Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, I have seen a few parades, but none were for a triumphant return. I have seen them in animes, and TV shows--one of my worst fears is having that much attention focused on me…”

 

“Umm, you two, isn’t it about time to stop?” Lua reservedly calls to us.

 

Aialize seems to finally notice that we’re currently in public. I knew it since I had come back, but since it was quite an enjoyable experience, I just stayed silent and let her do as she wished.

 

“I-It’s not, it’s not like that!” Aialize pulls away from me and begins to make an excuse to Lua and the surrounding Elves. I enjoy the sight of the panicking Aialize.

 

“It’s not, huh?” I deliberately sound a little lonely.

“It’s, it’s not, but, that’s not it.” Aialize starts to explain in a fluster.

 

While I’m feeling a slight admiration for her panicked ‘Ehh, Uhh”, with her eyes going round and round, I tell Jia and the others the reason for the jellyfish rampaging and how to cope with it.

 

“Then, those eggs are the cause of the World Tree mistakenly recognizing the jellyfish as a part of it?” Lua asks, her eyes narrowing.

 

“I have no proof, but the probability is high.” I pass the jellyfish egg, which I had put in a bottle, to Jia. I secured some of the eggs, since I thought that it’d be needed for research.

 

It seems that the Elder will replace Aialize, who’s fainted, to tell the other clans about this.

 

The Elves who are here all agreed to tell the story that, ‘The Hero Sine Nomine beat the jellyfish.’

 

Unfortunately, the jellyfish remains don’t have any Magic Cores, so my work collecting all of their remains was in vain. It might be natural, since they’re not Monsters, but ‘Mysterious Creatures’.

 

***

We, who have returned to the ground, join the party that the other Elves are preparing. They didn’t think that there would be enough space, they started cooking in a meadow in the underground town.

 

I’ve changed into ceremonial clothing, and have to participate in a parade with the rest of the Elves who worked on the project. At the request of Lua, I’m wearing Holy Armour that looks like what Hayato wears.

 

A lot of Pixies are sprinkling flowers, while looking cheerful, from above us.

 

I go with Aialize, and the others, onto a temporary stage--everyone is cheering. I feel like I am in hell…it’s more terrifying being stared at by this many people, than it would be to fight one thousand copies of the Golden Boar-Head King Demon Lord…

 

Aialize and her four attendants are wearing the same Priestess clothing that they wore when I met them for the first time.

 

“Children of Bornean! We have safely exterminated the pests which have polluted the World Tree for such a long--” She reports the results with a clear voice, to everyone in the venue, “--He is the Hero of the Humans, Sine Nomine! Please give him applause!”

 

My introduction was over while I was admiring her face from the side.

 

Slightly late, I wave my hand towards the Elves.

 

Before long, this torture is over and the stage is handed over to the waiting bands, to start the party. There are people dancing in the center of the venue, and food stalls on the circumference.

 

I use Quick Dress to change back to my usual clothing, from my ‘Sine Nomine’ clothing. I returned the Hero’s attire to Lua.

 

Picking up a goblet of water from a Living Doll that was serving beverages, I wend through the crowd towards the girls. When I had returned to the ground, I contacted Arisa with Telephone.

 

It seems that they’re putting up some stalls.

 

Lulu has a crepes stall.

Liza has a stall selling grilled frog meat.

 

Heavy drinkers are crowding Liza’s stall, while Lulu’s stall is crowded by Pixies, men and women who enjoy sweets.

 

“Master, here.”

“Master!”

 

Pochi and Tama have found me, and come to pick me up. The two are wearing frilly maid uniforms with rather short mini-skirts, which barely straddle the border between decent and indecent, especially when Pochi’s tail waves in happiness and raises her skirt. It looks like Mia has come to help as well, she is wearing same maid uniform, matching Arisa, Nana and Liza, but Lulu wears the much more reserved long skirt.

 

Nana and Liza told me the reason for their choices. Nana’s reasoning is very predictable…she thinks it’s cute--and it really is. But Liza’s made me smile, apparently she finds it easier to move, and to fight, in the shorter skirt--I don’t know if that’s the complete reason, since her tail waved and she seemed pleased when I looked at her in that clothing.

 

“Welcome back! I won’t ask a silly question like ‘you didn’t over do it, did you?’, but you aren’t hurt anywhere, right?” Arisa is worried about me, and seems to know me quite well.

 

“I don’t have any injuries.” I smile at her, stroking her hair and compliment her clothing, resulting in her blushing.

 

Nana has joined Lulu with making crepes, while Arisa and Mia are taking the orders and handing out the finished crepes. The gluttonous Pixies keep trying to snatch some of the crepes, but Nana catches them, forcibly putting them into her cleavage when they get close.

 

Maybe I should try snatching some too.

 

“Yo, Tek. Do you have some Dragon Spring Liquor, from the other day?”

 

“I do, here you go.”

 

Ms Poltomea speaks normally to me, unlike quite a few of the other female Elves who are strangely polite. She looks like a cute porcelain doll--this friendly way of speaking adds to her attractiveness, which makes me wonder why she is still single…at 650 years old…maybe she lost her mate and doesn’t want another, I won’t pry into it.

 

I had stopped by Heiron’s place on my way to get the Scrolls from the Duchy Capital, so I got more Dragon Spring Liquor from him. I traded some barrels of Brownie Wine.

 

“Oh, nice smell. I’d like to get along with Dragons, just for this liquor.” Ms Poltomea said something a little strange.

 

“Pao, drink it moderately, okay.” Her Elven friend, who is also a drinker, has started to pour some of the liquor into an extra-large goblet--which is similar to the one that Ms Poltomea uses.

 

There’s the figure of Aialize, who’s secured the last of the crepes behind the stall. There are Pixies flying, while protesting, above her head. But she isn’t listening to them, just nibbling on her crepes bite-by-bite while covering it with both her hands. She’s like Mia, and likes fresh cream.

 

The figure of Aialize smeared in appears in my mind for a moment.

 

Ten days later, Arisa and the others have finished clearing the last Training Ground, and we are set to leave the Elf hometown.