Volume 8 Chapter 10 Moon Court’s Monster
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
What descended from the sky was a delicate blonde girl.
Her figure cut against the Red Moon like a black stroke of ink, the eerie crimson glow reflecting off her single visible eye. A black cloak draped over her small frame, fluttering faintly in the high wind, and beneath it… well, it honestly looked like she had just rolled off her futon in nothing but lazy loungewear, her midriff bare. Maybe she had just tossed the cloak over whatever she was wearing in her room and wandered out.
”Nihihi,” she giggled, flashing a row of sharp little teeth.
She looked like trouble. Even though her outfit screamed “I’m so important,” the easy, breezy air around her made it obvious she was the type who’d joke her way through anything.
Viola…? Was this girl the so-called monster of the Moon Court?
Except—she was missing an eye.
Her right eye glimmered red in the dark, unnervingly bright like a shard of bloodstone, but her left socket… had no eye at all. Instead, it was split open into a jagged little mouth, lined with gleaming fangs.
Yeah. Exactly as the rumors said. Not exactly the look you’d expect on someone her age, but maybe that was the point. Whatever she was, it clearly wasn’t just human.
”Hey heeey, outta the way, little fishies!! The Demon Lord’s Army’s superstar, VioVio, is passing through! Clear the path, you—whoa?!”
Her shout rang out across the battlefield—and then something slim and fast sliced past her cheek.
Primlena’s throw. A spear of water, hurled like lightning.
”Ohhh? If it isn’t PriPri, the goldfish sister! What’s a fancy bowlfish like you doing way down here on land? The weather that good, you just leapt out to sunbathe? Why’re you all twitchy and mad? Running low on oxygen? Ohhh, wait, did I hit one of yours by accident? My bad!!”
”You think a simple ‘sorry’ is enough after striking down our kin…?”
”C’mon, don’t go all salty and dried-up on me. You’re mermaids, right? Just soak in seawater and you’ll bounce right back, no prob!”
Were mermaids supposed to be dried snacks or something? Primlena’s glare could have frozen fire. She was furious about Viola’s earlier mass blood-draining, which had apparently caught some mermaids in the blast. Viola, meanwhile, looked like she couldn’t care less.
Even the other mermaids had stopped their attacks on the fleeing refugees, circling cautiously. Bows drawn. Arrows trained on Viola.
”Oh, and hey, I wanted to ask!! That Hero’s around here somewhere, right? She’s with—”
”There is nothing to tell you!”
Primlena’s voice snapped like a whip as she raised her arm. Water spun together in the air, forming a perfect sphere—then stretched sharp and thin into a spear.
The water lance was already flying when Viola tilted her head lazily, lips curved in a lopsided grin.
”Pheeew, someone’s suuuper mad, huh.”
The spear flashed by in a silver blur, moonlight glinting off the droplets. Viola hadn’t just seen it coming—she’d slipped aside with the smallest possible movement, dodging something invisible in the pitch-dark night.
”Begone, vampire. Interfere again, and I’ll kill you where you stand.”
”Aww, you don’t have to be so grumpy. VioVio’s just here for a liiittle search mission.”
She puffed her cheeks like a sulky kid—but then her eyes flicked to Klock.
”Wait. Oh. Ohhh. There he is!!! Right there!!!”
”Huh?”
Her gaze locked on him like a knife point. He froze. They had never met. So why was she pointing right at him?
And then—a streak. A single bright line tore across his vision.
A water arrow. The mermaids had opened fire all at once, their lines splitting the sky like falling rain.
”Wha—hey hey hey, you’re actually trying to kill me?! Whoa.”
Apparently, even being part of the Demon Lord’s Army didn’t save her. The mermaids had decided. Whatever she was, she was no ally now. Their arrows poured down like a storm.
Forestfolk and mermaids were known for their skill with bows. But Viola danced between their shots like it was a game. Arrows from behind, from the side, from close range—she dodged them all, every motion tiny and efficient, like she was made of air.
And she smiled while doing it. Not a scratch touched her. She didn’t even glance at the mermaids.
Her eyes—never left Klock.
”PriPri, chill, yeah? Maybe we can talk this out!”
”Silence!!”
Viola sighed dramatically, scratching the back of her head—her eyes, though, snapped like blades.
One mermaid twitched. Viola’s gaze pinned her—and she shot screaming into the air.
The mermaid thrashed, writhing against an invisible grip. And then her body began to shrivel.
The Cursed Eye of Vampirism. He realized it only after it was over.
She dried to a husk in seconds, no time to scream, no chance to resist. Viola flicked the corpse away like trash, and the whole battlefield went still.
”See? So chill, okay? VioVio’s actually pretty good at fishing and all… yeah?”
A single glance had killed her. The rest of the mermaids froze, hands trembling on their bows.
”—The Cursed Eye of Vampirism bites anything it sees! Block the sightline with water barriers! Physical walls will stop the fangs!!”
Primlena’s shout broke the spell, and the mermaids scrambled back into motion, raising walls of water that sealed off every gap.
”…You could just not charge me, y’know.” Viola puffed out a cheek again.
And then she vanished.
No, not gone—flying. Higher. Faster. Out of their range, slipping through the sky like a bat, looping and darting in impossible curves with no sound at all.
”Yo! Evening, by the way!”
”—What?!”
By the time they caught sight of her again, she was right in front of Klock.
Fast. Small. Maybe Tiet or Rosetta’s height. It was always the tiny ones who were fast.
Her claws flashed. Her hand reached for him.
”You’re Hero’s boyfriend, right? Come to the Moon Court with me, ‘kay?”
”—Viola!!”
A spear screamed past his nose. Water spray smacked his cheek. In the blink of an eye, she’d retreated again.
”Hey—don’t get in my waaay!”
”You’re the one interfering!! How dare you steal another’s prey!!”
Primlena conjured another water spear, this time holding it alongside her trident. She had actually blocked Viola’s grab. Protected him, even.
Their eyes met. Maybe… maybe she was going to shield him?
Her glare crushed that thought flat. The goldfish princess stared like she wanted to stab him herself. Klock quickly looked away from the anger searing off her.
Yeah. No way she was on his side. She just hated Viola more.
Seriously. Why was everyone after him? Okay, sure, no one could take Cianie head-on, but still…
Viola had shown up out of nowhere, part of the Demon Lord’s Army, and yet she’d just caused a civil war instead of helping them. Which, honestly, helped him—but he was way too close to dying to appreciate it.
”Mouu, you’re all just so snappy and cute when you’re mad. But today, VioVio’s on an important errand, so no can do. Gotta take Hero’s boyfriend—no, hubby, maybe?—and make him a hostage.”
”…Hero’s… husband…?”
”Yup.”
She pointed at Klock.
”…Wait. You… you are…?”
All eyes swung toward him at once.
Sweat prickled down his spine. This was bad.
”Battlefields everywhere are kinda deadlocked right now, and if Hero goes wild, things’ll get messy. Sooo, we’re just gonna keep her busy, y’know?”
”That’s… a lie. Y-you… you already have another lover, and yet you still did all that to me…?”
Klock backed up an inch. Primlena slid one foot forward, closing the space between them like a stalking predator.
Run. He should just run. That thought flickered across Klock’s mind—then died as Viola drifted behind him like a lazy little ghost, cutting off every way out with a soft flutter of her cloak.
”Welp, guess that’s that then. Not really into kidnapping guys or anything, but this is for Kis-Kis, y’know,” she chirped, her grin flashing like a paper cut.
Primlena leveled her spear at him, the tip gleaming in the moonlight. His gaze instinctively followed the motion—and that instant of distraction was enough. Cold fingers clamped around his shoulders from behind. The ground fell away.
”—ghk!”
He kicked wildly as Viola lifted him clear off his feet like he weighed nothing. He clawed for his knife, swinging it up in a frantic arc—only for her slim arm to stop his with effortless strength.
”Yeah nah, not gonna work,” she said, shaking a finger with a little *tsk tsk tsk.* “A Humans can’t beat VioVio’s muscles, duh.”
She said it like bragging about her favorite snack. Up close, she looked even younger than he’d thought—delicate frame, spindly arms. But those arms didn’t even flinch under his full strength. It wasn’t just race, though, he thought bitterly—there were tiny monsters like Tiet out there too. Some people were just born ridiculous.
”Damn it, let me go, you crazy bitch!!”
”Ha?! Who’re you calling a bitch, huh?! I’m a pure maiden, thank you very much!!”
”Pure maidens don’t wander around dressed like that!!”
They flailed midair like a dropped pomeranian and an exasperated owner. He thrashed with all his might; she clung on like a vice, scowling as his feet kicked at nothing.
”Ugh, sooo annoying!! Stop squirming already!! Fine, fine, I’ll bite you if it shuts you up!! Even though I don’t even want gross boy blood, geez!!”
She flashed her fangs—not the cursed eye, but the tiny sharp canines in her mouth, glittering thin and lethal enough to pierce skin.
Klock’s eyes went wide.
Viola’s lips curled in a wicked smile as she opened her mouth with an exaggerated “aahn—”
”—ohhh come on, again?!”
A spear sliced between them with a shriek of splitting air.
”I told you—he is my prey!!!”
The goldfish princess dropped from above like a thrown blade. Her spear slammed into the earth with a boom that cracked the ground.
Viola darted back in a blur. The moment she vanished, the wide fields of Chita howled and split apart.
”Wha—whoaaa?!”
Water surged like a river bursting its banks. The sudden flood caught Klock full-on, a wall of force that ripped him from his feet and hurled him like driftwood. It swallowed him whole, spinning him end over end, the world nothing but spray and roar and panic.
He slammed toward the earth—and someone caught him.
Primlena.
Her arms locked around him, hauling him against her chest. His face mashed into something hard and faintly soft all at once, like pressed seashells. The tip of her spear pressed against his throat even as she held him safe.
”Wait—hey hey hey, chill, PriPri!! Killing me’s kinda bad, y’know?!”
”Silence!! This Humans will be taken to the Sanctum!! Begone, vampire!!”
”…Sanctum? …ehhh?! Why though?!”
Primlena’s eyes burned like stars as she pointed her spear straight at Viola again. Whatever Viola wanted, it wasn’t getting through. Primlena had decided—she would drag Klock to the Sanctum, even if she had to cut down Viola to do it.
Great. Trial or whatever must be super important. Viola was openly Cianie’s enemy, sure, but this goldfish girl was a pain in her own way.
Klock stood between them, drenched in mud from the flood, sandwiched like some cursed prize. So this was what “caught between two women” meant. Honestly, if they just took each other out, that’d be ideal—but more likely, whoever won was taking him. They were both way too strong.
”Regret turning the mermaids into your enemies. Taste a Magic that drowns all water itself.”
”Ohhh, what, like calling an even bigger tsunami? If you’re actually coming to kill me, VioVio might just hafta bite PriPri back, y’know?”
Viola’s smile went sharp as broken glass. She hadn’t bitten anyone yet—not really. Aside from that one cursed-eye kill, she’d barely even fought. She was hinting she’d been holding back.
Primlena’s answer was to raise her spear high. Around them, mermaids nocked arrows again, aiming without a word. None of them cared about her threat. Water gathered in floating orbs overhead.
”…You’re seriously gonna fight me? VioVio’s an Apostle of the Moon Court, y’know. VioVio could totally kill PriPri before PriPri’s Magic even finishes casting. Still wanna do this?”
And somehow, it didn’t feel like a bluff.
Viola was stronger. It showed in every exchange so far. Her Cursed Eye ignored distance. She flew like lightning. The mermaids hadn’t touched her once. She hadn’t even really tried.
Yeah. If she actually got serious, the goldfish princess might not walk away.
”VioVio’s sorry for what she did, okay? It wasn’t on purpose. So, let’s just stop here, yeah? It’s just Demon Lord’s Army business. Hand over the guy, and VioVio’ll go home.”
”…N-no!! I will not hand him over!!”
”Ehh, why not? What’s this about taking him to the Sanctum? What’s this ‘prey’ thing?”
Primlena’s arms stiffened. For a second, she almost looked uneasy. Maybe she thought she’d lose if they really fought.
But pride won. She stepped in front of Klock, spear raised to guard him, eyes set hard.
”Hey, can I ask you something first?”
”Hmm? What~?”
If he was gonna wedge himself in, it had to be now. Buy time. Make them talk.
”…Back in Beast Country, when someone was watching us from the moon. Was that you?”
That floating red eye above the world. When he looked at it, Viola’s grin curled like a paper knife.
”Ohhh, noticed that? Yup. That night was wild, huh. Fighting a World Tree Beast with just a clone and still surviving? Super impressive. Watching you fight was like watching a story unfold. Way fun.”
So it had been her. He’d guessed, but still—hearing it out loud was different.
”…World Tree Beast, huh. That’s what that thing was called?”
”Wait, you didn’t know about the Abyss’s ruler? Ohhh, so you’re the type who doesn’t know stuff. Makes sense. Okay, quick version: it’s a monster born when the void Fairies tried to hijack the Abyss.”
Abyss. The Void. She’d also called herself an Apostle. All words that felt way too familiar. She knew things he didn’t.
”Fairies tried to hijack the Abyss? That’s even possible?”
”They tried sending World Tree seeds into the Abyss to voidify it, make it theirs. Like, mermaids live in the sea, vampires like VioVio live at night, and Fairies live in forests. So they wanted to turn the Abyss into a forest. But the seed didn’t sprout. It sank into the Soul Underlake, fused with the Nine Worlds’ system that distributes the Abyss—System Purifier—and turned into a monster.”
”…System Purifier. So… it wasn’t made by the Demon Lord’s Army?”
”Lol no way. Even Gasthira wouldn’t touch that. If you summon one, the land gets wrecked and unusable forever. Kinda hard to rule the world when your world’s gone.”
That… actually made sense. The thing had drowned everything in black ocean, left nothing but wasteland. Not even weeds survived. You’d only unleash something like that if you wanted total extinction. Not the kind of thing you dropped on land you planned to rule.
”Also, VioVio wants to know—why’d you even come back to the Human Continent? Could’ve lived peacefully over there, right? But nooo, you just had to come running back. ‘Cause you’re Hero’s family? Couldn’t just sit and watch the war?”
”…Hah? That’s really worth asking?”
”Eh, sure I am. ‘Cause… you’re weak, y’know? Couldn’t do a thing against the Purifier, and you’ve got so little mana I couldn’t even sense you. For a sec I thought maybe you were an Apostle of the Grand Cathedral, but nope—totally just a normal Humans.”
Her lips curled in a sly grin, her gaze pinning him like a needle through paper.
Yeah. She wasn’t wrong. Klock couldn’t hold a candle to them. If she’d watched the Beast Country fight from the start, then she’d seen him the whole way through—running, scrambling, just barely staying alive. Of course she knew exactly where he stood.
But she didn’t know about the Cianie knives. Or his Unique Skill. He was weak, sure, but that didn’t mean he was helpless.
”Shut it. Don’t measure me by your freak scale. Obviously Demon Lord’s Army execs are all monsters.”
”Ahaha, hey now, who’re you calling a monster? I’m clearly a delicate maiden. …I’ll kill you though ♡”
Viola lifted one hand lazily, smile tilting. Around them, the mermaids tensed, weapons raised again. So this was her signal—the fight was back on. Primlena had stayed silent through their banter, but now she slid her eyes to Klock for just an instant… then snapped her spear into position.
”Oh, right. Big brothrr, what are you to Hero anyway? You hugged after beating the Purifier. Boyfriend? Husband? Sibling?”
”…Total stranger. Probably just someone who looks alike.”
”Hmhm, a secret thing then. So jealous. VioVio wanted to be close enough for Hero to save her too.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Viola’s knees bent. A subtle crouch—the coil before a leap.
Primlena moved the same instant, spear thrusting forward in a blur.
Here it comes, Klock thought, fumbling for his knife. Too slow. Way too slow.
But the bite never came.
Because before Viola could reach him, her body split clean in half.
”—eh?”
Her voice said it, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
Why. What. How.
Klock was probably the first to realize. Because he caught a flash of gray hair.
”…oh crap. She was too fast to see—”
Viola’s severed upper half was snatched midair by a blur. Her shock froze on her face as that blur drove her down.
The ground boomed. Moonlight flashed off a spray of crimson as her head burst apart with a wet crack and scattered like shattered fruit.
”…Cianie.”
In the blink of an eye, Viola was gone—smashed from the waist down, her remains stomped into the dirt. Where she’d been grinning a second ago, only churned soil and blood stayed. Standing over her like crushing trash was a woman with flowing gray hair.
”Klock. Thank goodness. You’re safe—”
That clear voice was suddenly right in front of him. Eyes like blue crystal. The clean, faint smell of soap. Her speed was unreal—not just killing the enemy, but closing the gap to him before his heart could catch up. One blink and Viola was gone. The next blink, Cianie’s arms were around him.
”What power… she’s like a storm itself. This is the Hero…?”
Unlike Klock, who’d stood frozen, Primlena had jumped back instantly. The mermaids scrambled to follow, reins tight on their Monster Fish mounts as they spread out across the scorched grass.
”Mermaids can slip past mana sense. I forgot the stories from the Empire. Sorry, Klock.”
”Nah, it’s fine. But how’d you spot her?”
”I could sense her when I stepped on her.”
”…Huh.”
He clapped a hand in dawning realization. So Viola showing up had pinged Cianie’s detection. Which meant the mermaids were screwed—Viola had basically summoned the Hero to them.
”Wait here. I’ll wipe them out.”
Still holding him, she drew her blade in a single flowing turn. Her eyes locked on Primlena. The goldfish princess flinched—bitter, pale.
It was the look of someone who knew she might die. She whipped her spear up in front of her. The other mermaids fanned out, bows drawn and trembling. They stayed only because Primlena stood there. Even so, they were obviously terrified.
”Cianie, hold up—ow?!”
The killing blade stopped mid-swing. Cianie’s head snapped around. Red steam curled around Klock’s neck.
”Heehee, stuck it, stuck it. Cursed you. No running now~”
”Klock?!”
A sharp sting—hot breath on his skin—and then red drift swam past his cheek. Blood. Floating in the air, shaping itself faintly like a human face.
That shape. That voice. No mistake.
Viola.
Shit. She bit him—
”VioVio’s the villain every crying kid falls for. Always fights in style… and dies in style too. So later, baby. Be a good boy and get killed for today. But next time we meet… will you still be Humans?”
Cianie turned back, blade swinging.
The earth cracked open from the force. The shockwave ripped dirt skyward right in front of him.
”Oooh, scary scary, Hero. You sure fight hard when it’s your man on the line. …Didn’t matter how much VioVio prayed though. You never came for me.”
Heat swept his cheek.
The ground glowed red. Burning breath rolled across the field, washing everything in orange.
Then the boom hit. The world went white.
Flare. He barely recognized it before screwing his eyes shut against the glare.
”Klock?!”
”Yeah, thanks.”
That clean soap smell hit him again.
He blinked open. He was on the ground—had been for who knew how long—and now Cianie was crushing him in a tight hug. The air reeked of charred plants.
”Vampires sure are tough. Even blown to bits, she still managed a bite.”
”No… I think that was just a clone. There was no real weight to her. Probably just made a body like a puppet.”
A clone… like a second self, controlled directly. A golem, but remote. So Viola had made hers from… something else.
Yeah. Made sense. It explained the smug attitude too. …Or maybe that was just her being her.
…Wait. Where the hell were the mermaids?
Gone. Slipped away in the chaos.
”Klock, your neck—”
”Yeah, she bit me. Am I gonna turn into a vampire? She’s that Moon Court monster, right?”
”It’s fine. I’ll lift the curse. Hold still.”
”Oh, you can do that.” He raised an eyebrow. Honestly, it felt right that Cianie could. Not even surprising.
”No one gets to curse Klock but me. No other woman gets to mark you.”
”…Ms. Cianie?”
She muttered something under her breath. Probably a spell. He tilted his head—and flinched as a crawling sensation seeped in.
”…Uh. What are you doing?”
”Lifting the curse. Don’t move. I’ll fix it.”
”Okay… yeah, fine, but how exactly are you—uh, is something going inside me?”
”…It’s fine.”
Whatever he asked, all she said was it’s fine, stay still. Her hand rested on his bitten neck. That was all. Probably. He hoped. Still, a cold unease squirmed in his gut. It felt almost like she was slipping inside him somehow, doing… something. Probably just his imagination.
He couldn’t see his own neck.
Grimacing, he let her do whatever she was doing until the strange sensation faded.
”Guess all the fuss is over now.”
They were sitting in the middle of the field, the air still hot. As Cianie focused on cleansing him, two figures trudged up—Boit and Nora.
Right. Those two existed.
He nearly said it out loud. He’d completely forgotten them in all the chaos.
They must’ve been holding their breath the whole time too. Nora and Boit were both splattered in mud, their boots squelching with every step.
Now that he actually looked around, Klock saw the field had turned into a patchwork of shallow ponds. That’s what you got when someone thought “tsunami” was a reasonable thing to cast on dry land. The whole place was a bog now—no way a wagon would roll through this muck without sinking to its axles.
”Glad you two are still in one piece,” he said.
”More or less,” Boit grunted. “But thanks to your fancy Hero pal, our wagon’s wrecked. Took the splash full-on. No way it’s makin’ it to Barreith now. What d’you reckon we do, huh, Klock?”
”…huh.”
Boit wasn’t smiling or scowling—just pulling that awkwardly troubled face like a man trying on emotions to see which one fit. No surprise he’d heard everything; it wasn’t like anyone in the same wagon could’ve missed the part where two non-human girls turned the whole plain into an uproar.
”Did you get hurt, mister?” Nora asked, eyes wide.
Klock gave her a crooked grin and shrugged it off.
”…Cianie. Grab whatever we can carry and teleport to Barreith. Once we drop these two somewhere safe, we’ll regroup with Hermine.”
”Got it,” she said simply.
Notes:
• Clea – younger dog beastkin sister who also serviced Klock previously.
• Primlena – Orange-haired merfolk priestess, fierce yet elegant | First v8c3 | Sister of Sea General Primjune, subordinate to Primrity | Once captured and violated by Klock, now obsessed with reclaiming honor | Commands Obsidian Riders on giant fish, fights with trident | Seeks to drag Klock to Seabed Temple for marriage trial or execution | Unique note: revenge-driven siren bride who masks fury under ritual grace
• Tiet – A companion and friend of Anna. A holy knight from the royal capital. She wears light armor and carries a shield adorned with a dragon holding a sword, indicating her affiliation with the National Military Police. She is concerned about Anna’s well-being and tries to support her emotionally.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Gasthira – United Kingdom of Gasthira. Demonkin-led absolute monarchy; has a parliamentary system this generation; treats humans as enemies; suffers from poor working conditions.
• Boit – A merchant involved in human trafficking, with a villainous face and a loud, obnoxious voice. He is pragmatic and willing to help Klock escape the country in exchange for something. His relationship with Klock is business-like, though both are aware of each other’s illicit activities.
• Hermine – Daughter of the Emperor of the Second Empire of Dusselhelm. A companion and friend of Anna. The mage. She is pragmatic and encourages Anna to focus on her duties as a hero rather than her personal revenge.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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