Chapter 293

How many moments in life make you want to go home?

From my experience, there was a time I really wanted to go home while I was in the military.

After the college entrance exam, living a miserable life and enjoying youth, then suddenly being drafted into the military… it makes sense to feel that way.

Just when I finally got to enjoy ‘freedom’, I ended up back under control. I don’t ever want to go through that again.

“I want to go home.”

And today, that feeling is creeping back.

The desire to return home feels the same, but this time it’s different.

Until now, it felt like a salmon swimming upstream, but now I just feel really awful.

It’s when you have to do something you don’t want to do, and you’re not even being controlled like in the military.

“No way. You can’t go home now.”

“I want to go home.”

“I said no.”

Kara teased me playfully. Maybe because the weather had gotten quite cold, she was bundled up in thick winter clothes.

Dressed like she was in Frozen, infamous for its intense cold, wearing a fur hat, if it weren’t for her skin color, she could easily fit in with Eastern Europeans.

“See over there? You have to dance over there now. I’ll be expecting it.”

Kara pointed in a direction, and even though she was wearing mittens, I could tell where she was pointing.

Turning my head, I saw a large stage set up in the plaza. Naturally, it was for the anniversary celebration.

Various bands and theater troupes would put on splendid performances from there. They’re already starting to prepare.

And behind that, countless people would showcase their performances, including myself.

“I’m going home. Take care.”

The desire to return home surged up. I said I would, but honestly, I couldn’t do it.

First, there were just too many people. I heard the academy students were performing too.

Sometimes I even hear rumors about scouting exceptionally talented academy students. I hadn’t heard that one before.

“Hey now. A man’s word is his bond.”

Kara forcibly held me back as I tried to escape. She wrapped her arms around me from behind, making sure I couldn’t run away.

Maybe because we were both bundled up in thick coats, I didn’t feel that cozy warmth at all.

So, I managed to muster my senses. I grumbled quietly.

“I said it out of obligation.”

“So you’re not going to do it? It’s something only you can do!”

“··· ···”

When she said that, I had nothing to retort. I cursed the world.

To be precise, I blamed the being that sent me to this world. It felt like I was destined to create all kinds of embarrassing moments.

In the end, I had no choice but to obediently follow Kara’s words. The only silver lining was that there was still plenty of time left.

The fateful day had arrived, but it was still only morning. The actual performances wouldn’t start until the evening.

‘Should I just off myself?’

I was so troubled that such extreme thoughts crossed my mind. As the time approached, my chest felt unsettled.

[Faith is declining!]

But our Chaos told me to discard negative thoughts.

For the sake of my faith, I had to think positively, regardless of how anxious I felt.

“There you are.”

By the time preparations for the performance were underway, a familiar voice cut into our conversation.

Turning my head, I saw Rod, dressed in a unique winter outfit, greeting us.

While Kara wore traditional Eastern European winter clothing, Rod looked like a hunter.

Not a demon hunter, but a real one. You’d think he just walked in with a shotgun.

“What’s with the outfit? It looks unique.”

“This is made from bear fur. It’s really warm.”

I’d made a similar outfit from leather in winter before. It was closer to a cape than clothing.

I had decent dexterity, but without thread and needle, I was limited in making anything. Still, it was pretty warm.

“Aren’t you a sword saint and a commander? You shouldn’t be dressed so casually.”

“And you, a prince of Tartar, dress so casually too?”

“Tartar values practicality over formality.”

“So do I.”

We surprisingly found common ground. Just for the record, I had thrown on a proper coat.

I wore clothes for the performance underneath, layered it on top. Even with that, it was still incredibly warm.

“Where’s the saintess?”

“She should be arriving soon.”

“We’re here!”

Not long after Rod said that, Rize appeared, accompanied by Erica.

It seemed Erica had heard something before coming, as she looked a bit out of sorts. Or maybe it was because of me.

Still, the most eye-catching was Rize, who was wearing her nun’s habit despite the cold weather.

I wondered if it was a thermal nun’s habit, but I figured she was probably just toughing it out bare.

“Are you all ready?”

“Yes, for now, at least. But it doesn’t feel real.”

Kara still seemed to be lost in thought. It made sense since they had only been preparing up until now.

Rize, understanding her feelings, gave her a soft smile and reassured her, “There’s no need to worry too much. We are well-prepared, and even if things go wrong, it’s okay. It might even be better that way.”

“Knowing the saintess said that makes me feel at ease. By the way, where’s Luna?”

“She’s probably with the others. She’ll come to watch the performance soon.”

Most will come to watch the performances. Especially Eli, who will undoubtedly come with Porori.

Porori takes on the role of a guardian for Eli, tasked with keeping her safe until she is secure.

Not just Porori, but the other pets had the same mission. They decided to take on any creature that wouldn’t contribute to the fight.

As for the rest, well, you know, it means stopping the monsters that will surge forward. But before that, there’s something crucial.

‘We have to stop it before it descends into madness.’

The true terror of the academy collapse isn’t the monster assault. It’s the so-called ‘madness’ where people kill each other.

The demon’s magic circles, planted everywhere, are catalysts that amplify the madness and disrupt communication.

If madness erupts, the difficulty will spike sharply. Killing each other will create utter chaos.

‘It’ll probably break out in the middle of the performance.’

I turned my head to look not at the stage but to the opposite side, where the monument stood tall.

The moment that monument becomes disabled is when the real beginning starts. Many will likely harbor doubts here.

With a saint, a powerful male, and even a sword saint, why couldn’t they prevent its disablement? Why are they so helpless?

Specifically, I could pinpoint a clear ‘impossibility’ in response. The disablement of the monument itself is something that cannot be stopped.

Wheeeeee!

As I stared at the monument, a noise pierced through the plaza, making my ears feel stuffed.

At the same time, the magic circle engraved on the monument began to glow. The moment I saw this, I shifted my gaze to the sky.

[Kyaaahhh!!]

[Kirrrr! Kreeeek!]

In the clear sky, two flying monsters were soaring. That must have triggered everything.

-Kwaaaaah!

Before long, a blue beam shot from the monument, hitting one of the flying monsters, and the situation calmed down for now.

People chattered among themselves as they watched the beam’s trajectory and the monster being reduced to ashes.

“Recently, such things keep happening. Is it because the anniversary is approaching?”

“I heard these sorts of things happen frequently around this time.”

As people said, it’s common in the winter. It’s not unusual for flying monsters to get caught in large magic spells.

The reason is simple yet absurd: flying monsters have what you’d call a ‘migrant’ instinct.

They tend to head towards warmer regions during specific seasons. That’s the reason it happens so often.

‘It’s just rotten luck, I guess.’

While you could say it’s unfortunate, there’s no choice for safety.

Moreover, flying that low suggests something is amiss. But people, of course, are unaware.

The imminent disablement of the monument is linked to that too. It’s akin to a false sense of security.

“Looking at it this way, I’m glad I confiscated those boots. We could have lost Sivar there.”

“Eh? What’s that about? What did Sivar do?”

“There was a time he flew in the air with boots invented by some girl.”

Was he talking about the overheating incident? He flew thoughtlessly then but looking back, it was indeed dangerous.

No matter who you are, getting hit directly by that high-powered beam would likely end up with serious injuries. At the very least, a hospital visit.

“Grandpa. Did you give them back?”

“Of course, I gave them back. I said it’d be confiscated for just a week, not for life.”

Before I could even respond,

“But I did say if Sivar borrows them, it’ll be confiscated again.”

“······I didn’t say anything!”

“Your face says it all.”

How does he know me so well? Though it’s been nearly a year since he recognized my face, he seems to know me too well.

As I fumbled over my face, Rod chuckled and patted my shoulder, indicating not to mind.

“Sivar!”

“?”

“Looks like others are here too.”

Soon after, people including Eli gathered together. Each wore outfits that suited their personalities.

Grace, being a noble, wore quite stylish winter attire. No denying it was thick though.

But the absolute highlight was Porori. I blinked in disbelief at Porori’s ‘outfit.’

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

“What?”

As I stared in wonder, Porori finally spoke, clearly having been holding it in.

Porori was wearing an outfit. A hand-knitted outfit that you would expect a pet to wear.

A squirrel the size of a large dog, wearing clothes— a sight so cute that you might only see it once in a lifetime.

“I made it myself. What do you think? Cute, right?”

“······did you gain weight?”

“I’m really just fat.”

This is no longer a squirrel—it’s practically a puffed-up marmot. A very plump marmot, at that.

At this rate, it might end up standing on its two legs and going “Aaaaah!!” while yelling.

‘Can it even fight properly?’

It’s like Thor from the Avengers grew fat and became Fat Thor. Not exactly comforting.

Normally, humans would take care of themselves, but Porori is a strongly instinctual animal. They may be susceptible to gluttony.

But this is the one who sacrificed acorns to try to kill me. I figured it was just a stubborn instinct sticking around.

“Oh! Sivar!”

“Huh?”

“I have something for you.”

Without warning, while I was silently exchanging looks with Porori, Grace handed me something.

What she gave was none other than a hat, specifically a black one with a brim.

What they call a fedora or a bowler hat. It had a white fabric band wrapped around it.

“This should be fine, right?”

“Yep. Just perfect.”

Fedoras are typically hats worn a lot by men, particularly nobles.

In the past, men thought umbrellas were only for women, so most wore hats instead.

So, it’s not unusual to have bowlers in this world. It’s also something I absolutely need for the performance I’ll present.

‘A lively song would be great, but…’

That might be too much to ask. Classic music should be sufficient.

According to what I heard, the theater troupe playing during the performance will provide an accompanying musical score. That should do.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing I prepared.”

“A prepared thing?”

“Yep. This!”

Grace pulled out something that wasn’t the hat, but rather something else. A green orb.

For a moment, I wondered what it was for, but the look on Grace’s smiling face made me freeze in shock.

“It’s a communication crystal for recording. You have no idea how hard I worked to get this.”

“······recording?”

“Yes. I’m planning to record Sivar’s performance.”

I instantly reached out to snatch the orb. I absolutely had to prevent any recording of those embarrassing moments.

But there were two people present who knew me all too well.

“Hahaha. Not gonna happen, no way.”

“Please, Sivar.”

Both Rod and Rize forcibly held back my reaching arm.

They were smiling, as if they had predicted this situation beforehand. I exchanged glances filled with disbelief between them.

“There’s no way you two… wait, hold on?”

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

Instead of answering, they welcomed me with their grinning faces.

I scrunched up my face, the fury rising in me, and let it all spill out.

“You guys are the worst.”

I couldn’t curse them like I wanted, so I softened my words as much as I could.

“So that means I won’t have to ask Sivar to see it?”

“Luna wants to see it too?”

“I want to imitate it.”

Luna, I hate you even more.

[Faith is rising!]

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