The work continued smoothly throughout the afternoon.
The festival stage was nearly complete, and all the equipment needed for the wedding ceremony had been gathered and prepared. More importantly, the townspeople were brimming with enthusiasm. Seeing how determined they were only strengthened our own resolve to make the Harvest Festival a success.
“Alright, I’ll store all the clothes away. Is there anything else that should be put away?”
“Let’s see… No, I think that’s everything. Ao already stored the rest.”
As evening approached, we began cleaning up for the day. With so many items packed away inside Ao’s and my Item Boxes, the festival square looked surprisingly empty and deserted. Still, once everything was brought out again tomorrow morning, the stage would be completed in no time.
“All that’s left now is to wait for tomorrow.”
“That’s right. Somehow, no matter what happens, I want this Harvest Festival to succeed.”
Sue and the others had finished their own preparations as well, so we all headed back to the mansion together. We would have to get to the square a little earlier than usual in the morning.
“We’re back.”
“Welcome home!”
The cheerful greeting echoed through the mansion the moment we stepped inside, bringing a warm smile to everyone’s face after a long day of work.
When we returned to the mansion, the ever-energetic Kent-chan came running out to greet us. A moment later, Emilia-san appeared from behind him.
“Welcome back. It sounds like the festival preparations went smoothly.”
“Yes. It looks like we’ll be able to welcome tomorrow without any problems.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Go wash up and then come join us for dinner.”
Word of the successful preparations had apparently already reached the Margrave’s household, and Emilia-san welcomed us with a warm smile.
After returning to our rooms and washing away the day’s sweat, we headed to the dining hall.
“Sorry to keep you waiti—… Huh? Is something wrong?”
The moment I entered the dining hall, I noticed something unusual. The former Margrave and the Margrave were already seated, but both wore grim expressions. Even Emilia-san, who had greeted us with a smile only a short while ago, now looked troubled.
“Shun, read this.”
“Y-Yes, sir. Let me see… [ Please look forward to the Harvest Festival. — Human Supremacy Cult.] In other words, it’s a threat.”
“Exactly. Earlier, the soldiers guarding the square were attacked by unknown assailants, and this letter was left behind. As a precaution, we’ve increased the number of guards and reinforced security around the square.”
The former Margrave’s face remained unusually stern as he handed me the letter. The soldiers assigned to guard the square had not been ordinary troops. They were carefully selected members of the Margrave’s forces. The fact that someone had managed to defeat several of them was proof enough that the attackers possessed considerable strength.
“Then Ao says she’ll go check on the square later!”
At that moment, Shiro and the others entered the dining hall carrying Ao in their arms. Ao’s tentacles were swaying enthusiastically, making it obvious that she was fully motivated.
“She says she’ll patrol the town too.”
“Then I’ll go with her. I can use Detection Magic, and if we combine it with Ao’s abilities, we should be able to get a good picture of what’s going on.”
“Sorry to ask this of you, but can you do it?”
“Of course.”
The former Margrave’s request left little room for argument, and so it was decided that Ao and I would patrol the town after dinner. I could only hope that we wouldn’t find anything. Given the threatening letter and the attack on the guards, the atmosphere in the dining hall had grown noticeably tense.
Still, worrying alone would solve nothing. If there really were enemies lurking in the shadows, the best thing we could do was search for them before they had a chance to make their move.
With that thought in mind, I finished my meal and prepared for the night’s patrol alongside Ao, hoping that tomorrow’s Harvest Festival would pass without incident.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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