Chapter 90: The Celebration (Part II)
Translator:Transn
Editor:Meh
Six marinated cattle were transported next to the bonfire by carts—if they weren't escorted by the Militia, Roland suspected that on their way through the crowd, the cattle would have already been cleared by the overzealous masses.
This was all of the food reserves the castle had left in the basement. So he would not eat any meat until the arrival of the next merchant ship. The thought of this made Roland cry silently. To organize this celebration successfully, he had used up everything he had.
The royal chefs brought over from King's City were only responsible for brushing the meat and controlling the heat. The task of barbecuing was handed over to six strong members from the Militia. An iron bar was inserted into the cattle's body through its mouth and then placed next to the fire on a brick hearth. The flames were so hot that the heat waves could be felt even at two to three meters away. Soon the cattle's skin generated a sizzling sound, oil emerged out of its pores, emitting a succulent scent.
Of course, the crowd couldn't be left waiting during the barbecue, so on Roland's signal, Iron Axe led a team of militia to the stage.
The extravagant and complicated court dances weren't appropriate for an occasion like this, for there was no time for practice, and they wouldn't even be able to remember all the essentials steps, not to mention displaying a perfect dance move. To display a dance that was both enjoyable and easy to understand, the dance of Sand Nation was clearly a better option for the taste of the civilians.
The dance started with Iron Axe and the others placing both of their hands on their waist, and they interlocked each other's arms, creating a chain-like formation, forming two rings around the bonfire. Accompanied by the sounds of horns, they began to move clockwise, and with each step, they would kick in the air while shouting "Ha hey"!
"Is this the lead dance you talked about?" Carter asked in a startle. "Is this even considered as a dance?"
"Of course, it is, and it's very easy to remember. The militia members only needed to practice fifteen minutes last night to master the steps," Roland answered laughingly, "Would you like to have a try?"
Carter shook his head and refused the offer. He felt as if something in his heart broke with a bang—goodbye, the beautiful girl that melted his heart. Goodbye, the sad memory of youth.
The other militia members were clapping with their hands in the rhythm of the dancer's footsteps, accompanied each time with an applause. The extremely dynamic rhythm moved the masses, who, one after another, followed them. As the clapping got faster, the circling speed of Iron Axe and his men became faster as well. Soon the ring began to show signs of coming apart, and it did not take long until one of the dancers accidentally fell, taking down more dancers with him. The crowd was left startled, but the militia members did not stop the clapping, but instead, they clapped more wildly like a rainstorm.
Iron Axe helped the men that had fallen down, and asked the crowd loudly, "Do you understand the dance? Anyone wants to try? Every dance will end with members falling down! If you join the dance, you'll get a piece of sweet and delicious honey meat. The longer you dance, the more meat you get!"
If the noble or the rich families were to invite them, the normal townspeople would never have been involved—subconsciously, they gave them a feeling that they were superior to them. It was also common for them to go back on their promises. But seeing the militia members, who were their familiar townspeople, waving at them, they were unable to hold themselves back.
After the first person soon followed a second and then a third one. A new round of dance started, but this time most of the dancers came from the crowd. Although the dance was simple, everyone was very happy, and plus the reward of the honey meat, the participants tried their hardest to show the best possible performance.
This was exactly what Roland wanted to see.
Apart from the barbecue, there were also bread, fishcakes, and ale that was distributed to the crowd. The celebration would last until the night, but Roland did not plan to stay all night. He arranged for Carter to be in charge of the security of the town square and the assistant minister to be responsible for the closing speech before he left.
He also had a private party to attend at the castle backyard.
The backyard was still brightly lit when the night fell.
Just like in the town's square, there was also a bonfire here. The difference was that the chicken used for the barbeque was cut into pieces. The seasoning and the oil were done by themselves, completely imitating the atmosphere of an outdoor barbeque. The witches fell in love with this kind of novelty of self-service. Of course in Roland's eyes, this was also a rare spectacle—for example, Anna directly wrapped the chicken into her green flame after seasoning it, which would soon give off a delicious scent. As for Nightingale, she showed off her incredible knife skills. The knife in her hand was flying and dancing on the chicken causing all of its bones being completely cut off.
And of course, there was red wine, brought from Willow Town, and it was much more suitable for the tastes of women than ale. Before Roland could say that minors were prohibited from drinking, Lightning had already emptied half a bottle by herself, and since she was holding the bottle and floating in mid-air, it would be difficult to stop her, so he gave up the thought.
At the half-way through the barbecue, Roland started to feel slightly tipsy. He leaned against the chair, and while watching the group of happy laughing girls, Roland felt very pleased. This was the perfect life for a prince, he thought, and also for the witches. With their extraordinary abilities and appearance, they should not be the object of hunting. If they lived in the world of his previous life, they would have become the dazzling focus where they were. The only thing he could do now was to let them live a normal life here in his territory.
At this moment, Lightning flew down, directly landing on Roland's lap, and before he could react, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
Although this action was done very quickly, it was still captured by other witches.
As Lightning grinningly flew away and saw Anna, Nightingale, and Wendy looked at her in surprise, she waved her hand, explaining, "According to the rules of the Fjords, during a victory celebration, women can take the initiative to kiss the leader. Dad would always let me kiss him. Is it the same in Graycastle?"
"Of course not." Roland instantly woke up from his half-drunken state. "Uh… ahem, Lightning, you're drunk, go back to the castle and sleep now!"
"How could I be drunk." Lightning protested. "When I was sailing, I often had drinking battles with the crew and I never lost one."
Roland could only ask the witches for help, and he turned to Wendy, who nodded and then used her power to softly blow Lightning down. As she was landing, Wendy stepped forward and caught the girl in her arms. Disregarding her struggling, Wendy walked straight to the castle.
"Don't worry about her, she just drinks too much. Please continue, and soon the dessert will be served." Roland suddenly felt that the atmosphere had turned a little awkward, especially the way Anna was looking at him, which made him feel a chill starting from his feet. The only one who was completely unaffected by what had happened was Nana, and she was still concentrating on her chicken wings like nothing had happened at all.
After the bonfire was gradually extinguished, Roland asked Nightingale to escort Nana home. Then he went to the well and washed his face with the cold water, getting ready to go to bed. Roland did not take the former episode seriously. In his view, Lightning was still a little child.
But when he arrived at the third floor's bedroom, the prince's heart suddenly leaped.
He saw Anna leaning against his door.