“Ah well, the festival to comfort the spirits has turned into nothing more than an excuse to drink.”
“What do you mean, ‘turned into’?”
“We’ve found out that the real spirits haven’t seen the festival before.”
“Oh, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t seen fire or wind spirits!”
”…Huh?”
“They’re here! …Though I’ve never seen them myself.”
”…That’s a bit dubious.”
The town of Helicon, with a lake to the south and a desert to the north.
It was nearing the end of the year when Gash Zapper, an axe-wielding lizardman without a tail, and Hilly Water (pseudonym), a half-elf who appeared as a water spirit, heard that many lizardmen had been visiting recently. They arrived just in time for the winter festival.
The town was lined with fake conifers (since there are almost none in the desert to the south, each family crafts their own) and red decorations. Green and red—those are the colors associated with the winter spirit festival.
Well, even though it’s called winter, it rarely snows in the desert to the south, so it’s not exactly the kind of winter festival Trot people imagine. It’s more like autumn coolness in the north, where a lively all-night celebration unfolds.
In the Celesta merchants’ tradition, they save up their hard-earned money but don’t hesitate to spend generously during festivals. Stagnant economy is considered a close-by evil; businesspeople are meant to show their worth by splurging in such moments.
As with their usual tenacity, the merchants of this town had planned what would undoubtedly be the grandest feast since the town’s founding.
“Of all places, how did a town like this manage to have so much money?”
“If there are a lot of lizardmen here, it must be quite profitable, right?”
“No… well, actually, that whole rumor about a dragon coming is pretty suspicious.”
Gash was a lizardman who worshipped dragons, but he had never once seen one in his life. He didn’t want to dampen the excitement of his fellow lizardmen, but he couldn’t help feeling that they might be being deceived. After all, it was said that dragons could shape-shift into humans.
As a former soldier, Gash knew firsthand the incredible power of illusion magic, having witnessed it during military demonstrations. He thought it wasn’t impossible for skilled fox beastmen or elves to pull off such a feat if they really wanted to.
“Well, whatever. If the economy’s this good, the spirit festival will probably be quite grand.”
“Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”
Healy leaned against Gash, resting her head on his shoulder.
Gash wasn’t particularly short for a lizardman, but his forward-leaning posture meant he wasn’t particularly tall either. It was just a small thing that made it seem natural for Healy, who was slightly petite and stood a bit shorter than average, to lean against him.
And so, on the day of the spirit festival…
Evening arrived, and the festive atmosphere in town began to intensify.
“Gash, what’s that!? What!!”
“It’s fireworks, apparently. The university students do them occasionally, but… they’re doing it in a town like this?”
“Wow, even without fire or light spirits, you can make something like that!”
”…Wait, can fire and light spirits really do something like that?”
”…I don’t know, but I think I could pull off something like that with water.”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s try making a show for some money sometime.”
“Hey, wait, no way! It’ll totally get us caught!!”
“Just kidding!”
In the sky, magic lights drew patterns every few minutes, and the town’s streets were filled with temporary alcohol stalls.
Someone would buy a barrel of alcohol and shout, “It’s on me, everyone drink up!” then pour it out to the crowd, and it’d turn into a competition among groups.
The excited ogres started a sumo tournament, while dark elves, humans, and lizardmen merchants joined in, being tossed around for laughs. But some of them surprisingly tried their best, and people would get excited, saying things like, “Oh, that’s the ace night of so-and-so.”
It was truly a chaotic and energetic festival, very Celesta-like.
“Gash, do your best!”
“Ah, just watch.”
Gash decided to join the sumo tournament. His opponent was a middle-aged ogre.
After drinking some alcohol and feeling good, he thought he’d give it a shot. But facing the brute species of ogres, his buzz wore off quickly. He muttered under his breath, “Did I mess up?”
“Hey, tailless lizard, can you take a fall? If you don’t think about how to fall, it’ll hurt.”
“Ha, even if you’re an ogre, you’re just an old man. That stance of yours is gonna give you back trouble soon.”
“What… why do you know that? No way I’d get knocked over by someone like you.”
“How about it? Don’t underestimate a lizard’s strength.”
By the way, ogres tend to develop knee or hip issues as they age due to their massive size. It wasn’t Gash’s sharp eyesight that gave him away—it was just some teasing.
However, since lizards have expressions completely different from humans or ogres, this kind of banter works strangely well with them.
“Alright, round 27 of the C-stage… begin!”
“Woooooooooah!!”
“Shaaaaaa!!”
Gash clashes with the middle-aged ogre. He puts on a show for Healy, charging in with determination.
But the middle-aged ogre, seemingly concerned about the spot pointed out to him, doesn’t brace himself for Gash’s charge and merely sways his arms weakly. It’s an opening full of flaws.
Thinking he can pull it off, Gash gathers more momentum and charges forward, but the middle-aged ogre casually deflects Gash’s attack with a single flick.
”!?”
The already massive size difference between them makes it difficult to even engage properly.
With its long, powerful arms, an ogre can easily keep other races from even getting close.
Other races, desperate not to be stopped, rush forward recklessly.
But once the momentum is deflected, there’s no way they can regain their footing.
“Your energy’s impressive, but you’re done for! Start over with your tail!”
With a sharp thrust to the back, Gash is sent tumbling outside the bounds of the arena.
The surrounding crowd bursts into laughter.
“Damn it, you bastard!”
“Now, now, it’s a festival. Don’t take it so seriously, Tail-End.”
“You had quite the dash there, Tail-End!”
The onlookers tried to soothe the frustrated Gash. Healy also came over, laughing, and patted his head soothingly.
“Ogres are strong, huh? Gash, you deserve a commendation for your bravery.”
“Damn it, I’m a warrior too, you know!”
“Yeah, yeah, we all know you’re actually strong, Gash.”
“You’re lucky to have such a pretty girlfriend, lizard boy.”
“Instead of sumo matches, the real competition is about who’s got the better wife. That ogre’s wife is something else.”
“Don’t talk crap about my wife! She’s got ears like a hound!”
The laughter never stopped. Gash licked his lips in shame, but only another lizardman would recognize that as a face of embarrassment.
The commotion continued past midnight.
As the bell announcing this rang out, the people suddenly stopped their commotion, closed up their shops, and began heading home.
“Hey? Gash, what’s going on with everyone?”
“Oh. …Well, it’s the second half of the festival from now on.”
“The second half…?”
“Yeah.”
Gash puffed out a slightly drunk breath and lightly patted Healy’s head.
“The spirits enjoyed themselves until midnight. From here on, it’s the time for their blessing… or so they say.”
”?”
“From now until tomorrow morning, it’s the time of the blessing from the satisfied spirits. They watch over families and lovers as they nurture their love.”
“Huh?”
“Well, to you, it probably seems like they’re just partying on their own and then charging you for it. But it’s fine. That’s how everyone gets all lovey-dovey.”
”…Makes sense. Everyone’s being sneaky, I guess, or maybe they’ve got it figured out.”
”…So, Healy. Shall we nurture love?”
Gash muttered with a breathy, drunken voice.
Normally, they didn’t talk about love; instead, they’d sneak around each other’s lewdness and end up together by default. But even if it was just for the sake of appearances or the mood, Gash’s sudden mention of “love” made Healy’s face flush red.
“What… are you saying?”
“I thought we weren’t going to do that.”
Gash took a small sip from his wooden cup and looked slightly disappointed. Once he finished this drink, the open-air bar would have to close up.
“Nobody said anything about that!”
“You’re such a complicated one, you know that?”
”…Hey, it seems like you’ve forgotten, but I’m a spirit, you know?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
”…What I’m supposed to do is nurture it, right?”
”…Huh?”
“So, then…”
Healy leaned in close to Gash’s ear, which was hard to hear, and whispered.
”…Well, if it’s one of those days, I’ll just have to cherish you.”
“Making a big show out of it, huh?”
Would Gash’s wide-open lips and Healy’s small ones meet or not?
And then, a loud roar and screams erupted.
”!?”
Both of them looked up at the sky and scanned their surroundings.
“Gash!”
Healy pointed. To the north, the sky was cloudy.
“What is that?”
“A sandstorm… maybe.”
“No, that doesn’t make sense… and there’s a strange sound, like a scream…”
The sound of something heavy striking the ground. A sound like an explosion.
“It’s bad.”
Gash’s warrior instincts told him. It was misfortune.
Misfortune that demanded action, and his instincts stirred at the base of his limbs, sending blood rushing through his veins.
“Hyreei, let’s go!”
“Gash!?”
Gash began to run. He still carried his family’s twin tomahawks.
He loosened the chain and leather bindings that sealed them, gripping the axe in both hands. He could still feel the sensation of his arms becoming one with his weapon.
“That’s… not good!!”
Gash’s speed rapidly approached that of a beast. Originally, as a lizardman warrior, he was strong.
Outside town, people were being attacked by monsters.
A giant snake… no.
“Sandworm!? And it’s huge!!”
It was a sandworm, a massive annelid unique to the desert.
Even an average individual could reach 5 meters in length and be several centimeters thick, making them troublesome. Not only did they eat scorpions, snakes, and cacti, but they even devoured monsters on occasion.
Even among sandworms, this one was a large specimen, with a diameter of over 1 meter, attacking the residents.
“Help me, help meee!!”
“Damn it!! If only Lady Lyla were here, we could take care of this thing!!”
“Go to the Ogre inn and wake up everyone!! Go to the military post and call for whoever you can!!”
“What kind of soldier could handle something like this!?”
“It’s better than nothing!! At least get them to lead an evacuation… Ah, ahhh!!”
But it didn’t seem to be just one. From beyond the palm grove, a disturbingly massive body was thrashing around.
“Damn it… I wish I were a species with night vision.”
Gash muttered while running at full speed, swinging his tomahawks and slamming them down on the Sandworm that was attacking a townsfolk.
“T-thank you!!”
“Run! Get out of here!!”
“Ugh… Sorry, but I can’t just leave it at that!”
The townsfolk’s leg had been broken. Sandworms have no teeth, but their suction power is strong enough to crush animal bodies into a pulp.
Hilly, who had caught up to the townsfolk, ran over and placed her hand over the broken leg.
From there came a loud, creaking sound, and the townsfolk’s face tightened in pain. But in the next moment, their leg was back to its original shape.
“What…!?”
“Go!! You should be able to run now!!”
“Yeah!”
The townsfolk ran off.
“Hilly, you get out of here too!”
Gash repeatedly struck the writhing sandworm, but its tough outer skin made it hard for the blade to penetrate, and it didn’t seem to be working. He was starting to feel frustrated.
“Like I always say, my true form is that water you’re holding! It doesn’t matter if this body runs away—it won’t change anything!”
“Tch.”
Gash looked at the silver canteen strapped to his waist. It was an expensive item, filled with water mixed with the “true form” of Healy—the nucleus element (though Gash still didn’t fully understand it, he thought of it as something akin to a soul).
This was the core of Healy’s existence. Even if her physical body were shattered, as long as the nucleus element remained intact, she could easily revive herself… or so it was said.
Though Gash was too scared to try such a dangerous thing yet.
“Fine, but you better be useful for something, right!?”
As Gash shouted, Healy called back, “Of course I will!”
“This is the night when spirits are meant to nurture people!!”
“I’m talking about being useful in taking these guys down! If you want to nurture them, go do it over there!”
Gash swung his axe at the sandworm, which had turned toward him and was writhing. This would’ve sent a normal creature’s head flying.
But the sandworm showed no sign of being affected.
“Gah, if only I had a tail!”
Gash gritted his teeth.
If Gash’s tail had been intact, his full-power horizontal slash might have dealt a fatal blow to the Sandworm. Unlike a regular cut, which could be dodged, a pure physical attack converted all of his body’s power into shockwave was unmissable.
But now, Gash’s tail was roughly 50 centimeters long, cut off from his rear. It was useless.
“Water Spirit-sama, don’t underestimate me!!”
Hiei stood behind Gash and thrust out her hand, launching a spear of water.
The pointed water strike hit the Sandworm’s mouth head-on, stunning it.
“It’s working!!”
“No, it’s not!!”
“At least it’s better than Gash’s!!”
“Though it doesn’t seem like it’ll kill it!!”
While bickering, the two of them struggled to keep the Sandworm away from each other, ultimately displaying a good teamwork.
“Goddamn it, I need to crush this with pure power… Where the hell are those ogres?!”
Gash cursed under his breath. However, it seemed the Sandworms weren’t just here; screams and explosions echoed from all over, yet there was still no sign of reinforcements for Gash and his group.
“Damn it… If only General Vincent were here…!!”
“Who’s that?!”
“Why are you angry?!”
“We’ve got the spirits on our side, what’s the problem?!”
“Don’t complain about jealousy until we take these guys down, idiot!!”
Once again, Gash reminisced about the last time he had received reinforcements when he was still a soldier.
While hoping for an overnight rescue might be too much to ask in a pinch, he missed that absurd attack capability.
“Goddamn it… Either way, I’ll just ram a tomahawk down their throat.”
“Isn’t that just asking for them to swallow you whole?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
The mouth of the sandworm, which had a diameter of over one meter, seemed like it could easily swallow a tomahawk. Even though they were connected by silk chains, it was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to extract them once swallowed.
“Doesn’t it have some kind of ultimate technique, Water Spirit-sama?”
“No it doesn’t! What are you even expecting from water?!”
”…Something like poison that’ll make your stomach hurt?”
“I’m pissed. Next time we do it, I’m totally putting poison in you. The kind that’ll keep you out of the bathroom for a day.”
“I get it. I’m never doing it with you again.”
“Sorry, I was kidding. Don’t say mean stuff like that, please.”
“You’re so weak!!”
The couple kept hitting the sandworm’s head over and over while being all lovey-dovey. If someone were watching, they’d probably burst into laughter, thinking, “This is just like the night of the spirit festival!”
No.
“Hahahahahaha! You two are so close!!”
They were actually laughing out loud.
Gash and Healy turned around in shock.
Standing there was a woman with tanned skin and silver hair, giving off an androgynous aura.
[Woman]: “That’s right.”
The woman chuckled softly and pointed at the sandworm.
As the monster charged, Gash and Healy instinctively tried to attack it.
[Hint]: ”…There are no fireworks users in this town today.”
[Hint]: “Hint #2.”
The woman swung her pointing finger sideways.
In the next moment, the sandworm suddenly split into thin slices with a sharp thwack.
”!?”
Gash and Healy stood dumbfounded.
The woman calmly passed by them, spreading her arms to the remaining few Sandworms.
“Hint #3: Tonight, I have a duty to nurture lovers like you.”
Then, with a graceful spin, she turned her back to the Sandworms and faced Gash and Healy.
A dazzling light enveloped her back as it swelled.
It scattered like a swarm of giant fireflies, showering the Sandworms on their backs, heads, and mouths.
The light danced like fireworks at sunset, reducing the Sandworms to dust.
“For the first time, I meet you, lovers of the lizard warrior and the water spirit.”
The explosion, the sandstorm, and the gushing green fluids from the Sandworms.
“I am Bright Light, a fragment of the light spirit.”
Without being tainted by any of it, she smiled warmly, looking every bit like a dark elf.
(To be continued)