Volume 10 Chapter 73 Moon Court Incident
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Are adventurers… for real?”
”Aww, sorry RugRug! Even though you went through the trouble of inviting me,” Viola said.
”Geez, Viola!! Even though it was a chance to work at the Estate!!” Rugandia snapped back.
”Listen, RugRug. I’m thinking of leaving the village when I turn fifteen. I’m sure I’ll make it in time. I have to get stronger, starting now.”
”Make it in time… are you still saying that kind of stuff? Come on, look at reality,” Rugandia continued. “The oracle is someone else’s problem, right? The Hero’s adventures are a story above the clouds.”
”No, you’re wrong,” Viola countered. “When I heard that, it clicked. It’s Viola’s destiny. The Hero, who had been absent for a hundred years, appeared in the era when Viola was born. As soon as I become an adult, I’ll register as an adventurer and rush all the way up to A-rank instantly!! Then, I’ll have the Hero recognize me and let me into the party!! I’m going to carve Viola’s name into the second part of the Hero’s story.”
”Viola….”
”Viola’s eyes will surely be useful to the Hero. These eyes were meant for that purpose. They aren’t something meant just to threaten someone.”
Rugandia let out a heavy sigh. “Sigh… then at least say you’re going to defeat the Demon Lord. You just want to get into a book or leave your name behind, don’t you?”
”Weh-heh-heh!! Well, look, isn’t defeating the Demon Lord just like a passing point?” Viola laughed. “When Viola returns home, I’ll tell you adventure stories until you get calluses on your ears.”
”I told you I’m not interested,” Rugandia muttered. “…Idiot. Supposing that actually happens, make sure you feed me something delicious with the money you earn.”
”True! I see, I see. RugRug has an unexpectedly big appetite,” Viola teased. “RugRug’s mom has a sticking-out belly, though. Ah, I feel like RugRug will also have a bulging belly by around thirty.”
”What is that supposed to mean?!” Rugandia barked. “I’m being deathly careful over here, hey!!”
* * *
”Those guys aren’t chasing after us, are they?”
”Well, that’s obvious. Because they let us go.”
The moon, which had been pure red, is changing into a pure white moon.
The dry earth. The cold air.
Viola breathes a sigh of relief at the familiar ground surface and her friend’s profile.
”I thought for sure they were going to use Viola and the others in order to enter the Moon Court.”
”Come to think of it,” Rugandia noted. “They said something like they had figured out a plan to enter the Moon Court, didn’t they? I wonder what they intend to do.”
The Moon Court cannot be entered unless one is invited by a resident of the Moon Court.
Among the conditions that exist respectively in different worlds, that is a rule unique to the Moon Court.
For example, even if one is a Vampire, those who are not invited to the Moon Court do not hold the right to enter the Moon Court.
”Could it be that they captured someone?”
”Even if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be a question of exactly how many people are coming?” Rugandia argued. “I don’t think they’ve captured a number that would allow the intruders to secure their physical safety.”
The number of people one can invite is, in principle, only one person per resident.
Because of this, the Moon Court is a safe zone, and it is the reason why the Nobility can remain assertive.
The Moon Court will not be invaded.
”It’s a strange story,” Viola remarked. “None of those guys should be able to come here. I wonder if they were tricked by a stray Vampire surviving in the wasteland.”
Viola has a few experiences of letting those she bit in the wasteland go.
However, even if those individuals were surviving in the wasteland, it is certain that they do not possess an invitation to enter the Moon Court.
They seemed to desire a negotiation, but Klock Livorno will probably never come here.
”Sorry, RugRug. For losing.”
”That’s true.”
”Moreover, we were let go out of pity,” Viola grumbled. “To lose when we were just one step away, if I were energetic right now, I’d be rolling around clutching my head.”
”From my perspective, it’s the second time, though.”
”Come to think of it, that was the case. What’s up with that wolf kid, she’s too strong,” Viola admitted. “To think there was someone that strong even among the Beastkin.”
”The world is wide, isn’t it?” Rugandia said thoughtfully. “Being the Hero, isn’t she acquainted with strong people all over the world?”
”I see. Then it makes sense that there are guys Viola is bad against,” Viola sighed. “That wolf girl, just with her foot speed alone, she was putting out about the same speed as Viola. On top of that, she goes and plucks off my wings. If someone like that comes out, I don’t feel like I can win anymore.”
Haa—, Viola lets out a sigh.
If it were just her words, she seemed energetic enough to be no different from usual.
However, looking at her appearance, she is tattered just as expected from being beaten black and blue.
Even if not to the extent of Viola, Rugandia’s steps are also very slow.
”In the first place, the other side wasn’t using their full power.”
”…Eh?”
”Princess Asura didn’t come out, right?” Rugandia reminded her. “I told you before that she is on that side, didn’t I? If she had come out, if Count Barnea had been manipulated, I think we would have lost at that exact point.”
The dreadful Princess Asura.
The thing that carved that name into the Demon Continent was due to a mass slaughter ability called the Cursed Eye of Charm.
Even if one were a Moon Court Nobility, escaping from her Cursed Eye is difficult.
”I see. They were fighting without KisKis.”
”I was expecting it to turn out that way a little bit, though,” Rugandia admitted.
”But, but, if that’s the case, why didn’t she come out?”
”That’s just a whim, right? She’s that kind of person, her. Surely Klock Livorno also finds her more than he can handle.”
In the first place, even the Demon Lord’s Army found Kispe Shisa more than they could handle.
There is no way mere Humans could control her.
If the Hero were there, the story might be different, though.
”…Hey,” Viola said quietly. “RugRug, do you still hate the Moon Court, after all??”
”Why??”
”Because, RugRug, you are in favor of siding with that side, right?”
”Well, yeah,” Rugandia replied. “I thought we couldn’t go on living this kind of life forever. Because we are still just being allowed to live. That’s why, if there’s a chance to move forward, I think we should move forward.”
”I see.”
Rugandia was caught by Klock during the previous attack.
When she was released, she immediately told Viola and the others the details of the event.
At that time, as Rugandia’s own feelings, she had recommended defection.
”It became the reverse of the old days.”
”The reverse??”
”In the old days, you wanted to leave the Sand,” Rugandia explained. “I desired to stay because I was aiming for a stable life. Now I am making a plan to leave, and you want to remain here.”
At Rugandia’s words, Viola wears an indescribable expression.
”I understand your feelings too, though,” Rugandia added gently. “Fifteen years have already passed since coming here. The Moon Court has become our second hometown.”
”That’s right. That’s how it is,” Viola said. “Because it’s way too late now. This side has long since advanced down the path of a charismatic female villain. There’s no way I can go to the Hero’s place starting from now.”
”You never had charisma from the start, though.”
That was Viola’s true feeling.
Viola was originally a Human.
Precisely because of that, she understood that she, who was no longer a Human, could never return to the circle of Humans.
Because she understands the culture and customs of Humans, she has been fully realized that her fangs and wings would become objects of fear and ridicule.
”In the wasteland, there’s no place for Viola, who can no longer even walk under the sunlight. I don’t want them to easily tell me to come over here.”
”…What is this?” Viola muttered.
Returning to the Mironde territory, Viola doubted her eyes at that sight.
”No way?! It’s burning??” Viola cried out.
”What is this?!” behind her, Mermy and Linaria yelled in shock as they caught up, their faces twisted in astonishment.
Viola and the others’ territory. Its only village was suffering from a great fire to the extent of dyeing the sky red.
”All three of you can still fly, right?? Go ahead!!” Rugandia ordered.
Locking shoulders with Viola, Rugandia urged Linaria and Mermy to fly onward. Due to fatigue and severe damage, walking slowly was the absolute limit for Rugandia and Viola.
”I have a very bad feeling.”
”…”
The very occurrence of an incident in the Moon Court is an abnormal thing.
It would be fine if this were just a fire due to careless handling of fire, but if it were not so,
”Viola!!” a man’s voice echoed through the smoke as they reached the village line.
It was the blacksmith, a deeply familiar face to everyone in the village.
”Run away quickly!!” the blacksmith master screamed.
”Master??” Viola called out, taking a step forward.
Suddenly, a harsh voice cut through from the edge of the square. “Hey!! Viola is here!! Capture her!!” the village head bellowed to the crowd.
”Village head…??” Viola whispered.
The blacksmith drops to his knees. It was hard to see clearly through the blinding backlight of the raging fire, but Viola noticed blood was streaming from his mouth.
Then, she realized that the villagers who looked like they were running around in confusion were doing nothing of the sort.
What they held in their hands were torches.
She caught sight of a man deliberately throwing ignited lumber into a standing house. The arsonist was right in front of them, yet nobody cared. Instead, they turned and────ran straight toward Viola.
”What are you doing, you guys!!” Rugandia screamed as she was suddenly pulled down to the ground.
Already completely weakened, Rugandia was suppressed instantly and effortlessly by the rushing villagers.
”!! You guys, why this kind of thing…!!” Viola gasped.
Unable to offer any resistance of her own, Viola was slammed down, her face pressed hard against the dry dirt of the Moon Court. Terrified by the hysterical, altered expressions of the town residents, she found herself completely captured, unable to move a muscle under the intense pain wracking her body.
”Damn it, Viola!!” the blacksmith master yelled out in anguish.
”Master!!” Viola cried back.
Someday the residents might rise up in revolt in this land. Such anxiety had been within Viola from a long time ago. But she didn’t think for a moment that it would become this kind of situation at this moment today. Of all things, on the day when she returned tattered from losing. Or rather, had they planned everything to strike at this exact vulnerability?
”Why are you throwing fire into the houses!!” Viola demanded, her voice cracking. “If you have dissatisfaction with the feudal lord, you should go to the castle, right?! Why are you burning the houses you live in yourselves and—”
”What are you saying, you,” a hoarse voice sneered, cutting her off. “You are a naive fellow as usual.”
”…Count Barnea??” Viola gasped.
There stood a man laughing viciously. Hearing that raspy tone, the terrible intuition inside her chest hardened into absolute certainty.
Count Barnea looked down at her and spoke with cold detachment. “As expected, you returned alive. I will imprison you. Because if one loses a battle, one must take responsibility. That is the destiny of a ruler.”
”Hah?? Responsibility for losing a battle??” Viola spat back, struggling against the hands holding her down. “…That, if you call it responsibility, you yourself—”
”I decided to take responsibility by burning and disposing of Mironde,” Count Barnea interrupted casually. “Needless to say, you will also die here.”
”What… you’re, joking, right??”
The act of those above pushing responsibility onto those below and escaping only themselves seems to be called cutting off the lizard’s tail. Viola turns pale at the coldly laughing expression of that man. The moment he said to die, a mysterious pressure was being applied to Viola. That is, in short, the exercise of dominant power against Viola. The command as a Nobility is working a compelling force against the dhampir.
”Well, that is just a mere pretext. A fool like you would accept and believe my words just as they are, right?” Count Barnea continued, stepping closer. “I shall teach you the truth. The reason I was sending you to the front lines was because I was waiting for the moment you weaken like this.”
”Hah?”
”If you do the work, it is good. It is fine even if you fail and lose your life. If you die, the next apostle will likely be selected.”
”?!”
”But you survived on top of failing. That is not permitted,” Count Barnea hissed. “If you survived, take responsibility and die here.”
Saying so, Barnea extended his hand to a man standing immediately nearby. Those four fingers dig into the man’s throat. The resident of the dhampir falls while spurting a spray of blood. Looking at that sight, the villagers, however, did not show any appearance of blaming. It only looks like their expressions are slightly stiff.
”So Viola was the goal? Then why the village?!” Viola cried out in a voice full of anguish. “Everyone is a dhampir!! They are loyal and cannot go against what you say…”
Count Barnea interjected coldly, “They are not loyal. When I announced your execution, these guys were nothing but opposers. It is because you maintained a slacker governance compared to other territories.”
On the other side of her vision, the blacksmith master was grinding his teeth. No matter how one looked at it, it was clear that the villagers were entirely rebellious toward the Count. However, even if they harbored rebellion in their hearts, there was no one who could truly stand against the Nobility. The situation was already finished. The village was completely enveloped in flames.
There were also those who must have been on the Count’s side from the beginning. Those opportunists had likely taken the initiative to set the fires themselves. At the very least, not a single soul tried to step forward to help Viola, who lay collapsed on the ground.
”They must be punished. They must be purged,” Count Barnea continued with absolute detachment. “After executing you, it would be intolerable if someone who awakens as an apostle were to appear from among these miscreants.”
Viola’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. “What are you saying… You’re saying you’ll kill our compatriots for that kind of reason…?”
Right in front of the gathered villagers’ eyes, the Count loudly declared their execution, announcing that he would completely wipe out every single resident of the Mironde territory. What he had once executed in Sand, he would now perform within the Moon Court. Barnea declared it so without a hint of hesitation.
”Rodney,” the Count called out.
And indeed, the looming execution was meant to include far more than just Viola and the immediate villagers.
”Take these guys to the prison,” Count Barnea commanded.
”Yes,” Rodney replied flatly.
Dressed in the formal attire of a clergyman, Rodney calmly stepped forward, carrying both Linaria and Mermy slung over his shoulders.
”Rodney…??” Viola weakly muttered, her mind spinning in confusion.
Linaria, barely conscious, let out a fragile whisper: “Just as I thought…. You, the whole time…”
The person standing before them was none other than their childhood friend—now revealed as a complete traitor. It was distinctly different from him being manipulated or under a spell; he had deliberately attacked the two from behind, robbing them of consciousness without leaving any room for resistance. Rugandia had previously mentioned hearing rumors that Rodney was acting suspiciously. Thanks to that warning, Viola was able to piece together exactly what had occurred.
”I’m sorry,” Rodney said, his voice entirely devoid of warmth.
Viola stared at him, a silent, unutterable shock frozen on her face.
No longer capable of moving her body, Viola was dragged away by Rodney whether she liked it or not. She absolutely did not wear an expression that accepted this fate as a good thing.
Groaning from the deep physical pain wracking her body, she was thrown into the dungeon, completely at a loss for words. Her remaining grace period would probably be just a few hours, a single day at most. As soon as the authorities finished disposing of the villagers, her role as an apostle would be violently stripped away alongside her life.
* * *
”We have successfully commenced the purge of the people of Mironde village,” Count Barnea reported, addressing the grand chamber. “As expected, subversive elements were mixed in among them. Since the purification will finish in due time, I would like to request a little more time for now.”
Seated at the head of the table, Hanover nodded. “Is that so. Good work.”
There was a space far too anomalous to be called a mere room. While the circular table and layout resembled a standard conference hall, the sheer scale of the architecture was staggeringly vast. Inside the minimalist, plaster-covered walls, splendidly attired Nobles sat lined up in a row. At the absolute head of the table remained two prominent, vacant seats. Among the high Nobility currently seated, Hanover held the highest position beneath those empty chairs, prompting him to offer the initial words of appreciation to Barnea.
”Viola… I honestly thought she could be used a bit more than this,” one of the seated nobles mused aloud.
Julie chimed in with a sharp, mocking laugh, “And that’s despite how active she was on the Demon Continent. Sounds to me like her mind was just growing soft and slack.”
As Barnea and Julie spoke, Hanover’s brow furrowed heavily.
”That girl is a fighter, not a commander,” Hanover noted strictly, directing his gaze across the table. “Entrusting the entire battlefield to her was a severe lack of management on your part, Count Barnea. If you hadn’t looked down on the enemy as a minor force of Humans, and had gone to the front lines to command the operation yourself, the matter would have been settled long before reinforcements could arrive.”
Hearing Hanover’s stern critique, Count Barnea merely twisted the corner of his mouth into a sinister smirk. “My bad. I shall responsibly handle the purge of the remaining subversive elements myself.”
It was a strange, deflected response, yet no one in the silent room dared to question him further. The narrative had already been set: the defeat was entirely due to a total collapse of command and control. Under the leadership of a dhampir like Viola, the troops simply refused to listen, causing the dhampir soldiers to go on a rampage until the situation was entirely unrecoverable. That was the official report already submitted, making the ongoing purge a perfectly natural conclusion in their eyes.
”The real issue now is Viola’s treatment,” another noble asserted. “That creature slaughtered countless Demonkin, but in the war against Humans, she has produced absolutely no results. It is blatantly obvious she is cutting corners when facing her own kind. It’s high time she was purged as well.”
Hanover immediately shut the suggestion down. “Absolutely not. I have told you before to respect and understand the King’s explicit will.”
”Is it not already enough?!” an arrogant noble shouted back, slamming his hand on the table. “How long are we going to let a brat of such lowly origin sit among us? For a girl born of the slave class, serving in our bedchambers is the only fitting place for her. The King is completely mistaken on this!”
An older, heavy-set noble burst into a crude laugh. “Hahaha! Well, it’s hard to argue with that! The sleeping quarters certainly suit her dynamic!”
”Though we’ve missed the ideal window,” a slender noble added with an insincere sigh. “Fifteen years ago, if we had completely broken her while she was still ignorant, she could have been poached and savored as a choice fruit.”
”Why doesn’t someone try driving a rod straight through that whore’s eyes?” a deeply depraved noble suggested with a grin. “She might finally bloom into a proper monster for the bedchamber.”
Julie smiled languidly, leaning back in her seat. “Oh, if you’re just going to use her as a toy, why not hand the girl over to me? I am entirely convinced that bathing in her fresh blood would make my skin beautifully radiant. I’d be absolutely thrilled if she turned out to be a virgin, too.”
The heavy-set noble chuckled loudly, waving his hand dismissively. “Hahaha, give me a break, Julie! You’re already older than my deceased grandmother!”
A chorus of cruel, mocking laughter echoed through the vast hall. It was a thoroughly vulgar, low-class conversation, entirely devoid of the dignity expected of true Nobility.
”Quiet,” Hanover commanded, sharply tapping the desk twice with his finger.
The laughter quickly died away, leaving a lingering, tense silence throughout the room.
”The one who chose her as an apostle was the King himself,” Hanover stated with absolute gravity. “The likes of Viola may not possess a vessel worthy of standing alongside the Hero or the Six Horns, but it is entirely certain that the King expects a specific role from her. His Majesty possesses insights far beyond our own. Unlike you lot, who can see nothing but the immediate profit right in front of your faces, the King is looking incredibly far ahead.”
The assembled nobles merely shrugged their shoulders, unwilling to openly argue with Hanover’s declaration.
”Unless we receive definitive proof that her role has reached its end, she will continue to be treated as an apostle,” Hanover concluded firmly. “As for the rest of you, start acting like true Nobility and look to the future. There is no longer any doubt that this world will stop leaning entirely in favor of the Demonkin. Given the outcome of this recent campaign, you had better start preparing for the inevitable rise of the Humans.”
Hanover continued to lecture them bit by bit. Since this harsh treatment was standard for him, none of the nobles lost their temper or pushed back. But just as the meeting was about to formally adjourn, a sudden noise interrupted them. A sharp, hurried knocking rattled the heavy doors.
”I am incredibly sorry to interrupt the council, but an urgent report has just arrived!” a guard’s voice called out anxiously from the hallway.
The nobles all knit their brows in annoyance.
”What is it?” Hanover demanded.
”Sir! A massive, large-scale rebellion has just broken out across the Mironde territory!” the guard shouted through the door.
Count Barnea froze, his smirk instantly vanishing. “What? In Mironde…?”
* * *
”I’m sorry,” Viola whispered into the darkness.
Her hazy, muddled consciousness slowly drifted back to the surface. Lying flat on the cold floor of the prison cell, she forced the apology past her lips. She had no idea how much time had passed since she lost consciousness, and her body utterly refused to move. Without even checking to see who was nearby, she simply kept repeating the words.
”Violan. You’re finally awake,” Mermy said softly from the darkness.
From an adjacent cell, Rugandia called out anxiously, “Can you stand up?”
Hearing those familiar voices brought a faint wave of relief to Viola’s chest. Yet, no matter how much mental strength she mustered, she couldn’t find the power to move her arms even an inch.
”There’s definitely a magic-sealing barrier active here,” Linaria explained, her voice tight. “This entire cell block is designed to constantly disperse and scatter our magic power.”
Mermy let out a weak, exhausted sigh. “And that’s not all they’ve done to it. As time passes, instead of recovering, our strength is continuously draining away. I don’t even have the energy to stand up anymore.”
”Locking all of us in here alongside Viola was completely deliberate,” Rugandia growled, her teeth grinding in frustration. “That bastard prepared the exact steps to eliminate Viola well in advance.”
Linaria, Mermy, and Rugandia. The three voices announced their safety, bringing a small amount of comfort mixed with an agonizing sensation. Rodney alone seemed to be missing from the room.
”Why…” Viola whimpered, her voice cracking.
Linaria shifted closer to the bars of her cell. “Viola?”
”Why did things have to turn out like this? I’m so incredibly sorry, everyone,” Viola wept, completely stripped of her usual vibrant energy. It was an apology stemming from the absolute bottom of her shattered heart.
”This isn’t something you need to apologize for,” Linaria countered fiercely, trying to break through her despair. “It’s entirely because that piece of garbage chose to betray us.”
”No, it’s because I was completely delusional,” Viola cried out, her tears flowing freely now. “Because fifteen years had passed, I actually started to believe this place was my true hometown. I thought I just needed to plant my feet, work hard, and push through the pain because eventually, a day would come where we’d finally see the light. I really believed that.”
Viola was already twenty-six years old. When she had first been dragged into the Moon Court, she was a mere child of eleven. The time she had spent surviving in this alternate world had officially surpassed the years of her childhood. Even if Sand was her original birthplace, the Moon Court had become her second home.
”I was so wrong,” Viola sobbed, her voice heavy with self-loathing. “This place was never a home. It’s just a nation of kidnappers and monsters. We were never citizens—we were just slaves meant to be worked until we died.”
At those raw, agonizing words, Rugandia, Mermy, and Linaria all fell completely silent. The high Nobility had never once shown them an ounce of genuine kindness. The regular town residents cared for absolutely nothing beyond their own personal convenience. Yet, because Viola had been granted the title of Baron, a personal castle, and the formidable power of an apostle, she felt she had been given a real foundation. It allowed her to desperately dream of a future where true dedication would eventually be rewarded.
”Don’t do this to yourself, Violan,” Mermy pleaded softly, her own eyes welling with tears. “We all agreed that we had no choice but to give it our all here. We started this journey together, remember?”
”She’s right,” Linaria chimed in, her voice trembling. “You aren’t wrong for wanting a home. Leaving everything behind at this point to wander into the completely unknown is terrifying. To be honest, the mere thought of leaving the Moon Court terrifies me too.”
Rugandia let out a harsh, self-deprecating chuckle from her cell. “Yeah. Just the thought of stepping out into the actual sunlight scares the hell out of me. I keep thinking I’ll just instantly turn to ash the second it touches my skin. The only reason we ended up trapped in this mess is because we were all terrified of the sun and took our sweet time making a move. This failure belongs to all of us, Viola, not just you.”
The overwhelming warmth of their comfort only made Viola’s emotions spill over completely. My eyes grew hot, and my vision blurred.
”But it’s so frustrating!” Viola wailed, her voice echoing off the stone walls. “We’ve tried so hard! For ten straight years, I endured the torment and pushed myself to the absolute limit, and we gained absolutely nothing from it! In the end, we could never become real residents of this world!”
She tightly gripped the dirt on the floor, crying out against the cruelty of it all. Looking at her, the others found themselves entirely speechless. Mermy looked down at her lap, Rugandia clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, and Linaria cast her eyes directly to the floor.
They had all known deep down that this day would eventually come. There had been opportunities to escape, moments where they could have broken away entirely. But they had frozen. The sheer terror of taking that single, final step out of the Moon Court had kept them paralyzed.
”I wonder… what were our lives even for?” Linaria whispered, her voice breaking the heavy silence.
”Ah…” Viola gasped.
As Linaria’s words hung in the air, Viola burst into violent, uncontrollable sobs.
”Fu… uu, uuuu… I’m so sorry! I-If I had just been stronger and made up my mind for everyone’s sake, we wouldn’t be here! We should have just abandoned this awful place a long time ago! Uu, uuuu… I’m so, so sorry…!!” Viola shrieked, crying like an entirely broken child.
Linaria panicked, reaching her hands through the iron bars. “Ah, Viola…”
”Violan…!!” Mermy cried out, tears finally streaming down her own face.
If these girls had been raised in a harsher, more vicious environment, they would have spent this moment bitterly throwing blame at Viola’s feet. Anyone raised in the cutthroat human world would have listed a hundred things she should have done differently.
But Linaria, Mermy, and Rugandia didn’t harbor a single drop of resentment. They were entirely in the same boat, bound by a decade of shared survival. Even as their tears flowed together in the dim light, it was impossible for them to think badly of her.
”What’s with you lot? Crying like a bunch of helpless brats,” a sudden, incredibly casual voice echoed down the prison corridor.
Though separated by thick iron bars, the deep bond of friendship held the four girls together. And right into the middle of that tragic, emotional space, an entirely unbothered, out-of-place voice had cut through.
”Wow, look at that. They actually went through the trouble of carving a full magic-obstructing spell array directly into the stone,” the voice noted thoughtfully. “Man, the way these scumbags think is exactly the same no matter what world you go to.”
The speaker completely failed to read the heavy atmosphere of the dungeon. Immediately following the casual remark, a loud, sharp screech of tearing metal echoed through the block. Heavy, deliberate footsteps began to stroll down the center passageway.
”Oh, there you are. Found you,” the man said, pausing right in front of Viola’s cell with a relaxed smirk. “Yo, Viola. It’s been since yesterday. So, this is your current place, huh? You’re living in a pretty dreary, pathetic dump, aren’t you?”
Viola froze, her tears stopping mid-fall as she stared up at him in utter bewilderment. “…Huh?”
Perhaps his incredibly frivolous tone and utterly trashy words could not be overlooked.
Viola, who until a moment ago had been unable to make even a single movement, desperately strained her neck to turn.
Looking past the bars of the cell toward the face of the man standing on the other side, even the resilient Viola found her tears suddenly drying up.
”Why… are you here…?” Viola stammered.
”Ah? Can’t you tell just by looking? It’s pillaging, clear and simple,” the man replied.
”Pi… llaging…?”
Klock Livorno-a man of the Humans race, and the Hero’s husband. The one man who absolutely should not have been in a place like this was standing right there. He pulled something out of his pocket with a loud, metallic jingle. It was a ring of keys.
”Mirondo? Was that the place?” Klock mused aloud as he looked over the keys. “Once I entered the Moon Court, I somehow ended up right near there. The locals surrendered on the spot, so taking control of the place was an absolute breeze. Ah, so this joint is called Frontal, huh? I came all this way because I heard you were dragged off to this place, but finding you was way too easy. You’re as simple to pick up as a chick traveling alone in a skirt.”
”Taking control…? You mean you came here with an army…?” Viola’s voice filled with disbelief. “That’s impossible. This is an alternate world, and entering it requires an explicit invitation…”
”Ah, well, far be it from me to spill the secret myself, though,” Klock said with a smirk.
With a sharp clank, the cell door swung open.
”To be honest, I’ve always been pretty damn good at sneaking into people’s houses and swiping their stuff,” Klock continued, stepping inside. “I just came sniffing around this place to see if there were any valuables worth taking, or maybe some easy-to-snatch women lying around.” He pointed his finger directly at her. “Well, it just so happens there’s a defenseless young woman right in front of my eyes, though.”
”What in the world… are you talking about…?” Viola whispered.
They were no longer looking at each other through iron bars. The man’s face was right there in front of her, with absolutely nothing left to separate them. As he flashed a wide, toothy grin at her, Viola was left completely dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word.
”What’s the matter, what’s the matter?” Klock mocked. “Why the hell are you making a face like a gryphon that just got pegged by a flying stone? Did you seriously think you’d be safe just because you were locked inside a prison cell? This is war, sweetheart. When you trample into enemy territory, it’s standard procedure to ransack every single corner and strip them clean of their money, their food, and their women, isn’t it?”
”That’s just war from the damn primitive era,” Viola snapped back.
”The wasteland is still exactly like this today,” Klock countered. “Snatching a stolen baby to raise as your own child, or abducting a young woman to force her into a marriage with a soldier. This world is full of nasty magic formulas thought up by absolute degenerates, like the slave mark, you know. In this world, the ones doing the taking hold every single advantage.”
Even the Vampires had r*ped indiscriminately all over the place when they launched their assault on the wasteland. Considering the brutal origins of the inhabitants of the Moon Court, that sort of baseline common sense probably didn’t deviate drastically from reality.
Linaria piped up casually from the side, “Survival of the fittest, I suppose.”
”Exactly,” Klock agreed, glancing back. “That’s exactly how you guys ended up here in the first place, after all.”
The moment those words left his mouth, a heavy, dead silence completely consumed the room.
Klock dropped into a low crouch directly in front of Viola, his tone softening slightly. “To be reduced to tears like that, it looks like they put you through some serious hell.”
Feeling a wave of intense embarrassment wash over her, Viola quickly averted her gaze. “I wasn’t crying.”
”If it were me, I sure as hell wouldn’t put you through something like that, though,” Klock murmured.
”Hey, you piece of trash,” Viola said, but faced with his familiar, unbothered attitude, she couldn’t help but let out a soft, involuntary laugh.
”I’ve got some business to settle with Hanover,” Klock said, standing back up. “But before I do that, I’m taking you out of here. Have you finally braced yourself to be properly wooed by me?”
The moment the man said those words, Viola fell silent for a brief instant. She quietly let out a long, slow sigh, and then spoke in complete surrender, as if finally resigning herself to her fate.
”…Just take me anywhere…”
It was a voice so incredibly faint and fragile that it was entirely unimaginable coming from the usually stubborn Viola.
”What the hell, you fall for me instantly?” Klock laughed. “And here I went through all the trouble of cooking up a whole bunch of smooth pick-up lines.”
”Hey. Shut up or I’ll reject you right now,” Viola threatened.
”If you go and do that, I’m leaving you behind all by yourself, though.”
”You absolute savage!!” Viola cried.
Her once-elegant dress was completely ruined, reduced to tattered, miserable rags that were painful to look at. Klock reached down, placing his hands firmly around her slender waist, and hoisted her up.
”Ouch!” she cried out, giving him a sharp smack, but the blow was incredibly weak and devoid of any real force. Taking full advantage of his position as the one carrying her, Klock casually copped a feel, only to be promptly and viciously stabbed by her sharp claws.
”Rugandia,” Klock said, turning his head to look at the other girl in the cell.
Lying on the floor just beyond them, the young girl continued to let her tears flow silently down her face.
Klock confronted her with an expression of pure mercy-one that made it entirely impossible to believe he was a cynical former bandit. “It reached me loud and clear-your distress call.”
”…!!” Rugandia gasped.
It looked exactly like the face of a man who had failed to save someone on some forgotten day in his past, but had finally, against all odds, made it in time this turn.
Gripping the iron bars with a look of absolute desperation, Rugandia screamed, “Please, I beg of you… save everyone!!”
Even though she herself was already in the process of being rescued, the desperate plea was wrenched from her throat as if she were violently vomiting blood.
In response to her raw, agonizing cry, Klock spoke with the absolute casualness of a man agreeing to join a buddy for a quick drink. “Yeah.”
—
Summary:
Moving slowly due to injuries sustained from an intense combat defeat, Viola and Rugandia safely return to the Mironde territory only to witness their home village engulfed in a massive fire. The surrounding residents unexpectedly capture Viola under the orders of their own feudal superior rather than fleeing the destruction. Count Barnea appears amidst the ruins to shifting the absolute military blame directly onto his weakened subordinate, leaving Viola trapped under a sudden crushing enforcement of noble domination as a blood-splattered execution unfolds before an unmoving crowd of onlookers
Klock breaches the prison parameters to liberate Viola from her cell. Verbal exchanges mask their underlying mutual relief while confirming the total subjugation of the local forces. Rugandia interjects with a harrowing appeal for the broader populace, leaving the rogue protagonist to weigh his upcoming confrontation with Hanover
—
Trivia:
- The specific condition governing Moon Court access limits entry exclusively to individuals explicitly invited by its existing residents.
- Princess Asura commands a mass slaughter capability driven by the unique sensory traits of her Cursed Eye of Charm.
- The spatial layout of Frontal within the sub-dimension known as the Moon Court.
- The specific operational function or design constraints of a slave mark formula
—
Character Insight:
Viola transitions from struggling with her monstrous identity as an outcast who can no longer walk beneath sunlight to a state of complete vulnerability and betrayal by her political sovereign. Count Barnea explicitly reveals his strategic opportunism, demonstrating that his primary objective was to wait for his own apostle to be physically broken before using her survival as an excuse for elimination.
Viola transitions from deep emotional despondency to an defensive, teasing posture typical of her established dynamic with Klock. Klock maintains a cynical facade regarding military plunder but exhibits selective personal altruism when responding directly to a distress call that mirrors a prior failure.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Viola – Pale vampire maid with fangs and crimson eyes, a Vampire Princess of the Demon Continent, wears a soaked, tattered red dress now mud‑stained and wretched after being overwhelmed by Rosetta. She leads the maids defiantly against Klock, bears a scar from the Hero’s fatal blow, and though bratty and arrogant, shows fierce loyalty.
• Rugandia – Slender maid from the Sand Village, in a crisp white uniform with a red apron, appears at the edge of the Croce Estate’s fire, summoned by Sylvia’s father to serve as Sylvia’s loyal attendant. Later revealed as a vampire coven member meeting in the estate’s old church, she balances family service with secret nocturnal duties, wearing a black robe. Now she protects Viola, using Shadow Walking through darkness, though her formal attire hinders combat.
• Livorno – The family name of Klock, now associated with the property of Rosetta Beledia within the social hierarchy of the Beastkin.
• Klock – Battle-worn Conro master and Chosen One, purple-eyed with a healed gut piercing and massive weapon-like penis, caked in mud after summoning a magical flood, commands the 2,600-strong Brigante Troop west of Conro; pragmatic heir of the Opener, wields Dominance-based Stellar Skill ‘Authority’ (World Conquest), aggressive and vengeful, street-hero fame, and a succubus harem; phases through stone, wields a Cianie Knife with razor-sharp precision, recently betrayed and cornered by vampires in a church, knows Flavia and Suzette, and upholds a personal code—intervening to stop Rosetta from killing Rugandia, honoring the sanctity of princesses despite his brutal nature.
• Count Barnea – A vampire noble first appearing at Mirond Castle after the Orrid battle. Demands one hundred gold coins from Viola to fund mercenaries and orders execution of a singing servant. Cruel superior to Viola. No other relations noted. Arrogant and predatory.
• Kispe – Queen Kispe, the Succubus Princess Asura, is a winged succubus with long black hair, amethyst eyes, a petite slender build, and a black‑tied one‑piece dress. She is Klock’s lover and healer, teasing him, wielding arousal as a weapon, and manipulating him with a sharp, playful tongue. She communicates telepathically, sharing a flirtatious, mischievous bond.
• Linaria – Vampire girl from Sand Village, once victim of the Moon Court Nobility, now a longtime maid of Castle Viola and childhood friend of Viola. Member of the Vampire Maid Corps, she’s quiet, dependable, famed for long, decorated nails, and participates in a dive‑attack on Rosetta before being immobilized by the Law of the Sword Seal.
• Mermy – Calm, dutiful dampir maid with sharp eyes and freckles, a childhood friend of Viola and member of the Vampire Maid Corps. She fought in the Orrid sky battle, urges retreat at sunrise to avoid burning, serves as Viola’s subordinate, and is a loyal ally. Recently she dove from the sky to attack Rosetta but was intercepted by shadowy bindings.
• Rodney – A member of the Vampire Maid Corps who attempts to reinforce Viola and Rugandia before being bound by Kuzuha’s seal.
• Julie – A female Vampire noble (Nobility) who manipulates blood to create spears and weapons.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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