SHC_C73_CHAPTER 73: CELEBRATION AND BLESSING

 

CHAPTER 73: CELEBRATION AND BLESSING

 

In the Kihou Empire, the last day of every month is called "Tsugomori," and the last day of the twelfth month is referred to as "Ootsugomori" (New Year's Eve).

The first day of the month is known as "Gantan"/"Tsuchinachi," which is the same as in my past life.

 

Just like in my past life, a thorough cleaning is done on New Year's Eve to wash away the dirt from the year, but since the maids keep everything so neat, the mansion and my room are already spotless. Regulus' room and the teachers' rooms are the same, and there's no real need for me to clean with such effort.

But since that feels a bit dull, Viktor-san and Lara-san started enhancing the exterior of the mansion with magic.

The outside of the mansion gets dusty from rain and wind, so it's always a little dirty. They use magic to wash it thoroughly and repaint it. However, it's done with magic.

For the sake of learning, I watched the scene where they worked on the exterior. The windows and doors are protected by a barrier to prevent them from breaking, the local heavy rain washes away the dust, and the intense heat dries everything. Afterward, the paint is applied with the wind.

It seems quite rough, but according to Viktor-san, controlling the magic is actually very difficult.

By the way, those elves are really into DIY and gardening.

Thanks to that, it's very helpful, but sometimes Regulus and Kanade-kun come back from the garden looking like they've been playing in the mud, and when that happens, Utsunomiya and Elise look like they're deep in thought.

Cleaning the floors is a tough job.

That aside, I’m happy to welcome the New Year in a bright and spotless mansion.

On New Year's Eve, children are allowed to stay up late.

A little before and after midnight, fireworks are launched from the neighboring territories of Tenryou and the Duke's estate, and I hear they are really beautiful.

Even Rottenmeier-san, who always encourages early bedtimes, says it's okay if we stay awake for this.

So, Regulus and I take a nap after our snack. It's important to nap if we want to stay up late.

For some reason, we nap together in the same bed, and recently, Regulus has been sighing sadly while touching my stomach.

He murmurs "Nii-nii is shrinking," but it seems he doesn't like the idea of me stretching vertically instead of lying next to him.

YO WTH THIS IS TOO CUTE!!🩷

 

But it can’t be helped; I want to change from a white pig to a human.

Still, sleeping with someone else makes me nervous. Since there’s no longer the concern of being squashed, it’s fine.

So, I nap until dinnertime, and when I wake up, it's time for dinner.

In the Empire, instead of preparing extravagant dishes for the New Year, it's customary to prepare everyone's favorite foods, and for us, that’s curry rice.

Regulus is eating heartily, even if his face is covered in food, but he's using a spoon all by himself.

Since he’ll be four next year, I think it’s time to start practicing writing. Even if it starts with wiggly lines or looks like hieroglyphs, that's fine.

As I watch him, I catch his eye as he's holding the spoon, and he smiles with rice grains on his face. It’s so cute.

According to the schedule, after dinner, we take a little break before having a bath.

Afterward, I get a massage from Lara, which has become a post-bath habit. It's a spa-like massage, and it really helps relieve my shoulder tension. My skin feels so smooth and glowing, like I’m some noblewoman.

After that, I put on a sweater I made myself with features like warmth, cold resistance, and durability, then wait for the time.

Even though Regulus is usually made to sleep early, tonight, he's allowed to stay up late. He brought a picture book into the living room with the fireplace, and the teachers are enjoying some wine they brought from the Elf Village. I’m making a crochet doll.

Suddenly, the air shifts, and human feet appear in the darkness.

A faint haze forms into a figure, and with a flutter of her cloak, Hyourin-sama is standing there.

 

I widen my eyes, and he quietly raises a finger to his lips, urging silence. Looking around, it seems no one else has noticed him.

"It's lively tonight."

(Since it's New Year's Eve, we're allowed to stay up late.)

"Why's that?"

 

(I hear fireworks are going off in the neighboring territories to celebrate the New Year.)

"Hmm."

She seems a bit uninterested, narrowing her eyes slightly and offering a faint reaction.

I wonder if gods celebrate the New Year, and as I think this Hyourin-sama shakes his head.

"I don’t particularly celebrate such things, but we gather and drink."

(Drinking?)

"Yes, it's called 'Sake Nectar.' To gods, it's just alcohol, but it seems humans receive various blessings from it. I’ve never given it, so I’m not sure."

(Ah, is that the one made from the princess’ peaches?)

"Yes, that’s the one. Also, for entertainment, we engage in strength contests and make bets."

(So, it's not that different from us, huh?)

"Of course. After all, humans are made in our likeness."

She chuckles softly, raising an eyebrow playfully.

I see, then it wouldn’t be too surprising if we enjoy similar things. The princess has already become fond of musicals and the Violet Garden.

"By the way, in this year’s bet, Hyakka lost to En'you. It seems she was asked to handle something troublesome, but I wonder what happened with that?"

(Bet...)

There seems to be a lot of interpersonal dynamics even in heaven.

 I finish the crochet doll as I listen to Hyourin-sama

I’m making a Shimaenaga (a type of bird) and a chick, and I want to use them as pieces for a game of territory conquest.

                   

Shimaenaga/Shima Enga. fwuffy bird

 

The teachers said it’s similar to chess or shogi, which are popular games in our country and others. Even if I don’t know how to play, it’s said it helps expand your connections.

I’m not very interested, but Kanade is good at it, and he’ll teach Regulus, so I’m making pieces for them.

When I’m focused, I usually don’t talk much, so it’s not unusual for me to have silent conversations with Lord Hyourin in my mind.

I don’t intend to hide that Hyourin-sama is here, but since he can appear without being seen by others, I wonder if it’s because he doesn’t like the commotion.

After finishing the crochet Shimaenaga, I attach a crown, a cloak, ribbons, and shoulder decorations. And now, the Shimaenaga Captain is complete.

 

For the pieces, there will be one Captain, one Vice-Captain, two heavily armed soldiers, two shock troops, two medics, and eight infantry, for a total of sixteen. I plan to give each one a unique personality with shields and swords. The Captain should look the most impressive.

Then, in the distance, I hear the church bells ringing.

The countdown to the New Year has begun.

I look up, and Rottenmeier-san opens the door to the balcony.

"Young master, the fireworks are starting."

"Ah, yes!"

I stand up from my chair and head toward the balcony with Hyourin-sama. Just then, Regulus comes running toward me.

"Nii-nii, I want to go too!"

"Yes, let’s go together."

Regulus tightly hugs my arm, and we head out to the balcony with Hyourin-sama. The teachers, Rottenmeier-san, and Utsunomiya-san also follow us. Looking down, I see Elise, Joseph, and the head chef also coming out to the garden, and it looks like we’ll all be watching the fireworks together.

The bells ring once more.

"Hyourin-sama. I was wondering, are the fireworks in the neighboring territories a blessing for the people or a substitute for offering wine?"

"...That element is also present."

Ah, I see.

It seems that lords need to be mindful of these things too.

I had briefly thought about wanting to hold governance over a territory, but if I only notice things like this after being told, I’m no different from my parents. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.

As I feel a little down, my head is gently petted from the left and behind. The left side is Hyourin-sama, and the hand behind feels like Romnov-sensei.

"Those things can wait until you’re older."

"I said it before, but you are still young, young enough to be on the receiving end."

"Yes, thank you."

Well, even if I wanted to do something, my pockets are empty. The only thing I can do is sing. Some songs have blessings in them, after all.

"Then, shall we sing?"

"Huh?"

"If you wish to sing a blessing, I can assist."

 

As she says this, the hazy outline of Hyourin-sama sharpens into focus.

He sweeps away the cloak that has patterns like butterfly wings and is now more clearly visible, his long black hair almost shimmering like the night.

 

Suddenly, there’s a quiet intake of breath from the adults around us as they take in the sight, but one person doesn’t seem fazed.

"...Nii... is this your friend, Hyourin-sama?"

"Yes, this is Hyourin-sama."

"Nice to meet you."

"Yes."

Ah, Regulus is such a genius!

When did he learn to give such a proper greeting?

 

With a voice that could be either male or female, the first to regain composure is Rottenmeier-san, who gracefully kneels with Utsunomiya. The three elves quickly follow suit.

"Don’t make a fuss. I’m just here to chat."

"Chat, is it?"

 

Hyourin-sama, held me then I felt her lifted up. At this, Regulus quickly grabs Hyourin-sama's cloak.

For a moment, I’m concerned it might be disrespectful, but Hyourin-sama only looks down at him with a gentle gaze."Where are you going, Nii-nii?" 

"Ah... I’m not really taking him with me, but... I understand you’re worried."

"Pii-e!?"

With me in one arm and Regulus in the other, Lord Hyourin lifts us into the air. Despite his appearance, he’s surprisingly strong.

We stop high above the roof.

"This is just for having a fun celebration so go on and sing your blessing song."

Well, I do have a good one in mind.

For some reason, it’s a song that’s often performed or sung in Japan at the end of the year.

It’s called the "Ode to Joy" or "Symphony No. 9."

Taking a deep breath, I begin to sing, letting the joy and blessings of the New Year flow from my heart into the song.

When I sing, I use the language of my past life’s "I" and the lyrics that I learned. For example, if it's a Japanese song, I’ll sing in Japanese, or if it's English, I’ll sing in English, and if it's something else, it will be in that language. For "Ode to Joy," it will be in German.

 

But, strangely enough, the people listening seem to hear it in their own language.

"I’ll help you raise the energy a little more."

As I hear this voice, I give Hyourin-sama a questioning look, and she silently signals for me to continue singing.

Even though Regulus doesn’t fully understand, he claps along, cheering me on.

Above us, where Hyourin-sama is holding us, sparkles of light gather and form a magical circle that shines brightly in the night sky.

 

As I watch, the five-pointed star slowly transforms, flowers bloom in a rainbow of colors, and shooting stars fall like rain, sparkling and shimmering in the night, almost like a movie scene.

"This is the application of your magic. Eventually, you’ll be able to do this on your own without needing my power."

I hope so.

͢͢͢͢͢   

 EUN: IT TOOK ME 2 HOURS TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER.

 I had to look for the manga panels cause I just want to share it to you guys BUT things got messy with the whole embed code thing. TT_TT so I had to start all over again. 

ANYWAY, Everyone even the 3 powerful elves were frozen shock when they saw, Princess Hyourin cause remember? NO ONE HAS REALLY SEEN WHAT PRINCESS HYOURIN LOOKS LIKE. WHY? CAUSE SHE ONLY APPEARS TO PEOPLE WHO'S ABOUT TO DIE. So all the adults around Ageha were tense, nervous and just overall shocked and it was Regulus who kinda broke the tension. 

PLUS!! Even though they've lived for a long time they've never seen a "god/goddess" before. Remember Victor? he was like "this is my first time seeing/meeting a God" when Igor first appeared. Or Lara's reaction when Igor appeared in the room cause there's something he wants to tell Ageha. Romanov-sensei, probably the only who've seen three gods though ALL THANKS to Ageha. First is Hyakka-sama, Igor, Hyourin-sama 

ANYWAY I'M GONNA REST FOR A BIT CAUSE THIS REALLY STRESSED ME OUT. LIKE I HAVE ZERO KNOWLEDGE WHEN IT COMES TO CODING I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE IT WENT WRONG OR WHAT TO FIX OR REMOVE. 💀 

One last thing, you can just click on the image if you want to enlarge or see the whole thing clearer. 

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