The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 177

177

– Twilight Herb?

In a world where twilight descends, there was a flower garden that bloomed in the colors of twilight for a brief moment.

– It’s a mysterious flower that only opens its petals when twilight falls. My teacher loved this place.

One of the dazzling memories that supports me from the depths of my heart.

On the day I found that place 300 years ago, Friede gazed with wistful eyes, puffing on her cigarette.

Friede would curse her teacher, calling her a hopeless witch who was even more of a chain smoker than herself, but strangely, she loved talking about her.

– Of course, this Fire Dragon Shrine Maiden, Friede, also likes it. So remember it well.

– I don’t have the brain capacity to remember such trivial information. I’d rather fill that space with another mathematical formula.

– Where are you going? Knowing things like someone’s favorite food or scenery is quite important, hoho.

– Hoho, hoho, hoho, hoho.

At that time, Friede blew cigarette smoke into my face as I tried to run away, making me cough and even tear up, then laughed.

– You……!

When I barely escaped from that fog, I couldn’t take revenge.

Because the face of Friede that I saw in my eyes at that time seemed to be crying while smiling for some reason.

– These small memories prevent you from becoming lonely later when that person is gone.

Friede, who was looking at the distant horizon where twilight was falling, smiled brightly at me, who was frozen in place.

– Rin, later when you are left alone, the memories from this place will help you remember us.

– ……?

– These flowers will whisper to you. The stories with us, this day we came together, are not legends.

People forget, are forgotten, and die, but nature does not forget.

It doesn’t die either.

It is always reborn, waiting for you, telling you about today’s scenery…….

“Umm……”

The cold evening river breeze permeated deep into my body, pushing away the warmth and scenery of the dream.

What pulled my consciousness from the bottom of the dream more powerfully than that tactile sensation was the sound.

I must have fallen asleep leaning against the ship’s side…….

“Rain, Rain, Rain.”

Pipi, who had been guarding the surroundings on top of my bamboo hat, landed on my shoulder and rubbed her head affectionately.

“Form 1, Heaven! Fire!”

“Eaven! Fire!”

“Form 2, Iyah!”

“I-yah!”

As I adjusted my bamboo hat and stood up, I saw Celine demonstrating the forms with precision on the deck.

And Aki, imitating those poses with surprising similarity.

Perhaps because seeing the education of the Six Great Sects was a rare experience, the crew and many passengers of the Sea Gale were cheering and watching.

“Good job, Aki!”

“Wahahahat!”

“Even the way he throws a punch is so cute!”

Some people tried to imitate the movements themselves, then chuckled in vain when they realized they couldn’t copy Aki as perfectly.

– He has amazing talent. His talent is truly enormous. It’s not just that he was born with the Celestial Martial Body.

I, too, was sitting on the ship’s side, watching it and unconsciously wearing a pleased smile.

Remembering what Celine praised Aki every day.

– His physical sense alone is unbelievable. He learns in a month what it would take a genius a year to learn.

Aki had also begun to follow Celine well…… and looking at those two, nostalgic memories of the past would warmly soak my soul.

– Rin, this is how you write this formula.

– This is how you solve this problem, you idiot.

Sometimes Celine’s face would overlap with Headmaster Ajumma [Korean for ‘aunt,’ often used to refer to middle-aged women] or Rin’s face.

And sometimes Aki’s face would overlap with young Rin or Tureina.

Beautiful memories in my heart, buried in a past I can never return to.

I never knew there was a way to warmly remember memories that were only sad and painful when I just thought about them…….

“We will arrive in the Seges region tomorrow morning.”

The captain of the Sea Gale approached.

To escape from my thoughts, I quietly placed the old bamboo hat I was gently stroking back on my head.

“But there are a lot of passengers on this ship, and there are quite a few ships going that way. Is something going on?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know? There’s a famous year-end festival in the Seges region.”

“Year-end festival?”

Year-end festival, indeed, this year, 318 years after the end of the Antarctic War, only two days are left.

Even though it was the end of the year, the season was still summer, but the sky was bluer than usual, and the river breeze crossing the river was pleasantly cool.

It wasn’t so much because it was the end of the year, but purely because we had almost escaped the Red Mountains…….

“What kind of festival is it? It’s a nuisance. I don’t think it existed before.”

The Seges region was very meaningful to me and Pipi.

The field of Twilight Herbs we saw before crossing the continent, that field stretched from the riverside to the foot of the mountain.

I wanted to quietly watch and leave, but with so many people…… but that thought disappeared when I heard what the captain said next.

“It’s a historically deep festival that even the heroes of the old Warrior Party enjoyed. Why don’t you attend?”

“……Warrior Party?”

“I’m talking about Sir Rista’s companions. Unfortunately, Rin died and couldn’t join the start of the festival…….”

* * *

The captain didn’t know more details about the festival than that.

The reason he, a merchant, came here was to purchase a large quantity of ‘Risser,’ the world’s finest wine produced in the mountain vineyards of the Seges region, and take it to .

The pier of the Seges region, which finally revealed itself, was bustling with numerous merchant ships, sailboats, and rowboats from this morning.

“There’s quite a crowd, are you going to stop by?”

Valensidice, who was always guarding against pursuers with Pipi as usual, approached.

“Yeah.”

As I answered briefly and prepared to get off the ship, a new relationship began.

At first, I didn’t see those people.

Amidst the hammering and nailing, I only saw the carpenters building large temporary fences and spectator seats on the Twilight Herb field.

‘Is that where the festival will be held…….’

And quite a few street vendors lined up along the waterfront, with crowds of people in front of them.

While sausage sellers and liquor sellers raised their voices, acrobats performed tricks with balls.

Aki grabbed Seresia’s sleeve and tugged on it.

“Aki, mo-wine gi-me-now [Aki, more wine give me now].”

“No. It’s not good for you.”

“Gi-me-wine [Give me wine]!”

“I said no.”

“Why don’t you just buy him some? He’s begging like that.”

“Uh-uh, no. He’ll develop bad habits.”

At that time, the melody of ‘Summer 300 Years Ago’ played by a minstrel pierced my ears.

300 years ago, they left.

To the land of summer, where the abyss sleeps.

There were four when they left, but when they came back…….

As I listened to that song and looked down at the Twilight Herb field swaying in the wind, I felt a vast loneliness washing over me once again.

“Flower field, flower field, flower field.”

Pipi also seemed to feel a similar emotion, flapping her wings with a mournful sound as she circled over the flower field.

It was then, as I followed Pipi and stepped down to the pier.

“Hmm, she won’t do. She’s too lacking in appearance.”

A young witch in a blue robe was sharply scanning the passengers getting off the ship one by one.

But the moment that gaze brushed past us and landed on Aki.

“Wow! I found her! She’s perfect! It’s like the gods sent an angel!”

The witch clapped her hands, and the young men and women standing behind her cheered and applauded wildly.

“Wow, she’s so cute!”

“Yes, that child can!”

“We can smash the noses of those Lecol guys!”

As I stood in front of Aki with caution, the witch waved her hand as if to say she wasn’t suspicious.

“Are you perhaps that child’s guardian?”

“What if I am?”

“My name is Florena. As you can see, I’m the Blue Witch of Marind Village. I’m sorry, but I’d like to have an important conversation with you.”

“A conversation?”

“It won’t be a losing conversation. We’ll give you food, a place to sleep, and free 30-year-old wine. You know the village is so crowded right now that most of the people who came to visit are sleeping outside, right?”

The Seges region, where the last mountain range of the Red Mountains ends, is famous for its low and gentle ridges like hills.

It’s no wonder that the empire’s leading wine villages are heavily positioned on that slope, which is blessed by the sun.

The largest villages here are Marind in the northern mountains and Lecol in the southern mountains. These two are said to be the main villages of the ‘Grape Boy and Girl’ festival.

“Originally, this festival was about choosing the youngest child from each village as a representative to compete in who can drink the most grape juice.”

But the problem was that the despicable Lecol village had been recruiting beautiful dancer boys and girls since last year.

“It’s a tradition to use the portrait of the grape boy and girl who competed and won that year as the trademark for the wine for one year. But those guys are using their beauty…….”

“They’re selling a lot of wine?”

It means that thanks to the dancer children who eat and drink a lot as much as they use their bodies, they win the competition and make a lot of money with their beauty.

It is said that the wine from the village that wins this competition is blessed by the Warrior Party, and there is even a nonsensical rumor that drinking it brings good fortune.

“Yes! Those nasty guys, this is no longer a competition. It’s war! And that’s our countermeasure for this year.”

I was listening to that ridiculous story in the witch’s hut.

The hut was built on a high ground overlooking the vineyard, and as befitting the guardian of the grape village, grapes and wine were piled up everywhere in the house.

“Look at her, how cute is she? And how well does she eat? With her, we can win the festival and have plenty left over. And if we draw her on the label, wine sales will jump dozens of times.”

Um, a short hum came out.

Aki was eating grapes non-stop, and empty bunches were piling up like a mountain in front of her.

“Aki, I told you to eat just one.”

“A-, A-only a-one [Only one].”

“Hmm, then what’s that piled up in front of you? Did Pipi eat it?”

Then Aki looked back and forth between the empty grape bunches and me, then suddenly whistled and slyly pushed them off the table and onto the floor.

“I-dun-know-what-dat-is [I don’t know what that is].”

Suddenly, silence fell.

I doubted my own eyes.

Florena and Celine laughed, and laughter was heard from outside the door. Pipi barked.

“Fan, fan, fan, chim-pan-zee, stu-pid, stu-pid, stu-pid [Fan, fan, fan, chimpanzee, stupid, stupid, stupid].”

I couldn’t laugh.

Because I had to grab Aki and spank her butt.

“You little rascal! Are you kidding me right now?! You’re already learning bad things from a young age! Who is it? Who did you learn it from?”

“So-, So-sorry! So-sorry [So sorry! So sorry!]!”

Celine, who received my sharp gaze, raised both hands and shook her head wildly.

“Why, why? Why are you looking at me? I only taught her martial arts, I never taught her that? If she’s just copying me, hmm, I don’t know…….”

“You’re the cause!”

“Cause, cause, cause [Cause, cause, cause].”

Then Florena intervened as if to mediate.

“Now, now, calm down. I gave it to her to eat in the first place, and hmm, I don’t even need to say how much that all is, but hmm, she still ate over twenty bunches, hmm, don’t you think she can be the representative? It’s just drinking some grape juice, right?”

When I didn’t show any reaction, Florena, forgetting her dignity as a witch, even knelt down and put her forehead on the floor [a sign of deep apology or supplication].

“Please, I beg you! I’ve seen so many people so far, but there’s never been a child as cute as her! We can’t win without her! It starts today.”

Watching that, a sigh like a lament came out.

That sly witch, she brought me all the way here and then brought up the story, so she doesn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go…….

But well, didn’t Carenden say this in the first place?

– The True Dragon’s Fetus needs memories.

Going to this festival will be a rare experience for Aki. And I had a reason to stay here too.

“Okay, if it’s just drinking some grape juice. But…….”

Tell me more about the origin of this festival.

“Waaaaaa!”

Before I could even say those conditions, a thunderous shout erupted and villagers poured in.

“A child as cute as her is the representative, you’re wonderful, Witch! We’re just going to win unconditionally this year! Sales will skyrocket too!”

“Huhahahat! Yes, who am I? I’m Florena, who’s good at seducing men.”

“Oh my, she’s a complete doll when you see her up close. Hey, how old are you?”

Aki, who was instantly surrounded by countless people, looked bewildered by the attention that was focused on her all at once.

Her face turned pale, and she stuck to my leg and buried her face there. As if the people would disappear if she did that.

Watching that, Celine sighed briefly. The reason was that she lacked the wildness as a rogue.

“Oh my! Isn’t even the way she hides cute?”

“Witch, is this what a spirit looks like?”

“No, spirits don’t look like that. She’s cuter.”

When will she ever become an absolute being like Alakish, who used to issue fierce orders to those terrifying beastmen warriors…….

“Then Father, can we adjust the size of Aki’s grape girl outfit right away? It’s a tradition to wear a special outfit.”

A custom-made outfit?

So far, every time Aki was bought clothes and put on them, she would roll around and run around, tearing them all without exception or turning them into rags.

So every time we visited a village, she was wearing the shabby clothes of the children there.

“I don’t mind…… but she might tear it. No, she’ll tear it 100%.”

The village girls didn’t listen to my warning and were busy giggling and measuring Aki’s size.

“Ah, Aeh, Aboout [About].”

Aki looked at me with pleading eyes, but it’s a punishment for lying. I won’t help you.

Instead, I looked at Florena.

“Instead of having Aki participate, can you tell me about the origin of this festival?”

The Blue Witch is the guardian of oral traditions and folk songs.

And as the witch in charge of this area, she would know more details. The handover would have been made by her seniors for 300 years.

Florena, who seemed to be on familiar terms with the villagers, wore a slightly sad smile.

“It doesn’t have a very good origin. It’s about how the heroes of the Warrior Party gathered here every year at the end of the year.”

“In that flower field?”

“Yes. But those people were said to have talked with such sad expressions that they couldn’t laugh freely, even though they were heroes who saved the world.”

So the villagers started this festival.

They wanted to give those who couldn’t laugh to their heart’s content because of their comrades who had frozen and not returned, a time to forget their sadness and laugh even for a moment.

‘They gathered here every year?’

Those foolish guys…….

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have used the Juyeoso Gye Daeban [a powerful and potentially destructive technique] back then…….’

I don’t even know what my expression was as I pondered that story in my heart.

“There’s also a saying that Friede’s Sun Parrot, Pipi, loved this festival…….”

When Florena looked at Pipi with suspicious eyes, Pipi wiggled her butt as if feigning ignorance.

“Ah-baat [Ah-baat]!”

At that time, Aki ran over and stuck to my leg, and I was momentarily stunned because she was so cute.

A grape-colored dress with a light green silk trim, and a festival costume with Twilight Herbs embroidered gorgeously inside.

This was probably the first time Aki had worn a girlish skirt.

As soon as she saw Aki’s appearance, Florena clenched her fist and burst into a victorious smile.

“Ohohoho, good! Very good?! At this rate, we’re just going to win unconditionally! Then let’s go right away!”

“Yes, Witch!”

“Go already?”

“What do you mean already? You have to finish preparing for this festival before twilight. If you miss that time, you won’t get anything done.”

When we came down the hill of Marind Village again and descended to the Twilight Herb field, the three suns were already hanging on the western ridge.

The flower field was already crowded with quite a few people, and the temporary spectator seats were about to be full. Many people were seated with sausages or fried grasshoppers.

The residents of Lecol, the southern village, were already there, and as soon as they met, they booed each other, and the witches even started fighting.

“Oh my, who is this? Isn’t it Witch Florena from Marind or Mirin, a village on the verge of going bankrupt?”

“Your cowardly tyranny ends today. We brought the ultimate weapon too?”

“Hohohohoho! No matter who you bring, you won’t be able to beat our Ren Arong~?”

When the witch waved her hand, a boy from the other village’s line came forward with a dancing gait and bowed.

Olive skin, black eyes, and glossy lacquered hair gave off a sensual feeling with long eyelashes and plump lips.

Twelve, no, maybe thirteen years old…… I clearly understood why Florena said that they wouldn’t have a chance of winning without Aki.

To others, is it a beautiful boy from the Republic versus a beautiful girl from the Empire?

“So where is your great ultimate weapon?”

“Hmph, I can’t show you now because you might run away. I’ll show you later.”

Aki was hiding behind my back.

Putting the bamboo hat on her small head and wrapping Seresia around her shoulders, Aki’s breathing calmed down a lot, as if she was a little more stable.

Hugging Aki in my arms, I looked out at the Twilight Herb field rustling in the wind for a moment. Even Pipi was silent for a moment.

– These small memories prevent you from becoming lonely later when that person is gone.

Was the scenery I saw with those guys back then so empty…….

The scenery of the past didn’t come to mind very accurately, and I just felt that something was very different.

Back then, there was something, something that really stung somewhere in my heart…….

“What are you doing, not coming!”

At Florena’s shout, I put aside my thoughts and stepped inside the temporary fence.

“Now, from now on, we will raise the curtain on the Grape Boy and Girl, announcing the start of the festival.”

The host was the Blue Witch from the neighboring village.

A makeshift table was placed in the middle of the flower field, with two glasses and a bottle of wine on it.

Amid the expectant cheers, a moment of silence flowed when the host called out the name of Ren Arong, the grape boy from the southern village of Lecol.

“Wow.”

“Is that the same species as us?”

“The southern village will win again this time.”

Ren Arong danced with a fluttering movement as if the wind was blowing, then bowed to the audience.

A burst of reactions poured out.

Especially from women.

Then, when the witch pointed to the opposite side, that is, our side, a moment of silence flowed.

“Eh……?”

A dignity, or rather, a grace, flows from the footsteps that gently and carefully step on the flowers.

And the reddish-pink hair that elegantly harmonizes with the grape-colored costume flickers like a flame in the twilight.

The ultimate weapon of Marind Village, Aki, has appeared.