Chapter 69: 4 Days left (1)
The Sylpheon school festival.
A festival, that lasts for around four days, from Tuesday to Friday.
Although its name suggested that it was only a mere school festival, that was not the case with the 'Sylpheon school festival'.
Since Sylpheon was the best academy on the western continent, naturally, many people would also know about it.
That was the reason why thousands of people all over the continent came to the Empire to visit the Sylpheon school festival.
Not only that, but there was also a major attraction at that festival.
The traditional 'Sylpheon tournament.'
A tournament, where everyone of any age above 18 could participate, and win prizes.
While that festival was pretty popular, the already-known adventurers, mercenaries, or mages didn't participate in it, as the prizes were pretty mediocre.
Only a little bit of money and sometimes a random artifact, that most often barely did something.
However, for lesser-known people, that tournament was bliss.
Due to Sylpheon's large popularity, one could be popular overnight if one managed to win a Sylpheon tournament.
As I didn't need any of the fame or prices, I didn't have any intentions of participating in the tournament, but...
"Do you want it?"
I asked Ophelia, who just silently stared at the poster of one of the prices of the tournament.
It was a low-tier artifact.
A globe of glass that caged a living snowman.
However, while that snowman was living, the only thing it could do was walk around the snowy landscape inside the glass globe and occasionally react to the owner by doing some gestures.
As such, it was nothing more but a children's toy.
"...no..?" she answered in a hesitant voice, before turning around, acting like she never looked at it in the first place.
"Really?"
"Of course, I wouldn't want to have such an artifact." Ophelia dramatically rolled her eyes before huffing. "As if I, the great Ophelia Voidwalker, would desire such an....children's toy..."
Her voice grew quieter at the end, as she adverted her gaze, not being able to look me in the eye.
"...of course."
Note to me: I will have to register myself as a participant in the tournament later.
As Ophelia wasn't 18 in Overworld age yet, she couldn't participate in the tournament, so it was something I had to do for her.
Although she kept insisting that she didn't want it, I was sure that she actually did, but was just too shy to directly ask me.
"Why do you sound so doubtful? Are you doubting me? I really don't want that measly artifact!"
"I'm not doubting you."
I responded in a monotonous voice, looking at her with a blank expression.
"Then why..." Her ears turned red from embarrassment and anger, realizing that I was being sarcastic. "..why do you sound like that?"
Irritated by my lack of response, she grabbed my coat, shaking me.
"I don't know what you mean."
I deadpanned, suppressing the smile that threatened to form when I watched Ophelia's reaction.
It was really easy to mess with her, as she was very short-tempered, which just made her very endearing to tease and bully.
Chuckling, I turned my head around, ignoring Ophelia, who still kept shaking me, trying to get my attention.
Usually, I should be patrolling as a professor, but as I also played more or less a big part in the ruin incident and the Fenris wolf incident, Melina ordered me to relax.
I argued that I just took some days off only a few weeks ago, but she only responded with a questioning gaze, opening her mouth.
'So it is coincident that exactly at the time you returned, the church of lux announced, that they had solved a big issue inside the second layer?'
I couldn't argue with that.
Melina was sharp.
A little bit too sharp for my taste, but what could you expect from a half draconian who lived for multiple hundred years?
"Loook at meeee!"
Ophelia's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
She whined, almost threatening to burst out in tears.
"Pff."
I couldn't help but release a short snicker, finding her behavior to be just way too amusing.
Ophelia wasn't used to the attention and affection she had been receiving lately, so every time I took my eyes off her, she felt the sudden lack of attention, thus yearning for more.
Ophelia was a clingy sister.
"Why are you laughing!"
Furrowing her eyebrows, she slowly began to emit ether, trying to make herself look more intimidating.
"It's nothing," I replied, patting her on the head with a soft smile.
Immediately, her mood began to brighten when my hand made contact with her head.
Dog.
That's what I thought when I looked at her.
Her behavior reminded me of that of a dog, but not in a bad way.
Rather, I found it to be cute, which made me understand to some extent why people liked dogs so much.
"Come on."
I said, as I squeezed the cheeks of Ophelia, who just grumbled in response.
She didn't retaliate, though, which made me believe that she secretly liked it or at least the attention that I gave her.
"Let's go eat something."
Instantly, her eyes began to brighten, as she widened them in excitement.
Her excitement was so visible that I could practically imagine stars sparkling from her round grey eyes.
"Yes!"
Nodding her head, she flashed me a bright smile, responding in a high-pitched voice.
***
***
"This seems to be a specialty from the eastern continent."
I mumbled, as I carefully analyzed the food.
As all the stands were either led by the different clubs of Sylpheon or different suppliers from all over the continent, naturally, diversity among the foods existed.
The food in my hand was some minced monster meat with vegetables on a skewer, grilled in an open fire.
Although it was not strange in any way, I had never seen it prepared in such a way before.
Admittedly, it was probably because I've barely been to food stands, so it certainly made sense.
"Who cares?"
Ophelia stared at the skewer with a predatory gaze, drool dropping off from the corner of her mouth.
"Just take a bite! Nom—!"
Chewing— Chewing—
"Eat slowly or you'll choke."
Watching how she ate the meat like a feral beast, I advised her to take it slowly, as her eating speed was truly astonishing.
If Ophelia participated in an eating competition, I would surely bet on her. After all, that girl was a true food shredder.
However, Ophelia ignored my warning and just kept eating, before she excitedly opened her full mouth.
"Thiws is deliwcious!"
"Swallow first before you speak."
Rolling her eyes, Ophelia let out an annoyed breath.
Gulp—
"Satisfied?"
I nodded. "Very much so."
"You are so nitpicky, brother," Ophelia complained, before taking another bite.
"No, I just care about you."
"..!"
She let out a startled choking sound, followed by an indefinite silence.
"I already said that you shouldn't eat so fast."
Sighing, I looked at her with an affectionate gaze, my eyes turning soft.
For a while, I waited for a reaction, but she did nothing but blankly stare at me with a stiff smile.
In the corner of my view, I could see her ear painting a red shape.
Was she perhaps embarrassed?
But why would she be? After all, it was quite clear that I cared about her.
"Hello?"
Waving my hand in front of her nose, I tried to get a reaction out of her.
Crossing my arms, I considered the option that she was allergic to the meat and had to be brought to the infirmary, but right as I thought that, she began to open her mouth.
"W...what did you just say?"
"I said hello."
"No, the thing before that."
"You shouldn't eat too much?"
"You know exactly what I mean!" Ophelia let out an annoyed sigh before stomping her foot. "The one right before that!"
"I care about you."
Slowly, her mouth curved into a wide smile, her cheeks gaining a red hue, as she released a creepy sound.
"Hehe. Good."
While her laughter kind of terrified me, as of that moment she looked like some happy piece of pudding, which balanced her creepiness out.
"Anyway," Taking my eyes off my pudding sister, I grabbed the catalog in my pocket and pulled it out. "What type of attraction should we go first to..."
Although the main attraction of the Sylpheon festival was the tournament, it only started on the second day of the festival, and the first day was there so that everyone had the time to register.
Opening the catalog, I skimmed through the attractions on the campus.
As the campus of the school was huge, naturally, there was also enough space for many attractions.
Sylpheon had a bunch of clubs, so there was no time to visit every single one of them.
Thus, picking out the most interesting attractions beforehand was the way to go.
Reading through the catalog, my eyes stopped moving when I passed by the 'magic tower experience stand', which was run by Celine.
According to the description, it was a small stand where anyone interested in the mage tower could go and experience some parts of it, which included things like testing the uniforms or getting small samples of papers only the mage tower possessed.
However, the reason I stopped wasn't that I was particularly interested in that attraction.
To me, the mage tower was a boring place that was mostly filled with boring, mostly old people who only cared about their status.
While mages who genuinely cared about improving their magic capabilities existed, the numbers of those were far less than the number of the old farts, who tried to stay at the top, defending their power and status by bringing down the newcomers.
Of course, exceptions like Acedia and Celine existed, who just couldn't be stopped due to their enormous potential, so the power-greedy mages usually tried to suck up to them.
No, the reason for my sudden stopping was because it reminded me of someone.
Acedia.
I would have probably enjoyed her presence at an event, such as a festival.
Speaking of Acedia...
Taking my eyes off the catalog, I sank into my thoughts.
...I wondered what she was doing right now.
I haven't heard from her for almost an entire month, and the blood moon should be approaching soon.
When was it again?
In around four days?
Sighing, I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts as I massaged my temples.
Now was not the time to waste my energy on such thoughts.
I should probably use that time to enjoy myself.
"Ophelia."
I called out to the girl, who was buying another skewer with the allowance I gave her.
"Hm?"
"Is there anything else you want to do?"
That's right.
I shouldn't worry about Acedia.
She was a capable mage, after all.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone