42. Even Under the Moonlight, There Will Be Shadows
The night deepened, and after the dark clouds dispersed, the moonlight became even brighter! The crescent moon hanging in the sky was like a pair of eyes, constantly monitoring everything in the royal city of the Ainge Empire.
Naturally, this included Cepheus, who had been swiftly defeated once more due to various reasons after her battle with Sword Saint Ludwig, as well as me, who was consoling her. At this moment, I was holding Cepheus’s rather disappointed hand, intending to return with her to her residence, but… just like the “request” that the Lunar Fairy had entrusted the Queen with earlier to pass on to us, which would happen at the end of the plan: having observed the opportunity presented by Cepheus’s low mood after her battle with Ludwig, and being anxious to learn that Cepheus had “received the power of the Lunar Fairy,” these two factors have driven the fairy sent by Nelu to finally reveal herself at this moment!
[Dark Fairy Ignis has appeared!]
[Ignis is approaching Euclid and Cepheus!]
“Euclid, be careful!”
The moment this uncontrolled script jumped out, Cepheus grabbed me by the hand and pulled me to her side! And in the distance, a black mist surged, already causing a spine-chilling commotion!
Dark Fairy Ignis was originally a weapon in the Queen’s hands that had not been awakened. After Nelu got her, she had finally revealed her form as a fairy! And as for her abilities, since I had experienced them thoroughly at close range once, there was no way I could possibly forget!
She could transform into any object, hide in any corner and, when necessary, instantly appear with a variety of weapons… a dangerous weapon!
“The fairy has appeared!”
In the black fog, a midget with white hair and brown skin appeared, holding a long black sword. She was silent and expressionless, but her movements seemed to be observing this opportunity to attack Cepheus! Just as the Queen had warned me: that fairy will come to disrupt the “Lunar Fairy,” and Cepheus will also be in danger~
So, I…
Of course, we can’t let Kephir encounter danger—
“Ogier, it…”
“Don’t force it! You just fought with Ludwig; you can’t face another enemy now!”
I grabbed Kephir’s hand and pulled her towards her home!
“Let’s just get back to a safe place first! It’s too advantageous for the enemy here with no one around!”
“…I’m sorry!”
After a moment of silence, Kephir reluctantly agreed, her face filled with unwillingness.
“It’s okay… as long as you still believe in me.”
Because, Kephir, you are willing to endure various defeats and the bitterness of fleeing for my unfounded guesses that have no “prophecy,” I… certainly have no reason to back down.
As I ran with Kephir, feeling the presence of the pursuing fairy behind us, I… made my final preparations.
Since recently, no, to be precise, since the hasty return from Glamorgan Castle, I had gradually begun to have some doubts. On the surface, it seemed that with the Queen’s help, Kephir and I had finally fulfilled some of the Moon Fairy’s requests and gained her attention. Even now, all we needed to do was eliminate the silent pursuer, the dark fairy Ignis, and we could fulfill the Moon Fairy’s “request,” allowing Kephir to meet her.
But… just as Kephir did not seek the fairy treasure merely for power, I… absolutely would not ignore everything else just to let Kephir obtain the fairy.
I did not want to be used, nor did I want Kephir to be used! And now, it was time to prove it!
With Kephir somewhat awkwardly escaping to her family’s estate, the moment we stepped into the manor, Ignis transformed into black mist and caught up from the other end, I… suddenly let go of Kephir’s hand!
“Kephir!”
The time has come!
Shaking off the dejection from earlier defeat, Kephir nodded, her fairy power reigniting, and at the same time, she leaped towards Ignis! Seeing Kephir suddenly counterattack, Ignis immediately transformed into her fairy form, wielding a dark and ominous blade, silently preparing to meet her!
Next, it was certain that Kephir, relying on the powers granted by the two fairies, would defeat Ignis under my “prophecy” guidance, and then completely destroy her! Finally, she would gain the trust of the Moon Fairy and meet her!
“Queen,” you… must be thinking this, right!? You… were just watching like this, weren’t you!?
“Ignis! Die!”
The brilliance of lightning and the swirling snow illuminated the once peaceful night sky! Kephir unleashed a power completely different from when she faced the Sword Saint, slicing through Ignis’s defenses and striking at this silent fairy! Ignis’s resistance seemed almost perfunctory, as if she was even preparing to flee! Clearly, she had lost her fighting spirit!
Everything seemed to be coming to an end.
Then let it… end in the “Queen’s” eyes!
【Zzzz】
“!”
In the next moment, facing Ignis’s wide-eyed, astonished expression, Kephir’s sword pierced into the wall beside Ignis’s face, sparks erupting from the lightning! At the same time, I immediately pulled a magic stone from my pocket, threw it to the ground, smashing it, and then stomped on it a few times!
In an instant, a powerful “dark attribute magic power” erupted from the magic stone, even threatening to overshadow the light of the crescent moon in the sky, while Kephir quickly withdrew the seemingly “misplaced” magic sword from Ignis.
What an obvious flaw, but… even at this point, this dangerous fairy did not inflict any harm on either me or Kephir. And we had achieved our goal—“Ignis was beautifully dealt with by Kephir, and the dark attribute magic was scattered and flying everywhere.”
No one would witness it firsthand, for Kephir’s family estate had recently “coincidentally” been equipped with many strange barriers—
“!?”
“Indeed, it is so, Ignis.”
I met the surprised gaze of the black-skinned midget. “You’re not here to destroy the Moon Fairy at all.”
Because, even though I had heard the Moon Fairy’s “final request” from the Queen, I had indeed discovered that Nilu was sending a fairy. However… I hadn’t noticed any sign of this fairy, which now seemed to be Ignis’s dangerous script.
She wasn’t here to kill me, nor to deal with Kefir, and certainly not… to destroy the Moon Fairy! So what was she here for!? I dared not continue reading the script.
The more I read, the more I exposed myself in front of “some people.” I had to force myself to stop looking at the script and prepare for everything ahead with my most fundamental judgment, to unravel some of the confusions that had troubled me for so long, and to help Kefir discover the “enemy” we truly needed to face next.
At this point, I had truly become a rambling charlatan, but… thankfully, I had a dragon-slaying wife who was willing to believe in me.
And besides, hey, I was actually quite accurate in my guesses. Ignis wasn’t here to “attack”; she was…
Here to help us.
Perhaps she could provide answers to all the questions that had been troubling me lately!
“Ignis, are you calm now? Time is short, so I’ll ask simply.”
“What do you want to tell me?”