Ray, Kyle, Tidlen, Matt, and Lily gathered at the breakfast table. Having done their morning exercises, they were starving.
"Its late... what if the breakfast is not there?"
Lily worried out loud.
Then the inn keeper, who had heard her, reassured them, handing over a menu card.
"Worry not ma'am. We still have these variety of dishes that you can choose from."
As they sat around a table, they were greeted with a wide array of dishes. Most of them were foods that they had never heard of before.
The names sounded delicious, and that small description on the menu sounded, made it even more tempting.
Ray was the first to order. He ordered a few dishes for himself, introduced a few dishes that were good from his experience, and as a self rule, he ordered five more dishes that he did not know of.
Totally, about 17 different types of eatables were ordered.
Looking at their own order, the group started to laugh.
They knew they were hungry, but they didn't know that they were this gluttonous.
"It is the food to blame for sounding so tasty. Whoever made the menu, made it too tempting" said Lily as she laughed along with the others, though a small worry crept inside for all of them about not being able to finish the food.
Veg had its types. Meat had its own. It was all different types of dishes.
Ray asked the waiter, who was also the manager of the inn, to tell them about the dishes.
Considering that it was late and the inn was less crowded, he agreed after some thought.
Starting from the veg section,
"These dishes are from elven origin, of course, but once they came to our nation, we added our own twist.
These are, as you might know, dwarven.
He pointed at a few more dishes on the table, nodding at Matt at the same time, who nodded back in approval.
"And the remaining..." he explained each one, one by one, from all the different demon races' names.
The group wondered in thought, 'was it necessary for almost every race to have their own respective dish?'
Matt verbalized it.
The inn manager patiently explained, "We don't have these many dishes usually. But as it is the demon lord's birthday festival, which also counts as our founding festival, no matter which inn you go, you will find food from all over the nation, outside the nation too.
It's a part of celebration. And everyone has to likes to eat." he said with a big smile.
And just as promised, the meal was sumptuous.
"Delicious" exclaimed Matt as they walked out with satisfied expression.
"You weren't kidding, Ray. The food here is was really amazing! I'll be coming every year from now on just to eat the food."
It was Lily, who also couldn't stop smiling remembering the taste of their breakfast.
"It's very interesting that they represent all the different dishes from all over the part of the nation."
Tidlen thought aloud.
Then the group looked at Kyle, who answered after a short confusion.
"It really was delicious. I especially like the elven kind. That dish was particularly tasty."
Then the group pleasantly continued.
"So now what's next? i was too engrossed in eating to think of anything."
Matt asked.
Lily and Tidlen, nodded.
They turned to ray.
Being the traveling expert , everyone looked at him for answers.
"Oh, we'll explore" Ray answered immediately.
"Where?" Tidlen asked.
"Everywhere. The whole capital is gonna have stalls today. There's gonna be musical concerts on every street" Ray said.
Tidlen couldn't help but ask, "Why so many concerts and stalls at the same time? Every house and roads?
This time it was Kyle who answered.
"It is believed here, that the Lord visits periodically...even now. So every house wants show him something from their side."
"I see", Tidlen responded in thought, somehow getting the notebook from his bag into his hand in a matter of seconds and noting it down.
And just like that, the group wandered throughout the streets. The stalls were all special, as promised.
While one stall had these unique carvings of wood, some had carvings of stones, some had mechanical devices.
Some had very specific types of mana scrolls, like one which could make flowers bloom in a radius which was bought by the women.
It was as though the whole festival was designed for everyone to enjoy. They wandered about the whole festival.
The sun who had started his journey early, now reached there directly above them.
And as it became hotter, all the stalls opened up this umbrella which had a slight magic engraved on it for cooling.
Tidlen eagerly went and asked about, asked, "What are these? I have not seen them before."
The busy shopkeeper simply responded that they are "cooling umbrellas", not sparing a glance. He was swamped with customers after all.
As they walked the streets, Kyle noticed a pattern. Half of the stalls on a street were always closed.
"These people rotate their turns of opening the shops so that everyone else can also enjoy the festival."
"Amazing!" Tidlen, Matt, and Lily were amazed.
It became evening soon. Time was flying at a speed it had never done so before. Festival was held over a week, and this was the first day.
"Wait...did we not have lunch?" Tidlen asked in shock, suddenly realizing that they had somehow skipped lunch.
After that sumptuous feast in the morning, their bodies had just skipped lunch. This shocked everyone, except Ray.
After letting his group mates take in their surprise, he slowly explained
"The food is designed that way, so that everyone can spend the whole day on the festival"
Another round of surprise and shock hit the group.
"How is that possible? Who even made it possible? Did the Lord do this? Tidlen asked in slight terror.
Ray smiled his signature smile again and said,
"No it wasn't the lord. It was his lead researcher's idea. Same with those umbrellas."
The group took a moment to let that sink in. Even Kyle didn't know so much.
"Man, isn't this too advanced? Are we all living under a rock?" Matt's frustration was understandable.
"Here, mana stones don't form. And mana cannot be stored for long, because all mana is cycled among the people. Everyone here has mana, so the total mana gets recycled back into nature-"
"I don't get it" Lily said with exasperation, not hiding her discomfort.
"Uh... what i mean to say is that...um... any convenience based on mana stones is impossible here... Its all balanced that way." Ray said, mumbling a few times trying to make sure that Lily could understand.
"Heh...so even you have times when you don't know what to say, huh?"
It was Kyle who joked.
And this time every one laughed. Lily and Ray included.
----
The streets were busy.
Stalls, hustlers, traders, concerts, audiences, fireworks, magic, and then finally the increasing crowd.
But among the crowd, one man stood out. He was tall and overbearing with broad shoulders,
His hair was gray. Signs of old age had crept on his skin. He had lost muscle, but even then he looked daunting to any bystander.
He wore simple clothes, brown linen t-shirt, dark brown pants, and a similar robe. His attire was similar to a farmer from the outskirts, a contrast to his intimidating stature.
He carried no weapon, maybe a small knife somewhere, that's all. Instead, his hands were filled by two bags full of accessories and objects.
He looked slightly ridiculous, as he was enjoying the festival with bags in one hand and food in another.
Beside him was a girl. She also wore similar attire and a robe to cover, but if one observed closely, they could see her well-built muscles through her hand.
Both of her hands were full of food from the vendors. The pair was strange in a way, but not completely out of place.
All kinds of people had come to the festival. Some were even wanted criminals, hiding their faces, just to enjoy this week.
Nobody paid them much heed. For this one week of festival, no fighting or conflicts was allowed. Not a rule, but an unspoken one most followed.
There would still be some who tried to cause trouble and were quickly handled by the authorities.
As this pair chatted and wandered the streets, the girl found an antique shop.
The decorations on it were a bit duller, but inside were all kinds of goods. She immediately glanced toward her right, to which he replied with a nod.
He knew that trying to stop her from going would be useless, and also he wanted her to enjoy the festival.
The girl was a history fanatic.
That was also how she found him, when they first met. He silently sighed and followed her into the shop. Her name was Rhea, and she had been with him from when she was 10. Now she was 20.
They were not alone. There was another group.
The group had two women and three men. They looked like adventurers. Looking at them, the old man thought, 'Pretty strong for their age. A class. Hmm..that girl looks like S class.
Dagger, shield, bow, mage, and? Hmm...is he a mage or a swordsman?'
Though the group wasn't carrying any weapons, the old man could identify them immediately.
The girl went and up to the counter, but just as she was going there, something caught her attention.
Something the white-haired boy from the other group was in the process of buying. A small, unique, weird little object, like a globe, but different, with very ancient-looking patterns and carvings.
She was drawn to it. She wanted to take a closer look.
She walked up to the group and asked politely , "Excuse me, do you mind I see that?"
The white-haired boy simply nodded and passed it to her. Lifting that object up closely, she observed that it was certainly something. The bottom was connected by some kind of thread. There was even a top section which could be opened.
'What is this...I wonder why it was made...' She thought.
Rhea felt very intrigued by it. She returned it back to the white-haired boy, a bit reluctantly, who just continued paying.
As he took it up to the counter, the girl kept her attention at the object passing hands. The groups chatter fell deaf, as she continued watching the object.
"How does it work?..."
She didn't know the purpose of it at all. But she felt this nagging feeling.
She wanted to check all the different mechanisms that made it work, and how was that globe kind of centerpiece carved with the patterns.
She knew that she wasn't the first, and the object was already in the process of being bought, but her curiosity as a history fanatic overcame.
"Sorry to disturb again, but I am feeling really intrigued by this object. Could you please allow me to buy that? Very sorry, but I'm actually very interested in history and such, and I am very very much intrigued"
She explained in a hurry. She tried her best to not sound rude, but she still got a few stares from the group.
Their annoyance was understandable.
But no matter what, she absolutely had to buy that, whatever that object was.
The white-haired, blue-eyed boy eventually responded, "I am sorry too, but this object, it's from a special origin. If you want to know more about the runes engraved, you can study about the Draconian architecture"
As he said this, he had looked at the girl only once.
His whole attention, in fact, was on that globe-like object. He had finished buying it for three gold coins and was observing it as he fiddled around with a smile. A nostalgic smile.
Everyone was surprised by his knowledge. He didn't look like a scholar. The old shopkeeper, also showed off her slight surprise as she said, "Young man, you seem to know quite a bit about it. You should have said that before."
The white-haired boy immediately responded humbleness. "Oh no, not at all, madam. Just bits I picked up from my friends."
While the group started talking internally, the girl's attention was entirely on that globe-like thing.
She wanted it very badly. She once again went up to the group and asked if she could buy it from him, "...double the price, no, triple the price."
At her words, the white-haired young man, looked at her with an intrigued smile and said he really wouldn't sell it.
Spectating the scene from beginning to end, the old man who was accompanying the girl went to stop her. "Come on, stop it. You were just a bit more late. You'll find something better. Come on."
He consoled her as though consoling a child.
This caused her to look at him in indignation, but she still wanted it.
She didn't know why she was so interested or intrigued in that particular globe-like object.
She went up to the counter and asked the lady, "Ma'am, how old is that object? Where was it found?" The madam answered without much, without a single thought.
"We don't know where it was found. The object came to me through different hands. When I checked it, it seemed to be many centuries old. Now, I'm not much of an expert, but that certainly makes it worth more than three gold coins, young man."
She said, as if assuring Ray that he wasn't being lied to.
Rhea just nodded at her with a smile.
His group started to leave, but this girl's perseverance was still not done yet. She walked up to them once again and started a conversation.
"Hello again, I am an adventurer. What about you guys?" The group noticed the vague introduction and responded that they were also adventurers.
The old man observed all of this. He felt exasperation at this girl's attempts
'Where are her manners? Have I taught her nothing?'
He wondered in slight anger.
Then, walking up to the group, he introduced himself as the girl's guardian.
Ray met his gaze and smiled to himself for some reason, and he said,
"Nice to meet you both."
Paying him no mind, the girl asked Ray again to sell that intriguing object to her.
"Ha... I am not selling. Please, go back to your master and leave us." He said, shaking his head with a tired but amused smile.
Giving a slight warning to them.
It surprised the old man.
"How did you know?"
He asked.
He had said it politely, but his deep voice didn't match it.
Ray simply replied, "You two...have the same breathing."
'What?' Thought the old man. In all his years, he hadn't felt this unsettled.
From the moment he saw Ray, it was as though something was knocking at him. Something he had yet to recognize.
"Young man, you have sharp senses. Are you a swordsman?
"Yes"
The old man then glanced at his troublesome student. Then he said,
"If you both are swordsmen how about you decide this with a friendly duel? A tournament is happening right now, so how about you register to it."
"Is he threatening us?" Matt asked angrily
"What!" Tidlen exclaimed, readying his mana.
"This is going too far. We already bought it, why do we have to fight then?"
Lily wasn't going to simply watch anymore. She was ready to pick up the sharp stones she had noticed.
Then Kyle stepped forward to shield Ray.
"Come on, we'll leave this here. We have already bought it."
She said strictly.
Seeing the situation escalate, the old man immediately stepped in and apologized. "I am sorry. I had no intention to threaten you."
The girl looked at him worriedly and tugged at his cloak, as if telling him that she still 'wanted it'.
Looking at her, the old man furrowed his brows in suppressed anger. Then he sighed along sigh and said,
"It won't be for nothing. If you win, I'll support you for the tournament's reward. All you have to lose is that object if you lose. How about it?"
As he spoke he glanced at the girl's face, at the increasing happiness.
"Give us a minute." Kyle said.
Going back to the group, she asked in a hushed tone,
"Ray, what will you choose?"
"The tournament's reward is a single grant from the King. It is normally limited to wealth and such, but if we are supported for more... then... How does he seem? Does he look like he has enough sway?"
Ray asked Kyle specifically in a serious tone.
She thought for a while and then said, "Yes, I think he has the power. But... are you sure its worth it? We already have enough gold..."
Hearing that, Ray smiled.
"Oh it's not about gold. I'll tell you why later."
He said. Puzzling Kyle, Tidlen and the others.
Walking up to the student master pair, who were also in a discussion, more like a scolding,
"I accept. One match, no returns. Any losses before our fight shall be counted as loss. And your support must be regardless of what is asked and must prove substantially helpful."
His voice was serious, unlike his amused tone from before. He had laid out the terms. No going back.
The girl immediately accepted.
Just as the group was about to leave, she remembered that she hadn't introduced herself fully.
"Ah, sorry, I haven't said my name yet. My name is Rhea," she shouted.
"Ray." He nodded and continued walking.
Rhea, went back into the store to look for more antiques, but the old man was still outside.
'Ray...' his mind repeated.
He squinted his eyes to see the group a bit more.
"Ray..." he whispered aloud.
He saw the White-haired boy stop. Turn halfway.
The old man widened his eyes open. He couldn't believe what he saw.
The boy's eye weren't blue any more. It was red.
Two fingers were on his lips, indicating a gesture of silence. Behind them was a warm smile.
An old smile. A known smile.
'Ray...'
White-haired and red-eyed, that signature red. And his signature smile.
He knew the boy. He knew the man.
The man he once served. The Lord of Demons.
His eyes were wide open. His mouth was agape. His lord's lips curled up a bit more, a happy greeting.
The moment was very short and Ray had turned back, leaving with his group.
But the old man stood silently at the entrance. Stiff.
His brain, still processing what happened. He had not seen his lord in more than two centuries.
The old man's face slowly lit up as he turned towards the sky, his lips parted into a wide smile.
A silent laugh escaped from his mouth.
----
After heading out of the antique store, Ray and his group continued around the festival.
As it slowly got late, they went to the arena, to a desk for the swordsmanship competition. Ray registered.
He turned towards his group, specifically Kyle. "How about you also register?Daggers are also swords."
Kyle regarded his statement.
She thought for a while and decided that she would also join.
She went up to the registration desk and asked, "I use two daggers. Can I also register?"
The person at the registration desk looked up and said with a smile, "Of course, you can register. We have all kinds of people here." There was no registration fee.
It was free for all who wanted. After putting their names and showing their adventurer cards for identity verification, they returned to the inn.
They had another one of those sumptuous, delicious foods for their dinner.
Smacking his stomach, Matt yawned, followed by everybody else too.
They were all tired. They had not noticed till now because of the excitement, but now that they were back, they wanted nothing more than to sleep, and so they went to their rooms to sleep.
---
The next day was the first day of the competition.
Lily, Matt, and Tidlen would be in the audience cheering them on, but of course they wouldn't be idle.
There was a betting system run for adventurers only.
The registration desk person, who was a single-horned demon, had quietly let them know of it.
And the group had decided to bet. Nothing too much, just for a little excitement.
As all the participants gathered in the center of the arena, Kyle looked around to find more than a hundred participants.
Then they heard a booming voice. It was the voice of a knight in full armor, enhanced by magic.
He had two tails and what looked like sharp claws underneath.
Looking at the participants from the arena stage, he said,
"Good morning to you all. The rules are simple. You will all be given a badge, and you must attach it to the center of your chest over your armor or clothes.
Before the match, our mages here, (he's pointed to the corners of the arena stage) will adjust the badge to your attire.
The fighting system is also very simple. The badge has a protective mechanism which will act as your armor. You will still feel the pain of the attacks, but will have no visible actual wounds.
Once you reach a threshold where you would die, you will be disqualified. The badge protects you from spells or poison too, so go give it your all."
Imparting his enthusiasm to the participants, he got off stage and the fireworks resumed.
The competition was officially open.