Chương 632: B9 - Chapter 10: Merit Festival I

The sun shone bright over Rukia, with not a single cloud in sight. Banners hung between buildings, their colors vivid beneath the clear sky, while vendors prepared their stalls and children darted through the streets with excited laughter. It was as if even nature were welcoming the capital's grand celebration in its full splendor. In contrast, Leo's mood was complicated as he walked the capital's streets. He had set out alone. The main event wouldn't start for several hours, and he needed to clear his mind.

Even now, with the event right before their eyes, Zeke had still not told him what he was supposed to do when the time came. Even when pressed, his brother had merely told him that everything would become clear once the ceremony started. Aside from that, his brother had left him two other missions. First, he had tasked Leo with paying attention to what the other recipients did when claiming their rewards. And second, he had told him to wear his armor instead of a ceremonial uniform.

Leo understood the purpose behind neither. The armor in particular earned him more than a few looks as he passed through the festive streets, but he was well past the point of caring. Whatever games Zeke and the Queen were playing, he would simply watch from the sidelines. Or at least, that was what he kept telling himself. He was a warrior, not a politician. Leo's brows didn't relax until he reached the outskirts of the capital half an hour later.

He was just about to cross the eastern gate when a chorus of voices reached his ears. His mood brightened instantly. Nodding at the guards, who seemed to recognize him, he took those last few steps outside the walls and found himself immediately face-to-face with a veritable army of children. They noticed him at the same time.

"LEO!"

"It's Leo!"

"Leo is here!" Dozens of voices called out at once. Soon, there were so many that he could no longer make out anything they were saying. The crowd swarmed him, forming a giant huddle with him at the center.

"Did you really ask to play with us today, Leo?" a girl close to him asked excitedly. Leo booped her nose.

"I sure did." The girl's eyes lit up, and the excitement spread through the crowd like a spark through dry grass. The Alexandria was a great place to them, even a home, but children, especially half-elven children, shouldn't stay cooped up inside all day. Leo had long since noticed it. Some lingered near the windows whenever the sky was clear. Others slowed whenever they passed an open hatch or asked too casually when they would be allowed outside again.

But usually, there was no place where they could be allowed to roam freely. With the limited manpower they had now, they couldn't keep so many children safe. Today was going to be different. He started with a smile.

"I am going to take you to a festival inside the—""What!? A festival?"

"Is it the harvest festival?"

"Is it already time for that?"

"I want to eat candy!" Leo was once again overwhelmed by the chorus of voices. They weren't even paying attention to him anymore. He channeled mana through his body and into the ground. A wide pillar rose beneath his feet, elevating him above the children's heads. The noise quieted down instantly as they watched the magical display in awe. Leo used that chance.

"Listen up." He spoke in a loud voice, so that even those in the very back could hear him.

"The festival I am going to take you to is not the harvest festival you know, or any other festival you would recognize." This time, the children listened quietly.

"It is a new festival, one that was only established this year. It is for the coronation of the new queen, and at the same time, it is to celebrate Rukia's victory in the war against the Ehrenlegion." At the mention of the Legion, the expressions on the children's faces changed. A few of the younger ones shrank back. One child clutched another's sleeve, while a boy near the front lowered his head, his smile twisting into something far too hard for his age. They showed clear signs of fear.

Most, however, burned with anger and hatred. Leo clapped his hands to snap them out of it.

"That means I am going to take you into the capital," Leo said, pointing at the gate looming large behind him.

"But I need you to promise me you will behave. Otherwise, I cannot bring you along." There was a moment of silence.

"I promise."

"I swear I will behave this time, big brother!"

"I will be good."

"I won't even eat candy!" A dozen serious little faces turned toward the last speaker. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"…without asking," the child added quickly. Leo listened to their chatter for a while, as if actually waiting until all of them had promised.

"Okay. Okay. That is enough," he said, urging them to silence once more.

"Make sure to remember, always stay close to either one of the guards or me." He pointed at the three dozen members of the Bloodguard who had guided the children here. They had formed a protective perimeter around them, their serpentine lower bodies almost creating a kind of encirclement. It was surprisingly useful when herding children. A shame that they were also very competent fighters; otherwise, they would have made for excellent caretakers. The children looked at the Chimeroi.

They had seen them often enough aboard the Alexandria not to flinch at their appearance anymore, but seeing them from afar was different from being told to stay close to them. A few of the younger children edged closer to Leo, while others stared openly at the Bloodguards' serpentine bodies, caught somewhere between fear and curiosity.

"If you are nice to them, they will buy you whatever you want," Leo said casually. That was enough. The moment the words were spoken, the stalemate shattered. As if there had never been any barrier to begin with, the children clung to the Chimeroi as if they were their own parents. Leo smiled at the sight. It had definitely been worth it to splurge with his allowance a little, just to see this. The Bloodguard, for their part, remained characteristically stoic.

They were cold-blooded to begin with, so it wasn't easy to make them react strongly to anything. Even so, Leo could see a few of their mouths twitch into a smile when they were piled on by the children. Half-elven children were just that adorable, truly a lethal weapon. They passed through the gate without any problem. The guards had been informed in advance, and the orders had long since been delivered to them. For Leo, it was still a surreal experience.

Just yesterday, he had casually lamented how much of a shame it was that the children couldn't take part in the festival. Zeke had looked at him as if he were an idiot. Leo hadn't understood it then, but after Zeke's eyes had gone vacant for a few seconds, he had simply told him that it had been arranged.

"It" meaning everything. The delivery of the children, the guard force, the permits to enter, the allowance. All of it. Zeke had handled it as if Leo had merely asked him to pass the salt. Leo's mouth had dropped open. It was only then that he truly understood how much his life had changed. It hadn't been long since he had been the boy begging for scraps at the side of the road. The boy who had to sleep under bridges to shelter from the rain. But his words carried weight now.

He had even become a Grand Mage, and not a weak one. He was now a man who stood above thousands and beneath only a few. It was easy to forget that while constantly being surrounded by people who were so much stronger than him. But in any other setting, Leo could be considered a force in his own right. Time passed quickly as their excited group made their way to the center of the city. The roads on the way there were still mostly quiet, though life had already started to return to many of the outer districts.

Their group garnered quite a few curious looks wherever they passed. Hundreds of children, escorted by demi-human guards. But looks were all they were getting. Nobody caused any trouble or got in their way along the entire march. Soon, their group arrived at the inner gate, where a long line of people had already formed. The queue was so long that it would have likely taken them at least an hour to reach the front.

But the moment one of the Bloodguard soldiers hoisted the crest of the von Hohenheim company, they were waved through without the need to wait in line or even show any kind of identification. The moment they stepped into the city center, the entire atmosphere changed. Colorful banners hung from every balcony. Loud voices proclaimed their goods from every side. There was laughter and cheering, drinking and cursing.

Musicians played at street corners, and the smells of roasted meat, fried dough, and spilled ale filled the air. The place was so lively that it almost seemed as though they had travelled to a different world. The sight brought a bittersweet feeling to Leo's heart. Was this how lively the entire capital had been before the war? Did the Legion even know how much harm they had caused? But he couldn't wallow in his complicated feelings for long.

The very moment they passed the gate, the children exploded in every direction at once. Their earlier promise to behave had long since been forgotten. Thankfully, they still remembered to drag the Bloodguards along. Though that was likely only because they carried the money. Leo himself was also quickly dragged along. First to the food stands, where he was forced to buy anything and everything that caught the children's fancy. Naturally, he wasn't spared from sampling all the sugary sweet desserts as well.

He especially liked a cotton-like substance that was served on a stick. It clung to the tongue at first, light and airy, almost melting before he could properly chew it. The taste started out bitter, but the longer one chewed, the spicier it became. One child insisted he try a skewer of grilled meat covered in red powder, only to burst into laughter when Leo's eyes watered. Another dragged him to a game where he had to knock over wooden soldiers with a leather ball.

By the time he finally won, three children were already climbing over each other to claim the prize. From time to time, his group would encounter another group of children, escorted by one of the Bloodguards. Whenever that happened, some of the children would swap. They would either join his group or join the Bloodguard, depending on where the other group was heading next. From morning till lunch, Leo found himself being dragged around.

From snacks to food, to attractions and games, only to somehow end up back at the snacks. And so, the cycle continued. But honestly, Leo couldn't say that he minded. It was the first time in days that his thoughts relaxed. He didn't think about his merits, didn't think about the schemes, the games, the power plays. All he cared about was the children's smiles and where he would get another one of those cotton sticks.

But after lunch came and went, Leo noticed that most of the food stands and even bars were starting to close. Signs were hung up, and the people simply left. Even the streets were noticeably clearing up. The children looked around in confusion, wondering if the festival was already over, but Leo knew the truth. It wasn't that the festival was over, but that the main event had arrived. He quickly made a beeline for the nearest Bloodguard and handed over the children under his care.

He would need to make a stop at the inn first, to clean up and make himself presentable again.

"Where are you going, big brother?" the same girl from earlier asked. She had stuck to him all morning, never going farther than a few steps from his side. She had also been the one responsible for feeding Leo most of the sweets. Leo kneeled down to her height, bringing their eyes level.

"Your big brother is going to receive a reward," Leo said, stroking her hair.

"From whom?" Leo wasn't quite sure how to answer that. Nominally, the merits were bestowed by the queen, but he had the distinct feeling that Zeke would be the one deciding in the end.

"Either from the queen… or Uncle Zeke," he said eventually. The girl smiled at him.

"I hope it is from Uncle Zeke then."

"Why?" The girl grinned so wide her face seemed about to split. Then she came close and whispered into his ear.

"… because he is sooooo rich!" Leo burst out laughing. Did this girl not even know what a queen was? How could his brother compare to… His thoughts froze. He tilted his head. Wait a damn moment… Zeke was a Merchant Lord. He had business ventures across all nations, dealings with the elves and dwarves, and influence stretching from the ruins of Undercity to the Deadlands. Rukia, meanwhile, had a plundered treasury, a destroyed military, and damaged infrastructure.

Half the capital was still clawing its way back to life. As he mentally compared their assets, his expression turned more and more peculiar. And then… Leo nodded seriously at the girl before him.

"I hope it is from Uncle Zeke, too."