SIDE 6
The flatlands, which should have been empty, were brightly lit.
Tens of thousands of soldiers were encamped there.
Despite the impending war, their faces were not dark. The soldiers felt it was an honor to be with their undefeated king.
Moreover, the king held up an ideal:
- Unifying the world, a country where everyone is equal, a place where everyone can be happy –
When the king first presented this ideal, everyone scoffed.
The higher one’s rank, the more they seemed to dismiss it as a pipe dream.
But the king pressed forward. Ignoring rational objections and emotional backlash alike, he demonstrated his seriousness through policy, military action, and debate.
The people were enraptured by this king, while other nations’ rulers and nobles were terrified.
“The king is abnormal,” they said.
Even now, thirty years later, the king continues to press forward.
By now, both the people and the soldiers share the king’s dream. Even people from other nations often expressed a desire for the king’s rule.
The ideal remains distant. However, everyone understands that the king is not just dreaming anymore.
Yet, it has been a blood-stained path with many sacrifices.
In fact, the king’s right-hand man lost an eye while fighting alongside him.
Even after losing an eye, he continued to fight and eventually defeated the enemy general, a story that has become legendary.
Now over forty, his black hair was streaked with white, but his tall, well-built body still showed he was an active warrior.
His remaining black eye held a power that intimidated those who met his gaze.
This loyal man was heading to the king’s tent.
“So, here you are, Your Majesty.”
He found the king gazing at the sky near the tent.
No guards were close by. Of course, the king’s personal knights kept a distance, but the king generally didn’t like having people too close.
Also, unlike most kings or nobles, he hadn’t brought any female attendants to the battlefield.
This led to rumors that he might be a homosexual, but his loyal man knew better.
Bringing a woman along would lower the soldiers’ morale, and for other reasons, he chose not to keep women by his side.
“Don’t call me ‘Your Majesty,’ Killian. There’s no one else around.”
The king spoke without shifting his gaze from the sky.
“Then, Lord Rath. Were you looking at the moon?”
Killian also looked up. A golden moon shone in the sky.
“Yes. I have no particular attachment to the moon, but for some reason, it makes me think of her.”
Luna, the girl whose name means “moon.” Her image remained vivid in Killian’s memory as well.
“She was as beautiful as the moon.”
To Killian, she was his lord’s beloved, but Luna was also a special woman to him.
“Don’t speak of her in the past tense. My queen is still beautiful, unlike us who have aged.”
Rath’s mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. Though he maintained a youthful body and appeared robust to those around him, he had started to feel his age after turning forty.
“Where could she have gone?”
Neither Rath nor Killian knew where Luna had gone. Only Luciana knew she had headed to Banukht.
“We’ve had our subjects quietly searching through our allied nations, but there’s no credible information. She hasn’t returned to the slavers she once lived with, either.”
Rath had not given up on Luna. He had gathered information from the conquered nations and even traced Mason, but he couldn’t find Luna.
“The fact that there are no rumors of a vampire suggests she’s doing well. She’s a strong-willed and admirable woman.”
“Indeed.”
Rath turned to Killian with a bitter smile.
“But being too strong-willed can be a problem, because no matter how long you wait, She still hasn’t returned to me.”
Luna sat atop the tallest ruin in Banukht.
The place had once been the center of governance for the Asra people, but Luna had no way of knowing that.
“It’s so beautiful,”
Luna murmured as she looked at the moon. There was no one else around.
In fact, only Luna and Logan were in Banukht, but Logan had no appreciation for nature. He was only interested in magic.
So, Luna watched the moon alone.
Perhaps because her name meant “moon,” she felt a strange kinship with it.
However, the moon mostly reminded her of the time she escaped from Rath’s palace.
Back then, the moon was high in the sky when she leapt.
She had no certainty that things would go well after leaving the palace, only anxiety, but she felt a bit stronger, as if the moon was watching over her.
She had never forgotten Rath.
She often dreamed of having tea with him or picking herbs together.
She repeatedly imagined a future where she became queen and they lived happily together.
She recalled the sense of security she felt when she bit into Rath’s left arm.
Looking at the moon, such thoughts made her eyes fill with tears.
Whether she was sad or happy, she couldn’t tell.
But she tried not to think about Rath’s current situation.
He had likely taken a wife by now. Probably more than one. Surely, he had many children.
If she hadn’t become a vampire, if she had been born into a high-ranking family, if Rath weren’t a prince… So many “ifs” crossed her mind.
“I want to see him,”
Luna murmured again. But if she actually met him, she would have to face a sad reality.
So, she contented herself with happy fantasies while gazing at the moon.
TLNOTE : While waiting, I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- When the Monster Meat I Ate Led Me to the Throne (LN)
- Who killed the Hero?
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
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