Chapter 87 - Investiture Ceremony (3)

Hidan knew perfectly well that the Moons, including Yutia Bloodia, revered and worshipped the Great Moon. After all, Blue Moon's rallying cry was “For the Great Moon.”

But even so—

["I'm telling you not to talk about marriage when you don't even properly understand what it is!"]

["I understand perfectly! I can make the Great Moon happy!"]

["That isn't for you to decide!"]

["Exactly!"]

["No!"]

He honestly hadn't imagined they would be this—

["I've been raising objections since last time, but regarding the letters, we should each send our own—"]

["As I already explained, that might make things complicated for the Great Moon, so didn't I say I would collect them?"]

["Would it really be so strange for me to collect them instead?"]

["There's no need to change that now, is there?"]

["I'd like to change it. That way, when I send the letters... Heh... hee."]

—fanatical.

["Now, listen. Even in the presence of an Outer God, the Great Moon stood utterly unbowed. The sun lowered its gaze before his eyes and turned to twilight, while the ashen world regained its pristine snowfields. But that wasn't all. The blow he unleashed truly surpassed everyone's—"]

Hidan looked dazed. For twenty minutes now, he had been trapped in Deus's “Let Us Now Begin Praising the Great Moon,” something even the other members, apart from Yutia, dreaded.

... Of course, Hidan also revered and worshipped the Great Moon, so he didn't think their behavior was strange.

... It was just a little... different from how he had pictured the Moons. That was all that had thrown him slightly.

“...”

... Though, honestly, some of it had dampened his enthusiasm a little.

["Let's all stop now. We have a report to hear, don't we?"]

Just as Hidan was secretly sighing, a voice rang out. Unlike the others, who were busily chattering away, Radan wore a calm, faint smile.

“...!”

That was the same demeanor that had inspired awe in Hidan when he had seen the other Moons in the past.

Feeling an odd, inexplicable sense of relief(?), Hidan cleared his throat with a couple of coughs and addressed the other Moons, who had fallen silent.

["Then I will begin my report."]

Strictly speaking, he had one matter to report today: the forces attempting to slander the Great Moon.

["To begin with the conclusion, we have yet to identify the organization attempting to slander the Great Moon."]

["Why is that?"]

He answered Yutia, the Red Moon, who had already regained her serious demeanor.

["They seem extremely reluctant to reveal their identity. Even when we locate groups connected to them and capture their contacts, most are merely being used as intermediaries."]

["... So even the people acting as contacts don't know the organization?"]

["Correct."]

He briefly cleared his throat before continuing.

["In one case, we managed to trace a contact one level higher, but that, too, was merely another point of contact."]

["... So they're concealing their identity with extraordinary thoroughness."]

Hidan nodded at the murmured observation from Rine, the Green Moon.

["Yes. Nevertheless, we did obtain some information that may help us identify them."]

["Information?"]

["It barely qualifies as information, but we found about eight organizations being used as contacts by the higher organization attempting to slander the Great Moon. So, using these organizations as our starting point—"]

["How did you find them?"]

["It appears that orders to slander the Great Moon were issued to other organizations. While investigating the matter, we were able to compile a list. Their names begin with Dark Melody—"]

In response to Deus, the Violet Moon, he began listing the organizations one by one.

["Then we just kill them."]

["... Pardon?"]

Hidan went momentarily blank at the unhesitating remark from Radan, who had been silent until now and had seemed the most normal of them.

["No, well—yes, they should be killed, but first we should focus on tracing their superiors—"]

["Didn't you just say they're trying to slander Big Brother—no, the Great Moon?"]

["I did, but..."]

["Then we have to kill them."]

Radan said it with an expression that seemed to ask, Isn't it obvious that one plus one equals two? Hidan stared blankly for a moment before speaking again.

["... As you say, White Moon, they should all be killed. But isn't obtaining information on the organization above them also important?"]

["Regardless of that, they're targeting the Great Moon, aren't they?"]

["... That is also true."]

["Then killing them is the right thing to do."]

["...?"]

["Killing them is the right thing to do."]

["..."]

Watching Radan nod as though making a firm resolution, Hidan came to a fresh realization.

He hadn't noticed because Radan had been sitting quietly before him, but apparently Radan wasn't the sort of person he had always imagined either.

And on top of that...

["This won't do."]

["?"]

["I'll be back shortly. Dark Melody is right next to Laxas."]

["W-wait a moment, White Moon."]

["What is it?"]

["Well, Dark Melody also has ties to the royal family of Laxas. Interfering with them could cause trouble for you."]

Hidan tried to explain, but—

["I've just heard they're trying to slander Big Brother. Does that matter?"]

["!"]

Radan turned away with a chillingly expressionless face, as though his earlier smile had been a lie.

In the corner of the image, Hidan watched him grab his spear and leap straight out the window. All he could do was gape.

And a short while later...

“...”

They ultimately decided to leave the remaining organizations intact, apart from the few the Moons intended to handle themselves, and use them to track down those slandering the Great Moon.

With Radan still gone, the report continued.

["For my final report, the Great Moon is currently caught up in a peculiar rumor."]

["What rumor?"]

["A rumor that the Great Moon and the deputy tower master of the Blue Magic Tower are romantically involved. It isn't a particularly significant rumor, of course, but I am reporting it because it concerns the Great Moon."]

Yutia, who had been presiding over the meeting with composure until moments ago, nodded once at Hidan's words and spoke.

["Hmm—it's clearly a false rumor."]

["I think so too! Mentor would never break his promise!"]

Seollang nodded in agreement.

["I believe so as well."]

["Yes, it's a false rumor, so don't pay it any attention. None at all."]

Hidan naturally nodded, but Yutia still hadn't stopped smiling.

["Yes, understood."]

["Even if, by some remote chance, that false rumor turns out to be true, I'll make it false."]

["... Pardon?"]

["Of course, I know such a thing could never happen and must never happen and is utterly impossible, but if by some chance it really does happen, I'll make the rumor disappear, so I'm telling you not to worry about it at all."]

["..."]

The words came pouring out in a rapid-fire torrent.

Furthermore, the fountain pen in her hand had been crushed and smashed to fucking pieces.

["... Yes, understood."]

'I'd better report separately tomorrow about the man I saw back then.'

Since Yutia looked anything but calm to anyone who might see her, Hidan decided simply to agree.

And the following day, Hidan heard that Dark Melody had been annihilated overnight, prompting him to reflect once again on the Moons' fanaticism.

####

Meanwhile.

After learning that the mercenary band responsible for yesterday's disturbance was the Seekers of Antiquity, a guild based in Lartania and led by Myaon, Alon had let the matter end as a minor incident in which Myaon cracked her rookie mercenary over the head twice, once with a glass bottle and once with a wooden cup.

He was now traveling from the inn in Nenda with the Seekers of Antiquity, because their destination was the same as his: the Holy Kingdom of Rosario.

'An extermination job...'

Alon, too, hadn't explained to Myaon in detail what the Holy Kingdom's commission was or whether the contract terms imposed restrictions, but as he recalled what she had said yesterday, he found himself thinking:

'... Is something happening in Rosario?'

Some time later, Alon stopped his carriage for lunch.

“Count—no, should I call you my lord?”

“Call me whatever feels comfortable.”

“Then I'll call you my lord. And—hey! Get over here!”

Soon, he saw a mercenary approaching alongside Myaon.

The man, a head taller than Myaon, immediately cried out as he reached Alon.

“I'm terribly sorry! I've committed an unforgivable offense!”

THUD!

He slammed his head into the ground and begged forgiveness. The moment his head struck the dirt, blood began flowing and pooling around it.

“Don't concern yourself with it. I'll consider it a minor incident.”

Somewhat alarmed, Alon lightly shook his head. The man, who had looked doomed only moments ago, instantly broke into a radiant smile as though his life had been restored.

“Thank you! Thank you so much! Really, thank you so, so much!”

He bowed repeatedly as though he owed Alon his life, then returned to the other mercenaries.

“Lucky bastard, huh?”

“Wow, he survived that?”

“Unbelievable.”

They thought they were speaking quietly, but their hushed conversation reached Alon's mana-enhanced hearing, leaving him with a peculiar feeling.

'What on earth do they think of me?'

As he pondered this with a slight sense of disbelief hidden behind his expressionless face, Myaon sighed in relief and spoke.

“What a relief. I thought you wouldn't forgive him at all. He's only just joined us, so I felt a little sorry for him.”

“... I don't believe I had that sort of reputation.”

“But last time, I said one wrong thing and ended up an ice statue, remember?”

“...”

He had only done that to establish control of the situation, but he could see how Myaon might interpret it that way. After falling silent, Alon spoke again.

“The circumstances called for it then. I'm not that merciless.”

“From the rumors I've heard, I wouldn't have thought so.”

“... Rumors?”

“Yes.”

Myaon nodded.

“... That you secretly bump off anyone you dislike without a sound or a moment's hesitation.”

“...”

Her words reminded him of how long the man had been tearfully embracing the other mercenaries, and he felt somewhat wronged.

He had never once bumped off another noble or anyone else simply because he disliked them.

... Of course, he knew perfectly well that protesting his innocence at this point would accomplish nothing, so he merely gave a quiet sigh.

“Should you really be saying that to the person the rumor is about?”

“Hmm, nobles with a foot in the underworld tend to like this sort of talk, actually. Reputation matters there, doesn't it?”

At Myaon's easygoing response, Alon found himself thinking that, for some reason, the strange, false rumors only seemed to multiply as time passed. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

####

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

Apart from the unpleasant incident at the village inn at the very beginning, Alon enjoyed an exceptionally comfortable journey to Rosario thanks to the Seekers of Antiquity. With Myaon to talk to, those two weeks weren't particularly boring either.

More precisely, she simply kept coming to see him, even though he never went out of his way to find her.

In any case, he had a fairly pleasant time right up until his arrival in Rosario. And in truth, Myaon felt much the same.

The two-week journey with Alon had been quite helpful to her too.

Count Pallatio hadn't done anything in particular during their travels, but at least they had grown considerably closer.

Indeed.

Myaon was actually putting quite a lot of effort into trying to make something happen between herself and Count Pallatio...!

It wasn't a plan she had devised from the outset. Rather, it had formed in a hurry when she unexpectedly met Alon on her way to the Holy Kingdom after accepting the commission.

But she had ample motivation to come up with one. Catfolk were instinctively attracted to strong males, and beyond that, his qualities were exceptionally desirable from a catfolk perspective.

That was why Myaon had kept talking to Count Pallatio about this and that, wondering how she might win over this man who suited her tastes perfectly(?). In her opinion, she had made real progress.

... To Alon, of course, it merely felt like he had gained a friendly conversation partner.

Anyway.

'We're finally here.'

'If I get the chance, perhaps I'll make another move. He doesn't seem to like it when I come on too strong, like last time, so I'll do it the human way—'

Their fairly pleasant journey ended with the two arriving in Rosario's capital, each harboring entirely different thoughts.

“You've arrived, Teacher?”

“... Yutia?”

“Yes.”

“... I did send a letter, but coming out to meet me must have been difficult.”

“Not at all. This much is no trouble.”

“... Is that so?”

Even before he reached the city gates, Alon encountered Yutia waiting for him with a group of paladins.

Watching from beside him, Myaon thought:

'Wow, she's really beautiful.'

She found herself staring blankly at Yutia. Even her black religious robes did nothing to diminish her beauty, leaving Myaon awestruck. The red eyes visible beneath her smiling lids held an enchanting power, as though drawing Myaon's very heart into them.

But only for a moment.

'... Count Pallatio really is incredible. I'd heard about it, but I never imagined he actually had connections even with a cardinal.'

Myaon soon turned her admiration toward Count Pallatio. She, too, knew that many people had ties to him, but honestly, she had been somewhat skeptical.

As far as she knew, while it couldn't quite be said to extend to every nation, Count Pallatio had improbably close friendships with high-ranking figures in countries all over the continent.

Looking at Count Pallatio with a measure of admiration, Myaon thought:

'Perhaps I should be a little bolder with my plan after all?'

Her desire to somehow make him hers grew stronger still, and she began revising her plans.

“Teacher, let's head inside first. We'll take over your escort from here.”

Yutia instructed the paladins to escort the carriage. As soon as Alon's carriage set off under their protection, she approached Myaon with a flawless smile.

“You must be the people who came for our commission—is that right?”

“Yes, that's right.”

Faced with a smile that seemed to embrace everything, truly like that of a saintess, Myaon nodded without thinking.

Reaching her, Yutia brought her face close to Myaon's ear.

“?”

Puzzled, Myaon instinctively decided that she must have something confidential to tell her and leaned her own head closer.

And then—

“Hey.”

“?”

“Wanna fucking die?”

The chilling voice sent goosebumps prickling across her entire body.