LHAHS Chapter 502
Piiiiiing! Boom! Boom—!
"Whoaaa!"
Fireworks soared high into the sky, marking the start of the Twilight Festival.
Cheers erupted from every direction, and countless people on the streets beamed with bright smiles.
Lumeria City, the center of the world, was always bustling with life, but today, it was livelier than ever. Many different races, who were rarely seen on ordinary days, roamed the streets.
Because of its name, the Twilight Festival was often mistaken as a festival dedicated solely to Lumene, but in truth, it was not just for Lumene. Throughout Lumeria City, statues of the Heroes of Dawn stood tall. And at the center of the main plaza, the statues of none other than the Great Heroes decorated the scene.
The countless visitors of Lumeria City offered flowers to the Great Heroes.
This year, in particular, there were many tributes to Aaron. The reason was because last summer, Aaron had appeared in the present world and hunted down a fragment of Erebos, an event that left a deep impact.
Children ran through the streets, dressed as the Great Heroes and wearing masks.
"It feels like Godthrone," Luna murmured as she stood in the middle of the street, dazed.
Indeed, the sight of numerous races coexisting in harmony gave the city an atmosphere reminiscent of Godthrone.
"Of course, at its core, it's different."
The festival embodied peace itself. There was no sense of anxiety; everyone wore joyful expressions.
Luna closed her eyes.
So this is the world we saved.
Her heart swelled. She had already come to terms with the fact that they had saved the world, but seeing the countless people on the streets smiling in happiness made her feel a warm sensation in her chest.
It was, quite literally, moving.
Thud—!
A child, too caught up in playing to watch where he was going, ran straight into Luna.
"Ahk!"
"Are you okay?" Luna blinked in surprise and helped the boy who had fallen after bumping into her.
"Yes, I'm okay. I'm sorr…" The boy, who was holding onto Luna's hand as he got up, suddenly gasped. "Wow! You look just like Lady Luna!"
"You think I look like Lady Luna?"
"Yeah! You're really pretty!"
"What an honest little one." Luna grinned and helped him to his feet. As she dusted him off, she noticed a scrape on his hand and healed it with magic.
"That's amazing! You're a mage!"
"Of course, since I look like Lady Luna."
"But, big sis… Did you drink? You smell like alcohol."
"Yeah, I had a little." Luna smiled, then suddenly put on a serious expression. "Now, here's a question. Among the Great Heroes, who is the greatest Great Hero?"
"Sir Dweno, of course!" The boy clenched his fists, his eyes sparkling. "Sir Dweno was the one who made the divine artifacts used by the Great Heroes! My family are blacksmiths! That's why I think Sir Dweno is the greatest Great Hero!"
Sure enough, the boy's outfit resembled Dweno's, and on his back was a Dweno mask.
Luna grinned widely and said, "Wrong. The greatest Great Hero is Lady Luna."
"Eh?" The boy looked at her with skepticism.
"Don't 'eh' me. Dweno was a perverted, eccentric dwarf."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I'm Luna."
"Big sis, you're drunk, aren't you?"
"That's why I'm confiscating that mask. I'll buy you a Luna mask instead." Luna reached to take the Dweno mask.
The boy, frightened, took a step back.
"What are you doing to the kid, you drunk?" Leo remarked.
"Early education is important! There's no way I can let such a young, innocent child admire that perverted old man!"
"Don't crush the kid's dreams."
"Reality is cruel! Kids should know the truth! No, wait! That old man was never a respectable figure to begin with!" Luna wailed.
Naturally, people's gazes began to gather on them.
The boy, watching the scene unfold with a blank expression, suddenly waved his hand. "Bye, pretty big sis who looks like Lady Luna! Have a nice date with your boyfriend!"
He smiled brightly and disappeared into the crowd.
"Luna, we found you!"
At that moment, Chen Xia and Eiran hurriedly ran over. They had been together, only to be shocked when Luna suddenly vanished.
Leo grabbed Luna by the back of her collar and set her upright. "As you can see, she's wasted."
Watching her, Chen Xia said, "Lady Luna, it seems you've had quite a bit to drink. Perhaps you should stop now."
"I'm fine." Luna shrugged.
Indeed, her face looked perfectly fine. If not for the strong smell of alcohol surrounding her, no one would have guessed she had been drinking.
However, her actions were unrestrained and erratic. She was acting exactly like a drunk person.
As soon as the festival had begun, Luna had eagerly indulged in street stall liquor, and only the strongest drinks, with high alcohol content. As a natural-born heavy drinker, Luna was like a fish in water at a festival.
"Hey, mister! One more round!" Luna called out to the vendor, who laughed heartily and handed her another cup.
"Elf lady, you drink well!"
"Ahh~ This is what life's about!"
As Luna cheerfully downed her drink, Eiran looked on with concern. "I-Is she really going to be okay?"
"Once she gets going, no one can stop her." Leo clicked his tongue and took out a small map from his coat. "Let's just head to the inn where Carl said he'd be."
Carl had already secured lodgings for the Twilight Festival. His connections extended beyond school, so he had confidently claimed he found a great place.
"Hey. We need to move now."
"Just a little more."
Even at Leo's words, Luna showed no intention of moving.
Seeing this, Leo finally stepped forward, wrapped an arm around Luna's waist, and hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of flour.
But Luna, seemingly used to this, simply continued drinking with both hands.
Watching this, Chen Xia muttered, "I always knew she was unique… but she's truly something else."
The true image of the Great Hero she had admired since childhood was strangely familiar yet utterly surprising.
Chen Xia cast a slightly worried glance to the side. To someone as pure as Eiran, Luna's drunken antics might have been shocking. When she turned her head, however, Eiran was pressing her hands together, smiling radiantly.
"Lady Luna… is incredibly beautiful."
What?
Luna, being dragged along by Leo, looked anything but beautiful.
Well, Eiran does have… unusual tastes.
With a sigh, Chen Xia accepted it and took Eiran's hand, following behind Leo.
A short while later, Leo and his group arrived at an establishment that served as both a tavern and an inn.
Chen Xia tilted her head at the sight. "Is this really the place?"
"It is," Leo muttered, glancing at the tavern's name.
Carl had claimed to have secured a great lodging, but this place was far from what Chen Xia or Eiran would consider good accommodations.
Just then, the tavern door swung open, and Carl rushed out with a bright smile. "Oh! You're here! You're here! Come on, don't just stand there!"
With his usual sly grin, Carl led them toward the back of the tavern.
"This is the great lodging you were talking about?"
"Yeah. I rented out the entire top floor! And it's free!" Carl winked and gave a thumbs-up. "Well, actually, I helped out this place a while back. Thanks to that connection, I managed to get it, but there's a condition."
"A condition?"
"Yeah. For one day, Lumene's student council president, Leo, has to work as a waiter!"
Just as he said, Carl was already dressed in a waiter's uniform.
Chen Xia narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "You want Sir Leo to work as a waiter?"
Carl flinched under her icy stare. He knew how devoted Chen Xia was to Leo, treating him almost like a lord. Asking Leo to take on something like a waiter's job was bound to offend her.
"Well… not just the lodging, but the food and drinks are free too. I thought it'd make for a good memory…"
"Free alcohol?" Luna's eyes lit up. "I'm in."
"Huh? Lady Luna, you're going to be a waitress?" Eiran was utterly flustered.
The greatest hero of the elven race, working as a waitress? What an outrageous, blasphemous act!
"So what! It's free alcohol! Leo! You're in too, right?"
Unfortunately, Luna didn't care in the slightest.
Leo smirked. "Sounds fun."
"Ooooh!!" Carl let out a cheer. "Since the two of them agreed, there's no problem, right?"
He grinned at Chen Xia and Eiran.
The two girls, who were usually cheerful, simply stared at Carl in silence.
"W-What's with that look?"
"Carl."
"You'll be struck by divine punishment."
Carl flinched at their half-lidded gazes.
Step, step—
Night had fallen, but true to the festival spirit, the streets of Lumeria City were still filled with energy.
A red-haired elf walked through the bustling roads.
As the beautiful elf passed, the crowd naturally parted. Without realizing it, people moved aside, overwhelmed by the sheer presence she exuded.
Walking nonchalantly through the space they created, Lunia scoffed. Her striking red hair and piercing gaze made her presence feel even stronger.
I was supposed to come here with Eiran.
Lunia felt a pang of regret. She envied her friend, who had gone to Lumene as an exchange student before her.
Of course, Seiren, like Lumene, was an academy for training heroes, so it wasn't as if her education was lacking. Even so, Lunia couldn't help but be jealous.
Eiran must have been with Leo all the time, huh?
Lumene was home to Leo Plov, and Lunia wanted to show him how much she had changed over the break.
It hadn't been long, but she had undeniably grown stronger. She had finally formed a contract with the phoenix, something she had long desired. On top of that, the magic Leo had taught her, Flame Emperor, had become even more refined.
She was eager to show him her progress, to show him that she had undoubtedly taken a step closer to him. Unfortunately, she had only just managed to make time after handing over her duties as student council president to another member.
I was supposed to arrive in the morning.
Lunia clicked her tongue.
Something had come up at school today. News had spread throughout the academy that Rune, the acting headmaster, had collapsed.
At first, the school was thrown into chaos, but Rune himself quickly reassured everyone that it was nothing serious, and the commotion died down.
He said he'd be fine after resting for a few days, but Mr. Rune looked pale.
He hadn't shown it outwardly, but Rune's condition had been grave.
With a lingering sense of unease, Lunia stopped walking.
I should let Eiran know.
Since it concerned her grandfather, Eiran deserved to be informed.
With that in mind, Lunia stepped into an alleyway.
Carl said he booked an inn around here, right?
Because of the Twilight Festival, the entire city was overflowing with people. There were even quite a few elves around, despite the fact that they generally disliked human cities.
Just as Lunia was checking the address…
"Tsk, an elf wearing a human's servant uniform and waiting on humans?"
"She's a disgrace to our race."
"To make matters worse, she's drunkenly making a scene in an alleyway. As a fellow elf, I'm ashamed."
Voices of disgruntled elves reached her ears from a distance.
There are elves like that everywhere.
Elves who were so proud of their race that they looked down on their own kind for not meeting their standards.
Lunia clicked her tongue. She didn't care for their type.
Just as she was about to continue toward the inn, though, the sound of someone retching echoed.
"Uurk! Blaaargh!"
People passing by the alley snickered.
Lunia instinctively glanced toward the source of the noise, and let out a hollow laugh.
There, an elf dressed in a waitress's uniform was leaning against a wall, throwing up.
"Bleeeugh!"
Okay, yeah, that's embarrassing as a fellow elf.
Lunia felt secondhand embarrassment creep in. She was about to walk away, determined to ignore the disgrace to their race…
"Are you alright?"
When a familiar voice came from the alleyway.
Eiran? Lunia's eyes widened as she turned toward Eiran, who was flusteredly patting the elf's back.
"Eiran… Ugh… T-Thanks… Bleeeargh!"
Even as she expressed her gratitude, the elf didn't stop vomiting.
"Eiran, what are you…" Lunia began, when Eiran's voice reached her ears.
"Lady Luna. Perhaps it's time to stop drinking…"
"What?!"
Hearing Eiran's words, Lunia shouted in shock.
Eiran, blinking in surprise, finally noticed Lunia and smiled brightly. "Lunia!"
"What? Luni—Uwaaaargh!" Luna turned her head mid-sentence and threw up again.
The moment Lunia saw Luna's face, her expression hardened. "Right. This is a dream. A dream. Yes, I'm dreaming."
Lunia firmly rejected reality.
Yeah, there's no way Lady Luna would be here. A miracle like Sir Aaron's appearance wouldn't just happen so easily, right? Yep. This is a bad dream. No way Lady Luna would be throwing up like this. Yep. Time to wake up.
The Luna that Lunia knew was beautiful, graceful, and compassionate. On top of that, she had a slight mischievous side, making her an utterly perfect elf.
As Lunia desperately tried to deny reality, Leo stepped out into the alley.
"Unfortunately, this is real," he said coldly. "This is Luna's true self."
"Lies!" Lunia shook her head in shock.
Leo smirked. "Seeing the ugly side of the world is part of growing up."
"No, it's not!"
"Congratulations. You're an adult now."
"If this is adulthood, I don't want it!" Lunia, desperately trying to deny reality, stumbled.
Eiran gasped and quickly helped support her.
Meanwhile, Leo patted Luna's back in Eiran's stead and muttered, "Congratulations, you're an embarrassment to your race. Happy now that you've shattered her illusions?"
"What illusions?"
"…Never mind. Just finish what you were doing."
At his words, Luna turned back to the ground.
As he patted her back, Leo muttered to himself, "Maybe I should've stopped her from acting out so much…"
"What? What did you say…?"
"Nothing."