The coming-of-age ceremony went off without a hitch.
Originally, it wasnāt a very long ritual.
I drank a soup of boiled plants that are said to be resistant to spells, carved Ortems and sang songs in spirit languages, and played my own flute to pray to the spirits of my ancestors.
To those who come to the ritual, I will wave the meat of the demon beast I finished off.
However, there are a lot of people, and itās just a formality. I almost ended up just handing out bite-sized meat.
Iām sure thereās a significance to showing that youāve become a full-fledged member of society.
And finally, itās over with a cross with the opposite hand against the sky-high day with a kissel in one hand.
The whole event took a little over two hours.
It starts in the morning and ends around noon.
There were about 40 people who participated in the event. Some of them didnāt know much about me.
I donāt have many acquaintances, but my fatherās face is generally wide.
Iām glad that the Chief, who usually doesnāt go out at all, took the trouble to go out.
After the coming-of-age ceremony is over, I keep Kissel away.
āHow awful!ā
Itās like smoke.
The smell is good, but itās not likely to get used to it.
āNow you too are a member of the adult Marlen tribe. From now on, youāre going to be a little more careful about what you hear, and youāre going to study magic to a lesser extent, and youāre going to hunt.ā
My father gave me permission a long time ago to use magic while I was hunting.
Somehow, my father gave in.
Thatās why helping with the hunt is alright but, when it comes to magic I donāt think I can hold back.
Be that as it mayā¦ā¦ā¦
āā¦Excuse me, Father, please lend me a hand. My clothes are too heavy I canāt move. May I take it off?ā
ājeez, canāt you say more softly!ā
In the coming-of-age ceremonies, special ceremonial garments must be layered on top of each other, as well as thick ornaments on the head.
This is heavy. The inside of my clothes is all sweaty.
āWah, Iāll give you a hand, big brother!ćThank you for your hard work!
āIām sorry, jeez, my strength⦠ā¦ā
After that, I was going to handle the incense leaf at the exchange square⦠⦠Is tomorrow all right?
I want to sleep already today. I want to hold the Ortem and lie down slowly.
I was taken by Gizel and fluttered into the shadow of the building.
āCongratulations. I guess this means that Zeleās boy is now a full-fledged member of the family.ā
āAh ⦠Garia-san, thank you. Thank you for coming.ā
It was Shibiās father, Garia, who came near while clapping.
āBut thatās the state of the affair, and it looks like a new marriage.and when is the ceremony to be held?ā
Gizel turns bright red to her ears at Galliaās light words.
I bury my face in my raggedy outfit, trying to hide my blushing face.
Haha, donāt make fun of me too much, Garia-san.
āHm? Uh, Oh, is that so?ā
Garia looks unconvinced and touches his chin.
Sure, it may seem a little too close if you look from the outside, but I donāt think there will be any reactionā¦
āShe was always saying Abel this Abel that, but where did Shibi that idiot go?. No, Iām really sorry. He suddenly disappears ⦠ā
āNo, no, actually, I asked for it myself!ā
āAsked?ā
āYes, I had some business to attend to, but I was stuck at the coming-of-age ceremony⦠Iām sorry.ā
āNo, no. Oh, my God, it was Abel, that makes sense. If thatās the case, he should have told me tooā¦ā¦ So, what business is that?
I donāt like how you are convinced, but ā¦
However, up until now, Iāve asked Shibi to do many things so, I donāt know what to say ⦠ā¦
Iām, Iām sorry, sorry for the inconvenience.
āThis is it.ā
As I say, I shake the kissel lightly.
The smoke scattered about.
āI thought it smelled strange, donāt tell me that, you made it yourself!? I heard you are doing something, Shibi also did not say anything so I thought you gave up ⦠ā¦ā
āI wanted to mass-produce them all at once, so I asked them to lie down as much as possible⦠Now, Iām asking Shibi to transport, pick up space, and collect information⦠Really, Iām sorry again.ā
āHahaha!ćFinally, Abel has made it that far. If you make too much, you might get noticed by the Karlco family. Just be careful.ā
āItās okay. Iām only making enough for three people to manage.ā
āThis is good, a masterpiece! I see, hey, donāt you have a spare something now?ā
Garia laughed wildly, and so came to me.
āThere is. How do you like it?ā
āOkay, so Iām customer number one.ā
Garia takes out the ore containing the magic circle from inside his clothes.
Itās like a currency substitute, with the Chief guaranteeing value.
āI was actually going to give them out to the people who came to see me. With a thank you and then a publicity. Itās like a trial product, so thereās not a lot of it. See, thatās whatās in that burlap sack over there.ā
āā¦arenāt you making a lot of food? Youāre gonna be okay, right? Between you and me, those guys are insidious, so watch out for them.ā
Garia erases her smile and gives a hushed word of advice.
But itās too late.
We know that the Karlcoās are stingy, and theyāre already ready to go.
We are already prepared to continue to sell on the cheap.
I didnāt want to move much because of my messy outfit, so I asked Gizel to get a burlap bag for me.
I took out a cloth-wrapped fragrant incense leaf and handed it to Garia.
When Garia received the incense leaf, he crushed it with his fingertips and put it in the kissel, then used his magic to light a small fire.
After exhaling the smoke, āWhoa!ā He said with admiration.
āHey! This is great! You looked really unpleasant during the coming-of-age ceremony, so I thought it was tasteless.ā
āIām a little bad at smokingā
āHey, Abel-san! Abel-san! Thereās a problem!ā
As I and Galia were talking, Shibi broke in.
āHey, Shibi! You didnāt tell me ⦠ā¦ā
āYikes! Fa-, Father! Hey, come back later, please! Weāre in trouble right now!ā
Itās hectic.
āWhy are you here? The place is ā¦ā
āI have an acquaintance taking over for me, so Iām fine ⦠No, It may not be fine ⦠my judgement is somewhat helpless, so if youāre done, please come early!ā
āWhich one is it?ćWhat, was it something unexpected?ā
āThe truth is, I got delayed at preparing ⦠so I was late at getting a place. So in a panic, I thought there was a good position available and jumped in to get readyā¦right next to the Karlco family. By the time I realized it, the corner was already empty⦠So, I thought Iād move
it⦠It seems that the Karlco family is also working hard today, so we should change the dateā¦ā¦ā
āNice, well done, Shibiā
āHuh?ā
Timeās run short.
I put my hands on my ceremonial layers. However, I canāt take it off well because of the sweat.
āDamn it, go ahead! Donāt let go of that position! Protect them, even if it means dying! Iāll be right there!ā
āA-, Are you serious?ā
Shibi says with a gaping mouth.
āWhere will you find a guy whoās going to quit here! Gizel, help me take this off!ā
āYes, please leave it to me!ā
āAbel! You, you! What the hell are you doing!!ā
My father, who was bowing to the Chief, looked at me and screamed.
But this is not the time to be concerned about it. Iāll cut you a cross or something later.
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