11

“How is it? The Royal Capital’s autumn festival looks quite different, doesn’t it?”

Naranda’s gentle voice fell from above her head.

Beth rode together with Naranda on a white horse, swaying as the two of them clip-clopped along and watched the Royal Capital’s autumn festival from horseback.

Beth thought dreamily that the sight of Naranda’s long purple hair swaying from atop the white horse was as beautiful as the robe of a fairy when seen from afar.

“There are so many people, Naranda-sama! I’ve never seen a place with this many humans before! Everything lined up in the shops is something I’ve never seen, and I feel dizzy. I don’t know which way to look.”

From atop the horse’s back, sitting in front of the tall Naranda, the Royal Capital’s autumn festival she saw while surrounded on both sides by that purple hair seemed just like an amusement park in a fairyland.

The festival crowd was filled with tens, hundreds, even thousands of times more people than Beth’s Village, like a writhing sea of people.

Beth, a country girl, was greatly excited by her first autumn festival in the Royal Capital.

Everything she saw and touched was new.

If the small Beth slipped out from behind this beautiful curtain of purple hair and wandered alone into the sea of people, it seemed as though she would never be able to return home again.

Merchants from the Sea Town also had stalls out, displaying cute small goods shaped like fish in colors she had never seen before.

There were stalls that roasted blocks of meat and cut them up to sell after receiving orders, and rare fruits too, leaving Beth in a dreamlike state on horseback.

“Hahaha, I need you to help today, so we can’t look around, but once the errands are finished, you should stay in the Royal Capital as long as you like and enjoy the festival to your heart’s content. After all, the autumn festival is a major celebration even in the Royal Capital. There are many unusual sweets for sale too. I heard that when you were in the greenhouse, you often went to eat sweets with Meg.”

“That’s right. A little way away from the Magic Institute, there was a sweet shop Meg recommended, and we only went to eat there on the days we got paid. I miss it.”

Naranda smiled, then skillfully bought a bag from a stall selling candy from horseback and casually handed it to Beth.

Beth’s cheeks flushed, and she was overjoyed.

The candies were shaped like the fruits they tasted like, and they were beautiful to look at as well. Beth would never see such pretty sweets in the village.

“Thank you, Naranda-sama! Being here today feels like a dream!”

Beth, who had already promised to go around the village festival with Amy, had agreed to Naranda’s request only on the condition that it was after she finished going around the village festival, but Amy, with whom she had made the prior engagement, had firmly betrayed her.

For Beth, who had no lover, after looking around at the festival foods, there was nothing in particular to do until the bonfire in the plaza held at night.

Since she had nothing left to do, it seemed she had been right to have Naranda, who had come to pick her up, take her to the Royal Capital much earlier than planned.

In the distance, she could even see a street performer breathing fire.

It seemed that many foreigners had also come, and men and women with faces she had never seen before were walking around in clothes she had never seen before. The people of the Royal Capital were used to it, and not a single one of them turned to look back at such foreigners.

Naranda, in a good mood, patted Beth’s head as she had turned bright red with excitement at the scenery she was seeing for the first time.

“It helps to have you here, Beth. Today, there are not enough people anywhere in the Royal Capital. There are many things I want you to help with.”

Saying that, he guided his beloved white horse straight toward the Royal Palace.

“Beth, let’s go greet Ezra-sama once. Ever since Beth went home, that person has become so difficult that it is unbearable. Even though it is the long-awaited day of the autumn festival, I went out of my way to have you come from far away to help. That person’s mood will be very good today.”

Ezra was at the Temple carriage stop.

At the carriage stop, he was entering one of the floats prepared for each of all fifty-two districts of the Royal Capital and making the final adjustments.

Many magicians went in and out of the small float, and the place was bustling with activity.

Spatial magic was installed inside the floats, and the interiors of the small floats expanded widely, with some designed to connect to a zoo, some furnished with circus illusion magic, and each district had devised various different tastes. The decision of which float had the most wonderful performance each year was the climax of the autumn festival.

Last year, it seemed the winning float had been one with a performance in which a mermaid princess appeared from inside a palace made of real pearls, crafted by artisans, within the illusion magic of the sea.

The fifty-two districts each had nobles residing in that district as patrons, and they created floats with their prestige on the line.

These floats were Ezra’s great hobby.

Every year, he unveiled an elaborately devised float, but winning was apparently very difficult.

This event had begun three hundred years ago under royal sponsorship, in the hope of refining and developing illusion magic.

“Even if you are Ezra-sama, peeking inside the royal family’s float entrusted to the Temple is against the rules!”

Ezra was being scolded by a priest for having peeked a little inside the royal family’s float.

One of the fifty-two districts was the Royal Palace.

Naturally, the royal family also dispatched magicians and painters attached to the royal family and prepared a splendid float.

“No, you are quite right. But surely it is fine if it is just a tiny bit? Just the tiniest bit.”

“No!”

As that was happening, Ezra saw beautiful purple hair fluttering atop a white horse as it approached the Temple carriage stop. On top of the white horse were the owner of the purple hair and the precious country girl Ezra had been waiting impatiently for.

“Ezra-sama!!!!”

“Ohh, Beth, I have been waiting for you, you foolish girl!!!”