Translator: Mana
Editor: The Blacksmith & Anonymous_Neko
Proofreader: Rinkage
Character page:
Chapter 58 The smell of the beauty under the moons
"The moons are beautiful, Master. Look, Lynclumir and the mountain bell constellation seem so close… Once 'Hitotsuzuki’(1) ends it'll be winter."
"It's a beautiful night sky, for sure. You can't see this very often in Japan… since you have two moons, it's a lot brighter and you can see much more. …Is Lynclumir the name of a moon?"
"That's right, Master. Lynclumir and Mythmikandal. The most famous, most loved, and… most hated couple in this world."
The night after I signed the contract with Etowa, I met Diana in the garden of the mansion as promised. After returning to the mansion, everyone ate the dinner that Aurica made together, then I looked over Aurica's Japanese studies, had a bath, and waited until 10pm when Marina and Aurica both went to sleep (10pm is considered late night in this world).
Diana and I were in the garden of the mansion, illuminated by the moonlight.
I was in a jersey top and bottom, comfortable enough to be called pyjamas. In contrast, Diana had just gotten out of the bath and had her hair down, wearing the same dress as the first time we met. Instead of her pyjamas she was wearing comfortable Uniq*o sweatshirt, which looked a little odd. Illuminated by the moonlight, the platinum blonde looked as though it was glowing with eye-opening beauty.
"A moon couple, huh. I didn't know they had names. I wonder which is male and which is female… I guess the bigger one is the male moon?"
There was a large red moon and slightly smaller bright moon in the night sky, separated from each other.
"No, the bigger red moon is the female, Lynclumir. The bright one is the male moon, Mythmikandal. When Lynclumir and Mythmikandal completely overlap, 'Hitotsuzuki' happens. Looking at the alignment of the stars, the next Hitotsuzuki will be Fall Pendulum. Strong monsters will spawn during that time, so it may be better for Master to shut himself in the mansion for the duration."
Diana said while looking up at the moons. Apparently, the monsters that spawned during Hitotsuzuki were said to be the children of Lynclumir and Mythmikandal. That was why they were the most hated couple… it made sense.
"What's the Fall Pendulum?"
"Hitotsuzuki happens two to four times a year, but the strength of the monsters will vary each time. There are different types of Hitotsuzuki based on the movement of the moons and the position of the stars, each having their own names."
"Huh. So Fall Pendulum is the most dangerous one of them?"
"Generally, yes. The monsters born during the Channelmarks Hitotsuzuki are the weakest, followed by Dusk in Twilight. Meanwhile, the monsters born during Fall Pendulum are at their strongest. In terms of frequency, Channelmarks and Eight Brave happen roughly the same amount of times. Dusk in Twilight and Fall Pendulum only happen once a year. There are some exceptions that happen very rarely, every few decades or so."
That made sense. In any case, that means the upcoming Hitotsuzuki will be dangerous. But if a moon is covering another moon, did that make it a lunar eclipse caused by a moon? Or something like that? It might be quite a spectacle. I'd want to take pictures.
Come to think of it, didn't Rebecca-san mention something about joint moons too?
"Joint moons, otherwise known as Awasetsuki, happens when the two moons overlap partially. If the overlap is covers less than half it's called 'Acquaintance Awasetsuki', and if it covers over half it's called 'Boy and Girl Awasetsuki'. While it doesn't spawn strong monsters like the Hitotsuzuki, it increases the spawn rate of regular monsters, so you still need to be careful."
"Every little detail has a different name, huh. Diana sure is knowledgeable."
Something else had captured my interest. I wondered if looking up at the stars was a universal constant. Constellations and astrology existed in this world too, and the stars probably had stories behind them as well. Lynclumir and Mythmikandal were similar to Orihime and Hikoboshi in a way, too.
…The part where they become Hitotsuzuki—One Moon—and have a ton of kids is a little direct, though.
"…It's because of the picture book I often read when I was a child. A story called The Great Magician of Dreams."
I had heard of the Great Magician of Dreams from somewhere before.
When I received my blessing in the temple, Priestess-chan had obnoxiously explained that it was someone who was once famous in Erishe.
"What was it about?"
"To put it broadly… once upon a time, there was a Hitotsuzuki named 'Globetrotter' that spawned monsters even stronger than Fall Pendulum, and the Great Magician of Dreams was the one who stood against those monsters. It was full of pretty pictures of the Hitotsuzuki, so it was my treasure."
Globetrotter, huh. It all seemed so fantasy-like that I couldn't differentiate between what were made-up fairy tales and what actually happened. The only thing I knew for sure was that the Great Magician of Dreams was a real cheater of a character. I guess people in this world also liked the whole 'I'm the strongest' concept. Come to think of it, didn't Priestess-chan mention something? About the legend of how the Great Magician of Dreams had a unique skill that allowed him to stop an army of a thousand all by himself…
"I see. I'm a little surprised that Diana likes those kinds of heroic tales."
"Eh? Ah, yes. That might be true… To be precise, it's not that I like heroic tales… but more that I like stories targeted towards girls."
Aah, so the book was about the love story between Lynclumir and Mythmikandal, meeting under the stars during Hitotsuzuki, romantic things like that.
"…In reality, Hitotsuzuki is undeniably a disaster to humans. But the elf village is a place full of spiritual power, so… Monster spots don't exist nearby… That's why to me, Hitotsuzuki was… Thinking back on it now, I can see how naive I was…"
Looking up at Lynclumir shining beautifully in the clear night sky, Diana confessed her regrets.
According to Jephthah, two years had passed since Diana's 'special guidance' was issued, and something could have happened in that time. While I hadn't experienced Hitotsuzuki myself, I had heard from Rebecca-san that around here these terrible monsters called 'Armour of the Knight Guard" spawned and caused 16 deaths, and unpreventable tornadoes appeared all over the world simultaneously… or something? Which meant that I shouldn't be sitting here relaxedly commenting on how beautiful the moons were.
"Well, it couldn't be helped, right? Since the monsters themselves didn't spawn in Diana's hometown."
"But… I knew a lot about Hitotsuzuki. Yet I still… felt admiration for Hitotsuzuki…"
"Why was that?"
I wondered if it was similar to how people would say Tanabata(2) is romantic and longed for it.
Diana seemed to hesitate between answering or not, opening her mouth and closing it repeatedly, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Then she turned this way, as if she had made her decision.
"That's because… err, umm…"
Diana's face flushed red as she stuttered falteringly. She hadn't decided at all!
"Is it that embarrassing? Hitotsuzuki is a love story between Lynclumir and Mythmikandal, one which you admired because you found it romantic, right? Is that perceived as something embarrassing here?"
It was the norm for girls on earth to admire things like that. Ah, or was it embarrassing to still be dreaming about a 'Prince Charming' past a certain age?
Diana seemed reluctant to speak up, so I decided to change the topic.
"By the way, Diana, how's your guidance going? It doesn't seem like there's been any action, have there been any developments?"
"Eh? Yes… I've been making some progress… or so I hope…"
"Is it something that vague? This 'special guidance' must be troublesome."
"No, it's no trouble at all, Master. This is something like my own selfishness…"
Selfishness, huh. Well, she was using a huge amount of the Solo family's money, after all.
"…Since this is a good chance, I'd like to ask something. That is… even though it was your guidance… weren't you scared, becoming the slave of a stranger?"
There was no need to emphasise how absolute 'guidances' were in this world at this point, but even so, 'become a slave' was a little… To put it bluntly, it was abnormal.
"That's true… While it's a secret whether 'becoming a slave' was my guidance or not, it'd be a lie if I said I wasn't scared at all… perhaps."
"Really? You seemed pretty indifferent at the beginning though. Well, I guess there was no helping it if it was for your guidance. Hey, you had to get support from the Solo family to become a slave at your own request for your guidance, right? Doesn't that mean becoming a slave was definitely part of your guidance…? But I guess you don't have to say anything if it's a secret."
"…It's a secret."
I see, there was no helping it if it was a secret. Details like that weren't important anymore anyway… At any rate, Diana's 'special guidance' will end soon… it would be over soon.
"Besides… we didn't meet for the first time at that trading company. I was secretly watching Master make that deal with Jephthah at the town square. …I thought we made eye contact then, but apparently Master didn't realise."
That time I messed up and pretended to be a surprise present for the mayor, huh.
"Hmm? No, I didn't notice. There was a big crowd and I was in a desperate situation myself…"
On top of that, I was a little drunk—but there's no need to mention that.
"That's right. Fufu, it's true your face was red and you were panting in a panic… Just watching on made me anxious."
"Really? How mean."
I personally thought I handled the situation very well. I guess there was no way a long-time NEET could have handled something like that… But the red face was because I was drunk. Though I wouldn't mention that.
"…But at the end, the mayor and his wife hugged, and I saw Master look on with a kind smile. It made me think that this person would be good. …If it was this person, they could be my ■■■■…"
Diana said, looking at me directly.
Hmm? Did she say something good about me…?
I couldn't hear the last word. No, to be precise, it 'wasn't translated'.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear your last word there."
"Master is always joking like that… You're always so mean to me. I said that with all my courage too… I said! Master! Is my! ■■■■! Aah, geez!"
Embarrassed, Diana covered her face with both her hands and twisted her body. Meanwhile, I was uncomprehending. What was I to do in this situation?
Uhh… I wondered. From the direction of the conversation… maybe it was 'Master'? How masochistic… Well, no matter what it was, she put her all into saying it, so I had to return her feelings properly…
"I-I see. I'm happy, Diana. Though you're a little strange for thinking of me that way after seeing me in the town square."
"That's not right, Master. You were very… very wonderful."
Cupping her cheeks with her hands, Diana looked up and smiled. She didn't act this cute normally, so I had my guard down… Misunderstandings might happen on a night with beautiful moons like this! They say men are like wolves, after all!
"It's unfair for me to be the only one. Master… how about you? …Don't you… think a spiritually cursed girl like me… is disgusting? You don't have any regrets?"
…Yet another difficult-to-answer question was thrown my way.
To be honest, I couldn't deny that my first thought at the trading company was "I want a more normal elf! A normal elf is better!"
But now her tattoos (which were apparently called spiritual curses) were an everyday sight to me, her platinum blonde hair was pretty, her voice was cute, and…
"I was a little bit wary at first… But the reason why I can run my business is basically thanks to Diana, and the reason why I met so many people in this world is all because I met Diana. It might be weird to say I'm grateful, but… I really am glad I met you. If it weren't for you, I'd have dropped out of this world ages ago."
"E-Ehehe. That's thanks to the guidance of Lu Balka."
Guidance… huh.
"But… the thing I care more about is that… Diana had to become my slave due to the guidance… how do I put it… I just can't put it behind me…"
I didn't mean to say it, but it just came out of my mouth. How emotional of me.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Well… being elvish royalty means Diana is like a princess, right? …Although you're here right now because of your guidance, once you complete your guidance or receive the next one, you'll have to stop being a slave, right? So… it's kind of like you're a temporary slave…"
Unable to form my words well, I ended up saying it pretty bluntly. It was the same as if I had directly said 'It's because you'll leave one day'.
And I… I wanted Diana to reply 'I wouldn't do that', or 'I'll always be with you'.
Honestly… how emotional of me.
Achieving guidance (from the perspective of an outsider) was an abrupt event. On top of that, the details of Diana's 'special guidance' were a secret. No one, other than herself knew what conditions needed to be fulfilled to achieve it and move onto the next step.
That's right.
There was a chance Diana could complete her 'special guidance' tomorrow and disappear.
"…Has Master… always thought that way…? Even though I heard from Jephthah that you liked all types of elves, was the reason why you always paid more attention to Marina.. because of this? Besides, I even said you're my ■■■■…"
"That might be… half the reason. I actually wasn't aware I was doing that. So how about it, Diana? …Is your guidance almost done?"
Diana sighed deeply and said her next words solemnly.
"…Master. It seems like you're misunderstanding something… so I will make things clear. This was my fault for not saying it out loud."
What was it…?
She wasn't about to say that 'our relationship was only connected by the guidance, sorry!' or anything, right…
"I, Diana Luna'Arbella, will always stay by Master's side for eternity. Of course, this is only until Master chooses to dismiss me. But until then, forever."
Always by my side.
Diana said it clearly.
…What was I getting myself worked up for?
"Ha. Hahaha. You'll always be there, Diana?"
"We'll always be together. I am… Master's slave, after all."
"I see. I planned to go to the mining town some time, and the lakeside town after that. Let's take the chance to go to all kinds of places! Our gear is coming together, so I'd like to try adventuring a little!"
Because Diana was a high elf princess, I shouldn't take her very far away.
Because Diana was a high elf princess, I shouldn't get her into any danger.
Because Diana was a high elf princess, I shouldn't fall in love with her.
Diana smile widely as she replied, undoing the shackles I had unconsciously set up around my heart.
"Yes, please take me with you. To be able to travel the world with Master… it sounds like a dream. Even the lunar journey of legend sounds possible if it's with Master."
Then, she took both of my hands in hers.
"That's true. A… A lunar journey truly sounds like a dream. But if we have to go, I'd prefer Lynclumir over Mythmikandal. Mythmikandal seems rather hot… don't you agree?"
The distance between us closed as I was talking.
"What a coincidence, Master. I was.. just thinking the same thing… that I'd prefer to go to Lynclumir…"
I softly touched Diana's ear.
Ticklish, Diana smiled fondly.
"Master…"
"Diana…"
Then, she stared into my eyes as she whispered.
"…Umm… would you… make an oath of 'eternal love' with me…?"
Those words held a strange magical power, making me reply "Yes, eter…"
Rattle! Crash!
"Uwawah, Marina, you pushed me!"
"It is most regretful. The operation is a complete failure."
Marina and Aurica fell out of the shadows of a barrel.
It completely made me come back to my senses.
Diana also jumped away, fidgeting restlessly.
These two peeping toms… I was sure they were asleep, why did they have to come out now…
"Yes. Marina and Aurica. Come sit here. How long were you watching for?"
"Uhh… I'm sorry, sir. Marina-san enticed me…."
"Marina was just really curious. It was a feeling that's incomprehensible to me. Marina unconsciously pushed Aurica just now because of it."
The regretful Aurica and the not quite sorry Marina.
Ah, Diana was staring at Marina with a pretty serious face! It seemed like she was actually angry!
"By the way, we've been watching since the part, 'The moons are beautiful, Master'!"
That was the beginning!
After that, Marina and Aurica received a length lecture from Diana, and the night ended with no resolution.
(1) I have previously translated 'Hitotsuzuki’ as ‘Monster Wave’ in the previous chapters as I wasn’t sure if this is a term used only in this ‘world’, but we decided to let it remain as 'Hitotsuzuki’ starting from this chapter. I’ll be changing the ones in the previous chapters.
(2) Tanabata = also known as the Star Festival or Qixi Festival (Chinese), is a festival that celebrates the meeting of the two star-crossed lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). You can read more about it here.