Chapter 27

It was the day of the Harvest Festival.

Even so, there weren't that many crops to harvest in Rish Village.

The villagers earned their wages through labor at the textile factory and cotton fields, so they would buy food and other necessities for the winter with that money.

Therefore, it seemed that the villagers would collectively purchase all the supplies needed for the winter from Cotton Tessa after the Harvest Festival.

While there would be some transactions with Cotton Tessa during the winter, the roads would become muddy due to the snow, making it difficult for carriages to travel.

Thus, only the minimum necessary transactions would take place during the winter.

In the evening, the villagers gathered in the central square.

The village chief, Horacio, Diego, and other key members of Rish Village were apparently still performing a ceremony at the church.

Ladi was in charge of the preparations for the Harvest Festival, and Kifurodo was playing with Mika and Boatre Hido.

When Mika asked Kifurodo if he should help, Ladi said it was fine to leave it to him.

Later, Mika heard from Ladi that this was being done for Ladi's sake.

It seemed to be a kind of training for Ladi to be recognized as a "proxy priest."

Though he didn't say it outright, it seemed that Ladi would need to become a "proxy priest" after Kifurodo's passing.

Therefore, the church in Rish Village was basically run by Ladi alone.

Ladi would receive detailed reports and permission from Kifurodo and follow his advice on how to handle things, gradually learning the church's work.

He had been doing this for many years, and now he hardly needed any advice on practical matters.

(He walks around the village every day, giving "healing," listening to people's concerns, and taking on all the church's work... Is he some kind of superhuman?)

Mika said, "If you overwork yourself and collapse, it will be a big problem," to which Ladi replied, "On the contrary, I'm working hard to protect this life."

It seemed that for Ladi, the current state was quite close to his ideal.

For Mika, who wanted to live an easy and enjoyable life, it was hard to believe, but ideals vary from person to person.

If Ladi was happy with it, then that was fine.

"Ah, finally found you. Mika, over here. Hurry up."

Mika was suddenly called and pulled by the hand.

When he looked to see what was happening, it was Nanzaro who was pulling Mika's hand.

"Hey, Nanzaro! What's the sudden rush?"

"People are waiting for you at the church. I'm sorry, but we have to run."

A crowd had gathered around the church.

It seemed they had gathered to catch a glimpse of the Harvest Festival ceremony.

Nanzaro pushed through the crowd, pulling Mika along.

Mika was brought to the church without understanding what was happening.

Inside the church, over thirty people were sitting on pews or standing at the back.

The altar was decorated with statues of the six gods, and many offerings were placed there.

"Ah, you're here. Over here."

When Mika entered the church, Kifurodo beckoned him from in front of the altar.

Kifurodo was not wearing his usual worn-out priest's robe but a neatly pressed and clean one.

Ladi, who was also there, was not in his usual monk's robe but in a beautiful white priest's robe.

Though they were similar, Ladi's robe had more colors in the embroidery, making it look more luxurious.

"Mika, I'm sorry for the sudden call. We need to perform a ceremony to bestow a 'blessing' on you."

"…A blessing?"

Ladi smiled.

Mika, who had no idea what was going on, was taken aback.

"Well, just stand there."

"It will be more of a formality... Just try not to move for a moment."

"Ah, okay..."

Ladi came to the front of the pulpit and faced Mika.

Kifurodo stepped back to oversee the ceremony.

Mika looked up at Ladi and stood still.

(...Today, more than ever, he looks like the Virgin Mary.)

Looking up at Ladi, Mika thought about how beautiful Ladi looked, more so than usual.

The beauty of the attire, combined with Ladi's gentle smile and slightly wavy golden hair, made him look almost otherworldly.

He seemed like a work of art that should be displayed in a grand cathedral or museum.

Ladi slowly raised his arms to the sky and then bowed his head in prayer.

He then went to the altar, picked up a branch with leaves and a beautifully decorated silver chalice, and dipped the tip of the branch into the chalice.

He gently touched Mika's head with the branch.

He repeated the same action, touching Mika's stomach, neck, left shoulder, chest, and right shoulder.

After returning the branch and chalice to the altar, he faced Mika again and slowly raised his arms to the sky.

"O mighty six pillars. The god of darkness who fills the sky. The god of earth who is the origin of all things. The god of fire who encompasses everything. The god of water who is vast. The god of wind who shapes the world. The god of light who shines brightly."

Ladi recited the prayer.

"Grant guidance to the lost. With darkness at your side, hold the light, tread the earth, carry the fire, bathe in water, and be clad in wind. Grant the pure blessing to dispel hardships and the strong heart to not falter in the face of difficulties."

The beautiful voice, without a moment's hesitation, echoed quietly throughout the church.

However, despite the clear voice, Ladi's expression seemed somewhat pained.

His eyebrows moved slightly, and sweat trickled down his cheeks.

(...Maybe he's using a lot of magic power?)

Seeing Ladi's expression, Mika had a vague understanding.

When Mika concentrated his magic power, he probably looked similar to Ladi now.

At that moment, the people in the church began to murmur.

When Mika looked to see what was happening, everyone was looking at him.

(...Huh? Me?)

Looking down at his body, he saw several faint bands of light flickering and then disappearing around him.

The light was weak, and the people standing at the back couldn't see it.

The bands of light were various colors, including red, blue, yellow, and green, and sometimes a faint purple band was visible.

The bands overlapped in layers, creating a rainbow-like effect, but the light was too weak to be considered beautiful.

As Ladi slowly lowered his arms, the weak light became even weaker and eventually disappeared.

Ladi exhaled deeply and smiled at Mika, though he still looked a bit pained.

"That's the end of the ceremony. I really wanted to bestow a proper 'blessing,' but I'm not strong enough. I'm sorry."

"No, it was a valuable experience. Thank you."

When Mika bowed politely, the people gathered in the church burst into applause.

Though it seemed to have failed, it was a rare experience.

Mika, who had been brought there suddenly, accepted the villagers' goodwill.

After that, the Harvest Festival ceremony continued, and he was told to play outside.

He thought about going to watch, but it would be rude to get in the way.

He decided to comply.

"Mika! Where were you?"

When Mika returned to the square from the church, Loretta ran up from the center of the square.

"I was worried when I couldn't see you. You should tell us if you're going somewhere."

"Ah... I'm sorry. I was suddenly called to the church."

"The church?"

Loretta looked puzzled.

"Apparently, they wanted to bestow a blessing on me. Ladi performed the ceremony."

"Wow! I wish I could have seen it. You should have told me!"

"Ahaha... I'm sorry."

Though it was a bit unreasonable, Mika decided to accept it.

Loretta, who doted on her younger brother, must have been truly disappointed to miss Mika's moment of glory.

Previously, she would have held his hand and refused to let go, but today she didn't.

This series of events seemed to indicate that Loretta was changing, which made Mika feel both happy and a bit lonely.

Soon, people began to come out of the church, and all the villagers gathered in the center of the square.

The village chief stepped forward to address the villagers.

He spoke about the attacks by monsters, the factory fire, and the many hardships they had faced this year.

However, thanks to the blessings of the gods and the efforts of everyone, they had managed to overcome these challenges.

He expressed gratitude for the blessings of the gods and rejoiced that they could celebrate the Harvest Festival without any issues.

Next, Ladi stepped forward to offer thanks to the gods for the harvest.

He then performed the same ritual on the children born this year, touching them with a branch and a silver chalice, just as he had done with Mika.

Duel, who was being held by Ninetyana, also underwent the ritual.

Duel was startled and started crying, which made everyone laugh.

Other children also started crying, and the ceremony quickly turned into a commotion.

After that, the same ritual was performed on those who had married this year, and the women had their stomachs touched with a stalk of rice with roots and fruit still attached.

(...The ritual for fertility has evolved from the ritual for a bountiful harvest.)

Even in a different world, such ideas seemed to remain unchanged.

In the original world, rice stalks were also used for fertility and safe childbirth rituals.

Other examples included trees that bore many fruits, fish that laid many eggs, and various other items used for fertility rituals.

Thus, the villagers celebrated the Harvest Festival with a lot of noise and excitement.

At one point, Mika was suddenly called by the village chief, who was standing at the front.

He was beckoned by Kifurodo, who was also at the front, and stood between the village chief and Kifurodo, along with Ladi.

"As you all know, Mika from the Noisheim family will be attending the magic academy next year."

When the village chief said this, everyone burst into cheers.

"This is the first time a student from our village will attend the magic academy. Mika is known to be very smart and brave."

The village chief continued to praise Mika, commending his actions during the fire and emphasizing that his attendance at the academy would be a source of pride for the village.

(...Just a few days ago, they were complaining about it.)

Mika smiled as he listened to the village chief's speech.

Considering his family, he shouldn't reveal his true feelings.

He didn't want his family to suffer because of him.

Mika remained silent, smiling as if he were a politician.

"Finally, I would like to present a gift to Mika from all the villagers."

Just as Mika was starting to feel his facial muscles tire, the topic changed to a gift.

(...Huh? Could it be?)

Spotting Ninetyana in the crowd, she winked at him.

Then, the crowd parted, and Horacio, pulling a cart, walked up.

(...So that's what Ninetyana meant by 'preparation.')

It seemed that after hearing Mika's request, Ninetyana had approached the village chief and asked the men working with wood to make the bed.

Mika hoped they hadn't used fresh wood, but he trusted they wouldn't do that.

When Horacio reached Mika, he turned the cart sideways to show the bed.

It was a fine bed with legs and a headboard.

"Isn't it a good job? I'll help you carry it home, so you can start using it from today."

The cart also had grass for the bed and sheets in the right size.

Since Mika already had a pillow, everything was ready for immediate use.

Mika thanked Horacio and then thanked the village chief, Kifurodo, Ladi, and the villagers.

(...I didn't expect to get it so soon. This will really help.)

He was steadily moving towards independence.

Though it felt a bit odd to receive so much help, considering his age, it was understandable.

Even if he wanted to be independent, the people around him wouldn't allow it.

In that sense, attending the magic academy was a good opportunity.

After the Harvest Festival ceremony, everyone started to drink and sing.

Mika was taken home by Horacio, who pulled the cart.

When Mika tried to walk, Horacio picked him up and placed him on the cart.

It seemed that Mika's pace was too slow for Horacio.

Even while pulling the cart, Horacio walked faster than M