A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

The dawn was here. The day had begun. Today was the tenth Harvestfest in the Peolyncian year of 2679, making it a LightDay. Today was a day reserved in honor of the Goddess of Light, Aurena, much like Sunday or the Sabbath would be for religions on Earth.

Heavily religious cities or countries in human territories would usually enforce a morning prayer in honor of Aurena, to display their faith in her and empower her with their piety. Countries like Aureolis, the Empire, and Astraford were prime examples of this. Even Yeos, while not as strict, encouraged their people to visit either a temple of Aurena or Yeostar for the day.

Especially during the Festival of the Stars, priests and warrior priests of Yeostar would walk through the city, singing prayers in his name and giving out street sermons during the first week of it, something Hestia had missed since she was in the port during this time. But, once again, another LightDay had come, and it would be the last for this festival.

However, strangely, none of the commoners or merchant families spotted Yeostar’s clergy up and about the city. The streets were far quieter than they expected. They saw the stall owners setting up, people making their way to their next stops, and kids enjoying the dawn before their chores began.

It was weird. Unexpected. “The Festival of the Stars cannot just begin without a sermon!” many citizens thought. The energetic prayers, the vivid retelling of Yeostar’s tale, and the muscular warrior priests marching through Elyonda’s streets, singing or playing instruments.

Although it felt off, time couldn’t be stopped. People began their walk to the local temples, beginning their day with prayer. For the next Champion of Yeostar would be chosen soon, and for that, every follower must give their time to pray for their strength. However, to most people, it felt too quiet. They expected today to be a grand—

“Feel the echoes of our voice ♫”

And out of nowhere, a woman’s voice appeared.

“Quivering the core of your very soul ♫”

Some of the churchgoers began to turn around, suddenly hearing the voice coming from behind them. However, strangely, there was no one. Those who were curious began to raise their brows at this strange phenomenon, but immediately turned around again as if nothing happened. Others just shrugged. Stranger things could happen after—

“Rally up your strength, you soldiers! ♫”

But this time, it was even louder and was accompanied by the soft repetition of the five chord through drums and flutes. Her voice was loud enough to break through the combined noises of the kids, adolescents, adults, and elderly. People could hear the music through all the talking, and those who were already suspicious, couldn’t believe what was going on. They turned, but they couldn’t see a woman singing.

“Be brave, find hope in it ♫”

And even stranger, everybody around the church was hearing it. It was audible for everybody to hear equally.

“Hey, you heard that?”

“What is that noise? It’s getting even louder.”

“Did some bard come around? Where is she?”

And the lack of an answer just confused the crowd. Where was this voice coming from, and why were others hearing it as much as they were? However, in the end, it wasn’t strange enough to make them care that much. Nothing bad was happening, so it was shruggable. Not like they could bother—

— and then KABOOM!

“Let STRIFE not frightened you away ♫

From the peace of the brilliant light! ♫”

Firework, something the Yeosians had never seen before, suddenly appeared above them, exploding in crimson, purple, and white. The loud kabang immediately caught people by surprise, followed by the singing becoming loud enough that people couldn’t just ignore it anymore as some random bard singing. It could be loud enough to be fitting for a festival.

“W-Woah, look!”

The way to the temples had multiple paths, each separated by buildings leading to a square where Elyonda’s two most prominent temples were.

In the commoners district, it was filled to the brim with people with a few farmers and villagers using their wagons as “cars.” In the merchant district, it was filled with carriages driving merchants and their families, while a few servants and employees were walking over to the square. It was comparable to traffic in the noble district, although the royal family and the visiting royalties weren’t accompanying them, having a separate personal sermon at the castle.

And everybody heard the singing. Everybody was wondering what was going on this morning. Everybody… saw her floating in the air. Everybody saw the white-robed shrine maiden standing above the temples, walking casually down mid-air, as if the very air were her stairs. She fluttered her clothes, revealing a shimmering dress with streaks of purple and silver underneath her robes.

The fireworks came from her, blanketing the blue sky above like stars. Radiant white flames burned from behind her like trails, pointing focus on her trained legs, her crimson-scaled tail, and white-flamed crown levitating over her head. Most who saw her immediately noticed her scaled tail, knowing who this young woman was, but were flabbergasted at why she was here and singing.

Until—

“And let the Star shine bright ♫

Inside your heaaaaaaaaaaartS! ♫”

The complexity of the instruments increased, aiding the woman as she raised her voice to captivate everybody with her singing. The flutes were exchanged with trumpets, while the drums began to play out like a marching band, booming and evoking feelings of pride and battle.

“Will you roar out to the world ♫

And stand tall next to our flag ♫”

But, that wasn’t the woman. It was the sound of a man’s voice. The people from below darted their eyes away from the girl, only to notice a moderately groomed man appeared from a roof, walking in the air as if he was ascending stairs. His voice wasn’t overly deep, but it had a sense of charm, enticing and grabbing everybody’s ears into the flow of the music.

“To seeeeeee the VERY TALE ♫

Of what the gods have in plan ♫”

Once again, everybody’s heads moved away, toward the next singer standing in the air. A katzune woman was releasing her vocal cords, as the instruments reached the point of a triumphant march. The beating of the drums and the woman’s high-pitched voice caused everybody’s hearts to pump faster and louder.

And it all climaxed—

“So don’t cower away ♫

In your fears of the departed and be free! ♫?

Out of thin air, a man appeared, holding up a flag with Yeostar’s religious symbol, waving it around as his words challenged everybody in attendance. The flutes reappeared, bridging the song into a massive chorus where 18 more singers appeared in the air, now all walking on white flames. With the young dragonewt shrine maiden at the start leading them all, the volume of their voices exploded, to the point even the port was able to hear the commotion!

“Feel the echoes of our voice ♫

Quivering the core of your very soul ♫

Rally up your strength, you soldiers ♫

Be brave, find hope in it ♫

Let strife not frightened you away ♫

From the peace of the brilliant light ♫

And let the Star shine bright ♫

Inside your hearts! ♫”

With every stanza, with every line, their singing got louder. The confusion was brushed away, the music did the talking. There was no need for anybody to ask what was going on, as they all knew today was a festival in the honor of the Star of their country — Yeostar. The warrior priests’ singing wasn’t around this time, but instead, it was a shrine maiden doing the honor.

“Will you join in our chorus ♫

And make your life clear to hear ♫”

In a cappella style, the four women of this 22 group let out “aaaah”s as the music became quieter. They kept their tunes, even moving up and down as they sang melismatically. All to accompany the deep voice of a bovline shieldman, giving it the harmony it needed to be pleasant for the ears.

At the same time, the challenge issued before was given once again. This time, the voice sounded gruff — like a general or commander — causing the soldiers and knights in the crowd to unconsciously straightened their backs. The presence of the bovline looking down on them and his commanding voice was too hard for their muscle memory to ignore. Even if this man was a stranger, he and the female singers gave the song something heavenly, something they had to listen to.

“The same with the epics of the Knight ♫

That we feel safe under his watch ♫”

And now with the melismatic singing of the remaining male singers, the harmony culminated in the soldiers and knights unconsciously saluting, drawing the attention of everybody around them. Veterans and retired army men immediately understood what the lyrics meant, and what they were telling them. Tears ran down their eyes.

“So live up to your own songs ♫

And raise up your sword to the stars! ♫”

“““FOR YEOSTAR! FOR YEOS!””” They rose up, raising whatever weapon they had in honor of their god and country.

“Feel the echoes of our voice ♫

Quivering the core of your very soul ♫

Rally up your strength, you soldiers ♫

Be brave, find hope in it ♫

Let strife not frightened you away ♫

From the peace of the brilliant light ♫

And let the Star shine bright ♫

Inside your hearts! ♫”

Even if most of the audience didn’t know the lyrics perfectly, people began to hum along with it. First the soldiers and heavily-religious ones, then the children, then the knights before they stopped from the glances of their lords and ladies, and after that the normal Yeosian citizens. Of course, not everybody joined in, as this song was clearly patriotic and focused on battle.

However, it was hard to dislike the song. Sure, it was different from usual, but the instruments were traditional enough to be enjoyable, not to mention the performers’ magnificent singing. Beastmen generally didn’t walk to the temples, knowing they weren’t exactly welcomed, but even they were able to hear the singing and enjoyed the music itself. Non-Yeosians were able enjoying the music, too.

Of course, some people didn’t like it, or at least, found it pretentious. Mostly, criminals or the heavily impoverished who weren’t religious. They were scowling, annoyed by the loud music disrupting their sleep or peace. It was impossible to please everybody.

And this was something Hestia and the bards of the Bardic Inspirational Music knew too well. After all, they were all professional musicians.

“Thank you, EVERYBODY! Good morning, Elyonda!” The moment the song ended, Hestia, standing above everybody, shouted, catching the crowd’s attention as the music died down. “If you don’t know me yet, my name is HESTIA! An idol of the Goddess, one of Her blessed. As I mentioned during my match earlier, today is my CONCERT! But, to fully celebrate the brilliance of the Goddess and God Yeostar, who had welcomed me to your land, I shall turn today into a MUSICAL FESTIVAL! ”

Hestia pointed her finger to the sky.

“May this festival be blessed!” Hestia declared as a humongous white magic circle, large enough to not only cover the entire city but also the whole port, suddenly materialized. With only a single word addressed to the confused crowd, Hestia lowered her hand. “Prayer!”

And Elyonda was basked in bright light, granting them all [Blessing of the Goddess of Light (Major)]

Urgh! Kuek! Hestia groaned, contorting her face from the large amount of mana she just expended. Even if she had a large mana pool, using a huge [Prayer] like that along with a [Purple Flash] to immediately cast the spell still ripped out a huge chunk of her mana pool.

[“Yo, are you crazy?!”] Fargryneill scolded her sister, watching over her from the side, as she was responsible for keeping all the bards in the sky with her scales.

[“Dear, you should be careful. You still have a full day ahead of you, not to mention whatever awaits us after Larent is done with his part.”] Melloxtressa also agreed. She was helping her daughter by using her scales for the sudden appearance act, hiding the bards with her light-reflecting scales, so she was equally surprised at this unplanned move.

[“Ark! I know!”] Hestia groaned, forcing up a smile as she took in the cheers of everybody. The sight of her humongous spell caused everybody to be flustered by her immense magical prowess. [“I’m going to need a dragorade after this. Urgh!”]

But, the show had to go on.

“Everybody, please give a warm welcome to the twenty-one bards of the Bardic Inspirational Music! Today, we will all give you a fantastic, grand last week of the festival. Something that not even God Yeostar will can forget for years to come! As such! Under the authority as a blessed and the permission given to me by the temple of Aurena and Yeostar of Elyonda, I will hereby request all of you to accept the blessing of the Goddess! LET THE FESTIVAL OF STARS CONTINUE!”

“““YEAAAAAAH!””” The bards shouted in unison, punching the air to further goad the people from below.

And, with that, the music began once again. Soft, weak, but hopeful.

“Feel the echoes of our voice ♫

Quivering the core of your very soul ♫

Rally up your strength, you soldiers ♫

Be brave, find hope in it ♫

Let strife not frightened you away ♫

From the peace of the brilliant light ♫

And let the Star shine bright ♫

Inside your hearts! ♫”

And once again, the starting song boomed in the ears of the crowd, guiding them to the temples like a marching band. Once there, the 22 bards disappeared instantly like a flash mob, allowing the priests to perform the morning sermon. However, due to the power and catchiness of the song, kids and adolescents found it hard to keep still, humming it like a jingle.

The moment the early morning prayer was done, the commoners began to stream out of the temples, making way for the nobles’ turn. Only, it was then that music began to play again. The tolling of the temple’s bells was like a signal for the next stage of the musical festival to begin.

Snap!

“As I walk on the ground now ♫

Striding through lands of lush greens♫

How can I forget ♫

I used to see it, from up there. ♫

Feel the wind stream around me♫

Like a butterfly riding on high winds ♫

But now I’m down here♫

Looking up, longing for my fleeting past. ♫”

With a simple finger, in certain parts of the street, diamond balls suddenly appeared before they broke apart, revealing stalls and people inside them. Released from the illusion cloaking them, an explosion of delectable aroma assaulted everybody’s senses. Donuts, muffins, and cookies, not to mention the fresh waft of croissants, eclairs, and shortcakes. Without a doubt, saliva would flow today.

All of them had the emblem of the Sarlenzia company on them. Most were in the merchant district, but a large open-air bakery was found in the noble district. All the commoners and merchants were surprised by this sudden appearance accompanied by Hestia’s singing.

“The Sarlenzia company and Olive’s Garden of Artorias represent a revolution of pastries! Yeasts made goods, made with a draconic recipe!” Amelia announced using Hestia’s [Aerokinesis] to everybody in the city.

With her wings now out again, Hestia descended to the ground while twirling around slowly. The grace she showed when she landed enchanted the onlookers in the square in front of the temple. Mere seconds later, a strong gust of wind blew into the square, carrying the fresh aroma of all the pastries into the faces of the commoners.

It was early morning. Many of the citizens attending the impromptu festival hadn’t eaten anything yet, having prepared themselves for church. They planned to join the festival immediately after the sermons were done, so they were quite hungry. And not only did Hestia’s wind catch the smell of the freshly baked pastries, but also the delicious smells of the other street food. All combined into a tornado of aromas, all assimilated into a bomb.

A bomb that caused the mouths of everybody to water.

With a wide smile and the action-packed music in the background, Hestia curtsied and gestured with her hand like a hostess, welcoming everybody to let their instincts out. And with a deep breath, the music continued.

“Why was it like, wow wow wow wow wow? ♫

Stranded down here, all my hopes are crushed. ♫

However, wow wow wow wow wow ♫

Must I really accept this unfair world, or not? ♫”

“Woooooo, goooooo!”

“Momma, papa, I want that, please!”

“Ahaha, the festival continues!”

“Don’t let your light flicker and dim. ♫

Put up a smile and never give up. ♫

Hope will not die this soon. ♫

Remember that this is the life that you have chosen! ♫

My broken wings set yourself free. ♫

Rise from the ground, oh, so I plea. ♫

So, our dreams can be true. ♫

To reach the stars! ♫”

People ran around Hestia as she kept singing louder than the rambunctious and rowdy children and teens. With her scales, she could make herself levitate, literally putting herself above everybody to see.

As the people rushed into the streets, the Sarlenzia company employees immediately went into action, selling and preparing the pastries for the hungry customers. At the same time, three bards appeared — one on the roof and two from a nearby alleyway. Desmond, the leader, with Gedard and Minim strung and played their instruments, performing exactly what their contract with Hestia entailed them to do:

Sing and entertain.

“Slog through the harvest’s heat, all around the month! ♫”

“Reward yourself with glimmering nuggets of delicious sugar ♫”

“So don’t you dare miss it, a musical FESTIVAL with delicious donuts ♫” Minim, the katzune bard took a bite of a donut before dropping from the roof, landing deftly like a cat.

They continued their tunes until the end of the song, before vanishing from sight, finished with their job. All that was left was the baffled audience, wanting to hear more, as they bit into their jam-filled Berliners.

And it was the same for the other bards. Using their break wisely, they all separated towards different locations, all to bring songs to everybody, while Hestia acted as the central “antenna” with her [Aerokinesis] to blast everybody’s music in the local area. The bards could act like bards, but now with the power of a wind microphone amplifying their voices for everybody to hear.

In groups of three, all the bards performed however they wanted, singing whatever they wanted, whether it was tales of valor, fun-loving mood enhancers, or just jolly and bright festival tunes. And all of this was with the support of Fargryneill, parkouring across the rooftops while controlling her scales to aid the bards in their traversal through the city.

It was a never-ending flash mob.

Whew, yeah, really could consider this training. 21 people, and I’m the only one responsible for moving everyone around. Ha, challenge accepted!

Even if Fargryneill couldn’t rap or sing with her sister, the competitive and hardworking kirin couldn’t say no to her little sister’s proposal. To control her scales while dashing around the city as fast as she could. Sure, it was tedious, but Fargryneill thought of it as good training to level up her [Air Walk], [Dragon Path Creation], and [Scale Manipulation] skills.

She would normally be training either way, today, considering an invasion was incoming, so this just shot down two birds with one stone. In fact, Fargryneill even considered getting [Hestia’s Retainer] from her little sister, but similar to Melloxtressa, a dragon’s pride was a fierce one. “What sorta big sister would I be, if I were to bend the knee that easily?” she thought.

But, regardless of this fact, Fargryneill proved an invaluable part of the production crew with Tasianna and Saori not around. With her help, the bards could rotate around the city easily, or even move to the port and back to the city within minutes.

Speaking about the port, they were all watching and listening to Hestia and the bards, confused about what was exactly happening in the city until those who visited the temple this Lightday morning returned to their ships. They told their friends what happened, and this news quickly spread throughout the harbor. Some knew who she was, mostly the Caedhulens who Hestia hadn’t hired for the trip to Port Annencia. They had been celebrating not only her but also Fargryneill for being fellow scalekins in their arena matches. They knew those two were doing something, as they remembered seeing them enter the city before dawn.

“Come on, let’s see what it’s about!” Those interested in what was going on began to move, only to suddenly hear something.

“The sea’s tyrant’s maw ♫

Wrapped its fangs around our ship ♫”

Deep, but you could still hear the singer was a young woman. The mood of this sea shanty was devoid of the energetic power of most of her songs, following a more solemn mood.

“The cries of me mates deafen my ears ♫

The dark and storms ♫

Forgets all life ♫

Have at thee, blade’n me hand ♫”

And this contrast with the woman’s voice made the sailors and port goers more curious as they saw Hestia standing in the air, wearing far more revealing clothes than usual. Her idol outfit consisted of shorts and a sleeveless vest jacket over a tank top. Her hair was styled into a ponytail, which with the other pieces of her outfit made her look like a delinquent, mostly fitting the sailor theme she was going with.

She raised up her fist, rocking it in the air, summoning six bards to accompany her with the chorus.

“““Yohoooo, haul up the barrels ♫

We drink until the end comes! ♫

Rise up, pray to Melicertha! ♫

Our voice is yours to hear! ♫”””

The song came out of nowhere, not to mention the singers. The people at the harbor were confused, but they weren’t inflexible. Even if normally foul-mouthed and of ill-mood, a sailor enjoyed a good time, for all knew a voyage could end with the whims of nature or the gods. And while not joyful, the sailors felt a connection to the lyrics and general mood. The name of Melicertha, God of the Fortune of the Seas rang loud in their heads.

“““Yohoooo, stand up, me mateys ♫

The ocean ain’t taking us down! ♫

Rise up, pray to Melicertha! ♫

Our voice is yours to hear! ♫”””

And her song’s challenge brought the sailors back to reality. Their confusion about what was happening finally cleared up with this simple performance. They understood what this girl was trying to do today. After all, it was a festival, and she was here as the main attraction.

“““Yohoooo, haul up the barrels ♫

We drink until the end comes! ♫

Rise up, pray to Melicertha! ♫

Our voice is yours to hear! ♫

Yohoooo, stand up, me mateys ♫

The ocean ain’t taking us down! ♫

Rise up, pray to Melicertha! ♫

Our voice is yours to hear! ♫”””

And just like in the city, Hestia’s song caught on.

“““Yohoooo, haul up the barrels ♫

We drink until the end comes! ♫

Rise up, pray to Melicertha! ♫

Our voice is yours to hear! ♫

Yohoooo, stand up, me mateys ♫

The ocean ain’t taking us down! ♫

Rise up, pray to Melicertha! ♫

Our voice is yours to hear! ♫”””

Aaaand, done! Flash out!

With a snap of her finger, her scale-dust exploded, causing a small flash bang to hide Hestia’s retreat from the port, so she could return to her subspace to change out of her current outfit. Svena, Lorena, Haati, and other Helvas maids were taking care of her, switching her outfits out in record time.

Meanwhile, the baffled sailors all saw their performer disappear, only for them to turn around as new bards appeared, singing tales about Melicertha and Yeostar’s journey. In addition, a Sarlenzia stall had also opened up, beginning the sale of pastries with their guards. The musical festival had also reached the harbor.

But, most importantly, today’s main show would take place in the arena.

The show match between the five princes was canceled, however, to not worry the populace, a different show would have to be given. And, just like the whole musical festival and the arrangements with the temples, Duke Alberstien and Princess Anasthasia had everything coordinated.

What would be the show?

“Ladies and gentlemen! Blood enjoyers! WE HAVE A SHOW FOR YOU TODAY! FOR THE FIRST TIME, TODAY WE WILL HAVE A ONE AND LIFETIME EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF YOU!” And with the arena, also came the energetic and always enthusiastic announcer! Only a commoner, this man had transcended the limits of his station. A fan favorite, and today, he would announce Hestia Musical Production’s first show.

“ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE OUR SHOW TODAY! A HISTORICALLY ACCURATE RECREATION OF THE BATTLE OF CASTLE FATALISA! And all while narrated by our newest blessed of the Goddess! Give it up, for Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor! Princess of Kargryx, and history seeker extraordinaire!”

What was one thing that made Hestia special amongst blessed? It was her ability to speak with gods clearly. And amongst the gods she could speak with was the history nerd Yeostar.

“And so, they march forward into position. A merry men band of the elites ♫

He sunk his blade, into the ground, drenched in blood of the fallen ♫”

Under the disciplinary control of Knight Commander Alistar, he was leading two groups of his troops in the simulated battlefield Schrade and Castle Fatalisa within the dungeon arena. Hestia’s singing voice echoed in the ears of the astounded audience, nobles and commoners. They thought today was a friendly match, but instead, they were introduced to some army training.

“Hey! We want a fight! What the hell is going on?!”

“Yeah, cut this shit! We came for some blood! Fight, come on!”

Disgruntled arena comers quickly expressed their outrage, shouting at the commentator. However, like a professional, he kept his cool and simply followed Hestia’s orders. “Let the show speak for us,” she told him.

Guelp, hope you know what you’re doing!

“Oi, come on! Fuck this! Hell with that damn manablood bitch!”

“Yeah! All we want is some freaking blood fight, but we get this crap she’d been blasting all day! My bloody ears!”

“Yeah, who cares if she’s some damn dragon! Get the prince to finally hire some dragon slayers! We don’t need some giant fire—”

“But hot in his heels, the trailblazer he must be ♫

But his sight blinded by haste, he did not see the blade which await ♫

The battle began, before morning dawned ♫”

“Ambush!” Jethro, dressed like Yeostar, shouted in the scene like a cannon! Scaring every single person in the audience, enrapturing them in the sight when a horde of demonkins and black roots burst from the ground, attacking Yeostar’s warband.

“Tooth and nail, he fought ♫

Blood and sweat he paid for his error ♫

Enraged, he called out for the Goddess, bringing down light with his sword ♫”

Not only was Hestia the singer and narrator of this play, but she was also part of the special effects crew. She used her flames to create a blade of light, prompting Jethro to slash down, destroying the black roots, which looked quite a bit like demonic tentacles, and the horde of demonkins, dressed up soldiers.

“Fight for me, men! We shall break these demon’s bones! They will sully our soil longer!”

A cool and edgy one-liner. It shocked the adults, captivated the kids, and silenced the disgruntled crowd. Most bloodsport-loving viewers were also followers of Yeostar, and seeing such a cool scene made them second question what was going on. They sat back down, as “Yeostar” began to fight back the horde with his men, only to finally triumph in the end.

Raising his sword up, he shouted, “THIS IS THE FIRST PHASE! Our victory is nigh! For Peolynca!”

“Wooooooooah!”

A battle where nobody could take a breath for a single second, and once it was over, the cheers were deafening, similar to battle-hardened warriors joining in the joy of surviving. The glory of the battle was perfectly expressed to the crowd through song and the actions of the people.

Yeostar looked down at the show in bafflement, unsure how to take in what Hestia had done.

She had stayed up the whole night listening to him retell the true story of the battlefield of Schrade battle, all while she wrote down a rather crude script for her first musical. Most of it had to be improvised by the actors, but that was a problem. Her actors were soldiers. She didn’t expect much.

And it showed when Hestia shared the same reaction. She couldn’t believe it worked out without a hitch.

She had asked Alistar to help her, using the excuse that this was a good time for tactical and sparring training. He could lead his men like a real tactical fight according to the historical retelling of the fight, while Hestia would ad lib everything, narrating as things went by.

Jethro, seeing as he was the only other candidate for Yeostar aside from Larent, was given the main role. He understood he had to do this to hide the threat from the city, but he still found it undesirable to do. However, the moment the situation escalated, both Jethro and Alistar immediately went into warrior mode, treating this play as if it was a real battle.

And this was why the battle felt real, threatening, and had weight behind everything. And this reality of battle drew everybody in.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!” During the end of the first act, Rita, who was responsible for the “demonic tentacles” using her [Floral Magic] cried out like a fan girl. Although not as strong or skilled as Cernust’s floral spells, she was able to make authentic-looking special effects for the show.

And the ever knowledge-seeking dryad almost fell unconscious from all of this, writing down everything that was happening to the point her parchments were torn apart by her charcoal. Hestia had enticed her to help by telling her she had heard all of this from Yeostar himself. This, of course, was an extremely good trade for her labor.

And with these three factors — Alistar training his soldiers, Jethro’s surprising acting ability, and Hestia and Rita controlling the special effects — the show certainly became an event nobody ever expected. And after the second and third phases — the besieging and defense of Castle Fatalisa, respectively — the show reached its climax as the arena seats were filled to the brim. Anybody who came late had to stand to watch.

“Victory is OURS! Glory to the LIGHT!” “Yeostar” raised up his sword, letting its brilliance be seen by everybody in the audience. All saw the blood-covered warrior king stand there, having slain a lesser demon — one of Rita’s wood golem — and they cheered in his name

“And so his sword had slain the darkness, cleaved through the gunk for hope ♫

On a field filled with bodies — allies and foes — he stood tall ♫

For a massive victory was here, claimed by the Waaaarrrrio Kiiiing, Yeeeeostaaaar! ♫”

“Yeeaaaaaaaaah! PRAISE GOD YEOSTAR!”

When Hestia said she would bring the musical festival, she would, for her word was her honor. Even if the script was crude and cheesy, written by a novice writer, it managed to evoke the necessary emotions in the audience. Even if Hestia wasn’t the star of her performance today, she understood as an idol and entertainer that sometimes it was better to give somebody more fitting the limelight.

Nice work, Jethro! Urgh, my poor voice…

… But this facade wasn’t just there to keep the city controlled and entertained before the castle could initiate its plans to protect the city, it was also there to confuse the enemy.

After all, as Vifi’Yok believed, the city should have fallen into chaos. The news of the invasion should have caused everybody to panic. However, instead of that, the whole city blew up with music and pastries. Unease? No.

It was just another day for the Festival of Stars, only this one would most likely be more memorable than others. Especially for Hestia and the crowd of nobles, who were begging her to perform another play so they could analyze it for its actual historical accuracy.

And in the alleys of this city…

“What the hell is going on?!”

… the rats couldn’t understand what was going on.

“Hey, tell— ARRRCK!”

“H-Huh, wha— Urghh!”

“Kraaaaayt!”

…

Footsteps.

“… Hmph.”

Blood drenching the streets and walls. The low moaning and groaning of the dying black mercenaries. All took their last breath as a knight walked over what little remained of their bodies.

“… Another band. Hmm?” The man opened the door of the building they came from. “… Found it.”

The Ex-Hand of Heaven, lurking in the shadows of the brilliant light of the dragon idol, hunting down the threats on his quest for revenge. His blade was soaked in their blood, guiding him forward to find and stamp out the threat as they were divided. All to finally find the group’s secret entrance into the city.

“… Tomorrow, they will die. Clean this mess up.”

“““Yes, sir!””” The soldiers following this former knight saluted, before they began picking up the corpses he made and cleaned the alley with water magic.

Arlond, lad, you will be avenged. That, I swear to the Goddess and my old bones!