Chapter 2 - The Moonflower Princess
1
Nebulablut. A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionised
gases (wikipedia). Blut is German for blood. You''ll understand the significance of this name
later on.
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who resided east of Ilsestein, and one of the ''Nebulablut''...... Would you
kindly tell me your name?"
"—It''s Lyle. Lyle Waldstein."
While introducing himself, Lyle realised that his guess had been spot on.
Vampire, Nachzehrer2
, Methuselah3—Various names had been given to these
beings with diverse and powerful abilities, as prominent proof of their might.
The nobles who reigned during the night, they who were known as the
?Nosferatu?, were especially well-known even among the other Phantasms,
and were also one of the most feared existences.
And she—Lunaria, seemed like she belonged to one of the considerably high
ranked households among the ?Nosferatu?.
To the ?Nosferatu?, the ''Community Name'' bore a special meaning. She who
bore the Community Name as her Family Name, which was proof enough of
the strength of her lineage, was, so to speak, something like a princess.
—And so, why was someone like that alone by herself? Furthermore, also
content with having that kind of social status? Though the questions he had
were many, Lyle could not ask them, for this was neither the place nor time
to do so.
Suddenly, Lunaria went down on her knees, and pressed her head against the
floor. Her pale silver hair spread out on the floor, revealing her white slender
nape seductively.
"...... Though I am but a novice, I will serve you as far as this body allows.
Please use me as you please, Master Lyle."
"Wa—?"
Almost like she were a servant— No, those were obviously the speech and
conduct of a slave, thought Lyle as his mind went into a panic.
2
Nachzehrers are German vampires. The kanji used for Nachzehrer are ''Hunters of the
Night''.
3
Methuselah, according to the Hebrew Bible, was the oldest person to have lived. The
kanji used in this case are, ''One who lives long''.
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"R-Raise your head! Why are you—?"
"You ask me this, but......."
Lifting her head, Lunaria turned her glass-like eyes towards him.
"......... Master Lyle, are you not my new owner?"
"Owner, you say......"
"Master Lyle, you provided me with magical power. Was that not for the sake
of keeping me as a ''Servant''?"
"........"
Lyle''s thoughts were thrown into such a disarray that he became speechless.
The ?Nosferatu? were proud and powerful Phantasms. They were the ones
to use humans as ''Servants'', the fact that the opposite could happen would
never have crossed their minds.
"And so, what would you have me do? The provisioning of a catalyst? Taking
care of daily necessities? Or should I service you through the night?"
"...... A— , u— ..... mgh............."
Although Lyle was trying to say something, he could not find the appropriate
words. It was partially due to astonishment, but mainly it was because of the
accumulated fatigue that he could not think very well. In the end, all he could
manage was,
"...... Then, could you sing me a lullaby?"
"A lullaby?"
Lunaria tilted her head expressionlessly. Her blank look was indeed cute, but
her movement was almost like she were a puppet that had its strings cut.
"....... To be honest, today was really tiring. That''s why I want to go to sleep
while feeling good by listening to a gentle and peaceful lullaby."
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"....... Is that the first order you have for me?"
"It''s not an order. I''m just asking a favour of you. You don''t have to do it if
you don''t want to."
Lyle cleared the books from a corner of the room, creating a space large
enough for one to lie on.
Using his overcoat as a replacement for the blanket, and a dictionary for the
Galean language as a pillow, he laid down on the floor.
"There''s a blanket on the other side of the sofa, go ahead and use it."
With emotionless eyes, Lunaria looked down at Lyle who was lying on the
floor.
"—Oooooooh——"
She started her song.
A gentle voice spread through out the room, like a fog. Listening to her gentle
singing voice, Lyle''s tired consciousness slowly faded away.
—Still, her voice seemed somewhat sorrowful.....
Vaguely, he saw the figure of a girl who was lost within the deep fog.
"....... Good night, Lunaria......"
Calling out to the girl within the fog, Lyle fell asleep to the sound of the
lullaby.
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Part 4
—What kind of person is this human... ?
Looking at the sleeping youth''s face, Lunaria absent-mindedly thought.
Only just a few hours ago she had almost used up all of her magical power,
and even the shoddy magic at the performance had caused her great
difficulty. She had thought that her time was up.
She was not afraid. To begin with, her survival had been a mistake.
When that young noble had made his moves on her, she had come to an
understanding that it was her end. Why did this youth endanger himself to
save her, then? Surely, he must have had some sort of motive...
Lunaria shook her head. Whatever it was was inconsequential.
Taking out the blanket from the other side of the sofa, she threw off her
dress and wrapped herself in it.
—What is this smell?
The blanket had a smell that was different from its material.
Though it was a little different from a smell from overuse, there was no
problem with the blanket. Whether it was a old rag or whatnot, there was no
need for her to be mindful about such details.
Just like any other night since she had come to the world of humans, Lunaria
closed her eyes without thinking anything further.
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Part 5
The room was engulfed in a bittersweet smell.
The young man on the leather-covered sofa looked up at the ceiling
grudgingly and exposed his trained upper body to the air.
The combination of both strength and beauty in that body, could be a sample
of the golden ratio for humans.
Next to the young man, was sprawled a half-naked woman wrapped in bed
sheets. Her sweat-covered form was shining glossily in the candlelight.
The young man looked at the body of the woman which stripped away a
man''s judgement,
"...... Hah."
And leaked out a sigh. And as though the sigh was a trigger, the door of the
room was knocked upon.
"...... Enter."
While touching the long sword that was leaning against the back of the sofa,
the young man gave his permission.
"—I apologise for troubling you at this time, Lord Vilhelm."
The first of the youths who entered after opening the door, the one with the
unnaturally cut forelocks, bowed his head.
He was GerimSchwatten, the one who had chased Lyle and Lunaria at the
performing arts festival.
"Ah, it''s you guys. Excuse me for not being able to bring the situation to a
close favourably earlier. So, are you all enjoying the night?"
This place was a clubhouse with a complete membership system located in
the ''pleasure quarters'' of the royal capital—in other words, a high class
brothel for nobles.
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"—It is thanks to Lord Vilhelm that we are able to enjoy ourselves tonight.....
But the matter from earlier has been irking us. We cannot simply let it go like
that. It is necessary for us to retaliate."
"And what are you implying?"
"Lyle Waldstein."
At Gerim''s words, the rest of the noble youths nodded their heads.
"For a commoner like him that has enrolled into the school as a scholarship
student who only knows how to suck up to the teachers to have brushed us
off like that, we have damaged Lord Vilhelm''s reputation."
"Though that did not really affect my reputation, hm?"
"Then, what about Maria Highline?"
"Ah, Miss Maria...... indeed, her slap was rather severe."
Stroking his cheek, Vilhelm smiled seemingly happily.
"Though I do want to teach that nouveau riche lass a lesson or two, but it
can''t be helped that she''s the only daughter of the Highline Foundation''s
leader.... but if it''s her favourite lad......"
1
This should be something called ''perceptual adaptation''. Basically, what that bit is trying
to say is that the field of vision that is adaptable to changes in vision is less than the
normal field of vision. For more information,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptual_adaptation
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Slowly, the surrounding youths shortened the distance between. If they came
all at once, it would not go well.
That was correct. What little he had learnt from those fights could only help
him overcome a foe with surprise.
Which was why—
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
He had jabbed his index finger into a point on the back of the pinned down
youth''s neck.
It was a piercing scream that threw the surrounding foes into panic.
".........In the human body, there are places known as the ''nerve plexus''
where the various nerves intersect."
He said in a monotone, as though giving a lecture, and then Lyle twisted his
index finger further.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"This is a little something called ''acupuncture'' from the East. The point I am
pressing on is one of the vital points of that."
The sound of grinding.
And screams of deathly agony filled the back street.
"With this, let us continue with our negotiation. Release her, and I will cease
to torment him. If you refuse, I''ll make you all taste the same pain he did."
All of them were stupefied at Lyle''s sudden change in behaviour. It was as
though a switch had been flipped in him.
—Is he really Lyle Waldstein?
The atmosphere of the kind, softhearted honours student had vanished, and
it was almost like they were but roadside pebbles—no, as if he were only
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looking at ''numbers'' written on a paper. The simple tranquillity of
accumulated calculations and impartiality without emotion.
Gerim and the others were assailed by realistic delusions as they were being
stared down by Lyle.
And the person in question, Lyle, was also very conscious of his own self.
The thought processes of the conspirators were easy to predict. They would
not have let that pass so easily, by just simply thinking that ''we are the
victims''. They, who had the advantage, were not able to bear the shame,
their shallow and superficial thoughts, their baseness—it was easier than
calculus.
Calmly analysing their inner thoughts, Lyle then grew disgusted with himself.
Reading their hearts as though he were reading numerical formulae, he
hated himself for it. It was like he were scorning the souls of humans.
—Thinking that, his finger that had been pressed onto the pressure point
slackened.
That was how fearsome the power of intelligence was.
"So, what will you do? Don''t you think he would appreciate it if you would
make up your minds before he goes mad?"
He repeated himself once more, his words and tone dangerous yet
indifferent. If he seemed composed like that, these guys might just do as he
said.
And most of all, in this kind of place—
"D-Damnable bastard.....!"
Casting aside the metal rod he held in his hands, Gerim produced a metal
mass from his purse—a small revolver that was giving off a black lustre.
—Just as I suspected, he''s got a last resort.
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Lyle sighed dejectedly at Gerim who was pointing his muzzle at him while
shivering, his mind a mess.
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Part 13
If she had wanted to run away, she could have done so at any time.
If it were before she had regained her magical power, that would not have
been so certain. But the her of now, with plenty of that, it would be like
taking candy from a baby.
However, she did not have any will to defend or resist.
In that manner, Lunaria had been brought there. And the ones who had done
so, were the young nobles who had chased her around at the performing arts
festival before.
"If you''re obedient, we won''t do anything bad to you. And wouldn''t you
prefer to be loved by us, rather than being kept by that boring brat?"
Lunaria neither confirmed nor denied it. She did not care. Even if her clothes
were torn off and she were pushed down onto the ground, she would not
have cared.
And so, when that youth had turned up, foolishly and naively,
He is unable to understand that it is a fruitless effort, truly, what a
softhearted person....
Lunaria felt sympathy for him from the bottom of her heart.
If he were to experience pain, perhaps he would finally be able to realise
that—and immediately after she had thought that, Lyle had knocked down
one of them, and requested for an exchange of hostages. His way of doing it
was merciless, to the extent that she felt admiration.
And each time they heard the scream of their comrade as though on the
brink of insanity, the surrounding young nobles were visibly disturbed.
"Y-You little bastard.....!"
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The youth who was in control, the one named Gerim, had taken something
out of his purse. And what he had taken out, the mass of metal that gave off
a black lustre, captivated Lunaria.
"You little........ Don''t screw around with me!"
Even when Gerim had pointed the muzzle at him, Lyle did not look fearful,
but rather faced Gerim head on with a look of pity.
"You sure about that? With blunt weapons, this could still be covered up as a
brawl..... But if you bring that out, it would be in the category of an incident.
For example, intimidation or attempted murder. Am I really worth the
trouble?"
"Shut up! Stop talking as though you''re the one in control!"
Gerim replied, his spittle flying, to Lyle who seemed to be warning him. "Oi,
that''s not a good idea....", said his surrounding comrades, and then Gerim
lowered the gun.
"........You bastard, always..... with that arrogant face, strutting around like
you own the place...... looking down on us!"
"That''s just what you think..... if you think you''re being looked down upon,
it''s not because you guys are nobles. Isn''t that simply because of the fact that
you guys have become sluggards due to your already existing wealth?"
"What! W-W-W-Why you......."
With deep fury, the muzzle began to shake violently.
"Admit it. You''re someone that simply cannot accomplish anything on your
own."
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You b-b-bastaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard!"
The finger that was trembling with anger, readily pulled the trigger.
The gunshot resounded, and Lyle was blown backwards.
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The youths who had watched on as Lyle demonstrated what pain was, and
the youth who had been pinned down by, all of them lost the colour in their
faces at this sudden act of violence.
"......W-What have you.....?"
"Oi, that''s bad, that''s seriously bad!"
"Shut up! There''s no other way now that we''ve come this far! First, we need
a place to hide the body—"
In the midst of the chaos, Lunaria stared at the fallen Lyle.
Clogging up her nose was the smell of iron and oil.
"A........ Ah............."
—The muzzles that were lined up in a row—the flashes of gunfire that ripped
through the darkness—the spurting of crimson blood in succession—the
bodies of fallen brethren—the nightmare-like memory washing over her
mind, overlapped with the scene before her eyes.
"A-Ah........... Aaaah............."
"Hm? What is it.....?"
The young noble that was restraining Lunaria commented. The suddenly
trembling Lunaria seemed almost as though she were going insane.
Breaking out in perspiration, shaking, and those trembling pupils. Those were
the typical symptoms of a panic attack.
"A-Aah............
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
Together with Lunaria''s frightening scream, the [Fog] manifested explosively.
"Wha!"
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"Uaaaargh!"
The youth that was restraining Lunaria was blown off by the sheer pressure
of the [Fog].
The [Fog] that was capable of physical force, was swirling around the
distressed Lunaria in a vortex. And the vortex of [Fog] seemed to resemble a
snake rearing its head as it rushed towards Gerim, who had the revolver in
his hand.
"WHOAAAA!"
Even forgetting to pull the trigger, Gerim threw aside the gun reflexively and
it was smashed by the indistinct jaws of the vague snake of [Fog]. A
spontaneously discharged bullet ricocheted off the ground and walls.
The youths were overcome with surprise from the sound of the gunfire and
the gun being turned into scrap metal, and they cowered in fear.
At the centre of the squirming white [Fog], the girl stood swaying, as though
she were a revenant. Her silver hair rustling even with the lack of wind, her
eyes flashing with the colour of dusk.
"M-Mo.........Monster— !"
As the scene that went beyond human comprehension unfolded before their
eyes, the sons of nobles fled at full speed.
And Lunaria''s glowing Eyes of Amber, turned towards the moving people by
reflex.
The [Fog] that had smashed the revolver into bits became countless snakes,
and went after the fleeing youths.
"—Wait!"
The voice, together with the travelling intangible shockwaves, literally
dispersed the snakes of [Fog].
"—You can''t kill them, Lunaria."
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While grasping tightly the pocket watch giving off the light of magical
excitation, Lyle cut off Lunaria''s path.
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Part 14
"―This doesn''t look good."
The bullet fired from the gun had went off in a completely different direction
due to excessive trembling and Lyle had not suffered a single wound. He had
planned to escape once there was an opportunity to do so, but seeing the
abruptly rampaging Lunaria, he could not play dead any longer.
Lunaria''s eyes, framed by her pale silver hair, were blazingly glowing with the
colour of dusk.
Clad in the squirming, seemingly sentient [Fog], it was a fitting image for a
?Nosferatu?.
"――――a.......... aaAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
Here it comes!
Just as he jumped back, the [Fog] shaved off a bit of the ground Lyle had
been standing on. As he wondered how much power that must have carried,
the bit of the ground that the [Fog] had shaved off seemed to be being
compressed in its ''maw''.
"If I get caught by that, even my bones will be ground to dust.....!"
Lyle who had been calm even at gunpoint, had a stiffened expression.
The [Fog] that was being spewed out from Lunaria''s body was, in truth, the
manifestation of magical power with the appearance of a fog, Lyle guessed.
The evidence that supported that theory was that it had been dispersed
when he had thrown a pure lump of magical power at it earlier.
Magical power was an energy that distorted reality.
The Phantasms, who had magical power stored within their bodies, could be
said to be the embodiment of ''magic'' itself. They simply could not be
compared with the mages who constructed their ''magic'' from reality''s laws
of physics.
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105
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Lyle managed to consistently evade the attacking [Fog] with a paper-thin
margin by running and tumbling. In the blink of an eye, the raw materials that
had been piled up in the open space had been smashed up.
"I somehow managed to dodge, but........!"
Lunaria seemed to have lost her sanity.
Those Eyes of Amber that were giving off the light of magical excitation
seemed blurred, as though clouded by the fog. It looked like she had entered
a panic attack due to an intense psychological shock.
It was easy to read the actions of one that had lost the ability to think
raXonally and merely acted on insXnct. That was why, he could dodge―but
his opponent was the [Fog].
The indeterminate form that could alter its shape glided along the ground,
and stretched upwards in the air like a branch, surrounding Lyle.
"——That which exists at the end of light, the end of darkness. That which
denotes the origin of wind, the origin of fire.——"
Chanting the <Oracio> and drawing out the magical power from the amber,
Lyle constructed the ''magic'' that distorted the rules of reality.
Muscle strength alteration— !
It raised the output of his muscle fibres, a ''reinforcement'' that boosted the
user''s motion capabilities by several times.
Jumping around like a grasshopper, Lyle dived into the shadow of the stone
blocks. Catching his breath there, he held out the lid of the pocket watch as a
replacement for a mirror while under cover.
The Lunaria that he could see reflected off the lid was prowling about
swaying unsteadily, having lost sight of Lyle who had suddenly increased his
speed.
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I''ll wait it out until she regains her sanity....... though I may be hoping for a
little too much here.
It would cause great havoc if the her of now were to go out onto the main
street. He had to subdue her right here promptly, in this place.
Grabbing a handy, near-by rock, Lyle begun on a new form of magecraft.
Soil composition—temperature—humidity—reverberation—grasped. Begin
construction of ''magic''————
Lyle threw the rock from behind cover. A different direction from where
Lunaria was—however, all the pebbles that were on the ground, resounded
with the sound of the falling rock.
*Paaaaaan*—
It sounded rather similar to the gunshot earlier.
With a start, Lunaria''s body trembled, and sent the [Fog] in the direction of
the sound. The [Fog] rushed onwards, to destroy the source of the imaginary
gunshot.
Lyle then threw another rock from behind cover, again.
This time round, he threw it towards Lunaria. Although she had lost her sense
of self and was only reacting in self-defense, Lunaria pulverised the rock that
had been thrown at her with the [Fog],
—*Sploosh*
The sudden mud that sprung forth threw Lunaria, who had turned around,
off balance. With the abrupt change in circumstances, the [Fog]—was halted,
a conditional reflex.
The alteration of sound had utilised the fineness of the air and
manipulatedthe level of humidity.
With just that trivial bit of magic, Lyle had stopped the [Fog]. He then ran up
to Lunaria—and dealt with her with the appropriate action for someone who
had lost her sense of self.
107
"—Sorry!"
*Paan!*
The body of Lunaria, who had her cheeks struck, staggered, and Lyle caught
her in his arms tightly.
"..... Mas... ter... Lyle.....?"
Lunaria whispered in blank amazement. The glow of her Eyes of Amber was
extinguished, and the [Fog] vanished.
"Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes......"
Though she had replied with that, her head immediately jolted, and she
seemed completely exhausted. It looked like all of the accumulated
weariness and fatigue from the sudden magecraft that she had used, and the
shock that she had suffered to her heart, had assailed her all at once.
While breaking out in cold sweat, Lyle frantically supported the fainted
Lunaria. His brows wrinkled in order to bear the weight of the petite girl.
".....Ugh, the strain...."
His torn muscle fibres were burning hot, and tingling pain erupted all over his
body.
That was the backlash of the magic.
Although body altering magic could be said to be relatively easy to perform,
the ''aftershock'' of it was indeed intense.
Bearing Lunaria on his back and grimacing due to the terrible state of his
muscles, Lyle retraced his steps to the main street to find a horse carriage.
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Part 15
"Hah.... hah............... W-What the hell was that?"
The fog had come at them with hostility—and the young nobles had ran as
fast as they could away from it, their faces deathly pale as though they had
seen an apparition from the fairy-tales.
Abruptly, the youth at the end pitched forward, falling to the ground.
Startled, the remaining four of them spun around, and a pair of women''s
boots came into view.
"......Well well, you guys have been up to no good, haven''t you?"
The figure of the culprit showed herself along with the voice.
Her copper hair was brilliant even in the gloomy back street, and so were her
jade-green eyes.
"Ma-Maria Highline....."
"You understand, don''t you? About what you guys have done?"
What was burning within those jade-green eyes was unmistakably rage. And
then Maria snarled, much like a lioness would.
"You know what they all say—An eye for an eye!"
No sooner than she had said that, Maria brandished the long cloth package
that she was carrying on her bag and stepped forward.
"Geh!"
Maria''s attack was merciless. Swinging around the weaponised cloth package
like a baton, she delivered strong blows to the youths'' guts and vitals. Some
of them tried to put up a fight, but,
"This woman—Argh!"
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As the incoming cloth package was blocked with a fist, something else had
sunk right into the abdomen. And to the winded youth''s nose, Maria
delivered a terrific headbutt.
It was crude and without elegance, but that way of fighting was effective and
got them right where it hurt. At any rate, she seemed like she had learnt
some form of close combat technique.
Before they could even do anything, Maria had wiped the floor with four of
the youths, whose adulthood were limited to their bodies only.
"W-Why did w-we all get......"
The remaining Gerim leaked out a trembling voice.
Maria glared with unabated anger at Gerim, who was clearly thinking ''why is
she looking at me with those eyes?''.
".........Do you have any idea why I''ve left you out?"
Maria unwrapped the cloth package in her hands. The cloth gently falling to
the ground, she revealed a rifle made of cutting-edge technology, and the
scent of wood could be detected.
Taking a bullet from her pocket, Maria loaded it with experienced
movements. With the sound of the bolt falling into place, she aimed the rifle
directly at Gerim.
"Wa—? Wh-Wh—?"
"Don''t think badly of me for this. A lesson needs to be taught to the prey who
return from the battlefield."
The muzzle that did not move even when she spoke, the legs that had
naturally been placed in position, and the two hands that held the rifle as
though it were an extension of herself. These clearly showed that she was no
amateur, far better than words could.
"I could overlook your passes at Lyle—but you actually attacked him."
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"Wa-Wait, I can explain—"
"Silence, lowlife!"
The gunshot rang far louder than that of the revolver, and the bullet of the
rifle flew as Maria had aimed, right through Gerim''s right arm, and smashed a
wooden box that was lying on the ground.
".......Eh?"
Because of the sensation of scorching heat in his right arm, he was a little late
in noticing. Pressing on his wound, Gerim rolled about on the ground,
screaming,
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH! My arm! MY AAAAAAAAAAAAARM!"
"Shut up! It''s just a flesh wound, you know!"
Close to where Gerim was writhing about, she slammed the gunstock onto
the ground. Looking down at the abruptly silenced Gerim, Maria continued,
an annoyed expression on her face.
"If it were up to me, I''d have shot all four limbs of yours. Lyle wouldn''t like
that, so I guess you should thank him."
Saying that, she brushed her copper hair upwards, and finally it seemed that
she had calmed down.
"—Milady."
Milla who had been waiting for Maria to clean things up, called out. Her
expression was one of heartfelt relief, and,
"I was so anxious."
"At which part? These aren''t people whom I would need your help for."
"No, I was worried whether you might cross the line."
"I won''t kill them, not these guys."
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Maria poked the fainted youths with the heel of her boot.
"What a waste of bullet and coin...... hm?"
Lifting her head, she stared at the darkness of the alleyway with eyes of
suspicion.
"Someone was there, eh."
Milla was looking in the same direction as her master.
"........Oh well, one could only imagine who it was."
As Maria brushed her hair upwards, the sound of the heel of her boots
stomping onto the ground could be heard.
"Now—Let''s clean these guys up. And we also have to persuade that person
to keep quiet, huh."
Though she had beat the living lights out of them due to anger, she also could
not leave the eye-witness to that scene alone.
In these times where magic was assumed to be a product of fairy-tales, no
one could explain the scene that had happened earlier without it being taken
for a joke. But even so, she needed to convince them that it was necessary
not to leak it out.
".........If possible, I don''t want to make Lyle feel that way anymore."
Gripping the handle of the rifle tightly, Maria stiffened her expression with
determination.
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Part 16
Please escape, someone had told her that.
And following those instructions, the girl had ran.
The Bloodline of the Fog—their hometown was obfuscated by a barrier of fog,
much like their namesake. However, at the present, whirling flames and flying
bullets were blowing away the white fog, while black smoke and the stench of
blood swept over it like a storm.
The castle was crumbling, the forests were burning, and all of it seemed like
an illusion.
The flames were right behind her. The girl ran away once more.
But, it was futile. The flames chased her wherever she went.
Disappear—the flames seemed to whisper.Melt. Collapse. It was like a dream,
or a mirage.That is your fate. You will all disappear. That is your fate. Accept
it. Accept it.......
The flames caught up, grasping the girl''s feet.
Acceptitacceptit. The whispers of the flames chillingly permeated into her,
and she screamed out loud.
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Part 17
"—You''re awake."
As Lunaria opened her eyes, she saw that Lyle Waldstein''s worried face was
looking down at her.
Lunaria who had been lying on the sofa, shifted aside the blanket that
covered her as she got up.
The light from the flickering oil lamp led her to assume that the sun had
already gone down. It looked like quite a fair amount of time had passed
since she lost consciousness.
"......I must apologise, Master Lyle."
Rising up, Lunaria bowed her head.
Her tone did not give off any feel that she was actually sorry. It was merely
her normal, robotic reply.
Lifting her head, Lunaria saw that Lyle was looking at her with a troubled
face. In his hand was held a handkerchief.
Inclining her head as a gesture before asking a question, she found that drops
of liquid had fallen onto the back of her hand. Shaking her head to clear her
blurring vision, more drops had fallen.
"........"
Trembling, she reached out towards her eyes with her fingers. The area
around her cheeks was dripping wet.
"Are you alright?"
Lyle moved the handkerchief closer in order to wipe her tears.
"Tch!"
114
In reflex, Lunaria knocked Lyle''s hand away. The handkerchief he had held fell
towards the ground.
".........Kgh! Don''t look at me!"
Reflexively, she emitted the [Fog]. Pushed away by the force of the [Fog], Lyle
fell on his butt.
"Don''t look........ don''t look at me!"
Lunaria shouted, using both arms to hide her face.
She did not need to shed any tears.
There was no reason for her to, either.
So why was—Why was she crying?
The [Fog], as though reflecting Lunaria''s inner thoughts, rampaged. Sending
the piles of books and documents dancing about in midair, and causing the
tables and shelves to rattle unstoppably.
"Calm down!"
Lyle crawled with his head pressed onto the ground, while the space above
his head was chaos.
When the [Fog] had finally settled down, the laboratory looked as though a
tornado had passed through it.
Pushing scattered books out of his way and standing up, Lyle noticed that
Lunaria was cowering on top of the sofa covering her face.
".....Although I do think that looking at a girl''s crying face is inexcusable,"
Lyle said, while pushing up his glasses that had slipped out of place.
"Is it really that embarrassing? Anyone who''s in your shoes would be crying,
right?"
115
"........I am not crying."
While still hiding her face, Lunaria tried to reply in her usual monotone.
However, her voice clearly showed that she was trying to suppress her
weeping.
"You''re crying, aren''t you?"
"I am not."
"No, aren''t you crying?"
"I am not. In no way am I crying."
"No no, you''re totally crying!"
"I am not crying! If I say I''m not, I''m not!"
She finally snapped.
Lunaria who had accidentally raised her head by reflex, glared stiffly at Lyle.
"...What do you want?"
"Even if you ask me what....."
"If you are planning to rape me then just get it over and done with! If you
want to make me into your familiar, then just impose the ''restriction'' or
''curse'' onto me! What are you waiting for, just do it already!"
"Don''t be unreasonable......"
Lyle wrinkled his brows as though having a headache, and then faced Lunaria
after straightening his posture.
"......I don''t plan on restricting or using you. Nor do I want to make you pay
me back."
"Then, why have you saved me?"
116
"Do you need a reason to help someone in need?"
Lyle tilted his head.
He seemed to truly feel that way from the bottom of his heart, and it was not
a facade.
"......I was never in need of any help. Not when I was at the performing
troupe, nor when I was abducted."
At Lyle''s answer, Lunaria was filled with a sense of despair and sympathy.
There was no need for her to require saving, nor was there a reason for her
to cry.
After all, she was as good as a corpse.
She did not have the right to be saved, and there was no worth in doing so.
—This young man does not understand anything at all.
Lunaria felt something squirming inside her heart.
"......Did you think that I would be grateful for that?"
She needed to make this misunderstanding youth understand. On his
carefree self that did not doubt the goodwill of others, she had to teach
despair and wrath.
And so she would deny her accidental tears to this youth.
Lunaria changed her emotionless face into one that was cold, and filled with
ill will.
".....If you had saved me out of goodwill, then it was a total waste of effort. I
hate people like you. I loathe you. Under the pretense of helping others,
you—are but a mere hypocrite."
"I know that."
117
Lyle nodded his head in agreement.
"It was my self-satisfaction that led me to save you, so that I would feel
better about myself. In the first place, doing things ''for the sake of others'', or
''acts of mercy'', those are but hypocrisies. Because they are hypocrisies,
there''s no reason to do so."
Though it seemed that he was prone to speaking about his own faults, it did
not sound like it was self-mockery. He had stated it so obviously almost like it
were one plus one equals two.
Lunaria could not find the words to continue.
And with a serene expression, Lyle looked around the laboratory,
"......I can''t sleep in the room with the place like this, so I''ll go back to the
dorm tonight. You can continue using the sofa. If you don''t want to stay here,
you''re free to leave anytime you want..... but if you don''t have a place to go,
why not stay here a while longer? At the very least, it''ll make my mood
better. —Good night, Lunaria."
Saying that, he left the laboratory in silence.
Lunaria was at a loss, as if she had been deserted.
".........What.......? Just what is wrong with that man!?"
Lunaria shouted, giving in to her emotions.
Noticing that anger and frustration had overcome her, Lunaria cast her eyes
downward feeling utterly defeated.
"......I''m not crying. There''s no need for me to. So, I''m not..... I......"
An existence that ought to disappear. A corpse that continued to move, by
some mistake―that was Lunaria D. Nebulablut.
She had no reason to cry, nor any need to. She should have been that sort of
existence.
118
"........If I say I''m not saying, then I''m not......"
It was a whisper, and a barefaced lie.
Till the very end, that youth had not acknowledged that Lunaria was not
crying.
He had dodged Lunaria''s words smoothly, said his part and left.
"........How vexing......."
Lunaria thought he was being unfair.
It had been totally one-sided...... She bit her lip, thinking that he was a
hateful man.
"........"
Lunaria picked up the handkerchief that had fallen near the sofa. And from
the moist sensation that she felt from it, she realised that she had been
constantly crying.
".....This is the first time that I''ve let someone see me cry....."
Whispering, Lunaria covered herself up with the blanket in order to be
hidden.
As she thought, the blanket had a certain smell to it......... and then she
suddenly realised the true identity of that smell.
"The smell of ink....?"
A smell that was oddly suited to both this room, and its owner.
It seemed like she had to stay at that hateful youth''s side a little longer, and
thus Lunaria begun to sort out the feelings that had her heart in a mess.