12

“Ezra-sama, have you been well??”

After Naranda helped her down from the horse, Beth ran over to Ezra with a broad smile.

“As if I could be well. Because you went home from the Royal Capital without even saying goodbye, see, I have aged a hundred years from loneliness.”

Ezra, who was randomly pointing at the many wrinkles and spots on his face and trying to buy Beth’s sympathy, did not look at all like this country’s sage.

“Ohh, you cut your hair too. You look a little more refined.”

Ezra asked if she was eating properly every day and whether the Royal Capital was cold, completely like a grandfather doting on his grandchild.

Beth, who loved grandfathers, was having her head patted by Ezra and looked truly happy as she giggled.

“Ezra-sama, I’m just glad you seem well. By the way, which float is yours, Ezra-sama?”

To Beth, the sight of many magicians and painters noisily making the final adjustments to the floats was very unusual.

Every float was decorated with gold, silver, and flowers, and each one was truly beautiful. Beth’s countryside festival also had floats, but they were simple ones made by weaving the straw from wheat harvested that year and decorating them with flowers. Those were very cute in their own way, but this was the first time she had seen floats as beautiful as these.

After the floats finished receiving the Temple’s blessing, they returned to each district of the Royal Capital and were displayed throughout the autumn festival period. People went around the fifty-two districts to look at the floats.

Because crowds of spectators rushed to floats with good reputations, souvenir shops and stalls aimed at tourists who came to see them prospered, and the district’s economy became active. That was how it worked.

On the final day of the festival, the final vote for the floats was held, and the rankings were decided. The district that produced the winning float received a one-year tax reduction, so everyone was serious.

“That one, that one. This year, I put in twice the usual budget, determined that I would definitely win this time.”

Ezra laughed loudly and pointed out one float to Beth.

The jet-black float with Ezra’s family crest boldly displayed on it was covered in beautiful black feathers that shone in rainbow colors depending on the angle, and it was truly refined.

These feathers were surely…

“Ezra-sama, you are serious this year. At this rate, your family finances will collapse.”

Naranda said that in admiration, yet also in exasperation.

The bird that owned the feathers spread all over this float was called a nightglow bird, and its feathers were extremely popular as hair ornaments for evening parties.

Though it was a small float, for such a quantity to be used so lavishly, just how much money had been spent for this day? It seemed Ezra’s float hobby was the real thing.

“I work every day by the sweat of my brow for this one day each year.”

Ezra did not seem to have ears for the people around him.

Last year, by a narrow margin, the district overseen by the Chancellor had won, and he had stamped his feet in frustration.

“If Beth lends me her power, I can certainly win. If I win, then it will have been worth spending that much money. Now, Beth, will you show me?”

“Yes!”

How long had it been since Noel had shut himself up in the greenhouse?

The noisy officials and priests who were usually outside the greenhouse had, as expected, not come all the way outside the greenhouse to persuade Noel on this autumn festival day. Noel felt relieved that for a while from now, there would be quiet days.

By now, was that braided girl going out to the small festival in her village?

He remembered how passionately that girl had talked about the honey baked sweets that could only be eaten on festival days.

Honestly, Noel had thought they sounded like simple sweets that could be found anywhere, but the festival sweets spoken of by Beth’s mouth had felt like exciting sweets so sweet and delicious that they seemed not of this world.

(Noel-sama, when you bite into them, the honey overflows with a burst. It feels too precious to bite, but I want to bite down and savor it, so I put one in my mouth and worry about what to do. Once I bite it, my heart wavers between “What a waste!” and “It’s delicious!” and then happiness wells up inside me.)

He remembered Beth’s sparkling smile.

And that kind girl had said it.

(I want to let Noel-sama eat them too.)

(I wonder what Beth is doing by now.)

The tiger lilies would soon bloom.

They had begun to let the rich, deep fragrance hidden within their beautiful petals drift through the area.

The orange petals of the tiger lilies were the same color as the petals of the centennial grass flowers Beth had tried to make bloom.

Their meeting had begun because Beth had been cultivating the difficult-to-bloom centennial grass, which was said to bring good encounters, so that she could go around the autumn festival with a wonderful lover.

Noel quietly remembered Beth’s smile.

“Noel-sama! It’s mealtime!”

Rodney, who seemed to be in charge of Noel’s meals today, broke part of Noel’s barrier without hesitation and came in.

“Actually, the autumn festival starts today. Want to go out for a bit? I’ll put illusion magic on you.”

At the noisy man’s visit, Noel stopped watering and decided to take a short break.

“Thank you, Rodney. But I have no interest in the festival.”

Then, as he wiped off his sweat and sat down on the sofa, he said it.

“Besides, Nana-chan has been acting strange lately.”

Nana-chan seemed to have finished spitting thread and had been quiet recently, but after that, Nana-chan had been wrapped in a white, sticky cocoon of thread between the irises and had stopped moving.

When the worried Noel tried casting magic on her, there was a proper biological response, so it seemed she was alive inside for the time being.

Though it was disgusting.

Rodney muttered one word, “Ugh,” and gave Nana-chan a creeped-out glance. Then, looking as though he had already lost interest, he rudely bit into the sandwich he had supposedly brought as a gift for Noel.

Aiming for scraps from Rodney’s lunch, Dora approached.

Rodney stroked her head. Dora, who was usually brazen, let out a sweet meow and acted affectionate.

“There, there, you like me, don’t you,” Rodney said, then took a chunk of meat out of the sandwich and gave it to Dora.

(Incidentally, Dora acted this way toward anyone who gave her food.)

Dora made nyow-nyow sounds and bit into the meat as though it was delicious.

“Apparently, Ezra-sama made some incredible mechanism in his float this year. I’m thinking of going to see the floats this year too.”

Judging from the family crest on the basket, the sandwiches were likely a gift from Eloise.

Noel also sat facing Rodney and reached for a sandwich.

Roast beef with cranberry jam was just what one would expect from a duke’s household kitchen.

“That person’s float obsession did not begin just now, after all. Was he narrowly second place last year? So, what kind of mechanism did he create this year?”

Rodney said it without stopping his hand from eating the sandwich.

“Apparently, it’s some kind of healing space.”

“Huh?”

Noel nearly dropped the sandwich he was holding without thinking, and just barely saved it from disaster.

Dora looked sideways at Noel’s sandwich regretfully.

Noel gave her a little of the roast beef inside and stroked Dora’s head.

Dora went “meow” happily.

“That person created a healing space? Don’t be ridiculous. That person is a poison specialist. In that person’s hands, even a child’s toy could become a weapon of mass murder. What are you talking about?”

Having unexpectedly received good meat from both Rodney and Noel, Dora seemed very satisfied, and apparently grew sleepy.

Dora, sleeping soundly while showing her belly, did not look at all like a formerly wild cat.

So as not to disturb Dora’s sleep as she moved her torn ear up and down and fell completely asleep, Rodney lowered his voice and said to Noel with an air of importance.

“That’s the thing. Apparently, it’s getting incredible praise. The whole Royal Capital is in an uproar.”