Chapter 120: Leca’s Harvest (XI)

Translator: AdCaelum

Editor: Evelet

QC: Adel

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“Good morning. I am Elitz and I will be serving as the host for this joint harvest festival today between Leca and Amade. Today’s weather is great, perfect for the festival, so, everyone, please enjoy the day’s festivities.” Elitz merrily smiled and greeted the crowd. He took his hat off and bowed, and those close to Elitz clapped and cheered.

“Then, let us begin the festival’s opening ceremony. First is… Well, I’m sure everyone is already aware, but we have our great mayor Lord Violant here with us today. This is the first time he’s attending the harvest festival since moving here. Everyone, let us welcome him.”

“As expected, our lord’s popularity knows no bounds. If I may be bold enough to ask, could you also cheer me on a bit more?”

Elitz cracked a joke and it elicited some laughs here and there. Elitz grinned and pointed to the officials and village chief lined up next to him.

Cheers much louder than before rang out. Elitz shrugged his shoulders.

“Then, let’s have these two members of the festival committee and the Amade village chief give their greetings in that order. First is Rourke. The stage is all yours.”

“Y-yes!”

Rourke was nervous as his body stiffly made its way past Elitz to the stand. Rourke, Carlsen, and the Amade village chief Taurus each gave their speeches, and then it was finally Vio’s turn. While the village chief was giving his speech, Vio took off his cloak. Once he was done preparing, Vio nervously got up on stage. Legion accompanied him up and stood in wait behind him. The gathered crowd was restless. As Vio slowly ran his eyes across them, they naturally quieted down.

“Good morning, everyone. There may be some fresh faces here, so I’ll reintroduce myself. I am Violant Lesserhain, the local lord appointed to manage Leca and Amade. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

Vio was relieved to see the people nod their heads and continued his speech.

“I heard that people use the Leca flower ink to paint designs on their faces during this festival. I also tried it out… but I guess experience really does matter as everyone else’s face paintings look so good. The elderly lady there is especially amazing.”

Vio pointed to a gray-haired elderly lady and complimented her, and she blushed. Everyone around her was happy for her as they slapped her on the shoulder and cheered.

“When I came here, I was initially surprised. I love tea, but I had no money to spare for any during my first year’s stay. However, thanks to my accidental discovery of the effects of the Leca flowers, I could finally buy some tea. That was probably the best thing that came from it,” Vio joked, and the people of Leca and Amade laughed and clapped.

“I heard that we have this year’s harvest on display here today. Rather than just looking at numbers on paper, seeing the actual yield with my own eyes is more pleasant. Although I’m incompetent, I hope to do my utmost to continue to grow and develop Leca. I ask that you help me in this endeavor. May the Great Verdant Spirit Yuglena bless everyone.”

When Vio ended his speech with this prayer, the crowd smiled and applauded back.

“Good fortune to the mayor too!”

“May Lord Violant also be blessed and protected!”

Vio naturally broke into a smile upon hearing these kind words. In the very next moment, the applause seemed to be louder than before. Vio was a little surprised, but he lightly waved his right hand before getting off the stage.

“Thank you.”

He thanked everyone, got down from the stage, and headed back to the shaded area. The whole area was filled with warm applause and prayers. Vio’s heart was filled with everyone’s kind thoughts, and he felt glad that he came to give a speech. In the shade, Rille’s face was red and she enthusiastically clapped as she welcomed Vio back. She put Vio’s hooded cloak back on him, but he decided not to put on the hood. He sat in the chair and watched the rest of the festival.

“You were magnificent, Lord Violant,” Legion said.

“Yes, it was a very fantastic speech!” Rille said.

Legion and Rille both showered Vio with praise. Vio had an embarrassed smile in response but covered his mouth with his hand. He only stated his true feelings, but he was glad that everyone was happy. Elitz was hard at work calming down the excited citizens in front of the plaza. Vio felt sorry for him, glanced at his surroundings, and gestured with his index finger to his mouth, “Settle down.” The people put their hands over their mouths and immediately quieted down. Elitz wiped his sweat with a handkerchief as he shook his head from side to side.

“Thank you very much, Lord Violant. Everyone here is so upfront with how they feel! Sigh, but thank you for the assistance, Lord Violant. …Then I shall continue with the ceremony.”

Elitz raised his right hand, and the band began to play. As the upbeat rhythm rang out, two carts carrying the harvest were carried before the shrine. Since this was just a formality, the crops loaded there were only a small portion of the entire harvest. Priests clad in elegant garbs of white and green welcomed the wagons. The assistant priest rang a bell, its clear sound echoing, and the band stopped playing. The priests raised both arms and dramatically bowed. Then they began chanting prayers of fortune. All the citizens took off their hats, closed their eyes, and offered their prayers. A priest accepted a gold-painted staff from the assistant priest, held it over the harvest, splashed holy water, and prayed again. The priests faced the shrine and deeply lowered their heads. Everyone else present also did the same. When the priests raised their heads, the assistant priest rang the bell again. The quiet, sanctified plaza broke out into applause and returned to being lively.

Elitz went back up on the stage. “Holy priests, thank you very much for the blessing! Everyone, we are grateful for this year’s harvest and hope for another bountiful one next year. With this, the opening ceremony has concluded. May the Great Verdant Spirit Yuglena guide Leca and Amade!”

Everyone in the plaza returned the prayer. With the opening ceremony over, everyone began to get excited. The band resumed playing, and food and beverages were brought out to the tables placed around the plaza. While people scrambled to eat and drink, others began dancing in a circle in the middle of the plaza. Vio chuckled a little at how quickly everyone moved as if this was what they were truly looking forward to. Young ladies with Leca flowers adoring their one-piece dresses began to gather around Vio.

“Lord Violant, how about we have a go together~?”

“Hey, no cutting the line! How about with me?”

“Why do you get to invite him then?!”

The ladies began pushing each other, so Legion stood in front of Vio.

“Excuse me, but please take your fighting elsewhere.”

The ladies looked up after Legion warned them and got flirty.

“How about you, Sir Knight?”

“Let’s dance together.”

“Da-da-dan. Da-da-dan. That’s the rhythm. Easy, right?”

A girl even showed him her moves, but Legion clearly shook his head.

“I will not dance. Now, please leave.”

“Hmph. So mean!”

“You don’t have to shoo us away like dogs!”

Vio spoke to the angry ladies. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit tired from all the heat. I will not be dancing. But please enjoy the festival,” he said.

“Yes, we will.”

“Please enjoy it too, Lord Violant.”

The ladies squealed in delight and bowed. After having shot glares at Legion, they headed to the center of the plaza. Legion had a strained smile on his face and returned to Vio’s side.

Rille burst into laughter and said, “You could have gone with them, you know?”

“No, going along with people you’re not interested in will only lead to fatigue.”

“Oh, how I want Sir Cheval to hear those words.” Rille noticed the empty glass and said, “Lord Vio, your water cup appears to be empty. I’ll get you some now.” She grabbed it and left for the table with all the beverages.

Vio tilted his head before looking up at Legion. He asked, “Hey, how do you think Rille feels about Sir Cheval?”

“Who knows? I don’t understand girls’ hearts. They’re complicated, like a maze,,” Legion muttered grimly. Vio just shrugged his shoulders in response.

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