*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
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ENJOY~ PYUUN~
*****
The FALL Harvest Festival (3)
A soft, indirect sensation transmitted through the fabric. It evokes a tantalizing imagination, making me envision the bare toes beyond the cloth.
I glance at Estelle, who is giving me a provocative smile, as her toes move under the table.
“…”
I’m flustered, but Estelle rests her chin on her hand and wriggles her toes mischievously.
Is she really…?
“Anyway… How is Wundry these days? I know you were chosen by Wundry, but is there anything practical you can do with it?”
“The magic cauldron itself isn’t useful in combat. It produces food? Living pigs and cows even come out of it.”
“Oh…”
If that’s true, it’s practically a food revolution.
Estelle slides her foot up my trouser leg, pinching my skin with her toes.
“The problem is they die within an hour.”
“…Why is that?”
“I think it’s because there’s not enough divine power left in this world after the gods left. This world is no longer a paradise.”
“…”
“That’s why we’re important, little brother.”
Estelle holds my hand and speaks earnestly.
“This land needs true faith.”
“And what does that have to do with me…?”
“Don’t deny what you know. You’re the God of the Sun, and I’m the Goddess of the Earth. The moment we were chosen by Clau Solas and Wundry to represent their divinity, we became the successors of Nuada Airgetlam and Dagda Mor.”
“…”
The scale of her words is overwhelming.
Deities.
In this fantasy world, they are very real.
I’m not ignorant of what ancient divinity can accomplish.
After all, my master, our adversary Ohad, and Tates Valtazar are actual gods.
‘Not to mention the Frost Giant and the Northern entities.’
This is a world where gods once existed, and for some reason, only divinity remains as the gods have departed. In this unclaimed world, the things a new god could achieve are countless, and their influence would be incomparable.
“There need to be more gods. Only we can save the people mired in misery.”
“That’s… quite an arrogant notion.”
“It might be. But we have power. And we need to take responsibility for that. So~”
Estelle’s indecent suggestion about increasing the number of gods comes with a brazen proposal.
Now her bare foot is daringly reaching up to my inner thigh.
“Hmm~ Your lower body is really sturdy~”
“Stop doing weird things!”
“Weird things? What do you mean? Tell me, tell me~”
“Ugh…!”
Despite my discomfort, Estelle laughs and continues to explore my thigh with her foot.
“Oh my~ Look at you blushing. You’re still a man, after all?”
“Ugh…”
“Don’t pretend you don’t like it. Be honest. You don’t hate it, do you?”
“Well, it’s not that I hate it, but…”
Apparently, I’m not cut out to be a cool web novel protagonist. I can’t say I entirely dislike the attention and approaches from the girls.
“Sigh… Is that why?”
“Hmm? What is?”
“It’s just something.”
When Park Sihoo was around, it wasn’t like this… What exactly is different between then and now?
Anyway, Estelle reminds me a lot of Mir.
Bold advances and daring actions. If I lose this battle of nerves, I might end up being devoured like in the previous round…
-Clunk!
“Little brother?”
Estelle looks up at me with slight confusion as I suddenly stand up. Yes, you must never lose the battle of nerves with this sister.
I promptly lift Estelle, catching her off guard.
“Oh my!”
Lifting her literally in a princess carry, I lay her on the suite’s luxurious bed. It happens in an instant, pinning her down.
“Oh, oh my… Little brother, you’re quite forceful?”
Estelle avoids eye contact, her gaze darting around nervously.
“Wow, wow… It’s hot. Is it because the room isn’t ventilated? Should I open the window?”
She’s scared.
She was all over me earlier, but now that things are getting real, she’s frightened.
Thinking about it, it’s only natural.
She’s the first princess and saintess, raised like a precious gem. She’s never experienced romance, let alone held hands with a man, which was considered a sin. Now that our faces are so close, she’s sweating bullets—pure as snow.
“Um, little brother? On second thought, I didn’t take a shower when I rushed here—”
“Shall we shower together then?”
“…!”
Her eyes widen in shock. Terrified, Estelle flails her arms and legs.
“That’s… That’s a bit…!”
Indeed, she’s still a child. Calling a twenty-two-year-old a child might be a stretch, but…
Estelle struggles to get away for a while before eventually giving up and presenting a determined compromise.
“Let’s just hold hands and sleep tonight?!”
“No shame in those words for a grown woman.”
-Thunk!
“Ouch…!”
I flick her forehead gently, and a reddish tinge spreads across her pale skin.
“Too cheeky for your own good.”
“That’s what you get for playing such pranks on a man.”
“Ugh… I was really brave to say that.”
Estelle pouts her cheeks in frustration.
“Anyway, isn’t your semi-final tomorrow?”
“The semi-finals are in the morning. The finals are in the afternoon.”
Unlike the tournament-focused festival, the harvest festival’s main events are rather brief.
They probably don’t want to take up too much time with the tournament since there are other events to enjoy.
“If Alicia wins in the semi-finals, she’ll face me in the finals.”
“You don’t even consider the possibility of losing in the semi-finals?”
“Me?”
Estelle smirked. The confidence of a strong warrior was evident.
With her characteristic playful yet loving expression, she asked a mischievous question.
“You’ll cheer for me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Oh… That’s unexpected.”
Estelle seemed taken aback by my immediate response. My straightforward support must have caught her off guard.
“Did you say the same to Alicia?”
“Yep.”
“Oh, come on! I got my hopes up for nothing!”
She responded playfully but still seemed somewhat disappointed. I felt a bit sorry. It’s impossible to choose just one person.
“Sister.”
I took Estelle’s hand. Her hand was white, soft, and beautiful.
“Yes? Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“Uh? Oh? Sure? You’re welcome…”
“Just thank you for everything. But there’s not much I can do for you.”
“Hehe, then give your sister a kiss.”
“That’s a bit embarrassing… and I feel sorry.”
There will certainly come a moment of choice, and when that time comes, those left behind will think poorly of me. How could I do that?
“Humph~ Can’t you even lie and say you love only me?”
Despite her words, Estelle smiled warmly. There wasn’t much I could do for her.
“But I can give you some advice.”
“Advice?”
“Alicia is weaker than you in terms of specs. Estelle, your power is extraordinary.”
She’s a miracle worker who brings about what she prays for. While she may seem invincible, there are ways to break through.
Alicia is one of the lower-ranked members of the player’s party. Unlike Hua Ran, a main story final class party member, or Dorron, who shows incredible versatility…
In a two-person configuration, the romanticist members Yuel and Kranel demonstrate the most powerful destructive force.
Among these impressive members, Alicia Arden might seem somewhat bland…
“Honestly, there’s no member of our Guardians I can’t beat. I’m confident I can win against anyone.”
“Among your Guardians, there are two exceptional members, right?”
The vampire Marie and the swordmaster Lunia. That includes them.
“I’ll win no matter who I face. Somehow.”
“That’s a lot of confidence.”
Even in the previous round, without the sun and with a weaker spec, I managed to defeat Lunia. However…
“Alicia Arden is different. No matter the scenario, I can’t beat her.”
“Is she that strong?”
“Her specs might be lower, but in a real fight, I’d probably win. Yet, I can’t guarantee victory.”
So don’t underestimate her. Do your best. I gave Estelle sincere advice.
Wednesday, the third day of the harvest festival. In the morning, I joined Ren and Ron in the hunting competition.
– What’s that?
– Is that even allowed?
Participants in the hunting competition each brought their own hunting dogs.
Some were genuine hunters who enjoyed hunting back home, but most had rented dogs from professional handlers for this event.
Of course, there were those who came without dogs, relying purely on their hunting skills or just participating without any plan.
“…Are those hunting dogs?”
“Yep~”
“They look more like wolves… Or rather, they’re way too big…”
“They’re expensive exotic breeds.”
“Even so, they’re way too big…”
I was definitely a standout among the participants.
The golden wolf siblings Ren and Ron. Transformed into their beast mode, they were at least three times the size of the largest hunting dog there.
Their overwhelming presence was so intimidating that the hunting dogs cowered behind their owners.
No matter how you looked at it, my hunting dogs were clearly breaking the balance.
“They’re well-trained. Ren, shake!”
Reluctantly, Ren extended her paw. Thank you, Ren. I’ll make your favorite lamb stew when we get back.
“Hmm… Should I allow this?”
The event organizer seemed hesitant about allowing my colossal golden wolves.
“Are there any rules about the breed or size of the hunting dogs?”
“Uh, no… there aren’t.”
“Do you know why rules are made?”
“Uh… to be followed, I guess?”
“No. They’re made so you can exploit the things not covered by the rules!”
“Damn… this guy’s crazy!”
The organizer looked at me like I was some kind of nutcase, but the result didn’t change.
The hunting competition is just for fun, so the rules aren’t strict!
I ended up winning.
“Muahahahaha!”
– Isn’t that hunting dog a bit too much?
– Where did he even get something like that?
– That’s strange. I feel like I’ve seen that somewhere before…
And with that, I secured my third… no, second golden ribbon. Phew…
The semi-finals were over, and now it was time for the finals. Alicia took deep breaths to calm her nerves.
Her opponent in the semi-finals was a 4th-year senior. The senior was a formidable opponent, but Alicia, being skilled herself, managed to win.
And at 5 PM, the third day of the harvest festival reached its climax with the finals. Her opponent was, as expected, Saintess Estelle.
– Woooo!
– It’s the Saintess!
– Saintess Estelle! Look this way!
Saintess and the kingdom’s first princess, Estelle Hadatha El Rath.
She was a national celebrity, so she naturally received enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
As it was the final match of the tournament, the host went on and on with introductions for the finalists.
Alicia shrank under the excessive introduction, her naturally low self-esteem making her retreat inward, while Estelle listened calmly, her expression adorned with a gentle smile.
From start to finish, her gaze was fixed solely on Alicia.
‘…She’s strong.’
The impact of Estelle’s performance in the preliminaries was overwhelming, but in the main rounds, she had smiled and said this:
– I’m sorry. I’m a bit busy… This match might end up being a bit boring.
And she meant it. With blinding speed, she crushed every opponent with a single punch, rendering them all helpless.
One strike. That was all it took, and it was always a bare fist. Her overwhelming power led to both knockouts and ring-outs simultaneously.
– But Saintess, this time you’ve brought a weapon?
That’s why this final match stood out. For the first time, Estelle had brought a weapon with her.
“Yep. Isn’t it cool?”
The weapon she brought was a club, about a meter long. Larger than her usual mace, but made of wood rather than metal.
It was strange.
A Guardian’s weapon is typically a high-density alloy refined with mana stones. For those who have surpassed humanity and become superhuman, their weapons should be equally exceptional.
In that sense, wood was an unsuitable material for a Guardian’s weapon. No matter how tough, wood cannot surpass metal, let alone the incomparable strength of a mana stone-forged weapon.
Even the shafts of spears are made from mana stones. What could she possibly intend to do with a wooden club?
Are you planning to strengthen it with prayers?
Given Estelle’s prowess, it was conceivable that her prayers could turn such a wooden club into a weapon that rivaled mana stone armaments.
The host considered this but was met with a sly grin from Estelle.
“Oh~ Does it look that way?”
Estelle didn’t elaborate further, but Alicia understood.
In this arena, only a select few would recognize the true nature of that club.
In Mag Mel, Estelle had received a gift from Angus, the God of Love, one of the three war goddesses of Nevan.
Given the blessing of the war goddesses who protect the Sun God, Alicia could tell. That club was a divine artifact.
“Alicia, right? You’re pretty good. That’s why I brought a weapon.”
“Yes…”
Whenever Alicia met someone with overwhelming confidence, she couldn’t help but shrink back.
For sixteen years, she had grown up as the neglected child of her family, always on edge. When faced with someone with a strong personality, she naturally cowered.
“I want to win the prize. Korin wants it, but I’ll win it and give it to him.”
“…”
A blatant challenge. That was their only common ground, so she couldn’t tolerate Alicia.
Could she really beat her?
Honestly, it seemed impossible. She would probably lose. But oddly, a fierce desire to win welled up inside her.
This competitive spirit was a rare emotion for Alicia, who usually lacked confidence.
That desire sparked an unexpected competitive spirit toward the kingdom’s first princess and saintess.
“I saw your semi-final match. You did well. Your opponent was a 4th-year, 1st-rank knight, but you seemed to handle it easily.”
Estelle continued to smile confidently, her demeanor as composed as ever. Her confidence was unsettling.
It was the kind of confidence that stemmed from knowing her opponent wouldn’t be a challenge.
“Well, it would’ve taken me less than 30 seconds.”
Her overconfidence grated on Alicia’s nerves. She decided to break that confidence first.
“I’ll win.”
“Hmm?”
A resolute voice, unlike Alicia’s usual timid tone. She splashed cold water on Estelle’s overwhelming confidence.
“Hmm~”
Estelle observed Alicia closely, recalling the advice Korin had given her the night before.
She instinctively knew that Alicia would be a formidable opponent.
“No, you won’t beat me.”
So she doubled down on her confidence, trying to crush her opponent with it. This confidence was different from her usual natural demeanor.
“You received the power of the goddesses in Mag Mel, right? So did I.”
She slung the large club over her shoulder, her posture unrefined, but no one dared to think of it as disrespectful.
“When the new era comes, you’ll join ‘us.’ But… before that, we need to establish the pecking order.”
The Autumn Harvest Festival Tournament.
Alicia Arden, a candidate for the next head of the Arden family, head of the 5th Sword Pavilion, and a domain user.
And the miracle-working child of God, now practically a goddess herself, Estelle Hadatha El Rath.
Their final match was about to begin—
“Hang in there. It wouldn’t be fun if you went down in one hit.”
—And with that, the arena was shattered.
*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
*****
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