Chương 120: The Eve

At the entrance of Ursa Farm, Madame Ursa's second son stared in stunned disbelief.

"There was actually a mage in this adventurer team?" That spell from earlier... It could probably shatter even solid stone, right? How could a simple wild boar extermination commission possibly attract such an elite team?

"Haah... haah..." The mission had finally come to an end. After spending half the afternoon chasing boars around, Zelier and Grey were lying on the grass, resting while breathing heavily.

"How does it feel being a warrior?" Grey turned his head and asked Zelier.

"I'm exhausted. Being a mage is definitely easier..." Zelier sighed. It had been a long time since he experienced this kind of primitive combat style. Honestly, simply carpeting the battlefield with Arcane Missiles was much more convenient. Good thing he knew magic. Grey burst out laughing beside him. With the mission completed, only some simple cleanup remained. As for the wild boar corpses, Marcus's team couldn't be bothered to transport them back themselves.

Although these beasts were fierce and violent when alive, their meat was actually quite delicious after death and could be sold for a decent amount of money. There had originally been five wild boars. But after Zelier blasted one apart with an Arcane Missile, only four remained. Marcus's team sold them directly to Madame Ursa at the price of ten silver coins each. Madame Ursa was more than happy to buy them. It saved her the trouble of making another trip into town to purchase meat.

If she smoked the boar meat over firewood and turned it into dried meat, it would be enough to feed the entire family comfortably throughout the winter. After returning to the Adventurer Association and completing the commission handover, the group divided the reward of several dozen silver coins. By then, night had already fallen. Zelier declined Grey and the others' invitation to drink at the Drunken Boar Tavern and returned alone to Nightflower Inn.

Although it had only been a normal-ranked commission, spending an entire afternoon chasing wild boars around had consumed plenty of his stamina. At this moment, his stomach was practically empty. Tonight's innkeeper on duty was Madame Dejean.

"One serving of beef shank in red wine sauce..." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Zelier looked over the menu.

"And a bowl of tomato cream soup."

"Of course." Madame Dejean smiled.

"You must be exhausted after such a busy day. Please wait a moment. Your meal will be ready soon." Zelier sat down at his usual seat by the window. Not long after, a hearty dinner was placed before him. Suddenly, a strand of brown curly hair carrying the faint scent of lavender appeared beside him.

"Hey!"

"Oh, Auro. You're done with work?" Zelier turned his head. Seeing who it was, he smiled and greeted her.

"Yep." Auro looked to be in a particularly good mood today. She blinked playfully.

"Want some?" Zelier politely offered her some of his food.

"No thanks. I already ate in the kitchen earlier." Although Auro refused, she still adjusted her skirt and sat down in the chair opposite him.

"You've been really busy lately." Her eyes fell on the brand-new longsword hanging at Zelier's waist.

"You even changed your weapon."

"I've been training swordsmanship." Zelier cut off a piece of beef and put it into his mouth. Speaking while chewing, he answered somewhat unclearly.

"What about you? Don't you go out and explore during your free time?"

"I got tired of walking around ages ago." Auro rested her chin on both hands and pouted.

"The town is only so big. I could walk through it with my eyes closed. There's nothing new to see." But then her eyes suddenly brightened. Her expression became lively again.

"However... tomorrow is the annual Autumn Harvest Festival!"

"I heard this year is supposed to be much more interesting than previous years!"

"Oh." Zelier nodded thoughtfully. The Autumn Harvest Festival... After the festival, the Mage Guild's monster hunt would begin soon. Time really passed quickly... Seeing Zelier's distracted expression, Auro decided she needed to properly explain things to him.

"Listen, the Autumn Harvest Festival is the liveliest day of the entire year in Blackstone Town!"

"Not only will everyone from town participate, but farmers and hunters from nearby villages will come as well. The streets will be filled with all kinds of stalls."

"There will be bread freshly baked from harvested wheat, covered with sweet icing. There will also be honey ale sold by dwarven merchants pushing wooden barrels around. And there's even a bard competition! The winner can receive a huge reward!" The more Auro spoke, the more excited she became, as if she were already standing in the middle of the festival.

"The entire night market street will be packed with people. Everyone will celebrate until midnight before finally leaving."

"And most importantly... I heard that this year the Mage Guild will put on a massive fireworks display!" Zelier's mind was still focused on the upcoming monster hunt. He was thinking about what preparations he still needed to make. So whatever Auro said, he simply nodded and agreed without really listening.

"Sounds great, right?"

"Yeah."

"There'll definitely be a lot of people."

"Yeah."

"So we'll have to go early and find a good spot."

"That's right."

"So..." Auro suddenly narrowed her eyes mischievously. She leaned forward slightly.

"Tomorrow, do you want to come with me to the Autumn Harvest Festival?"

"Sure." Zelier agreed without even thinking. Several seconds later, he finally snapped back to reality. Wait... What did I just agree to?

"Hm?" Zelier looked up. He met Auro's bright eyes, which clearly showed the satisfaction of a successful scheme....... The next morning. Zelier pushed open the window. A cool autumn breeze carrying the chill of dawn flowed into the room, making him shiver slightly. He looked down at himself. He was still wearing that thin linen shirt. After a night of autumn rain, the temperature had dropped. It was time to buy some warmer clothes.

After heading downstairs, perhaps because Auro had taken the day off, another young woman was working at the front desk. She smiled and nodded politely at Zelier. Today was the Autumn Harvest Festival of Blackstone Town. The origins of this festival could be traced back thousands of years. In essence, it was an ancient tradition created to express gratitude toward the blessings of the land and nature, while praying for favorable weather and abundant harvests in the coming year.

After countless generations of change, it had now become the grandest folk festival in the entire region. It represented the joy after hard work and humanity's hope for a better future. As Zelier walked through the streets, he was immediately surrounded by a lively atmosphere. Every lamp post and rooftop had been carefully decorated. Numerous delicate ornaments hung beneath them. Golden wheat ears. Red maple leaves. Colorful woven ribbons and handmade decorations.

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread and fruit wine. The joyful atmosphere of celebrating the harvest was incredibly contagious. Golden leaves fluttered down from above, landing softly on Zelier's shoulder. Watching all these changes around him, Zelier suddenly realized— The world around him had quietly transformed so much. Normally, he rarely paid attention to these small details of everyday life.