18. the spirit festival (2)
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“Since this is your first time around here, do you know the history of the festival?”
Her voice penetrated through the morning chatter. Leko cupped his freshly brewed tea. The flowery one that he had almost begged Ari to share with him. He looked up through lidded eyes at the bright-faced inn lady. Her own white kimono-like dress hung from her curves, covered by an apron. Leko tilted his head, contemplating her words. The party responded with eagerness at the chance of learning some history. Leko ignored them, keeping his ears on her, but drowning out the other annoying sounds. Often times when reading novels, extra characters had far too much information for the sake of the plot. Would this be a moment like that? Leko hummed as he took a small sip of his tea, enjoying the feeling of blooming flowers in his mouth. This inn lady, did she have more information that the average person? Where did she learn it? Or it was common knowledge. Leko didn’t study the places in this new world, nor their histories. The immediate important things and his training took all his attention.
“There’s a story that’s passed down through my family.” she laughed awkwardly, shifting from side-to-side. “I don’t remember it word-for-word.” Leko raised a brow and watched her smile shyly at Lio, who encouraged her. He moved his eyes away from them, picking at his food. “But basically, this city was said to be built by spirits. It was a gift from the spirit king to a family that helped his children. Humans, creatures, and spirits would live together in safety behind its walls. My mother would say that the city now is dull compared to the shining beauty that it once was. They held the festival to thank the spirit king and his people who guard the city against enemies.”
“I didn’t see any creatures or spirit beasts?” Ran questioned. Her forehead creased and her lips turned down. The Inn lady smiled with sadness. Shaking her head, she opened her mouth to speak, but another voice interrupted her.
“The Viscount Ganglay has a hatred towards anything that’s not human. So did his father and his grandfather. They’ve run any and all non-humans out of the city. I’m surprised we still have any favor with the spirit king. We hold the festival, but it won’t be long before Ganglay turns it into something to celebrate himself. The spirit king’s wrath will be upon us then”
Leko turned toward the older man. His eyes locked with a pair of shining emeralds. Despite the beautiful color of the man’s eyes, it had darkness as empty as the deepest depths of the ocean. The story of a harsh past lay in his gaze. Along with bitter hatred aimed at Leko.
“Father, you’re home.” The Inn lady rushed to hug her father. Leko glanced between the two. The older man with his locks of gold and his daughter with thick, ashy hair. The man’s deep eyes lit up a degree as he shifted his gaze and looked at his daughter.
“Please, enjoy the festival while you can,” the man spoke. His eyes turned from his daughter and bore into Leko’s. His lips twisted mockingly. “Before the nobility takes away the last bit of our history.” He turned away from them. He smiled at his daughter, patting her on the head. “Why don’t you go enjoy the festival, Daz? I’ll take care of the inn.”
“It’s my inn, dad,” she complained but was already taking off her apron. Her smile stretched and her gaze flicked to Lio, who grinned as wide as the grand canyon. Hunid looked between the two, shaking his head as he locked eyes with Leko. The caretaker pointed out the back to where their horses were kept. Leko nodded and watched the man leave.
“And your dad can give you a break.”
“Would you do me the honor of showing me around?” Lio all but purred at the girl, who flustered at his attention. Leko withheld a snort. The poor girl was going to be heartbroken. Should he warn her? The whole time she’d been here, speaking to the party, not once did she look at him. She hadn’t even greeted him. More than likely, Leko assumed she thought he was rabid. A valid warning or not, she’d disregard his words.
“Sure,” she stuttered, watching the flirtatious knight from under her eyelashes.
He watched as the knights stood, their seats scraping against the floor. They left together, bumping each other around and laughing before splitting up outside. Leko hummed, ignoring the dark murmured threats that came from his servants. They sat surrounding him with their meals done. Their eyes narrowed on the distant figures of the knights. Leko sighed, placing down the fork he’d been using.
“You guys can go. Don’t cause trouble.”
With his permission, his servants scattered with reluctant strides, leaving Leko with Faier and Kurio. He watched them leave with a raised brow, raising the other when they shot him discreet looks. Leko felt no hostility from the looks.
Kurio and Faier sat watching him eat with cheerful smiles. They didn't speak a word, but Leko felt at ease with the silence. Turning his attention away from them for a second, had them shooting frosty glares beyond their table. Screeching chairs and hurried footfalls sounded as the surrounding area cleared. Leko blinked at them, but the brother and sister didn’t comment on their behavior. He finished his food in haste, deciding that leaving for the festival was best.
Fairy lights hung across the walkways, producing a faint glow in the bright daylight. Once the sun set in the evening, the lights would be a stunning sight to see. They painted the cobblestone path in gold, with white chiseled archways standing proud every few meters. A stunning white flower was spread everywhere. In pots, on beams, in the people’s hair, on their clothes, hanging from the ceiling. Anywhere you looked, you’d find the flower. The citizens all wore the same style of white kimono, decorated with gold accessories. Hairpins, necklaces, masks, and even gold-tinted makeup.
The sky hung clear, no clouds casting shadows. The shining sun blinded his eyes, and the light winds carried a chill. A beautiful day for the festival, yet the atmosphere screamed at him. Voices carried over as the people cheered when their friends won at games. They chattered with excitement and smiled when appropriate. Yet their skittish eyes would flick to the knights that bore Lecorreno’s emblem. When they walked past one, their bodies would seize up. He took note of their behavior, comparing it to that of the people in Baira. The stark difference grated at him. He watched the hungry and wretched gazes hidden behind stony faces as the knights kept their positions.
“Young master, taste this.”
A warm bun with rich sour cream pressed against his mouth. Leko bit down and raised a brow at Faier. He licked the leftover cream from his lips and hummed in satisfaction. It reminded him of hot chocolate with cherries. The maid spun on her heel and ran off to queue at another sweet stand.
“Young master, let’s play this!”
Kurio dragged him off to a whack-a-mole style game. Leko snorted as he watched the butler stick out his tongue while concentrating. The game looked similar to what he’d seen online, but jumping out was miniature Butha figures.
Jaika wants to see the cute pony.
The ponies were small and cute. He held out an apple for one to take. A shaggy black one trotted to him. Leko flinched back when it opened its jaw and he caught sight of rows of sharp teeth. He half threw the apple and gripped his arm against his chest. Leko coughed. Turning away, he decided to go do something else. Kurio and Faier trailed behind him, snickering into their palms.
“Young master, doesn’t this look pretty?”
Tilting a plastic tiara with little glinting fake jewels, Leko raised a brow. He placed it back down and started walking away. A pair of blue jeweled earnings caught his attention. It lay on the table of a stall opposite the one Faier had dragged him to. Leko picked them up, surprised at the weight and cool metal. His thumb rubbed at the small pair. The crafter must have had a lot of talent, the smooth cut of the jewels looked beautiful. Unconsciously, Leko tugged at his ears. This body didn’t have piercings, but he could do it himself. Leko looked up at the smiling stall owner. The scary aura and glinting eyes almost made Leko put the pair down and walk away.
“Young Master, you’re quite good at this.”
He huffed a small breath. The ball toss was hand-eye coordination. It wasn’t exactly an impressive skill. Leko glanced away from his maid and butler's shining eyes. Ignoring the small heat at the tip of his ears. He tossed another one of the bright gold balls into the buckets lined in front of him.
Jaika thinks her hunter would look stunning in those earrings.
Laughing to himself, Leko picked up the dangling pair, bigger than the previous ones he’d bought. They were round at the end, spiraling with gemstone white and gold. He lifted it up to his ear and held it there. Leko glanced at Faier and tilted his head in question. The woman clasped her hands together, squealing. Her eyes shone like the clearest of nights. Kurio grinned, nodding rapidly. Leko almost feared the butler's head would fall off.
“Young master, you should try it!”
Kurio pushed him towards another game. Leko sagged against the insistent hands and heaved a sigh. He’d have more fun if they had a hunting game.
For half of the morning, the excited trio dragged Leko around. Faier took it upon herself to explain spirits and how the festival represented them. Leko never had the heart to tell her that everything she was saying he already knew. Or that he probably knew more than her. The human's information on spirits was limited. He hummed and awed at the right moments, enjoying how her face lit up whenever he showed her that he heard what she said. At moments like these, Leko felt the most curious about the original Leko’s past. Civilians had poor opinions about him. As he expected, yet his personal servants and family adored him. Except for the youngest, she bolted at the sight of him and the oldest, who did actually despise him.
“It’s a shame spirits can’t be seen so easily,” Faier said. Her voice held a hint of wistfulness. Her gaze locked on the peaceful sky.
Spirit beasts, humans had the most interaction with these types. This was not the only type of spirit, but not all humans knew that. Spirit beasts were medium-level spirits. They could take a form on the physical plane. Usually something small, either an animal or an object. The more powerful ones spoke human languages. The majority of spirits are low-level spirits. They couldn’t speak human languages unless summoned by and contracted to a human. A select few creatures and the bare human mediums that existed were the only ones who saw them. High-level spirits could take the form of a human. These guys were powerful and arrogant, too. Amongst them was the spirit king. The one to who all other spirits bowed. A creature that Leko had no knowledge of at all. The hero’s start line never spoke of the spirit king other than an offhand comment or two.
The white in the festival represented the spirits, along with the whither flower. A spiritual flower that was always in bloom. The white flower that could be found everywhere was this flower. The gold represented the king. Both his hair and eyes were gold. They said he was a remarkable beauty. Leko said he probably looked as plain as every other human.
By mid-morning, the once clear skies had a few fluffy clouds scattered around, and the sun had sunk and wasn’t as blinding to his sensitive eyes. Faier dragged them to a pleasant little garden in the outskirts of the festival. The atmosphere was far more light with few to almost no guards and even fewer citizens. Leko gripped at stems of the wither flower, his narrowed eyes focused and a scowl painted on his lips. Each time the stems broke he cursed in his head. Kurio had run off for snacks. Leko felt half-certain that the man wanted to fatten him up. He kept disappearing and bringing new things to eat. Taking over his sister's job when she became more fascinated with finding shiny things than over stuffing Leko.
“Ah.”
He glanced up at the awkward sound. Leko blinked at the knights and the inn lady, who stood a few feet away from him. They shifted around for a few seconds before Zerin threw himself onto the first blanket he found. He purposely tried to look in any direction except the one Leko was at. Leko wanted to huff in amusement, but held it back. He cleared his face and went back to focusing on the weeds in his hands. The other knights followed Zerin down. They spread across a blanket, with Lio and the Inn lady sitting close. Out of the corner of his eye, Leko noted how Lio twirled a lock of the lady’s hair around his finger. Perhaps he should have a talk with the knight about playing with the woman. Seeing her gooey expression and happily flushed face, turn dark when she locked eyes with him for a second, Leko decided to leave it be. He supposed she would learn. Better with a knight that had morals than a rapist who would shatter her.
Leko grumbled as the crown unraveled again. He threw the thing away from him with a huff. It pattered against the freshly cut grass at the black glossed shoes of one of his butlers. Sadly, the most annoying one too.
“Can our beloved master not make a crown from weeds?”
“Piss off.” Leko almost grumbled the words, but managed to keep his voice plain. He flicked his eyes to the knights for a bare second and held back a sigh. Their gazes burned, the small bit of hostility mixed with caution lingering since his words with Ran. He’d made his bad reputation worse, but he wasn’t taking his words back.
“We are stuck with each other, unfortunately, young master.” Buni smiled at him. His eyes turned up and his lips mocked him without words.
He opened his mouth to retort, stopping when a weight settled on his head. Leko looked up at the grinning Faier. She looked like a lunatic. Her rounded eyes glittered and her cheeks flushed as she looked down at him. If Leko didn’t know any better, he’d call her out for being drunk.
“Our young master is so pretty,” she sang. Her hands clutched at Buni, who stared at Leko with a wide smile.
“You look as pretty as a princess,” Buni said.
Touching the object on his head, he noted the soft texture of the whither flower petals.
“Huh thanks,” Leko blinked at Buni, who blinked back, his smile shrinking. Princesses are said to be extremely beautiful. He’d take the compliment. Leko did have rather good genes. Buni opened his mouth before closing it and staring at Leko with furrowed brows.
“Has our young master become a king? I must serve thee humbly.” Kurio immediately sunk to his knees and bowed. Not a single one of the snacks he carried dropped from his hands. Leko felt like that should be labeled a talent. The man was juggling a mountain of foods and sweets.
“Serve thee food then,” Leko joked. Tor stole the food from Kurio, who flailed, falling onto his ass. Kurio glared at the chef, whose eyes glinted with amusement. Tor presented the snacks to Leko.
“My King,” Tor said. Leko let out a bright laugh at his servant’s antics. He grabbed one of the snacks that looked similar to a chocolate bar with a soft smile.
“Thank you, my most humble servant.”
Jaika thinks her hunter would make a wonderful king.
He furrowed his brows at the gaping knights and the smiling servants.
“What?” he demanded. Their gazes accused him of some unknown crime.
Faier settled in front of him and laid her head in his lap. Leko scowled as she brought more of those offending whither flowers. She wrapped the stems around each other slowly. Showing him each step. Leko huffed at her, but picked up a few of the flowers and followed her movements.
“You know, other servants would be beheaded if they use their master as a pillow,” Leko remarked. Faier smiled up at him. Her inky blue hair strewn across his lap and the floor.
“I know.”
They sat together with peaceful conversation flowing between the servants. Leko listened to them talk about whatever came to their mind. He gave small comments every few minutes, preferring to simply watch them enjoy themselves.
“How come you never talk like this while traveling?” Lio pouted at them. His attention had slipped from the disappointed innkeeper to Leko and his servants. He eyed Leko with curious interest.
“The young master isn’t comfortable with any of you knights,” Faier said. Some of the knights flinched slightly. Tirik snorted and harrumphed. She crossed her arms and glared at Leko. He ignored her gaze. The words didn’t come from his mouth. Why glare at him?
“Who would be comfortable with people that hate him?” Tor shrugged. He stared the knights down, who flinched more violently at his words. The guilty looks that Lio and Zerin shot him made his lips twitch. Venas just blinked, but Leko noticed that his eyes weren’t as stony as they had been a few days previous.
Holding his flower crown up, Leko made a sound of triumph. Finally, the blasted thing didn’t break apart.
Jaika is cheering.
Pushing Faier up from her position, he placed the crown on her head with pride. The maid touched it with a beaming smile and a gentle hand.
Jaika also wants a Leko crown.
“You did it, young master. I’m so proud.”
Humming under his breath, he shrugged. Keeping his face impassive and hiding his satisfaction at the praise. After too many tries and a lot of frustration, he made the damned crown.
New quest.
Leko almost jerked. He gazed at the notification in curiosity. The buzzing chatter lulled as he focused on the loading quest.
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Jaika is literally the cutest lol