* * *
Late at night, a black carriage sped through the woods near the Kalinos Mansion. Inside, a veiled woman glanced anxiously out the window.
Good, no one’s following me, at least for now.
After racing for some time, the carriage finally screeched to a halt in front of a mansion. As soon as the carriage stopped, the woman, no, Hwairi, now without her veil, hurriedly dashed inside.
The mansion was shrouded in darkness. She rushed through its maze-like corridors, making her way deeper inside. There, in a coffin-like chamber, she saw a mercenary, clutching his chest and gasping for breath, his body trapped as if in a tomb. He was the very mercenary Hwairi had supposedly healed at the Kalinos Mansion.
“How is he?”
“How do you think? He’s about to fucking die.”
A mocking voice echoed near the coffin. Hwairi shot a glare at the man.
“Why are you looking at me like that? You know exactly what you’re doing.”
With her body trembling, Hwairi looked back at the mercenary, who was on the verge of death. The truth was, she hadn’t healed him back then. To be precise, she’d only made it look like she had.
“Here. Take this sword.”
Hwairi flinched for a moment, then took the sword.
The Full Moon Sword. It was a gruesome weapon, said to have been forged by melting the corpse of the person with the strongest divine power into molten metal on the night when the moon’s energy was at its peak in a hundred years. Just hearing its name was enough to send chills down your spine.
“If I stab someone with this sword, are you sure my divine power will return?” Staring at the sword, Hwairi asked.
The man nodded curtly, as if annoyed.
Hwairi bit her lip hard as she looked into the mercenary’s trembling eyes. To regain divine power, she had to kill someone. Is this really okay? Still… Thanks to my divine power, many people have found happiness. Garno, the Kalinos family, and many others. She remembered the joy when the Kalinos bloodline learned she had divine power.
Thinking back to the happiness she’d brought them, she couldn’t help but feel encouraged. That’s right. He’s someone who has to die anyway. Someone who’s going to die, no matter what.
She squeezed her eyes shut and, with all her strength, drove the sword into the mercenary’s heart. Hwairi stared down at the mercenary, who had died before he could even open his eyes. As she hurried to hand the sword back, she accidentally cut her own hand.
“Ah, ow.”
It left a scratch, but she couldn’t heal herself. It was because her divine power was a fake, based on her own life force. She could emit divine power and heal others, but since it was drawn from her own life force, she couldn’t use it to heal herself. Hwairi bit her lip again and clenched her fingers to stop the bleeding.
“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing. My divine power is definitely coming back.”
The man seemed unconcerned as he continued. “Good. You’ve planted the drag herb properly, right?”
“Of course. I planted it while pretending to do some gardening.”
“Good. That herb will make your divine power much stronger on the night of the full moon.”
That’s right. There’s no need for any useless thoughts. On that day, she would finally become ‘real’. With a radiant smile, Hwairi clasped her hands in front of her chest as if in prayer. “So, on that day, I’ll really be able to use my divine power, right?”
“Yes. You’ll become the protagonist who captures that family. And…”
“That woman, Giselle. I’ll be able to kill her too, right?”
That woman had been nothing but an obstacle to her. Not only did she attract all the attention meant for Hwairi, but she was unbearably arrogant. Hwairi wanted her dead. But…
“No, you have to follow his orders. You can’t kill her. She’s under his watch.”
For some reason, the great ‘him’ who issued orders to her and to the man, wanted that woman with an inexplicable intensity. Hwairi even felt a hint of jealousy because of it.
“I have a question. Just like he said, I got into Duke Kalinos’s mansion and stole Giselle’s belongings. Why did he want me to steal her things?”
“If you destroy something she cherishes on the night of the full moon, her body will turn to stone. She won’t be able to speak or move. She’ll become, quite literally, a living statue.”
“So, turning her into a living statue is his wish?”
“That’s right.”
With a bright smile, Hwairi slipped the switch in her hand into her pocket.
It was at that moment. A faint, opaque shadow flickered near the switch, then vanished again. Hwairi instinctively felt a chill and looked around. The dead mercenary with the sword in his chest, the man in the shadows, everything was just as she’d seen moments ago. Was it just because the air was stuffy? She felt a bit woozy, but otherwise nothing had changed.
Guess I was just being a little sensitive. She rubbed the switch in her pocket, feeling the smooth surface just as it was beneath her fingers. Tilting her head in puzzlement, Hwairi turned and slipped out of the mansion.
* * *
At last, the long-awaited night of the full moon arrived. It was the night when a glorious full moon rose over the deep darkness. A warm, lovely little festival where everyone strolled together in the moonlight.
Beneath the dazzling moonlight, Hwairi walked with light, graceful steps. She gently caressed the object she held tightly in her hand, smiling softly and sweetly. Beside her was Garno.
“A night of the full moon celebration. I never thought my family would host something like this.”
“Yes.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Hwairi.”
Yes. Everything was perfect today. Well, except for the fact that she kept feeling dazed and out of it since morning. But just then, she heard people whispering about Wot in the distance.
“They say Lord Garno is putting so much care into Wot’s statue.”
Hwairi’s expression tightened ever so slightly. Of course, with Giselle gone, all the attention should have been on her, but the talk about ‘Wot’ just wouldn’t die down. But after looking at Wot, she found out Wot was just an ordinary commoner, nothing special. There’s no way someone like that could ever marry the duke unlike me.
At the very least, Hwairi was still a member of a noble family, even if only a distant branch. She was far too noble to waste her time worrying about someone who didn’t even know their place.
“Lord Garno, let’s go.”
“Ah, yes. I was just thinking about what to do for Wot’s statue…”
“By the way, about Lady Giselle. Will she be coming on the night of the full moon?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Ah, Hwairi is just worried about her… Hwairi heard she hasn’t left the Florette Mansion at all. Hwairi thought to offer her some treatment.”
While Garno looked visibly displeased, Hwairi couldn’t quite hide the faint joy on her face. Her fluffy pink hair, like spun sugar, fluttered softly in the air. Tonight, with the beautiful full moon drifting across the sky, was Hwairi’s night. And then…
“There. She’s coming.”
As Garno clicked his tongue in annoyance, Hwairi’s gaze wandered through the air. There, escorted by Duke Kalinos, was Giselle. If she hadn’t shown up tonight, I might have let it slide just this once.
Hwairi beamed brightly and tried to soothe Garno. “It’s the night of the full moon, after all. Don’t be upset, Lord Garno.”
And really, there’s no need to get that angry… because he’ll never see her face again.
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