Chapter 981: The Second Holy Beast Festival 2
Although we’d decided to go ahead with it, announcing it right now would be problematic. The skit could have been the same as last year’s, but since there seemed to be quite a few elves who really wanted to see it in person, Irina figured it would be best to wait at least long enough for them to travel from their clan estates to here.
“Is that thing really that popular……?”
“Of course, those who absolutely had to see it would have already arrived here by now. There are likely many others who’ve heard rumors from others and think, since I’m here anyway, I might as well catch a glimpse”
……Everyone was incredibly moved by it, after all. I wonder why.
“So, let’s set it for noon three days……no, four days from now. With the dragons assisting with transportation, there shouldn’t be any participants who can’t make it in time.”
“Won’t the news reach the far corners of each clan’s territory?”
“We’ve already anticipated that there might be some delays. So those who’ve retreated to places where rumors don’t travel well can just resign themselves to the fact that their timing was off”
Is that how it works? Well, I suppose that’s just how festivals are. If someone’s already doing something that requires them to be away from civilization for a long time, hearing about it won’t change anything anyway. Festivals are for those who want to participate. If you have unavoidable obligations, there’s nothing to be done.
“Then I’ll go tell Diel that. Noon, four days from now”
“Umm”
After confirming with Irina once more, Breakcore smoothly shifted into horse form, without even a hint of a transition and galloped off toward the Labyrinth Village.
“……That’s the same kind of transformation magic as a dragon’s, right?”
It had transformed so naturally that I felt a bit puzzled, so I asked Maia. She gave me a slightly perplexed look.
“It’s the same, but different……or rather, the mechanism is the same, but there are a lot of extra magical formulas just to look cool”
“Just to look cool……”
“I think it was mostly created to surprise people by showing off a smooth, slithering transformation like the one we just saw. ……A waste of time and skill”
“Kukuku. Well, that’s true. Breakcore has an infinite supply of that kind of magic”
“That’s cheating”
Maia with a pout. ……To begin with, dragons don’t really try to master magic beyond what’s necessary for their purposes, so I don’t think it’s even a fair comparison. Still, stuff like that does have a certain fantastic feel to it, which is nice. Though that’s probably just because I’m used to Maia and the others’ usual thudding transformations.
With Diel’s approval, Maia flies off as a messenger to the Red Clan Manor. She was a little reluctant to leave the seat next to me empty, but since it wouldn’t be that long, and when Breakcore proudly declared, 「I’m here」, she grudgingly agreed and flew off.
“There’s hardly anything better than Breakcore’s escort”
“Hearing you put it that way makes me feel a little pressure, though. If Laila or Dianne came after me, I’d be at a disadvantage”
It’s almost as if she’s saying she doesn’t care about anyone below that level, which means she’s still practically the strongest within the Elven territories. I’ve even heard she could handle that Felios, Berga, and Sharon all at once with ease. It probably also helps that the Berga style is well-suited to her, given her Infinite Shockwave ability.
“Besides, that girl in blue is keeping an eye on us, too”
“Eh?”
Look, Breakcore said, pointing. When I looked in the direction she was pointing, I saw a familiar silhouette in the shade of a nearby tree. Charlotte had appeared without me noticing.
“Since when……?”
“She came here with Christie from the Cherry Blossom Clan. Christie didn’t seem to notice she was tagging along until they arrived, though”
“……Seriously, I think both of them are a bit off”
Since this is right after that naked village incident, I’d think it’d be okay to get a little closer. But really, what’s up with Charlotte, who’s been following us in stealth mode, and Christie, who didn’t notice it until the very end even though it must’ve taken several days?
“Charlotte!”
And since it felt weird to just leave her be, I called out to her. There isn’t really that much danger here to begin with. There’s no need for some mysterious espionage operation. I mean, even if she were watching me from a distance, Breakcore right next to me is the one who’d protect me if anything happened, so doesn’t this whole setup kind of defeat the purpose?
“Why are you hiding?”
“Ah, umm……no, it’s just that if I’m near you, Master, it draws too much attention”
“……So it’s just a manifestation of your phobia?”
Yeah. She wasn’t actually an intelligence agent to begin with. It was just a plan that Dianne and the others had to use her that way.
“In that case, let’s use an illusion”
Breakcore waved a finger, then took my hand and Charlotte’s and led us a short distance away. An illusion remained of Breakcore and me talking, with Charlotte staying close by as if following me.
“If we leave it like that for a while, everyone will believe without a doubt that we’re right there”
“A perfect deception illusion……! That’s amazing……”
Charlotte was clearly impressed. Since she’s technically an illusion mage herself, I suppose she’s genuinely moved by such advanced techniques.
“And of course, we’re making sure no one can see us right now. ……You won’t get in trouble no matter what we do, right?”
“……Are you trying to seduce me?”
“You’re bored, aren’t you? I’m saying you can have me, for fun or whatever, just to kill time”
Breakcore smiled, pulled Charlotte close, and shot me a sultry glance.
“I heard they were all having a naked orgy, weren’t they? ……But wouldn’t it be more fun to play with my illusion in a more stimulating way?”