"She has suffered greatly at the hands of heartless humans, but at the
same time, she is here with us today thanks to the kindhearted human who
extended his hand in help. She is an admirable and kind girl." At Syldora's
introduction, Latifa gave an awkward bow. Then, like the other children
before her, she walked towards Dryas' altar.
"This way, Latifa."
"Y-Yes." Urged forth by Dryas, Latifa went right up to her.
"This makes you an official resident of this village. I hope you find
yourself at home here," Dryas said, before suddenly scooping Latifa up in a
hug. This was a lot more contact compared to the others, who had only
received kisses. The crowd murmured quietly.
Latifa, in shock, unintentionally let out a yelp. "Fweh?!"
"Fufu. You've suffered so much until now, I thought I'd give you a little
special treatment. I can only do this much for you, but I hope you'll always
find strength in your heart."
"Y-Yes!" Latifa gave a great, emotional nod.
Dryas then placed a gentle kiss against Latifa's forehead; a faint light
immediately began to shine from Latifa's body. Despite the unexpected
occurrence, Latifa too received Dryas' blessing.
And with that, the blessing ritual was complete.
If the festival had been following the same progression as prior years
had, this was where the closing ceremony would be held before moving on to
the banquet. However —
"Lastly, I wish to introduce the one who rescued Latifa. Our one-sided
misunderstanding caused him much trouble in the past, but he forgave us, and
allowed us to start over anew. Thus, we are greatly indebted to him. Allow
me to introduce you to Latifa's benefactor — and ours too — Lord Rio,"
Syldora began his introduction.
With a light nod, Rio climbed up the staircase of the stage. Once he was
standing beside him, Syldora continued. "Lord Rio has taught us many
interesting food recipes. They are delicious, and they will be served at the
subsequent banquet, so do look forward to it."
The mood over the shrine grounds softened a bit.
"Lord Rio has contracted with a humanoid spirit. This is a truth that has
been confirmed by the Great Dryas herself, so there is no mistake. ...Silence!"
Syldora barked at the flurried villagers; his words had caused the grounds to burst into noisy chatter.
Until now, Rio's contract with the humanoid spirit had been kept a secret
from those outside of the village council. But they had chosen to play their
hand at this very moment. The result was perfect.
"As a member of the village council, I cannot allow someone who has
contracted a humanoid spirit to be disrespected — no matter whether he is a
spirit folk or not." At Syldora's words, the elders all gave great nods of
agreement. The aim of their action was to outwardly express the unity of the
council's opinion on the matter.
"Lord Rio is our benefactor. His wonderful personality has been made
more than clear over the past six months of his stay here. That is why I am
considering accepting Lord Rio as a sworn friend of us spirit folk. Does
anyone object?" Syldora inquired in a loud voice, causing a silence to fall
over the shrine grounds. Deeming there to be no objections, Syldora
continued speaking.
"Then, I would like to humbly request that the Great Dryas grant Lord
Rio a blessing kiss as a symbol of our sworn friendship. Lord Rio, Great
Dryas." At Syldora's urging, Rio approached the altar where Dryas was.
"Fufu. Let's get along, small human hero." Dryas smiled. Once she had
awarded a kiss on Rio's forehead, Rio's body began to glow with a soft light.
After a beat of silence, the grounds burst into loud cheers and applause.
"Now, the ritual has come to an end! It's banquet time! Get ready!"
Dominic announced the end of the ceremony as the applause died off.
Immediately, the bustle of the villagers became directed towards the
food, and the banquet management staff began the preparations in a fluster.
They freely used spirit arts to guide the crowds, set up the banquet area, and
distribute the food and drinks efficiently. A young male elf and winged
werebeast flew in the air above, acting as messengers, dispatching work
orders, and guiding the villagers with voices amplified by spirit arts. Dwarf
men were using spirit arts to manipulate the dirt, creating makeshift tables
and chairs throughout the shrine grounds at a quick pace.
Meanwhile, Orphia and several other elf girls were using their Time-
Space Cache artifacts to bring out completed dishes and drinks one after
another, as the men of varying species raced to carry them to every table.
Thus, work progressed as the others looked on, and before long all the
preparations were completed. The banquet began with a loud toast.
"Gahahaha! You're sure drinking well today, Rio, my boy!" Dominic held a sake cup in one hand as he laughed heartily at Rio, who was drinking
with him.