After a long train journey, we finally arrived in the land of the Flower Harpies.
As we had requested, Piyo brought us the map. We needed to gather all our scattered companions before they went missing. Karubene wasn’t here, but it would probably be fine.
“Thank you, Piyo-chan. Were you okay?”
“Yep, they gave it to me right away. And, I asked someone from the Guard Wing for directions, and they knew the place immediately.”
So, the guards were patrolling everywhere. For the time being, I opened the map to take a look. It was a tourist map, so it had many places to stay and notable spots marked.
A spa, a massage parlor, a sports field, a movie theater – are there movies here?! Well, since there’s television, there must be movies too. An art museum, a theater, it has everything. They seemed to be particularly focused on the arts, with large sections detailing plays, music, and famous paintings.
“This is amazing, it really feels like a town of art,” I said.
“It’s lovely, and the food looks delicious too. Ah, I really wish this were just for sightseeing,” Philiana commented.
Just as Philiana said, I also wanted to visit this place for sightseeing someday. For now, I needed to find a place to stay. Expensive places were out. I wanted a simple lodging with just beds, the kind common people use.
Leaving the Central Castle and entering an alleyway, we found a quiet residential area. While hustle and bustle is nice, I found this place more calming. We decided to rent rooms at a simple wooden inn. The woman working at the front desk wore a modest outfit of a long skirt and an apron. But it suited her. I felt like I could rest here peacefully.
We were able to rent four rooms. The interiors weren’t spacious, but the beds were neatly covered with white sheets. Elana stretched herself out after emerging from her basket.
“Ah, I’m so tired. I never want to ride that train again. With luggage piled on top, I thought the ceiling would cave in and crush me.”
“Sorry about that. It couldn’t be helped, though. There was no space,” I replied.
She then sprawled out on the bed, taking up the entire thing.
“I’m going to sleep, so you can go somewhere. I’ll decide our next destination while you’re gone.”
“You say that, but. I don’t think it’s a good idea to wander around too much.”
Just then, Piyo brought over a flyer.
“Piyo, I want to go see the parade! They say the Prince and Princess will be passing by.”
The paper stated that Prince Elrod and Princess Canola would be passing outside the castle in a carriage. So they were greeting the citizens. We could go see it, but there would be so many people, and the security would be tight. If we seemed even slightly suspicious, we’d be questioned.
But she probably wanted to see them, to know what kind of people her own race’s prince and princess were.
“I guess we have no choice. Then I’ll have to change first. I’ll wear clothes bought here too.”
“Hehe, yay! Hey, Pauline, are you coming too? Huh?”
Pauline, perhaps tired from the long journey, was fast asleep on the bed. The cramped train must have caused her a lot of stress.
“Shall we go by ourselves?”
So, I decided to buy some clothes at a nearby shop. As expected, though, all the clothes had no sleeves. Wearing just a tank top felt awkward, so I also bought a cape to wear over my shoulders. This way, perhaps I’d blend in a little.
“Hey, hey, hurry up, hurry up!”
“Hold on a second, if you get too excited, you’ll fall!”
After changing, Piyo immediately ran towards the parade venue. She must have been happy to see so many of her own kind. Flower Harpy villages existed before, but this was on a different scale. It felt like returning to her true homeland. Nobody found her presence strange. She was just a normal girl, like any other.
She wasn’t an enemy to be hunted, nor was she called a terrifying monster. Harpies are not monsters.
“Has it started already? Wow, there are so many shops!”
Piyo ran around with a smile like the sun. She almost bumped into people, but everyone greeted her with a smile.
“Haha, be careful, young lady.”
“Oops, sorry. Ehehe, hey, what’s that dance?”
With the parade about to pass, stalls and performers had appeared, creating a festive atmosphere. In one corner, residents were playing musical instruments. Peeking from behind the crowd, I saw men and women dancing joyfully in pairs in the center.
“Would you like to join?”
One of the musicians nearby called out to me.
“Huh? Really? But Piyo doesn’t know how to dance.”
“It’s okay, it’s a dance everyone knows. Didn’t you learn it as a child? It’s the Chicken Dance.”
“The Chicken Dance? What’s that?”
Piyo’s question surprised everyone around. I didn’t know what it was either, but it seemed to be something very famous.
“Miss, you’re joking, right? Even in the most remote village, people know it.”
“I’m sorry, Piyo was born in a completely different place, so I don’t know it.”
The man stopped playing his instrument and stared blankly. Poor thing, she finally returned to her homeland, only to feel alienated here.
“Haha, don’t make that face. Everyone experiences things for the first time. Perhaps the Chicken Dance wasn’t popular in your hometown.”
Yes, as he said, if I don’t know something, I should learn it. This is how I can finally become a true Flower Harpy.
