The Sun had long since set, and the light of the Moon was filtering in through the window. I ruminated on what the meaning of that troublesome line of text could be as I stared at that gentle, silvery light.
“When the Sun… is deep asleep…”
So, like, midnight? I have no idea why they chose that way of wording it, but it has been quite a few hours since the sun set now. Also––
“Munya…”
Eris, who had been in my bed for some reason, had also finally fallen asleep.
“……”
I had wasted valuable time waiting for that.
{When the Sun is deep asleep –– at the Promised Land}
…The time he meant is probably around now. What I don’t understand is ‘the Promised Land’. And the location pointed to on the map just raises even more questions.
“…I guess it’s one of those go and see for yourself things,” I murmured to myself quietly.
Making sure not to wake the sleeping Eris up, I jumped out of the window.
I landed on the ground easily enough, but had no choice but to stop after taking a few steps as I tried to set off.
“……”
While it was deep into the night, my surroundings were rather bright.
“…The moon.”
I looked up at the dark, night sky and at the shining full moon. The countless little pinpricks of light that were the stars glittered on the black canvas of the night sky as if they were trying to reach the moon’s silvery-white light.
“…It’s so pretty,” I couldn’t help but murmur.
The day had been quite an eventful one. I had reached my goal of winning the tournament. But, alongside being able to savour the happiness at having done so, I also had plenty of things to reflect on, the most important of which was Athena crying.
I wanted to make her famous. I wanted her to smile. And due to my blind pursuit of that, I had made her cry.
“Damn it, me…”
It’s my naive outlook and personal battle that caused it. I’ll have to reflect on that and…
I had noticed I had become slightly sentimental when I heard the front door open with a click.
“…!”
Panicking, I tried to run away before I was found––
“––Wait.” came Luna’s voice, causing me to stop trying to escape.
‘Wait, I wasn’t even doing anything bad in the first place, so isn’t there actually no reason for me to be running away?’ I thought to myself as I turned around.
“…”
I almost gasped out loud.
Luna’s silvery-white hair was almost shining, lit up by the moonlight. With the white, dress-like negligee she was wearing, she looked positively fairy-like.
“Ahaha,” I laughed, trying to fool the embarrassment I felt at having been so caught up by her beauty.
Luna sighed, an almost amazed look on her face.
“…Honestly, to think you’d leave through the window,” she said quietly, walking up to me.
As I watched her calmly walking over, I couldn’t help but think ‘Now that I think of it, I was mesmerized by her when she walked into the hall back when I became her knight as well…’
“And where might you be going, this late at night?” she asked, tilting her head slightly, causing her hair to sway.
Her purple eyes glittered, reflecting the moonlight as she tried to peer into my eyes.
“…Just, for a walk…”
Perhaps I should have been honest with her. But thinking about the future, I don’t think making her needlessly worry is a good idea. I am going to the place said to be in charge of the whole country’s darkness, after all.
“I see,” was all Luna said, walking past me.
But, she stopped a few moments later.
She elegantly turned around towards me––
“…?”
She looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“…?”
So did I.
We stared at each other for a while, both our heads tilted in confusion, until Luna broke out in a smile, seemingly unable to bear it any longer.
“Shall we go, then?”
…I guess it’s time for a walk.
◆
As the full moon up in the sky shone down on us continuously, I wondered how long we had been walking for.
It felt like we had been walking for over an hour and not even ten minutes at the same time.
We were both silent.
Luna simply walked next to me, not saying a single word.
I had matched my walking speed to hers.
While I might not have had the time to be doing something like that what with my meeting and everything, I couldn’t help but feel this wasn’t all that bad either.
A somewhat strong gust of wind swept over us.
Luna’s silvery-white hair flew into my field of vision for a moment.
“…”
Now that I think of it, how long has it been since we’ve walked around, just the two of us? Wait no, we’ve never––
“–– You can’t kill people.”
I actually gulped then.
I stopped and looked at Luna over my shoulder.
“…My Lady?”
I was unable to tell what she was thinking from her face. Her purple eyes, however, were staring straight at me.
“You’re going to where Lloyd März is, aren’t you?”
“…Well, I…”
…I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t seen this coming.
Some part of me had probably expected it to happen the moment I met Luna at this time of day.
“…I can’t?” I asked.
Luna brushed her hair aside with her right hand, closing her eyes.
“…I see. So I was right,” she said, walking up to me.
I was immediately filled with regret.
She probably wasn’t completely sure of it yet. No, but still, how––
“Lloyd März. The second son of the März family, and the Ferris Magic Knight Academy’s student council vice president. He is also the leader of the country’s secret organisation ‘Shadow Moon’… that’s a lot of titles.”
––It wasn’t like I had forgotten.
The girl in front of me was Luna Flame, the eldest daughter of the Flame family which was one of the four great noble families. She was also called the Solitary Moon, and was a talented person who had scored the highest on the St. Ferris’ Girls’ Academy’s entrance exams.
“What’s more––”
Luna’s pale index finger pointed straight at me.
“You are the third son of the Astario family, who will be joining the student council after having won that tournament. You are also my one and only knight,” she said proudly, and I felt myself starting to tear up for some reason.
“My Lady… I-”
Her index finger pressing against my lips stopped me from saying anything further.
“You’re already doing quite well for yourself now. What more could you wish for…?” she said, her purple eyes peeking into mine.
What do… I want, huh…?
I flipped through the pages of my thoughts, looking for the answer myself.
I took one, then another teetering step back.
Naturally, Luna’s finger which had been pressed against my lips wasn’t doing so anymore.
“There’s something… I’d like to know,” I said, looking straight at her.
I wanted to know about those walking clumps of making-me-uneasy that were the gods. And–– about Zeus.
I had this feeling like I would only find out if I hung around him.
“…”
Luna stared at me for a while, not saying anything.
I stared back at her.
It’s not going to work. I doubt something so vague would––
“I see. All right then.”
“…Eh?”
“What’s with that face? Did you not hear what I said? I said all right. Do what you want,” she said with a small sigh.
“I’m sorry for taking up your time. You have a meeting to go to, right?”
“Well… erm…”
My mind had turned blank.
A teasing, mischievous smile appeared on her face.
“I wonder… what kind of being am I to you?” she asked.
In answer to that abrupt question, I––
“A wonderful… a wonderful master who is too good for the likes of me.”
“Good,” she said with a proud smile on her face, then suddenly took out a dagger glinting in the moonlight from her pocket.
“Eek…” I blurted out, but she held out the dagger to me, the teasing smile still on her face.
“…My Lady?”
“Take it.”
I grabbed its hilt, noticing that her expression turned slightly concerned for a moment as I did so.
“Uhm, this is?”
“…It’s my self-defense dagger. I’m giving it to you.”
I had seen it before. I had actually stabbed a couple of goblins right in front of her with it.
No wait, that’s not what I want to know right now.
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“You’re heading to a shady organisation without even your spear?”
“I can go and get––”
“––It’s not something I need,” she said with a somehow sad-looking smile, and I swallowed the rest of what I was about to say. “Like I said, I don’t need it.” Her silvery-white hair blew in the wind. “Got it?”
I wasn’t dense enough to not understand what she meant.
“…Thank you very much, My Lady.”
Complete trust.
Having felt that, I once again swore to myself.
Luna Flame is my master, and I am her knight.
“I’ll definitely come back.”
“Yes, please do,” she said as if it was nothing, narrowing her eyes.
I wondered if her face lit up by the moonlight looking slightly red was just my imagination.
“…”
She’s… blushing? Luna??
Well, even I feel a little embarrassed.
“I’ll be going back now,” Luna said to me.
And then it was my turn.
“Then, My Lady, let me acco––”
“Come, Pochi.”
Suddenly, alongside a strong blast of wind, Fenrir –– Pochi appeared.
“““…”””
While I was busy being speechless, Luna turned to look at me with a cool expression.
“No need. I wish you luck,” My Lady, no, Luna Flame said, walking back down the way we had come with Pochi in tow.
“Ha…haha. Pochi, I’m counting on you,” I managed to say.
Pochi turned and looked at me for a moment.
…Did I just imagine it, or did those golden eyes have a hint of pity in them––
“…Ugh…!”
I felt like I had somehow lost.
I decided to clear my mind and took a deep breath, and exhaled.
“Phew…”
She was just hiding her embarrassment.
“Mhm.”
I decided to think of it as that.
After all-
“…”
Her self-defense dagger was in my right hand.
It did look more handy for where I was heading than a spear would ever be.
I put it in my pocket, glancing at Luna’s receding back.
The white, full moon up in the night sky was just within my field of vision.
“…I’m counting on you, Pochi.”
Turning away from the two sets of silvery-white, I began running towards my destination.
◆
Luna noticed slightly belatedly that the gaze on her had vanished.
“…”
She breathed a small sigh, stopped, and looked back to make sure.
Yuno was, of course, not there.
He was heading to where Lloyd März was.
“…stupid… stupid,” she murmured, gently stroking Pochi’s head.
“You really saved me. I thought my face would start burning,” Luna said with an innocent smile as Pochi’s tail started wagging.
Luna’s smile was one befitting a girl of her age, without even a fragment of her usual dignity and nobleness in it.
The only one able to see that smile in the whole world was Pochi alone.
“Still, I didn’t think you’d actually come. Smart girl. I suppose it’s because you’re a wolf,” Luna said, crouching down and patting Pochi’s head.
Gradually though, the pats slowed down, until her hand finally stopped on Pochi’s head.
A gentle breeze stroked her silvery-white hair.
“…As long as I have you, I don’t need a self-defense dagger,” Luna murmured to herself.
Whether her words were directed at Pochi, or––
Pochi, at least, found either way good.
(…what difficult beings humans are…) Pochi couldn’t help but think to itself, having once again witnessed Luna Flame’s noble nature.
As it looked up at the shining full moon beneath the perfect, starry, night sky, the divine beast Pochi scratched an itch on its body with its hind leg.
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