"I really don't feel comfortable with this," Dylan mumbles as we approach the beach.

His apprehension is understandable, especially since Nolan is clinging tightly to him and has his head fully pressed into his father's chest. Today is the first day of the new month, and also a festival which Thomas told me about during his visit a couple of days ago. I think the only reason he mentioned it to me was because he was on his second lesson for reading and writing and is warming up to me.

This festival technically occurs twice a year, but with some different aspects to it. On the night of the first day of the fifth month of the year, some peaceful aquatic creatures show up. The village shows up in full to watch their arrival, and there are even a few people from town who visit just to watch.

Today also lined up with one of the lessons for Dylan and Nolan, since they're coming every two days as I suggested. I decided to talk them into visiting the festival with me, despite the way the other villagers view Nolan. Dylan did mention that Thomas has stopped trying to convince him to give Nolan to the church in town, so I think Thomas has accepted my claims about the kid even if he's still not entirely certain.

That's one person, though, not the entire village.

"It'll be fine," I tell Dylan while shifting the large jar I'm carrying so its weight is more on my left arm now; my right arm was starting to get tired. "I can shut it down pretty easily, if what Thomas said about this festival is right."

Namely, that Magus Robin and Magus Rose always attend it. They also apparently bicker in some language no one else knows the entire time, which matches up with what I was told by Dylan. It's odd that two mages who only ever argue when they're near each other live so close, and I've struggled to get a meeting with Magus Robin so I don't know what's going on with that.

I've visited his tower a few times, but he's never there when I show up.

As we arrive at the beach, where candle-lit lanterns hanging from wooden frames illuminate the docks and part of the beach, I see a small crowd of people milling about. Most of the younger guys – including all of the boys – are bare-chested, but that's to be expected. It's warmer weather, for starters, and we're at a beach.

I can easily identify the villagers, for the most part. Thomas told me how many residents there are, excluding the pair of mages, and it's forty-six. Excluding the bickering mages, there are forty-seven people with a spirit hanging around them. That means it's not something exclusive to just the three I've met so far.

All of the locals are liked by the spirits.

The mages stand out as well. They're near the tables with food set up, standing a little between them and the fire pit where a hog is being roasted.

Both are dressed in black mage's robes with golden trim and markings, along with purple crests on the backs of their cloaks which differ from the others. Neither one looks that ancient, maybe in their forties at the oldest and without a trace of grey in their hair. Their vivid green eyes stand out pretty well, especially with how much they contrast against those dark robes of theirs.

That makes me miss my own robe. Maybe I'll have a new one made for me in town? Though it probably won't be as quality as my old one. That's also not relevant to the now, either, so I clear my mind of those thoughts as I continue looking around the festival.

I can tell who the outsider liked by spirits is, as he's a muscular guy about our age talking with the woman our age. His fair skin would indicate he's not a local as well, but I already know that the only residents of the village our age are three guys and a girl – and I'm one of those guys and have met both of the others.

As we draw near and he enters my range, I find that he's completely infatuated with her. She has feelings for him as well, though a fair bit of shyness toward him as well. Chances are, she's a little shy because she views him as someone of a higher status, if my education about how the locals view those with green eyes is correct. His are a deep leaf-green, and all the way through.

He could be a noble, though I'm not fully sure about that. He's as bare-chested as the other locals so it could be that he's from a family which performs labor but uses magic in it. The fact that he's in love with a local also suggests he's not a noble, as the odds of that are pretty slime.

When she spots us, the lady he's speaking with frowns a little as her gaze settles on Nolan.

"Hello," I greet her. "We haven't met yet, but I'm Rowan, the adventurer who settled into the forest a month and a half ago."

"Nice to meet you," her attention turns to me, caution in her mind. "I'm Elaina."

"Thomas mentioned everyone brings some food," I shift the jar in my arms. "Do you know a spot I can place this?"

Since I can clearly see where it's located and would've seen it for sure before reaching her, asking isn't actually necessary. I'm really just drawing her attention to the jar. It's fairly large and on the heavy side. The ceramic object was made through my magic and has a snow-white coloration to it, a cloth resting on top, kept on by a piece of twine tied around the neck of the jar.

The more people who are curious about the jar immediately, the higher the chance of someone trying it. I doubt the kid standing by the table will.

"Over by the tables there," she points, confusion mixed with something that's probably her thinking I'm stupid in her mind.

"Thanks," I tell her. "Come on, Dylan."

"The mages are arguing there."

"Yeah," I start walking. "We can say hi while we put it down."

"I'm not sure I want to interrupt their argument," he follows after me.

"It's nothing important."

"You know what they're saying?"

"I pick up languages really easily," I tell him. "I learned that one out of boredom when I was ten."

It takes me less than three months to learn a new language to a native level, something which has helped me with my travels over the past seven years.

"You had some weird hobbies as a kid."

"You'd be amazed," I tell him.

We reach the tables and I put the jar down, then look at the twelve-year-old boy who's eyeing me suspiciously.

"Hello," I greet him. "My name's Rowan."

"Why are you with the cursed kid?" He bluntly asks.

That's not what I was expecting, though I can feel his hostility. He's a little scared of me, probably since I'm an outsider moving into the area, and his parents have probably filled his head with stories.

Though I'm actually a little relieved as well. Even if there aren't too many people here, it feels good to have other several other minds within the range of my [Empathy] again. It's honestly been far too long for me. The quiet has been disconcerting and even just Dylan and Nolan at once wasn't enough.

"He's not cursed."

"My ma and da say he is and I trust them over some random stranger."

"Magus Robin, Magus Rose," I say in a clear, firm voice, and both of the mages stop their arguing to look over. I ignore the horrified looks shot my way from the nearby locals and instead point at Nolan. "Is he cursed?"

The mages have minds that are shielded, so while I can sense them, I can't detect their emotions. I don't really need to in order to tell their thoughts: Robin frowns a little while Rose has a surprised expression and puts a hand to her chest.

"Goodness, no," Rose says. "We've never allowed any curses in the area. I don't think I ever even noticed one on him. Did you?"

"No," Robin answers. "I see him fishing with his dad at least once a week and never noticed a curse. Don't sense any curse energies, either, so he's never had a curse on him. Unless you purged them?"

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"No," Rose responds. "So he's never had a curse. Not that one could have slipped past us. What's in that jar, dear? It seems like a freezing enchantment, and is quite large."

"Ice cream."

"What's that?"

"A treat I learned about in the Greenmaple Kingdom about four years ago," I answer. "Uses milk, heavy cream, and sugar as the base, mixed while freezing in a certain way, and you can add flavors as you like. This one is a blueberry ice cream. Convincing Thomas to bring me enough milk and heavy cream to make this much was difficult, but I'm sure he'll be happy once he tries it. It's a perfect warm-weather treat."

"It's another thing you learned about in another kingdom?" Dylan asks.

"Just wait until you find out what I can do with slime goo," I tell him. "It's apparently not just for alchemy and enchanting but can be used to make a few different types of food, too."

"That sounds disturbing."

"And yet is a children's treat in another kingdom," I open the top of the jar and look at the two mages, who've moved closer to inspect it. "You can have some if you want, I brought it for the festival."

Robin grabs a bowl and serving spoon from the table, then scoops some of the purple treat out of the jar. He hands the bowl to Rose and serves himself a scoop.

"Not bad," Rose says. "You said it was the Greenmaple Kingdom you learned this in?"

"Yeah," I answer. "You can flavor it with a number of different things, though I went with blueberry since I felt it the better of the options available to me. I can write up the recipe for the two of you, if you want. It's pretty simple."

"Thank you," she says. "You can just drop it off at Robin's tower."

"I would if he'd be there when I try to visit," I tell her. "But I seem to keep missing him and I don't want to leave it just sitting there."

"I'll visit you tomorrow to pick it up," Robin tells me. "I've been a bit busy lately but can stop by around breakfast."

"Will have it ready then, then," I look at the twelve-year-old. "It's Patrick, right? I believe that's what Thomas said your name was. Do you want a bowl?"

"If the Wizard and the Witch-why are you glaring at me?"

"Didn't mean to glare," I say. "But those terms are pretty offensive to mages everywhere. Haven't been used in centuries as anything but an insult. You say those words in town you'll be getting hushed by near everyone around you."

"They've never said anything."

"I wasn't aware the terms had changed," Magus Rose informs him. "But if it's considered an insult to modern magicians, then I'll switch over to that. Young man, what are the new terms?"

She wasn't… but that would mean she's far older than any mage I've ever heard of. The way Magus Robin is stroking his chin without a thoughtful look on his face, he's just as surprised. As I told Dylan and Thomas each, those terms have been considered insults for more than nine hundred years.

Are they even older than that?

Probably, considering how young they look and the size of the mana pools I can sense. No wonder there's no official record in the kingdom of the mages living here if it has two as powerful as they. This is probably considered their domain and has been since before the Blueoak Kingdom became the Copperoak Kingdom nine centuries ago, two centuries before it transitioned to the Silveroak Kingdom.

If I'm right about that, then no one who knows of them would want to cross them. They have the power to level the kingdom itself.

Which is honestly terrifying.

"It's 'mage' regardless of sex," I inform them. "Though you two are clearly magi, the singular of which is 'magus'."

"You've used that term before," Dylan tells me. "What's a magus? How does it differ from a mage?"

"A difference in mindset," I explain. "Mages are practitioners of magic, while magi are mages without an interest in the greater world. They tend to be a bit more on the selfish side, indulging in their own interests and the study of magic more than politics. They like calmer, more easygoing lives without stress. However, don't mistake that for weakness – magi tend to be far more skilled than normal mages and can often gain Skill Experience a little bit more easily as a result."

I'm technically classified as a magus, which is probably why I wanted to start life anew. I was dealing with circumstances I'd never really wanted to be apart of to begin with and that dislike of it only grew over time. Now that I'm away from it, I can indulge in my interests with a greater degree.

Right now, that interest is getting settled into the area, setting up the house and property, and just relaxing a bit. A calm, easygoing life is what I've always wanted and I can now have it without worry.

"In that case," Robin says. "We'll both go by 'magus' or 'mage' from now on. Since you referred to us as 'Magus' before our name, I assume that's the proper title?"

"For a magus, yes," I say.

"It seems we're a little out of touch with the rest of the world," Rose says. "If it's really been centuries since those were not considered insults. We do get a little into our studies sometimes."

A little? They apparently missed centuries of change. Just how old do they have to be where that's not much time at all?

"You should get a bowl of this," Robin tells Patrick. "It's quite good."

"Hm…" Patrick stares at me, then holds out a hand to accept the bowl I dumped a scoop into. He takes a bite of it and I can feel the delight in his mind. Sweet things are a perfect treat for most kids, regardless of their usual diet. "You're suspicious, but you make a good treat."

He walks off with the bowl, and I fix up one for Dylan and Nolan before walking away from the table. We walk over to where Thomas is speaking with a couple he bears a resemblance to, so probably his parents.

"Ah," Thomas says when he sees us approaching. "You came."

"I did," I say. "And I brought the treat I told you I was going to bring, it's in the white ceramic jar on the table. Glad to see you were serious about there being an excess of bowls, plates, and utensils for serving food on."

"We always make sure there is," he says. "So people only have to worry about the food. These are my parents."

"It's nice to meet you," I incline my head toward them. "I'm Rowan, the adventurer who's retired out here."

"Yes," his father says. "The adventurer," that tone suggests he doesn't believe me about that and probably suspects or knows I'm a mage based on whatever his son's told him about me. "And you have no issue being around the cursed boy?"

"He's not cursed," I say. "You can ask Robin and Rose – they seemed pretty surprised when the idea was even brought up, then shot it down. Don't worry about interrupting their argument, it's about vermin wards."

"Vermin wards?" Thomas asks. "That thing you said you make with magic paint to keep pests away?"

"Yeah," I look over to the elder mages. "Seems they can't decide on the best way to create one. Honestly, the way they're bickering makes me think-"

I stop before finishing that sentence. If the locals don't know, I won't spoil it. But… they were bickering like an old married couple, and Thomas told me that they always arrive together if they're both at a festival. Together and arguing in some language no one else here knows.

They're husband and wife.

I introduce myself to the rest of the locals, eventually reaching an elderly woman in a wheeled chair. She's sitting on the docks, away from everyone else, just watching the sea as the moon rises in the sky.

"Hello, Siliva," Dylan greets her.

"Hello, Dylan," she says before looking at me. "Thomas told me of you, and what you claimed about the boy. The mages wouldn't have let a curse be around. I suppose that can be trusted from someone like you."

"Someone like him?" Dylan asks.

"Yes," she looks at me. "Does he know of the eyes?"

"He does," I say. "I'm giving him lessons and warned him about the change. Thomas, too."

"I see," she says. "Yes, Dylan, someone like him: a mage. For him to be experienced enough for his eyes to have fully turned, he'd be able to sense the energies of a curse from that close. At least, that's what I've heard."

"I can sense it from within a couple of miles," I tell her. "And other things, too. It seems things are about to begin."

"They are?" She looks out to the sea once again, and Dylan and Nolan look out across the ocean as well. "I don't see anything."

"If you look at me," I say. "You'll see plenty."

She looks at me, as do Dylan and Nolan. About a dozen spirits manifested themselves as the three of them looked out to sea. All of the spirits are either sitting on my shoulders or atop my head, or they're hanging on to my arms.

All of them are also staring intently out across the ocean.

Aluci has appeared as well, sitting beside me in his wolf form with more spirits hanging onto his fur or sitting on his head or around his legs.

"If I'm right," I say. "We have maybe two minutes. Three at most."

"Attention, everyone," Robin's voice fills the air, but in a calm and quiet manner while retaining firmness and authority. "Tonight's events are about to begin. If you'll make your way over to the docks, you'll be able to see it here shortly."

By the time everyone has filled the docks, more mid-level spirits have made themselves visible. Quite a few are hanging around on the other two mages, evening hanging off of their hats (they must have put them on for the event). Every person with a spirit who hangs around them has found it manifesting itself, and dozens more are sitting at the edge of the dock, legs dangling or swinging as they await the events.

Judging by the way everyone's reacting, the spirits don't normally manifest themselves like this. From the whispers I'm hearing, the event's also beginning almost an hour earlier than normal.

A shimmer forms in the distance almost exactly two minutes after I said it was beginning soon.

That shimmer splits as it draws closer, spots of blue-green light forming in the sea. To others, that probably comes off as some sort of group of sea creatures appearing. Soon, the shimmer and lights reaches the docks and while there's nothing fully discernible to the naked eye apart from that, I can tell there's more.

This event is the arrival of an ancient and powerful spirit, one likely just as ancient and powerful as Aluci.

A soft song fills the air, a melody without words. The shimmer grows brighter and looks of awe and wonder fills the faces of most of those here, especially the children. A second soft song filled the air, another melody without words. The pair of songs harmonize and last almost twenty minutes, then fade away.

Once it ends, the shimmer and glows within the water fades.

"And that concludes this festival's Arrival," Rose tells everyone. "A truly special one, at that. May the spirits continue to watch over all of us as time goes on and until the Departure, may our bounties of the sea be plentiful."

With those words, it's like a spell is broken. Everyone begins to move off the docks and the mid-level spirits begin to unmanifest themselves. Dylan leaves with Thomas to get more food for himself as Nolan nods off a little, and that leaves me alone with Aluci.

"An old friend of yours?" I ask Aluci, who looks at me before fading away. "I doubt you'd have spoken to them for so long otherwise."

A huff enters my mind, and I snort. He's pretending to be moody but I can tell he enjoyed speaking with the other spirit. It sounded like they were catching up to me, and I think he left to go talk with them some more.

As for me, I think I'll try out some of the foods brought to the festivals by the others, then head home and get some sleep before tomorrow's chores begin.