"Demon King. Listen to me."
"W-who’s there?"
"One who watched your performance and lamented how poorly it was received."
"It wasn’t received poorly at all!"
"Are you truly satisfied with mere courtesy applause?"
"Guh..."
"Well, no matter. I shall now roast you with fire."
"Eh? Fire?"
"Rest assured. You shall not be harmed. After that, just read the room and play along."
"Wait, fire? Hieeeeeee! It’s hot, it’s hot, it’s ho—oh? It’s not? Huh? Everyone is... everyone is looking at me. I see, so this is it. I understand now, mysterious voice!"
The Demon King gave this testimony while sweating over a plate of curry.
"I apologize for making everyone worry, but honestly, even I don't quite understand what happened," he said.
"Despite the fact that you struck a pose and shouted 'Illusion'?" I asked.
"At that moment, I felt that doing so was the best possible move. By the way, isn't my curry spicier than usual? My sweat and tears won't stop."
"I made it extra spicy as a penalty for giving us such a fright."
I figured he deserved at least that much of a reprimand. Also, Progenitor-san... please stop glaring at the Demon King just because he might have heard the Voice of God. It could have just been a hallucination.
Still, I wondered what that fire really was. Was it truly a divine intervention intended to cheer on the Demon King after his lackluster performance? I couldn't say. The fire was currently burning quite normally in the bonfire stand I had built. For now, I decided to address the flames directly.
"Please try not to do anything that worries the people around you."
Hm? I was talking to the fire, not the cat. You don't need to look so apologetic. Hahaha. You really are cute.
Though we were running a bit behind schedule because of the Demon King’s "illusion," the rest of the festivities were proceeding smoothly.
"The Demon King-sama certainly gave us a shock earlier," Beezel remarked, though he seemed more interested in enjoying the performance by Frau and the Civil Official Girls alongside Fracia. Randan, meanwhile, was busy coordinating with the musical band.
Shouldn't they be a little more worried about their boss? The kittens pacing around the Demon King, looking cross because he'd scared them, seemed to care about him more than his subordinates did. Then again, perhaps their lack of concern was a sign of absolute faith—they believed the Demon King wouldn't be brought down by something like that.
Thinking of it that way made me feel a bit embarrassed for panicking. I needed to learn to stay calmer. Actually, that was probably impossible. If an acquaintance of mine was suddenly engulfed in flames, I was going to be shocked. I didn't have the confidence to remain composed in the face of that. Therefore, I decided my best bet was to work hard to ensure such startling situations didn't happen in the first place.
I quietly added another dollop of spice to the Demon King's plate.
On the stage, Frau and the Civil Official Girls were performing an Oogiri-style comedy routine. Frau acted as the moderator. Laughter frequently erupted from the crowd, though there were times when the humor went completely over my head.
"In other words, that man holding the red tub is King Carsen!"
The audience burst into absolute hysterics. Who was King Carsen? Why was that the punchline? Aside from me, the Village One residents, the Lizardmen, and even Michael-san were laughing, so it must have been common knowledge in this world. The only ones not laughing were the children.
I felt a sudden wave of alienation. I’ve lived in this world for a long time now, but this made me realize I still had a lot to learn about general society.
Once the comedy routine finished, Kuro's children took the stage for their synchronized marching. Their movements were perfectly disciplined, right down to the alignment of their tails. It was impressive.
Ah, one of them must have been nervous. Its legs got tangled, and it took a tumble. Is it okay? Good, it's back up. It returned to the line as if nothing had happened. That's the spirit. Keep it up.
After the performance, the one who tripped looked incredibly depressed, so I went over to give it some encouragement. There, there. You did great. Of course, I made sure to praise the ones who had performed perfectly until the end as well.
Next on stage was Zabuton’s fashion show. She had prepared models with a diverse range of builds—Lizardmen, Dwarves, Beastman girls, Giants, and Lamias—all wearing outfits based on a single concept.
"The next theme is 'Forest Warrior.' This concept is modeled after a warrior who moves and fights with total freedom through the depths of the forest," announced Seles, the Saint, who was serving as the MC. Sena was acting as the director, signaling the timing between Zabuton and the MC.
Suddenly, Zabuton pointed into the audience and called someone up. It was Michael-san. It appeared he was being drafted as an impromptu model. She hadn't prepared a costume for him... oh, I see. She was going to make it right there on the spot. With her children assisting, a custom outfit was finished in the blink of an eye. Michael-san was a professional; he strode to the center of the stage, struck a perfect pose, and played to the crowd. The audience went wild.
The various tents set up around the venue were also working hard. The High Ogre Maids were running a tent featuring new recipes, and their eel dishes were a massive hit. To my palate, the flavors still felt a bit unrefined and sharp, but the Lizardmen were particularly delighted by them.
I had expected the Fairy Queen’s Sweets Tent to be a place where she handed out candy, but it was actually a lecture booth. You sat with the Fairy Queen while she ate sweets and lectured you on the intricacies of confectionery.
"It isn't enough to simply use sugar," she proclaimed in her "adult mode," wearing an incredibly serious expression while she ate.
There was even an Economics Lecture Tent run by Malbit. She had apparently chosen a dry, serious topic in the hopes that no one would show up, allowing her to slack off. However, when she actually found herself sitting in an empty tent, she got lonely and started teaching in earnest. Tito and Randy—Marlon’s cousins—were there, frantically scribbling notes onto wooden boards.
Galf had set up a strength-testing tent as well. It seemed Michael-san’s guard, Milford, had spent most of his time there. Speaking of which, I wondered where Marlon had gone off to? I hoped he was having a good time.
Ah, there he was. The Sake Slime Tent. The interior consisted of nothing but tables and alcohol. Surrounded by the Sake Slime and a group of Dwarves, Marlon was drinking with reckless abandon.
"Too much drinking is bad for you," I cautioned. "Make sure you eat something substantial, too."
"Here is the Broiled Eel and Soy Sauce Grilled Eel you ordered!" a High Ogre Maid said, bringing over several plates. They were devoured and vanished almost instantly.
"Ahaha... I'll go bring some more," she said with a sheepish grin.
Sorry about my residents' appetites.
Eventually, the Harvest Festival transitioned into the night. It would soon become an all-night drinking party, so it was time for the children to withdraw. To their credit, they didn't complain. They were already swaying on their feet from being up past their usual bedtime anyway.
"Alfred, Urza. Lead the children back to the mansion."
The adults were already far too deep into the banquet to notice. Everyone would be sleeping together at the mansion tonight.
"Hakuren, I’ll leave the kids in your hands. I’ll head back myself once things have settled down here."
Raimeiren and Graffaloon had already taken Hiichiro and Lananon back to the mansion, so they were already settled.
Hm? An eagle? I looked up to see the eagle flying overhead, clutching Aegis, the Phoenix chick, in its talons. Ah, Aegis must have fallen asleep, so the eagle was carrying him home. I appreciated the help. I hadn't realized eagles could fly so well at night.
Wait, now wasn't the time to be admiring the local wildlife.
"Granmaria, it's time for you to head back, too. You're pregnant, so don't push yourself. If you get hungry, I'll bring some food for you later."
"Understood," she replied. "Let's walk back together."
And so, the first night of the Harvest Festival drew to a close.