Volume 3 Chapter 63 Interlude - Harvest Festival, Everyone Gather (pre-festival Edition)
Cory led the way, with Luke and Harrison proudly carrying their trophies as they returned with the Knights. By the time the sun had completely set, the pre-festival had begun.
The main venue was the big road leading to Lord's Mansion, where the Knights were preparing the game they had hunted to share with the townspeople. It was the usual harvest pre-festival.
On this day, the townspeople splurged and enjoyed lots of drinks along with the meat.
Soon, the harsh cold and the season of endurance would come. This festival was like a last chance to let loose before that. Thanks to Randy, they had enough supplies this year, and the townspeople were especially cheerful.
Because of that, as Randy walked through the streets as part of the festival patrol, he was greeted from all sides by relatives.
"Thank you, young master!"
"You've grown so much, young master!"
"The mischievous kid has turned out so well..."
While he felt happy, it was also a bit embarrassing for Randy, who shyly waved back.
The pre-festival was the same as always, but this time it was livelier because of the adventurers joining in.
Some adventurers helped hunt the meat.
Others poured drinks and shared laughs with the townspeople.
While it was great to have them around, it was also natural for some people to get a bit rowdy after drinking.
"What's that, you punk!"
"I'll say it as many times as I want!"
Hearing the sounds of a fight, Randy frowned and rushed over to see what was happening.
There, 2 men who looked like adventurers were glaring at each other, almost ready to start a brawl.
Both were big guys, not as tall as Randy but still strong-looking. The townspeople watched from a distance, looking scared.
Even though they were close to a dangerous area, the townspeople were not fighters. It was unfair to ask them to step in and handle these rough adventurers.
Pushing through the crowd of townspeople, Randy stepped in.
"Hey, hey. What's going on?"
The townspeople sighed in relief, recognizing Randy and saying, "The young master is here!"
But the two adventurers, seeing Randy for the first time, were not impressed.
"Who the hell are you!"
"Get lost, kid!"
The townspeople turned pale as the drunk men leaned in close to Randy. They knew who Randolph Victor was──the young master of the Victor family, known for being incredibly strong.
Imagining the two adventurers getting hurt, the townspeople heard another man's voice call out, "Wait, wait!"
"Mr. Ian!"
"[Iron Lion]!"
Ian from the [Iron Lion] group, who had quickly taken on challenges in the Beast Forest, was somewhat famous among adventurers.
He was known for being a high-ranking adventurer who was humble and kind to everyone.
Seeing someone who could calm the situation, the townspeople felt relieved as Ian started to explain, "You guys, this man is──"
"Who cares about that!"
"Yeah, who's scared of a noble?"
The drunk adventurers didn't care about Randy being a noble.
"Are you guys stupid? I told you before, this guy isn't just any noble... he's known as the [Red Battle Demon]!"
Ian desperately tried to calm the adventurers but felt Randy's pressure behind him, making him shiver and slowly turn around.
"Sir Randolph... please give me a moment to explain──."
With a tense smile, Ian saw Randy slowly shake his head. In that moment, everyone, including Ian and the townspeople, realized the adventurers were in big trouble.
"Alright then. How about the two guys behind you join us for tomorrow's event?"
Randy smiled and called out to the two adventurers behind Ian.
"Huh?"
"Event?"
The two adventurers looked confused when the question was suddenly thrown at them, but Randy kept going without caring.
"By joining the event, you old guys can legally mess with me."
With a big smile, Randy said this, and the two men grinned back, saying, "Sounds good" and "What's a noble worth anyway?"
"Alright, then go register right away! You know the big stage, right?"
"Oh, that huge one!"
One of the men nodded.
"Just tell the Knight at the registration that you want to join tomorrow's event."
Happy Randy heard the men shout, "Sure thing" and "Don't run away tomorrow" as they left.
"Yes! I got participants! If I talk to everyone causing trouble──."
Randy mumbled to himself when Ian looked surprised and said, "Uh, Sir Randolph?"
"Oh, Mr. Ian. Long time no see."
Randy bowed, and Ian deeply nodded back.
"Wow... Mr. Ian, you've really improved."
Randy noticed Ian's strong presence and suggested he join the event tomorrow. The more participants, the better, especially since Ian was quite strong. It would definitely be exciting.
"An event? You said we can legally mess with Sir Randolph..."
Ian smiled awkwardly, and Randy grinned back, saying, "If possible, yes."
"But I'm only doing an exhibition. I won't be in the main event."
Randy shrugged, and Ian showed interest, asking, "Can I ask what kind of event it is?"
"Are you interested?"
As Randy started explaining, Ian nodded, looking excited, and rushed off to register.
"What are you doing, young master?"
"Are you going to turn those adventurers into ground meat?"
At the worried townspeople's words, Randy sighed, saying, "Who would do something like that?"
"Anyway, you'll find out tomorrow."
With that, Randy took a big gulp of the drink nearby.
"Ah, so good!"
Randy wiped his mouth, and the townspeople sighed, especially since behind him...
"Young master. I thought I couldn't see you, and here you are slacking off?"
Keith the Victor's buttler appeared without a sound.
"N-No, I'm just handling the situation──."
"Then what's with that cup?"
Keith smiled, and Randy's face tensed as he said, "I was just a bit thirsty..."
"Young master, I understand you want to have fun at the festival. But──."
Keith started lecturing him about how today was an important day for the Victor family to entertain the townspeople. Alan, Grace, Clarice, and even little Cecil were all doing their parts.
It wasn't just the Victor family; the servants were working hard too.
Knights and maids were grilling meat and looking out for lost kids.
Of course, Liz was probably helping Alan, the organizer, with various tasks.
"Only you, young master, are slacking off... As your tutor──."
"Okay, okay, I get it."
Randy interrupted Keith, raising an eyebrow and asking,
"So? What's the real reason you came all the way here to lecture me?"
When Keith starts talking like this, it usually means he has something important to say. He knows Randy wasn't just slacking off. So, the reason he was lecturing about Victor's duties must be because he wanted something from Randy.
Understanding this, Randy looked at Keith with narrowed eyes, asking, "Something happened, right?"
With his hands behind his back, Keith whispered to Randy, "There's an emergency."
"An emergency?"
Randy lowered his voice, and Keith nodded.
"There's a problem with the Ceremonial Float..."
"A problem?"
Randy frowned as Keith led him away from the crowd.
"So? What happened with the Ceremonial Float?"
Keith nodded calmly and started to explain.
"There are way more kids than we expected..."
"The Ceremonial Float can't handle that, right?"
Randy sighed, and Keith silently agreed.
The Ceremonial Float is a big deal for the festival. It carries kids from Victor Territory, going from the entrance of the territory down the main street to Victor's mansion.
As the Ceremonial Float climbs a small hill, it symbolizes good luck for the kids' growth and is also needed for the after-party.
The Ceremonial Float is decorated with various crops and materials from beasts collected that year, and it's important because it gets burned during the after-party as an offering to the mountain god.
This belief in local deities has been around even before the Holy Church, where the goddess is worshipped.
Since the Ceremonial Float is a symbol of the festival, any problems with it are a big deal.
"So if the Ceremonial Float's durability is an issue, you want me to reinforce it?"
"No. Ms. Elizabeth is already working on that."
That makes sense since Liz is better at crafting. But...
"So, the reason you came to me is... for materials, right?"
"Yes. I need young master to go hunting in the night forest."
Got it. Only Randy can handle that. He nodded but then said...
"You know, you really have a bad habit of not getting to the point quickly."
Randy pouted, not really agreeing with the first part of the lecture. He thought it wasn't necessary to remind him about Victor's expectations.
"That's because you've always said, 'Why me?' since you were a kid."
Randy was speechless at Keith's serious face. It's true that Keith has always lectured him about his duties as a noble.
Randy reluctantly did his part back then, so in Keith's eyes, Randy is still that 'young master.'
"Fine. I'll go right away."
With that, Randy took off like the wind. As Keith watched him go, he quietly murmured.
"You're still a spoiled young master... but not for long."
It might be a while before Randy sees the smile on Keith's face that's a little sad but also happy.
* * *
"Elder Sister Liza, are you okay?"
Cecil peeked in at Liz, who was focused on drawing plans by the light of the Magic Lamp.
This is a tent set up near the entrance of the town for the kids who will ride the Ceremonial Float. Normally, the kids would eat snacks and chat here before their turn, but now it's turning into a battlefield for Liz.
"I'm fine. Randy should bring back a great beast."
Liz had already heard that Keith ran to find Randy. So her job is to draw up a great design for the Ceremonial Float based on what Randy will bring back.
After Liz had been working on the plans for a while, the entrance of the tent suddenly got noisy. The knights guarding the entrance were running around, shouting "Young Master!"
Amid the knights' voices, a dragging sound echoed, and Randy appeared at the tent where Liz and the others were waiting.
"Elder Brother!"
Cecil ran up happily, and Randy patted his head.
"This is your Ceremonial Float, so I went all out."
Randy pointed outside the tent, and Cecil peeked out...
"Wow! A Terragon!"
...his eyes sparkled as he turned back into the tent.
"A giant lizard, huh..."
"You really went deep into the forest, didn't you?"
Harrison and Luke, looking a bit shocked, were with the other knights, getting ready to pull the Ceremonial Float.
"Liz, it's pretty big... but you can handle it, right?"
"Of course. I've already calculated everything."
Liz rolled up her sleeves, and together with Randy, they started to take apart the Terragon to upgrade the Ceremonial Float with its materials.
"Alright. Let's make the lizard's head the main part!"
"That's not okay. The Ceremonial Float was made by the residents. We can only strengthen the wheels and the base."
"Yeah, that's true."
The two of them worked together to reinforce the Ceremonial Float based on Liz's design. It didn't look much different at first, but they finished several Ceremonial floats that were a bit bigger. The bigger size made some parts of the Ceremonial Float look a little funny, but that was part of the charm.
"Alright, Cecil. It's time. Go for it!"
Randy gave a thumbs up, and Cecil nodded big as she climbed onto the Ceremonial Float with Harrison's help. With Cecil on the main Ceremonial Float, the Knights started pulling each Ceremonial Float down the main street.
The floats moved further away.
Cheers from the crowd filled the air.
Randy watched and let out a sigh of relief.
"That was close."
"Well, I'm a civil servant for Victor, after all."
Liz smiled, and Randy nodded back.
"Should we go see Cecil in action?"
"Yes!"
With a smile from Liz, Randy started walking to catch up with the floats that Cecil was on.
It was the usual harvest festival. But this time, it was even more lively, and it was just getting started.
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