CH 5

Chapter 5: March of the Bon Parade

— 2nd day, 8th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

Some time after the Monsterology Symposium...

“They’re here! I count eight of them!”

“Okay, get back, Juno! Augus, we’re moving up.”

“Got it!”

Walking past Juno the thief, who had been scouting the enemy, Dece the warrior and Augus the brawler moved up to block the hallway as the buzz of countless insects closed in.

This place was one of the dungeons inside the Kingdom of Friedonia. It had been thoroughly searched before, and now all that remained was to stop the core that lay in the depths. In doing this, it would turn the dungeon into no more than a labyrinthine cave.

However, some of the monster material that was harvested here was valuable, and many of the villages and towns in this domain were enriched by the trade in them. That’s why they chose not to stop the core, instead opening the place to adventurers, who would routinely cull the monsters inside, and collect their parts.

So long as there wasn’t a hidden room somewhere (and these had no doubt all been found), there was no great treasure left outside of the dungeon core; but the paths had been thoroughly searched, so they could gather monster parts without fear. You might think of this as a comparatively low difficulty dungeon. Today, Juno and her party were here on a quest to gather materials.

“Febral, what’s that monster?”

“It’s a ‘giant dragonfly’ with ‘crab claws,’ so... that would make it a scissor meganeura.”

Febral the priest identified the incoming monsters with a glint in his eye. It was common for adventurers to encounter monsters in dungeons, so Souma had distributed the Monster Encyclopedia to adventurers’ guilds inside the kingdom, and was working to spread the knowledge contained within. However, because the Monster Encyclopedia was still expensive, it was put in the guild’s closed stack library, and taking it out was forbidden (there were penalties).

Febral had an academic streak, and was very particular about things, so he spent his time off cooped up in the guild, reading the Monster Encyclopedia and absorbing its knowledge... Though, really he was just a bit of a monster maniac.

The Monster Encyclopedia was sorted well, and had pictures, making it a fun read, and that tickled Febral’s fancy. Hakuya and Ichiha had let their love for the material run wild when working on it, and Souma had read the finished product with great interest too, so maybe literate types liked this sort of encyclopedia.

In regard to this, Juno had said, “I know it’s just your job title as an adventurer, and you’re not an actual priest, but is it really okay for you to be so into monsters?”

Her exasperation was evident, but Febral seemed completely unconcerned about that. The monster maniac had identified the incoming foes as scissor meganeuras. Their bodies were mostly giant dragonfly, but their arms (forelegs) were crustacean claws.

The scissor meganeuras flew in and assaulted Dece and Augus with their sharp claws.

“Guh! They’re fast little buggers!”

“Damn it! Go down, you crabonfly!”

“Not crabonfly, scissor meganeura.”

Ignoring that correction from Febral, Dece drove them off with some sort of flying attack with his sword, while Augus did the same with his gauntlets. They must have been striking heavy blows, because sparks flew every time their metal weapons struck a claw. But there was a reason Dece and Augus were fighting entirely on the defensive.

“So which parts are the valuable ones?!”

“Stop holding back and tell us, Febral!”

There was a sparkle from Febral’s imaginary glasses (he wasn’t wearing any real ones) as they asked him.

“Those crab claws are sold as a luxury food item. There doesn’t appear to be any toxic parts, so the guild should pay good money to take them off our hands. Their compound eyes are also a valuable component for some medical equipment, so they should sell for a good price, too.”

“The scissors and the eyes, huh? Got it!”

“We aim for the body then!”

Augus and Dece slipped past the scissor attacks, using sword and fist to pummel the scissor meganeura’s bodies. Their attacks seemingly crushed its weak dragonfly part. The thin wings, cut free from the main body, fluttered to the ground.

“Okay, me, too!”

Juno threw a knife at one scissor meganeura which had slipped between the other two. That dagger stabbed into one of the scissor meganeura’s simple eyes, and it fell to the ground on its back.

“Whew... Looks like the compound eye is fine,” Juno said in relief as she checked the corpse.

Julia the mage, who had been preparing her flame magic behind them, asked Febral, “Do you not need me to use my magic?”

“The claws last a long time if smoked, and are more useful that way, so if you cook them, their value’s cut in half. Please stand by and be ready to burn them all if the front line stops being able to handle the situation.”

“Okaaaay.”

The gentle beauty, Julia, smiled as she summoned a large flame in midair, but because Juno and the two up front were able to handle the situation themselves, the spell was never fired.

Having secured a large number of crab claws and compound eyes, Juno and her party had their first big haul in some time.

Some days later, in the capital Parnam. The night of the day Dece and his group returned.

“...And that’s how it went down. We made bank.”

Juno, who had come to the castle for tea, like she always did, jovially related the story. Our tea parties were a valuable chance to hear the voice of the common people, and it was fun to shoot the breeze over tea with my comrades, so I welcomed it.

Juno put a biscuit in her mouth, then laughed raucously. “Seriously, I’ve got to hand it to the Monster Encyclopedia. I hear other adventurers saying it’s helped them avoid wasting parts, and improved their earnings, too.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

It was satisfying to see that the book was having a positive impact on people’s lives.

“Hee hee, I guess it was worth distributin’ it, huh?”

“The ladies in the merchants’ district were happy to see unusual ingredients making the rounds, too.”

Roroa and Naden both piped in. The four of us were here for today’s tea.

“I couldn’t be happier to see it having a positive impact, and it looks like the acclaim for Ichiha is rising steadily, too, so I have nothing to complain about.”

“Ohh... Now that you mention it, the author, Ichiha Chima, lives in the castle, doesn’t he?” From the way Juno scratched her cheek, she had something on her mind.

“Hm? Did you want to meet him? I could call him in for tea...”

“No, that’s not it,” she said with a wry smile. Resting her cheeks on the palm of one hand, she traced the rim of her cup with a finger. “I was just thinking, if Febral found out I had met Ichiha Chima, he’d probably cry out of frustration. When the guy first read the Monster Encyclopedia, he said something like, ‘I want to stop being an adventurer, and become Sir Ichiha’s apprentice!’ The whole party stopped him, though.”

“...The problem is, there’s a lot of guys like that.”

And, as Ichiha’s fame grew, the number of them was steadily increasing. Ichiha had a promising future, and he was a talented academic. In another five years, with his looks, he was going to be a literate pretty boy. There would be no shortage of girls looking to get hitched with him, regardless of their social status.

If I didn’t keep him guarded at the academy by day and the castle by night, someone would snatch him up in no time. I expected something like that rush of marriage meetings that Poncho experienced was in the boy’s future. He was like the protagonist of an anime or manga.

I guess getting him engaged early would be one option. It was more or less decided that we would be absorbing him into our country. If we let a genius like him go, it would be a loss to our country. It would be a blow to the Union of Eastern Nations as well, but there was no way I could let him go anywhere else. The primary candidate has to be Tomoe... But I dunno.

Ichiha was turning eleven this year, and Tomoe was turning twelve. In my former world, they would both still be in primary school, and there were relationships they could only build in childhood.

I could see they were close, even looking from the outside, but Tomoe, Ichiha, Yuriga, Velza, and what was the other one’s name, Lucy, was it? I was hesitant to put any strange external pressures on them and change their relationships. But what could I do...?

“I think we should watch and wait.” I looked up in surprise, and Naden shrugged her shoulders. “It’s all over your face, Souma. I can tell what you’re thinking.”

“Huh? Really?”

When I started touching my face all over, Roroa chuckled. “We’re your wives, y’know? Figurin’ out what’s on your mind’s easy, Darlin’.”

“Wow, I dunno what to say. Wives sure are amazing, huh?” Juno said, sounding impressed. This was kind of embarrassing. “I can tell what Mr. Musashibo’s saying, though.”

“No, no, that’s the real special ability here. How can ya tell what a doll’s sayin’?”

“Julia said it’s ‘the power of love.’”

“Love...? What’s with this girl? Maybe we shouldn’t be underestimatin’ her?”

Roroa had a dubious look on her face, but Juno just stared blankly back at her.

“Well, anyway, we’re turning a nice profit because of you. If there’s anything I can do for you, just say the word.”

““Anythin’ / Anything?”” Roroa and I said with a glint in our eyes.

“Huh? Uh, well... if it’s something I’m capable of...” Juno said, despite seeming intimidated. Good, that was a commitment.

“I do, in fact, have a job for you.”

“Yeah, yeah. We were just lookin’ for a boyish girl like you, Junie.”

“Huh? Wait. Huh?”

The devilish smiles on our faces made Juno unintentionally hug herself.

Naden let out a sigh of dismay. “Geez... Explain it properly, you two.”

The story now turns back to the day after the Monsterology Symposium.

On this day, I was in a room in the castle with Liscia, Roroa, Hakuya, and Genia the Overscientist. We were here to discuss the doubts I had during the symposium. I would have liked to have Ichiha present, too, but we hadn’t brought him fully into the fold yet, so he was not asked to participate this time.

In this world, there are several races that were human, but with added characteristics from various creatures. Was this the same as how monsters were constructed with parts from a variety of creatures? If monsters were created, were the races of mankind with a variety of features from other creatures created, too? These questions could shake society to its core if mishandled, so they were too much of a burden for me to handle alone.

“The reason I’ve called all of you here today is to tell you about something I was thinking during the symposium yesterday. I want to hear your frank opinions about it.”

Having prefaced my remarks with that, I told everyone about the things I described above. As for how they reacted, Liscia and Hakuya were holding their head and looking troubled, while Roroa and Genia listened with great interest. The responses were at two extremes.

Liscia let out a great sigh. “Why must your ideas always be so wild?”

“I agree entirely.” Hakuya nodded in complete agreement with her. “For better and for worse, you are constantly coming up with ideas that could upend the underpinnings of this world, so we, the people who serve you, can never relax.”

...Did he have to go that far?

“I’m not exactly saying wild things because I want to...”

“Of course not. If you were doing this intentionally, it would be downright nasty.”

“Really? I thought it was interestin’,” Roroa said with a cheerful laugh. “The monsters were all made by someone, and so was mankind... Wait a sec. If all of our races were created, it makes groups who think they’re the chosen people, like the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, sound pretty silly.”

“On the contrary, this manner of thinking could give birth to new elitist ideologies.” Genia brought her hand to her chin with a smirk. “From what the king’s said, there’s a distinction to be made between the human race of his world and the human race of ours, but if we choose to view them as the same, it would be easy to come up with human supremacist ideas. If you were to do that, yeah... you could use the birth of a child between the king and queen as proof of it. If you claim that the birth proves they’re the same kind of being.”

“Stop it...” Liscia said with a look of distaste. You couldn’t blame her. She wouldn’t want Cian and Kazuha being used as props for some selfish ideology... No, I wouldn’t let that happen.

“It’s not just humans.” Genia shrugged, seeing the dangerous looks on our faces. “Merumeru’s homeland, the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, would probably say, ‘Even if we were created, we were created more beautiful than others, which proves that we really are special.’”

“Ohh, I could see them sayin’ that.”

“Their use of fallacious arguments like that only makes them more fascinating to me, though.” Genia smiled like this didn’t concern her. I couldn’t possibly do the same, though. “By the way, do you remember what I said during the symposium, King?”

“Hm? Which one?”

“When we talked about how the monsters may have been produced by someone. I said, ‘As a dungeon relic researcher, I want it to be the dungeon core.’”

“Now that you mention it... you did say that, yeah.”

“If they really do work that way, then...”

“Huh?! Madam Genia. You can’t mean...” Hakuya sounded surprised. About what?

“Heheheh. It looks like the Prime Minister gets it. Hey, King. If monsters and mankind were both created, where did mankind come from, and who made us?”

Genia laughed provocatively.

“Ah... So then mankind in this world was created in the dungeons...”

“I can’t prove it. But if your idea is correct, we can make that prediction.”

Oh, geez... I clutched my head. In the world I came from, life was born in the sea, and evolved from there. That was why we referred to the sea as our mother, and as the cradle of life.

But, for life in this world, could it be that their “mother” and “cradle” was the dungeon? The dungeon already felt artificial and manufactured as-is. They had once created mankind and animals. Now, they were the home of monsters.

The situation made me think of one word. “Malfunction.” Like how a poorly-maintained machine might do something unexpected, and cause a major accident, perhaps the dungeons that created living creatures malfunctioned, and began creating warped creatures like monsters. That was Genia’s prediction.

“...I’m scared to carry that idea through to its conclusions.”

“I know! ...It’s making me sick,” Liscia said, her face a little pale.

My face must have looked similar. Thinking about the origin of life or the future came with a primordial fear connected to life and death. If you thought about it too much, it would keep you up at night.

“Still... I feel like it’s something to keep in mind... There’s the demons, intelligent lifeforms, that aren’t on the side of mankind to consider, too.”

“Ohh, I see. If we’re sayin’ mankind was born in the dungeon, then demons may’ve been born in the dungeon, too, huh?” Roroa clapped her hands as if it all made sense to her now.

Like she was saying, there were physical differences between humans and demons (though, to me, they didn’t seem that different from beastmen), but if we traced them back to their origin, they might be the same. But if we made a mistake in how we released this information, it would no doubt cause confusion in society.

When you looked at it that way, this world was almost like a gigantic minefield. There were mines lying everywhere, and they’d blow up if you stepped on them. But the only solution was to disable them one by one. We had to take our time with it.

“If it’s going to take time, I guess we should get to work quickly.”

“Souma?” Liscia had a dubious look on her face.

“Now that Fuuga is expanding his actions into the Demon Lord’s Domain, there will likely come a time in the not-so-distant future when mankind must confront the demons once more. When we do, the degree to which our side understands the demons will change what options are available to us. If we want to reduce the threat of a return to total war even a little, we need to start preparing for it, little by little, starting now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“What, precisely, should we do?” Liscia asked.

“The method is the same as when we occupied Van and soothed the hearts of the people there.” I grinned. “This is where soft power... the power of culture does the talking.”

“Nyahaha! I know what that means.”

I met the excitement in Roroa’s eyes with a nod.

“Yeah. Let’s do this the way Roroa likes.”

— 11th day, 8th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

It was a hot summer day. Juno walked through the shopping street in the capital, her face red with shame.

“I know I said I’d do anything to help... but still.”

Right now, Juno and her party of five were in the middle of fulfilling a quest. “Advertise the new event.” And it had been said to Juno, directly by Souma, on the night of the tea party. Naturally, she couldn’t tell her companions that, so he submitted a quest to the guild through the castle and requested Juno’s party.

“This is a notice from the palaaaace. Please, take a looook.”

“It concerns the event to be held five days from now. Please, look at this to see the details.”

Dece the warrior held up a placard, while Augus the brawler had signs tied to his front and back like he was some kind of sandwichman, and they were both calling out to people as they walked by.

The main difference from usual was that they were both dressed like clowns. They even had clown face makeup on, but it looked a bit creepy, in a way that people who were bad with horror movies, or those who suffered from coulrophobia couldn’t stand to look at for long.

Next to them, Febral was frowning. “Is it really all right for me to be doing this when I technically call myself a priest?”

“There was no other choice. Dece and Augus were both too brawny for the outfit.” The gentle beauty, Julia, tried to mollify Febral.

They were dressed as a vampire and vampiress. Febral wore a white cape and tuxedo (because it was deemed too dangerous for him to wear black in the summer heat), and had fake vampire teeth in his mouth. Though Febral was the indoorsy sort, and he looked like a literate man, the vampire look, which appeared sickly at first glance, suited him, and he got a lot of attention from the ladies.

“Even if it’s white, it’s still pretty hot...”

“Oh, my. Well, mine is black, but it’s quite breezy, you know?”

Julia was dressed like a bunny girl without the ears, but with bat wings on her back, and a pointed tail sticking out of her rear. If you factored in her figure as well, she had a real “sexy vampire” look going on. The men in town—as well as with Dece and Augus—couldn’t take their eyes off her, but because of her own gentle nature, she seemed unconcerned by the eyes on her.

Now, as for how Juno was dressed...

“This getup’s still not okay!”

She was wearing nothing but a tiger stripe bikini, with little oni horns sitting on her head. She looked exactly like the most famous oni girl in the country Souma had once lived in. If someone like Julia, whose body stuck out in all the right places, had worn that same outfit, it would have been erotic. However, with her thin figure and baby face, Juno looked more cute than sexy, so the crowd found it less arousing than Juno herself thought. Though that didn’t make it any less embarrassing for the one wearing it.

A roly-poly hand poked Juno’s exposed back. It was the kigurumi adventurer controlled by Souma, Little Musashibo. Today, Little Musashibo wasn’t dressed as a priest soldier, but as a mummy man wrapped in bandages. However, because of his roly-poly body, he looked like a giant cocoon made by a moth or something instead.

Juno gave Little Mummy Musashibo a piece of her mind, “Ki—I mean, Mister! This outfit really is not okay!”

“But it’s not any more revealing than your usual outfit, is it?”

When Little Musashibo tilted his head to the side, Juno felt like he had said that to her. An angry mark appeared over Juno’s head as she shook Little Musashibo.

“It’s totally different! I don’t have my gauntlets or scarf!”

“Stoooop iiiit.” (Flailing his arms.)

“If you want someone to dress like this, tell your wives to do it!”

“.........”

Little Musashibo blatantly looked away.

“...Don’t tell me you’ve made them before.”

“.........” (Pretending to whistle.)

“You and I both know kigurumi don’t whistle. Huh? Who? Who did you have do it?”

Because of their late-night tea parties, Juno was friends with Souma’s queens too, and her mind raced, wondering who it was.

Naden already had antlers and a tail, so this sort of costume would be difficult for her. Aisha was so fond of Souma you could mistake her for a puppy, and Roroa was a good sport and loved festivals. Either of them would have gleefully done it for him. But she felt like Liscia and Juna would both do it if Souma asked, too.

Unable to come up with an answer, Juno pinched Little Musashibo’s cheek. “Hey, Mister, tell me. Who did you make do it?”

“B-Before that...!” (Pulling away from Juno.)

Little Musashibo patted the placard on his back.

“Let’s do the quest first. You were paid in advance.”

Juno felt like he’d said that to her, and she got upset.

“Oh, fine. Darn it all.”

You better not forget this at the next tea party. King or not, you’re gonna have to let me sock you one, Juno thought. Then, half in desperation, she called out to the people walking past.

“Five days from now, on the 16th day of the 8th month, the castle will be holding the ‘Ghost Festival’! In the king... His Majesty Souma’s world, this is apparently a time when the boundary between this world and the next world becomes vague. And, in this festival, they welcome souls that wander into this world, in order to have them return to the next one!”

Then, Juno twirled around to show off her costume.

“On the day of the event, a parade of people dressed as ghosts (?) like we are now will walk and dance through the streets! If you have time, please, dress as a ghost, and have fun! Cute ghosts and scary ghosts are both welcome!”

“Seeking participants. Feel free to jump right in.” That’s what it said on the sign Little Musashibo was holding.

“Hah, look at them go.”

On the terrace of a tavern not far from where Juno and her party were working, Souji Lester, the resident bishop, watched with a glass of wine in one hand. Next to him was the high elf and Genia’s research partner, Merula Merlin. Because Genia was being called to the castle frequently of late, work on the drill project had been put on hiatus. That being the case, she decided to go out for a drink with Souji since it had been a while, and they were now drinking in the middle of the day.

“Is it okay to ignore them, Souji?” Merula asked with unfocused eyes as her pale skin flushed red from the alcohol. “Don’t religious figures hate it when you dress up as ghosts more than anyone?”

“Well, yes, but... His Majesty spoke to me about it in advance,” Souji explained before throwing a piece of cheese into his mouth. “The day after, representatives from all the national religions will offer prayers, and send back any lost souls that wander in.”

“He’s keeping up appearances then. But will there be complaints from the Orthodox Papal State?”

“I’m sure there will, but I’ll dodge them, as usual. There’s been less nagging from Little Miss Mary’s faction lately, so that makes it easy. ...Though, it might just be that the Orthodox Papal State doesn’t have time to be worrying about external affairs right now.”

“...The conflict between the hardliners and the moderates, right? I believe Madam Mary was one of the moderates, correct?”

There was presently a division over the interpretation of the Lunalith’s oracles. Because she lived with Souji, Merula had heard the story. As well as the fact that Saint Mary had told Souji she wanted to have the moderates and the saint candidates protected by the Kingdom if it became necessary.

“Yeah,” Souji said, crossing his arms. “That’s why, as a reward for my cooperation in this matter, I’ve requested that King Souma and the Black-robed Prime Minister help with Mary’s request. There are a hundred people just counting the saint candidates, and if he was to shelter all of the moderates, that would require taking in even more. It will take time and people to put together a plan that includes their escape and transport. A lone bishop like me can’t do it.”

“Wow...”

Even just thinking about it seems like a pain, thought Merula. In exchange for his support in this event, Souji had passed the whole nuisance off to Souma and Hakuya. I don’t know whether to say he’d shrewd, or shameless, Merula thought in exasperation.

“That must be a headache for Souma and his people.”

“He was clutching his head, saying, ‘Now I’ve got to write another manyewal.’ That’s apparently a book of instructions, by the way.”

“I’m sure he was.” Merula nodded, sympathizing with Souma.

“He also said, ‘Maybe we can put together a gospel choir with the saint candidates. Delivering the love songs of the angels,’ with a far-off look in his eyes.”

“Gospel? Choir?”

“Search me. I have no clue what he was talking about.” Souji shrugged.

“I see you’ve been doing your job as bishop after all.” Merula chuckled. “I’ll have to reevaluate my opinion of you a little.”

The rare compliment brought a wry smile to Souji’s face.

“Well, you’ve got to work just enough to be able to slack.”

“Fine words, those. Is that in the teachings of Lunarian Orthodoxy?”

“Nah. Just my philosophy on life.” Souji raised a glass to the adventurers working on the shopping street. “Young people have no clue that their work may be saving someone’s life. Just like those adventurers are bringing salvation to those who are lost in the Orthodox Papal State. Unknown to man, but not to God. So work hard, young ones.”

“From where I’m standing, you look plenty young yourself, Souji.”

Merula, whose age was unknown, shrugged with dismay.

Meanwhile...

I was in the castle, speaking to Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire over the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Madam Maria.”

“Not at all. I thought it would benefit my own country, too.”

“That idea of yours, Sir Souma.” Maria smiled. “I’d like to do it in my country, too.”

“You’ll need to gauge your people’s response as you do it, but... Go ahead.”

After that we engaged in some idle banter and then terminated the call. Once we did, Liscia, who had been quietly watching us talk, came over to me.

“If you’re bringing in Madam Maria of the Empire, this has turned into something pretty big.”

“We needed information that only the Empire could possibly know, after all. I had to play some of my cards in exchange, though...”

“The Dungeon Origin of Monsters Theory, right? Was it okay to tell her? Won’t Madam Maria reach the conclusion that both mankind and demons came from the dungeons, too?”

I could understand what Liscia was saying. If possible, I had wanted to keep it under wraps, still.

“It’s too much to ask them for the information we want, while also concealing everything we know. When it comes to Genia’s theory, it’s still an unproven hypothesis. Even if Madam Maria reaches the Dungeon Origin of Mankind and Demons Theory, she won’t spread it carelessly.”

If the information leaked, she would have trouble managing her own empire, too.

“So, for now at least, with Madam Maria’s cooperation, we’ve gained a reason to hold this event. We’ll just have to do what we can currently.”

“Right... For a project that came up so suddenly, it was all prepared pretty quickly, huh?”

“I had already been talking about wanting to do an event this time of year. You know how we did the Gaius Memorial Festival in Van on the 32nd day of the 8th month last year? That was pretty popular, so there were requests to do something similar.”

However, because the Gaius Memorial Festival was aimed at the people of the former principality, it was difficult to turn it into an event that the whole nation would celebrate. That’s why I was taking this opportunity to retool it into a memorial event for the whole country. I called it the Ghost Festival.

It was primarily going to be a mix of a costume party in the style of Halloween (because the “trick or treat” aspect of that event had been taken by the Spring Announcement Festival, that was cut), the Bon-odori, and a certain strange festival held on the border between two prefectures in the world I came from. On the day of the event, participants would dress as ghosts and monsters, and parade through the town while dancing.

Meanwhile, in Van, we would hold the Gaius Memorial Festival, the same as the year before. If we overdid these sorts of events, it could stir up the emotions of the people of the former principality, but if we didn’t do them at all, that could cause a reaction, too. It was safest to make it just one festival of many.

“Hee hee, this takes me back, you know?” Liscia wrapped herself around my arm. “The way you would suddenly come up with an odd idea, and you’re running with it. It reminds me of when you had just been summoned.”

“Well, yeah, but... aren’t you a bit close to me, compared to back then?”

Liscia chuckled. “Of course. We’re married with children now.”

“Things sure have changed, huh?”

“Yeah. But there are things that haven’t, too.” Liscia rested her head on my shoulder. “I stay by your side, watching what you do. That’s not going to change.”

“...You really are amazing, you know that? Liscia.”

I had thought it countless times, but... Yeah, I was no match for her. That didn’t just go for Liscia; I could say it about all of my queens. No matter how our relationships changed in the future, I was going to fall in love with them anew over and over again.

Then, on the day of the event.

The sun had set, and normally, at this time of day, the shopping street would only be dimly lit by the lightmoss streetlights. Today, however, there were lightmoss lantern decorations everywhere, making it quite bright. Souma had ordered these lanterns placed there for the event.

The voice of a pretty young girl echoed across the brightly lit streets.

“Woah! Lu, you’re so cute!”

“Nyahaha, thanks.”

Lucy laughed shyly at Tomoe’s compliment. Today she was dressed as a wolf girl, wearing an apron dress along with a wolf ear headband, and a wolf tail on her rump.

Because the Royal Academy was on summer break, Tomoe, Yuriga, Ichiha, Lucy, and Velza were dressed up to participate in this Ghost Festival event. Obviously, a group from the Black Cats, led by Inugami, was watching over them from the shadows.

When she looked at Lucy’s outfit, Yuriga said, “...It looks pretty familiar to me,” with dismay.

Yuriga glanced at Tomoe. It was true, wolf ears and a tail were both traits she naturally possessed. If Souma could have seen Lucy right now, he might have muttered, “The Player 2 palette swap for Tomoe?” to himself.

Lucy grinned, pulling her mouth open with her index fingers. “My crooked teeth are one of my charms. Gotta put ’em to good use. Besides, I always thought Tomie’s ears and tail were cute.”

“You’re super cute, Lu!”

“Thanks. Y’know, it feels like we’re sisters now.”

Lucy hugged Tomoe. Yuriga pressed her fingers to her temples and let out a sigh as she watched the two of them play around.

“Honestly... I mean, how is Tomoe any different from usual?”

“I’m totally different. Look!”

Tomoe raised her hands, and there were puffy paw gloves on them. She has a choker with a bell around her neck, and three whiskers drawn on each cheek with paint.

“Today, I’m not a wolf girl, I’m a cat girl! Meow!”

“That’s barely a change at all!”

“Murgh. You say that, Yuriga, but all you’ve changed are your clothes.”

Yuriga was wearing her usual tribal outfit, but with a small black hat called a tokin on her head. She wore a pompom sash called a yuigesa, which hung from her shoulders to her belly, and she held a conch shell in her hands. These were all traditional tools of a Yamabushi mountain ascetic from the world Souma came from. Because Yuriga also bore the signature wings of a celestial on her back, she looked exactly like a (slightly moe) crow tengu.

“This is supposed to be a monster called a tengu from your brother’s world. He made the hat and sash himself, too.”

“Hee hee, Big Brother made my paw gloves, too.”

“Listen, I’m sorry to say this when you sound so happy, but isn’t it weird for the king to be good at sewing?”

When Yuriga raised that doubt, Tomoe puffed up her chest with pride. “Big Brother is also a good cook. You’ve eaten his food, too, haven’t you, Yuriga?”

“Sure, it was good, but... either way, those aren’t very kingly skills.”

“Well, I love Big Brother anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m sure you do.”

While the two of them were bickering like that, Ichiha and Velza came over.

“You two, if you two keep squabbling like that, you’ll stand out.”

“If too many people gather around, the bodyguards will force them to disperse, correct?”

“Well, yes, but... what are you two wearing?” Yuriga asked.

Today they were wearing their casual outfits, but with round hats on their heads. There was some sort of tag hanging from the front of them. On closer inspection, those tags were made from cloth, not paper, and what was written on them was geometric symbols, not text.

Velza pointed to a stall at the side of the road. “We bought them at that shop run by The Silver Deer. Right, Ichiha?”

“Yeah. They’re apparently for a monster from Souma’s world, the... Janky? Jiangshi? ...Something like that. These talismans are used to control a dead body, apparently.”

“Moving corpses? Are they somethin’ like zombies?” Lucy asked.

Ichiha and Velza immediately stretched their arms out in front of them and stood up ramrod straight.

“I hear they hop like this.”

“They cry ‘paa, paa, paa,’ too.”

Ichiha and Velza hopped along, saying “Paa, paa.”

“Paa paa...? What a weird monster,” said Yuriga with an exasperated sigh.

“Aww, I’m jealous. You two have matching hats.”

Lucy hugged Tomoe. “Now, now, Tomie. We’re a beast girl pair, now aren’t we?”

“Oh, yeah. I guess we are, huh?”

“Hold on! You’re making it sound like I’m the odd one out!”

As Yuriga protested, Tomoe gave her a cute smirk.

“What? Were you feeling lonely, Yuriga?”

“Argh! You’re such a cheeky little kid!”

“Aww, aww, aww.”

Yuriga grabbed Tomoe by the cheeks, as per usual, and then...

Boom... Boom... Cannons sounded from the direction of the castle.

“Oh, looks like things’re gettin’ started.”

The two shots signaled the beginning of the Ghost Festival.

In the next moment, music began playing throughout the town. At the same time, they saw a drum and fife band, each member dressed as a monster, coming towards them from the direction of the castle.

In the midst of the cheering, Yuriga checked the sign nearby. On it, there was an outline of the Ghost Festival.

[Ghost Festival Outline]

- The goal of this festival is to help any souls that wander into the living world return to the next world without regrets by having a good time together -

- In order to make the souls think we are like them, every participant must be dressed as a ghost or monster -

(This is voluntary for spectators, but you will have more fun in costume.)

- When the cannons fire, our costumed band and parade will begin to march -

- Spectators should sing along with the music, and dance -

(All are welcome to jump in and participate.)

...Well, that was what was written there, more or less.

“Yaaaay.”

“H-Hold on, Tomoe, you’re spinning me too much!”

“...Hey, can I have a moment?” Yuriga called out to Tomoe, who had already taken Ichiha’s hand and started dancing.

“Hm? What?”

“Is this festival one of King Souma’s policies, too?”

“...Hmm, I wonder?”

“What? Are you playing dumb again?”

“You can say that, but I really haven’t heard anything this time. Though, knowing Big Brother, I’m sure there’s some deeper thinking behind a fun event like this.”

“.........”

“But before that, come on.” Having finished spinning Ichiha, she now offered her hand to Yuriga. “You can’t enjoy the festival with that look on your face. Let’s dance, Yuriga.”

“...Hmph.”

Even as she acted unamused, Yuriga took Tomoe’s hand.

“This is a good place, just like Tomoe said.”

“Nyaha! Everyone needs a younger girl who’ll call them Big Sister, huh?” Roroa said with a laugh.

This was the fruit parlor at The Cat’s Tree, run by Tomoe’s school friend Lucy’s family.

In order to watch the Ghost Festival we had planned in anonymity, we had asked Lucy to reserve the whole place for the royal family. I was here together with my five wives, and our bodyguards and subordinates. To be honest, I wanted to bring Cian and Kazuha, too, but I was told it would put more of a burden on the guards, so they were left with Carla and the others in the castle.

“I know we paid, but do you think we’re hurting them, since this is a profitable time?”

“Don’t you fret. Lucy’s family’ll be makin’ their profit off the stall they’re runnin’ today, so they couldn’t spare much staff for the main business, and were only plannin’ to run it like any other day.”

“Well, I guess it’s okay then.”

“That’s right. But more importantly, Darlin’, we’ve got a good view of the fountain plaza from here.”

The fountain with the Jewel Voice Broadcast receiver system was easy to see from the second floor terrace. The image of the costumed parade dancing to the drum and fife band’s music was projected there, and it made for a fantastic, or rather a nightmarish scene.

If I recalled, Tomoe had used this place during the song battle. It was a bit far away, but you could see the gathered crowd, so it was a pretty good spot.

“Colbert and Sebastian, thank you for your cooperation, too.”

Minister of Finance Colbert, and Sebastian, the proprietor of The Silver Deer, were here too. Their help in arranging this event had been monumental.

Colbert had managed the funding and placement of loreleis, while Sebastian had handled the production of spooky costumes (basically cosplay goods) for the event. The money from goods would go to the business Roroa ran from behind the scenes, so we would be able to make back the costs of running the event somehow.

“If I have been any help to you and Lady Roroa, it brings me the greatest honor, sire.” Sebastian brought a hand to his chest and bowed reverently. He was a true gentleman.

Colbert, meanwhile, slumped his shoulders in exhaustion. “Handling the funding and arranging things with the loreleis was exhausting. I had to place guards along the parade route, and set up areas for them to prepare.”

“Ohh... Yeah, that was rough on me, too.”

I had to make documents, and keep on stamping them... I feel like I worked pretty hard myself.

As we both sighed, Roroa slapped me hard on the back. “What’re you lookin’ so glum for? It’s a festival! You’ve gotta enjoy it.”

“Hee hee, she’s right. I know half the reason we’re here is official business, but it’s like a day off, so why don’t you enjoy it as much as those two over there?”

Liscia was pointing at Naden and Aisha, who were enjoying the sweets (which had been tested for poison) that the staff here had prepared for us.

“After I saw Tomoe and her friends eating here, I wanted to try it, too.”

“I do enjoy your homemade sweets, sire, but the sort of stylish sweets that are sold in restaurants are nice, too... Munch, munch.”

The two of them were smacking their lips at the mountain of cakes and puddings before them. ...Well, they seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I guess I could leave them be. Then...

“Um, sire. Was it all right for me not to take part in the parade?” Juna asked, looking a little restless.

“Did you want to participate after all?”

“Yes... I do somewhat feel that way,” she answered embarrassedly. “It was an opportunity for my songs to be of use to you, so it was a little disappointing... Oh! But I enjoy relaxing here with everyone, too, of course.” Juna smiled softly.

Though she was the first secondary queen of this nation, she was also the people’s Prima Lorelei. If she couldn’t take part in an event that involved singing, she must have felt like a diver in front of a clear sea, but didn’t have their diving equipment. There was a reason for it, but she still felt a little bad about not being part of the event nonetheless.

“I’m sorry. This is an experimental event, so I couldn’t be sure how the people would react to it. I was too scared to let you join in...”

I had the sense that, with the way the people of this country were now, it would be fine. But if I trusted them implicitly, I would be starting from behind if something happened, and might respond too late. If I thought of the potential tragedy that might occur... I had no choice but to be careful.

Juna brought a hand to her chest. “Don’t make that face. I trust in your decisions, sire.”

“Juna...”

“Hey, could you two stop ignorin’ the rest of us and goin’ off into your own romantic little world?!”

““Whoa!””

Roroa suddenly jumped on me from behind, causing me to stumble, nearly taking Juna down with me. I managed to avoid falling over, but Roroa and Juna shrieked as I ended up spinning them both around.

“What’re you doing, geez,” Liscia said in exasperation. “But more importantly, Souma, isn’t it time you told us what the intent behind this plan is?”

“Oh, right. But rather than have me explain, it might be faster if you were to look at that.”

Having regained my balance, and with Roroa still on my back, I pointed to the fountain in the distance. In the sky above the bonfire-lit fountain plaza, there was an image of Nanna, Pamille, and Komari projected.

“Oh! Looks like they’re here!” Tomoe, who was watching the parade, shouted.

The costumed band and performers had entertained the people so far, but now an even greater roar of applause came from the crowd. The line of floats that were the main attraction of the parade were here.

One of these floats, which were pulled by rhinosauruses, had the loreleis Nanna, Pamille, and Komari aboard, and another had the male idol unit, the orpheuses, Yaiba. Each of them was engulfed in the screams of their respective male or female fans.

“Hey, people! Are you feeling energetic?!”

The cat girl, Nanna, who was wearing a black tube top and hot pants together with bat wings and a pointed tail, shouted to the crowd. That outfit, which accentuated her healthy body more than her sexiness, made her look like a genuine little devil.

Then, wearing a head protector that looked like the one Hal had, along with a Japanese-style dress similar to the ones that his first wife Kaede wore, Komari stepped forward, dressed forward in an oni costume.

“Tonight, let us show you a song that will make both the living and dead dance like mad.”

“Heheh, hear my song, and be cursed.”

Rather than her usual frilly dress, Pamille was wearing a black gothic lolita style outfit, along with bandages, and an eye patch... In some ways, she might have been the one we’d stuffed the most character elements onto this time.

The members of Yaiba were dressed as Dracula, the wolf man, and Frankenstein’s monster, only modified to be cooler, and their female fans were squealing.

“Oh, hey, it’s the loreleis. They’re lookin’ mighty cute, huh?” Lucy said to herself when she saw them.

“Certainly. Even though their costumes are modeled on monsters, they are still adorable.”

“Bat wings and horns would usually be creepy, but when they’re just one part of the whole, I feel like they actually accentuate the loreleis’ cuteness.”

Velza and Ichiha agreed.

“Hrmm,” Yuriga groaned. “Is it like how, if you eat something salty in between sweets, they taste better?”

“I don’t know about that analogy... but I feel like you’re right.”

Yuriga’s unflattering explanation made Ichiha smile wryly.

The monsters look cute... Tomoe looked at the loreleis standing up on top of the float. They’re dressed like monsters, but no one minds, they’re just enjoying it, and calling them “Cool” or “Cute.” Maybe that’s what Big Brother is after? Tomoe thought that to herself as she watched the lively parade.

“Squeeeee!”

“““““Huh?!”””””

There was a sudden loud squeal from next to them. Tomoe and the others turned to look, and Velza’s eyes were sparkling as she waved her hand wildly. This was so far from the usual, cool Velza, Tomoe and the rest just kept blinking.

With no regard for their eyes on her, Velza shouted, “Lord Haaaal! Over heeeere!”

They followed Velza’s gaze, and there, on the other side of the floats, a massive red dragon was trudging along on four legs. And there on top of it was a soldier with an oni head protector on.

“Is that Hal and Ruby?”

“Isn’t that the red dragon knight who fought alongside my brother, Fuuga?”

While Tomoe and Yuriga cocked their heads to the side in shared confusion, Halbert took notice of them. He hopped down off Ruby’s back and walked over in their direction.

“Hey, Velza. And Young Miss Tomoe, too. Were you all watching together?”

“Yes, Lord Hal!” Velza responded with an energy that made Tomoe and the rest think, Is this girl really Velza?

“Oh, yeah?” Halbert plopped his hand down on top of her head. “I’m glad to see you’ve made some friends.”

“Yes! But why are you in the parade, Lord Hal?”

“Oh... Souma said, ‘You’re the Red Oni, so you can join the Ghost Festival as is,’ and forced me into it. That’s how Ruby and I got put on display in this freak show.” Halbert scratched his cheek, seeming a bit embarrassed.

“You’re not freaks! You’re cool, Lord Hal!”

“Hahaha, thanks.” He patted Velza’s head vigorously.

“Hal... It’s time to get back to it,” Ruby called to Hal telepathically.

“Whoops, gotta rejoin the procession.” Halbert turned around to head back. “Later, Velza. Enjoy the festival.”

“Bye-bye, Velza.”

“Okay! Lord Hal, Lady Ruby!”

Velza waved her hand wildly as she saw Hal and Ruby off. Once they were gone, and Velza turned around, only to be met by blank stares from Tomoe and the rest, she finally realized. Velza coughed and cleared her throat.

“...I apologize. That was unseemly of me.”

“Uh, no, it’s too late to try and keep up appearances now.”

Yuriga’s calm retort made Velza turn red. Then it clicked for Tomoe.

“Wait, could it be that the person you were saying you want to serve is Hal?”

“...D-Did you figure that out?”

“If you’re actin’ that different around him, who wouldn’t?” Lucy chimed in, and Ichiha followed up with, “I-I think it was cute, and very appropriate for a girl your age.”

Velza covered her face with her hands. “I had tried to act aloof and keep it hidden, but it came out so easily.”

“Nyahaha, you’re so cute, Velie.”

Tomoe and the rest just chuckled as Lucy poked Velza in the cheek, who smiled shyly at their reactions.

It was a night during summer break. The children enjoyed the festival to their heart’s content.