Festival Preparations
"Whew…"
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I took a moment to check over the work I'd just finished. Not bad, if I say so myself.
"Sorry to make you help every year."
"No worries. I've got another job lined up, so I'll take my leave now."
"Alright, thanks again."
After saying goodbye to the old man, I headed off to my next job.
Three days had passed since I asked Smith to make my new armor. Which meant today was another day for odd jobs. But instead of waiting at home as usual, I was running all over Orario.
The reason? Helping with the preparations for the Monsterphilia Festival, which was being held tomorrow.
Monsterphilia was a major annual event hosted by the powerful Ganesha Familia. They took over the eastern coliseum for a full day, bringing in monsters captured from the Dungeon and showcasing their taming in a live exhibition. It was a big deal.
Because it only happened once a year, people flocked to Orario from all over the world. I look forward to it every year myself. The monsters featured were rarely seen on the upper floors, and the adventurers who tamed them were all top-tier. Watching how they handled themselves in action was always incredibly educational.
Naturally, the whole city was in a frenzy getting ready for it. Stalls popped up everywhere, and the streets were buzzing with excitement. Everyone was so busy, they probably would've taken help from a cat if it offered.
Which is why I was getting called in from all corners of the city the day before the festival, dashing around to help wherever I could.
"Hello! I'm here to help."
"Oh, Toki! Thanks for coming."
This time, I was at the northern shopping district, helping out with a stall that sold Jagamaru-kun snacks. This particular stall had won the lottery for a spot along Eastern Main Street, the prime location that led straight to the coliseum where the festival was held.
Naturally, on the day of the festival, crowds surged toward Eastern Main Street, leaving the rest of the city quieter than usual. To compensate, the Ganesha Familia set up a lottery granting temporary stall rights on the East Street, so shops from other districts wouldn't suffer too badly.
It was a highly competitive draw, but this stall had been lucky enough to win a spot.
We hauled the mobile stall toward the main street, a tough job.
"Sorry about this. Hestia-chan suddenly couldn't make it."
"Hestia-sama?"
Now that I thought about it, Bell had mentioned two days ago that his goddess had gone to a party and hadn't come back.
That party was probably the "Divine Banquet" Ganesha held before the Monsterphilia. I remembered Hermes saying he'd go just to mess with Takemikazuchi. Not that it mattered, he was out of town now and ended up missing it anyway.
Still, for Hestia-sama to leave Bell hanging and even skip her part-time job… something serious must've come up.
I mulled it over for a bit, but then shrugged. There was no way I could guess what a god was thinking. I focused on pulling the stall instead.
…..
"Ugh… I'm beat…"
I rolled my shoulders and started heading home. I'd been running around all day, from early morning to late at night, but finally, all the jobs were done. At least I managed to finish before midnight.
I guess people really trust me now. Some of the last jobs I got were Guild errands or helping with monster transport for the festival, things you'd never usually ask a member of another Familia to handle. Sure, it was partly because everyone was desperate, but I couldn't help feeling a sense of pride too. Trust like this doesn't build up overnight.
Plus, today involves all kinds of work, manual labor, delicate tasks, you name it. I had to be racking up tons of Excelia.
"I hope Hermes-sama comes back soon…"
…..
"Ah-choo!"
"Whoa! Y-You scared me!"
"Oops, sorry, Asfi. Hmm… is someone talking about me?"
Hermes muttered that to himself as he traveled along a road far from Orario.
"Still, it looks like I won't be able to see this year's Monsterphilia. What a shame."
"That's rich coming from someone who didn't even care about it until three years ago."
Trailing behind him, the Hermes Familia captain, Asfi Al Andromeda, sighed in exasperation.
This trip had been incredibly sudden. Hermes had said it was just to visit some old god and report on a boy named Bell Cranel, whom Toki had mentioned. That's it.
Honestly, Asfi wished he wouldn't drag her around for things like this. But then a question that had been on her mind for a while slipped out.
"Hermes-sama, may I ask you something?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"It's about Toki."
The sparse clouds overhead shifted to cover the moon. The road darkened as she continued.
"What exactly are you expecting from him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. I've never seen you show this much interest in someone before. What's so special about him?"
"Oh, are you jealous?"
Hermes teased with a smirk, causing her face to flush red.
"N-Not at all! I just think being dragged around by your whims is more than enough!"
"Ah, so it's not about Toki, but about me, huh? I guess I can see how having your little brother figure tangled up with a god like me wouldn't sit right."
"Just answer the question already!"
"Haha…"
Then, in stark contrast to his usual attitude, Hermes grew serious.
"At first, it was just a whim. I found a dying boy who'd been used for dirty work and decided to give him a chance."
"But he blew away all my expectations. He learned faster than anyone, and turned knowledge into power. A genius who flies in the face of that saying about heaven never giving someone everything."
"And then… when I gave him his Status and saw his skill, I was thrilled."
"I thought, I want to raise this boy into a true hero."
Hermes' eyes sparkled like a child with a brand-new toy.
"…I see. Still, I pity him. He's caught the eye of a troublesome god."
"Haha, no doubt. But I really do like that kid. I like him enough that if any Familia tried to claim him, I'd declare a War Game to get him back."
"Please don't joke about that. That's not funny."
"Relax, Asfi. If you were in my place, you'd do the same."
"That's not what I'm worried about!"
….
"Ah-choo! …Is someone talking about me?"
My sneeze echoed down the dimly lit street.
"Well, whatever. What should I do tomorrow? Go with someone?"
It was a festival, after all. Might be nice to invite someone. Normally I'd go with Hermes-sama or Asfi-san, but with them gone this year, I was on my own.
"Maybe I'll ask Bell first thing in the morning."
Just as that thought crossed my mind and I spotted my house, I noticed someone standing in front of it.
No… not just someone…
"Lefiya?"
I rushed over to confirm, and sure enough, it was her.
"Ah, welcome back."
"What are you doing here? It's so late."
"Geez, rude. I was waiting for you, of course."
What do you mean,"of course"…?
"Tomorrow… doesn't work? How about the day after?"
"Nope. It has to be tonight."
"Sigh… Fine. So what is it?"
"Um…"
Lefiya suddenly started fidgeting, her face turning slightly red. Nervous? Embarrassed? Hard to say.
"What is it? Just say it."
"Okay… um, do you already have plans for the festival tomorrow?"
That question caught me off guard. I had been thinking about inviting Bell, but I hadn't asked anyone yet.
"…No, not really."
"T-Then… want to go to the festival with me?"
To be honest, Lefiya and I had never gone to Monsterphilia together before. We always ended up going with other people.
"Uh… yeah, I don't mind."
"R-Really?!"
"Yeah."
Lefiya gave a quiet fist-pump in triumph.
"Great! Then I'll come pick you up tomorrow!"
"Wait, shouldn't I come get you, ?"
"If you came to pick me up, it'd be way more of a hassle."
"…Good point."
Crap, I'm too tired to think straight if I missed something that obvious.
"W-Well, see you tomorrow!"
"H-Hey! Lefiya!"
And with that, Lefiya dashed off at a speed I'd never seen from her before.
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Notes: The stall permit system for the East Main Street is original to this work.
Second, his skill [Infinite Abyss] doesn't nullify Status or divine power, it ignores it. Specifically, it lets him bypass the durability stats granted by Status during attacks. This only applies to his skill, not his weapons, so don't expect his gear to pierce armor by itself.
That said, he's had this skill since birth, and it's not like he can't attack without it. In fact, with enough creativity, he can assassinate someone even as a child, like launching shadow tendrils from afar for surprise attacks or stabbing through armor gaps.
He also received elite training as an assassin, so he's highly skilled.
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