Little Pink Starfish

“That Lesha…”

Lan Gwen.

When Nine recalled how Amon had shown interest in that Lesha, a heat flared in his chest as if he had swallowed something hot. If he went to the Pavilion of Lotus Blossoms, he would surely see that Lesha again.

Just remembering that arrogant gaze — daring to receive Amon’s attention and boldly meeting his own eyes — made Nine’s brow furrow. Thankfully, there had been no word since of Amon visiting the pavilion or showing further interest in that Lesha. Nine thought, If he acts that arrogantly again today, I won’t let it go.

The Pavilion of Lotus Blossoms was located in the Second Tower Gate district and took about 30 minutes to reach by palanquin. It was where the true servants under the Sha’s direct command resided, and it was immense in scale. With many large and small buildings clustered like lotus petals, newcomers often got lost in its layout.

The banquet prepared by the Pavilion was held in a multi-columned hall where massive pillars lined up under the open sky. As the sun was beginning to set, white linen cloths were hung from the pillars instead of canopies, and the sound of soft music blended with fragrant smoke rising from incense burners.

The Lesha, who had not yet touched the food and were instead laughing and chatting to lighten the atmosphere for the Sha, all stood up and bowed low to the floor as Nine entered.

“We, your true servants, greet Sha Nine.”

Nine walked past the bowed black heads and took his seat at the uppermost place, his eyes narrowing at one striking pink-haired head among them.

“You may rise.”

At Nine’s permission, the Lesha raised their bodies and returned to their seats. All of them were gorgeously adorned young men and women, with healthy, attractive figures and beautiful faces. Their skin gleamed with oil, and every movement caused their gold ornaments to chime pleasingly. Being the children of noble houses, even their smallest gestures were elegant.

Lesha.
Another word for Sha’s servant.

They were different from ordinary servants or priests. Their role guaranteed them a place forever by the Sha’s side, even in the afterlife. Because they were allowed to serve the gods directly, they could not be of lowly slave origin — they had to be young and beautiful. Their entire purpose was to bring pleasure to the Sha, in any way.

In short, that pink-haired Lesha becoming a Lesha was a very unusual case. Even now, dozens or hundreds vied to become Lesha — yet this person of barbarian origin, from a heretic background, had simply entered the pavilion? They must have powerful backing.

“Sha Nine, may I have the honor of offering a tribute to you?”

A nearby Lesha smiled with their eyes as they asked for permission. They were the nephew of Amon’s attending priest, Ossein Iyad. When Nine nodded, the Lesha took a liquor bottle from the slave behind them and approached. As Seinka and Iu, standing close by, watched without blinking, the Lesha knelt and respectfully held up the bottle. Popo personally received it and showed it to Nine.

“I brewed this mead myself. It’s made with honey harvested from a windflower colony, and it has a very pleasant aroma.”

The mead offered by Ossein Iyad’s nephew was luxurious even in its container. The bottle was made of platinum, embossed with bees and windflowers. Popo pulled out the wax stopper and poured a little into three glasses. After the priests drank it to check for poison or impurities, it was poured into a golden goblet. The windflowers inside floated gently to the surface.

The mead was so fragrant and delicious, Nine doubted whether it was really handmade. After praising the nephew, Nine sipped the wine while other Lesha offered their extravagant tributes. Receiving them absentmindedly, Nine’s gaze often drifted toward Lesha Lan Gwen.

“…Did he plan to stand out?”

While all the other Lesha dressed to impress, Lan Gwen stood out by being modest. While everyone else wore only gold jewelry on their bare bodies, he wore a plain white kalar-siris (a long robe made of linen) with just a belt. It felt like he was deliberately avoiding exposure. Maybe he hadn’t even received proper support from the priest who had recommended him — he only wore a single gold bracelet.

“Or is he acting uninterested on purpose?”

Perhaps because he already disliked him, everything about Gwen annoyed Nine. Not all Lesha could afford to offer tributes at every banquet. If they couldn’t present something rare and valuable, it was better to bring nothing at all — a low-quality offering could be seen as an insult to the Sha. That’s why most of them just stayed seated unless they had something worthy.

Even knowing that, Nine pointed directly at Lan Gwen after finishing the mead.

“Lesha Lan Gwen, have you nothing to offer me?”

The Lesha who had just received praise for offering a gold bracelet and was smiling brightly now looked startled. The other Lesha also recalled the previous banquet and nervously watched Nine. Until now, Nine had never singled someone out to demand a tribute.

But Lan Gwen, the one being called out, showed no sign of surprise or embarrassment. He simply smiled and answered.

“Of course I do, Sha Nine. I was merely waiting my turn… If you permit, may I present it now?”

Nine had assumed Gwen had nothing prepared and was going to scold him — but he actually had something? Nine’s eyes sharpened. So he had dressed modestly on purpose. Or perhaps he was a barbarian who still hadn’t learned proper manners here. Nine spoke coldly.

“Fine, present it right now.”

“Yes, Sha.”

Gwen answered politely and rose. It didn’t look like he received anything from a servant, yet somehow there was a bundle in his hand. Gwen confidently stepped forward, knelt, and held it out. Up close, he was rather tall and well-built. Even his downturned eyelashes were pink — Nine was secretly surprised.

“I hope my tribute pleases you, Sha Nine.”

Popo took the bundle and placed it on the table. Nine, having seen many extravagant items, thought nothing would surprise him. But as the bundle was fully unwrapped, his eyes widened in surprise.

“…What is this?”

On a stand of unknown material sat a glass orb, about the size of two fists put together. Inside the transparent orb, on glittering sand, stood a tiny temple and two obelisks. Because the orb had just been unwrapped, it was still shaking slightly, and sand fell gently from the top like snow.

The most amazing thing was a small falcon sculpture circling slowly inside. A pair of falcons flew together through the air. When shaken, the orb created elegant curves, as if the birds were riding the wind. One falcon even perched on an obelisk, and Nine instinctively reached out — but Seinka Hoan stepped forward with a stern face. His already harsh face looked scary enough to make a child cry.

“My apologies, Sha. May I check the item for safety myself?”

“…Go ahead.”

Reluctantly granting permission, Nine watched Seinka carefully lift the orb. He tilted and flipped it in various directions, causing the white sand to drift beautifully with every movement. After a long inspection, Seinka set it down and asked:

“Lesha Lan Gwen, is this a magic tool?”

“Yes, it is. Its name is Snow Globe… I mean, a decorative glass orb.”

A magic tool? Nine had a few, but they were usually things like ever-burning lamps, ice-preserving stones for cool storage, or wind generators — items that consumed enormous amounts of magic stones.

Magic tools were incredibly expensive, and this one had no practical use. Nine had never seen anything like it. Now that he looked, the stand had a slot for inserting magic stones. Gazing at the sparkling white sand pouring over the tiny buildings, Nine asked:

“Snow Globe?”

“Please just call it a decorative glass orb. As long as the falcons inside are flying, it won’t break easily. You can even kick it like a ball if you wish.”

Even after Gwen said it was durable, Popo handed it to Nine with utmost care. Rolling it on his palm, Nine ignored Gwen’s request and asked:

“Is ‘Snow Globe’ a word from your homeland? You’re from Sola, right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s a word from my distant homeland. ‘Snow’ means snow, and ‘globe’ means sphere, Sha.”

As one of the falcons perched on an obelisk again, Nine realized he had been staring at the orb for too long. When he handed it over, Popo gently placed it back on the stand.

“Well… I suppose it’s an acceptable item.”

In truth, it was the best thing he had received so far — but Nine spoke curtly. To his surprise, Lan Gwen talked back.

“This isn’t something that can be called merely ‘acceptable,’ Sha.”