“Satie, we brought in the veggies.” Anessa and Miriam entered the house toting baskets loaded with what little remained of the summer vegetables.
“You got a lot more than I was expecting.” Satie had been kneading the dough, and when she turned to greet them, she had flour on her nose. “Thanks. Could you hand them to Char? Hey, c’mon, Percy. Didn’t I tell you to bring in the firewood?”
“Ah, right, I totally forgot. Sorry.”
Percival hurriedly rushed out, harried by Satie’s scolding.
Satie placed hand on her hip and sighed wearily. “He’s getting forgetful these days. Now, I’ll put out the tableware, so please clear off the table. It’s still just as messy as it was last night. Maggie, get some water.”
“You got it.” Marguerite left with a bucket in hand just as the twins came in with the plates.
“Here, the plates.”
“Kasim, hurry.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kasim hastily cleared away the bottles and cards that had been left out on the table.
“Uncle Kasim, please carry the pot,” Charlotte said, tapping the lid of the pot hanging over the fire with a wooden ladle.
“You’re a real slave driver, you know that?” Kasim said with a smile.
Byaku, who had been tending to the fire, looked at him suspiciously. “What’s so funny?”
“Ha ha... Well, I just felt happy for some reason.”
Satie began to giggle too. “Hee hee... Yeah.”
Percival returned with the firewood under his arms, and he cocked his head curiously. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing... Just basking in happiness.”
“I see...”
“You look a bit out of it.”
“Shut it. I’m a delicate guy.” Percival pouted.
Then Mit looked at him, startled. “Percy, delicate?”
“You little... Mit, what’s Kasim been teaching you?”
“Hey, why are you bringing me up?”
Lucille strummed her instrument. “As the people of the past once said, ‘You get what you deserve.’”
Yakumo cackled. “I’ll have to agree, for once,” she said, puffing out some smoke.
Kasim twisted his beard. “Drat, I’ve got no allies here. Where are Bell and Ange?”
“They’re on a stroll. Dad said he felt like walking,” Charlotte explained as she served the stew.
Anessa giggled. “Despite everything, Mr. Bell’s pretty hardy. I could feel the blood draining from my face back when it happened.”
Merry nodded without pausing in her work of chopping vegetables. “It was a real shocker, wasn’t it? Just as we were starting to get restless, he suddenly appeared, bleeding all over, with Ange helping him walk.”
“Yeah, all of a sudden from where the yarn cut off. Good grief, how many times does he have to surprise me before he’s satisfied?” Percival said, heaving a sigh.
“It’s a good thing Helvetica had some elixir to spare. Thanks to that, he can at least walk on his own now,” Satie said, continuing to knead the dough.
“Good grief, Bell sure knows how to push himself. He’s usually so cautious, but he doesn’t even hesitate to put his life on the line. My heart almost stopped, you know,” Kasim said.
“It’s just good that everyone’s back. I thought it was hopeless when the hole closed...” Anessa said.
Miriam nodded. “That’s right. I wonder why that happened. I guess there’s no point wondering about it now though.”
“I mean, yeah, but I’m still curious about it. It’s all over my head,” said Marguerite, who had returned with water.
Graham, who was sitting on the raised floor, closed his eyes as he thought it over. “Isn’t it because Angeline made it so?”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean, granduncle?”
“Angeline wanted to come home. That’s why the path opened up. That’s all it is.”
“Perhaps...”
“Ha ha! It just goes to show that her place to return to was with Bell and not Solomon,” Percival said.
His mirth was infectious; the entire house was soon filled with laughter.
“Anyways, Percival, what are you going to do? You’ve got no one to search for anymore.”
“Who knows? I’ll take my time thinking about it.”
“Do you wanna go east with us?” Miriam mischievously suggested.
Percival chuckled. “Not a bad idea, but I’ll be taking it easy in Turnera until everything with the dungeon’s settled down.”
“That’s all well and good, but at least help out around the house,” said Satie.
Percival frowned. There was another round of laughter—this time, at his expense.
The door opened with a loud thud, revealing Sasha. “Good morning! Oh, how jolly it is here!”
“Ah, it’s Sasha. Morning!”
“What brings you here so early?” Anessa asked curiously.
“Well, they’re carrying the statue out of the church. I came to see if any of you wanted to watch!”
“Huh? It’s already that time of year?”
“Let’s hurry and finish up breakfast, then.”
“I wonder when Bell and Ange will get home.”
○
There was only a day left until the autumn festival. A tremendous number of peddlers had dropped by the village, and traveling folk musicians were strumming merry tunes every day. It was like the festival had already begun. Because of the mood, the statue of Almighty Vienna was being carried out early instead of waiting for the start of the festival.
Atop the hill overlooking the village, Belgrieve stood with the help of a cane, and Angeline nestled herself next to him. The gemstone embedded in Angeline’s hairpin gleamed as it caught the light.
“Does it hurt, dad?”
“No, I’m quite all right.” Belgrieve placed a hand on his side. “You missed my vitals, after all. You really are a kind girl.”
“Hmph...” Angeline grumbled through pursed lips. Belgrieve smiled and plopped a hand onto her head.
His side had been pierced by Angeline when she’d been on the cusp of becoming a demon, but whether it was intentional or pure coincidence, she had missed his vitals. After returning to the village, he had been treated with an elixir from Helvetica. Although it still hurt some, he’d gotten to the point where he could stand and walk with a cane.
The wind was rushing over the plains on its way to lands beyond their home. Angeline squeezed her father’s hand. “It’s the autumn festival already.”
“Yeah, time sure flies.”
Smoke from cooking fires all over the village trailed off into the sky before them, and though only faintly, they could hear all the hustle and bustle from this vantage point. This was the time of year when Turnera usually drew its largest crowds of visitors, but once the dungeon was operational, perhaps that would no longer be the case.
Belgrieve took a deep breath and slowly sat down on the ground, and Angeline immediately did the same.