After many long years, Luna was finally freed from her thirst for blood.
She had learned to minimize her magic usage in everyday life and could now draw magic from nature as naturally as breathing.
Forty years had passed since she arrived in Banukht, but her appearance had not changed at all.
“So, what now?”
Luna pondered.
Her goal had been achieved. However, she now found herself without a new purpose. If she had to name one, it would be defeating Logan.
But Logan had stopped fighting her entirely.
Although Logan’s appearance had also remained unchanged, he spent more and more time meditating as he found fewer things to teach Luna. Nowadays, he spent most of his day in meditation.
“I don’t have much time left.”
Logan had been saying this frequently.
Even the great mage’s end was drawing near.
“Master, don’t you want eternal life?”
Luna asked Logan. “Master” was the title she used for Logan, as he was the master of her master, Khan.
Though she had never tried it, Luna knew that vampires could decide whether to turn those they fed on into their kind.
While it would make a regular human a vampire, Logan, being an Asra, could become an immortal king.
Logan responded.
“Do you know how old I am? I’m 120. I’m the oldest human alive. I’m a legendary mage and the holder of the record for the oldest age. It’s pretty impressive.
But if I were to become undead, that record would be nullified. I’d be seen as cheating. So don’t do anything unnecessary.”
Logan smiled, showing his teeth.
“Yes, Master, you are indeed impressive.”
Luna genuinely thought so. Logan was a peculiar man, but he lived by his convictions.
Unlike Khan, who saw no value in remaining human, Logan aimed to achieve greatness as a human. It was a life Luna could respect.
Luna began to visit Logan’s hermitage daily, almost as if it were a routine.
Logan’s hermitage was a humble thatched hut, nestled quietly among massive structures.
It was hidden by a barrier, so Luna couldn’t find it when she first arrived. But after much training, she finally managed to perceive it.
Decades had passed since she first discovered it, yet it showed no signs of aging. Some sort of magic must have been cast on the entire hut. It was a strangely calming place.
Sometimes Luna would talk with Logan; other times, she would simply watch him meditate for a while before leaving.
When Logan meditated, he seemed to become one with nature, circulating magic in a way that provided insights to Luna as a mage just by observing him.
“I grew up in a hut like this.”
One day, Logan murmured while meditating. It was rare for the great mage to speak about himself.
“A shabby hut. As a child, I felt ashamed of it. When I left that house, I swore never to return. Later, I lived in a grand mansion, surrounded by disciples and servants. But now, I’ve built and live in a shabby hut once more. It’s funny how things turn out. In the end, people return to their beginnings. Do you have a place like that?”
Luna thought for a moment before replying.
“Maybe Mason’s mansion? I have fond memories of my master’s mansion too, but I remember working hard to clean the long corridors of Mason’s mansion with everyone. I don’t really know why, but it’s a good memory. I sometimes dream about it even now.”
“Having a place you dream of is a good thing. Such memories will comfort you in your eternal loneliness.”
Logan’s expression didn’t change, but Luna felt as though he was smiling gently.
Luna continued to visit the hermitage every day, but their conversations grew fewer and fewer.
Logan likely judged that his role as her teacher was complete.
Even so, Luna kept visiting until one day, Logan remained motionless in his meditation.
Luna noticed there was no longer any flow of magic within Logan.
“I never managed to defeat you, Master.”
With these words, Luna left Logan’s hermitage and departed from Banukht.
It had been 40 years since Luna last ventured into the outside world. She could have stayed in Banukht, but the thought of being alone was unbearable. Even as an immortal queen, she had not conquered loneliness. Luna wondered how Logan managed to stay alone in that place for so long.
She decided to return to the place she considered home: Mason’s mansion.
If they were still alive, Mason and the others would be around 80 years old. There was a slim chance they were still alive.
The human world had changed in many ways during Luna’s absence. Using the protective amulet left by Khan to avoid drawing attention, she marveled at the changes in the cities.
The world Luna knew was one of small, fragmented countries, but now, most of them had been unified into one nation.
This new nation was called Rama, and the world was rapidly becoming one under the rule of King Ramnath, known as the Warrior King.
The country where Mason’s mansion was located had also been conquered by Rama, and human trafficking was banned.
Not only that, but the unification of many countries had greatly boosted trade, leading to a significant increase in the variety of goods available in stores.
“Rath must have worked hard.”
Seeing the familiar crest of Rama hanging in the city, Luna felt a deep sense of nostalgia.
She then made her way to Mason’s mansion.
Mason’s mansion was, predictably, old but still well-maintained.
Surprisingly, the mansion grounds were filled with children.
(Human trafficking was banned, wasn’t it?)
Luna knocked on the mansion door, puzzled.
An elderly woman, neatly dressed, answered the door and was stunned to see Luna.
“Luna!? Or are you her granddaughter?”
Luna felt a sense of déjà vu. She stared at the woman, trying to recall her memory.
“Could it be Dorothy?”
Dorothy had been Luna’s first friend, the girl she always played with at the mansion.
“What? Is it really you, Luna? Why do you look so young?”
“Well, a lot has happened.”
Luna’s appearance couldn’t be explained away easily, but Dorothy smiled.
“A lot, huh? I guess being bought by a wizard would involve a lot.”
Dorothy seemed to have made her own assumptions upon seeing Luna in a white wizard’s robe. She seemed to overestimate the power of magic, but Luna didn’t correct her.
“Why are you here, Dorothy? You hated this mansion so much.”
Dorothy had been overjoyed to leave the mansion and had vowed never to return.
“I had a lot happen to me too. Come in. I’ll make you some tea.”
Invited by Dorothy, Luna entered the mansion.
Inside, it was still old but mostly as Luna remembered it, making her feel as if she had stepped back in time.
Dorothy led her to a reception room where Mason used to conduct business with nobles.
The once luxurious furnishings were now antiques, and Dorothy brought tea to the old table.
“Dorothy, isn’t tea a luxury? Are you sure you want to serve it to me?”
The tea Luna knew was expensive and not something common people could afford.
“What are you talking about, Luna? Tea isn’t that expensive.”
Dorothy laughed.
“It used to be a luxury, didn’t it?”
“That’s ancient history. Ever since the Warior King expanded the nation eastward, the price of tea has dropped considerably. Where have you been all this time?”
Dorothy looked puzzled.
“Well, I’ve been living in a remote area with few people. I don’t know much about recent events.”
“I see. Being a wizard must be tough.”
Dorothy seemed to have formed her own conclusions again, but this time she was mostly correct. It had indeed been tough.
“Why did you come back to this mansion, Dorothy?”
“Oh, that. Yes, when I first left this mansion, I never thought I’d return. The people who bought me were much kinder than Molly.
I was praised a lot there. They said, ‘Dorothy, you’re amazing, you can do anything.’ I was so happy and worked very hard.
My position rose steadily. I was eventually tasked with training the younger ones who came after me. But those kids couldn’t do anything. It seemed the people who sold them hadn’t taught them properly. They were utterly useless. I found myself getting angry like Molly, hitting them with my fists and teaching them until they could do the job.”
Dorothy sipped her tea, smiling nostalgically.
“That’s why I was so valuable. Molly had trained me thoroughly. I could read and do simple math, so I was given important tasks and eventually earned a proper status. I even got married. I have grandchildren now.”
Luna saw a reflection of herself in Dorothy. If she had not inherited the blood of the Asra, she might have had a happy life like Dorothy’s.
Dorothy, unaware of Luna’s thoughts, continued her story.
“Then I realized why I was happy. It was because Molly had trained me so well.
When I started teaching others, I understood how hard it is to teach someone. It’s really tough. It’s easier to leave them alone if you don’t care.
But you need love to teach. Molly was terrifying, but she cared deeply. Mason was just doing business, though.”
Dorothy laughed, and Luna joined her.
“True. I’ve been taught by many people, and they all seemed to care, even if they were a bit misguided. They supported me in their own way. Sometimes it was a bit of a hassle, though.”
Luna thought of her two masters, Khan and Logan. The word “love” didn’t quite fit them, which made her smile a little and feel a touch of sadness.
“That’s right, that’s right. People who teach are precious. We didn’t have a mother, but Molly took good care of us instead. That’s why, now that our children are grown and we have grandchildren, and our hands are a little freer, we’ve come back. To our home.
It’s not just me. There are many children who were raised by Molly, gained their freedom after being bought, and have come back. That’s why we take turns looking after the children.”
Dorothy looked at the children passing by in the hallway.
“But isn’t human trafficking prohibited now?”
Luna asked, voicing her doubts.
“Of course it is. This place is now an orphanage. But what we’re doing hasn’t changed. We just don’t get paid anymore.”
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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