Translator: AkazaTL
Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
Chapter 49 : After the Festival Ends
Scratch scratch.
The Office of the Reichart Family Head, which the owner has been away from for over a month already.
However, the office was not merely idle just because the owner was absent.
As always, the office was filled with the sound of a quill pen brushing across paper today as well.
“Did you call for me? Young Master.”
“What is the Lady doing?”
I, who was handling duties as the Acting Family Head, called Emily and asked for Sherazade's whereabouts.
“She said she would go out to the garden after having breakfast.”
“I have something to say, so bring her here.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Suppressing the curiosity about which breakfast Emily was referring to, I slowly organized the pile of documents that had been settled to some extent.
Fifteen days since the war with the Sub-Dragons ended.
The biggest enemy I faced during the past fifteen days was none other than the bundles of documents rushing in without knowing an end.
Although it has been a month and fifteen days since he headed to the capital, Redin has not returned yet.
Thanks to that, the massive clean-up after the war ended became entirely my share.
‘A month should have been enough to suppress a fake rebellion.’
Now that the war has already ended with Reichart's victory, holding Redin in the capital would not benefit the nobles at all.
Yet for some reason, the King was not ordering Redin to return to the territory.
“Master, were you looking for me?”
While I was pondering the reason why Redin was not returning, the office door opened and Sherazade revealed herself.
Perhaps because she had been in the garden just moments ago, a fragrant flower scent wafted strongly from her long hair.
“I heard you have been asking maids about the festival these days?”
“Ah, that…… you are mean. I asked several times to keep it a secret from the Master.”
“Didn't I say you could go if you want to see the festival?”
Starting this week, a large-scale festival commemorating the victory was held in the Reichart territory.
And Sherazade, excited about the festival she was witnessing for the first time after waking from sleep, was asking the maids in the Inner Castle this and that.
“No, no. It is okay! It is okay even if I cannot see it!”
However, Sherazade waved her hands repeatedly.
I, who had a guess, asked a question.
“Are you perhaps not going because you are afraid of making a mistake?”
“Uh, yeah. Actually…….”
At my question, Sherazade nodded with an embarrassed expression.
“Although I am studying, there are still many things I do not know about humans. But if I happen to go there and even make a mistake, the Master will be troubled…….”
“…….”
“Why are you looking at me with that expression?”
“No, I just did not think that you would be showing such consideration.”
“You are mean! Even though I eat a lot, do you know how much I usually think?”
“Why is the story of food coming out here?”
I put the quill pen into the drawer and said while rising from the seat.
“Get ready. We will depart in 10 minutes.”
“Huh? Where?”
“The festival you want to see.”
“Uh! Really? No. I told you just now, I am okay not seeing it.”
Sherazade, who inadvertently welcomed my proposal, waved her hands soon after.
“Anyway, I was also thinking of going there at least once.”
This was not a lie. In fact, I was also thinking of going to the festival at least once.
Because the festival was the best opportunity to check public sentiment after the war ended.
“I have a schedule at five o'clock, so we will have to return before then though.”
“You are not really overdoing it, right?”
“If you don't like it, stay here.”
“No, no. I don't hate it. Wait just a moment!”
Sherazade, who received confirmation from me, ran out of the office with urgent steps.
In her both hands revealed a moment later,
“I am all ready!”
A pouch of gold coins I gave her the other day was held.
***
“Coffee, strawberry cake.”
“Yeah, I will have coffee, apple juice, banana cake, an almond scone, cranberry tart and bread sprinkled with chocolate powder…….”
After finishing the order that seemed like it would continue endlessly, Sherazade tried to pay the amount by taking out gold coins from the money pouch with a happy expression.
“Calculation with this.”
Clack.
But I handed money to the waitress first.
“If your party is planning to come additionally, shall I move you to a larger table?”
“It is fine.”
The waitress picked up the order sheet with a puzzled expression and disappeared into the kitchen.
Watching her back, Sherazade said in a sullen voice.
“Ah! I was going to buy it for you…….”
“You are going to order bread and drinks and pay with a gold coin?”
“Huh? Is that not allowed?”
“It is not that it is not allowed, but if you did that, the reason why you and I are wearing these would disappear.”
I raised my index finger and pointed to Sherazade's and my face once each.
A thin mask was placed on each of the two people's faces.
“Huh? Money and masks?”
Leaving behind Sherazade who made an expression saying she did not understand the reason, I looked around.
Around the open-air cafe where the two were sitting, it was filled with spectators who came to enjoy the festival.
On people's faces, colorful masks were settled just like the two people.
“That rabbit mask over there is really cute. Master, didn't you say it is a tradition of this region to spend the festival wearing a mask?”
At Sherazade's question, I nodded.
If there had not been a tradition of the Reichart territory to wear masks during festivals, I also would not have thought of coming to watch the festival alone with Sherazade.
If people recognized me, what meaning would the initial purpose of coming to examine the direction of public sentiment have?
“Wow! Look at those kids! They came out wearing masks as big as their bodies!”
At the place pointed by Sherazade's finger, who was busy watching the crowd while diligently eating bread and drinks,
“Bad lizards! I will punish you! I am a wolf of Haken serving Young Master Hein!”
There was a group of children giggling while wearing masks with wolf faces drawn on them.
Looking around, many people wearing wolf masks were seen here and there in the festival.
The fact that wolf masks are enjoying such explosive popularity among people must be because of the saga circulating throughout the territory.
“I will fly like this, whoosh, and stomp on the bad guys!”
The saga of Haken defeating Kelbes's royal guard Sub-Dragons by flying in the sky had become a legend among the territory residents before anyone knew it.
“By the way, why are there no masks of me and Master? We two also did a lot of things.”
“Because directly imitating you or me would be a burden to people.”
“Even if we say imitating the Master is scary because you are a high person, why me?”
“I must have told you? That it would be good to have awareness of your own position.”
“Awareness? How is my position?”
While Sherazade was lost in thought rolling her big eyes inside the mask, I turned my gaze below the bridge where the cafe was located.
‘No need to see more.’
The signboards put up by people were full of phrases praising the bravery of Hein and Reichart, and children played mentioning Young Master Hein's name.
At this point, there was no longer a need to examine public sentiment.
So I decided to find out what I had wanted to ask all along.
“Is it not burdensome to maintain that appearance?”
Since I had spare time after a long while, I decided to satisfy the curiosity as a mage about the physiology of the Dragon Race.
“Huh? This appearance? No. It is fine. It is nothing. Both are my appearances.”
“Both are your appearances? Both the dragon form and human form?”
I, who inwardly thought Sherazade's current appearance was modeled after memories, threw a question again.
“Yeah, both are my appearances. My mom was human.”
However, Sherazade gave an answer I did not expect.
“Your mother is human? Then are you a mixed blood of human and Sub-Dragon?”
“Yeah.”
“……I see.”
I fell into thought.
Actually, there were many curious things.
How a human came to marry a Sub-Dragon, how she who is not pure blood could become the Princess of Sub-Dragons, etc.
Looking at me lost in thought, Sherazade said in a somewhat happy-sounding voice.
“Actually, I have wanted the Master to ask me since earlier.”
“Well. From your position, they would be things you cannot tell easily.”
“It is fine. And there is no one but Master who can listen to my story in this world right now, right?”
Sherazade smiled while bringing a spoon containing ice cream topped with nuts to her mouth.
I, who pondered for a moment, soon shook my head.
“Later. Let's make it so I ask when more preparations are made.”
“Huh? It is fine to ask now.”
I turned my head and looked at the clock tower.
Before I knew it, the time was just past 3 PM.
“I have to go back in a little bit, is there anything you want to do for the last time?”
“Yeah, I want to ride that.”
At the question I threw, Sherazade nodded and extended her finger.
At the place her finger pointed, there was a gondola flowing tranquilly under the bridge.
***
“They say if we ride this, we will go through a course circling the Inner Castle along the waterway. Since it takes about an hour to return, I think the time will fit perfectly.”
Preparing to board the gondola, Sherazade read down the prepared guidebook meticulously.
“I don't think there is a need for you to ride this. Don't you know what it feels like to float on water?”
Recalling that a Sub-Dragon is an existence very skilled in water, I tilted my head slightly to the side.
But Sherazade shook her head with a firm expression as if guessing what I was thinking.
“This and that are separate.”
“If you say so.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let's go quickly. Every time I saw this waterway, I wanted to tour the city riding a boat with another person.”
Sherazade prepared to board the boat with a fully excited expression.
“Well, strictly speaking, it would be much more efficient for me to tour the city riding you than riding a boat.”
Looking at her, I made a mischievous joke that was rare for me.
“……Beast!”
“What?”
“Are you declaring that you will abruptly mount me, a lady, right now? And in this broad daylight? Master is a beast!”
“…….”
……There is no way she wouldn't know that I said it, recalling Sherazade in the form of a dragon.
Looking at Sherazade who took a motion of wrapping her shoulders by raising both arms and screamed, I let out a sigh.
Where on earth did she learn that kind of tone and behavior?
Feeling fatigue for unknown reasons, I said.
“If you don't want to ride, then don't.”
***
“Ah! Mysterious light! Wrap me and give me glory!”
The singing voice of a bard praising Hein and Sherazade in the square was heard by the two people aboard the gondola.
“……♪♫”
Sherazade even hummed and sang along to the bard's song.
And soon when the singing voice subsided…….
“Master, can I ask just one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Master is not an ordinary human either, right?”
Sherazade threw a question in a cautious voice.
“Because the Master seems to have a special side different from other people…….”
I, who faced Sherazade's eyes for a moment, fell into thought with my eyes closed.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“No, just…….”
Whether she thought her question offended me, Sherazade faced her fingertips while turning her gaze to the floor of the gondola.
“Because I thought it would be really fortunate if the Master is a special person different from other humans…….”
“……Fortunate?”
Sherazade, who brought up unexpected words, said while still facing her fingertips.
“Yeah. If that happens…… I am not the only loner.”
Hearing Sherazade's words which were closer to a wish rather than a question, I moved my gaze to the flowing water and said.
“I told you the other day, right? That there can be a difference between the languages you and I use.”
“Yeah.”
“Your and my ‘special’ might not be the same. This is all the answer I can give you.”
I took out the pocket watch and checked the time.
The current time is 4:43.
The short voyage of the gondola carrying the two people was also slowly coming to an end.
“I think we should go back now.”
Seeing the pier vaguely visible, I prepared to rise from the seat.
“Are we going back to the castle?”
“No.”
“Can I ask where we are going?”
I moved my gaze for a moment to the sky which was gradually being dyed red above her head.
And around the time that red light ripened a little more, I spoke in a low voice.
“The grave of wolves.”