Three days had passed since the meeting. In the end, the council had resolved not to seek cooperation from the Hunter Guild.
What was done was done; there was no helping it now. In any case, the monsters' willingness to accept the aid had been an absolute prerequisite. Since the very people who needed saving rejected it, that avenue was closed to us.
Consequently, I spent the following days racking my brain for an alternative, but naturally, no good ideas came to mind.
Our enemy was the notorious Aldebaran, one of the Four Great Demon Kings. Simply waiting around without any countermeasures felt dangerously reckless. We needed to devise a plan as soon as possible.
Resting my chin on my hand as I turned these thoughts over in my head, I watched the monsters bustling back and forth along the street outside, when—
"Gil! Today's the festival!"
The door flew open, and Char burst into the room, throwing her arms around my neck with an excited shout. Come to think of it, the ceremony celebrating the completion of the new city was scheduled for today.
Mr. Lou and I had previously discussed how important it was to hold a ceremony once construction wrapped up, both to foster a sense of solidarity and to offer everyone a release from the pervasive feeling of confinement. Today was that day.
"Thanks, Char. Shall we get going?"
It wouldn't set a good example if I, the very person who suggested holding the ceremony in the first place, ended up arriving late.
"Mm-hmm!"
Char beamed, nodding as she latched onto her customary VIP spot on my right arm.
Stepping out of the room, we joined the flow of various monster tribes heading toward the square. Not so long ago, someone with the appearance of the human race like me—or even Char, who looked quite close to one—would have been constantly hassled, but lately, that had become a rare occurrence.
After all, monsters came in a vast diversity of forms. Among their tribes were those whose features differed very little from humans. My appearance, which had stood out at first, had become a regular sight around town, making me far less of a novelty. Bit by bit, I had naturally blended into the life of the city. Though, that wasn't the only reason—
"Gil, Char! Here, eat up! On the house!"
An auntie from the orc tribe running a butcher shop tossed over two nicely browned skewers of meat.
"Thank you!"
Catching them, I expressed my gratitude and handed one to Char. The woman was a relative of Bū's, and whenever an occasion arose, she would generously treat us to grilled meat like this.
"So yummy~"
A soft smile touched my lips as I watched Char happily munching away.
"Mr. Gil!"
A green-skinned boy was waving both hands in my direction with a wide grin. Beside him stood several other green-skinned goblins.
"Hey there, Gobuza. Coming to check out the festival?"
"Yeah!"
"How is it? Having a good time?"
"You bet! It's tons of fun!"
As one of the festival's organizers, hearing that was genuinely rewarding.
"I'm glad to hear it. There are events going on in the square, so make sure to check them out."
Exchanging pleasantries with the other monsters passing by, we made our way toward the central square where the ceremony was to be held.
It was located in the wide open space right in front of where the old settlement of Ket Nya once stood. Several monsters were already gathered there, waiting for me.
"You're late, Gil!"
"You're the one who pushed for this in the first place, so what are you doing showing up late?!"
Chato and Tama immediately chimed in with their complaints, followed by a booming voice from behind them.
"Heyyy, Gil! We went ahead and started without ya!"
At a table in front of a building in the back, Bū shouted across to me, hoisting a wooden cup filled to the brim high in the air.
Sitting beside him with drinks in hand were Cyclone, the one-eyed cyclops, and Crocodus, the crocodile-faced warrior.
Judging by how bright red all three of their faces were, they were already thoroughly plastered.
At first, both Cyclone and Crocodus had kept their distance from me, putting up walls to avoid interacting whenever possible. Lately, however, they had begun striking up casual conversations from time to time.
"Honestly... What kind of example does it set when the festival organizers start drinking before the event even begins...?"
As Orgo of the high ogre tribe grumbled in disapproval, Kiji simply gave a light shrug.
"Don't be so hard on them. They've been spending every waking moment racking their brains over battle preparations lately. Everyone needs a chance to unwind."
"That may be so, but... Hey, Gil, what do you think? Don't you think it sets a bad precedent?"
Orgo turned a stern glare toward me, posing an awkward question I had no easy way to answer.
"Well, seeing as I'm late myself, that kind of stings to hear."
"Ain't that the truth! You'd better do some serious self-reflection! More importantly, let's get this party started!"
At Chato's urging, Kiji gave a hearty nod and stepped up onto the stage.
We clapped our hands to draw the crowd's attention, and the ceremony officially began.