5
The Fly King’s nest has a deep vertical shaft structure, with the bottom of the pit wide enough to accommodate an entire nobleman’s mansion.
Sora had brought in food and water, set up multiple tents to create a living environment, and was using it as a base for activities in Tithis.
Now, Luna Maria was residing with Sora in one of those tents.
“Haven’t you ever thought that it might be a power that transcends the human species?”
She had posed this question when she was alone with Sora in the tent. She didn’t want Kuraia to overhear their conversation.
Luna Maria harbored strong doubts, directed at the environment surrounding her Master.
The dragon hole, the demon gate, the same-source existence, the Illusory One Sword Style, the Mitsurugi family.
Some things she knew, some she didn’t. When she pieced all of these elements together, a grotesquely distorted image emerged in Luna Maria’s mind.
Whether it’s the dragon hole or the demon gate, anything that warps the original form of plants and animals is no different from poison. And there’s no reason why a force that affects plants and animals would make an exception for humans.
The residents of Onigashima are probably already infected. It’s been three hundred years since the demon gate appeared in that land; if anything, it would be strange if they weren’t infected.
In conclusion, Luna Maria thought that the manifestation of the same-source existence might be the result of this infection.
She had heard a brief explanation about the same-source existence from Sora. Another self residing in the depths of one’s heart and soul. The secret technique of the Illusory One Sword Style is to become aware of this same-source existence, control it, and materialize it. The dragon that Luna Maria sensed within Sora was also this same-source existence.
Sora, who had given that explanation to Luna Maria, didn’t seem to doubt what he was saying. But for Luna Maria who was listening, it was utterly unbelievable. It’s impossible for a human to gain the power of a dragon just by mastering a single school of swordsmanship.
However, Sora had actually acquired that much power, and the three from Onigashima also possessed skills approaching Sora’s. Moreover, there were dozens of people in Onigashima who were equal to or even more skilled than these four.
The other day, in the royal capital of Horus, Duke Dragnote, the strongest dragon knight in the Canaria Kingdom, was subdued by a single flag bearer. The fact that such military strength was commonplace in Onigashima.
If this isn’t considered abnormal, what would be?
No matter how excellent the Illusory One-Sword Style might be, it couldn’t explain this abnormality. Besides, if mastering sword techniques could awaken one’s same-source primal existence, shouldn’t practitioners of other schools also harbor primal existences? But such stories were unheard of.
Luna Maria’s speculation was that the reason only the Illusory One-Sword Style could lead to primal existence lay in the Demon Gate.
Perhaps the Demon Gate was an artificial dragon’s lair created by human hands, and the Blue Forest flag bearers were humans mutated by the Demon Gate.
Normally, if something like “another self” were to dwell within oneself, it would be recognized as madness or illness. If this were a symptom unique to Onigashima, it wouldn’t be surprising if residents dispersed, believing it to be a curse of the land.
But Onigashima had a system. A system that transformed the “curse” into “power” through the Illusory One-Sword Style. This allowed those afflicted to avoid being shunned by others, and instead become objects of respect and worship.
Here, the curse became a blessing, and the residents of Onigashima gathered under this system, creating a foundation for continuously producing military strength.
The name of this terrifyingly efficient system is the Mitsurugi family.
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Sora is trying to challenge this system that has continued for over 300 years head-on.
Luna Maria felt that no amount of warning would be enough, and she had actually urged Sora to be cautious many times.
This wasn’t out of concern for her own safety being near Sora, but purely out of worry for Sora’s well-being.
Luna Maria stayed by Sora’s side for atonement, and had continued her devotion until today. But now, her feelings of concern for Sora didn’t include any shades of atonement or devotion.
If asked how she could assert this so confidently, it was because just thinking about Sora being struck down by assassins from Onigashima sent a pain through her heart as if it were being gripped. If her feelings for Sora were merely a sense of compensation, her chest wouldn’t hurt this much.
It was the same during the battle with Hydra. Although she believed Sora would be alright, she could barely eat during those four days. When Sora returned safely, she found herself on the verge of tears.
Luna Maria was aware of the identity of the emotion stirring her heart. She hadn’t been completely oblivious until now, but this incident made her acutely aware.
To be honest, she couldn’t help but feel perplexed.
Elves, being a long-lived race, have little desire for the opposite sex. In fact, Luna Maria had never felt this kind of emotion towards anyone of the opposite sex before, regardless of whether they were of her own race or another.
This was no exception for Lars. She found his proactivity and unpretentious personality attractive, which is why she joined the “Falcon’s Sword” and acted alongside him for over five years, but this didn’t affirm the existence of romantic feelings. Like many other elves, Luna Maria believed in having only one life partner and expected the same values from her partner. On this point, Lars’s different values were evident in his attitude towards Iria and Miroslav.
From Luna Maria’s perspective, Lars was a reliable warrior and Master, but nothing more.
In terms of the presence or absence of romantic feelings, the same could be said for Sora.
She had shared his bed when asked, but that was to atone for the sin of letting Sora die, and no other emotions were supposed to sprout. At least, that’s what Luna Maria initially thought.
However, that thinking gradually changed, leaving Luna Maria’s will behind.
At first, she was alone in the nighttime activities, then Seal joined, and after a while, Miroslav was also called.
Naturally, Luna Maria’s opportunities to share intimacy decreased.
For Luna Maria, who should have been relieved to be distanced from an unwanted environment, it would have been natural to feel a sense of relief.
However, what actually crossed her mind was an emotion other than relief.
At this point, Luna Maria realized that an unexpected feeling had sprouted within her. She became aware that both her body and heart had been drawn towards Sora, as if pulled by his roughness.
Whether it was romantic love, affection, sympathy, or some other emotion – while she was still trying to figure it out, the three from Onigashima attacked, magical beasts went berserk, Hydra appeared – and before she knew it, she found herself genuinely afraid of losing Sora.
Luna Maria let out a small sigh. What would happen from here on, and what did she want to do? Even with the sharp mind of a sage, the answers to these questions seemed elusive.
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