yumemory | Faust - [SSR] The Sea God's Pastime

Card Story: Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings - Faust (Faust, Lennox, Heathcliff, Shylock, Akira)

Card Episode: An Intimate Celebration (Faust, Akira)

Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings - Faust: Chapter 1

[Location: Faust’s room]

Akira: Hi, Faust. Sorry for visiting so suddenly.

Faust: No, I don’t mind… Is there a problem?

Akira: Actually, I came here to extend an invitation. If you’d like, would you join me for the Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings?

Faust: Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings? What’s that?

Akira: I’ve been told that it’s a secret ceremony passed down among the Sage’s wizards, and that performing this would strengthen the bond between the hearts of the Sage and their wizards.

Akira: Moreover, it can also improve your magical powers and your financial luck, and that even the spirits will bless you with good luck and good health. I’d say it’s a pretty good bargain!

Akira: …Or that’s what Snow and White told me, at least. They said it was written in an old document they found the other day.

Faust: ……That ceremony sounds suspicious to me.

Akira: I’m not sure how effective it is, but wonderful things happened to Mitile and Bradley after they performed it.

Akira: That’s why I thought it’d be nice if you could do it too. Only if you want to, of course…

Faust gave an exasperated sigh, and I chuckled wryly at his predictable reaction.

Faust: …So, what do I need to do?

He still decided to join me, despite being doubtful. It made me so happy that my voice noticeably brightened as I said:

Akira: I’ll ask the other wizards to help you prepare for the ceremony. So, can you come on a day off near your birthday?

Faust: Near my birthday?

Akira: This ceremony is best performed around a period when blessings are likely to gather… In other words, to get the most out of it, it’s advised to perform it around your birthday, in a place that you have deep ties with.

Faust: The more I learn about it, the more suspicious it sounds to me, but alright, I’ll go along with it for now…

Akira: Ahaha…

Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings - Faust: Chapter 2

[Location: Shylock’s bar, afternoon]

Akira: Thank you for coming here today, everyone.

I invited three wizards to the bar: Shylock, Heathcliff and Lennox.

Lennox: I heard you wanted to talk to us.

Akira: Yes. I plan to hold a ceremony with Faust to celebrate his upcoming birthday.

All that’s needed for the ceremony is a special outfit, and blessings from three people close to the wizard and the Sage themselves.

Akira: As for the outfit, Snow and White will be providing it…

Shylock: And it will be the three of us who shall bestow upon him an incantation of blessings?

Akira: Yes. You two, as fellow teachers, seem to talk to each other a lot, and Heathcliff, as his student, totally adores him…

Akira: Aaaand I think Lennox has the longest relationship with him.

Shylock: Why, I’m glad you see us as such.

Lennox: Yes. It’s an honor.

Heathcliff: If it’s okay with you, then I’ll be more than glad to join. I’m happy that you offered me such a wonderful opportunity.

Heathcliff: But I don’t even know where to start…

Lennox: An incantation of blessings for Lord Faust…

Heathcliff and Lennox: …………

Both of them went silent. As if lost deep in thought, they bore complicated looks on their faces.

Akira: I-I’m sorry, you probably need more time to think…

Shylock: Fufu, I understand why you two are thinking so deeply about it. I, too, want to craft my incantation of blessings carefully, but the feeling must especially be stronger for the two of you.

Heathcliff: S-Sorry. I’m not really sure what words I should use to properly express my feelings…

Heathcliff: After all, I’ve always been indebted to Master Faust ever since we met here at the manor.

Lennox: I heard that you struggled a lot when you first came here because you didn’t have a capable mentor.

Lennox: Lord Faust has always been an extremely sincere and compassionate man, and that’s most likely why he couldn’t just leave you on your own.

Heathcliff: Yes… That’s why I want to take this opportunity to properly show him my gratitude.

Shylock smiled as he watched the interaction between the two.

Shylock: You see, I’m also quite fond of Faust’s seriousness and awkward gentleness.

Shylock: Just the other day, when he came to the bar, he nonchalantly approached Chloe when he found him struggling with the design of a new outfit he was constructing…

Lennox: Oh, I remember that. I was there as well.

Lennox: Chloe showed him his design sketches, and even though Lord Faust told him that he isn’t knowledgeable about clothes, he still tried to help Chloe by offering his own opinions and casually praising him.

Heathcliff: That’s very much like him, to sit down and think about it with Chloe…

Lennox: Yeah. Chloe was very grateful, and told Faust that he was excited to make a new outfit for him as a way to thank him…

Shylock: That’s right. Using magic, Chloe magically brought out all these bundles of fabric, and as he was struggling to figure out which one would suit Faust the most, Faust ended up cocooned in them all…

Heathcliff: Huh!?

Akira: (It seems like this talk about Faust is getting merrier…)

It might take a little while before I could obtain their incantations of blessings for Faust. But even so, I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to their stories.

Starlit Ceremony for the Incantation of Blessings - Faust: Chapter 3

[Location: Valley of Storms, evening]

A few days later, Faust and I went to the Valley of Storms.

A place that’s rich in nature and has a good view of the stars is supposedly the best place to perform this ceremony.

Faust was already dressed up for the occasion. The pure and solemn atmosphere of the forest at night made me straighten my back.

Faust: …The spirits seem to have gathered here. Are we in the right place?

Akira: Yes. Then we shall commence the ceremony. Please close your eyes, Faust.

Faust: …………

I placed my hand over his chest, then uttered the incantations of blessings I received, just like I was chanting a spell.

Akira: First is Shylock’s blessing.

Akira: “I’m fond of your calm demeanor, but I also very much enjoy the smile you show me when you’re a little tipsy.”

Akira: And then, Heathcliff’s blessing…

Akira: “Master Faust, your kindness has always helped me. I’ll do my best so that I can be the one to help you someday.”

Akira: Next, Lennox’s blessing…

Akira: “Lord Faust. May today, and every single one of your coming days, be filled with nothing but happiness.”

Akira: And lastly, from me…

Akira: Faust. I’m truly happy, from the bottom of my heart, that you became one of the Sage’s wizards. Happy birthday.

After I recited every word of the blessings, I felt warmth flow out of my heart towards Faust.

Akira: …How is it?

When I asked, Faust opened his eyes. He blinked once, slowly, as if trying to confirm something.

Faust: …Honestly, I’m not sure. But the incantations of blessings from you all… They did make me happy.

Akira: Ah, I'm glad... Heath and Lennox thought really hard about what they wanted to say.

Akira: They said they aren’t as good with words as Shylock, but they still expressed their incantations of blessings to me with all their heart.

Faust: Haha. That sounds a lot like them.

(Cats meow)

Faust: …Did you hear cats meow just now?

Suddenly, two cats, one white and one black, appeared at our feet.

Akira: Huh? Where did they…

The two cats walked away from us for a bit, then looked back at us and meowed.

Faust: They’re asking us to follow them…

(Faust and Akira follow the cats)

As if we were being led somewhere, we followed the cats, and soon found ourselves facing a single tree.

Faust: …An elder tree?

Akira: Wow, it’s beautiful…

I was taken aback by the sight. The tree was in full bloom, its flowers blossoming over the branches like white smoke.

Faust: I never thought I’d ever see it have this many flowers at this time of year…

Faust: Something must have affected the spirits of this forest… Could it be the ceremony we just did?

(White petals blow in the wind)

A strong wind suddenly blew, and the flowers of the elder tree were blown off and scattered around us. Our surroundings turned as white as if we’d found ourselves in a snowstorm.

Faust: …Pft. Haha.

Faust looked at me, and suddenly laughed.

Faust: Your hair’s a mess, you know?

Faust: All those petals on your head make you look like a dog that rolled around in the snow.

Akira: Wha- Really?!

I hurriedly ruffled my hair to get rid of the petals. With a chuckle and a smile present in the corner of his mouth, Faust chanted his spell.

Faust:《 Satillquinart Mulcreed 》

Two baskets materialized in Faust’s hands, and he gave one to me.

Faust: Could you help me pick some of these flowers? I think I'll be able to make a good deal of syrup with all these.

Faust: I’d like to give those three something, in return for their blessings.

The flying petals of the elder tree fell from the sky, slowly and gently.

Beyond that snowstorm of blessed white flowers, I found myself looking at Faust’s soft, subdued smile.

Akira: Okay! Let’s gather whole basketfuls of them!

Honestly, I don’t know if the ceremony worked the way it was described in the documentation.

But I hope that today was gentle and pleasant for Faust, just like these flowers.

And so, hoping for the best, I began reaching for the blossoms.

Card Episode: An Intimate Celebration

[Location: Courtyard, morning]

Akira: Faust, I heard that the three people who gave you their incantations of blessing wished you a happy birthday.

Faust: So you already heard about it…

Akira: Shylock told me. I was away on a mission, so I wasn’t able to attend. What kind of celebration was it?

Faust: On my birthday, I was in my room as usual, then Heathcliff paid me a visit.

Akira: Heath did?

Faust: Yeah. He said they were setting up a small party in Shylock’s bar, and invited me to come if I wanted…

Faust: I told him he didn’t need to trouble himself, but I couldn’t just ignore him, especially after he gave me those blessings.

Akira: Ahaha, might as well go when you're invited. How was the party?

Faust: I was greeted by a party cracker as soon as I came in. There were lots of wizards waiting, and the atmosphere felt like some tomfoolery was about to begin at any moment.

Faust: The food and beverages were awfully grand for such a simple occasion… Shylock also treated me to a special cocktail, telling me that it was a day worth celebrating.

Faust: And I had a drink with Lennox. Neither of us is very talkative, but that day we talked about a lot of silly things.

Akira: Seems like it was a pretty nice party… I can feel just how much everyone wanted to celebrate your birthday.

Faust: …Goodness. Just hearing their incantations of blessing were more than enough for me.

Faust: Really, what a whimsical bunch.

Special Home Screen Line

Faust: Everyone, are you forgetting that I’m a gloomy maledictor? You know, I might throw back curses at you one day for all the congratulatory words you've given me. …But well, right now, I guess I’m in the mood to express my gratitude honestly. Thank you.

TL: yumemory | Proofread: Alle