Chapter 172

Chapter 172. …Love and War?

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Our chosen retreat was an opulent estate situated right next to Lake Gixen.

I had been informed that this would be the subsequent venue for the fairies’ dance, and our arrival in Amera took place roughly ten days prior to the phenomenon blossoming across Lake Gixen.

Naturally, that timeline was ultimately just a guess made by the desk-jockeys of Brando.

Then, four days flew by.

‘…It’s quite tranquil.’

Contrary to my initial anxieties, my days were passing in relative serenity.

In the mornings, I would wake up, stroll down to the lake’s edge, and cast my fishing line. Once the midday sun began to scorch, I would retreat to my quarters and pore over magical volumes.

I didn’t restrict my focus to books on core-division magic.

On some occasions, I perused the condensed notes left by Senior Teheman, while at other times, I read through Henji’s magical treatises from front to back.

I simply consumed whatever reading material came my way. However, unlike my relaxed state, Demian and Chenbi were keeping themselves incredibly occupied.

Every morning, they would rise and—

“You only truly learn by seeing it yourself.”

They would swallow down a hasty breakfast and immediately venture into the city.

Chenbi was no exception to this hectic routine; I understood that if he loitered around the estate, Nine Star Tohoman would subject him to grueling, brutal training sessions.

At any rate, the two of them would wander throughout the urban sprawl all day long, only returning around twilight. Consequently, our evening meals were always filled with the travel anecdotes and impressions of Demian and Chenbi.

The subjects they touched upon shifted constantly, and some of their tales were genuinely captivating.

“Hey, did you hear about this? Over in Amera, they halt all excavation of Moonlight Stone while the fairies’ dance is taking place.”

“For what reason?”

“Word has it that if you possess Moonlight Stone, the spirits that plunged into the lake will emerge to hunt you down.”

Was it an ancient myth? It felt more akin to a local superstition.

Naturally, as with most folklore, there was no concrete evidence supporting it.

Yet, because the belief had been handed down through generations, the tradition of suspending mining operations during the fairies’ dance had become deeply ingrained.

They inquired about other local folklore and melodies as well, and as I paid attention to their chatter, one realization dawned on me.

‘The folks in Amera… take this incredibly seriously.’

The entire region of Amera was presently dedicating all its energy to the seasonal industry surrounding “the fairies’ dance.”

They had halted operations at every quarry, and every single inhabitant of Amera had united, working hand in hand to immerse themselves in the tourism trade.

This was perfectly obvious just from inspecting the trinkets Demian brought back every time he went out.

“Confectionery from the spirits.”

They retailed sweets crafted in the image of fairies, and—

“This is a fairy-themed headband.”

They offered headbands that bore a striking resemblance to cockroach feelers, labeling them as “fairies.”

‘…Well, I suppose anything possessing wings—be it a roach or a sprite—is essentially the same thing.’

Even so, wasn’t that pushing it a bit?

And the commercialization didn’t stop there.

Throughout the town, wandering theater companies that had arrived at the perfect moment staged dramas using rapidly put-together scripts.

Meanwhile, in every local tavern, smooth-talking individuals established themselves like traveling bards, peddling their storytelling skills by recounting fairy lore they had grown up hearing.

Melodies, naturally, were a massive part of the experience.

‘Sprite, sprite, sprite, our companion the sprite~ I believe it went something like that.’

Beyond those, there was an endless array of tourist merchandise.

Garments, trinkets for keys, artwork, mugs adorned with fairy illustrations, cloths, and even entirely unrelated items were slapped with the prefix “fairy” and sold rapidly.

To be perfectly blunt, when Demian remarked—

“This feels like a scam. Look, it’s just regular coffee, but they’re marketing it as ‘Fairy Tears.'”

—I found myself quite astonished.

It made me reflect,

‘Wow. He actually has matured a bit.’

At this point, I felt incredibly relieved that I had feigned an illness.

Had my physical condition been perfect, I would have been dragged along to race all over the metropolis alongside Chenbi and Demian.

Frankly, at this juncture, my hip joint was aching, making long walks out of the question anyway.

Regardless, the “fairies’ dance” was not an event exclusive to magic users.

Masses of sightseers traveled from all corners of the continent to catch a glimpse of the fairies’ dance. Even if they failed to view the phenomenon firsthand, they would set up camp in a convenient lakeside town, soaking in the festive aura and partaking in the celebration.

In the meantime, I was enjoying a daily routine that remained slightly detached from the holiday excitement.

In any case, my primary objective was to expend every ounce of effort into remaining completely motionless.

‘Stepping outside this manor is a hazard.’

While it might appear as though I am merely idling away the hours, I am actually putting forth my best, most constructive efforts to fulfill my current goal.

‘From what I understand, for some odd reason, Deculan hasn’t even dispatched any operatives to Amera specifically.’

Ah—this bit of information came my way during one of my fishing trips, overheard from a chat between Tohoman and a fellow Nine Star.

At any rate, even if Deculan—the absolute greatest threat—was nowhere near this place, letting my guard down was not an option. Thus, I am applying myself fully.

The name of this strategy: “The Worm That Doesn’t Wriggle,” one might call it.

Why use the concept of a worm that doesn’t wriggle? Because typical worms squirm when stepped upon. To put it differently, the core principle of this plan is simply to avoid being stepped on in the first place.

Fortunately, the strategy was proceeding without a hitch.

‘…Right up until yesterday.’

“My friend! Step outside already! We are heading out today! Make haste and come downstairs!”

Hearing Demian’s voice calling out to me persistently from the other side of my door, I let out a heavy, drawn-out sigh.

Up until the third day, I had assumed they would leave me in peace—content to simply venture out and amuse themselves without me. Yet today, he had been causing a massive racket—no, a total uproar—since the break of dawn.

As I usually did, I intended to pass the time fishing until Demian departed, but his stubbornness won out today.

He kept mentioning that he had discovered something incredibly entertaining or some such thing.

Ultimately, I had no choice but to vacate my quarters. Upon arriving on the ground floor, Demian and Chenbi greeted me with radiant, joyful expressions.

Thus, for the very first time, I departed from the safety of the mansion.

But what was the cause of this sensation?

‘It feels… rather freezing.’

The urban landscape we traversed via carriage lacked the vibrant energy Demian had described so vividly.

Instead, it appeared strangely deserted.

You couldn’t spot so much as a single rodent on the pathways, and the commercial venues Demian had been fleec—er, enjoying—were nowhere to be found.

Reflecting on it, our arrival day had shared a similar atmosphere.

‘There wasn’t much of a carnivalesque vibe back then, either.’

Had the city been brimming with a festive environment, it surely would have left an impression on me.

No, putting that thought aside—

‘This doesn’t resemble a carnival. It feels like a ghost town.’

The sole individuals visible were a scattering of people who appeared to be mages.

With every storefront along the avenue firmly padlocked, the roadway felt incredibly grim.

I didn’t recall it being this desolate on our first day… I gazed through the carriage window at the excessively grim scenery, thoroughly perplexed.

Yet internally, a sense of relief washed over me.

‘Has the festival concluded?’

If that were the case, it would be wonderful.

Once the festivities wrapped up, Demian would remain quietly inside the estate and stop pestering me to go outside.

However.

I very quickly realized.

Just how hollow that desire truly was. And furthermore… precisely how dedicated the residents of the Amera territory were regarding the fairies’ dance.

“We have to disembark and proceed on foot from this point onward!”

The path I stepped onto while following Demian.

My jaw dropped completely at the spectacle unfolding before my eyes.

“What in the world is—….”

“Isn’t it breathtaking?”

Indeed. It was staggering.

A narrow street crammed with an immense sea of bodies, as though the barren desolation from moments prior had been an illusion.

With merchant stands packed tightly against both sides of the pathway, the thoroughfare was flooded with tourists, forced to walk shoulder-to-shoulder.

It appeared as if the entire population of the city had converged on this single spot.

Suspended above the entrance to the thoroughfare was a sign:

From this boundary onward lies the celebratory zone.

“What do you think?”

“How does it look?”

With a look of unfamiliarity, I surveyed the environment.

A bustling, vibrant sea of people.

The sheer volume of individuals was staggering.

With such an immense crowd, a surge of raw energy permeated the air—observing it, even my own heart began to race.

‘The reason they shuttered all the alternative shops… was to peddle goods to travelers at “inflated festival rates” and swindle them?’

They say the earth is vast and instructors are plentiful… and the collective solidarity of the Amera territory, cooperating seamlessly to exploit tourists, was honestly quite commendable.

Perhaps this very reason was behind their decision to halt the collection of Moonlight Stone as well?

It was a perfectly logical suspicion.

Shortly after Aster’s companions stepped into the festive thoroughfare—

Maisellne, who had been concealing himself within the shadows of the alleyway, showed himself.

Maisellne observed Aster’s party slowly vanish into the dense ocean of people, then redirected his attention down to the sheet of parchment.

“Hmm. This seems to be the one. Fury, what is your assessment?”

Yet, what was the reason for it?

He inquired, but Fury offered no reply.

Mystified by Fury’s lack of response, Maisellne shifted his gaze—and was immediately met with an alarming sight.

“Fury?”

As a spirit manifestation, it ought to have been impossible to discern any change in her features, but her expression was so incredibly rigid that she appeared practically bloodless.

However, that lasted only for a fleeting second.

…! …!

Collecting herself, Fury transmitted her intent to Maisellne—babbling on and on in her characteristic manner—while Maisellne, absorbing it silently, cocked his head in confusion.

“Huh? The youths—ah, indeed. Hmmm… the youngsters conveyed the description incorrectly? Then in what manner should they have depicted him… hmm.”

A vision materialized inside his mind.

It was the version of Aster that Fury had perceived, and upon receiving that mental image, Maisellne burst into a hearty chuckle.

“Fury, even if that is the case, portraying him in such a manner is a bit extreme—well. It isn’t an exaggeration? He requires a couple more horns? Hmmm.”

The depiction of the young man provided by Fury was far worse than the caricature the children had sketched out.

Amused by Fury’s intense reaction, Maisellne offered a warm smile, then offered her a piece of Moonlight Stone to pacify her spirits.

Meanwhile, he maintained his focus on the route Aster’s group had taken.

‘Even so, it remains a bizarre circumstance.’

To speak plainly, it was true that he had harbored a fair share of skepticism.

If untainted spirits depicted an individual with such extreme hostility, the subject could hardly be a common person.

And yet—why was that?

Maisellne watched Fury closely as she drank in the essence of the Moonlight Stone.

Fury was radiating a completely contented grin, as though she had entirely wiped the recent events from her memory.

‘If that youth were truly malicious, she would have cautioned me repeatedly.’

The reality that Fury could dismiss it so entirely signified that he possessed no evil intent.

It truly was a peculiar paradox.

‘Could it mean he simply possesses a terrible disposition, yet stops short of being wicked?’

Arriving at that deduction, Maisellne let out a quiet chuckle. Even to his own ears, it sounded completely absurd.

At any rate, Maisellne waited until Fury finished consuming the energy from the Moonlight Stone before he began to take his steps.

“On a personal note, I am quite intrigued. Exactly what sort of young man is he, to prompt the children to request that I locate him.”

With those thoughts, Maisellne merged into the thick crowd.

After identifying Aster’s party without much trouble, he trailed them from a short distance.

It was, without a doubt, an extraordinary feat.

For it meant he was successfully masking his presence from not just Aster, but even from the acute tracking senses of Nine Star Tohoman as he pursued them.

Regardless, how long did he continue this pursuit?

Noticing that Aster’s group had ground to a halt, Maisellne deftly concealed himself.

The location where Aster’s party had paused was…

From this point forward lies Astrology Street.

Standing at the threshold of Astrology Street—

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

In response to Aster’s inquiry, Demian offered a proud, self-satisfied grin.

“This is Astrology Street. Pretty incredible, right? A destination where one can observe matters of love and war, destiny and personal callings.”

“Sure. It’s interesting.”

Immediately following Aster’s lukewarm reaction, Chenbi chimed in,

“Amera is renowned not solely for its Moonlight Stone and ethereal legends, but also for its mastery of astrology. And just yesterday, Demian watched a theatrical performance centered entirely around astrological themes.”

This was his method of clarifying the details he assumed Aster might be curious about.

He had volunteered this information because he suspected Aster would wonder what sudden inspiration had struck Demian’s mind to make him want to explore astrology.

At that precise second, Maisellne pondered.

‘…Love and war?’

He could comprehend the concepts of destiny and callings, but how did warfare find its way into the equation? And was he truly the sole person bewildered by this?

None of the individuals in the party raised any questions regarding it.

Furthermore, the explanation offered by the brown-haired youth felt peculiar as well. It was as though the focus of the interaction was faintly misaligned.

“Fury, would you be able to describe the countenances of those youngsters to me as well—ah, no? It is too difficult? They look alike?”

Upon receiving Fury’s non-verbal rejection, Maisellne knitted his brows.

This implied that all three individuals possessed temperaments terrible enough to make a spiritual entity recoil… and his inquisitiveness expanded rapidly.

‘Just what sort of characters are they?’

This had evolved beyond the simple request of the children; it was now an issue of pure, unadulterated personal curiosity.