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iridesenescenceChapter 1
This is a story from a day when cool winds were blowing.
Having accepted a request for help, we had ventured out to a small village in the Central Kingdom.
Shino: This is the last of the debris blocking the road. Let's move it all at once.
Heathcliff: Okay. 《Repsev Aivulp Sunos》
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》
As Heathcliff and Shino recited their spells, the fallen trees and chunks of dirt and sand were pushed to the roadside.
With the removal of the debris that had been blocking the way, the path was finally cleared.
Akira: Good work, Shino, Heath.
Heathcliff: Ah, Master Sage.
Shino: This is nothing. But Sage, why are we out here doing plain old chores?
You said we had an important mission, so I got myself all fired up...
Heathcliff: They're not plain old chores. Master Sage explained what we would be doing on the way here, remember?
Our mission today is to help this village that suffered damages during the Great Calamity.
Shino: Was that it? I would've gone for something flashy, like taking care of some magical beast.
And I don't like that Oz is getting all the attention. I mean, look at that.
Shino pouted slightly and looked pointedly in Oz's direction.
The Oz in question was helping the villagers in the distance.
Oz: 《Vox Nox》
As Oz recited his spell, debris floated upwards, and the house which had been squashed flat seconds ago restored itself to its original state in no time.
The pile of rubble disappeared, and a single, neat little house was left standing as if nothing had ever happened to it.
Akira: It's like he turned back time... Oz really is incredible to watch.
Shino: Well, I guess it's nice that we're gonna finish early thanks to him.
Heathcliff: I think there was something else that we were supposed to assist with, right?
Akira: Yes, the village has also requested that we help them prepare for their annual ritual to ward off evil.
I've asked Chloe, Shylock and Cain to handle the mending of the ceremonial clothes, but...
Heathcliff: Ah, here they come now. Oh wow, those outfits...
The three wizards who were waving as they walked our way had changed into unfamiliar outfits.
Cain: Good work, you three! How's it going out here?
Akira: Thank you, Cain. Things are going smoothly on our end!
Shino: Those clothes are cool. They make you look strong.
Shylock: What you see here are the ceremonial clothes used in the ritual. The villagers were kind enough to mend some of the clothes that suffered minimal damage for us to wear.
They hope that we too will enjoy ourselves today.
Chloe: This village has such cool outfits, but apparently most of them were lost in fires when the Great Calamity struck... Isn't that such a shame?
Sir Oz is fixing up the village really quickly, so we have to speed up our preparations too!
Chloe's excitement was apparent in his voice. He twirled on the spot, as if to show off the regal clothes he was wearing.
Mending clothes for all the villagers had to be a monumental task, but with Chloe's capable hands on the job, it was sure to be done in no time.
Shino: So what is this ritual you all keep talking about?
Heathcliff: You really weren't listening to Master Sage's explanation at all, were you...
Cain: It's something they perform to keep magical beasts away from the village. They say that in the past, the village would be attacked by a huge swarm of magical beasts around this time of the year.
So the villagers came up with a plan. They'd light a huge bonfire and place lanterns all around the village.
Heathcliff: And they succeeded in fending the magical beasts off by having the entire village illuminated by firelight.
Akira: Ever since then, it seems they light the bonfire and leave lanterns out to keep the beasts away every year.
But this year, because of the damage caused by the Great Calamity, it seems that they're behind on their preparations for the ritual...
Chloe: The villagers were growing worried, so they sent a request for our help.
Heathcliff: Though they call it a ritual, it sounds like it isn't a formal ceremony at all.
Cain: Yeah, they put on special clothes and make-up, gather around the bonfire, and celebrate through the night like it's a festival.
I've heard it's a super fun traditional event where they sing, dance and eat lots of great food!
Shino: Hm, I see... But is there really a point to it?
They're supposedly behind on preparing for the ritual, but I don't sense any magical beasts nearby.
Shylock: Who can say? But it is certainly a fact that many beasts, magical or otherwise, will flee at the sight of fire or light.
On top of that, the mere presence of light often serves to alleviate the fear and anxiety in peoples' hearts.
From that angle, I'm sure this ritual is an important pillar of emotional support to the people of this village.
As we were talking, Faust and Nero, who had been helping in a different part of the village, approached us.
Faust: Sage, do you have a moment?
Akira: Welcome back, Faust, Nero. Is something wrong?
Faust: The villagers asked if we could investigate the abandoned house on the outer edge of the village.
Akira: An abandoned house...?
Nero: Yup. They say it used to be a wizard's place. It should be empty now, but apparently a buncha folks have seen some kinda shadow in there.
Some other guys have heard creepy wailin' too, so apparently there're rumours that a ghost or magical beast is hidin' there.
Heathcliff: A-a ghost...?!
While Heathcliff had grown slightly pale listening to the two wizards' explanation, Shino's eyes lit up.
Shino: What're we waiting for? Let's go. I'll take on any ghost or magical beast.
Sounds way easier to earn achievements that way instead of cleaning up the town or preparing for some ritual.
Nero: Whoa there, we can't even say for sure if there's actually any danger, y'know. 'S not like there's been any harm done, so it could just be a stray dog that's decided to make that place home.
Shino: Still better than picking up debris any day. C'mon, let's go already.
Faust: ... So, there you have it. I was intending for us Eastern wizards to take a look.
Besides, as Nero said, I don't sense anything that might be a cause for concern. Is that alright with you, Sage?
Akira: That's fine. But since it's an additional request, please let me go along with you.
Oh, wait... That would leave Oz as the only one helping with the clean-up effort...
I turned around with the intention of speaking to Oz, who was off in the distance.
Akira: Oz, would you mind if we left you...
Oz: 《Vox Nox》
Oz was singlehandedly putting the village back together without a word. I could hear occasional cheers coming from the villagers that had gathered around him.
Villager: Whoa, he's amazing...!
Villager: Not even ten of our men could move that piece of debris! He's liftin' it like a leaf...!
Akira: (Oz really is impressive...)
Cain: Don't worry, I'll let Oz know. I mean, I'm sure he's fine on his own too, but I'm better at talking to the villagers.
Shylock: And on this end, we have our quick and skilled tailor working to repair the ceremonial clothes.
Chloe: Yeah, we'll have them looking good as new! So you can go ahead and leave things here to us!
——
Following Faust's lead, we headed towards the edge of the village. The further we went, the fewer people were around, and our surroundings were enveloped in silence.
This area had also sustained damage from the Great Calamity, and the scattered debris only served to make the atmosphere more unsettling.
Akira: (Nevermind people, there are barely even any houses out here...)
As I was looking around, Faust came to a stop.
Faust: Over there.
Looking in the direction that Faust had pointed, I saw a tall, tattered-looking mansion, half-swallowed up by the overgrown greenery around it.
Shino: It looks awful.
Heathcliff: W-well. I guess it has a... unique air about it...?
Chapter 2
This is a story from a day when cool winds were blowing.
Having accepted a request for help, we had ventured out to a small village in the Central Kingdom.
Shino: This is the last of the debris blocking the road. Let's move it all at once.
Heathcliff: Okay. 《Repsev Aivulp Sunos》
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》
As Heathcliff and Shino recited their spells, the fallen trees and chunks of dirt and sand were pushed to the roadside.
With the removal of the debris that had been blocking the way, the path was finally cleared.
Akira: Good work, Shino, Heath.
Heathcliff: Ah, Master Sage.
Shino: This is nothing. But Sage, why are we out here doing plain old chores?
You said we had an important mission, so I got myself all fired up...
Heathcliff: They're not plain old chores. Master Sage explained what we would be doing on the way here, remember?
Our mission today is to help this village that suffered damages during the Great Calamity.
Shino: Was that it? I would've gone for something flashy, like taking care of some magical beast.
And I don't like that Oz is getting all the attention. I mean, look at that.
Shino pouted slightly and looked pointedly in Oz's direction.
The Oz in question was helping the villagers in the distance.
Oz: 《Vox Nox》
As Oz recited his spell, debris floated upwards, and the house which had been squashed flat seconds ago restored itself to its original state in no time.
The pile of rubble disappeared, and a single, neat little house was left standing as if nothing had ever happened to it.
Akira: It's like he turned back time... Oz really is incredible to watch.
Shino: Well, I guess it's nice that we're gonna finish early thanks to him.
Heathcliff: I think there was something else that we were supposed to assist with, right?
Akira: Yes, the village has also requested that we help them prepare for their annual ritual to ward off evil.
I've asked Chloe, Shylock and Cain to handle the mending of the ceremonial clothes, but...
Heathcliff: Ah, here they come now. Oh wow, those outfits...
The three wizards who were waving as they walked our way had changed into unfamiliar outfits.
Cain: Good work, you three! How's it going out here?
Akira: Thank you, Cain. Things are going smoothly on our end!
Shino: Those clothes are cool. They make you look strong.
Shylock: What you see here are the ceremonial clothes used in the ritual. The villagers were kind enough to mend some of the clothes that suffered minimal damage for us to wear.
They hope that we too will enjoy ourselves today.
Chloe: This village has such cool outfits, but apparently most of them were lost in fires when the Great Calamity struck... Isn't that such a shame?
Sir Oz is fixing up the village really quickly, so we have to speed up our preparations too!
Chloe's excitement was apparent in his voice. He twirled on the spot, as if to show off the regal clothes he was wearing.
Mending clothes for all the villagers had to be a monumental task, but with Chloe's capable hands on the job, it was sure to be done in no time.
Shino: So what is this ritual you all keep talking about?
Heathcliff: You really weren't listening to Master Sage's explanation at all, were you...
Cain: It's something they perform to keep magical beasts away from the village. They say that in the past, the village would be attacked by a huge swarm of magical beasts around this time of the year.
So the villagers came up with a plan. They'd light a huge bonfire and place lanterns all around the village.
Heathcliff: And they succeeded in fending the magical beasts off by having the entire village illuminated by firelight.
Akira: Ever since then, it seems they light the bonfire and leave lanterns out to keep the beasts away every year.
But this year, because of the damage caused by the Great Calamity, it seems that they're behind on their preparations for the ritual...
Chloe: The villagers were growing worried, so they sent a request for our help.
Heathcliff: Though they call it a ritual, it sounds like it isn't a formal ceremony at all.
Cain: Yeah, they put on special clothes and make-up, gather around the bonfire, and celebrate through the night like it's a festival.
I've heard it's a super fun traditional event where they sing, dance and eat lots of great food!
Shino: Hm, I see... But is there really a point to it?
They're supposedly behind on preparing for the ritual, but I don't sense any magical beasts nearby.
Shylock: Who can say? But it is certainly a fact that many beasts, magical or otherwise, will flee at the sight of fire or light.
On top of that, the mere presence of light often serves to alleviate the fear and anxiety in peoples' hearts.
From that angle, I'm sure this ritual is an important pillar of emotional support to the people of this village.
As we were talking, Faust and Nero, who had been helping in a different part of the village, approached us.
Faust: Sage, do you have a moment?
Akira: Welcome back, Faust, Nero. Is something wrong?
Faust: The villagers asked if we could investigate the abandoned house on the outer edge of the village.
Akira: An abandoned house...?
Nero: Yup. They say it used to be a wizard's place. It should be empty now, but apparently a buncha folks have seen some kinda shadow in there.
Some other guys have heard creepy wailin' too, so apparently there're rumours that a ghost or magical beast is hidin' there.
Heathcliff: A-a ghost...?!
While Heathcliff had grown slightly pale listening to the two wizards' explanation, Shino's eyes lit up.
Shino: What're we waiting for? Let's go. I'll take on any ghost or magical beast.
Sounds way easier to earn achievements that way instead of cleaning up the town or preparing for some ritual.
Nero: Whoa there, we can't even say for sure if there's actually any danger, y'know. 'S not like there's been any harm done, so it could just be a stray dog that's decided to make that place home.
Shino: Still better than picking up debris any day. C'mon, let's go already.
Faust: ... So, there you have it. I was intending for us Eastern wizards to take a look.
Besides, as Nero said, I don't sense anything that might be a cause for concern. Is that alright with you, Sage?
Akira: That's fine. But since it's an additional request, please let me go along with you.
Oh, wait... That would leave Oz as the only one helping with the clean-up effort...
I turned around with the intention of speaking to Oz, who was off in the distance.
Akira: Oz, would you mind if we left you...
Oz: 《Vox Nox》
Oz was singlehandedly putting the village back together without a word. I could hear occasional cheers coming from the villagers that had gathered around him.
Villager: Whoa, he's amazing...!
Villager: Not even ten of our men could move that piece of debris! He's liftin' it like a leaf...!
Akira: (Oz really is impressive...)
Cain: Don't worry, I'll let Oz know. I mean, I'm sure he's fine on his own too, but I'm better at talking to the villagers.
Shylock: And on this end, we have our quick and skilled tailor working to repair the ceremonial clothes.
Chloe: Yeah, we'll have them looking good as new! So you can go ahead and leave things here to us!
——
Following Faust's lead, we headed towards the edge of the village. The further we went, the fewer people were around, and our surroundings were enveloped in silence.
This area had also sustained damage from the Great Calamity, and the scattered debris only served to make the atmosphere more unsettling.
Akira: (Nevermind people, there are barely even any houses out here...)
As I was looking around, Faust came to a stop.
Faust: Over there.
Looking in the direction that Faust had pointed, I saw a tall, tattered-looking mansion, half-swallowed up by the overgrown greenery around it.
Shino: It looks awful.
Heathcliff: W-well. I guess it has a... unique air about it...?
Chapter 2
