Luna responded to my call.
Well, it was more like she responded to a provocation.
The madly blowing wind calmed down the moment she appeared.
Luna Artorius, just as before, gazed at me with a composed expression.
On a night of the full moon.
At last, I found her.
No, she found me.
"What do you want, wandering around this place at this time?"
Casually brushing her long, black hair aside, Luna Artorius asked.
"I want to find mother."
Upon hearing my words, Luna let out a short sigh.
"Why should I listen to your talk about mother? Alright, let's say I will. So, what exactly do you want from me after finding me?"
"I want to become stronger."
"..."
She stared at me in response to my bold and shameless request.
What kind of person is this?
It seemed as though she was thinking that.
Of course.
Ellen's mother would naturally be with Ellen.
Since Ellen made me stronger, I came to find her mother, thinking she would make me even stronger.
I admit, I seem to be a bit of an oddball.
"You don't know what the Sun and Moon Sect is. But if you're not a fool, you should know that we, including myself, are a group that upholds the principle of not interfering in the world's affairs. Didn't you hear me clearly?"
"I heard you."
"Then you understand that I have no reason to help you."
"Then why did you come? Just ignore me."
Upon hearing my words, Luna Artorius stared at me.
Ah.
Look at her lips sticking out.
She's just like Ellen, isn't she?
She took a step forward.
No.
She used some strange space-warping technique.
Is she really going to leave?
"Wait a minute! Wait! Wait! I'm sorry!"
"..."
At my insistence, she stopped her action to step forward and disappear through space.
"I was just trying to ignore you, as you said I should. Didn't you say that?"
"Mother, as you know, I have a bad habit of speaking like that."
"Ah, I see. It's unfortunate that your upbringing didn't quite make you more polite."
"Due to losing my parents at a young age, I couldn't help but have an unsatisfactory upbringing..."
Ah.
Come to think of it, isn't this something we shouldn't say to each other?
My father and Luna's son were both annihilated.
As I tried to say something and then stopped, Luna quietly stared at me.
"..."
Moreover, she was the first to mention upbringing, so if there was a slip of the tongue, it was on her side.
"Hmm... I apologize. That was rude of me."
She covered her mouth, coughed lightly, and muttered.
"Anyway, I came here to tell you that no matter how much you wander around this place, there's nothing you can gain from me. Stop wasting your time."
Under the full moon's light, Luna gazed at me intently.
"Reinhardt, don't try to save what can't be saved. That's all I can tell you."
She cannot help me.
So, the only thing Luna can say is to do something worthwhile elsewhere at this time.
Really, is that all?
"The Gate incident is almost over."
"..."
"But an unbeatable monster will come out of the last Gate."
"Is that so? You know about strange things, so if you say so, it must be true."
"Do you know... what would happen if you could unleash the true power of Alsbringer?"
"..."
She looked at me and
She looked at me in silence.
That silence was her answer.
"You know it."
"Yes, the power of the gods can be projected onto the owner's flesh."
Luna knew about the true power of the Alsbringer.
"But to dare to summon the power of the gods into one's body comes at the cost of losing one's life. Mortals cannot handle such power."
Luna gazed at me quietly.
"You know it too."
"If things continue like this, I will have to use the Alsbringer to destroy the last Warp Gate."
"What exactly will appear in the end?"
"A dragon."
"..."
"A dragon from another world."
A being that does not exist in this world.
The dragon from another world was the last enemy I had to face, the final boss in the original work.
"If I don't use the Alsbringer, I won't be able to fight that monster."
Luna listened to my words calmly, then tilted her head.
"But even if you become a bit stronger here, the chances of you being able to face the dragon are slim."
"That's true."
Even if I become a Master class, I cannot be sure if I can face the final monster.
To be honest, unless I become powerful enough to summon the war god Als into my body, such a thing would be difficult to happen.
"But I can't just wait for a future that can only be achieved through death."
"You talk as if you have no choice but to do it."
"..."
"Why do you have to?"
Luna asked quietly.
"Why do you think you have to save the world while sacrificing yourself?"
"The world's affairs are the world's affairs."
"The world's affairs are everyone's affairs."
"Because it's everyone's affair, it's no one's affair."
"But why do you live as if the world's affairs are your own?"
"If you don't save the world, why do you live as if everything will end?"
"Even if you turn away from it, would it be your fault?"
"Why do you live in a compulsion that you have to bear all the responsibility?"
"The dragon from another world, whatever it is, as long as it is a living being and a monster, it cannot destroy the whole world."
"I don't know what that monster is, but it can only destroy what is in its sight. Therefore, there will be a safe world from that monster."
"The world is vast."
"So why not avoid the monster and live your own life?"
"Why?"
"Do you take it for granted that you have to die for the world?"
"Why?"
"Just like it's a given, like you have to live."
"In the end, why?"
"Who died with my son... the Demon King... you, his son..."
"At that time..."
"With the same eyes as my son at that time."
"Saying something similar to that time, that he has to die for something."
"Like this, you came to me."
I saw a tear fall from her eyes.
She said it was a rainy day.
Ellen had scolded her brother, and she had been slapped by her father.
That was the last time Ellen saw her brother, she told me.
That's why Ellen came to hate rainy days.
That day must have been a different memory for Ellen's parents.
It must have been the day they heard their son's determination to kill the Demon King for humanity.
Ragan Artorius left.
Ragan Artorius must have believed that killing the Demon King was a righteous act.
In truth, the Demon King of the past, Valier, whom I know of, had the goal of creating a world without humans through the Akasha, a parallel universe.
War erupted because they couldn't understand each other's circumstances.
The Great Demon War of the past was a conflict that broke out due to mutual fear and a lack of willingness to understand each other.
Regardless of who initiated the attack, it's a fact that Ragan Artorious died in the battle against the Demon King.
Hence, setting aside what's right or wrong, to Luna, I am the son of her mortal enemy.
Luna stares at me silently as I say the exact same words her son said in the past when he went off to die.
She sheds a single tear, but no more tears follow.
Without even thinking of wiping away the tear, she keeps gazing at me.
Her son had died.
But now, the son of the Demon King comes saying the same words.
However, the meaning is different this time.
Why must one die for the world?
A sense of responsibility?
A sense of duty?
I'm not sure anymore.
"Honestly, I don't know either. I don't know why I have to go this far. I just don't."
"If that's the case, then..."
"There must be people who can turn a blind eye to this. Surely."
I interrupt her words.
"It's just that I can't. That's all there is to it."
I do have a sense of responsibility.
And a sense of duty.
But when asked why I have to do this, there's only one thing I can say.
I can't turn a blind eye to this broken world.
Though I could ignore it, I can't.
So, at the point when salvation must ultimately be achieved through death, I came here to find other possibilities because I don't want to die.
Ragan Artorious must have said that he would die for humanity.
But I said that if things continue this way, I must die for humanity and the world, so I want to find even the slightest other possibility.
Luna gazes at me silently.
"I don't know what the dragon of that world is, but you should know that even if you become stronger here, it would still be difficult to face it."
"I suppose."
"Still, you've been crossing mountains for days, just to find that tiny possibility?"
"Yes."
"..."
I don't know precisely what kind of being she is, but it's clear that Luna isn't involved in this situation in any way.
Could she help me?
If she decides to help, what kind of assistance can I receive?
"I don't know if I should really do this."
However, she didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings toward me for being the son of the Demon King.
"But there's no reason to prohibit you from setting foot in Rezaira."
She stares at me silently.
"Reinhardt."
"...Yes."
"Close your eyes."
Following her words, I close my eyes.
I could feel her cold hand gently placed on my shoulder.
"Done. Now, open your eyes."
I had only closed my eyes for a brief moment.
"…?"
I could see a small village spread out at the foot of the mountain.
—---
What exactly is the source of the power Luna uses?
It's neither magic, nor supernatural power, nor divine energy.
As a Master Class, she uses mysterious powers that go beyond physical abilities.
A small land located somewhere in the rugged Sren mountain range.
In that land, there was a tiny village with barely fifty households.
The wooden houses weren't that old, but they weren't incredibly luxurious either.
It was a typical rural village scene that could be found anywhere.
As it was nighttime, there were no people wandering about.
This must be Rezaira.
"Is this place... really safe?"
"It's complicated to explain, and even if you understood, it wouldn't hold any meaning for you. Just know that people can no longer find Rezaira."
In the past, anyone could have found Rezaira. But now, unless a villager brought someone here personally, no one could find Rezaira anymore.
She gazed up quietly at the sky, where a full moon hung.
With a hand stretched out towards the heavens, she cautiously waved it as if manipulating something.
I silently observed her slow, but elegant movement.
"What are you doing?"
At my question, she slightly lowered her head.
"You'll find out eventually."
She seemed like someone who didn't speak more than necessary.
"Follow me; you seem like you could use some rest."
She quietly walked ahead.
Now I could see how she was dressed.
She wore a simple dress, one that any rural woman might wear. It must have been her everyday attire.
Considering she mentioned she was a leader of Rezaira, it was strange to see her looking no different from any other ordinary villager.
She led me to a two-story wooden house.
Upon reflection, it was the house where Ellen had lived since her childhood.
She was born and spent her youth in this house.
The thought stirred a strange emotion within me.
And yet, now that Ellen and I were no longer friends, I found myself in her house without her.
"What are you doing? Aren't you coming in?"
"Ah, yes."
Prompted by Luna, who was waiting with the door open, I entered Ellen's house.
"Honey, we have a guest. Please come out and see."
Luna's voice sent shivers down my spine.
What was this?
Her tone was suddenly very different, smooth and affectionate.
Where had her cold, indifferent tone gone? Her voice was now filled with warmth and love, and I experienced cognitive dissonance.
Would Ellen also adopt this tone if she got married?
Well...
Hmm.
As Luna spoke, a man soon appeared.
"...So, you're Reinhardt."
He seemed to have known that I would come to Rezaira.
He looked somewhat like Ellen, but more accurately, he was a handsome man with a gentle and cheerful appearance.
I remembered seeing a portrait of Ragan Artorius once.
Naturally, he bore a striking resemblance to that man.
He approached me slowly, and Luna stepped aside.
It didn't seem like Luna harbored any hatred towards me, the son of the Demon King.
However, Ellen's father might have different thoughts.
But, he extended his hand to me with a faint smile.
"I am Ronan Artorius."
Unlike Ellen's mother, his handshake was large, firm, and strong. He looked at me and chuckled.
