I recalled the appearance of Eon when I first met him at the Hyrn ducal estate. I remembered the moment he made that sudden confession, and the look on his face that showed a strange obsession. I thought it was a murderer's threat, but he was acting that way because he knew about my past life.
"Uh. Where would you like to look around first?"
Brady's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I focused on the people in front of me.
"Oh dear, shouldn't you have something to eat first?"
"Dear. Do you think someone like them would find the food we eat to suit their taste?"
"That may be true, but they say that if you eat the food from the prayer ceremony, you will have a safe and healthy year."
"Ah... Right. That is true, though."
Mary looked at me with an awkward expression as she watched the two of them bickering.
"Please don't worry about it. You don't need to worry about my family, Miss. I am already more than, no, overflowing with gratitude."
They seemed worried that I might feel uncomfortable in this place.
"I'm curious too, about what kind of food there is."
"It's nothing special. It's just grilled meat and vegetables."
"But festivals are special, aren't they?"
It was absurd for me, not even a real noble, to feel uncomfortable with farmhouse food. Above all, I liked the simple festival held in an idyllic atmosphere.
Before anyone realized it, the little boy was hanging out with Mary's younger sibling. The younger siblings, who had been glancing at little Eon and unable to take their interest away, had finally mustered the courage to speak to him.
“I’m Jane.”
“I’m Kiehl!”
The three-hundred-year-old kid hesitated, as if unsure how to react to the attention of the real kids. Perhaps little Eon, who had only lived in the magic tower, was simply awkward interacting with children.
“Eon...”
Jane expressed doubt, wondering if she had gained courage from little Eon's reaction.
"The nobles have longer names."
"It's just Eon."
The two little ones readily agreed. Then they soon changed the question.
"How old are you? I'm six!"
Kiehl held up his finger and said proudly.
"Kiehl! Don't keep speaking informally to a noble!"
Jane put on a deliberately dignified expression. It was cute to see her stepping forward as the older sister.
"I turned ten last month."
Then, with sparkling eyes, she looked at little Eon. Kiehl also followed his sister's lead, putting his hands together and standing beside her. It seemed that both of them were curious about the little boy's age.
"I'm... three hundred years old?"
"Wow! Three hundred years old?"
I choked on little Eon's answer. I glanced at Mary and Brady, but fortunately, they were busy explaining to Eon what they had prepared in their village.
"That's a lie. How can a person live for three hundred years? That tree is the only one that lives that long."
Jane retorted quite logically to little Eon's words. Instead of an explanation, the little one threw out an unexpected question.
"Do you like riding a hobby horse?"
Children's conversations were naturally bound to be free-spirited. Instead of being puzzled by the absurd question, Kiehl spread his arms wide and gave an answer.
"Yeah! I get super tall. Then everyone looks tiny, even Jane gets shorter than me!"
"Well... that would be similar to riding a horse."
I don't know if it was intentional or just blurted out, but it was a remark that provoked Kiehl's pride.
"Hey! It's different from what I said!"
"Horses can run fast, you know?"
It seems it was an intentional remark. Only now did I realize that the little one was sulking for no reason.
Jane stepped forward to help her younger sibling.
"The nobles have horses, but we don't, so I wouldn't really know. It makes no sense to compare a horse to a hobby horse. On this one, Dad is the one giving the ride, isn't he?"
"That's right! I like Dad much more than horses!"
As the children's voices grew louder, Camille restrained the two little ones.
"Kiehl, Jane, stop bothering the little lord and come here!"
"Yes."
Little Eon gazed blankly at the children scurrying toward their mothers. It wasn't the content of the conversation that made him feel like a loser in the argument. Feeling as though I understood the little boy's heart, I held his small hand tightly.
"I have Sally now. Right, Sally?"
The little kid clung to me, clutching the hem of my skirt.
***
We headed to the venue the Brady couple had told us about. We barely managed to shake off Mary, who offered to guide us. We had brought her home so she could rest comfortably, so coming all the way here would have been pointless if she followed us.
"I can hear music coming from over there."
Not only that, but a rather pleasant scent was wafting in. It was a smell that reminded me of the fact that I had been fasting for a long time. The two people beside me seemed to feel the same way, as we approached the source of the rising smoke as if entranced.
Although the venue was not large, the atmosphere was no less than that of any festival. There were groups dancing to the music of an orchestra consisting of lutes, flutes, and snare drums, as well as people watching an acrobatic troupe.
“Is that magic?”
Watching the acrobats stuffing torches into their mouths as if to swallow them, the little boy asked in wonder.
“Isn’t that technology?”
"Technology?"
The little boy, with his eyes wide open in surprise, looked just like someone seeing a circus for the first time. After all, he had lived for such a long time—three hundred years—so he must have had plenty of opportunities during that time.
“Are you excited?”
"Yeah, I've never seen anything like that before."
The word "first" was somewhat disconcerting. In Baynan, there were major festivals such as the founding festival, birthdays, and Thanksgiving. And it was the circus troupe that never missed an event. For them, who traveled from village to village performing, the festivals were a great opportunity.
"Have you never seen a circus before?"
The little boy nodded.
“Are you sure?”
The same reaction came back. I couldn't help but turn to look at Eon. He must have clearly been acting as the little one's guardian all this time.
'The fact that he's never been to a festival, even though he's done that.'
The forbidden room came to mind, and I suspected that the little one might have been abused all this time.
"There is no need to glare at me like that."
Eon spoke without taking his eyes off the circus. His tone suggested that he could clearly see what kind of expression I was making without even having to check this way.
"It’s the first time I’ve seen a stunt like that, too."
"Now that..."
I had been speaking rapidly, but soon stopped. It was because I judged that Eon probably wouldn't be able to hear me at that moment. Both little Eon and this big Eon were equally captivated by the stunt. With their lips pressed together and eyes shining, the two looked so alike that you could easily mistake them for the same person.
'It looks real if you do that.'
Thanks to that, I had to swallow the words to stop lying about seeing the stunt for the first time.
After the short performance ended, we walked over to the food counter. Since the only item on the menu was the 'Juicy Meat Set,' we didn't have to worry about what to eat.
The man grilling meat glanced at us.
"Are you a guest from within the castle? Welcome. You have come at the right time. The ham and roasted quail, aged for today, are exquisite."
He never imagined that the person standing before him would be the Marquis de Grannois, and he showed pride in his food.
"If you sit over there, I'll bring you the food. It's prepaid."
The makeshift dining space was incredibly modest. The chairs were long, horizontal logs, and the table was merely a piece of timber with a wide cross-section standing upright. However, this was strictly viewed through the eyes of the nobility.
"It feels just like I went camping with Sally."
For both the little one and me, this spot was a wonderful outdoor restaurant with an idyllic atmosphere. Thanks to the wide-open view, we could fully take in the sky standing at the threshold of night.
'It looks just like Eon's eye color.'
I was startled to find myself thinking that. It was because I wasn't sure if I was thinking of this little kid sitting right next to me, shaking his legs up and down, or the Tower Master standing far away, with a distance that looked like it could seat at least two more people.
I held the little one's hand and shook it along with him, glancing sideways at Eon. I wondered what was going on inside his head right now as he gazed only at the vast sky.
'When should I tell you?'
I would rather have Eon ask me directly. Whether I had regained my memories or realized I was the Archmage Sally. But Eon, who had no way of knowing my wish, just sat there in silence.
'When was the time you were making such a fuss about calling me Sally?'
I wondered if he had always been such a tight-lipped person. It felt as if he was trying to have a contest of patience with me.
'Do I need to be mentally prepared?'
It was a remark that didn't suit him, but there was no other way to explain it. After all, I was the same way.
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