Chapter 07
“Lily, the outfit you’re wearing today is so pretty! It suits you really well.”
As we walked through the bustling streets, Demian complimented my outfit with a bright smile.
Does it suit me? I’d only thought it was flashy, never that it would suit me. Still, there’s no harm in receiving a compliment, so I accepted Demian’s praise with a smiling face.
“I picked it out.”
Roo, standing beside me, said proudly. I didn’t understand why he seemed more boastful than me when it was my compliment.
More importantly… why is he speaking informally? Despite forging his identity as a servant, Roo was boldly speaking casually to Demian.
I quickly gave Roo a warning look, but he didn’t care at all.
“Emily seems to have a keen eye. To find something that suits her so well, that’s amazing!”
“I am amazing, after all.”
Demian didn’t seem bothered by being spoken to informally; instead, he praised Roo even more.
I clicked my tongue, watching the two of them complimenting each other. Sure, a gentle personality goes a long way.
“So, where should we start? Want to go get some chicken skewers?”
Demian pointed to a street stall with people lined up. The smell of chicken skewers was tempting, but I shook my head.
We’d be heading back to the mansion to eat, and there was already a lot of expensive food waiting. Roo also seemed uninterested in street food, wearing a rather indifferent expression.
“Let’s eat later. Since we’re here, why don’t we do something you can only experience at the festival?”
At that, Demian and I looked at Roo.
Something only possible at the festival? With curious eyes, Roo gestured for us to follow him.
A noble more familiar with the commoners’ festival than the commoners themselves. It was clear at a glance how much Roo had mingled with commoners.
After walking for a while, we arrived at an alley emitting suspicious smoke. To bypass countless food stalls and attractions to end up here was… peculiar.
Even bright-eyed Demian seemed uneasy and started glancing at Roo.
“Emily… did we get lost?”
Demian cautiously asked, recalling past experiences where we ended up somewhere strange because of me. Roo shook his head and pointed straight ahead. We followed the tip of his finger.
“…!”
I widened my eyes. Beyond the alley lay a large field, filled with people using magic.
There was a little girl conjuring small flames from her hands, young men shooting water from their fingers like water guns, and elderly people stacking soil to build something.
“That’s right! It’s a festival, so we have to try the magic stones!”
“Magic stones?”
I was surprised by the scene, but apparently, I wasn’t the only one. Demian clapped his hands in delight. Roo responded to my puzzled look.
“You don’t even know about magic stones?”
“Uh… I haven’t fully regained my memories yet.”
I answered, rolling my eyes. Meanwhile, Demian had already lined up at a stall piled high with stones.
“What’s the connection between magic stones and the festival?”
Curiosity got the better of me. Roo stared at me for a moment, sighed quietly, and then began to explain.
“Magic stones were discovered less than twenty years ago. Magic was a great fear to commoners, and they couldn’t even use it. Obtaining magic stones required a huge cost. But the empire had no choice but to accept magic because of its utility. Eventually, they started holding festivals to ease the fear of the citizens. Even experiencing weak magic would make it feel more approachable.”
“Before magic stones were discovered, did magic not exist?”
Roo nodded at my question.
“It only existed in history books. Even now, research continues, but there isn’t a single magician who can use magic without a stone… They’re planning to add magic courses to the academy soon, but I don’t know how that will go.”
“Oh, so during the festival, we get to use magic stones for free?”
“One per person, roughly. If you want, follow that guy and line up.”
Roo gestured toward Demian. Due to his appearance, Demian stood out even among the crowd. The surrounding commoners glanced at him.
Since it was free, there was no reason to refuse. I followed Demian toward the stall, glancing curiously at Roo, who wasn’t moving.
“Aren’t you going, young master?”
“I can just buy it myself. Why bother?”
Ah, that’s right. He’s a noble. I had forgotten that someone so casual had enormous wealth.
I left Roo behind and stood at the end of the line. The stall displayed all sorts of magic stones.
The most common were stones that produced water or fire. The water produced only a small stream, like a water gun, and the fire seemed decorative; even children touching it didn’t feel heat.
I wanted to try something a bit more powerful, but apparently, all the festival stones were designed to be safe and small.
“Oh, Lily’s in line too! Look, I got a snow magic stone!”
Demian excitedly showed me the stone in his hand. To the naked eye, it looked like an ordinary rock.
Curious, I asked him,
“What does the snow one do?”
“Watch!”
Demian hugged the stone tightly. After a moment, a small light glowed, forming a palm-sized cloud above his head.
Tiny snowflakes began piling on his head.
“Wow…”
“Amazing, right? I’m going to make a little snowman!”
“Isn’t it cold?”
“Not at all. Magic snow isn’t cold!”
Though the snow reached his shoulders, Demian seemed fine. The snow on his platinum hair fell and melted instantly on the ground.
While watching Demian, it was finally my turn. The stall was guarded by an elderly man and several knights, as expected from a festival involving magic.
“Lily! Why not choose a snow magic stone too? Let’s make a little snowman together.”
Demian held up the snow stone with a smile. His hair was already covered in snow. I firmly shook my head.
“Hmm… then how about this one? It really suits Lily!”
The next stone Demian held had flower engravings.
A flower magic stone? Curious, I tapped it lightly.
“What does this do?”
“You can summon lots of flowers, just like the engraving. Wherever you walk, flowers will bloom.”
The elderly man distributing the stones said. He was dressed finely, giving off the aura of an experienced sage.
“Flowers bloom? Magic can create life?”
“You can control nature. Why wouldn’t that include life?”
The old man smiled gently. I glanced at Demian; his small cloud continued to release snow.
Controlling even life and nature… I began to understand why people feared magic.
“This magic suits Lily perfectly!”
Demian said with a bright smile. Flowers blooming wherever I walked? Was he implying it suited me? I frowned, wondering if he was teasing me politely.
Still, the idea of controlling life intrigued me, so I asked the elderly man again.
“How long does the magic last?”
Aside from my curiosity, I was a servant. If flowers kept blooming in the mansion, it would be troublesome.
The old man smiled as he answered.
“Once you leave this field, the effect will naturally disappear.”
“Oh, that makes sense…”
That explained why no one used magic in the busy streets. I nodded and accepted the flower magic stone from Demian.
“But how do you use the magic?”
I asked as we left the stall and Demian brushed the snow from his hair. He grinned.
“Easy! Hug the stone tight and say this: ‘Dear magic stone, please help me use magic!’”
Hmm, even though I trusted Demian, I could tell he was joking. His expression seemed to hope I’d fall for it.
He actually likes teasing people.
I decided to play along.
“D-dear magic stone…”
“Please help me use magic!”
“Please help me use magic…”
Demian clapped his hands in delight. Hah, well, as long as he’s happy. Roo approached us with a sour expression.
“…It activates just by holding it.”
“Oh, come on, Emily! You’re finally seeing Lily’s cute side!”
“Not at all.”
Roo’s firm reply was oddly comforting.
“Nothing’s happening. Which one did you get?”
Roo stared at me. My magic stone only activated while walking, so standing still showed no effect.
I jumped on the spot three times, and flowers bloomed around me.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“See! Must be a new stone,” Roo said. Demian looked on in surprise as the flowers withered when I stopped moving.
“Lily! Keep running! Don’t stop!”
“Eh?”
“If you keep running, the flowers won’t die.”
“But I’ll die instead!”
I wasn’t very strong. I was already out of breath from jumping just a few times. Did Demian dislike me?
He couldn’t be acting like this just because I got us lost yesterday… right?
“Forget it, let’s look at the stalls. These have much more to see than the main street.”
Now I understood why Roo had dragged us here without glancing at all the other stalls.
As Roo said, the field stalls were filled with food and dazzling attractions. There was so much food, I almost forgot about the chicken skewers.
“If there’s anything you want to eat or buy, just tell me. I’ll pay for it.”
“Emily, don’t overdo it!”
Demian exclaimed, startled. He must have thought Roo was a servant and was shocked. A baron worried about a duke’s money—funnier than celebrity worries.
“I’m following anyway, so I’ll buy it. I got a lot of allowance!”
“Uh… no, it’s fine. I’ll pay.”
“But…”
“Hmph.”
Watching their bickering, I cleared my throat to draw attention. I was worried Demian would waste money, and more importantly, I was hungry. I wanted to end this pointless situation and go eat.
As their eyes landed on me, I placed a hand on Roo’s shoulder and said,
“Actually, Emily is the second generation of a wealthy family.”
It wasn’t a lie. Demian’s pupils dilated.
“Then why are you working as a servant…?”
“Uh… I’m experiencing life among commoners.”
This wasn’t a lie either.
“I see… I was rude to assume commoners aren’t wealthy. Sorry, Emily…”
Commoners are indeed poorer than nobles. Any wealthy commoner likely bought their status.
Seeing Demian feel guilty was slightly satisfying, as it would save him money. Roo quietly shook his head as he watched us.
