DanMachi Vol.16

CHAPTER 3: HARVEST FESTIVAL

Clear blue as far as the eye could see. There were a number of white clouds floating here and there like the seeds dotting a fruit. Compared to the summertime, the clouds were higher up and much, much smaller to the eye. A cool breeze blew through the wide-open sky.

The fall weather was pleasant. Perfect weather for a festival.

"As you can see, we've been blessed with a wonderful day. It looks like even the fickle gods of weather are in a good mood today."

A goddess's gentle voice projected by a magic-stone amplifier reached every corner of Orario. The source was at the heart of the city, in Central Park at the foot of the chalk-white tower.

This was where all eight arteries of the city converged, a place where tens of thousands of people could comfortably gather.

Today, however, the plaza looked different from usual. There were pagoda-like stone towers with altars at their bases erected in the north, south, east, and west around Babel—places of worship.

"The long-awaited season has come again. Winter passed, seeds matured into sprouts, and then the shoots that grew were harvested. It all seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. How did the year find you?" Demeter's voice carried across the city.

The four tall altars were crowded by countless humans and demi-humans, all of them gazing up at the four goddesses atop each towering structure.

Damia, Hathor, Freya, and Demeter—goddesses of the harvest who resided in Orario and were living symbols of the festival.

Suddenly, Demeter lowered her gaze.

"A great many things came to pass this past year—many of them frightening, and many of them sad. A year is but an instant to us deities, but I will surely never forget these few short months."

There was a desolate tone in her voice. The dregs of grief from Elegia. Around the city, people's thoughts turned to the uproar at Monsterphilia, the destruction of the red-light district, the armed monsters that appeared on the surface, and various other incidents that had occurred.

A momentary hush fell over the entire city. Then the goddess broke into a smile. She raised her head to look out from the altar, regarding the children staring up at her with joy on her face.

"And that is all the more reason why we should appreciate this moment for those with whom we've parted ways this year. Celebrate with hearts filled with gratitude for the abundance we enjoy."

Excitement bloomed on every face in the listening crowd.

Demeter's honey-colored hair fluttered as she opened her arms wide.

"We offer our thanks for the earth's bounty—and declare the opening of the Goddess Festival!"

Wooooooooooooooh!

Cheers rose throughout the city. What sounded like thunderous applause at first turned out to be fireworks set off by the Guild. And judging by the tricolor bursts of flame, ice, and lightning blooming overhead, spellcasters from some familia or another had decided to help out. Tendrils of white smoke rose up into the sky as the roaring display went on. With all the children letting their pent-up excitement come out, Orario was filled with sounds of celebration as the opening ceremony drew to a close. Energy thrummed in the Trading Post and the commercial district and even in the rebuilt slums of Daedalus Street.

The festival began with a proclamation from the goddesses, and it would end with one as well. And every year, the one who initiated the festivities was none other than Demeter, the goddess who maintained the largest agricultural enterprise in the city. There was no better deity to announce the harvest festival than the very goddess who brought abundance to Orario. Whether grains, vegetables, or fruits, Demeter Familia's crops were what allowed Orario to flourish and profit.