I was Betrayed then Reincarnated as a Kitsune - Chapter 305: Festival Under the Sea

[Luna POV]

We all spent several more days cooped up in Skadi’s manor while the people of the city made preparations for a festival honoring Skadi or something like that.  Ophidia worked over time with pampering Skadi since, according to her, it was unnecessary and over the top.  While I understood where she was coming from, as well as getting several scary premonitions of something similar happening to me in the future, I was also looking forward to seeing just how a merfolk festival is.  Once all the preparations were made and everything was set up, the leaders of the city sent someone to let Skadi and the rest of us know.

The person that was sent knocked on the door of the manor and when Mio, who was the closest person there, opened the door, she apparently recognized the messenger.

“Nya!  We meet again nya.” (Mio)

“Yes, it is nice to meet you again, savoir Mio.  And I’m happy that we can understand each other this time.” (???)

“There’s nyo nyeed to call me savior nya.” (Mio)

“Nonsense.  You and the rest of your friends saved my life, so you are all my saviors.” (???)

Mio invited her in and when I got a good look at her, I could understand why people would make myths about mermaids in my old world.  She was quite pretty with long aquamarine hair and eyes and a long tail with a mix of silver and gold scales.  She wore several necklaces and bracelets made of shiny shells and on her head was a tiara-like thing made of vibrant orange coral.

“Oh, my apologies, I forgot to introduce myself.  I am Miyuki, daughter of one of the leaders of the city.  I am pleased to meet you all again as well as technically meeting you for the first time, miss.” (Miyuki)

She smiled as she greeted everyone, though when she looked in my direction, she tilted her head in confusion.

“Is something wrong?  Oh, and my name is Luna.” (Luna)

“Oh no, nothing is wrong, it’s just I thought you had multiple tails.  Last time I saw you, you had two, or was I just seeing things due to stress that time?” (Miyuki)

“*Sigh*  I know I didn’t explain all the details since it wasn’t my place to do so, I do remember saying that you should ignore or even forget that, or at the very least not think too much about it.” (Skadi)

“No, I remember your warning, Hero Skadi, I was just wondering since that image stuck with me for some odd reason.” (Miyuki)

“I’m hiding it, but that’s as much as I’m willing to explain.  I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ask any more.” (Luna)

“I understand, savior Luna.  Now, I am here to let you all know that the festival preparations have been finished and all that’s left is Hero Skadi’s presence.  The rest of you feel free to roam around to your hearts content.” (Miyuki)

“Miyuki, there is one request that I want to make.” (Skadi)

“Anything, Hero Skadi.” (Miyuki)

“I’d like Ophidia to come with me.” (Skadi)

“There is no problem with that, but may I ask why?” (Miyuki)

“She’s my fiancée.” (Skadi)

“Eh?  Oh…OH!  Yes, please have her come with you.  I must tell the leaders this information immediately.” (Miyuki)

“Why?  Is there a problem?” (Skadi)

“Not really, though this information also ruins some of the leaders’ plans.” (Miyuki)

“I was very clear the last time I met with them that I was not going to marry any of their children or grandchildren.” (Skadi)

“I understand that, but some of the older ones don’t care.  They want to tie you here very much.” (Miyuki)

“Come, Skadi.  We simply must meet these people.” (Ophidia)

“Just stop at maiming them, Ophidia.” (Luna)

“I know, master.” (Ophidia)

“This matter aside, I hope you all enjoy yourselves.  Now, if you excuse us.” (Miyuki)

Skadi, Ophidia and Miyuki left the manor and boarded a carriage-like think that was pulled by two sharks and left.  Half an hour later, the rest of us also left the manor to go and explore this festival.  The second we left the decorative gate of the manor, I immediately noticed the festive vide of the city.  People were swimming around in very colorful clothes and many of what they were wearing had some feathery kind of attachments of varying lengths.  Others even had some fancy kind of face paint and body paint making intricate designs on their skin.

“Merfolk culture is strange.” (Soleil)

“It’s rude to call other cultures strange, Soleil, it’s just different from what you’re used to.” (Luna)

“Ah.” (Soleil)

{Would you like me to try this at some point, Luna?}

‘If you want to.  I’ll do the same for you.’

{I can already imagine it, and I must say, you look quite nice.}

‘Fufufu.’

“Luna, come back to us.” (Velvet)

“What?” (Luna)

“We’re going this way, come on.” (Velvet)

“Coming.” (Luna)

While we walked and looked around, I was astonished.  The city was built very interestingly.  The buildings were mostly made of coral, though there were some that were made of large sea anemones.  Others were like overly large tents hung from the spikes of what I thought were ginormous urchins.  When we walked onto a larger street, we ran into what was basically a wall of people that were having the time of their lives partying in the street.  Some played some kind of instrument that worked in some way that I didn’t know.  If I had to compare this to something from my previous world, it would probably have to be Carnival, not that I ever experienced it personally.

“Nya!  This seems very fun nya.  Makes me want to dance and stuff nya.” (Mio)

“We’re not stopping you.” (Velvet)

“I knyow that nya, but I also feel like I’d mess up the rhythm if I butted in nya.” (Mio)

“Nonsense!  Feel free to join the festivities, surface lady!  It’s a festival, dance and party to your heart’s content!”

We turned to see who spoke and saw a buff looking merman that wore a giant headdress and mask.

“Come, come!  Celebrate the joyous occasion!  HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

He swam away laughing.

“Nyahaha.  To dance away nya!” (Mio)

Mio went forward into the crowd and joined in with the dancing.

“Aww.  That guy could have at least told us where to get a mask like that.  It was interesting.” (Velvet)

“Then let’s me and you look around to see if we can find someone selling them.  Sorry for leaving you like this, big sis.” (Soleil)

“You’re fine.  Go and have fun, though I’d like us all to meet up again at some point.” (Luna)

“Sounds reasonable.  If we find a good land…um, sea(?) mark to meet at, we’ll let you know.” (Velvet)

“Fufu.  Later.” (Luna)

The two of them walked off in another direction while I remained near the street Mio went to have fun on.

‘Have to say, I wasn’t expecting to end up alone.’

{You’re never alone, Luna, though I get what you’re saying.}

‘Well, I might as well explore a bit and see what I can find.’

{Oh, are you worried about Atmos, by the way?}

‘No, we agreed not to prank each other when there is a possibility for other, non-related people to get caught up in one.’

{Alright.}

As I walked around speaking with Tamamo, I stopped by several different spots and bought some things here and there.  After some time and making my way around on some less crowded streets, I found myself in front of a large colosseum.  Since it didn’t seem closed off from the public, I walked inside since it piqued my interest.

‘Tamamo, I have a good feeling about this.’

{How so?}

‘Not too sure since it’s just a feeling, but still.’

After walking around for a bit, I ended up in what looked like a stable.  In the stalls were horse-looking animals.  When I appraised one, I learned that they were hippocampi.

“Oh, hello miss.”

I turned my head to see who spoke to me.  The person that spoke was a, in comparison to the people I’ve seen so far, short merman.  He had grey and silver scales and wavy hair that moved ever so slightly in the small currents of the water.

“Hello.” (Luna)

“Since you have legs, I know you aren’t from around here, so I must ask, are you lost?”

“Sort of.  I’ve just been wandering around and found myself here.  Am I not supposed to be here?” (Luna)

“This place isn’t off limits, but not many people actually come here.  Anyway, I can lead you back to the one of the main streets if you’d like.”

As soon as I was about to answer, one of the hippocampi made a strange noise.

“No.  No, no, no, no, no.  I’m sorry miss, I’ll help you out in a bit, but I need to check on this first.”

The merman swam over to one of the stall and flung the door open.  I quickly moved over there as well to see what was happening to see a beautiful hippocampi laying on the ground, a dullness in its eyes that meant only one thing.

“No, please don’t go yet.  It’s too soon.”

The hippocampus made a weak noise and it nuzzled its nose against the stableperson’s hands.

“I’m good at healing magic, do you want me to help?” (Luna)

The stableperson shook his head and I could see tears fall from his eyes.

“Unfortunately, you can’t help, unless of course, you know how to heal old age.”

“Ah.” (Luna)

“I do thank you for the offer though, miss.”

“My name’s Percy.  I’m the one that is in charge of taking care of all the chariot hippocampi for the arena.  While I don’t wish to be rude, can you please leave me?” (Percy)

“Of course.” (Luna)

“Thank you.  If you leave here and take three left turns and a right you should find yourself back outside.” (Percy)

I nodded my head and left the stables.

‘So much for my good feeling.’

{Yeah.}

‘…’

{No need to feel that bad, Luna.  You didn’t even know that creature to be attached to it emotionally.}

‘I know, but the death of an animal that was well taken care of is still sad.  Though there is one good thing that came out of this I guess.’

{What is it?}

‘The full race name of the hippocampi in the stables were Diomedes Hippocampi.  That means that, even if not the exact same, there is a possibility that I’m going to complete another labor here.  And I feel like that Percy guy is going to be the one to ask me to do it.’

{Good luck, then.}

‘Thanks.  Oh, this also seems like a good place to meet up, especially since there is a large stage that seems important over there.’

{Tell the others then.}

‘I am.’

I let the others know about the place that we can meet up at when they are ready and got confirmation from them.  After that, I walked around in the vicinity of the stage to look at some more festival shops as well as some of what I assumed were normal shops.  After about three more hours, Velvet and Soleil showed up.  Velvet had a wide smile on her face and Soleil did as well.

“Looks like you two had fun.” (Luna)

“Yep.  We found a lot of masks, Soleil found some paints made from things only found around here.” (Velvet)

“We also got some pretty things from a few other shops.” (Soleil)

“Good for you, then.” (Luna)

We chatted for a bit and before long Mio showed up as well.  When she walked up to us, I noticed that she had some of the same feather like things tied into her hair and woven around her visible tail.

“Nyahahahaha.  I had so much fun nya.  These merfolk really know how to party nya.” (Mio)

“Yeah.  Though I wonder what this stage has to do with the festival.  I mean, I have a good idea, but I wonder when it’s going to be used.” (Soleil)

“My guess it’ll be when they’re done with their chat with Ophidia.” (Luna)

“Probably nya.” (Mio)

“So, what should we do while we wait for the main event?” (Velvet)

“I did find a place that had some interesting stuff.  Want to go and see if you will find something you like?” (Luna)

The others looked at one another and nodded.  I led them to the place I was talking about and we all looked around to see if we could find anything.  After some time, we paid for the things we wanted and left.  When we got back onto the street, we saw that a lot of people were moving in the direction the stage was at.

“Guess it’s time to see what Skadi’s part in this festival will be.” (Luna)

We did the same as the crowd and went in the direction of the stage.  When we got as to the best place we could, we turned our attention to the stage.  We saw eight merfolk that all wore something like orange coral crowns on their heads.  Four of the eight of them looked elderly, while the other four were slightly younger, but still old.  Several of them also looked like they had the life drained from them.

“Fufufu.  Ophidia did a real number on them.  Mentally speaking.” (Luna)

“Seems like it.” (Velvet)

“They had it coming nya.” (Mio)

“Yep.” (Soleil)

Once the plaza was as full as it could be, one of the people floating above the stage swam to the forefront  and started to speak.

“Hello everyone!  We hope you all had a grand time and hope you continue to do so!  Now, it’s time for the festival’s main event!  We are blessed to be joined by our city’s hero and savior and she has agreed to participate in the festivities!”

Cheers rose up from everyone in the crowd that made the water around us visibly vibrate.  Then the eight people on stage moved to the left and right and Skadi walked up.  She was wearing something different that what she was earlier.  Now she wore a beautiful white toga-like gown that ended a little under her knees.  It had long, flowing sleeves that trailed after her with a pretty effect as they floated behind her.  Her long silver hair was adorned with bright orange coral rings that let it float around like her sleeves.  Around her neck was a black and silver necklace in the shape of a snake.  With her dressed like that and the backdrop of a marvelous colosseum , a normal person would think she was a goddess descended.

“Fufu.  Found Ophidia.” (Luna)

“Heh.  She’s got the best seat in the place.” (Soleil)

“She’s also staring down the older group nya.” (Mio)

“Hehe.” (Velvet)

Once Skadi was centerstage, she raised a hand and waved and the cheers made the ones earlier seem quiet.  Soon a continuous chant of Hero Skadi was started.  After a few minutes of this, the merman that was talking earlier stepped forward again and calmed the crowd.

“I know you are all excited!  We are as well!  We will now hear some words from Hero Skadi and then the party can truly begin!”

The merman swam back into his place and Skadi took one more step forward.  She looked around the crowd with a stiff looking smile on her face.  When she saw us, her whole body went stiff for a second before she moved on.

“Hello to you all!  I am happy to see all of you in good spirits!  I hope you continue to be for the rest of time!” (Skadi)

She then took several steps back just as the crowd cheered once more.

“She’s not great at the whole speech thing.” (Velvet)

“I mean, it’s not like she wanted to do that in the first place.  Even I’d need a few days to prepare to give a speech in front of a crowd this large.” (Luna)

“I’d need to be bribed with a months’ worth of food to do it nya.” (Mio)

“Eh, I’d be fine if I had to speak about something I like, like Velvet or big sis and her tails.” (Soleil)

“That’s most people, Soleil.  Get someone talking about something they like and it’ll be harder to shut them up.” (Luna)

Soon the crowd turned into a giant mass of jubilation.  People were dancing, drinking, eating, and pretty much anything else you’d find at a giant party.  Skadi was given an almost throne-like seat to sit on, on stage.  She looked very uncomfortable, but only someone that knew her well would notice.

“Should we go rescue Skadi?” (Luna)

“Probably nya.  She looks like she’s about to crack nya.” (Mio)

“Alright.  Time to work my magic.” (Luna)

I looked at the stage and started to use telepathy to talk to Ophidia.

“Ophidia, get ready to teleport Skadi to her manor.  I’ll make an illusion of her that will stay there.  On my signal.” (Luna)

“We’re ready at any time, master.” (Ophidia)

“Now.” (Luna)

In the blink of an eye, Skadi disappeared and was replaced by an illusion.  Not a single person saw it and soon, me and the others were back at the manor as well.  When we got there, Skadi was sprawled out on a couch with her head in Ophidia’s lap.

“Never again.  Once we leave this city, I’m never coming here again.” (Skadi)

“Fufufu.  You did good, Skadi.  You look nice as well.” (Luna)

“Nn.” (Skadi)

“Ophidia, how did your…chat…go?” (Velvet)

“Quite well.  The merfolk are very, very good listeners.” (Ophidia)

“Anyway, you two rest up, I’ll make you something that is good when you are tired so you can sleep soundly tonight.” (Luna)

“Thank you.” (Skadi)

“Thanks master.” (Ophidia)

I made my way to the kitchen and got to work.

Chaos Realm:

Skadi: Ah, it’s been forever.

I thought you’d like to get out of there, even if only temporarily.

Skadi: You have no idea.

Order: Welcome back, Skadi.  You missed a lot of things here.

Astraea: Hello.

Skadi:…

Astraea: *Head tilts*

Skadi: Adorable.

Indeed.  Oh, and hello to you too, Luna.

Luna: Hey.  Is there something you needed from me?

Yeah, I wanted to discuss something with you in regards to the labors if I haven’t already told you.

Luna: What’s up?

You’ve done most of them, so I’m going to count them complete after you finish two more.

Luna: So, not all twelve, but as many as I can.

Yep.

Luna: Thanks for telling me.

No problem.

Astraea: Super fluffy lady, can I pet your tails please?

Luna: Fufufu.  Go ahead.

Astraea: YAY!

Skadi:…

Order: No, you can’t take her with you.  I know her cuteness can heal souls, but she’s ours.

Skadi: Aww.  Not even for a little bit?

Order: No.

Skadi: *sigh* Fine.