BSS 58

Chapter 58

The Winkan Festival, hosted by Elan, was undoubtedly the largest festival on the continent.

People flocked from all over, eating, drinking, and celebrating non-stop for two whole weeks.

They said the market was as big as a medium-sized city, and it really was.

I had expected some exaggeration, but as I walked past endless rows of stalls, my mouth naturally dropped open.

Even at night, it was as bright as day, thanks to the countless illuminated stalls.

So this is the class of the Empire. Definitely, Dmitri couldn’t pull off something of this scale.

Elan seemed to hold such grand and lavish festivals periodically to flaunt the Empire’s dignity.

It was a way to showcase how wealthy, powerful, and comfortable their country was.

The festival reflected pride in strength and influence.

For kids like me, though, it was just fun to watch, without caring about all that.

“Jinny! Let’s do that! That one!”

“What is it?”

<Hair Braiding Service>

Ilruze’s eyes sparkled as she pointed to two women sitting side by side, appearing to be mother and daughter.

Like a shoe-shining stall, there were chairs for customers, and around them were various combs and hair ornaments.

It looked like the ornaments were for sale too.

“Looks fun!”

“Yeah, they have everything, huh.”

Scanning the area, most stalls sold goods or food, but there were all sorts of things.

There were stalls for trimming nails, piercing ears, even tattoos.

There were also gambling-style stalls, like lotteries or swindles, that seemed legal enough.

“Huh? Let’s try it!”

I was dragged by Ilruze, still eating a fruit skewer, and we stood in front of the stall.

A crude price list was displayed: basic braiding cost 60 copper, a fancy braid was 1 silver, and adding flowers was 1 silver 30 copper.

Since I had never seen something like this before, I had no idea if it was expensive or cheap.

“Do you really want to do this?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Hmm… then, if it doesn’t take long, let’s try it.”

Ilruze was paying, but I was the one deciding what to do—a strange setup indeed.

They said it would take about ten minutes, so we sat in the chairs facing the market.

“How would you like it done?”

“The flower decoration course, please!”

“Yes, ladies. Please wait a moment; we’ll make it look very pretty.”

The middle-aged woman was braiding my hair, and she seemed like the mother of the one braiding Ilruze’s hair.

They looked quite alike.

I wondered if this was their livelihood—making women’s hair beautiful… so basically, they were hairstylists.

Thinking about it that way made sense.

The woman applied a fragrant liquid to my hair and started combing.

My naturally curly hair tangled easily, and brushing usually hurt and caused hair to fall out, but now it combed smoothly as if by magic.

Wow! Even brushing and braiding hair requires skill!

“I don’t get it… why pay someone to braid your hair?”

“You can’t braid it prettily by yourself.”

“Hmm.”

The knights, Philona and Hansen, looked confused.

“It’s the same for knights, right?”

“For us?”

“When you sharpen your sword, you pay a blacksmith or weapons shop, right? You could do it yourself, but… that’s the idea!”

“Oh, now I get it.”

“Experts are always the best.”

The daughter showed a basket full of fresh flowers for hair decoration, letting us choose what we liked.

Ilruze and I excitedly squealed as we picked flowers.

“If it’s okay, may we step aside for a moment while braiding?”

Hansen asked cautiously. Glancing over, I saw a stall selling various daggers right next to us.

“Of course. Right, Ilruze?”

“Yes! The gentlemen should enjoy the festival too.”

Hansen and Philona quickly moved aside, apparently very eager to look at the daggers, while Ilruze and I continued picking flowers.

We were allowed to choose about ten, but it was hard to decide as every flower was beautiful.

“Jinny…?”

While I was laughing, Bright approached, blushing even in the night.

“Would it be okay if I picked one for you?”

His low voice trembled, and his violet eyes never blinked from nervousness as he looked at me.

I froze, unsure how to respond.

“Oh my.”

Breaking the awkwardness was none other than Ilruze, who poked my side and grinned mischievously.

This kid… only ten years old and already making those eyes!

“May I?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Just one!”

“Well… okay, I guess. It’s no big deal.”

“This one suits you, I think.”

His hand trembled slightly as he handed me a blue flower with several small buds.

When I took it, I couldn’t help but feel… a little strange.

A flutter in my chest.

Now that I think about it, it was the first time I had ever received a flower from a boy.

Reflecting on my life, it had been quite uneventful—studying until death, then studying again after reincarnation.

“It’s pretty.”

“Really? You like it?”

“It’s nice.”

“Good.”

Bright Keniyan was a little cute in a way—trying hard to read my mood and make a good impression.

“Thank you.”

Holding the flowers made a small bouquet, and I unconsciously brought it to my nose to smell.

Not a bad day at all.

I felt surprisingly happy.

Before I knew it, despite initially being reluctant, I was fully enjoying the festival.

With my beautifully styled hair, hands full of snacks, and companions flanking me—Bright, Hansen, Philona, and Ilruze—it hit me: I was the center of this group.

Bright did everything I wanted, Hansen and Philona followed me closely, and Ilruze wanted to do everything with me.

Ah, Jaemam-senpai hardly had any presence.

Anyway, the six of us roamed about.

We spent the longest time in front of an acrobat troupe. Ilruze was so impressed that she dropped 1 gold into their hat, making Hansen and Philona groan.

Bright also spent large sums without a second thought.

Well, being the only magical bloodline of Dmitri, he wouldn’t be poor.

Nobles often had that sort of sense with money.

“Monster Market?”

When I stopped, everyone else stopped too.

<Today Only! Enjoy the Legal Monster Market!>

My eyes were drawn to a huge, colorful poster.

Everyone who saw it gawked.

Before anyone could express a desire to go, we were quickly stopped.

“No.”

“That place is dangerous.”

“I want to go!”