A little while after noon, Luna-san, Sieg-san, Aoi-chan, and Hina-chan arrived exactly as scheduled. We chatted briefly while handling the shift handover. I made sure to register the coordinates in my Teleportation Magic Tool as well, just to ensure I could warp back easily later.
"This spot really is quite peaceful, isn't it?" Sieg-san remarked. "How was the ceremony?"
"It was spectacular," Luna-san replied. "With all of the Six Kings-sama in attendance, it seems they spared no expense this year. It was even more extravagant than usual."
"We only caught a glimpse from the spectator area, but the VIP section was packed with incredible people," Aoi-chan added. "Though Lilia-san looked like she had the eyes of a dead fish."
According to Luna-san and Sieg-san, who had escorted Lilia-san to the venue, things had apparently become quite difficult for her.
I winced inwardly. Exactly how much of an influence did I have on this situation? Was I really to blame for Lilia-san's vacant stare? As per usual, the answer was almost certainly yes.
"Wasn't Lilia-san seated near the Six Kings-sama?" I asked.
"More like she was positioned as the de facto representative for humankind," Hina-chan said.
"Wait, really?"
I tilted my head in surprise, but the reason dawned on me immediately. Lilia-san had personal connections with every single one of the Six Kings, she had received the Main Blessing of the God of Space-Time, she was currently one of the strongest people in the Human Realm alongside Laguna-san, and she was a member of the Sinfonia Royal Family... Yeah. No matter how you looked at it, she was the perfect choice for a position representing the human race.
"...Luna-san, realistically speaking, how much of this do you think is my fault?"
"Let’s see. This time, Miyama-sama simply intended to open a humble stall. You cleared it with Milady beforehand and didn't exactly go around advertising it to the public... So, factoring everything in, I would say it's about ninety-five percent your fault."
"So it's almost entirely my fault. Please, bring her some baby castella when you go to pick her up later as a peace offering."
I knew it. It had to be. No matter how I looked at it, I was the catalyst that ensured all of the Six Kings would attend. They might have originally intended to send proxies, but they likely changed their minds and decided to come in person because of me.
While I prayed that Lilia-san’s stomach would survive the ordeal, I hoped that Chronoa-san was doing a good job of supporting her—even if that felt like I was making it someone else's problem.
"Anyway... for now, we’re going to head out and see the festival."
"Of course," Sieg-san said with a gentle smile. "Leave things here to us and go enjoy yourselves. If you have the time, you might want to check out the ceremony. The formal rituals have ended, and now the focus has shifted to entertainment like singing and dancing."
"That sounds fun. We'll head that way if we have the chance."
After thanking Sieg-san, I left the stall with Tre-san and the others who had finished their shift. We moved into the crowd to begin enjoying the Founding Festival.
"What should we do first?" I asked.
"Hmm, well, it is lunchtime, so let's get something to eat! I've been snacking on and off, so I don't need a full meal—just something light would be perfect."
"Since we’re here, I’d love to try something unique to the Founding Festival," I suggested. "Is there anything like that?"
"I have no idea!" Tre-san declared.
She was so brimming with confidence in her denial that I was actually a little impressed. As I wore a wry smile at her proud proclamation, Cento-san spoke up after a moment of thought.
"...How about some Sinfonia-yaki?"
"Oh? That sounds very appropriate for the occasion. What kind of food is it?"
"If I recall correctly, it's a dish similar to a crepe. They grill a variety of vegetables and fruits and wrap them in an egg-based batter. It's not exclusive to the Founding Festival, but it's famous as a specialty of the Western Trade City. You don't see it often in the Royal Capital, so it might be a good choice."
A fruit crepe, huh? That sounded delicious, and I definitely wanted to try it... but I wondered if we would be lucky enough to stumble upon a stall in this massive, crowded venue.
"That sounds great. I'd love to try it, but do you think we can actually find a shop in this mess?"
"In that case, please leave it to me..."
"Sien-san?"
"I specialize in Wide-area Detection, so I believe I can locate a shop immediately."
Now that was a reassuring teammate. If we relied on Sien-san, we wouldn't just find Sinfonia-yaki; we could find any stall we wanted.
I briefly wondered if we could find Elise-san’s stall as well. She had helped me with so many things that I wanted to pay her a visit, but... no matter how I pictured it, I could only see a future where she greeted me with blatant annoyance. Besides, she had pointedly refused to tell me where she was setting up. It was probably best to stay away for my own sake.
Serious-senpai: "What a refreshingly blatant 'coincidental discovery flag'... So this is the power of a Special Grade Flag Architect..."