NOVEL NEXT Ch65 - The Spirit Festival
Chapter 65: The Spirit Festival
Today is the day the people of the Aneese Kingdom have been eagerly awaiting: the Spirit Festival!
The sky is a clear, cloudless blue.
With rumors that the spirits might appear, everyone in the kingdom wears a bright face full of anticipation.
Colorful tapestries adorn every corner of the city, fluttering in the wind.
They’re a declaration: We welcome the spirit Sylphine and the others!
In addition, white and blue flowers add a refreshing touch to the atmosphere.
Blue and green, representing the Maiden of Wind and Water, Sylphine. White, representing the Great Spirit Sylphinesia, who also possesses light attributes.
This year, there were many flowers, miscellaneous goods, and souvenirs combining these three colors on sale.
Potted plants and huge bouquets decorate the streets.
Flower shops are bustling with activity.
The newly opened little flower shop,
The flowers, carefully and lovingly tended, have fresh petals and leaves and are very well-received.
Tourists from other places are excitedly visiting the special festival stalls, enjoying the festivities.
Every city is filled with vibrant energy.
Around midday, large sound amplifying magic tools are brought to the central square of each city.
The national orchestra, dressed in elaborate uniforms, lines up with their instruments in hand, and finally sounds a resounding fanfare of trumpets!
We express our heartfelt gratitude for the abundant blessings of nature bestowed upon us daily by the Maiden of Wind and Water, Sylphine!
Blessings upon the birth of Great Spirit Sylphinesia!>
A huge cheer erupts from the square.
People imagine their own version of a beautiful maiden in their minds.
And they pray with pure hearts, expressing their gratitude for the blessings bestowed upon the Aneese Kingdom.
Pure faith becomes the spirits’ power.
The beautiful maidens dwelling within each mistletoe smile happily, their cheeks flushed.
A warm magical power courses through their bodies, which had slowly grown cold as ice over an unimaginably long time.
Their limbs take on a soft, white hue, and their lush maiden hair is dyed a fresh green reminiscent of young leaves.
The corners of their pink lips curve upwards.
The guards protecting the mistletoe sense an unfamiliar presence, turn around… and are speechless.
A beautiful girl, enveloped in a divine aura, is standing quietly near the trunk of the mistletoe.
Her jewel-like blue eyes gaze gently at the male guards.
Her fair skin is dazzling.
“…S-Sylphine-sama… is that you…！?”
“Yes! Our beloved children.”
The voices that finally escape the men’s lips tremble pathetically.
But the maiden doesn’t scold them; instead, she offers a beautiful smile.
Several men almost faint.
Chuckling at the sight, Sylphine waves her hand gently and floats into the air.
“I’m going for a little walk.
I want to greet everyone in the city… and convey our gratitude as spirits.
Everyone,
thank you for continuing to believe in Sylphine’s existence all this time.
It must have been difficult to keep faith in an invisible spirit, right?
Thanks to you, we are able to appear before you once again.”
“…No, it is us who should be thanking you!
Thank you so much for always watching over the Aneese Kingdom, its people, and nature.
We can never thank you enough, Sylphine-sama!
It is we who are grateful.”
“Hee hee, it’s only natural for Sylphine to enrich the land of the Aneese Kingdom.
The Maiden of Wind and Water is a spirit who loves the Aneese Kingdom and its people.”
“…！…Just as I’ve heard. How merciful and kind you are…”
Sylphine smiles brilliantly at the national mages and guardsmen, who are shedding tears.
She lightly kicks off the ground and finally takes off into the city.
The Maiden of Wind and Water, enveloped in a shining breeze, gracefully soars through the sky above the city.
Is it really Sylphine-sama…!? Her laughter, like the ringing of bells, carries to the astonished citizens below.
Her body is still slightly translucent.
Nevertheless, her white skin glows in the light.
Her lush green hair, dancing in the wind, is filled with natural energy. A refreshing scent of new greenery wafts through the air.
Everyone who sees her beautiful form is instantly captivated.
Occasionally descending closer to the ground, Sylphine enjoys her aerial stroll.
The city’s residents rush around, trying to follow her.
When she notices and waves, their faith surges.
It’s off the charts.
“Everyone,
thank you for believing in our existence!”
“Oooooohhh!!”
The cheers are fervent.
The royal capital is in an even greater uproar.
Great Spirit Sylphinesia has appeared!
An unprecedented… excuse me, an overwhelming performance! She races through the city sky with the soap creatures of the Labyrinth
Not just Soap Fish, but other soap creatures that don’t clash with the labyrinth’s scenery have also been created.
Sea turtles, dolphins, even whales.
All the creatures are a refreshing blue that seems to blend with the sky.
Occasionally popping, the soap creatures shower the capital with glittering rain of light.
The sparkle is stunning against the clear blue sky.
The most eye-catching of the group is, of course, the Soap Dragon!
And flying majestically beside it is… a giant dragon with a jet-black body, the Phantom Black Dragon.
It’s Uruuru’s mother, reunited with her child.
She was invited by Sylphinesia to participate in this parade.
“Gyauruuuu!!”
The two dragons gather everyone’s attention with their imposing roars.
They circle over the Aneese Royal Palace a few times and then perform a brilliant somersault.
Who could have imagined a dragon performance at the Spirit Festival?
Just before this performance, Sylphinesia created several giant “water mirrors” in the sky above the city.
Thirty oval water mirrors, 100 meters tall and 50 meters wide.
They project Sylphinesia and the dragons in spectacular, movie-theater-like scale.
Transmitting sound is also a trivial matter for the Wind Spirit.
The dynamic camera work, shifting perspectives for a captivating show, is a feat of Great Spirit power.
She’s considerate, ensuring that even those far away can enjoy the show.
The ideas, of course, come from Rena’s party, so there’s no holding back.
Sylphinesia herself, enveloped in a shining breeze, performs somersaults with the dragons.
Her clear, bell-like laughter reaches everyone in the capital.
The dragons’ dance, which would normally inspire fear… is transformed into a magnificent show by the surrounding swarm of glittering Soap Fish and the special presence of Great Spirit Sylphinesia.
The people working in the royal palace, which has become the backdrop for the spectacle, including the king, are all gaping at the sky in astonishment.
Every time the dragons flap their wings, a tremendous gust of wind blows through the area.
It’s even more impressive than the images in the water mirrors.
The king, who had kept the surprise performance with the labyrinth creatures a secret, is now receiving a huge dose of surprise himself, thanks to Sylphinesia’s enthusiastic performance.
He’s even more shocked than the others because he had envisioned something much smaller in scale.
His heart is pounding.
…The tremendous cheers erupting from the capital finally bring the people in the palace back to their senses.
They applaud Sylphinesia with painful enthusiasm.
The prince and princesses laugh amusedly and address their father.
“Haha, Father,
so this secret meeting with Great Spirit-sama was to plan this.”
“You were trying to surprise everyone by keeping it a secret, weren’t you?
But you seemed quite surprised yourself, Father. Hehehe.”
“Perhaps because no one could have predicted what Great Spirit-sama would do.
You were surprised because she gave an even more wonderful performance than you expected, right?”
When the First Prince asks this with a smile, the king laughs sheepishly.
His light blue eyes curve gently.
“Hmm. …Hahaha! Indeed, you are correct.
I had heard from Great Spirit-sama that she wanted to show a dance with the creatures of the labyrinth.
But… I never expected it to be with dragons!
Pfft, hahaha, it’s wonderful, and I feel so happy…！
I was chuckling to myself, thinking I could surprise everyone.
But well, I ended up being one of the surprised ones.”
“What a fun festival!”
“Indeed!”
The cheerful king and his children continue to watch the light-filled city from the palace terrace, which offers the best view of the capital.
After finishing her dance with the dragons, Great Spirit Sylphinesia bows and gracefully lands on the fountain in the central square of the capital.
Her long hair flutters, spreading a refreshing scent of new greenery.
The viewpoint of the water mirror shifts to the central square. She’s about to perform live.
She winks at the citizens, who are silent, captivated by her divine aura.
Then, she waves her arm and calls out!
She makes a cute peace sign.
“Hello everyone in the Aneese Kingdom!
I’m Sylphinesia of the World Tree!
I’m the Great Spirit who lives in Rachelle’s Labyrinth. Come visit the labyrinth again!
I’m trying lots of new things so everyone can have fun. These Soap Fish are also in the labyrinth!
Because I love everyone in the Aneese Kingdom… I’ll work hard as a spirit from now on!
Nice to meet you all!
Please call me Nessie♡”
“Oooooohhh!! Sylphinesia-sama!!”
A deafening cheer erupts from the square, the air practically vibrating.
The elderly start weeping and praying.
But Sylphinesia… or rather, Nessie, puffs out her cheeks.
“Mmm…！ I want to be friends with everyone, so please don’t call me -sama.
Come on!
Call me Nessie!”
“…Nessie! Nessie! Nessie!”
“Yeees! Everyone’s doing great!
As a reward, I’ll sing a song.
La la la～♪”
Nessie takes a breath and a soprano voice flows from her pink lips.
In time with the rhythm, the Soap Fish above swim through the air as if dancing.
Patterns of light, like the surface of water, appear on the ground.
After finishing the song, Nessie flashes a bright smile and makes a peace sign.
Another great cheer arises.
“…What is this adorableness? My heart won’t stop pounding…!”
“How can we not have faith… after this!?”
“Nessie, beautiful! You’re beautiful! I’m becoming a follower!”
“I’m moving to this country…”
“Me too…!”
The surge of faith is unstoppable.
As a side note, after the Spirit Festival, a large number of people applied to immigrate to the Aneese Kingdom, keeping the king and his officials busy for a while.
When Nessie performs a somersault, high-pitched screams and deep cheers erupt from everywhere.
The elderly are rubbing their hands together as if they could start a fire.
Nessie, the World Tree idol, has gained an incredible number of fans in an instant.
Waving goodbye, she leaves the central square of the capital.
The one and only Great Spirit has to greet many other cities.
She evaporates the water mirrors.
Playfully ascending and descending, she visits cities throughout the Aneese Kingdom, rapidly gaining fans everywhere she goes.
…And finally, to the small city of Toyria, the gateway to the Aneese Kingdom.
Along the way, she meets up with her closest older sister, Sylphine, who rushed from Rachelle, and they search for a certain shop from the sky.
“Hmm… Flower Shop Nature?
…Found it!”
“My, what a lovely shop filled with pure energy.
The flowers are blooming vibrantly.”
“Right! I wonder what Rena’s friend is like.”
Something is about to happen.
Nessie and Sylphine hold hands and, riding the wind, swoop down and slip into Patricia’s red-roofed flower shop.
The soap creatures are waiting outside so they don’t damage the merchandise.
The customers, who were just passed through by spirits, stare wide-eyed.
Patricia, who was handling the register, grimaces.
She never imagined two spirits would visit her small shop!
“Found you! Rena’s friend!”
“Whoa!?”
Nessie, still carrying the momentum from the wind, hugs Patricia around the neck.
The customers gasp.
Not only that, but Patricia, unable to withstand the force of the wind, falls backward.
“Ah, sorry.”
“Oh dear, you were too forceful, Nessie.
No, no… Patricia-san is a lady, you have to be gentle.
It’s good that you apologized right away.
Let me apologize too.
Patricia-san, I’m sorry for my little sister’s recklessness…”
“Yes! Big sister!
I’ll be a good lady!”
“Good girl.”
Being apologized to by spirits…
The awe and the piercing stares of the onlookers damage Patricia’s spirit.
“N-Nessie…?”
“Wait, the owner’s a woman!?”
Various comments fly in response to Sylphine’s statement.
The older sister, who has somehow started calling her younger sister Nessie, now goes by Fine.
Together, they’re Rachelle’s beautiful spirit idol unit!
A woman!? Patricia wants to tell everyone surprised by this to get out, but she refrains.
The corners of her lips twitch, but she manages an ambiguous smile. Growth.
Gordalo and Jean, the temporary employees who were bracing themselves for Patricia’s potential outburst, sigh in relief and resume restocking the flowerpots.
Their tolerance for trouble seems to have increased, thanks to the recent string of surprising events, like the terrifying Stuart Mansion operation and Jean’s strange title acquisition.
Lulu, who is busy preparing dinner because the inn is fully booked during the festival, is not present.
Patricia, having already received love letters from two girls, has mostly given up on correcting people about her gender…
With a melancholic air, she sighs and sits up.
Sylphinesia stands next to Patricia and, from behind the counter, gives a peace sign to the customers and introduces herself cheerfully.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Sylphinesia of the World Tree!
I’m the Great Spirit from Rachelle’s Labyrinth.
Everyone, please call me Nessie!”
“I’m Sylphine of Rachelle.
You can call me Fine.”
They both wink.
Everyone present is captivated by the beauty of the spirit maidens, their cheeks flushing regardless of gender.
For a moment, silence fills the shop, but… a shout from a curious onlooker quickly turns it into an uproar.
“…Sh-She’s here!
Oh my, both Great Spirit Sylphinesia-sama and Sylphine-sama are here!?
Oh… what a wonderful day to witness the beautiful forms of the spirits.
I am truly grateful for the blessings you bestow upon the Aneese Kingdom every day!
Long live the spirits!”
“Long live the spirits!!”
“W-We can’t lose. …Alright, let’s cheer too!”
“Nessie-chan! Fine-san!”
“Yes! Our beloved children.”
“Oooooohhh!!”
“Kyaaaaa!!”
The flower shop has become an idol concert venue… Patricia smiles wryly at the chaotic scene.
She thinks, as expected of Rena’s friend, and finds the situation amusing.
She bursts out laughing.
Don’t forget that you’re also Rena’s friend.
…Oh! It’s getting late! Nessie exclaims, looking at the clock on the wall with wide eyes.
“I still have to greet other towns… I’m sorry, everyone. I’ll come visit again!”
Yes, to Patricia’s shop.
It’s fate (or rather, destiny).
“We await your return!”
The customers, now devout followers, bow deeply.
Their education has somehow been completed.
Patricia says in a quiet voice:
“Um… Thank you very much for coming today.
We look forward to seeing you again…”
“Okay! We’ll be back! Here!”
“Since it’s the next town over, it’s easy to come to Toyria.”
“Patricia!”
Her reluctant pleasantry is taken at face value by the sisters…
Pure spirits can’t read between the lines.
Patricia stares into the distance, speechless.
Nessie and Fine pat Patricia’s shoulder and give her a light hug.
“Rena’s friend is our friend.
We’ll give you a song as a gift.”
“Ufufu, may Flower Shop Nature prosper for a long time!
Now, for a song of blessing…”
“La la la～♪”
A pure song fills the shop.
As everyone listens… the pouch in Patricia’s pocket starts to wriggle.
It contains a certain seed for self-defense.
Oh no!
“………Gah!?”
The song of blessing has the power to activate life energy.
The flowers in the shop bloom even more vibrantly, emitting an enchanting fragrance.
That’s fine. The problem is this:
▽Patricia hurriedly places the pouch on the counter!
▽Blooming!
▽Super Soap Macho Men have appeared! x100
A hundred small, 15cm Soap Macho Men simultaneously start flying around the shop in a Superman pose!
They fly horizontally with one arm outstretched and the other bent.
To infinity and beyond!
Please stop.
What’s this!? Is this the effect of a new magic tool!? The shop buzzes with confusion.
The spirit sisters, having finished their song, are poking the Macho Men, amused.
When poked, the Soap Macho Men pop.
Why this transformation?
There’s a superstition that good luck comes to those who see a spirit.
The stems of the flowers sprinkled with Macho droplets swell at the base and start storing a reddish nectar.
Patricia frowns and appraises the flowers…
[Muscle Honey Flower]… A flower that stores protein extract in its stem. Those who drink the extract can obtain magnificent muscles.
Five flowers have already been transformed into the Muscle version.
“…Gyaa!? Jean, cast a barrier on all the flowerpots!
So these Soap Macho droplets don’t get on them!”
Patricia cries out, giving instructions to Jean, who was staring at the Macho Men in astonishment.
Fortunately, the Macho droplets don’t seem to affect humans.
“W-What!? B-But… my staff is in the back….
If I use magic without it, it takes a lot of magic power…”
Mages all acquire passive skills that improve their magic power efficiency.
However, without a staff, they consume magic power like any other profession.
In other words, their efficiency becomes very poor.
Since mages become ill when their magic power runs low, Jean hesitates.
“I’ll buy you a magic recovery drink later!
The owner’s giving you an order! Hurry up!”
“Ugh!
That forceful tone… somehow… it makes my heart race…
I’ll do it. Thank you very much.”
“You’re creepy.”
Jean, who has inadvertently acquired the title [Masochist], wonders if he might be a latent masochist, despite having no recollection of such tendencies… He’s on the verge of an unwelcome awakening.
Patricia, who was starting to regret her forceful tone, is disgusted.
Thanks to Jean, the barrier is successfully cast, and the flowerpots are protected.
The Soap Macho Men fly freely around the shop for a while before popping and disappearing.
Except for their mini-Macho appearance, their soap bodies and the sparkling droplets are quite beautiful, so the customers seem to have enjoyed the spectacle.
Applause erupts when the last Macho Man disappears.
“That was amazing! What were those soap creatures?”
“They were small and cute. I wonder if we should create some human-shaped ones in the labyrinth?”
Patricia is the one who wants to know what they were.
Thanks to her older sister’s innocent comment, Macho Men are added to the labyrinth’s soap creatures.
Saying they’ve overstayed their welcome, the spirit sisters leave Patricia’s shop together.
“See you later!”
The soap creatures and dragons follow behind them.
Watching the enthusiastic spirit followers waving goodbye, Patricia thinks that the maidens were like a whirlwind.
The calm and pure image of the spirit Sylphine has been completely shattered.
All the customers have gone outside to see the spirits off, leaving the shop empty.
“…Good work.”
As Patricia speaks to Jean, the barrier on the flowerpots disappears.
Jean has used a lot of magic power because he had to cast small barriers on each pot individually.
Patricia gives the unwell-looking Jean a magic recovery drink.
The mage, murmuring a faint “Thank you,” wears a somewhat ecstatic expression, further disgusting Patricia.
Gordalo carries the Muscle Honey Flower pots to the back of the shop. It would be disastrous if they were accidentally sold.
“Well, you’ve created something amazing again! Gahahahaha!
So, what are you going to do with this?”
“I don’t know… Sell it through Alice…?”
Later, the [Muscle Extract], sold to the Muscle Guild through Alice, fetches a high price due to its remarkable effects, further enhancing Buyer Stuart’s reputation.
While discussing the Muscle Honey Flowers with Gordalo and Jean, Patricia senses many gazes and turns to the shop entrance.
The customers, having seen off the spirits, are peering into
Their gazes are directed at the owner, who seems to be favored by the spirits, and… the various interesting flowers in full bloom.
Slime Gummy Flowers, Edible Ogre Thistles, Marshmallow Cotton, Rotating Sunflowers, and so on.
The special flower seeds were stored on a shelf… but they seem to have been affected by the spirits’ song of blessing.
Fortunately, the weapon-type flowers haven’t bloomed, but it’s still a disaster.
At this moment, it becomes impossible for Patricia’s shop to continue as a normal flower shop.
The anniversary of Interesting Flower Shop Nature’s birth is the day of the Spirit Festival.
It’s quite auspicious, thanks to the guidance of Nessie and Fine.
She has to think that way, or she won’t be able to cope.
First, the children are captivated by the interesting flowers.
“What’s this!? It smells sweet! Can we eat it?”
“The white fluff of this cotton flower feels so nice! It’s springy and… whoa, my fingers are being pushed back!?
It’s like a marshmallow.”
Then, the adults start asking Patricia if they can buy the interesting flowers.
They seem to think that the flowers not displayed must be special and are extremely curious.
“Excuse me. Could you sell me these flowers…?”
…Patricia snaps. She’s at her wit’s end.
She throws away her mask of a gentle smile and grins with a somewhat ferocious expression reminiscent of her adventurer days.
The parents look at Patricia with pity, as if looking at a hopeless child.
Jean mutters, “I wonder if Lulu will be mad, but that would be a reward.”
“Alright!
Those who want to buy these flowers, raise your hands!
However, I haven’t set a price yet, so it’ll be an auction.
They’re registered as general trade items with the Commerce Guild, so it’s fine to sell them to anyone. You can rest assured about that.
First up, this one!
[Super-Speed Slime Gummy Flower]… The seed sprouts and grows to fruition the moment it’s planted. It takes about 5 minutes to harvest, and then you can eat Slime Gummies for 30 minutes!
It’s a product for big eaters, since it keeps producing fruit no matter how much you pick.
I’m selling the seeds, not the blooming flowers.
Starting at 300 ril! What do you say?”
“350 ril!”
“W-What? 400 ril!”
…Energetic voices, unusual for a flower shop, fill the air as the seeds of the interesting flowers are bought one after another.
About two hours later, everything in the shop, including the flowerpots and pre-made bouquets, is sold out.
The customers have left, and the empty shop holds three exhausted people sitting on the floor: the owner and her employees.
They murmur that they never imagined the opening day would turn out like this, and let out weak laughs.
Lulu, having finished preparing dinner and making beds at the inn, visits the flower shop with a set of sandwiches.
She blinks at the empty shelves and her companions sitting on the floor.
“…What happened…?”
“…It’s a long story.”
“I have time. I’ve finished my work at the inn.”
What a difference from a certain sorcerer who couldn’t hear the whole story even after saying the same line.
This is the difference in their relationship.
Lulu, after hearing everything, including the visit from the spirits, laughs heartily.
“What a fun experience!
Patricia, I think this was your destiny from the moment you became Rena’s friend.
Ufufu♡ Why not enjoy the trouble?
It must have been busy, hectic, and difficult, but you sold all the flowers, so it was a good day, wasn’t it?”
“…Yeah, all the customers left with smiles.
…I was happy. They were happy to buy the flowers I raised.
I was able to open my dream flower shop, and sales are good. I’m so lucky.
I even met the spirits.
My body is tired, but… my heart feels full…!”
“Congratulations. That’s the awakening of a masochist.”
“No, it’s not. Hey.”
“Ufufu♡”
“You should say that to Jean. He’ll be happy.”
As Patricia casually mentions it, Lulu excitedly starts teasing Jean.
Although they’re not lovers, they get along quite well.
Each of them takes a sandwich that Lulu brought.
Patricia bites into the soft bread and chews contentedly, thanking Lulu, “Delicious, thanks.”
Lulu pokes Jean and waves with a smile.
Gordalo admonishes Patricia like a parent, “You should properly say ‘Let’s eat’ before a meal.”
After finishing their first sandwiches, the four of them pick up large glasses.
They fill them with stamina recovery drinks.
They clink their glasses together.
“To the Spirit Festival and the great success of
“Cheers!”
As a famous interesting flower shop in Ranache’s commercial history.
This year’s Spirit Festival is more lively than ever before.
They’ve gathered enough faith for Sylphine and the others to almost completely regain their original power.
The maidens’ pure and beautiful forms seem to have touched people’s hearts that deeply.
Even those with shady occupations have brighter expressions, and the excitement in the cities of the Aneese Kingdom shows no sign of cooling down, even after nightfall.
After the Spirit Festival, crime rates drop significantly, fan clubs for the spirits are formed, and the kingdom experiences a positive impact.
Sylphinesia and Sylphine return to their respective mistletoes in the evening.
Only Nessie and Fine seem to have made a detour somewhere.
▽Next! Side Story: The Spirits’ Detour [Alice and Mosura], [Rena’s Party]