By the time they arrived at the city district, it was already five in the afternoon.
The young coachman slowly guided the carriage to a halt at the edge of the main road.
“Lady Finihiya…”
Just as the coachman was about to ask if they could stop here, something caught his eye, and the words that were about to escape his throat were swallowed back down.
The slanting western sunlight poured in through the window, illuminating the two who were leaning against each other asleep inside the carriage.
The scene seemed dreamlike, as if painted in the style of a holy classical mural.
Gazing at this sight, the young coachman turned back and waited quietly, not daring to disturb the twilight world that seemed to belong only to the two of them.
Knock, knock, knock…
This sweet dream lasted until nearly six in the afternoon, when Finihiya was finally roused by the noisy beat of drums.
Half-awake, she opened her drowsy eyes and gazed blankly out the carriage window at the distant parade slowly approaching.
There were quite a lot of people in the parade.
Looking further out, the procession stretched on like a giant serpent, extending beyond the limits of her sight.
At the very front, Flags with Crests were held high, and following closely behind were Demon Knights dressed neatly in golden armor.
Along both sides and behind the knights marched a band playing festive music.
In the midst of the raucous sounds coming from over there, besides the drums, flutes, and bells, she seemed to faintly hear the notes of an organ as well.
“It’s starting.”
Darlian’s drowsy, lazy voice suddenly reached her ear, making Finihiya tilt her head slightly and draw her gaze back inside.
“You’re awake?”
“I woke up when you did too.” Darlian stretched her back languidly, a comfortable moan escaping her cherry lips after such a restful nap. “I slept so well.”
“Didn’t sleep well last night, did you, Finihiya?”
“No.” Finihiya glanced at Darlian with indifferent eyes, understanding what she meant and going on to explain, “I just felt dizzy during the ride, closed my eyes to rest, and accidentally fell asleep.”
“Is that so.” At that, Darlian slowly bent over and stood up. “Let’s go outside.”
“Mm.”
It was six in the afternoon, yet the summer sky was still bright. Overhead, a surprisingly large full moon was eager to show itself.
Dusk and faint moonlight mingled together, while a cool, moist sea breeze swept across the center of the street.
Standing on the street watching the parade move forward, Finihiya’s gaze inadvertently fell on the sidewalks, where Demon Knights on patrol were everywhere.
They were mostly in pairs, wandering back and forth every several dozen meters.
From their relaxed attitude, it seemed they were there just to maintain order for the festival.
The parade slowly drew near, bringing with it a swelling, bustling crowd. It felt like a solid wall, pushing her forward from the very edge of the street.
Just as Finihiya felt she might be swept away by this tide of people, her raised right hand was suddenly grabbed, followed by a reassuring voice.
“Hold on to my hand.”
Darlian forcefully pushed through the crowd to reach her.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Finihiya shook her head lightly, denying it. “There’s just so many people.”
“Hehe~” Darlian’s face showed a steady, slightly teasing expression. “It’s a bit cramped here. Let’s head up ahead. There’s a big, open square there.”
Finihiya let Darlian pull her along by the hand, moving forward.
Even though the crowd was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, once Darlian led her, it was as if they’d become fish in water, slipping easily to the front of the procession.
Thinking back on how the demon citizens parted at Darlian’s push, Finihiya guessed Darlian must have used magic.
Leaving the crowd following the parade behind, Darlian led her a bit further away.
Not long after, a vast square suddenly appeared in Finihiya’s view.
Of all the squares she had seen, this was surely the largest, perhaps more than forty thousand square meters—so wide open it was almost unbelievable.
“We’ll wait here. They’ll all be coming soon.”
“Alright.”
Finihiya replied quietly and began to look around curiously at this square that seemed a bit of a waste of space.
The ground was paved with bluestone.
Other than that, there were almost no other facilities here.
Perhaps because of the festival, there were many stalls set up along the edge of the square, and people who arrived gathered around them.
Watching the crowd flow toward the stalls, Finihiya was just thinking of going to have a look herself when Darlian spoke gently, her tone calm.
“We’ll go over there later. The parade is about to arrive.”
No sooner had Darlian finished speaking than the drumbeats from the parade grew much louder.
The crowd surged in with the parade like a flood, quickly filling what had once been a spacious square.
“Hm?”
As she watched the procession enter the square, Finihiya suddenly heard another wave of drumming from the opposite side.
She shifted her gaze in the other direction.
***
Another parade, just as large, was entering the square.
Compared to the first group, with their golden armored knights, these new arrivals wore light green armor that gleamed with a cool, subtle luster.
Just as she was closely examining this new parade, Darlian’s calm voice explained quietly in her ear.
“The golden-armored procession represents autumn, while the green-armored one stands for summer. In a moment, the autumn procession will defeat the summer one, symbolizing the coming of the harvest.”
“I see.”
“Oh, here—this is for you.”
Noticing that Darlian was holding something out in her right hand, Finihiya made a questioning sound, “Hm?” and cupped her hands to receive it.
A handful of Wheat Grains, shining with a golden light, fell into her palms.
“Wheat Grains?” Finihiya tilted her head in confusion. “Why are you giving me these?”
“When the procession wins, you need to scatter these Wheat Grains toward them, to offer your blessing for their victory.”
“Mm…” At that, a subtle expression flickered across Finihiya’s doll-like face. She glanced around curiously. “Is scattering Wheat Grains a tradition?”
“It is.”
“Does everyone do it?”
“That’s right.” Perhaps noticing the look in Finihiya’s eyes, Darlian tilted her well-shaped eyebrow slightly. “What’s wrong?”