Chapter 206: Autumn Harvest Festival (3)
WQiTxtFI could feel her feet slithering across my legs through the single layer of clothing separating us two, and I unintentionally ended up imagining her soft and bare feet.vjR4X6
xAqNBIgnoring what was happening beneath the table, I looked straight into her eyes but she returned a provocative smile.OdK
kXjyU“…”dEJ81tX
rVSLshShe seductively rested her chin on her two hands and continued fidgeting with her toes, sensing my flustered reaction which I was trying to conceal.xO1K
VinThis girl…sWVQ
hmKsqW“Kuhum… More importantly, how is Undry these days? I know you were chosen by Undry, but did that change anything? Can you do anything with it?”Ylj3d
rCy“It is a magical cauldron, but the cauldron itself serves no value in a fight. The only thing interesting, I guess, would be that food bubbles out of the cauldron. I can even take out a living pig or a cow.”20ZW
CCV51“Hoh…”8wZo
cXbFclIf that really was the case, wouldn’t that solve all problems regarding food?XSl1W
WsYTDEstelle forced my thoughts to a stop by lifting the hems of my trousers and pinching the flesh underneath with her toes.uae0WaS
ABZOp“The problem was that they all died without lasting more than an hour.”zWUsE
izxoHts“…And why is that?”P4Xt
DJBsz“My best guess is that it’s because there is not enough divine energy in this land after the disappearance of the gods. This world is no longer the paradise it used to be, after all.”Kr8Hd
08pdBw“…”hqHHSV5
8QvBu“That is why we are so important, Dongsaeng.”tYRmF
VqJShe said after wrapping her hands around mine.ymQ1XZ
k3G“We need the real faith brought back unto this land.”mMj6Zz
152CAVq“What does that have to do with me…?”w14M731
Vc31“Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I mean. Dongsaeng, you are the God of the Sun, and I’m the Goddess of Earth. The moment we were chosen by Claiomh Solais and Undry which represent divinity, we became the successor gods of Nuada Airgetlam and Dagda Mor.”cFEm
pTk“…”tZpdGB
YzcIt was too big of a scale for me to find the words to say in response.dOQ
uooDanann.aRIfI
ASnpoUThe real gods that truly existed in this fantasy world. It wasn’t like I didn’t know what those ancient symbols of divinity were able to achieve.zJuFev9
lD6ekadIn the first place, my Master, as well as Eochaid Bres and Tates Valtazar from our opposing faction, were all real gods, so I was aware of what a Danann was capable of.0idkv
4eSo4zThe same goes for the Frost Giant and those ladies of the North.Dwsr
zMToThis world used to have gods, but it was now a world where divine energy was left behind with the gods no longer in existence.TIK
PBRKCIThere were so many things that new gods would be able to do in these inhabited lands and the level of their influence would surely be extraordinary.rMDQ2X
9YO0Pu“We need more gods. We are the only ones who can save the people who have fallen to misery.”5gEKA
9CVShN“That is… quite an arrogant mindset.”WGKTY
KySpM“Perhaps, but we have the power to make that happen. And we also have the responsibility so~”oaCk
JguIbWhy don’t we increase the number of gods?kj9O6
8c6Estelle added mischievously with a suggestive smile. Her bare foot was now even trying to crawl all the way up to my thigh.VdJPat
A1CxyTR“Fufu~. You really have very thick thighs.”NsC
luiZe“Can you stop doing something so weird?!”UAPEB
geNHe“Weird? How is it weird? Can you explain it to me? Come on~”jUpXe9g
XXgeL“Eek…!”3ia
eofUDespite my reaction, she continued to delightfully indulge in my thighs with her bare foot.uq0psXJ
cZT“Oh my~. Look at you blush. I guess you are a man after all!”i2E
U8V2D“Kuhum…!”Qrt
qFnx“Stop saying no – I know you like it. Be honest. You don’t hate it do you?”PeZC5w
UNijjvV“W, well. That’s true but…”B0qI4sJ
VJKCuIt seemed that I couldn’t be like those cool web novel protagonists. I didn’t necessarily hate the unfathomably large number of girls who showed their affection toward me.x9dY
FcY5“Ehew… Was that why?” I muttered to myself.2oae
uqYQW“Nn? What do you mean?”1pglLk9
pyvW0“Nothing.”kqS6Zl
iNgpmIt wasn’t to this extent when Park Sihu was with me… What was the difference between the current and last iteration?2FvWm
ukYjj9In any case, I found Estelle and Miru to be quite similar. They were both aggressive with their approaches and incredibly proactive. If I lost the initiative, I might be devoured like I was in the last iteration…1e8kiaQ
w4mOad– Thud!hZ4jjv
ATT6“Dongsaeng?”r0q30E
OqHDy5When I stood up with a thud, it became immediately obvious that Estelle was slightly flustered. Reminding myself once again that I couldn’t let either her or her sister get the upper hand, I pushed through with the initiative.knDDU
jNHdjI picked her up into my arms before she could react.vZ8nV6
YC2cF– Kya!J0NlZV
NieuayLifting the princess into a princess carry, I lowered her onto the top-class bed inside the suite room. It took less than a second for me to be basically on top of her.bKG
VLW“A, aha… Very assertive, aren’t you?”FK44k
jFVjz9She said while rolling her eyes around, unable to look straight into my eyes.45Z0SQY
aKmKo“W, wah… A, a bit hot, isn’t it? Maybe we need some air. S, should we open the window?”GdyZDH
XlGShe seemed panicky.y8N4
K0dJIWEven though she had been extremely touchy and mischievous the whole time, she was frightened when push came to shove.ffzL
MqqTo be fair, that was pretty normal.Tro5ti5
x0tShe was the first princess of the royal family and the Saintess, raised up like a priceless gem. Like a plant in a glasshouse, she was kept away from holding hands with a male let alone having a relationship.PPEBG
v4apezIt was therefore natural for the pure-white-canvas of a princess to sweat and blush from mere closeness with a member of the opposite sex.sQDzOw
LAE“Uhh, umm. Dongsaeng? Now that I think about it, I was in a rush and didn’t even take a shower—”tBJLP
Qf8OIzC“Should we go in together?”SieWF4
RcRLe“…!”dUXFzO
1YzcUztHer eyes widened into circles. Frightened, she thrashed her arms and legs in an attempt to break away.3cg3
LdBbnJA“That’s… a bit…!”paPYs
mUhJDAs expected, she was still a kid. Well, a 22-year-old was far from being a kid but…LjT42z
IsdhIn any case, she soon gave up on breaking away from the bed and prudently suggested a deal.7Auo
0DAMW“Why don’t we just… hold our hands for tonight?!”n97WX
CZZ“Not something a maiden in a marriageable age should be saying.”8HH8g5K
u92– Thud!HiB
Xyky“Aht…!”kQJWdoS
zzrJTcTI gave her a flick to the forehead, which made a small portion of her pure-white skin turn red.yzVJE8i
nWWn“So rude… I’m older than you.”ofvJ
tMdu“That’s what you get for trying to prank a grown-up man.”Gk0
Avd“Peh… Not like I was joking though…”ZcE
7jcDBEstelle grumbled with a pout.gH21
obeeMeE“Anyway, don’t you have semi-finals tomorrow?”UoF
MgB“Semi-finals are in the morning, and the final is in the afternoon.”CDWbp
f8yeSince the Tournament was just one of the many events in the Harvest Festival, the matches were held in a quick manner, and it was definitely very different from last year where the Tournament was the main event. I guess they couldn’t waste too much time on the Tournament, considering all the other events that required an audience.yHU
2ei6IeU“If Junior Alicia wins her semi-finals, she will be against me in the finals.”cTC
7zh4V“…What if you don’t make it past the semi-finals?”KBA7
9AZ“Me?”iVo3cV
z0W4vMEstelle grinned. Her smile displayed the confidence of a strong veteran.J4T
Bql82ADThat was when she suddenly asked a mean question with her mischievous yet lovable smile.5KT
hVEvpf“Will you be cheering for me?”umPp7l
9gac8Ga“Of course.”6aMUz
dxteQm“Oh… That’s, unexpected.”Vlq
7JOOcShe tilted her head after hearing my quick response. She seemed puzzled by how quickly I said that.gjiGOM
lBS2o“Did you… by any chance say the same thing to Alicia?”215
gRqNE“Yeah.”xWV
CIyDtdy“Come on! After having my hopes up like that!” she said with a playful smile, but couldn’t entirely conceal her disappointment.IYEqDn
dbYt57MIt was unfortunate but I couldn’t choose one of them.YEh4x
AOBGHHa“Noona.”CrclXc
NQMNGI held her by the hands. Her hands were beautiful and soft.vGcx
TJnN“N, nn?”Gqp
h5YUp3“Thank you.”Fm7wti8
ZdIuwv“H, huh? Okay? Y, you’re welcome…?”DS4
Tnw“Thank you for everything. But there’s nothing much that I can do for you.”WRj
ekkn“Fufu. A kiss will be fine.”dgZgJ
jNxw“That’s a bit embarrassing… and I feel bad.”0rpy
1cc4Q7uThere would come a time when I had to make a decision, and that would make me a horrendous bastard to the remaining ones, so I couldn’t do such a thing.Bc7zIY
xBtsd“Hmph~. Can you not say, ‘I like no one else but you, Noona,’ even as a lie?”VYR
G6vM0aEstelle said with a smile despite seeming rather disappointed. There wasn’t much that I could do for her but…KVJ
FVScQ5s“But I can give you some advice.”YyV7Yg
fr8t9RD“Advice?”fYNx
lgzp3TI“Alicia is weaker than you in terms of stats because you are at an unprecedented level in terms of pure power.”hqgFV
WNqPrLvOne who could make miracles happen just with prayers.UnQKM2
pFkAlthough Estelle sounded overpowered and invincible, there was a way to break through it.pTVv91
G1R7si5When compared to the rest of the party members, Alicia was around the bottom in terms of stats. Compared to the strongest party member, Hua Ran, Dorron and his overwhelming utility, Yuel and Kranel with their shockingly powerful combo when in a group, Alicia Arden was indeed quite boring in some ways but…DwZkH
FYP“To be completely honest with you, there is no one in my guild that I can’t win against. I am confident that I could beat anyone there.”YOYzohT
A7Uc8“Mhmm… But there’s those two in your guild.”y5c3O3
DUrmVampire Marie and Sword Master Lunia. I was not excluding those two with that statement.EzG1Cp
nkeMM“I can beat anyone. One way or another.”adS
oH3geD“I like your confidence.”OEujCe
1LBveEven in the last iteration, back when I was much weaker and without the Sun, I was able to beat Lunia somehow but…iPQ8
Ve3“But not Alicia Arden. No matter what situation, I don’t see myself winning.”3vTjnYy
bDToKGD“Really…?”FpY
INl“I am much stronger in terms of pure power, and to be honest, maybe I have a slightly higher chance of winning in a real fight to death but… even then, I’m not entirely sure.”mT5v
LCsXjwDon’t be careless and always be vigilant. I gave the most sincere advice I could to Estelle.HBvVDEh
NC9zp***mJ40hgB
hdZn8wOn the third day of the Harvest Festival, Wednesday, I went to the Hunting Contest with Ren and Ron.LM8r
b3Y– What’s that?3Lk
029– Is that even allowed?HqHz
DsYE4SAll the contestants of the Hunting Contest had their hunting dogs. Some were veteran hunters who used to enjoy hunting in their hometown, but most of them had hired their dogs from hunting dog lenders who had recently come to town for business.RBDl
dCC04gcOf course, there were also those who came by themselves out of blind trust in their ability and those without anything planned.U3X8
sUndeho“… Are you sure these are dogs?”ejSsDu
IJTgVR“Yep~!”WDlse
Kg64L8w“They’re more like wolves if anything and… like, how are they so big…?”co8Pq71
FTEWBqx“I bought them overseas for a hefty price.”DEsM
UXxD93“But like, even then this is…”MRRwGBi
8UxloI was definitely the most eye-catching out of every contestant present.nmW8N
eEA8fEXThe two golden wolves, Ren and Ron. They were in their beast forms and were both at least 3 times bigger than the biggest hunting dog here.16m
XQ4Z8They looked so frighteningly intimidating, that the other dogs were hiding behind their owners in fear.Bqa72V
BKfunNo matter how you saw it, my hunting dogs were clearly unfair.pecq9Wk
1R9pd“They’re trained very well. Goldie, give me your hand!”uSrLIKY
DfL05AlIn response, Goldie – Ren – gave a disgruntled pout before reluctantly giving me her front paw.OLr
PqLBAbnThank you, Ren! I will cook you your favorite boiled lamb cutlet when we go back!MKZS
1ZsGVB5“Hmm… Do I pass this or what…”pMYOteO
YCt5AThe supervisor in charge of the Hunting Contest was hesitant due to the two enormous golden wolves.BDhN4qk
KKjn“Are there any regulations about the breed or the size of the hunting dogs?” I asked.5SErix
8nGE“N, no… There aren’t but…”6H6N3
4KZbd3“Sir. Do you know why we have rules?”CDG
4WjU32“Uhh… To protect them and make sure nothing goes wrong?”UBm0W
SX9SZo“Nope. It’s to make use of everything that wasn’t decided on by the rules!”W3dfJ
4cO“That’s bullshit… you idiot!”PXEV5
u2vot8aThe supervisor gave me a glance like I was an idiot but that didn’t change anything. The Hunting Contest was just for kids to play around at best… and thus the rules weren’t that strict!yFTG
G3eIn the end, it was my victory.fjd2
34M97e“WAHAHAHAHAHA…!”xT5lff
Au5w– Aren’t those hunting dogs way too unfair?m9JADu
RvFW– Where did he even get those?euxZY
Pj6– I swear… I’ve seen them somewhere though…Fq2V7
HtDWWith this, I had my third… or rather, my second golden ribbon. Fuu…FtPy
iJjXIvz***k7rv0KE
YS15After overcoming the semi-finals in the morning, Alicia had to face the finals. She took a deep breath out to chase away her nervousness.rzBcc
xKxiHGkShe fought against a senior in the 4th year for her semi-finals. This was his last year and he, therefore, put up quite the fight, but Alicia was able to barely come out on top.a12uZs
R8vYAt last, it was five in the afternoon. The finale of the third day of the Harvest Festival was just around the corner.KfRzRY1
94UPPSHer opponent for the finals was, as expected, Saintess Estelle.I7dL
ZNKFE– WAAAAHHH!AvXX
ybD– SAINTESS!ip0K
UPDZk6– Saintess Estelle! Please look here!iDu
UVBixqThe Saintess and 1st Princess of the Kingdom, Estelle Hadassa El Rath. As a nationally famous celebrity, she was welcomed with the passionate applause and cheers from the audience.uoTB
thFZuSince this was the final round and the finale of the Tournament, the host went on and on with the introductions of the two fighters.KfI8Chy
YcxUThe overboard introduction and flattery made the timid Alicia shrink her shoulders but… Estelle took them all in with a smile on her face as if that was nothing new.PdmMxh
T1Il583From the start to the end, her eyes were on Alicia and nothing else.iNvkTGk
Zq9eZt…She’s strong.oow1Nf4
WDL71CEstelle was strong. Not only did she leave a strong impact in the qualifiers, but she also declared as such when she first entered the tournament stage.nc4x2
ErRgW– Sorry. I’m a bit busy so… the matches will be quite boring.WGF
swNAs she said, it was quite boring for the audience, because she dashed forward at a speed that most knights couldn’t even follow and punched her opponent out of bounds to end all of her matches with a single blow.jm57ag
snmWnDzWith just a single blow and a single punch, she both KO’ed and disqualified the opponent by making them fly out of the designated stage.0sQV60U
pSt– Oh, Saintess! Looks like you have brought a ‘weapon’ this time!fRlqK
ZGO8C42That was why this final was so special. It was because this time, Estelle was armed with a weapon for the first time in the Tournament.sLmi
43nr3Y“Yeah. Pretty cool, right?”JrU
bPPGAoRIn her hands was a 1-meter-long club. It was bigger than her favorite mace, but wasn’t even made of metal – it seemed like a wooden club.1SQjEI
8bQ4PAIt was bizarre.Rv5JY5
oDSxcUsually, guardian weapons and armor were made by refining high-quality magic stones. Superhumans, who far exceeded the realms of normal humans, also required weapons that exceeded the normal scope of weapons.ErtrPsn
L3ljIGIn that sense, it was unthinkable to have wood in a piece of equipment. No matter how strong, wood was never tougher than steel and even steel fell short of weapons made with magic stones.CagGm
at8NmNiEven the shaft of a spear was made with refined magic stones, so what could a wooden club possibly achieve?SyyT6gh
FxJny– Do you plan to reinforce it with your prayers, Saintess?vAyDCe
eDJfThe host asked a reasonable question.7hfYkF
zOMvcBWith the omnipotent prayers of the Saintess, it was possible to make a wooden club on the same level of weapons made of magic stones.TIl5
lRKThat was the basis of his question but Estelle denied it with a smile.pbT0e
EIISt0l“Ah~. Is that how everyone thinks?”EUj
SzefEstelle didn’t say anything else but there was something Alicia could tell.zKI1uva
Hepj03WThere were only a small number of people here that could tell the identity of that club.M2gZa
pZPwAt Mag Mell, Alicia had received from Oengus, the Danann of Love, the treasure of Nemain, one of the three goddesses of war.wtP7
kgPsoThe red horse.AvTbs0
iEOfhBThanks to receiving divinity from the goddesses of war who guarded the God of the Sun, Alicia could tell that the club was a godly treasure.ccviQzu
7T5drS“Alicia, right? You’re pretty strong. So I brought a weapon.”XpDm
qv2uv“I see…”g2u
NldAlicia shrunk at the face of Estelle, who was like the personification of pride and confidence. As an illegitimate child who had been cautious of her standing in her household the whole time for 16 years, she couldn’t help but feel pressured by people like Estelle.72n
aHxBOhg“Korin-dongsaeng wanted the winner’s prize. So I’m going to get it for him.”QYbHE
W1w“…”PSh3Yc
bWTsfSEIt was an obvious provocation. That was the only thing they had in common and yet she was unwilling to let her have it.ldR3qg5
HMSNtCan I win? Alicia asked herself.V1ytO
Sx8FJUHonestly, she didn’t see herself winning. She would most likely lose but there was a strange feeling of competitiveness soaring inside her.yw8hnP6
nRf5It was a rare feeling for Alicia, who was always selfless and fearful, but surprisingly it was budding against the first princess of the Kingdom and Saintess.cj8F24
27bNSrR“I saw the semi-finals. You were pretty good. It was against a Grade 1 knight in his last year at the Academy, right? You did quite well.”cr32klQ
B1mLFUVEstelle kept speaking with a faint smile on her lips, and Alicia didn’t like it. She didn’t like the leisure the princess was giving off, as if she wasn’t even an opponent worthy of her vigilance.QHktruQ
eStesUI“Well, it would have taken me less than 30 seconds though.”eGahE
QtgBShe was scratching at her with her absolute confidence, and Alicia decided to break that first.p8PcDt
Z4pp“I’m winning.”Xea
vVmkdH“Nn?”yOf4
3xFuLIt was a resolute voice that didn’t suit Alicia. She was ready to pour a bucket of icy cold water on Estelle’s absolute pride.cumh2
NU1“Hmm~”9yBH7qZ
rdvoxXEstelle gave her a glance before reflecting on the advice she got from Korin the night before. She sensed that it certainly wouldn’t be an easy battle.6BOT8
VDZFw“No. You can’t.”DiDG
MLBG510That was why she was trying to intimidate her opponent with an even more exaggerated demonstration of confidence. It was different from her normal display of built-in confidence.ZId
sy8M“You received something from a goddess in Mag Mell, didn’t you? I got mine too.”s1O
t0cBDuShe continued while resting the large club on her shoulders like a rogue in the streets, but no one dared to connect the two even in their minds.Yv0Ju
dNq“When the new era comes, I guess you will be standing on ‘our’ side as well. But… I suppose I’ll teach you the new hierarchy ahead of time.”PRA3
gmZ8xAutumn Harvest Festival – Tournament.cS2YB
BABiNSuccessor candidate of the Arden Household, Captain of the Fifth Sword Squad, and a user of the Domain, Alicia Arden.tU4
blQ4mFighting against her was the one who could make miracles happen through her prayers, the child of god who now became a goddess herself, Estelle Hadassa El Rath.JUz
T1fI03vThe final round of the two began—Rnl
PTvyO4“Stand your ground. It’ll be boring if you lose in one go.”cuvxWC
ZHqIwWn❰Holy Burster — Semi-Open IMPACT❱ggILxlf
01engd— And with that, half of the arena was already gone.F7gD2
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