Chapter 284 (Bonus chapter from donations)
Scarlett, Charlotte, and I stepped out onto Main Street.
No news is good news, as they say, and it seemed particularly true at this moment. If Charlotte didn't come looking for me, it meant she was safe.
And so, up until this point, with no news, Charlotte's expression had been bright, as if nothing had happened.
The winter sun had set early, and darkness had already enveloped the night.
But the bright lights shining here and there, along with the upcoming festival, had transformed Main Street into a bustling hub of activity.
"Wasn't the festival supposed to start on Monday?"
At my question, Charlotte laughed.
"The restrictions on entry lift on Monday, but the business and traffic restrictions lift on Friday. Those with Temple access passes can enjoy the festival a little earlier."
According to her, the festival had already begun in all but name.
During the festival period, the once impregnable Temple would open its gates to the public.
Of course, security forces would be significantly reinforced, but for the people of the empire, this week-long festival offered a rare glimpse of the fantastical Temple beyond the massive walls.
However, the streets were not yet swarming with civilians.
It was the preparatory period of the festival.
Brilliant lights, as well as street vendors and tantalizing scents emanating from all directions, filled the slightly more animated streets of the Temple.
There were people buying food on the streets, and some students could be seen practicing their performances or singing.
"The regular classes must be busy preparing for various events, but thanks to someone, the busiest Royal Class gets to take a break during this festival, don't they?"
Charlotte grinned mischievously.
"Then you should be grateful."
"Ah, right. I should have expected that response."
Even though the regular classes were in a frenzy preparing for the festival, the Royal Class, which should have been the busiest, was able to leisurely stroll around on the eve of the festival with nothing to do.
"Let's try that."
As I had noticed before, Charlotte wasn't particularly picky when it came to food. At her suggestion, the three of us ate some deliciously aromatic grilled chicken skewers from a street vendor.
In fact, it seemed she genuinely enjoyed street food rather than just not being picky.
"Ah, it's hot!"
"Who's going to steal it from you? Eat slowly."
"I didn't know it would be this hot."
Charlotte carefully nibbled on the scorching hot chicken skewer, blowing on it gently.
She was eating it in such small bites that it looked like a tiny mouse was nibbling away at it.
How strange.
It was unbelievably cute.
Scarlett also took her time eating her chicken skewer. I took one bite and just held onto it.
"...Somehow, I'm the only one eating so enthusiastically."
Charlotte glanced back and forth between Scarlett and me as she said this.
I was, in name, from a beggar's background.
Scarlett was actually from a beggar's background.
"It's too sweet."
"How sweet could it be?"
Charlotte tilted her head in curiosity, and when I offered her a bite, she looked flustered.
"Uh... why?"
"Go ahead, try it."
"Uh? Uh-uh?"
"What's so strange about trying it? Is it dirty?"
"Ah, no? That, that's not what I meant…"
"Say if you don't want to."
"Ah, no! What do you mean by 'dirty'!"
As I tried to take it back, Charlotte grabbed my arm and took a big bite of the chicken skewer in my hand.
It seemed like she was forcing herself a bit.
Scarlett's eyes widened at the scene.
Really, it's just this little thing. Is it such a big deal? With her face flushed, Charlotte stuttered, lowering her head.
"It's not even that sweet?"
"It's a matter of taste."
"You're really picky about strange things, aren't you?"
Charlotte looked at me as if I were a strange creature, then turned her gaze to Scarlett, who was taking small bites of her chicken skewer.
"Why is Scarlett not eating?"
"It's too spicy for me."
I must have picked up a spicy one by chance. As Charlotte stared intently, Scarlett hesitantly offered her chicken skewer.
"Would... would you like to try it?"
Charlotte took a small bite of the tip of Scarlett's skewer and began to chew.
"…"
Her face started to turn bright red.
Hmm.
I thought Scarlett's reaction was a bit mild, so the spiciness must have been bearable. It seemed I was wrong.
"…"
"I'll go buy some water."
"I… I should have warned you…"
Charlotte couldn't even chew properly, her mouth hanging open slightly.
What is this?
What did I just eat?
That was the expression on her face.
We sat down by a nearby fountain to rest.
Charlotte, still seething with anger after gulping down the water I had bought, continued to rinse her mouth.
"Why do they sell that kind of thing? They should at least give a warning! Who would eat that!"
She touched her lips and pouted.
"It's not just spicy, it hurts. My lips hurt."
"Can't you eat spicy food?"
"Do I have to?"
"There are people who enjoy it. We bought the best-selling skewer earlier."
At Scarlett's words, Charlotte's mouth dropped open.
"Why would they?"
"I don't really know."
Though Main Street sold all kinds of food, the Royal Class dormitory and the palace dinner we had eaten before had little to do with spicy flavors.
They led lives that seemed to have no connection to things like chili powder.
Scarlett was slowly eating the chicken skewer that she had claimed was too spicy.
Was she good at eating spicy food, or did she not enjoy it but forced herself to eat?
"Didn't you say it was spicy?"
"Yes."
In response to my question, Scarlett took another bite.
"It's a waste to throw it away."
"…"
"…"
Charlotte and I exchanged glances.
It couldn't help but be a touching statement.
So what does that make me, who threw mine away earlier? Scarlett and Charlotte nibbled away at their respective chicken skewers.
I had thrown mine away because it was sweet, but there was another reason as well.
"Can't you eat more neatly? It's dripping all over!"
This is why I handed them tissues.
I was about to wipe it off myself but held back.
I despise when it smears on my clothes. It's so viscous that it trickles down.
"What! When did it spill so much?"
"Uh, yeah..."
Both Charlotte and Scarlett were startled as they wiped the sauce that had stained not only their skirts and lips, but also their hair.
In the end, they both started eating with a peculiar posture, leaning their necks forward.
A princess and a pauper eating chicken skewers in the same manner, both smeared with thick sauce.
What a sight to behold.
"Ugh, it tastes good, but it's so uncomfortable to eat."
After throwing the remaining skewers into the trash, Charlotte shook her sauce-stained clothes. Of course, it didn't become clean from that.
"But experiences like these are what it's all about, right? Let's go! Let's eat something else!"
Excited, Charlotte took the lead. Scarlett smiled as she watched her.
"Lately, you seem to be in a good mood for some reason."
Charlotte and Scarlett have grown close in Class B. Of course, Charlotte probably hasn't told Scarlett much. That's why they feel close, but there's still a considerable distance between them.
Still, she knew that Charlotte regarded Scarlett as important.
"I don't know what's going on, but I'm glad."
Scarlett seemed to think highly of Charlotte as well.
Charlotte indeed looked happy.
It was then that they seemed to understand why Charlotte had invited them on a Friday evening.
Once the real festival starts, there would be too many people, making it difficult to move around.
The tournament preliminaries start from tomorrow.
Even with a bracelet that prevents mental interference, I have my own affairs, and Scarlett has hers, so we'll be busy.
"Doesn't that look delicious?"
Charlotte wanted to enjoy the festival with us in advance.
Her platinum blonde hair, running through the streets, shimmered brilliantly as it caught the lights of the winter night at the temple.
Rather than settling in one place to eat, we tried various street foods as we explored.
Instead of one person ordering three items, we shared one dish.
It was both stir-fried noodles and a soft drink.
"It's great that we can try a little bit of everything."
This experience must be a first for Charlotte, but she seemed to enjoy it.
Scarlett, on the other hand, was the most flustered. Drinking from the same straw as Charlotte, she seemed more surprised by Charlotte's nonchalance than anything else.
We came across quite a few nostalgic items.
"The, the taste of memory..."
"...Not a particularly good memory, though."
We each took a sip from a coconut with a straw after buying one upon seeing them being sold. Scarlett looked at the coconut with a bewildered expression.
"Was it always this tasteless...?"
"That's what I'm saying... No, is it a different variety? The taste is too different from my memory!"
"It's a glorified memory."
"...Is it?"
In the scorching summer on a deserted island, the taste of coconut water as a substitute for drinking water surely wasn't like this. Even now, it was winter.
In a place overflowing with food and drink, the coconut was nothing more than a strange, foul-tasting juice. Charlotte laughed, perhaps reminiscing about her time on the deserted island.
"Ha, I thought my clothes were messy with all these stains, but it's nothing compared to back then."
Regardless of being a prince, a princess, or a grand duke's daughter, everyone had been in the same pitiful state.
I experienced it in Class A, while Charlotte endured that moment commanding Class B.
"I remember when the rain was pouring so heavily that I thought it was the end."
"I did too."
"When Asher summoned light with his divine magic, it felt like we had been saved."
"Yes, I felt the same way."
The two discussed their mission in Class B.
"Ludwig caught dozens of fish from the first day… He's quite something. If only he used his head a bit more."
"I still think he has many strengths."
"Ah, I didn't mean he had a lot of weaknesses."
"I know what you mean."
From their conversation, it seemed like Charlotte usually led the conversation and Scarlett added comments or chimed in. Scarlett seemed like a good listener. Charlotte looked at me, perhaps worried that I felt left out.
"Reinhardt, you were amazing back then too."
"I didn't do much."
"I heard from Bertus that without you, half of us would have been wiped out on the first day."
I didn't know Bertus had said such things.
At first, it was surprising that the two of them even had a conversation. They didn't outright ignore each other, but there was tension between them.
Honestly, I didn't lead from the beginning or give up, I just took action in front of those who did.
As a result, Bertus started leading the shaky group.
In the end, I didn't do that much.
With Bertus's leadership, the camp formed with Harriet and Adelia's magic. And Ellen's hunting.
During the last orc hunt, Ellen and Harriet practically did everything.
Of course, starting is half the battle, and I can't deny that it was important that I initiated it.
Charlotte, holding the coconut which tasted different from what she remembered, took a sip through the straw.
"This year felt very long."
Charlotte gazed up at the night sky.
The street lights were so bright that the stars weren't visible.
This year was a monumental one for humanity, as the war against the demon world ended and the demon world was destroyed.
But in a different sense, this year felt very long.
For both Charlotte and me.
Many things happened.
At the end of the year, leaving only the festival behind in the final days of the second semester at the Temple, I tried to wrap up the year while preparing for the last remaining event.
Charlotte clutched the coconut tightly in her hand.
While it didn't taste as good as she remembered, it was still undeniably reminiscent of the flavor etched in her memory.
"Let's do well next year, too."
"Yes."
"We must."
We must do well, no matter what it takes.
When asked if she would participate in Miss Temple, Charlotte said she had no intention of doing so. She reasoned that whether she was elected or not, it would be laughable either way.
If she were to be elected, it would be mainly because of her status as a princess, and if she were to lose, the winner would undoubtedly feel uneasy.
Of course, Olivia didn't seem like someone who would care about such matters.
In any case, Charlotte didn't seem to have any plans for the festival.
However, if Charlotte were to participate in the tournament, her victory would almost certainly be guaranteed.
While she didn't know the extent of her own abilities, she had managed to corner Saviolin Turner. It was unclear if she could only use her powers in the specific condition of darkness, but regardless, it was impressive.
Of course, the possibility of Charlotte, who was afraid and resentful of her own powers, participating in the tournament and wielding her shadows was slim.
Friday passed, and Saturday arrived.
The Royal Class dormitory felt empty.
Ellen, Liana, and Cliffman were likely at the Grantz Ducal Mansion. Harriet and Adelia seemed to have spent the night at the magic research club, doing who-knows-what. Bertus appeared to have returned to the Imperial City.
Currently, only Heinrich, the hopeless trio, and I remained in the dormitory.
Breakfast time.
As we ate, Heinrich, who had been dining nearby, glanced at me.
"The preliminaries start today?"
"Yeah, they do."
Heinrich, who had become less confrontational since the Edina Archipelago incident, was more at ease.
There were no restrictions like major limitations or prohibition of Supernatural Powers in the tournament. Both Heinrich and Liana could participate without issue.
However, Liana seemed more interested in dressing up, and Heinrich had not registered to participate.
He clicked his tongue.
"I would have entered if you weren't competing."
He seemed to have given up on participating since he knew he would lose to me. Somehow, hearing him say that so casually felt oddly irritating.
Heinrich seemed to have unwavering faith in my victory. The hopeless trio listening nearby didn't seem to have any differing opinions either.
Kono Lint suddenly looked around.
The female students, who usually scolded him whenever he made a ridiculous remark, were absent from this spot.
"Hey, there's another thing."
Kono Lint whispered, glancing around. At his words, Kaiyer's curiosity was piqued.
"What is it?"
"A cross-dressing contest."
"...Huh?"
"Cross-dressing?"
"Yeah, they have that too. It's not as big as Miss Temple or Mister Temple, but there's a contest where men dress as women and women dress as men."
At that, Erich furrowed his brow.
"Are they insane? Why would they hold something like that?"
"Well, it happens every year, so I guess it gets a good reaction."
A cross-dressing contest.
Just hearing about it was disconcerting.
I glared at Kono Lint.
"Shut up, anyone who participates or watches such a thing must be a pervert."
That's what I, who had once transformed into a woman and confessed to Kono Lint, said...
I feel dizzy.
I feel like I'm going to throw up.
Damn it.
And I'm worried.
I feel like something is going to happen.
I'm anxious about a possible event!
[Event Occurred - Cross-dressing Contest]
[Objective: Win the Cross-dressing Contest.]
[Reward: Magic Power +5, Increased Magic Resistance]
Ah...
This is really disconcerting...
You scoundrel.
I don't know what you're up to, but I don't understand why you're doing this to me.
"Are you Reinhardt, first-year Royal Class, student A-11?"
"...Yes."
"Your registration for the cross-dressing contest has been accepted."
Seriously, you're going to pay for this.
