Chapter 986: The Second Holy Beast Festival 7
And then, three days after we arrived here.
“It’s incredibly lively here”
Dianne, who had just come down from the 「Sexroom」 that Laila had brought, looked around at the area surrounding the labyrinth……no, the 「Festival Grounds」, which were now fully prepared and wore a look of surprise. It was no wonder. The northern elves, who normally keep their distance from one another even in the forest and rarely form crowds, had gathered in such numbers that they were creating a veritable 「Crowd」 right before her eyes. Their number easily exceeded a thousand and was likely close to two thousand. Of course, for anyone familiar with the hustle and bustle of the royal capital or Celesta, this wasn’t a number that would be intimidating. However, the sight of a crowd equivalent to two entire clans crammed into a space no larger than a small sports field was a bustle that seemed out of place in the Elven Forest.
“Irina said that even at the Spirit Temple’s festivals, you don’t usually see this many people gather”
“That’s a good thing. The fact that attention is being drawn to this place and Breakcore is something we should wholeheartedly welcome”
Dianne was right. Breakcore had originally been here, spending its years in solitude. Even if it’s only once a year……no, precisely because it’s an annual event, it’s heartening that so many elves visit and that interacting with her has become the norm. If the interaction goes on too long, the joy fades. Once in a while is probably just right. If my visit here, with just a little skit and a sports-day-style event, is enough to liven things up, then that’s an ideal outcome. In addition to Dianne, Hilda, Nord, Mira and Cosmos have all come along as well. While a group of dark elves certainly stands out, there are so many elves here that they make up only a small fraction of the crowd.
“They’re supposed to arrive later, but the half elves and Gloria are being escorted by the blue dragons. As your associates, you being a priest. That way, we shouldn’t get hassled by members of the conservative clans either”
“That’s right”
I’m grateful for Dianne’s consideration. In this forest, where they’re normally targets of exclusion, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were pelted with stones if I weren’t nearby. Sometimes, people react more strongly against those who are only half-way 「One of us」 than against 「Foreign Races」 who should be excluded outright. It’s an issue that must be handled with care. But the blue dragons are not only an ally of the forest but also an absolute powerhouse. Surely, there isn’t a fool in the forest who would dare to provoke it. Dianne’s foresight and planning were, as always, brilliant.
“Ideally, we wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. But it’s still too early to expect that”
Laila says as she returns to her human form. Sure enough, she’s completely naked, so I shove the clothes I’d prepared in advance onto her. It was an exquisitely crafted, rather flashy dress made of elven cloth, apparently one of the offerings for Breakcore. When I asked her about it, she casually pulled it out of nowhere.
“You, too, should stand out as a key figure in conquering the labyrinth. That way, the female slaves will have an easier time enjoying themselves, won’t they?”
“Ho. If we’re just talking about standing out, I’d think being completely naked would be the best way”
“That kind of attention would have a negative impact on the festival’s proceedings, wouldn’t it?”
“Hoho. Well, that might be true”
Laila is so strong that I can’t imagine anything could happen to her, but even so, if she paraded around naked, everyone would be distracted and unable to focus on the festival. It would be counterproductive to disrupt the festival.
“By the way, was it really okay to invite our prostitutes too?”
Cosmos-san seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of elves, as she whispered to Breakcore and me, but we both nodded in unison.
“Of course”
“The more customers, the better. For the elves’ sake, we can’t exactly let them roam around exploring as they please, but a stay in the forest makes for quite a good story to tell outsiders, doesn’t it?”
Breakcore’s policy is to attract as many guests as possible. After all, we have plenty of space, and above all, I, a member of a different race, am the 「Priest」. He’s enthusiastic about making this a place that actively embraces exoticism and interracial diversity, arguing that it’ll be more fun that way and give us greater freedom in the future. Once traditions and precedents are established, it becomes difficult to change things. The idea is to create room for outsiders to pour in before that happens. Ideally……I’d like to invite Polka’s residents as well, but I’m not sure if they have the guts for that just yet. We’ll hold off on that for now. Still, it was kind of fun to talk about the festival’s future plans, thinking, someday, though. Even as we were having that conversation, I could see Maia and Emma’s dragon forms gliding through the sky, carrying the next group of participants. I waved to them and directed them to their landing spot, channeling my excitement for the festival into the energy needed for preparations.