“Sigh, a festival to appease the spirits looks like nothing more than an excuse to get drunk when it turns out this way.”
“Turns out this way?”
“Well, it’s become a known fact that the real spirit lords have never actually seen such a festival before.”
“W-well, just because I haven’t seen one doesn’t mean fire or wind spirits haven’t!”
”…Is there any?”
“Yes, they’re definitely around! …I just haven’t seen them personally.”
”…That doesn’t really reassure me much.”
Helicon was a town with lakes to the south and a desert to the north.
Hearing that many lizardmen had recently been visiting, Gash Zappar, a tailless lizardman axe-warrior, and Heery Water (a pseudonym), a water spirit in the form of a half-elf, arrived just as the end of the year was drawing near.
Fake coniferous trees stood here and throughout the town (since there are few south of the desert, each made by hand), adorned with red decorations. Green and red—the image colors of the Winter Spirit Festival.
Well, even calling it winter is a stretch since it rarely snows south of the desert; frankly, it wasn’t the kind of winter festival one might imagine, like what the Trots would picture. It was a town with coolness comparable to autumn in the north, where all-night rowdy brawls were unfolding.
Spending without hesitation on festivals and such money earned day by day as if a spark lit their claws was one of the virtues of Celesta merchants. Economic stagnation was a nearby evil; only a shrewd merchant would spend lavishly in showy places.
True to this creed, the town’s merchants had planned the greatest banquet in the town’s history since its founding.
“It’s amazing how a place so obscure can have that much money.”
“If there are so many lizardmen coming, they must be making a decent profit, right?”
“Ah… well, speaking of which, rumors of a dragon arriving as the cause sound fishy to me.”
Gash was also one of the lowly lizardmen who worshiped dragons, but he had never met a single one in his life. He didn’t want to spoil the fun for his own kind while they were happy, but dragons could shape-shift to look exactly like humans, so he suspected they were being tricked.
Gash, a former soldier, was well acquainted with the power of recent phantom magic from military mage demonstrations. He wondered if it wasn’t impossible for talented kitsune-beasts or elves to pull it off if they really tried.
“Anyway, doesn’t matter. If the economy’s this good, the Spirit Festival should be a grand affair.”
“Yes. I can’t wait.”
Heery snuggled up against Gash, resting her head on his shoulder.
Gash wasn’t short for a lizardman, but thanks to the species’ characteristic hunched posture, his height wasn’t very tall. It was a small delight for both of them that even with Heery leaning on him—she could be considered slightly short—the scene didn’t look unnatural.
And so, on the day of the Spirit Festival.
As evening fell, the town’s festive atmosphere reached its peak.
“Gash, what’s that?! That!!”
“They say it’s fireworks. The student caravans from the Capital University sometimes put them on… do they do them in a town like this too?”
“Incredible! You can do something like that even without fire or light spirits!”
”…Can fire and light spirits really do that?”
”…I don’t know, but I think I could make an equivalent spectacle with water.”
“That was a good idea. Let’s show it off somewhere sometime and earn some money from it.”
“N-no, wait, no way! You’ll totally get us found out!!”
“It’s a joke.”
Every few minutes, magical pictures of light were drawn in the sky, while temporary beer stalls sprang up all over the town’s streets.
Non-stop, someone would buy up casks of ale shouting, “My treat, everyone drink!” and distribute it to those present, with rivals competing against each other.
Enthusiastic ogres started a sumo tournament, with dark elves, humans, and lizardman merchants joining in, being thrown around with poi-poi sounds to induce laughter, though some really put in the effort, leading to cheers like “Hah, which ace knight is that?”
It was truly a chaotic, energetic festival typical of Celesta.
“Gash, do your best—!” “Watch this.” Gash joined the sumo tournament. His opponent was a middle-aged ogre male. He felt good after drinking and challenged him in high spirits, but facing a race with ridiculous strength sobered him up a bit. He muttered to himself, wondering if he had made a mistake.
“Hey, tailless lizard, you think you know how to take a fall? You better figure out your technique before you break something.”
“Hah. I may be an ogre, but I’m not ancient yet. At this rate, my lower back’s going to give out on me any day now.”
“Wha—how would you know that… No, never mind. Even so, I ain’t about to get pinned by someone your level.”
“We’ll see about that. Don’t underestimate a lizard’s strength.”
Incidentally, given their massive bulk, ogres typically suffer from knee or back problems as they age. It wasn’t that Gash had some special insight; he was just plain talking nonsense.
However, lizardmen have facial expressions vastly different from those of humans and ogres, so this kind of psychological warfare works surprisingly well.
“Alright, C-Stage, Match 27… Fight!”
“Uwaaaaah!!”
“Sshaa!!”
Gash grappled with the middle-aged ogre. Determined to show Heilly a bit of good form, he pressed forward with intensity.
But the ogre, seemingly wary of his back as pointed out, didn’t even bother adopting a proper stance against Gash’s charge; he just vaguely waved his arms in front of him. It was a wide-open invitation.
Thinking this was his chance, Gash accelerated and surged forward, but the middle-aged ogre deftly sidestepped, brushing Gash aside with a light flick of motion.
”!”
There was originally a physical disparity of nearly two to one, which made locking into a proper hold in itself a struggle.
With arms as long and huge as an ogre’s, it was entirely possible to prevent other races from even getting a grip on their body.
That is why opponents from other races would frantically rush forward to avoid being blocked.
Once that momentum was deflected, their balance was inevitably broken.
“You’ve got some oomph to you! Now get out of the ring with that tail of yours!”
With a resounding thwack, he was shoved across his back. Gash tumbled helplessly outside the boundary line.
The surrounding audience burst into laughter.
“D-damn it!”
“Chill, chill. It’s just a festival, don’t take it so personally, Tailless.”
“You had some serious speed there, Tailless!”
While Gash grumbled in frustration, the nearby spectators calmed him down. Heilly ran over to him, laughing as she gently patted his head, soothing him with her hand.
“Ogres are really strong, huh? Good effort award for you, Gash.”
“Goddammit! I’m a warrior, too, y’know!”
“Mm-hm, we know you’re strong deep down, Gash.”
“Lucky to have such a beautiful girlfriend, you old lizard fellow.”
“Sumo’s got nothing on winning over your wife’s heart, Tailless. That old ogre back there? His wife is an absolute powerhouse.”
“Don’t badmouth my wife! I’ve got ears like a dog!”
The laughter wouldn’t stop. Gash stuck his tongue out, enduring the humiliation, but anyone who could tell that he was actually mortified would have to be another lizardman.
This kind of commotion continued until past midnight. When the bell chimed to mark the hour, the crowd suddenly fell silent, and people closed their stalls and began the journey home. “Hey? Gash, what’s everyone up to?” “Huh. …From nightfall onward, it’s the second half of the Spirit Festival matches.” “The second half…?” “Yeah.” Pon, pon, exhaling breath that was slightly tinged with alcohol, Gash patted Heilly’s head lightly. “The Spirits enjoyed the rowdy noise up until midnight. From here on, it’s time for the Spirits’ blessings… something like that.” ”?”
「From now until tomorrow morning is the time of benevolent protection bestowed by the satisfied spirits. They watch over us as we nurture love with our families and lovers, you see」
「Eh?」
「Well, from where you’re standing, it probably feels like you’ve been partying your ass off only to get hit with a bill afterwards, so it’s not exactly amusing. But that’s how it is. Everyone wants to make out, one way or another」
「……I see. Everyone’s just as shrewd as each other, I guess」
「……Well then, Heely. Shall we nurture some love?」
Gashu murmured with an alcohol-scented mouth.
Usually, they never spoke of love; instead, they used their mutual lewdness as an excuse to casually sleep together. But hearing Gashu whisper the word “love,” even if it was just a pretense, even if it was left to the atmosphere, made Heely’s face turn red.
「W-What are you talking about…?」
「So does it not grow?」
Gashu took a small sip of his wine from the wooden cup, looking slightly disappointed. If he finished this glass, they’d have to leave the open-air tavern.
「Nobody said anything like that」
「You’re just as complicated as usual」
「……Listen, you seem to have forgotten, but I’m a spirit?」
「Ah. Right」
「……What’s required of me is to be the one who showers mercy, no?」
「……Hm?」
「Therefore」
Heely leaned close to Gashu’s hard-to-understand ear and whispered.
「……If it’s a day like this, I have no choice but to show some mercy」
「You’re putting on a pretentious act all of a sudden」
Whether Gashu’s split lips and Heely’s small lips would touch or not.
And then, a deafening roar and screams erupted.
「!?」
The two looked up at the sky simultaneously, scanning their surroundings.
「Gashu!」
Heely pointed. To the north, the sky was murky.
「What the hell is that?」
「A sandstorm…maybe?」
「No, for a storm, it’s…there’s strange noise and screaming…along with it」
The sound of something heavy striking the ground. An explosive sort of sound.
「This isn’t good」
Gashu’s warrior’s instincts told him. It was disaster.
Disaster that demanded a warrior stand his ground. His instincts stimulated the bases of his limbs, rapidly rushing blood through his body.
「Heely, let’s go!」
「Gashu!?」
Gashu took off running. He still carried the twin tomahawks passed down in his family line.
Unfastening the fetters sealed with chains and leather from the top, Gashu handled the axes with both hands. His arms still remembered the sensation of becoming one with the weapons.
「That thing…is no good!!」
Gashu’s speed quickly became that of a beast. After all, lizardmen who were warriors were strong by nature.
On the outskirts of the town, people were being attacked by monsters.
A massive serpent…… no.
“A sandworm!? And a goddamn big one at that!”
It was a sandworm, the desert’s notorious giant annelid. Even an average specimen was a pesky beast, measuring five meters in length and several dozen centimeters in thickness, with a carnivorous-to-omnivorous diet. Not only did it feast on scorpions, snakes, and cacti, but it occasionally devoured monsters as well.
One of the larger specimens among sandworms, its girth exceeding one meter, was currently attacking the townsfolk.
“Help! Help meeee!!”
“Goddamnit!! If only Lady Lyra were here, this bastard wouldn’t stand a chance!”
“Someone run to the Ogre Inn and wake up the others! Get down to the Constabulary Post and drag someone out, anyone will do!”
“What good will a constable do against something like this?!”
“It’s better than nothing!! In the worst case, at least get people evacuating…… Ah, shriiiik!!”
And it wasn’t just one. Beyond the grove of palm trees, another grotesque, bulky form could be seen slithering into view.
“Tch…… I’d give anything to have a race that sees in the dark right about now.”
Gash muttered while sprinting at full speed, bringing his twin tomahawks down on the sandworm latching onto one of the townsfolk.
“I, I’m saved!!”
“Get moving and run!”
“Crap…… sorry man, but I can’t! It’s no use!”
The man’s leg was broken. Sandworms may lack teeth, but their suction force is potent enough to crumple animal flesh into a pulp.
Heery, who had been closing the distance on the man, rushed over and held her hand out over his broken limb.
From the wound came an unpleasant crick-crick sound, and the man’s face contorted in pain, but in the next instant, his leg had returned to its original shape.
“W-What……?!”
“Go!! You should be able to run now!”
“Y-Y’know what!”
The man took off running.
“Heery, you get out of here too!”
Gash struck repeatedly at the lunging sandworm, but due to its tough hide, the blades seemed to have little effect, and he was starting to feel a sense of bewilderment.
“I’ve told you before, my main body is that water you’re carrying! There’s no point in this body running away on its own!”
“Tch.”
Gash looked at the silver water flask tied to his waist. It had been an expensive purchase, containing water mixed with Core Elementals (though Gash still didn’t fully understand them, he grasped the concept as something akin to a soul).
This water was the axis of Heery’s existence; even if the girl’s physical form were shattered into pieces, she could seamlessly revive so long as the Core Elementals remained secure…… that was how it worked.
Though they hadn’t tested anything quite that dangerous yet, out of fear.
“If you’re staying put, at least be somewhat useful!?”
Gash shouted, and Heery called back with a “Obviously!”
“Tonight is about showing mercy to people, spirit-beast style!!”
“I’m asking if you can help crush these bastards! If you want to show mercy, do it over there!”
He swung his axe, knocking away the sandworm lunging at Heery. Against a normal creature’s neck, that single blow would have sent its head flying clean off.
But the sandworm showed no signs of being affected.
“Damn it, if I just had my tail!”
Gash gritted his teeth.
Had Gash’s tail been intact, that full-power horizontal slash might have landed a lethal blow on the sandworm. A strike that purely converted his body’s entire power into impact force was different from a cutting attack—it couldn’t be dodged.
But now, Gash’s tail was just a fifty-centimeter stump severed from his lower back. It was useless as far as combat went.
「Water Spirit, don’t you get cocky!!」
From behind that Gash, Heery thrusts out his hand, firing off a spear of water.
The pointed jolt of water strikes the Sandworm squarely in the mouth, rousing it from its daze.
“It’s working!!”
“Nah, it ain’t working at all!”
“It’s working better than Gash is!”
“But I don’t see how we can kill it, though!!”
Trading insults, the two of them fought with their wits to keep the Sandworm away from each other, ultimately displaying a fine combination.
“Goddamn it… with pure power, you could just smash these things flat… where are the Ogres when you need ‘em?!”
Gash cursed. But it seemed the Sandworms hadn’t appeared here alone; screams and booming sounds echoed from all directions, yet there was no sign of reinforcements for Gash and his party.
“Damn it… if General Vincent were here, this time would be…!!”
“Who’s that?!”
“Why are you getting mad?!”
“What kind of jealousy is that when a Spirit is on your side!”
“You can save that kind of jealousy for after we take these guys down, dummy!!”
Once again, Gash let his thoughts drift to the final reinforcement from his days as a soldier.
Wishing for an Overnight in a pinch was perhaps too much to ask, but he missed that chaotic attack power.
“Damn it… it’s a gamble, but should I slam a tomahawk into its mouth?”
“Wouldn’t you just get swallowed?”
“You’re probably right.”
The mouth of the Sandworm, with a diameter of over one meter, would easily swallow a tomahawk whole. Although connected by chains of silk, it was easy to imagine that once swallowed, extracting it wouldn’t be easy.
“Do you guys not have some kind of special move? Water Spirit!”
“I don’t! What do you expect water to do?!”
”…Like a poison that ruins your stomach?”
“I’m losing my patience. Next time we do the dirty, I’m definitely putting in enough poison so you can’t get out of the toilet for a day.”
“Got it, I’m never doing it with you again.”
“Sorry, I was just kidding. Please don’t say mean things like that to me.”
“You’re really weak!!”
Continuing to bounce the Sandworm’s head off while flirting like this, the lovable couple had a bad habit of acting like lovey-dovey idiots. If anyone were watching, they’d probably burst out laughing, saying something like “Only on the night of the Spirit Festival.”
No.
“Hahahaha! You two are so close!!”
They were indeed being laughed at.
『Who is it?』
Gash and Heery turned around with a start.
There stood a woman with tanned skin and silver-white hair, possessing somewhat androgynous aura.
“Yes, well…”
The woman continued to giggle, pointing at the Sandworm.
Faced with the monster rushing them, Gash and Heery reflexively tried to attack.
“It’s a hint. …No one who uses fireworks has come to this town today.”
“Huh?”
“Hint Number Two.” The woman flicked her finger at the sandworm. In the next instant, one of the sandworms was sliced clean in two with a squelch. ”!? ” Gash and Hiel stood dumbfounded. With effortless grace, the woman overtook the pair, spreading her arms wide toward the remaining several sandworms. “Hint Number Three. Tonight, I have a duty to cherish lovers like you.” Then, she executed an elegant half-turn. With her back to the sandworms and facing Gash and the others again, a dazzling light bloomed across her figure. It burst out like a giant firefly scattering into the air, swarming onto the backs, heads, and mouths of the sandworms. The light danced just like the fireworks they had seen at dusk, grinding the sandworms to dust as it trampled them.
“Nice to meet you, warrior lizard and water spirit who love each other.”
An explosion’s roar. Plumes of sand smoke. The green bodily fluids of the sandworms gushing upward.
“My name is Bright Light. I am a humble servant of the light sprite.”
Untouched by any of it, she smiled brightly—she who, in appearance, looked no different from a dark elf.
(To be continued)