To Moonsbow Forest – Part 01
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Translator: Kell
Interlude: Cestum
“Aw, I thought she’d hang in there a little longer. That adjudicator was more useless than I imagined. I can’t believe that Zero would join forces with the Church. What a disgrace of a witch.”
Sanare’s frustrated tongue-click echoed in the dimly-lit room. Wearing the body of Amnil, a former princess who willingly offered her body to the Necromancer, she had light-brown hair tied into a complex braid behind, and a flashy monocle adorned her right eye. Her features were regal, but a dismal smile marred her face.
“But don’t worry, Master. The effect of the witch incident that happened right under the nose of Lutra Cathedral is enormous. The Church managed to preserve its authority, but the people are beginning to adore Magic, the Church is wary of it, and the number of Mages in Wenias is steadily increasing.”
A black silhouette swayed. Donning a black robe that seemed to fuse with the darkness, the figure had bright, silver hair. They looked a lot like Zero.
“The Mooncaller Witch has made a move. Make preparations. War is coming.” The candle flames flickered, and the figure vanished.
Immersing herself in the lingering presence, Sanare exhaled. “A war is coming. Witches and the Church will kill each other, and the witches will win. I’ll be busy. I need to get some rest before then. Raul, can you prepare some hot water for me?”
The horse Beastfallen who had been waiting in the corner of the room looked up. Raul’s upper body was fully human, but his lower half had all four limbs of a horse.
Scratching the floor with his hooves, Raul shot Sanare a cold look. “Please don’t put the princess’s body in danger.”
“Are you stupid?” Sanare sneered. “I’m doing just that. Why wouldn’t I? I’ll put her body in grave danger. She might get injured on the face. She might lose her maidenhood. It’s your job to protect her, isn’t it? I like this body too, so as much as possible I don’t want to destroy it. I suggest you do your best to protect it.” Sanare’s boisterous laughter echoed in the room.
Raul turned his head down quietly. “I’ll go prepare the hot water,” he said, then left the room.
White, sandy beach. Endless stretch of shoal. Peach-colored coral reefs. Vibrantly colored fish.
A witch was swimming cheerfully in the sea, her long silver hair and beautiful features exposed for the whole world to see. Nearby, a white rat Beastfallen was frolicking in the water.
“It’s freakin’ hot…” I muttered, slumped down in the shade that shielded me from the scorching sun.
“It’s too bright…” The priest also frowned.
I’d made a makeshift shade out of a cloth tied to wooden poles that I then stuck to the sand. Still the heat was unbearable.
“You feel hot because you are sitting still on the beach with those clothes on!” Zero said. “Undress and come over here.”
“Hell no.”
“No.”
Pouting, Zero stamped up the beach, approaching us. “Since you insist on staying there,” she said, flashing a broad grin. She seemed more like a beautiful nymph that ruled the seas than a witch. And she was carrying a bucket full of water.
“Hey, wait. You’re not gonna—”
“Oh, I will. Rejoice! I have brought the sea to you!”
As the priest and I half-rose to our feet, seawater came crashing on us. The water cooled down my sun-baked body, clearing even my head.
“Now you are both drenched,” Zero said. “You may as well go have a swim.”
“Listen here! You can’t just splash people with seawater out of nowhere! My gear’s gonna get rusty!”
“Why are you even wearing armor on the beach? You may take it off.”
“Hey, priest! You’re good at sermon and stuff, right?! Say something to her!”
“Huh?”
“Why are you taking your clothes off?! You didn’t want to a second ago!”
“Anyone would take off their wet clothes, or else they’d risk catching a cold.”
I could tell from his indifferent tone that he was giving me a cold gaze behind his eyepatch.
He removed the linen undershirt beneath his long cassock, exposing his badly scarred body to the sun. Even old rags looked better.
It seemed surprising, given his looks, but considering he was an adjudicator, it made sense. What’s more, he put his life on the line when fighting, so scars all over his body wasn’t at all unexpected.
He didn’t take off his pants, only his shoes, and with his staff in hand, he waded into the water. He then dove and didn’t come back up.
For a moment, I wondered if he committed suicide by drowning, but a while later, he resurfaced quite some distance away.
Oh, I get it. He thought it’d be much quieter out in the open sea than the beach.
“You too,” Zero said. “And if you plan to stare at anyone, stare at me instead.”
“Can you stop being weird?!”
Zero extended her hand at me.
It was an utterly odd situation.
A few days ago, we weren’t allowed to stay at any inn, and now we were out in the open, enjoying a swim in the sea.
Lily’s reputation at Lutra had improved dramatically after she helped young girls escape Corruption’s prison.
According to the little Beastfallen, the night after she returned to Lutra, countless people came to their ramshackle house to thank her, leaving food and money.
Secrecy was thanked for defeating Corruption, who conducted unjust witch hunts, tormenting the public in the process, and even though Zero wasn’t burned at the stake, the Church managed to protect its dignity.
In the end, Corruption took the blame for everything.
“Big brother, big brother!” Lily called with her shrill voice.
I turned around to see her running towards me, skewered fish in her hands.
“Mom told me to take it. She has a stall over there! We weren’t allowed to do that before, but now we can. There’s lots of people in my mom’s stall!”
“Oh, so she obtained permission to put out a stand, huh? Might make a lot more money than working for some noble.”
“Dad is with her. They look like they’re having lots of fun.”
Zero and I took one skewered fish each.
I took a bite of the soft white meat. The savory aroma filling my mouth suggested that the fish was grilled with herbs. It had just the right amount of saltiness. It was hard to believe something so delicious could come from a food stand.
“Also, mom said to give this to you.” Lily handed me a piece of rag.
“Lemme see.” I opened it to see two words written in a messy handwriting.
Squid ink.
“I see. Squid ink. I think I can make a good tomato stew with that.”
“Mom told me I can play with you guys. It’s my first time at the beach! Let’s all swim together!”
“I don’t wanna,” I said as I ate the fish along with its bones.
“Wh-Whaaat?!” Lily’s red eyes seemed to well up with tears.
Then as if she thought of something, Zero grabbed Lily’s shoulders and whispered into her big ears. I couldn’t read her lips as she was covering her mouth with her hand.
Pretty sure it’s something stupid. I could almost hear what she was saying.
I decided to warn her, knowing she wasn’t the type to listen. “Hey, witch. You better not drag an innocent young girl to one of your schemes.”
Lily’s eyes lit up. They nodded to each other, all fired up.
I have a bad feeling about this. A hunch of an incoming defeat.
“Big brother.”
“Mercenary.”
Their voices were the sweetest I had ever heard. They looked at me with upturned, moist eyes, their expressions saying I was the only one they could count on.
“Please,” Lily said. “I want to play with you.”
“Without you, even the sea of paradise seems dull to me.”
Damn it. This attack is too powerful.
I knew they were doing it on purpose, but I did not have the courage to refuse and turn my back.
“Argh, fine. You win! Only for a while, okay?!”
Looking up at the bright sky, I jumped into the green shoals with Zero and Lily in my arms.
We decided to spend the night at Liza’s place.
Exhausted from playing in the sea, Zero quickly fell asleep after eating dinner. How quick? Her head plopped down on the table as soon as she finished her food.
I carried Zero into the attic and pulled a blanket over her, then breathed a sigh. We’re leaving Lutra tomorrow. It would take about ten days to reach our destination, Moonsbow Forest, on foot.
We had wasted a lot of time, but it was worth it considering that we’d recovered a copy of the Grimoire of Zero—the Chapter of Harvest, specifically—and burned it to ashes.
Apart from the one that Lia kept in Akdios and the original in Albus’s possession, there were two other books still missing.
One of them seemed to be circulating in the market, while the other was probably in Sanare’s possession.
Can we really recover them safely? Is Thirteenth a member of Cestum? If he is, what do we do? If not, who is their leader? We had a lot to think about, but I wasn’t exactly good at thinking.
Just as I was about to go to bed, I heard footsteps coming from downstairs. I could tell now that it was Lily’s footsteps, and that she was waiting for me.
For her, I was the first Beastfallen she had ever seen besides herself. Not to act like a saint, but she reminded me of when I was a kid.
As I climbed down from the attic, I heard the sound of her footsteps leaving the house. I followed them and eventually arrived at the back of an animal shed, where I found Lily hugging her knees by the wall.
I twitched my whiskers at the night breeze. “Any reason you lured me all the way here?”
“I told mom what I did. That I killed everyone.”
“I see.”
“She didn’t get mad. She said it wasn’t my fault.”
“Thought so.”
“You knew?”
“Sure you were the cause, but you weren’t at fault.”
“So weird… Mom said the same thing.”
Lily held back the urge to laugh. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “Mom and dad have been protecting me all this time, but I’m all grown up now. I have to set them free.”
“What?”
“So… can I go with you?”
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