"Lost sight of him again..."

I put my spyglass away and slump down against the tree next to me. The forested hill I'm on has given me a good view of the entire festival grounds, while keeping me out of sight of the damn watch-birds flying overhead. I'm shocked that guild was able to actually get this festival running in a week, but considering how it looked like they were being slave drivers to their members, maybe it isn't too shocking. For the past week Aled's been running all over the grounds, most likely being forced to help build everything.

"Mindy better check up on him," I let out a sigh as I take out an apple from my bag. From the position of the sun, it's probably a bit after noon. I told her to come rendezvous here later in the evening, hopefully she doesn't get too caught up in the festival. As much as I loathe to admit it, the festival does seem to be just like any human festival. And even if it looked like he was being forced to help prepare it, Aled didn't look distressed when he was sitting on stage next to those two other monsters. Though I wonder what the hell that performance was though, a fashion show? Maybe it's just some monster culture thing I don't get. Wait... what if it was some weird monster ritual they're indoctrinating him into!?

I take a bite of my apple.

Well, whatever it was, he disappeared afterwards. Gotta hope he's just relaxing somewhere instead of being sacrificed or something. Even though it looks like he's being overworked, it has been a bit nice to be able to keep an eye on him like this. Usually it seems he's trapped inside that guild all day.

And I was able to see...

Nah, I didn't see that.

Well, even if I did see it, it was probably just my imagination. Or I couldn't see well through my spyglass. There's no way I saw Aled smiling while up on stage. He hates crowded and noisy areas like festivals. Plus, I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time. And-

"... What are you smiling about?"

"Guh?! Oh, it's you. Don't scare me like that, kiddo. Why are ya' here now? I said we'd meet up in the evening."

"I thought you might want something to drink," Mindy floats up to me, with two glasses in her hands that look like they're full of lemonade. "It's Sitrus Berry juice," She offers one of the glasses to me.

"Ah, mighty kind of ya', kiddo," I shove my half-eaten apple back into my bag and grab the glass.

Mindy lands next to a tree a bit clumsily, but she manages to not spill her glass as she sits down. "I saw him taking a break under the stage. He looked a bit tired, but fine."

"Gotcha, thanks. You should take a breather for now too," I take a sip from my glass. The smooth flavor relieves some of my tension and makes me feel slightly more at ease. The two of us just stare at the festival grounds as we drink, absorbing the distant sounds of monsters, and the occasional sounds of music coming from the festival stage. Sometimes I swear I hear songs I've heard back in the real world.

The worry I've had throughout the week continues to melt away. I still have to save Aled in the future, but right now? Knowing that he's safe is enough for me.