Chapter 121 - 120: The Eve
Chapter 121: Chapter 120: The Eve
At the farm gate, Madam Ersha’s second son watched, stunned.
’This Adventurer Squad even has a Mage?’
’That Magic just now could probably shatter solid rock, right?’
How did a simple wild boar-clearing quest manage to attract such an elite squad?
HUFF... HUFF...
The mission finally came to a close. After running around for half the day, Zelir and Gray were both lying on the grass to rest, exhausted and gasping for breath.
"How does it feel to be a Warrior?"
Gray asked Zelir, tilting his head to the side.
"It’s exhausting. Being a Mage is way easier..." Zelir sighed.
He hadn’t experienced this kind of primitive fighting style in a long time. It was much more convenient to just clear the field with Arcane Missile.
’Thank goodness I know Magic.’
Gray laughed beside him.
With the mission complete, all that remained was some simple cleanup.
The Marcus Squad couldn’t be bothered to haul the wild boar carcasses themselves.
While the beasts were fierce and savage when alive, their meat was quite delicious and could be sold for a good price.
There had originally been five wild boars, but after Zelir obliterated one with an Arcane Missile, only four remained.
The Marcus Squad sold them directly to Madam Ersha on the spot for a price of Ten Silver Coins each.
Madam Ersha was happy to buy them back, as it saved her a trip into town to purchase meat.
If she took this wild boar meat back and smoked it into jerky, it would be enough for her family to eat comfortably through the winter.
After returning to the Adventurer’s Association to report the completion of the boar-clearing quest, they casually split the reward of a dozen or so Silver Coins, and night began to fall.
Zelir declined Gray and the others’ invitation to go drinking at the Drunk Wild Boar Tavern and returned alone to the Night Flower Inn.
Although it had just been a normal quest, the high-intensity pig-chasing all afternoon had drained a lot of his Physical Strength, and now he was famished.
Madam Dejian was on duty now.
"I’ll have the beef shank in red wine sauce..."
Zelir took the menu and glanced at it. "And a bowl of thick tomato soup."
"Of course."
Madam Dejian smiled. "You must be exhausted after a busy day. Please wait just a moment, your food will be right out."
Zelir sat down at his usual spot by the window, and before long, a hearty dinner was served.
Suddenly, a lock of curly brown hair with the scent of lavender appeared beside him.
"Hey!"
"Oh, it’s you, Aurora. Off work?" Zelir turned his head and, seeing her, greeted her with a smile.
"Yup." Aurora seemed to be in a good mood today and winked playfully.
"Want some?" Zelir politely invited her.
"No thanks, I already ate in the kitchen."
Although Aurora declined, she straightened her skirt and sat down in the chair across from Zelir.
"You seem really busy lately. You look exhausted every night when you come back."
Aurora’s gaze fell on the brand-new Longsword at Zelir’s waist. "You even got a new weapon."
"For Swordsmanship training."
Zelir cut a piece of beef and put it in his mouth, speaking indistinctly as he chewed.
"What about you? Don’t you go out for a walk in your free time?"
"I’m so sick of it. The town’s only so big; I could walk through it with my eyes closed. There’s nothing to see."
Aurora propped her chin on her hands and pouted, looking utterly bored.
But then her eyes darted, and her expression livened up again.
"But... tomorrow’s the annual Autumn Harvest Festival! I hear there’s going to be a lot more fun stuff this year than usual!"
"Oh."
Zelir nodded thoughtfully.
’The Autumn Harvest Festival...’
After the Autumn Harvest Festival, the guild’s Monster Hunting event would begin.
’Time really flies...’
Seeing Zelir’s preoccupied expression, Aurora decided to fill him in properly.
"Let me tell you, the Autumn Harvest Festival is the liveliest day of the year in Black Stone Town!"
"Not only will the town residents be there, but farmers and Hunters from all the nearby villages will come too. The streets will be lined with all sorts of stalls."
"There’ll be bread freshly baked from the harvested wheat, covered in powdered sugar. And Dwarven merchants selling honey mead from wooden barrels. There’s even a Minstrel competition, and the winner gets a huge prize!"
Aurora grew more and more excited as she spoke, as if she were already at the festival.
"The entire night market street will be bustling, and everyone will party until the middle of the night before heading home. And most importantly, I heard that this year there’s going to be a huge fireworks show put on by the Mage’s Guild!"
Zelir’s mind was on the upcoming Monster Hunting, and he was still thinking about what preparations he needed to make.
So he just subconsciously nodded in agreement to everything Aurora said.
"Sounds great, right?"
"Yeah."
"It’s definitely going to be crowded."
"Yup."
"So we’ll have to go early to get a good spot."
"That’s right."
"So..."
Aurora suddenly blinked slyly and leaned forward slightly.
"Do you want to go to the Autumn Harvest Festival with me tomorrow?"
"Sure," Zelir agreed without even thinking.
It took several seconds before Zelir, lost in his own thoughts, realized what had happened.
’Wait... what did I just agree to?’
"Hm?"
Zelir looked up and met Aurora’s bright eyes, which sparkled with the success of her little scheme.
...
「The next morning.」
Zelir pushed open the window, and a cool autumn breeze, filled with the chill of early morning, swept in, making him shiver involuntarily.
He looked down and saw he was still wearing his thin Linen shirt.
After a night of autumn rain, the weather had turned colder. It was time to buy some new, warmer clothes.
When he went downstairs, perhaps because Aurora had taken the day off, a different girl was on duty at the front desk. She gave Zelir a gentle nod.
Today was Black Stone Town’s Autumn Harvest Festival, a holiday whose origins could be traced back several millennia.
Broadly speaking, it was an ancient tradition to give thanks for the bounty of the land and nature, and to pray for favorable weather in the coming year.
Through a long process of evolution, it had now become the grandest folk festival in the region, symbolizing the joy after hard work and hopeful anticipation for the future.
As Zelir walked down the street, he was immediately enveloped by the lively scene before him.
Every lamppost and eave along the street had been meticulously decorated, with many exquisite ornaments hanging from them.
There were golden ears of wheat, red maple leaves, and little trinkets woven from colorful strips of cloth.
The sweet aroma of baking bread and fruit wine filled the air, and the joyful atmosphere of celebrating the harvest was infectious.
Golden leaves rustled overhead, drifting down to land on Zelir’s shoulder.
Witnessing all these changes, Zelir was startled to realize just how much his surroundings had quietly transformed.
He rarely paid attention to these little details of daily life.