Village Festival – Part 02
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Translator: Kell
Preparations for the festival began under the guidance of the governess.
An abandoned house was repaired and turned into a workspace-slash-storeroom for the festival, where villagers bustled about every day. The stagnant village became more lively.
Fabrics were dyed for village decor, lumber was cut to construct a special site, and a special outfit was being made for Zero, the star of the festival.
People were discussing Zero’s costume, but there was still no sign of it being finished.
“What does a witchy outfit look like?”
“Lots of witches have staffs. Why is that?”
“I think the flashier, the better.”
“Maybe guys will love it if it’s a little skimpy.”
The venue was all set up, and notices were posted on bulletin boards in the neighboring villages and towns to announce the festival.
I couldn’t just sit back and relax. Visitors who knew nothing about our village would definitely scream at the sight of me.
“I still think I should hide in the woods,” I said.
“Stop being so pathetic,” a villager said.
“You’re the face of the village! Why would you hide?!”
“Yeah, but a Beastfallen wandering around would only scare the visitors. I could at least hide in the basement, or something.”
“Do the men of this village become more spineless the bigger they are? Say something, Zero! He’s your man, isn’t he?”
Surrounded by women taking her measurements, Zero chuckled. “Give it up, Mercenary. Your role on the day of the festival is to assist me.”
What?! No one told me about being an assistant!
“What?! No one told me about being an assistant!” I ended up voicing my thoughts. What does she mean by assisting her? Is she gonna ask for my head or something?
“In Wenias, it is recommended that Mages partner up with beast warriors. The beast warrior protects the defenseless Mage when they are chanting, and if necessary, offers their blood to boost the Mage’s power. Of course, the beast warrior must be mentally stable. Their compatibility with the Mage is also important. Our relationship is exactly the kind endorsed by Wenias.”
“Tell that to the guests who’ll run away as soon as they see me standing behind you.”
“Then why don’t you serve a commemorative dish to those who participate in the assessment? Then people will like you.”
“Normal people don’t want to eat food made by a Beastfallen!”
That’s why I didn’t submit an application to set up a food stall on the day of the festival, despite being the owner of a tavern. No one in the village said anything, so I assumed we were all of the same opinion, but apparently they just thought I would be busy assisting Zero.
“Even if we do not get guests, you will need to steel yourself, Mercenary. Otherwise you will never be able to stand up to the Church ever again. Am I right, Rat?”
Lily jumped and yelped. She was working in the corner of the workshop, gathering some colored cloth.
“Is there something going on with the squirt?” I asked.
“I cannot believe you. Have you not checked what the Church is doing for the festival?”
I’d been insisting on hiding in the woods or the basement on the day of the festival. The governess was in charge of the preparations, and I didn’t know who was going to put on what kind of performance.
Okay, maybe I should care a little. Frowning, I looked over the list of events posted on the bulletin board in the workshop.
“Church… Church… Oh, this one? The Dance of the Children and the Rats?”
I turned to look at Lily.
“Um…” Her voice trembled. “Father was asked if it was possible to hold an event with only kids. But there are only three children in the village. Some of them can’t speak, so singing is out. So they decided that dancing would be a good idea. Might as well surprise the grownups, he said.”
I looked at Lily’s hands. She was gathering scraps of various colors to make small outfits for rats. In fact, there were about twenty of them around her, waiting to be dressed.
“Are the rats going to dance with the kids?” I asked.
“Yeah…”
“Can they dance?”
“Kinda…”
“How?”
I wasn’t doubting her. I was just genuinely curious.
“Just a little bit,” Lily said as she took out a slender pipe. She put it in her mouth and blew it once.
Nothing. To the human ears, it would have sounded like no sound came out. But I heard it. It was a dog whistle.
Responding to the sound, the dressed rats formed a line in front of Lily. Each time she played a note, they changed formations, forming a circle and spinning around. Combine it with music, it would look like they were dancing.
I gave a round of applause, genuinely impressed. “Almost like a street performance. You can make money with that.”
“But the kids are the stars.”
“Are you gonna dance as well?”
“I, uhh… I’m more like the conductor.”
“She has a costume as well,” Zero said. “I have contacted the governor of Ideaverna. Her parents are going to take the day off and come all the way here to see their child’s majestic appearance.”
“N-No! You’re making me nervous…! If I fail, I’m gonna die..” Holding her head, Lily curled up on the spot.
I get it. She insisted she wasn’t joining, but others went ahead with the plan anyway, and now she couldn’t back down.
“Are you sure about this, though?” I asked. “People are not too fond of rat Beastfallen.”
“Personally, I say let them make a fuss if they want, but the stars of the show are the children. We do not want adults ruining the show. So they decided to prepare a costume for Rat that would completely cover her entire body. From the outside, she will look like a child playing the role of a conductor.”
“I don’t like attention,” Lily said. “But I’ll do my best… For everyone.”
“See that?” Zero turned to me. “Despite being extremely shy, she will be on stage for the children. Compared to that, standing beside me and serving food is not that difficult.”
“But she’ll be practically hiding herself.”
“Do you want to wear bear skin, then?” She gave me a pat on the chest.
“Mercenary! We got trouble!” A kid came running into the workshop. She was white as a sheet.
“Oh, the kid from the clinic.”
An independent kid, she volunteered to come to this village after her family was killed by a monster and was taken to Wenias. She lived in the clinic, where she worked as an assistant. Her mischievous character was a constant annoyance to the middle-aged doctor.
The only girl among the three kids in the village, she had a very girlish name—Emilena. She hated her name, and insisted on being called Lena instead, which the villagers did.
The governess chased her every day, saying, “You’re a girl, so you must learn proper etiquette,” to which she would reply, “Why learn something that will not make me money?” There was no sign of her behavior improving.
Personally, I thought kids should be more full of spirit.
When Lena came barging in, teary-eyed, I panicked.
“What’s wrong?! Did something happen?!”
“Madam got hurt! She was attacked by some bad guys in town. They said that everyone in this village works for witches!”
I dashed out of the workshop, with Zero and Lena in my arms.
The clinic was located by the village’s central square. When we arrived, villagers were gathered around, whispering to each other, concerned about the governess’ condition. As soon as I showed up, the crowd parted, and they urged me to go inside.
The smell of blood and antiseptic drifted in the air. Thank goodness. It didn’t smell like a lot of blood. Her injuries shouldn’t be that serious.
But when I entered the room, I wanted to punch the me from a second ago.
“…What happened?”
The governess was bleeding from the head, and her right eyelid was swollen. She had her head hanging low, and her clothes were dirty. Her usual spirit was nowhere to be found.
Not that serious? Not life-threatening, sure. But that was beside the point.
Someone injured her. There was absolutely nothing to be thankful for.
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t do things right,” she said. “I failed to consider that my idea would provoke the anti-witch people. I was careless…”
“You idiot!” I roared. “Why would you apologize when they hurt you?! You did nothing wrong!”
Zero jumped off my shoulder and rushed over to the governess. Lena followed close behind her.
“I’m sorry!” the kid said on the verge of tears. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have talked back to them.”
The governess held her close. “It’s okay. You did nothing wrong. I got hurt because they threw rocks at me. It’s not your fault.”
“What do you think?” the doctor asked Zero. “I was going to stitch her up, but I’m afraid I’d leave a scar on her face.”
Zero nodded coolly. “No worries. I can heal her injuries. Not even a scratch will remain. Only her eyelid was cut. Her eyes seem fine. Prepare some hot water. I will help her bathe.”
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