Evan D. Sherden, Running. (2)
The dungeon city of Pellati was defined by the sea. The dungeon explorers were usually familiar with the sea. Naturally, most of the events were related to the sea as well.
“We have to be prepared to deal with threats in case monsters appear from the ocean during the Dungeon Festival.”
“Evan—as always, the cautious Commander.”
It was not that there were no events inside the city, but the more you came to the beach, the lighter people’s clothes got and the more cheers an attractive body would get. Only knights who were wary of the walls facing inland were in a pitiful state.
“There are so many stores! And it’s all seafood.”
“That’s because seafood is the best in Pellati. With the owner of the Brotherhood Skewers opening a restaurant for grilled skewers in Pellati, the perception of monster meat has improved a lot, and now many people in Pellati open their own stores with monster-cooking certificates.”
“In the past, people would believe that monster meat is poisoned or cursed. It’s a good thing we have come ahead of those times.”
In addition to the dungeon city of Sherden’s headquarters, the brand of Brotherhood Skewers—created by Evan and the owner, Bane—had a branch at Silk Line and Pellati, which sold skewers made of marine monster meat, taking advantage of the local creatures.
Whenever the owner had free time, he immersed himself in learning Pellati’s cooking techniques or experimenting with different sauces.
“Anyway, where did everyone else really go?”
At first, all of them were definitely together, but so many people naturally fell apart from the group, and now only Evan and Arisha were left.
Belois, who always wanted to be around Evan, missed him because Arisha was a Pellati native and had the right to order around numerous people, and she had used her influence to take Evan with her, but of course, this was a secret to Evan.
“Don’t worry too much, Evan. There’s a strong guardian attached to you, so it’ll be okay.”
“Well, I’m sure.”
Well, even if there was a chance, it would usually be solved if Belois fired a foxfire. Evan managed to give up joining the group and decided to go along.
Next to him, Arisha said with her affectionate, shy eyes.
“And Evan, don’t be nervous, I can protect you.”
“That’s very reassuring.… I feel a little pathetic about myself making you say that.”
“I know what Evan is worried about, so I don’t think it’s pathetic anymore.”
Arisha said so with a relaxed expression and set her index finger on Evan. A confident smile was cool, but he thought it was not the right time to smile like that.
“Arisha, looks like you’ve already gotten used to me…”
“That’s funny.”
Evan got relaxed in the atmosphere and allowed himself a mirthful laugh.
Arisha was fascinated by how Evan smiled; she somehow managed to come to her senses, looking blankly at him. She had been with him for many years, but she never got used to it: his smile was enough to make her heart explode from beating too fast.
“Let’s go. I’ve got a notice from my father about the order of the main events. You can attend the costliest events and enjoy them without having to pay.”
“It’s really nice to know the criteria for choosing an event.”
Numbers never lied.
This mindset also had something in common with the Yo-Ma Great War poison. Evan followed Arisha with a bitter smile again.
“Come a little closer so you don’t get separated.”
“Yeah, there’s a lot of people.”
Arisha secretly tried to put her arms in his own, but he didn’t reject it. She thought this would be all right, considering how hard it must have been to separate the other group from them, especially from Belois. Evan couldn’t help but know what she was thinking.
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“I hope they are enjoying themselves.”
“They must be! I’m sure they are! It’s not the last night, so it’ll be alright.”
Evan smiled inwardly and raised his head to look at Arisha, who was shaking while answering in case she’d get caught by Marquis Soline for stealing his son. Birds flying over the sky in the distance looked like they were laughing.
Arisha’s guidance was excellent, indeed. No, of course, her guidance was excellent, but what was even better was her position in the city!
As soon as Arisha appeared with Evan, all the queues disappeared, and the people in the front rows would fade in the background to leave them a good seat, and all the events could be enjoyed to their fullest capacity. Her influence was the best.
“Lady, the target is now at C-7… This is how you should make the next journey…”
“Great.”
Moreover, Count Pellati’s family, who hosted events all over the coast, guided Arisha to the optimal route for her to enjoy the evening with Evan.
“Evan, let’s go there next. There’s a band playing.”
“Good. The Lut Girls didn’t come?”
“They go to Sherden often because you’re there… I was surprised to hear about the guarantee from Maybell.”
Maybell’s hands made things happen, but it was also evidence that Evan’s beauty was famed across the lands. Of course, Arisha saw Evan and settled in Sherden, so she could understand how the Lut Girls felt!
“Oh, that’s Master Evan, the second son of the Marquis of Sherden!”
“What?!”
“What?”
“Master Evan! Everyone, warm up, warm up, warm up!”
Surprisingly, the Lut Girls were present at the event!
“Mayb—…No, I was asked to perform at the Dungeon Festival by ‘Baroness Sollayu Jun’. That’s why we came!”
“Thank you. I’m glad to be able to see your performance here.”
“Hey, guys, you heard that? Master Evan says he’s happy!”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.”
At every event, the Lut Girls’ leader, who Evan recognized now, approached him and explained the situation. While Evan was purely amused, Arisha looked slightly puffy. Maybell must have planted a spy among them because she couldn’t come!
“From now on, it’s our turn! Lut Girls’ debut song. Everyone, please cheer for us.”
“Look over here, please!”
However, it was undeniable that the Dungeon Festival itself had become even more appealing with the advent of the Lut Girls. For now, Arisha, the daughter of the city’s ruler, was forced to greet their stage with applause.
“…Evan, you’re not going to stay here, are you?”
“No way. Let’s just listen to a few songs. If I’m with them, they’re going to keep performing until they drop from exhaustion.”
“What do they plan on singing?”
Ever since Evan and Arisha had traveled all over the city to enjoy the festival, as the two are known to be engaged externally, there was nothing wrong with being together like this.
“This way.”
“You’re surely a good escort.”
“I’m sure of this canteen, too. There have been reports that sales have been on the rise for hours.”
“Well, should I analyze the taste here and let the owner of Brotherhood Skewers know…”
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Evan and Arisha, who enjoyed performances, events, snacks, and filled their stomachs, wandered around the city in an opulent fashion, feeling relieved that they had finished everything they had to do at the festival.
And surprisingly, he had never met any of the other members of the group. Evan thought that Pellati’s Dungeon Knights could not be underestimated. He wanted to have a discussion with them about the field performance, though.
“It’s getting quite chilly now that it’s night time.”
“But the wind here makes me feel good.”
“Yeah, I forgot about it.”
At Evan’s words, Arisha smiled and agreed. The gesture of sweeping away the golden hair that was scattered by the wind and the smile around her mouth was more beautiful than the best of portraits by the most renowned painters. Evan suddenly became curious when he saw her.
It had already been more than three years since Arisha joined the Dungeon Knights. Twenty percent of the 15 years of her life.
“Arisha, what makes you stay in Sherden, and what do you plan on doing when you get back here? And what about the future?”
Evan’s thoughts would always lead to the disaster of the in-game Evan: Arisha leaving him for the protagonist and murdering him. But now, over the years, he started realizing more and more that this world was not a mere game; it was reality. His destiny was in his own hands now.
“Evan.”
“Hm?”
Arisha didn’t answer him. Instead, she told him about the fireworks—a landmark of any Dungeon Festival.
“The fireworks will start soon. My father, who saw Sherden’s fireworks three years ago, is expecting a much bigger festival this time so that you can look forward to it.”
“He’s surprisingly competitive, too.”
It wasn’t bad news. Evan loved fireworks. Three years ago, on the last day of Sherden’s Dungeon Festival, he did not forget the fireworks. After solving the Mahwa problem, he went to see the sky light up with everyone.
Was Belois next to him at that time?
“But Evan, today is my monopoly.”
“You’ve got a mind reader, too, don’t you?
“You don’t have a poker face at all.”
“Oh God, I thought I had mastered it by now…”
“That’s the fun part, Evan. You still have a long way to go.”
Arisha giggled and pulled Evan’s hand.
“I’ve got a good place to see the fireworks. Let’s go.”
Arisha felt a little nervous, but she couldn’t back out now. Evan moved along with Arisha in a gentle manner.
After passing through several private houses, they took a carriage prepared on one side of the road up the hill. The horseman drove the carriage without a word, dropped them off the top of the hill, and went back quietly.
He saw knights standing guard from far away, but they didn’t look over here, as if they were on regular patrol and Arisha hadn’t planned this.
“This isn’t just a good place, it’s a VIP spot, right?”
“Same thing. Come along.”
Come to think of it, Evan could see that there were seats for other VIPs around the middle of the hill. There were some people he saw in Roizen’s Hidden Stage.
“I can’t believe you kicked them out and set up a place just for the two of us here…”
“I’m not trying to show off, but I’m sort of a papa’s girl. Oh, Evan, he likes you a lot, too. So, he did this as a gift for us both.”
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Evan grinned at Arisha’s self-convincing explanation and asked if there was something that came to mind.
“What about Prince Crow?”
“I’m sure he’s stuck in the house practicing trident. Evan, didn’t you teach him how to use it so that you don’t have to see my brother’s face during your stay in Pellati?”
“I’m surprised you realized it…”
What had happened between Arisha and Crow that ruined their sibling bond? When Evan was about to ask, a spark was fired from underneath.
Shhhhhh! Bang!
As soon as the flame, which had been rising in high spirits, reached its peak, it drew a massive circle of sparks in the sky that was a majesty to behold. Evan felt both the excitement and beauty in his heart.
“Right?”
Aside from that, this VIP seat was really perfect. The calm surrounding area made him feel as if Evan and Arisha were the only ones in the space, and he could enjoy the fireworks rising one by one.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fireworks were the most fitting climax for a busy day. Fireworks sprang up in succession and burst out in radiant colors, so great that Evan didn’t want to think of the budget right now.
Among them, what was especially great was the sight of fireworks exploding and making large models or letters.
“Amazing, isn’t it? This magical flame was the result of Mana Road’s contribution and the Magic Kingdom.”
“Oh, it’s magical indeed.”
On Earth, there was chemical technology that helped people make it.
But come to think of it, the overall level of science and technology, including chemistry, was not that high in this city.
“It’s pretty. Shall we buy some for the festival in Sherden?”
“You can decide that?”
“From this year on, Brotherhood Cooperation has decided to participate in planning the Dungeon Festivals. Maybell’s got all the fancy stuff in her hands.”
“She’s really out of control.”
“Really.”
Overwhelmed by the vast flames, Evan and Arisha spoke in a hushed voice and watched the fireworks being fired one after another.
He could see people cheering around from below, but the sound didn’t reach here at all. It felt as if no one else existed apart from them.
“Evan?
Was that why?
“You’re only relieved when you’re around Belois. You’re so wary around me.”
“…Arisha.”
Arisha managed to say everything she wanted to say to Evan this whole time.
“You know, Evan, actually, I’ve been heartbroken this whole time… So I want to talk about it all today.”
“About your relationship with me, don’t just avoid it like you always do… make it certain.”
The majestic landscape and the cheerful voices disintegrated, and only Arisha’s face and voice were clear. Evan gulped down, sensing that the biggest crisis of his trip was coming.
It was the moment when the ‘absolute confession’ event, which Evan had been expecting a little bit, was about to start. It was time to face his worst fears.