A little while ago.
“Then, goodbye—forever.”
Bang! As the room door slammed shut, Luna Maria held her own body with both arms as if hugging herself.
Her body was still trembling. A large amount of sweat from her forehead accumulated on her cheeks, dripping down and staining her clothes.
Iria noticed Luna Maria, as if she had been affected by a fever, and ran towards her, asking what was wrong in surprise, but her voice didn’t reach Luna Maria’s brain even though her eye bags trembled.
It’s possible that Luna Maria had lost her composure, so Iria tried to restore her energy using the miracle of “Vitality.” But Iria’s magic didn’t heal back Luna Maria.
Even if the person who used the miracle was the high priest of the temple, it would not have been possible to heal Luna Maria. The fear that struck her was too deep.
Luna Maria’s heart, raging like a storm, generated a question.
– Who is that young man who just left the room?
Of course, she knows his name is Sora.
They are now separated, but he was a companion she used to go on adventures with. She remembers what he liked to eat and what he didn’t. She knew that the name “ソラ (Sora)” was actually “空 (Sora)”
T/N: It’s the same, just written in kataCarne and kanji
In the Kingdom of Canaria, the language of the Adastela Empire, she wasn’t very familiar with Eastern writing, so his guild registration was set as “ソラ (Sora),” he told her with a small laugh before. Luna Maria had worked with Sora many times.
When circumstances forced them to split into two groups, the combination of Lars, Iria, and Miro was like an iron wall, so Luna Maria inevitably ended up being with Sora.
Furthermore, there were many occasions where the two of them would make preparations before the adventure and clean up afterwards. That’s why she knew Sora better than the other members.
But… but she didn’t know that appearance. She didn’t know that power.
What reflected in Luna Maria’s eyes, as a spiritual bearer, was not the form of a person. It was darkness, unpleasant, bottomless darkness.
An unusual shadow that spirits couldn’t approach. Something fierce, powerful, and despairing. Just looking at it made her tremble.
If Sora had wanted to, he could have killed everyone in this room without anyone being able to resist—it was an appearance that had enough “power” to convince her of that.
In Luna Maria’s knowledge, there is only one type of entity that corresponds to that giant shadow.
-… A dragon.
On that day, when they spoke in Tittis Forest, she couldn’t see that shadow. What happened to Sora in just a few days? No, was that really Sora in the first place?
Is it somehow possible that a chilling monster has entered the city using Sora’s appearance?
At that moment, Lars’ irritating voice entered Luna Maria’s ears.
“Master. He rejected your proposal. So, is this matter concluded?”
“That’s not possible, Lars. That and this are different things.”
“…..Huh?”
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“I don’t want you to think what you did was okay. Originally, what you did is unforgivable. Using magic to attack another person and turning them into prey for a monster. It’s an action that doesn’t surprise me that you’re accused of murder.”
“B-But, Master, you said…”
“The reason I covered it up was because Sora’s actions were detrimental to the guild’s stability. It’s not that I accepted your reasons. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
The first-class adventurer, Elgart, stared deeply at Lars. As if being pushed by that force, Lars could only weakly nod. Seeing that, Elgart narrowed his eyes and continued speaking.
“Very well. Then, Liddell-kun.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Did Sora say anything about the lord of flies when he spoke to you? I read the report from Parfait-kun when I heard about the situation, but there were only three words, ‘I don’t know, I don’t understand, I don’t remember.'”
“From what I could hear in his conversation with Lars-san and the others, he was about to be eaten by the lord of flies’ larvae. And he also said, ‘The fear and desperation of that moment… I would like to share a hundredth of that with you.'”
“I see. That means he was certainly taken to the nest. I would like to find the location somehow… but given the time Sora had contact with the subjugation squad, there is a possibility that the nest is not deep but rather in a place near the outer periphery. If we don’t hurry, a large number of lord of flies could attack Ishka.”
Elgart pondered, furrowing his brows. Liddell, who saw that, opened his mouth with a sharp light in his eyes.
“Master, shouldn’t we talk to Sora-san to get more details?”
“That’s true. Besides the nest, I’m intrigued by how he, being level ‘1,’ could escape the paralyzing venom of the lord of flies while also avoiding the magical beasts of Tittis. I actually wanted to ask him about that… but, sigh, it was indeed too selfish not to listen to him and asked him about it.”
Elgart laughed a little bitterly as he recalled Sora’s words. It seems the guild master is not so angry with Sora. In any case, the answer to Elgart’s question was obvious to Luna Maria.
Even if they were magical beasts, no, precisely because they were magical beasts, there was no way to challenge the current Sora.
What effects could the paralyzing venom have on him?
The current Sora is a dragon. A mythical species.
… Luna Maria felt out of place with such thoughts.
Of course, she didn’t express her thoughts. It was all speculation on her part. The reason being that “Sora’s appearance resembled that of a dragon.”
She had never heard of the power of a mythical species residing in a person’s body at the Academy of Sages. It was not written in the countless books she had read until now.
Upon reflection, Luna Maria was the only one who was afraid of Sora. Lars and the others hadn’t realized it.
The same went for the guild master, the receptionist, the knights, and soldiers who participated in the lord of flies’ subjugation.
Even if Luna Maria were to say, “Sora is a dragon,” surely no one would listen to her. It was obvious for them to say that she was tired from all of this.
Thinking about that, Luna Maria noticed some dazzling gold coins on the floor…
“”…Sora-san.””
At this moment, Sora is in front of Luna Maria.
What did she want to do by pursuing Sora? What did she want to do by calling out to Sora?
Of course, she wanted to apologize. However, when she stood in front of Sora, her mouth didn’t move as if it was frozen. It was like a frog looking at a snake.
In this state, she could confirm it again. After encountering Sora in the Tittis Forest until now, she realized that what she saw was not an illusion or anything of the sort.
“”…Um, I want to return this to you.””
Somehow, a voice came out of Luna Maria’s mouth. Along with that voice, a small bag presented itself with a clear sound. Upon hearing that, Sora blinked several times as if surprised.
“Hm? Did you bother coming to return it to me?”
“Yes. And… I came to apologize for earlier.”
Saying that, Luna Maria deeply bowed.
With that movement, her blonde hair that resembled moonlight flowed down like a waterfall from her shoulders.
“I am truly sorry for hurting you… and abandoning you.”
The streets of Ishka were bustling as usual. In the midst of it, an elven beauty was deeply bowing. Obviously, she attracted the attention of those around her.
If it were the usual Luna Maria, she would have paid a little more attention to her surroundings and chosen a more appropriate place to apologize. But at this moment, she couldn’t afford to think about that.
She lowered her head as if in a hurry. If she didn’t do that, she wouldn’t make it in time—wouldn’t make it in time for what? She didn’t know that.
Then, Sora, who saw that Luna Maria, bitterly opened his mouth.
“I appreciate you returning the money. But your apologies are unnecessary. In fact, it’s uncomfortable.”
“Um…”
“I would like to say that if you wanted to apologize, you should have done so from the beginning. But well, I understand that you were confused being chased by a monster. I would have done something similar if I were in the same position. But why didn’t you lower your head in that room?”
“W-Well…”
She couldn’t say something like, “Because I was afraid of you.”
Sora pursed his lips as he looked at that Luna Maria.
“Ah, I understand that too. Because lowering your head at that moment would mean admitting the responsibility of ‘Falcon Sword.’ You wouldn’t have been able to lower your head alone and before Lars and the others, right? You don’t have to risk yourself for me and lose your relationship with your comrades. It’s fine. It’s natural. But then, why are you lowering your head here and now?”
“Well…”
“Hmph. Let’s suppose I accept the apologies, everyone’s happy. But even if I don’t accept, you’ll surely have the excuse of ‘At least I apologized.’ You wouldn’t lose your relationship with your comrades, and you would feel satisfied with your guilt-free conscience. But for me, it’s uncomfortable and unpleasant. You’re only apologizing for your own satisfaction. If you want to do that, then do it in front of a mirror, ‘Hypocrite.'”
“T-That’s not…”
Luna Maria tried to deny it, but at that moment, Sora quickly turned around and blended into the bustle.
Sora looked back at Luna Maria over his shoulder, observing her attempt to follow him.
“………….”
Faced with that cold gaze, her feet, which wanted to move forward, stopped. Sora, who saw that, left with a mocking expression.
The elven spirit bearer stood there, stunned, only able to gaze at his back.
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