[A spellbook that enables the use of all magic. I will henceforth refer to it as the Necronomicon.]
We have read the entire journal.
Yet, not all our questions have been answered.
There was mention of Beatrice, but details were little.
It simply stated that following Beatrice's words, the journey led to the Railer territory.
There, upon arrival at the Railer domain, research began in a humble hut.
To be precise, it was about manifesting the results of completed research.
Levian created the spellbook with his life, much like how the Fred family had crafted mana stones from people.
The culmination of his work was the magic tome that Luna now possessed.
A tome inscribed with the magics he'd dedicated his life to studying, enabling the wielding of all spells, and also an object imbued with the life of a great wizard.
"Both are back, I see."
Upon our return to the Railer Estate, Robert greeted us.
Both Robert and Astina wore grave expressions.
"Have you managed to learn anything important?"
"I'm not sure if it's good news, but yes, we have."
We began to inform them about Levian's actions, explaining why he created the magic tome that Luna held, and how he managed to do it, in great detail.
As he listened to our story, Robert clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails seemed to dig into his skin, threatening to draw blood.
I couldn't tell if his emotion was sorrow or anger; it seemed a tangled mix of both.
We finished our part and looked at Robert, who, lost in thought, didn't immediately respond.
After a moment, he lifted his head.
"I apologize for the trouble."
"It's fine."
We assured him with a smile.
"But what did you hear from the Railer mansion?"
At my question, Astina spoke up.
"We've heard about why Levian came here and what happened afterward. It appears to align with your story."
"What happened afterward?"
Astina nodded at my question and continued.
"Just as you said, Levian died after creating the magic tome here. But, as you're also aware, the reason he left that tome to Luna is a mystery."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Astina pulled a letter from within her robes.
"This is a letter Levian left for Luna's father."
I took the letter that Astina handed to me and unfolded it.
[Upon my death, give the magic tome in front of you to Luna. That book will save not only Luna but also others. I entrust this to you.]
The letter was brief.
The handwriting was much more degraded than what we had seen before.
The letters were pressed down as if with great effort, yet they sprawled erratically, suggesting a lack of control in the hand that wrote them.
"Baron Railer said that Levian mentioned Luna right from the start of his visit, claiming it was at the request of the former saint, Beatrice..."
Beatrice...
Her name was connected to my presence here and now Luna's situation.
"Luna's father, to conceal Levian's visit, left his belongings in a hut and erased his traces. It seems wiser to leave them undisturbed since the testimonies of the locals who claimed to have seen Levian aren't concrete evidence."
"That was a wise decision. Trying to hide it outright could have raised more suspicion."
"Exactly. Getting rid of everything completely would have increased the chances of discovery."
Even the powerful Astria ducal house couldn't just scour a provincial domain like this for Levian...
However, if there had been signs of someone trying to erase their tracks or hiding something, it would have raised suspicion.
But if there is obvious evidence, it could actually lessen any doubts.
Especially if that evidence was nothing more than rumors among the local populace.
It seemed Luna's father was also worried, as he had soldiers stationed nearby.
They were tasked with preventing people from entering the forest where Levian's belongings were found.
Officially, they were there because of a recent incident where Luna had been in danger, though it seems they hadn’t aroused any suspicion with their presence.
"By the way, have you heard anything about what Beatrice said?"
"Luna's father seemed unaware as well. I’ll have to look elsewhere for information on that."
"Hmm…"
After all, there were already plans to investigate Beatrice, so not knowing at this moment didn’t seem to be a problem.
It’s always better to act sooner rather than later, but rushing could lead to mistakes.
I thought it was necessary to allow for some leeway.
Once the situation seemed to be under control, Astina turned to look at Luna and me.
Then, with her arms crossed and a frown that said she was displeased, she asked,
"Given the circumstances, I've been holding off asking, but how long do you plan on holding that hand?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Ah…"
Caught up in serious conversation, I had forgotten all about it.
I looked at Luna with an awkward expression.
Luna, with a satisfied smile, said,
"Rudy promised he would keep holding on."
"Rudy did?"
Astina turned her gaze to me, questioning.
"It might sound strange, but…"
"Does it?"
Astina's gaze was icy as she looked back at me.
"No, it's just that… there's a reason. I said I would hold on until Luna lets go…"
"What?"
An intensity I had never seen before in Astina’s eyes was directed at me.
It wasn’t magic, but my face tingled as if scorched by a spell.
"Yes, that's what was said."
Astina's attention returned to Luna.
"Luna, could you come with me for a chat?"
"…Me?"
Luna tensed up at the request.
"Let's go talk after you 'let go' of the hand."
Let go.
It seemed Astina’s words were a response to the previous mention of holding hands until Luna decided to let go.
"I don't want to! Absolutely not!"
Luna reacted vehemently to such a suggestion.
Astina’s eyes twinkled even more at Luna's response.
"Luna?"
The smile that crept on her face, with veins popping on her forehead, was more menacing than anything.
Luna was visibly frightened, frozen like a rabbit in front of a predator.
Yet, Luna didn't let go of the hand.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Seeing Luna refuse to comply, Astina, unable to maintain her composure any longer, raised her voice.
"Let it go."
"No, I don’t want to!"
Luna declared resolutely.
It seemed like a childish squabble, but the two were dead serious.
Astina took a step forward, glaring at Luna.
"Let go."
As Astina approached, Luna clung to my shoulder in fear.
"Ru-Rudy! Help!"
"Oh?"
Astina uttered an exclamation as if amused, but her expression was far from interested.
"Rudy, are you going to stop me?"
"No, it's not that..."
Astina's menacing tone made me break out in a cold sweat.
What should I do in a situation like this?
Panicking, I took a step back, while Astina closed in on me.
Clunk—
Suddenly, the door of the room we were in burst open.
A woman with golden hair came rushing in.
"Gasp!"
With a sharp breath, she hurled herself towards Luna.
"Eh?"
"Hmm?"
Caught off guard, Luna's grip loosened, and she stumbled backward, releasing my hand.
"Luna, I've missed you so much~."
The woman said smugly.
"Huh? Wha?"
Luna looked baffled, alternating her gaze between the woman embracing her and her own hand that was just freed.
The released hand and...
"Rie?"
The woman holding her was Rie.
Rie looked at Luna with a smile as if oblivious to everything.
"What's wrong? Something happened?"
Rie asked, her smile innocent, but her face was full of slyness.
It was clear she had intended to separate me and Luna.
"Rie, Rie!!"
Luna exclaimed as if she was wronged.
"Hmm? What's the matter? Sorry~ I was just so happy to see you!"
Rie spoke with an exaggerated smile.
Luna stamped her feet in frustration, an expression of utter injustice on her face.
"This... this is invalid!"
"Invalid? What is?"
But it's not like one could reason with someone pretending to be ignorant.
Especially not someone with Luna's temperament.
"Ugh..."
Luna could only pout, unable to retort to Rie.
"Rie."
At that moment, Astina, who had been watching, spoke up.
"Well done."
Astina said, giving a thumbs-up with a hint of admiration.
That night.
After dinner, I stepped out into the mansion's front garden with Rie.
Since Rie had come aboard the same ship as us, it was necessary for her to hear the information we had uncovered.
Although we received sharp looks from Astina and Luna when we excused ourselves, they let us go without a word when we mentioned it was about business.
"Ah, I've already heard all about it."
"...What?"
"How do you think I suddenly appeared? I timed it just right."
Confused by Rie's comment, I gave her a puzzled look.
"I've been listening almost from the beginning, but the mood seemed off, so I stayed outside. It would have been strange to just barge in at that moment."
...
Considering she had caused Luna to release my hand upon entering, I wonder if she might have been eavesdropping...
"Then you could've just said you overheard us."
The reason Astina and Luna let us go so easily must have been because they knew Rie needed to hear this story, but wasn't this situation somewhat odd?
Rie then smiled and spoke.
"Hehe, why would I?"
Clinging to me suddenly, she grabbed my arm.
"Missing out on a perfect opportunity to be alone together? I'm no fool."
Her forwardness caught me off guard, and my eyes widened.
"Hey, hey, someone might see us..."
"Oh! So it's okay if we're somewhere no one can see us?"
"Don't twist my words."
Rie stepped back slightly, then with a charming smile, looked around us.
"Shall we go somewhere out of sight? If we go to such a place..."
As she scanned the surroundings, our eyes met.
She was a short distance away, but still in front of me.
Close, but not too close.
Our eyes locked, and I couldn't help but recall our last encounter.
The memory of our previous kiss flushed my cheeks.
I wasn't the only one affected.
Rie, seemingly reminded of the same moment, was startled as our eyes met and she stopped her speech.
The seductress from moments ago was nowhere to be found; instead, a blushing, shy girl stood before me.
Rie quietly came to my side and suggested,
"...Shall we, maybe, just take a walk before going in?"
"...Let's do that."
She obediently turned to walk beside me through the garden.
"Uh..."
A few minutes passed in an awkward silence before Rie, her embarrassment seemingly subsided, finally spoke up.
"So, what do we do now?"
"Do what?"
I was taken aback by her question.
Even now, thinking about marriage—
"Where are we going now? Are we returning to the Academy?"
Ah.
Realization hit me, and I clamped my mouth shut.
She was asking about our next steps.
I felt a bit embarrassed, but I managed my expression and began to speak.
"Professor Robert asked someone he knows for a favor, so I think we might stop by there on our way."
"Hmm..."
Rie nodded as if she understood.
Then, as we started walking again,
Suddenly, I felt warmth at my side.
"...What's this?"
Looking down, I saw Rie's hand burrowing into my side.
"...What!"
When I made a strange face, Rie, on the contrary, let out a loud exclamation.
And then her hand wrapped around my arm, locking arms with me.
"...Hey, we're far enough away that no one will come by here."
Rie blushed, but spoke as if it was nothing.
"If you can hold hands with Luna, then arm-in-arm should be okay!"
"...That was different."
"I, I'll let you walk like this with me just for a bit! Then I'll forgive you!"
"...Okay."
"Hmm!"
Rie smiled contentedly and clung to my arm.
Is this really okay...?
Feeling both pleased and confused, I sighed.
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