Chapter 410: The Unveiling Ceremony
* * *
This is a side story related to Arcs 11 and 12.
"Hey, hey, hurry up Oyukipa! The unveiling ceremony is about to start!"
A woman's voice urging Oyukipa on could be heard from outside the room.
"Y-Yeah, wait! I'll be done soon!"
Oyukipa hurriedly put on her traditional attire, embroidered with a scene from the village's lore using tea and peach-colored threads passed down through her family, and put on her hair ornament, designed to resemble cherry blossom petals.
And then, she checked herself in the full-length mirror to make sure there were no problems.
As she twirled around, her wide sleeves, skirt, and dark brown hair, cut just above her shoulders, swayed gently.
(Okay, no problem!)
After all, she wore this every day when she was in her hometown, Yamaok Village.
Even though the way of wearing it is a bit complicated, the ten-year-old Oyukipa can now put it on all by herself.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
She dashed out of her dwelling, built simply using earth magic, and under the clear sky, Ebicity was standing there, dressed up more than usual.
"My, how cute."
Ebicity smiled and said that, then removed a piece of lint from the back of Oyukipa's head that she hadn't noticed.
"Ah, thank you! Ebicity-san, you look beautiful too!"
"Ufufu, you don't have to flatter me."
"I'm not flattering you!"
She's really not flattering her.
Ebicity is a blue-haired mage, a truly beautiful woman.
Since they're supposed to be dressed formally today, she's wearing her most beautiful robe, from her adventurer attire, which she's currently taking a break from using.
A robe made of light blue fabric, embroidered with magical patterns in purple.
Although she doesn't know the meaning of the patterns, Oyukipa could tell that the robe suits Ebicity's hair color and enhances her beauty.
"Are you okay? Can you walk?"
"I keep telling you, I'm fine! I heard it's good to walk a little, you know?"
The reason Oyukipa is worried about Ebicity is because of her big, swollen belly.
Ebicity is currently pregnant.
"Where's Abets-san?"
"He's carrying the meat. We're going to grill and eat it together after the unveiling ceremony!"
"Wow...!"
Oyukipa jumped up and down in joy, but then blushed a little in embarrassment and looked down.
Ebicity chuckled, watching her.
"Come on, let's go!"
"Y-Yes!"
And the two girls started walking towards the grove, located in the central part of the base.
* * *
It's been a while since Oyukipa moved to this 'Zamago Forest Base'.
She originally lived in a hidden village called 'Yamaok Village', located on a mountain pass on the slopes of the Nanga Mountains, unaware of the outside world.
Yamaok Village was a dragon's village.
It was a village protected by a dragon, but in return, ruled by that dragon.
But then one day, the dragon died.
Oyukipa was still very young at the time, so she was never told the details... but she remembers that this incident was a major event that shook the very foundations of the village, and the adults were always gathered at the village chief's house, holding meetings.
And then, Yamaok Village decided to run the village in a different way.
The former village chief, her grandfather, Megatonkohsuke, resigned from his position and Oyukipa's father, Sabrown, became the new village chief.
Yamaok Village's journey into the unknown began.
Many things happened after that.
And it was in the spring, a year after the dragon's death, that the people of this Zamago Forest Base and Gonpeter-ojisan, the hunter who had been on an expedition to the western region of the Nanga Mountains, first made contact.
Sabrown, the new village chief, sought trade with other bases for the village's survival.
On the other hand, for the people of the Zamago Forest Base, Yamaok Village's location was very favorable as a base and resting point for exploring the Nanga Mountains.
Therefore, the exchange between the two bases progressed amicably, without any major conflict.
And so, several young people from Yamaok Village decided to move to the Zamago Forest Base to learn about the outside world.
Oyukipa, full of curiosity, boldly volunteered to join the migration group.
Her father, Sabrown, the village chief, was surprised to hear of Oyukipa's decision, but he quickly smiled happily.
And he said, 'It's your future, which you've finally gained. Live freely, without regrets', encouraging her.
Until then, Oyukipa had believed that her mission was to marry someone and give birth to the future village chief, and that was the only meaning in her life.
So, she had thought he would oppose her volunteering... his words made her very happy.
And so Oyukipa moved to the Zamago Forest Base, and some time passed.
Oyukipa spent her days in the forest base, learning about the outside world, and helping to run an organization called the Adventurers' Guild branch office.
The people of the forest base, (although there are some very strange people mixed in) are all very kind, and every day was stimulating, fun, and happy.
* * *
"Fwooohーーー! Thank you all for gathering on this fine dayーーー!"
The ceremony of the day began with a greeting from Director Earthcell, the head of the Zamago Forest Base.
Director Earthcell is an old man with a hermit-like beard, a skilled mage who was once known as "Earth Sage".
But he's also a pervert with an abnormal obsession with women's panties, so he's mostly called "Perverted Old Geezer" in this base.
He has a mark on his cheek that looks like a slap mark, so probably someone punched him to stop him from putting panties on his head during his greeting again today.
...He's a troublesome old man, but he's competent and has a cheerful and fun personality, so he's (probably) liked (mostly) by everyone in the base (presumably).
"I don't like long speeches! I'm going to get this over with quickly and move on, is that okay!?"
Saying that, Earthcell glanced at Patchino, Modokin, Niese, and Darmacy, who were lined up facing the crowd.
These four are the people who have worked hard to build this base from the very beginning alongside Earthcell, and are still active as the core members of the base's administration.
Patchino, with a wry smile on his somewhat handsome face, nodded at Earthcell.
"Now, that being said! Some of those who have recently moved here may not know this, so I'll explain it briefly! What we're unveiling today is a statue of two people who laid the foundation for this base!"
Clearing his throat, Earthcell put on a slightly serious expression and began to explain in a clear voice.
"One cleared the forest with their extraordinary power and hunted monsters... and the other brought people together with his wisdom and cultivated crops! We will never forget these two!"
Saying that, Earthcell reached out to a white cloth covering something huge beside him.
"Now, let's take a look! These are the founders of our base, the 'Statue of Emi and Giovanno'ーーー!!"
Rip!
With that sound, the white cloth was pulled back, billowing in the wind!
And what appeared from within was, as Earthcell said, a giant statue of two people.
One is a girl.
A statue of a girl, small but exuding strength, sitting on top of the carcass of a bear she had hunted and killed.
And beside her, stood a statue of a man with a villainous face.
He was holding aburi-na, a specialty of this base, and his basket, slung over his shoulder, was overflowing with other crops.
The people cheered and applauded the magnificent work!
"And, and! There's another important thing I want to tell you all for this unveiling ceremony!"
Earthcell, after the crowd's applause subsided, began to convey another important matter.
"Until now, this place has been called the 'Zamago Forest Base'... but that was just a temporary name! But finally! This base has officially been given a name as a village governed by the Adventurers' Guild!"
A stir went through the crowd.
Self-governance by the Adventurers' Guild.
Many villages and towns around the world are run that way, but no one thought that it would be officially recognized so soon here in Zamago Forest.
After all, this place is quite close to the neighboring country, Pokkeroce.
So claiming self-governance should be quite difficult politically.
"Of course, we've been properly recognized by Pokkeroce! Fwooohーーー! Taiche-chan worked hard with a smile on her faceーーー!"
"H-Hey, Director Earthcell!"
Here, Oyukipa couldn't help but raise her hand!
"Then what about the name of this village!? What's its new name!?"
"Hmm!"
Earthcell nodded solemnly at her question, putting on a serious face.
"We had many candidates... and there was a bit of disagreement!"
Patchino and the others, lined up in front of everyone, nodded their agreement.
Their faces were filled with fatigue, making it easy to see that the naming of the village wasn't just a "bit" of disagreement, but a lot.
"After all, we... wanted to express our gratitude to that man in the name! He may have been a great sinner... but to us he was a benefactor! So by leaving his name in the village name after his death... we wanted to restore his honor, even if only a little!"
Patchino and the others nodded at his words.
"There was an idea to use the young lady's name."
"If we did that, I'm sure the young lady would get embarrassed and yell at us..."
"That would be scary."
"UOOOHーーー!"
And they all said things like that.
"Anyway! The name of this base is...!"
Earthcell coughed again, quieting down the crowd.
Under the blue winter sky, he spoke loudly.
He announced the new name of this base, no, this village, to everyone!
"'GIOVANNO VILLAGE'ーーー!! FWOOOHーーー!!"