[V9C11] Populia Rukah

“Behold, Elliott! Not a cloud in the endlessly blue sky! The pleasant wind under the gentle sunlight! A street brimming with the sounds of daily life and music blending in complete harmony! The footsteps of people, their laughter, the rustle of clothes, the clinking of metal, the rolling pebbles, the poured drinks…! Each and every one of these sounds inspires my music with new possibilities!”

They had departed the mansion no more than ten minutes ago, and Benjamin was already in high spirits, in stark contrast to the tired Elliott. Monica and Ryn, who had changed into casual wear, were walking a short distance behind them.

Benjamin had made true on his promise last night, forcibly taking the group on a tour of the town which would last the entire day.

With the festival approaching, the town was lively even this early in the morning. Singing and musical instruments echoed from around every corner.

Benjamin led the way at a brisk pace, so excited that one might find it hard to believe he was in a slump. The tired Elliott seemed to be struggling to keep up.

Meanwhile, Monica whispered Ryn a question.

“Um, Ryn-san… you used to live in this town, right?”

“Yes, but to be more precise, I lived in the forest rather than the town.”

What kind of life had Ryn led in the forest before contracting with Louis? Monica was slightly curious about her life as a free spirit, but there was something more important to ask first.

“Did you see the festival ten years ago?”

“Yes.”

“So, um, about the magical dedication by Starspear Witch-sama…”

Before Monica could ask for the details, she noticed Benjamin waving his hand from a short distance ahead.

“Hey, Elliott, ladies, over here! The sweets from this stall are a specialty of Rainfield! You absolutely must try them at least once!”

The exasperated Elliott sighed as he approached the stall recommended by Benjamin. Monica also hurried over.

Whenever the unfit Monica had to jog, her steps were always heavy. In contrast, Ryn walked in complete silence, as if the soles of her shoes weren’t even touching the ground.

By the time they reached the stall, Monica was gasping for breath.

“I see, Populia Rukah,” Ryn said, calmly observing the snacks.

“Pop, what…?”

Monica seemed confused, leading Ryn to explain with a nod.

“Populia Rukah. It’s a confection made from firmly-baked dough using wheat. The local children sometimes just call it Rukah as well.”

Suddenly, the middle-aged woman running the stall interjected with some sort of song.

“Populia rukah, kalrukah ♪. Populia rukah, lululeria ♪. Can’t enjoy the festival without these treats. Are you a tourist, miss?”

Monica nodded and took another look at the ‘Populia Rukah’ sold by the stall.

It appeared to be a stick-shaped baked confection, which was about as thick as her thumb and as long as her forearm. Perhaps it was glazed with eggs as the surface seemed slightly shiny. If seen at a distance, one might mistake it for a twig.

Meanwhile, Benjamin was tugging at the hem of Elliott’s clothes with a sparkle in his eye.

The famous magician was performing such a childish gesture unabashedly, the sight of which caused Elliott to put on a wry smile as he took out his wallet.

“Fine, I’ll take four of those.”

“Sure thing. Here you go.”

Elliott received four pieces of the confection and distributed them to the others. Ryn promptly raised her portion and lightly tapped it against Elliott’s.

“Populia rukah, kalrukah ♪.”

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Elliott frowned at the strange behavior of the maid, causing the woman at the stall to chuckle.

“Don’t you know? You’re supposed to tap them together with your friends while singing that song. Populia rukah, kalrukah ♪. Populia rukah, lululeria ♪!”

Elliott still looked skeptical, but Benjamin exclaimed “Fantastic!” with great enthusiasm. He immediately got to singing the song while rhythmically tapping his own confection against Elliott’s.

“Populia rukah, kalrukah ♪. Populia rukah, lululeria ♪… Yes, yes, this is becoming very enjoyable!” Benjamin exclaimed.

“Populia rukah, kalrukah ♪. Populia rukah, lululeria ♪. Come on, Elliott-bocchama, give it a try,” Ryn followed.

“Who cares!”

Shaking off the constant taps from Benjamin and Ryn, Elliott promptly took a bite of the confection. However, he immediately flinched the second he chomped down.

“W-Why is it so hard! Are you trying to break my teeth?!”

“Elliott-bocchama, you’re supposed to soak it in a drink and soften it before eating,” Ryn explained.

“Then tell me that earlier!”

The woman running the stall smirked at the teary-eyed Elliott, then pointed to the menu.

“Feel free to enjoy it with one of our drinks.”

＊　＊　＊

Monica dipped the tip of the baked confection into hot cinnamon milk, then took a bite. It seemed to contain almond powder, giving it a simple and gentle flavor similar to porridge when soaked in milk.

Meanwhile, Elliott, who was doing the same thing with cinnamon-less milk, cast a side glance at Ryn and asked, “Hey Nanny, have you been to Rainfield before?”

“Yes, perhaps I am even more knowledgeable about the town than you, Elliott-bocchama.”

After replying, Ryn dipped her confection into milk and took a bite. Spirits lacked a sense of taste, but apparently, she could still eat food perfectly fine.

Benjamin, who was observing the confection with great interest, interjected with a question.

“If you are that knowledgeable, then would you happen to know the origin of Populia Rukah?”

“Yes, I do. ‘Populia rukah, kalrukah. Populia rukah, lululeria’ is how humans interpreted a phrase from the spirit language. The original meaning is ‘extremely delightful or enjoyable’. Apparently, someone heard the whispers of a spirit enjoying the festival and named the confection Populia Rukah after it.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that spirits speak a different language from humans… What an intriguing discovery!”

While waving the half-eaten confection like a conductor’s baton, Benjamin looked up at the sky. He seemed completely enraptured by something.

“You know, I heard the song of a spirit during the festival ten years ago. It sounded completely different from a human song, and yet, it echoed throughout town and hit me straight in the heart. It’s as if the spirit’s words made the winds of spring glow with brilliance. That song merged with the music of humans to form something truly…”

“Benjamin! Just hurry up and finish eating already.”

Elliott sighed and glanced absentmindedly at the town.

He watched as a group of children sang the Populia Rukah song, playfully tapped their confections, soaked them in cups, and then took a bite.

“Everyone really is doing it… I didn’t notice at all.”

Letting out a soft mutter, Elliott pressed his thumb against his forehead to smooth out the wrinkles between his brows. Then, he noticed Monica in the corner of his eye and frowned.

“Ah, dammit. I just keep embarrassing myself in front of you.”

“E-Embarrassing? N-No, I don’t think so…”

Indeed, Monica did not find Elliott’s actions to be particularly embarrassing, but Elliott apparently found it unbearably so.

Elliott lifted the corner of his mouth into a malicious smirk.

“Well then, I guess I have no choice but to overwrite your memories with embarrassing stories about the other student council members…”

“Elliott, don’t you think that would be rather unbecoming?” Benjamin interjected.

Ignoring the musician, Elliott leaned forward with a wicked smile and whispered into Monica’s ear.

“Hey, Little Squirrel. Wanna hear about the Fluff-Fluff Incident that Cyril caused before you transferred over? This is a secret even His Highness knows nothing about.”

“…Eh?”

Monica wanted to know. She really wanted to know.

But was it okay for her to ask about Cyril’s embarrassing stories when he wasn’t present?

(N-No, that would be bad. Very bad… but…)

Seeing Monica’s internal struggle, Elliott deepened his wicked smile.

“Well? You wanna know, right?”

“Ugh… Ugh…”

The clash between the agonized Monica and the devilish Elliott was ultimately interrupted by Benjamin, who had just finished a sip of his hot milk.

“Stop it, Elliott. You know that Lady Everett would never hold such thoughts.”

Monica let out a silent groan and covered her head.

(I’m sorry. I actually did want to ask, just a little. Forgive me, Cyril-sama…!)

With his entertainment taken away, Elliott scowled at Benjamin. In response, the musician swept back his flaxen-colored hair and proposed an alternative.

“The best way to overwrite memories is with even better memories. For example, a sublime piece of music! By the way, I consider music to be the voice of the soul. In which case, me performing a duet with the Songstress can be considered a resonance between our souls. For this resonance to work, those who will be sharing the stage must gain a deep understanding of each other. Do you understand what I am saying, Elliott!?”

Elliott fell silent for a while, likely trying to process Benjamin’s long speech. After tapping his temple with a finger a few times, he summarized it as, “…So you want to meet the Songstress?”

“Precisely!”

Perhaps recalling his encounter with the Songstress yesterday, Elliott grimaced and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Ryn, who had been quietly eating her confection, broke the silence.

“In that case, perhaps we should pay a visit to the church over there. If I recall, the former Songstress often practiced near that building.”

Ryn pointed to the east, towards the edge of town. There was a building with stained glass windows visible beyond a few sets of roofs.

“I can hear some singing coming from there,” Ryn added.

“…What?”

Ryn’s claim caused Elliott to furrow his brows. The distance was clearly too great for anyone to hear audible singing.

However, Ryn spoke with confidence.

“Trust in your Nanny. I have very good ears.”

＊　＊　＊

The church stood at the end of a sparsely populated road far from the main street.

It would be more accurate to call it an abandoned church, as the building was currently unused. The inconvenient location had led to the construction of a newer church closer to the center of town.

“These stained glass windows were crafted by a renowned artisan. We made sure to preserve the building because of how splendid they look from the outside.”

Elliott explained the history of the old church in a rather disinterested tone, but it was clear that he had put real effort into his research.

Once the details of the church’s stained glass windows came into view, the singing voice of a girl became audible.

Benjamin closed his eyes and began waving his fingers like a conductor’s baton.

“A hymn to the spirits, I see. What a lovely voice.”

For some reason, there were several chairs placed at the edge of the road. Monica took a closer look at them.

They were wooden chairs that had been exposed to the elements, worn down by several years of wind and rain. Each exuded a strange sense of history.

(There must have been many people sitting here… listening to the Songstress practice.)

Meanwhile, Ryn walked over to the chairs and gestured toward Elliott.

“Elliott-bocchama, please, have a seat.”

“Why should I have to sit on such a filthy chair?”

Elliott wrinkled his nose, causing Ryn to sit down first. She looked up at Elliott and patted her knees.

“In that case, have a seat on Nanny’s lap.”

“…”

Without another word of complaint, Elliott plopped down on the chair next to Ryn. Benjamin sat next to him in an unusually cheerful demeanor, so Monica hesitantly took the seat on the other side of Ryn.

For a couple of minutes, the group silently listened to the young Songstress.

Once her song concluded, a fluffy-haired and slender blonde girl emerged from behind the church. It was Rosey Moore.

Rosey gasped in expectation upon seeing the filled chairs, but that quickly changed into disappointment once she saw Elliott.

“Oh, it’s just you, Your Lordship. How did you know about my practice spot? Did you want to hear my singing that much?”

“It wasn’t me who wanted to hear it.”

Elliott responded in a provoking tone, before gesturing towards the adjacent Benjamin with a frown.

Benjamin stood up from the chair and offered a graceful bow. Though exaggerated and overly grandiose, the act seemed picturesque when performed by Benjamin.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Benjamin Mordin, the musician who will be performing at the festival.”

The moment Rosey heard Benjamin’s name, there was a visible change to her attitude. Despite having energetically taunted Elliott a few moments ago, the young girl grew tense and avoided eye contact by staring at her feet.

Meanwhile, Benjamin offered a friendly handshake.

“I look forward to working with you, young songstress Rosey Moore. May the combination of your singing and my music bring a new wave of inspiration to this town.”

“Oh, um, yes…”

Rosey nodded somewhat hesitantly, then awkwardly accepted the handshake.

After letting go of Benjamin’s hand, she abruptly turned away and ran off into the distance, in the direction of the temple.

Noticing this, Elliott raised an eyebrow.

“What’s with that change in attitude? She suddenly got really meek in front of Benjamin. Was she secretly a big fan of his or something?”

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” Monica replied. She had found herself speaking before she realized it.

Elliott turned to Monica, who seemed to be twiddling her fingers and choosing her next words carefully. Rosey’s behavior had caused Monica to see a bit of herself in the Songstress.

“Back when I had just joined the Seven Sages… I was like that when I met the other Sages.”

Or rather, Monica had been much worse. During her first Seven Sages meeting, Raul’s attempt to start a conversation had caused Monica to scream and faint.

“So, um, I think she felt overwhelmed after meeting someone incredible.”

She was the daughter of the celebrated Songstress Robin Moore, standing on the same stage as the genius musician Benjamin Mordin. One can only imagine how much pressure she must be feeling.

Monica could sympathize with feeling overwhelmed by that pressure, and wanting to escape.

Elliott scoffed and glared in the direction Rosey had run off.

“So after all that big talk, she’s really just insecure about her abilities?”

“Elliott.”

Benjamin interrupted Elliott in a calm tone. He ran his fingers across the moss-covered chair, with the same gentle caress that he gave his instruments, then continued.

“Performing is tough when there’s no one in the audience.”

These chairs had been placed here to allow people to listen to the Songstress practice. And yet, it had been a long time since the last time someone sat in them.

When Rosey came out from behind the church, her face brightened for a moment upon seeing someone seated in those chairs. What thoughts had been going through her head at that moment?

Benjamin turned his gaze toward the forest.

“You saw the tall fence surrounding the temple, right? I hear that was installed to prevent the audience from crowding around the Songstress. Ten years ago, I was one of the many people pushed up against that fence, driven by my desire to hear her song up close. I can only wonder how many will come this year…”

Benjamin muttered in a lonely tone, causing Elliott to frown as he continued staring in the direction of the temple.

“Elliott-bocchama.”

“What is it now?”

Ryn stood up from her chair and approached the disgruntled Elliott.

“I would like to have a… ladies talk with Silent Witch-dono. May we be allowed to take a short stroll around this area?”

“…That’s the most sensible suggestion you’ve made so far. Fine, go ahead.”

Elliott let out a sigh and leaned back into the chair. The day had only just begun, and he already looked completely exhausted.

Ryn gave Monica’s shoulder a light pat, then turned towards the border between the town and the forest.

“Let’s go.”

“…Okay.”

Their job was to settle things with the spirit from yesterday.

Monica clenched her hands, which still felt cold from anxiety.

There was nothing she could do regarding the issue of the Songstress. In which case, she wanted to at least be of some help as a mage.

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