After Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san's battle (?) settled down, looking at
the two of them who had returned to how they usually were, I began
thinking about something.
I still don't know when Isis-san will come to visit so I'll put it aside for
now, but since I'm talking to them now, I think I should talk about the
Sacred Tree Festival which I've been thinking about for a while now.
[I heard about this a while ago, but there seems to be a festival called
the Sacred Tree Festival in the Elven Forest.]
[The Sacred Tree Festival huh, yes, it certainly is right around this time
of year. I've never participated in it before, but I've heard that it's the
biggest festival for the elves.]
[Arehh? Lilia-san has never participated in this festival before?]
I had the impression that Lilia-san was someone who knew everything
in the world, and when I heard that it was a pretty famous festival, so it
was quite surprising that LIlia-san had never participated in it.
Lunamaria-san realized that the Sacred Tree Festival I had just
mentioned had something to do with the earlier suggestion of helping
Lilia-san have a change of pace, so she nodded once before speaking in
her tone that she usually has.
[…I can understand why you're always forgetting about it, but in case
you forgot, My Lady used to be a princess and the head of the Knights
Order. So, she didn't have that much opportunity to go out of the royal
capital.]
[I feel like you've added a few unnecessary comments there but… Yes, it
certainly is as Luna said, I haven't traveled outside the royal capital very
often. Half-baked it may be, I'm still royalty, and I was left out in regards
to diplomacy-related stuff.]
[Even if she looks like a woman who thinks with her muscles and grew
up in some kind of wilderness, My Lady is actually like a doll trapped in
a box.]
[…I would resolutely deny the first half of what she said, but the second
half is generally true.]
It's easy to forget because of how friendly and approachable demeanor,
but Lilia-san is a member of the royal family who has right to the
throne, and she's in a slightly difficult position of being the King's older
sister, and in addition to that, the King dotes on her so much that he
didn't want to let her out of the royal capital very much.
As a result, although she may have traveled with Lunamaria-san before,
it's not very often, and there are still many areas which she only knows
only through the information she heard.
[Putting that aside, does that mean Kaito-san would like to participate
in the Sacred Tree Festival?]
[Y- Yeah, I heard that it's a famous festival, so I'd like to see it if
possible…]
[…Isn't it alright? The Elven Forest is famous for its beauty and its
abundance of trees, and since both My Lady and Miyama-sama have
been so busy lately, wouldn't it be just right for a change of pace?]
When I nod at Lilia-san who asked that while tilting her head,
Lunamaria-san also added some favorable words.
Seeing her glance and the nod she sent towards me, it seems that
Lunamaria-san agrees that this festival is a good change of pace for
Lilia-san.
The conversation would go on smoothly… is what I thought would
happen, but Lilia-san was looking at the two of us like she's thinking
about what we could be up to now.
[…That certainly is a great choice if we want to go sightseeing. However,
putting aside attending the Sacred Tree Festival, I've never visited the
Elven Forest before, so I'm a little nervous.]
[Don't you have any information about it, Lunamaria-san?]
I had heard that Lunamaria-san was a half-elf, half-demon hybrid
before, so I asked her if she knew anything about the Elven Forest since
she had elven blood in her veins, but Lunamaria-san shook her head.
[My father certainly was a half-elf, but he passed away when I was very
young… My mother may have brought me to attend the festival in the
Demon Realm several times, but I've never visited the Elven Forest
before.]
[…Is that so.]
[Yes, since the Sacred Tree Festival is mainly a festival for the Elves, the
people who know more about it must be a pure-blooded elf.]
Even though this country apparently have good relations with them,
but there was still a part of us that would feel uneasy if we go to a place
where we lack information.
Lilia-san may have agreed with participating, but because she's in
charge of us, it seems that she wants more information in advance.
That's when a woman suddenly came to my mind.
[…Would Sieg-san know about this?]
[Indeed, Sieg is a pure-blooded elf that was born in the Elven Forest…
Luna, around this time… is Sieg in the middle of patrolling?]
[Yes, perhaps… I'll call for her.]
Apparently, Sieg-san seems to be from the Elven Forest and seems to be
the perfect person to ask about the Sacred Tree Festival.
After receiving Lilia-san's words, Lunamaria-san went to call Sieg-san.
Sieg-san is one of the people working at Lilia-san's mansion, and it was
quite fortunate that she's an easy person to ask questions to, as I've
talked to her a lot.
Briefly explaining the situation to Sieg-san who arrived a few moments
later, it looks like she understood as she nodded her head, and after
sitting down on the reception room's couch, she looked ready to answer
our questions.
…She just sat down next to me like it was obvious, but isn't her
vigilance to me too weak? Ugghh… Something smells good… Calm
down… Keep calm…
[S- Speaking of which, I don't even know where the Elven Forest is in
the first place, but is it far from here?]
[...…]
[I see. Then, would it be difficult to go there by carriage?]
[...…]
[Arriving there by flight… Through something like magic?]
[...…]
[Eh? Dragon? I see… So there's also that way of travelling around here
huh.]
It seems that the Elf Forest is a reasonably far away from the royal
capital and it would take too much time to travel by carriage, so it
seems that one would usually ride a flying dragon when travelling in
such distances.
I didn't know this, but it seems that using flying dragons seem to be the
mainstream method of transportation to get around and carry supplies,
and there are even some merchants who specialize in it. In short, these
flying dragons are like the airplanes back on Earth.
[In that case, the time is just about right, isn't it? Is anyone allowed to
join that festival?]
[......]
[That's good. I'm relieved. I heard that it's a festival about hunting and
harvest before but…]
[......]
[Ah, I see. The festival lasts for two days huh.]
[......]
[Fumu fumu, so they would hold the hunting tournament on the first
day, and the people would harvest on the second day huh.]
[......]
[Ah, is that so. I'm looking forward to that!]
The Sacred Tree Festival apparently lasts for two days, with the first
day holding the hunting tournament, in which participants hunt in a
predetermined area, and prizes are awarded to winners based on their
game.
Then, on the second day, everyone would begin harvesting in a safe
area. It seems that even children can participate in this event and even
I, who can't hunt, can participate without any problem.
I've been told that the fruits of the hunting and the harvest are to be
cooked and eaten on the second night, as everyone offers their thanks
for the bountiful harvest.
[...…]
[Heehhh… Then, a lot of people would come visit every year huh.]
[…Ummm, please wait a moment, you two.]
[Eh?]
[...…]
While Sieg-san was courteously explaining about the Sacred Tree
Festival, for some reason, Lilia-san stopped us for a moment.
When Sieg-san and I turned towards her while I tilt my head, Lilia-san
and Lunamaria-san had dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
[What are the both of you doing just now, Kaito-san, Sieg?]
[Eh? No, Sieg-san was explaining about the Sacred Tree Festival to
me…]
[…Sieg-san isn't able to speak in the first place, so how does Miyamasama understand Sieg's explanation?]
[That is, well, I can somehow understand it based on her gestures…]
When the two people asked me as if they're seriously wondering about
it, I replied to them while tilting my head.
Thereupon, Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san look at each other before
making somewhat astonished expressions.
[…My Lady, could you understand what she said?]
[…No, all I could see was just… Sieg nodding, shaking her head, and
occasionally moving her hands…]
Ah, that's right.
Thanks to my Sympathy Magic, I was able to read what Sieg-sam want
to say to me not with words, but with her emotions, and I thought it
was very easy to understand because she was also adding some
gestures with it but… For Lilia-san and the others, it just looks like Siegsan is making gestures while I talk to myself.
[I see, Sieg… The reason why you took the initiative in escorting
Miyama-sama was because you don't need to write to have a
conversation with him…]
[...…]
After hearing what Lunamaria-san said, Sieg-san deeply nodded once,
and for some reason, she looked taken aback before turning towards
me, and then, began waving her hands while looking really flustered.
She tells me that it's not just because it was convenient for her, but
because she likes me as a person.
She's probably worried that I've been hurt by her earlier affirmation,
but I'm strangely embarrassed when I heard such a thing from a
beautiful woman like Sieg-san.
As for me, Sieg-san is a very easy person to talk to, so I've been talking
to her every time I see her regularly but… I know that Sieg-san is a kind
person, so she wouldn't react in such a way, but there was a part of me
that was honestly worried that she finds me annoying.
However, with the way she acted just now, I was very happy to find out
that Sieg-san, who I've talked the most in the mansion aside from Liliasan and Lunamaria-san, looks favorably towards me.
Dear Mom, Dad—— Sieg-san has told me lots of things about the
Sacred Tree Festival. Also, I'm happy to say that—— it seems that I'm
getting along with Sieg-san.