Almost 100 years have passed since the spirit of Cabaret was enshrined in the Hradime Kingdom. Now, he spends his time quietly in the forest of Aubisse, the capital of Hladime.
Originally, he was enshrined in the museum that was renovated from the retirement house of the Great High King Libourne, but about 50 years ago, the museum was newly built in this forest due to the aging of the house, and his soul was transferred here.
Although it is in the middle of the forest, the building never ceases to attract visitors. Not to mention the fact that admission is free, the items collected in the museum are of great historical value, and scholars and enthusiasts come to the museum with their eyes shining.
"......"
Cavaletto was still alive a hundred years after being sealed in the sword. He continues to live his days in silence.
His feelings for his brother, Ribbon, are still complicated. But his nephew Maintia came to visit him every month, trying to comfort his soul. Above all, the picture that hangs by his side soothes his soul. His wife, Mitya, is as beautiful as she was then, and his son, Gregor, is a perfect example of his intelligence. Looking at this picture, I feel a desire to go to my family as soon as possible. However, I am now in a halfway state, absorbed by the spirit. I have no idea how long I have left to live.
"Phew~"
Cabaret looks at the visitors and sighs. Everyone bows their heads for the time being. Everyone who lives in this country knows who she is, and they always try to visit her at least once to comfort her. The king of this country is no exception. Every year, without fail, the king himself comes here and bows his head, asking us to be at peace and to continue to watch over our country. Moreover, once a year, he comforts himself with a performance of kemari in front of his eyes and beautiful music.
Although it has become a ceremony in the past few years, Cavaletto, who is a righteous person by nature, had no intention of causing any trouble at the moment. When he was first sealed, it was difficult for him to move due to the powerful warding, but the warding was soon lifted. Now he could get out of this dagger if he wanted to. However, the people of this country's itchy, comforting caresses had dampened his desire to break the seal and get out.
Then one afternoon, a boy appeared in front of Cavaletto. It was unusual for a child to come here alone. Cavaletto looked at the boy absentmindedly. He looked around shyly, clapped two oak hands and spoke to Cabaret in a small voice.
"God, God ....... Please make me a better soccer player. Please."
With these words, he ran away like a hare. Cavaletto had no idea what he was talking about, and he looked at the boy in amazement as he walked away.
The next day, the boy came again. And he mumbled the same words as yesterday.
"...... Suckaaaaa?"
The boy wants to be good at something called "sucker. He had no idea what it was.
Unable to solve Cavaletto's confusion, the boy went to this place every day and made a wish to him. One day, overcome by his persistence, Cavaletto decided to break the seal and appear to the boy.
"Dear God, dear God. ....... Please help me get better at soccer. Please."
"...... Hey, here, kid."
"Huh? Uncle, what is it?
"I don't care who you are. He's been asking me to make him better at sucking, but it's getting too noisy. What's "sucker"?
"Uncle, don't you know anything about soccer? It's a game where you kick a ball."
"Bol? What's a vol?"
"You don't even know what a vol is? It's that ...... round thing made of leather."
"Oh, you mean a ball?"
"No, it's not. Mari is a girl's game. It's a ball. You kick a ball.
"No, no. It's not kemari. It's putting the ball in the gol. In formation.
"Foome-shon?"
"You wouldn't understand if I told you. This god was good at kickball. He's good at kicking a ball. I have a game tomorrow. I have to win tomorrow. That's why I'm praying so hard to this god. So please don't interrupt me."
"God? The Lord here is good at kickball, but that ...... bol? I don't know any such thing as sakka, do you?"
"Oh no, Uncle. The Gods here listen to me a lot, you know? I asked him to make me a better soccer player, and he did. I even beat him in a game. So far, I've won every game I've asked this god for. He's a very beneficial god, you know?"
"...... No, I don't think so, do you?"
"Just get out of my way already! Go away, old man!"
Cabaret was treated with disdain by the boy and kicked out. What is a "sucker"? He tried to go outside to see it, but the sealing power still seemed to be in effect and he just could not move beyond a certain distance.
The soccer game that the boy was referring to was invented by Linos, then King of Agartha, a few years after the cabaret was sealed. When the king of Maintia asked him about spreading the game of kemari to the rest of the world, he took the initiative. Rinos promoted kemari not as a formal game, but as a sport called soccer, in which a team of eleven players played against each other. At first, the number of players was slow to grow, but about 30 years ago, there was a huge boom, and since then soccer has been recognized as a world sport. Cavaletto, who had never heard of such a thing, had no choice but to return to his sealed dagger in bewilderment.
Ten years later. Cavaletto's surroundings had changed dramatically.
His dagger is now surrounded by a large number of balls, uniforms, spikes, and other items, and a strict ward has been set up around it. Upon closer inspection, one could see that almost all of the exhibits had some sort of lettering or symbols written on them, with many barely legible words such as "thanks" or "dedication". And there were many adults and children in front of them.
"Wow! It's Dofassalina's autographed uniform!"
"Here's the boll from when you scored that legendary gol!"
"Whoa! There's the boll from when Fradime won his first World Cup! Wow! It's signed by every member of the team at the time!"
"Why is such a rare item displayed in a museum in the middle of the forest?"
"What, you don't know? This place is dedicated to the god of soccer."
"God of soccer?"
"Yes, I heard that the great player Zariah Juan prayed to this god every day when he was a child to get better at soccer. It worked and he became the top scorer in the world. In his book, he writes that it is thanks to this god that he continues to break records in scoring goals.
"That's great. I'll take advantage of it!"
"Nowadays, soccer players all over the world pray here. It's probably not a blessing for a third-rate player like you, though."
"No, no, it might bring you some good luck!"
Every day, boys and girls with a twinkle in their eyes would line up to pray at the Cabaret. Not only that, but the place has become a famous spot for soccer fans as a place where they can meet the world's famous players, as world-famous players have visited here from time to time.
"God, God ...... make me good at soccer ......"
"...... No, that's why. What the hell is Sucker?"
Confused day by day, he bathes in the prayers of boys and girls. Looking into their innocent, sparkling eyes, he could not say that he was not a god, much less that he did not have the ability to improve his skills.
Despite Cavaletto's confusion, today, boys and girls gather at this place to seek for blessings.