely stunning. I feel like I’ve told everyone today already, but she looks just like a princess……but Savory……what is that? Especially the wings”
“It’s the form of a flower spirit”
Savory stands tall, brimming with confidence. Oregano gives a wry smile.
“Savory, everyone else is in normal pretty dresses, so you’d just blend in if you wore something like that”
“I get that, but maybe you don’t need to stand out in that direction either”
“Listen, Master. Fundamentally, the Harvest Festival is a day to give thanks for the earth’s bounty—that is, to give thanks for the spirits’ work. I’m not saying it’s bad to just dress up to show off, but if you think about what this dance celebrates and who it honors, then outfits like this should be acceptable too. At forest festivals, this kind of dressing up—a bit different from just being fashionable—is actually quite common, you know?”
Savory passionately argues. Yeah. Well, I get the logic. Faith isn’t unrelated to this festival, and it’s a valid lament that it’s become just a place to appeal to the opposite sex—culturally lamentable. Trying to reclaim that cultural richness by blending in with spirit costumes is fine too. Even if it wasn’t originally part of Trot, it’s an Elven interpretation of the Harvest Festival and shouldn’t be dismissed outright.
“But you went with that because it’d just get buried anyway, right?”
“It’s just a side effect of preserving cultural diversity!”
“Your theoretical justification only looks pathetic if it’s inconsistent!”
Well, it’s Oregano’s fault for spilling the beans so suddenly. ……And sure enough, while dancing with Oregano, and even while Savory herself was dancing, he was struggling as innocent children tugged at his wings.
“You brats! Stop pulling on a woman’s clothes!”
Kids are cruel. Oregano fixed it right away, though.
Now, who should I dance with next? I pondered while sitting down at a nearby outdoor table. Logically, it should be Irina soon. But I just had sex with Irina, so if I don’t put her off a bit longer, Christie might get angry that I’m spoiling her too much. Christie was next in line too, if I went by order. If I danced with Christie first, she probably wouldn’t complain. Then there was Luna……no, I just danced with Luna. Maia was around here too……but maybe Maia should be paired with Laila? ……As I was cunningly considering all these arrangements, Hilda-san appeared smoothly before me.
“Lecture over! ☆ I’ve saved another young couple from crisis”
“Hilda-san”
Turning my head, Johnny and Jessica were kneeling close together in a pose that looked like it had been taught by Cosmos-san.
“……What did you do?”
“Just a little illusion magic with Cosmos about variations in lovemaking☆ Don’t worry, no one else should have seen anything immoral☆”
“……Ah”
Come to think of it, illusion magic can create simulated experiences too. Since becoming my female slave, Hilda-san has restrained herself, but she was originally someone who could go with either sex, and she can even conjure a penis for short periods with magic. And Cosmos-san is, needless to say, an elite courtesan. They certainly aren’t lacking in experiences to use as teaching materials.
“Sex embodies love and desire, service and domination, creation and destruction, comfort and violence, intellect and instinct, peace and pain……everything is inherent within it. If just one element is misaligned, it can bare its fangs at anyone’s heart. Conversely, if controlled appropriately, it can bring happiness to anyone. Sex is truth. Yes, it is the only form of communication in this world possessing infinite potential……”
Cosmos-san stood with arms spread wide, spouting this stuff, making it look like some kind of cult. I worried if the kids were listening, but thankfully none were nearby. Phew. Johnny and Jessica just kept nodding earnestly.
“I get it……I was wrong, we were wrong……!”
“I’m sorry……I didn’t understand anything……I thought I didn’t need to, that men are just stupid and I could look down on them……!”
Seriously, what did you teach them? Why are they repenting so much? How bad was their sex life before? And since I don’t have that complicated of a sex life, I’m starting to feel uneasy.
“If you’re making grown adults say things like that, maybe I need to take that lecture too……”
“Andy-kun, you’re fine. Actually, you’re the type who gets stuck in a rut if you overthink things, so I think it’s better not to overcomplicate your options☆”
“I don’t feel like I’m being praised”
Well, so far, she hasn’t complained about anything besides frequency, so maybe this is fine. I probably shouldn’t try to do acrobatics though.
“More importantly, isn’t it about time, sequence-wise? I’d like you to escort me too~”
……Come to think of it, if we’re talking strictly about the order she got her collar, she should be around here. It’s because she’s a married woman that I hesitated quite a bit.
“……Is it okay not to dress up?”
“That sort of thing doesn’t suit me, so it’s fine~. Doctor, you’re most gorgeous when you’re wearing nothing at all☆”
“You saying that yourself is impressive in so many ways……”
Her indifference to dressing up might be due to being related to Dianne. Or maybe she’s just being considerate of Dianne. ……No, probably not. This person genuinely seems to believe she shines brightest when naked.
“Actually, I’m one of those people too, so I went ahead and did a full-nude dance already♪”
Cosmos-san slithered closer and dropped a bombshell.
“Huh? That’s unfair! Then can I do it too?”
“No way. Wait, don’t take your clothes off! Cosmos-san’s was indoors, where no one was watching, right!?”
I ended up shouting it out loud, so the stares from those around me turned cold again. Even if no one was actually watching, you shouldn’t shout about indecent behavior. Yeah, that’s obvious.