Chapter 377: The Present
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back.”
As I returned to the inn, I found Haulon lounging with a water pipe in his mouth.
“Welcome back,” he said.
Karn and Retze were engrossed in some game.
Karn glanced at me without breaking his focus on the game board, while Retze responded without looking away from the pieces.
“What game is this?”
“I found it at the market last night. It’s an old game from Es, but since the board and pieces resemble those from the time of King Tildonai, we decided to change the rules a bit,” Haulon explained, having apparently been watching their match.
It seemed that they were playing a nostalgic game using rules that Karn was familiar with.
Baylis was leaning against Karn, resting his chin on his knee, while a few others with similar features fanned themselves slowly with large fans.
Retze had changed into Es attire. The clothes here were airy and cool, without any tight bindings. It appeared that neither men nor women wore pants.
“Let me know when the game is over; I have a souvenir for Karn,” I said.
“Got it,” Haulon replied.
“Wait, what did you bring?” Retze suddenly lifted his gaze from the board, looking surprised.
“…” Karn silently raised one hand, and the servants who had been fanning them quietly exited the room.
“Wait? You let them leave the room?!” I exclaimed, having thought they were supposed to stay!
“So? What is it?” Karn asked.
“That’s not fair!”
“The master of this room is King Tildonai. If others say anything, they won’t stop working,” Haulon replied.
So Haulon had made the reservation under Karn’s name!
“Don’t sulk. Now, what did you bring for Karn?” Retze said as he stood up, motioning for me to take his seat.
Haulon moved the table aside carefully to avoid disturbing the game board, clearing the space in front of me and Karn.
“This.”
I placed a pillar wrapped in a bag in the center. I had even tied a ribbon around it, though it was just a hemp sack. It was about the height of my seated eye level, but a bit low for Karn.
With a suspicious expression, Karn untied the ribbon and peeked inside.
“…” He then covered his face with his hand, leaning back against the chair.
“What is it?” Haulon asked, and Karn gestured with his fingers, indicating to look at the hand that was covering his eyes.
“…A Spirit. You’ve brought a rather unusual one this time…” Haulon said as he leaned in to take a closer look.
Baylis, who had been peering in alongside him, clung to Karn’s back. Retze, the last to peek, wore an expression that was hard to read.
Due to the size of the hemp sack, only the face of the spirit was visible, like a candy sculpture. Once the bag was opened, the rest of the spirit would surely be revealed.
“If I can see it, that means it’s either a strong spirit or it’s been made visible for me. I haven’t seen many spirits, but this one is quite different from the paintings and carvings found in temples,” Retze commented.
“…If it’s just the face, I feel like I’m more accustomed to the reliefs in the temple,” Karn said, resting his chin on his hands as he looked down.
“Wait, wait, this can’t be real?” Baylis said, glancing at the bag from over Karn’s shoulder.
“Reliefs from the temple?” Haulon caught onto Karn’s words and pulled out something that looked like a rolling pin. It seemed to be a scroll, and as he rolled it out on his knees, it revealed images of crocodiles and cobras that looked somewhat familiar.
“Oh. This person, this person. Asas, the God of Fertility,” Haulon exclaimed suddenly, burying his face in his knees.
“Eh?” I looked at Karn, who hadn’t moved from his previous position.
“First, should we discuss how you ended up bringing a spirit in a bag?” Retze said, looking at me with a sigh.
So, I found myself explaining the circumstances in front of the hemp sack.
“Since Karn declared his commitment to the country’s reconstruction, I thought I’d bring a little pre-celebration gift to show my support.”
“And you caught this?” Retze glanced at the hemp sack.
“No, I was actually planning to look for the spirit of the Es River and ask it to meander around the site for the new nation,” I replied.
The mention of the Es River spirit seemed to make the sack tremble.
“Don’t casually go looking for gods,” Karn sighed.
“At the very least, shouldn’t you perform a ritual and pray for their descent? Why is it assumed that you should go to them?”
“Why? I’m the one with the business here,” I shot back at Haulon.
“…Please, don’t shake my common sense,” Haulon said, covering his face with one hand while using the other to signal me to stop.
“Stop applying human social norms to the gods. Normally, they reside in places that are inaccessible, or in realms unknown to humans,” Retze interjected, noticing my confused expression.
As I pondered this, Retze pinched my cheek, ready to pull it at any moment.
“Anyway, I understand that you wished for water on my behalf. —Though the method you used is questionable,” Karn said.
“That’s just how Gene operates,” Retze sighed.
“It’s not like searching for gods is unheard of. But please, stop trying to apply everyday common sense to something so dynamic!” Haulon shouted, his eyes brimming with tears.