Moonlight

Moonlight filtered through the towering paulownia tree, illuminating a patch of ground in the courtyard.

Although the weather was stifling, moonlit nights always brought a trace of coolness.

Such was the magic of the moonlight on this continent.

Silver radiance spread across the earth, like mint leaves coated in sugar frosting.

The grass turned pale and tender, exuding wisps of cool air, easing the suffocating heat of the summer night.

The young man searched everywhere but failed to find the person he was looking for.

When he arrived beneath this old tree, already over half a century old, the tightly furrowed brows on his handsome face relaxed unconsciously.

“So you were here after all.”

As expected, she was lying in the tree.

She gazed leisurely at the distant moon, her expression calm, lost in thought.

Chirp—chirp chirp—

The long cries of cicadas pierced the silent night sky, making the summer night feel even more restless and oppressive.

The bright, pure moon seemed to possess some kind of magic, continuously drawing Allen’s attention.

She did not respond, merely sinking into quiet contemplation.

Seeing that Allen did not speak, Ken lifted the basket he was carrying and, in a few quick movements, climbed up the tree.

As usual, she wore an oversized men’s shirt that was far too large for her.

It dragged loosely on her frame, barely wearable.

On her lower body, she wore riding trousers that fit just right.

Her bright silver long hair, left untended, was tangled messily together, as if it had never been combed.

Allen turned her head to look at him.

She said nothing.

Time seemed to stop flowing.

The two of them stared at each other in silence.

“Pfft, haha…”

Allen let out a dry laugh.

Ken was a little confused.

On her beautiful face, he saw a trace of self-mockery.

Though she tried hard to smile, the unnatural stiffness on her otherwise lovely face betrayed her true thoughts.

“You know,” she finally spoke,

“it took me most of the night just to climb up this paulownia tree.”

She said something Ken did not quite understand.

“I don’t get it.”

“Haha… never mind then.”

Allen gave a bitter smile.

Her body felt weak, almost boneless.

She had no battle aura at all, nor any elemental affinity.

On this continent, even plants possessed some degree of elemental affinity.

Yet she had nothing.

Utterly useless, like a cripple.

She could not become a mage.

Nor could she become a warrior.

What angered her most was that this body seemed to have an old injury in the leg.

Whenever she exerted herself too intensely, a dull pain would surface.

It was as if there were a hidden wound in her tendons, stubbornly refusing to heal.

This was why it had taken her so long to climb the tree.

It was not for lack of effort.

She was injured.

She wanted to tell Ken.

Yet a trace of doubt stopped her from laying everything bare.

All she could do was swallow it down with a bitter smile.

“Want some dessert?”

Ken knew she did not wish to continue the topic, so he quickly changed the subject.

Allen stared into those brown eyes.

For a long while, she said nothing.

“Eat.”

Allen finally spoke.

She immediately took a cream cake from the basket Ken had brought and stuffed it into her mouth, remaining silent.

Her fine brows knitted together, as if layered with countless worries.

Ken wanted to help her, but faced with her silence, he could only sit quietly beside her, watching the girl focus intently on devouring the cake.

It was as if she were venting her emotions through it.

After quite some time, she finally finished the cake.

She then resumed staring into space.

Ken grew bored as well.

He lay back directly on the tree branch and began counting stars.

The surroundings were frighteningly quiet.

Yet within that stillness was the duet of cicadas and frogs, interweaving and shifting endlessly.

“Three hundred twenty-four… three hundred twenty-five…”

When Ken reached three hundred twenty-six, Allen finally spoke.

“When I was little, I always wanted to climb this tree.

From the treetop, I wanted to look up at the stars in the night sky.

I wanted to see that colorful galaxy, to study the so-called constellations described in books.

But that was impossible.

After that incident, my brothers would not allow me to step out of my room.

Although, in name, I was free to move about, in reality, I knew very well—

I was under house arrest.”

She brushed aside a strand of silver hair on her forehead as she spoke.

“How did you know?”

Ken asked.

He did not understand such matters very well.

All he knew was that when he brought that letter to Allen’s father, Duke Mana, the three people in the reception hall all showed looks of confusion.

It was as if they owed Allen something.

They fell into silence together.

Ken, newly emerged from the wilderness, was somewhat slow, but he understood this much.

He knew there was something hidden beneath the surface.

Something he should not pry into.

So he answered their questions calmly and respectfully.

They seemed to intentionally avoid mentioning Allen.

None of their questions referred to her at all.

It was as if they had already filled in the gaps themselves.

They did not trust his abilities.

So he released his frenzy aura without restraint.

The deep azure, pure frenzy aura lit up half the reception hall.

Only then did they compromise, just as described in Allen’s letter of recommendation.

He temporarily became a retainer of the Leonardo family.

“Have you ever seen someone deliver a meal while another person secretly stands guard outside the door?”

Allen paused.

She did not know what she was thinking.

The wine-red pupils in her eyes dimmed slightly, but only for a moment before she recovered.

“They wanted to raise me like livestock…

They never gave me the dignity of a normal human being.

At the very least, when old Mi—Michelangelo—took me away, my understanding of the world was still stuck at before I was eight.”

“You know, because of that state, no matter how much I tried to adjust, I could never adapt.

I felt like my mind was only eight years old, yet I was walking among people in their teens.

They treated me like an idiot and bullied me.

The living expenses I carried back then—

They passed from my father to my two brothers first.

Every time, they would skim off a portion.

By the time it reached me, there was barely anything left.

“At school, it would then be ‘borrowed’ by all sorts of people.

And never returned.

Sometimes, I even had to apply to old Mi for support just to survive.

Although Michelangelo had reported to my father that my brothers were secretly cutting my allowance, he pretended nothing had happened.

What’s laughable is that he never noticed that part of the money had been taken by his other students.

But after a while, it stopped happening.

That was because I became strong.”

“Later, I awakened my frenzy aura.

So strong that no one in the academy could defeat me.

From that moment on, no one ever ‘borrowed’ money from me again.”

“Isn’t it funny… hahaha…”

Allen laughed dryly.

Those stories passed like a revolving lantern.

They rushed by and came to an end just as quickly.

Sometimes she wondered—

Was she now just a puppet cloned from her own consciousness?

If she were to meet the original Allen, would they fight?

She did not know.

Nor did she want to know.

She firmly believed it was impossible.

She was still herself.

Just… slightly changed.

And that made her feel terribly, terribly powerless.

Silence fell again.

Ken also said nothing.

“Thirsty?”

Ken broke the quiet.

“Mm.”

Allen replied, somewhat surprised.

Indeed, this might have been the most words she had spoken in a long time.

Before this, she had been extremely sparing with her speech.

Naturally, she was a little thirsty.

Ken took out a pot of black tea from the basket, along with two ceramic cups.

He poured the tea, filled one cup, and handed it to Allen.

“You seem to be doing pretty well now.

You can just take the kitchen’s tea and pastries whenever you want.

Back then, I could only steal them late at night, sneaking around.”

Allen chatted casually.

“Yes.

Thanks to that letter of recommendation you gave me back then.

Otherwise, I’d still be in the wilderness.

These past few days, your father and brothers have all left the capital.

Since I’m a retainer, I can manage anything here.”

Ken replied.

“Is that so… a retainer…”

Allen murmured to herself.

Retainer.

The word stirred a sour feeling in her chest.

No matter how hard she had tried back then—

No matter how desperately she sought her brothers’ approval—

She never received even a single word of thanks.

She was not even worth as much as a retainer.

She felt a hint of jealousy.

But more than that, helplessness.

To be honest, she did not even remember what she had written in that letter of recommendation.

All her past efforts—

Even going so far as to die—

Had only earned her a trace of pity from Mana.

She was unwilling to accept it.

Yet there was nothing she could do.

All she could feel was fate clenching its fist, punching her face again and again.

In the end, her death seemed to allow Mana and the others to forget her with a clear conscience.

But now, she was back in this estate.

She had no idea where to go.

In the past, she had strength.

She had frenzy aura.

She was so strong that becoming a hero was nothing special.

On this continent, very few could surpass her.

Now, she had lost her frenzy aura.

Which meant she had lost everything she once was.

She did not even have the chance to start over.

Man was the butcher’s knife.

She was the fish.

At this moment, Allen was nothing but flesh on the cutting board.

She could not even defeat an ordinary person.

If a normal person could use even the most basic frenzy aura—

Enhancing strength and stamina—

She would be completely at their mercy.

She had tried countless times to sense her frenzy aura.

But she could not feel it at all.

That was what crushed her the most.

Not only that—

She could not sense elemental affinity either.

It was as if she were an anomaly, something that should not exist in this world.

Even if she had frenzy aura, so what?

The hidden injury in her ankle reminded her constantly of her weakness.

She was fragile.

Perhaps she could only ever be protected now.

“Thank you…”

Allen suddenly said.

“The black tea is very good,”

She explained.

And for listening to such a long story.

“No need to be so polite.

We’re friends.”

“Friends…”

“Yes.

Friends~”

“Thank you~”

“I told you, there’s no need to say thank you.”

“I still want to thank you~”

“…Alright.”

Ken replied helplessly.

“Allen…”

Ken said casually.

“I actually…”

He continued.

“Actually what?”

Ken’s hesitant tone confused Allen.

“Nothing.

I just mean… I’m leaving tomorrow.

Going back to the outskirts of the royal capital to return to the academy.”

Ken forced himself to swallow the rest of his words.

“My three-day leave is over.

I need to go back and earn credits…”

Ken said.

…Silence.

“Goodbye…”

“Goodbye.”

With that, Ken jumped down from the tree.

Without looking back, he returned to his room.