Chapter 69

Luna's letter described her background. As expected, it turned out that Luna was a former princess of a country that no longer exists.

The reason she didn't reveal her past was that she didn't want to cause trouble for others due to various complications. Throughout the letter, words of gratitude and apology to me were written.

Most importantly, as I read on, I noticed spots where the ink had blurred. ...Luna must have been crying while writing this letter.

Near the end, the writing was trembling, and it said, "I will definitely come back, so please wait for me. I'm off."

...I'm such an idiot.

Thanks to the goddess, I have been blessed with magic and a sturdy body, and thanks to my memories from my previous life, I don't lack for money.

In the end, all of this is my power, but it's not something I've gained on my own. Everything has been given to me.

I don't say that this is a bad thing, but it's not something I can easily accept.

Until now, I've turned a blind eye to this and acted as I pleased. If I say I was carried away by the power I had never experienced before, that would be exactly right.

But Luna is different.

At first, I only helped her with the power to fight, but that's all. She became as strong as she is through her own efforts.

And even though she could have relied on someone else to solve things more easily, she tried to do it on her own without borrowing anyone's power.

...I feel so ashamed.

I want to take it easy, but I can't afford to do that when I can't even protect what's important to me!

I can take it easy after I get back what's important to me.

I'll slack off as much as I've worked hard.

I've finally made up my mind. I think I've been living my life by going with the flow, for better or worse.

I've been attending the academy as my mother said. Well, I've had some good encounters...

I don't think going with the flow was a bad thing, but if I'm asked if there was my will in it, the answer is no.

As I finished reading Luna's letter and was thinking about various things, Yomi and Mirei entered the room.

"Master, what about Luna...?"

"Luna, did she leave...?"

The two of them must have had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

"...This is a letter from Luna. There are letters for both of you, so you should read them first."

It took about ten minutes to read, and by the time they finished, the two of them were sobbing.

"Master... Am I unreliable...? If you had told me, I could have helped you...!"

Yomi has always been with Luna...

"...Aul! I want to help Luna! I'm not as strong as you two, but I want to do what I can!"

Mirei, who usually talks to Luna and Yomi as equals, must have looked up to Luna like a sister in her heart.

"I think Luna didn't want to involve us. That's why she went to the cult of the evil god alone."

Also, in the letter, it was written, "I don't want to lose any more family or important people."

...Our encounter may not have been a good one, but now I think of her like family.

"..."

"Let's go and get Luna. And while we're at it, let's crush the cult of the evil god!"

"Yes! Leave it to me!"

"Okay!"

And I have a hunch that the cult of the evil god is heavily involved in the assassination of the prime minister.

With that decided, there's a lot to do. I should probably go and explain the situation to the king as a precaution.

◇◇◇

Explanation-chan: "At this time, Yomi and Mirei were imagining the fierce battle that would soon take place against the cult of the evil god, and they were trembling with excitement. However... Aul was thinking differently."

◇◇◇

"Still, we can't take several days off from the academy without permission, and fortunately, today is a holiday. I'll try to make an excuse of a cold for tomorrow."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"...What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to crush the cult of the evil god now."

"Whaaat?!"

Is it really that surprising? No matter how important a companion is taken away for some reason, the enemy is still human. If it's a human, anything can be done.

If someone like Tend or Yornard shows up, it would be a different story, but such people are rare. Besides, it's not like we're dealing with nature.

"But Master, how will you find Luna's location?"

"That's right! We don't even know where she is!"

"No, I can find it."

"..."

The fruits of my time in the library will come in handy now. I remember Luna's magic, so it's possible to find her.

'Magic Search'

I set the target to Luna and start the search.

...The location is... Hmm.

"I found the location."

"Where is it?!"

"Where is it?!"

"I've never been there, so I don't know the details, but it seems Luna is in the capital of the empire. She's not moving, so there must be something there."

However, if she disappeared last night, how could she already be in the empire? That's too fast.

Could it be that there's a user of space magic, or someone with a magic item or a blessing that allows for such movement...?

I hope Tend isn't involved again...

"Anyway, we know the location, but we can't leave immediately. Let's hurry and get ready."

"Understood! I'll take care of the necessary supplies! I'm used to it from my adventurer days!"

"I'll make some food that can be eaten on the move!"

"Okay, I'll leave that to you two. I also have some preparations to make, so I'll leave the house. I'll be back by noon. Let's get started!"

"Okay!"

I can trust the two of them to take care of most of the preparations. As for me, I need to make some preparations for risk management.

※※※

Despite the limited time, we managed to complete the preparations.

"Are you both ready?"

"Of course."

"We're all set!"

Just as we were about to leave with the things we had prepared in the morning, the Magic Search showed some movement.

"...Wait a moment, both of you. Change of plans. We'll stay in the capital for now."

"What? Why?!"

"Did something happen?"

"Well, Luna's magic is moving towards us at a very fast speed. Considering the route, she might be coming to the capital..."

It's moving incredibly fast. At this rate, she'll reach the kingdom by tomorrow morning.

...Even though it's quite far, if I can narrow down the location, I might be able to use spatial awareness.

I've never done it before, but I'll try to activate spatial awareness and Magic Search simultaneously. I hope it works!

Magic Search! Spatial Awareness!

The amount of information is overwhelming, but I can endure it...

"Damn! A large number of people are riding huge monsters and heading this way!"

I deliberately said "monsters," but it's probably dragons. The size and magic are on a different level.

If they're controlling them, it might be related to the curse that was on Granzaal!

"I'm going to the king!"

It seems that the king has been informed about me, so I can meet him without wasting time.

However, I had to wait for nearly an hour.

As I waited in the reception room, the king and Prime Minister Agrom entered. Everyone else left at the king's command.

"Aul, what's the rush? Have you found out something about that incident?"

"Your Majesty, you may already know something, but are you familiar with the cult of the evil god?"

"!!"

As expected, these two already seem to know something.

"I won't ask where you heard that name, Aul. ...Indeed, there have been reports that the cult of the evil god has become more active recently. ...Could the culprit in this series of incidents be the cult of the evil god?"

"No, not necessarily. However, one of my subordinates was taken by the cult of the evil god. I tracked her magic and found out she was in the empire. Just as I was about to go and bring her back, her magic started moving, and further investigation revealed that she seems to be heading for the capital."

"What?!"

"...And is the cult of the evil god involved in this?"

"...Almost certainly, a large number of cult members are heading for the capital. They seem to have tamed dragons and are riding them."

"Dragons?!"

It's no wonder they're surprised. If they're using the curse that even the powerful Granzaal couldn't resist, they're a formidable opponent.

"While we're at it, do you have any idea why the cult of the evil god might be attacking the capital?"

"Your Majesty... Can't you hide it anymore? You should tell Aul."

"You're right... The cult of the evil god is a religion that aims to revive the evil god. ...Their target is probably a book that contains the method to revive the evil god."

Eh...? Wait, wait, wait, didn't I read that book?

"...Can I ask where that book is?"

"I haven't read it, but it has been passed down through generations of the royal family."

Wow... I have a bad feeling about this.

"The book is said to have been written by Luina Ednent, the founder of the academy. The book is in the academy."

I knew it!

"However, the book is protected by multiple barriers and can only be recognized by those with a certain level of magic."

...This is bad, I can't stop sweating.

"I know that much, but I don't know where in the academy it is... If there's someone who knows the exact location of the book..."

But wait, if I tell them, they'll be very grateful...

"I know where the book is..."

"The worst-case scenario is the death penalty."

What a close call!

"...Why the death penalty?"

"Of course! With that book, the evil god can be revived! We can't let such a dangerous person go free!"

Indeed...!! However, the book also contains methods to strengthen the seal. I'm sure that part hasn't been passed down.

I could explain, but it feels like it would be counterproductive. Besides, if the book is made public, it might attract people with ill intentions.

...It's for the best not to reveal the book's location.

"So, the cult of the evil god is coming to steal the book...?"

"Most likely. They probably gathered information in the empire and found the location."

"In that case, things have become quite difficult..."

Prime Minister Agrom is holding his head. What's going on?

"The academy has students from many countries. If something happens to the academy, it could lead to international issues."

...I see. Other countries might take this opportunity to attack.

It seems that human nature doesn't change, even in a different world.

"Changing the subject, Aul, do you like the academy?"

?

"Yeah, I guess."

"Great! Your Majesty, it seems we can count on Aul!"

"Yes, I'm sorry, Aul. We'll need your help again. Of course, we'll provide a reward!"

...Wait, wait, wait? Why did it turn out this way?!

"While deploying the knights throughout the city and securing the castle, we might not have enough manpower to protect the academy as well." *glance*

"Hmm... I remember that many of the third-year students are from noble families in the kingdom. What do you think?" *glance*

"Indeed, I remember that as well." *glance*

"This is a matter that concerns the entire country, and even the world. Send the First and Second Knight Orders to the academy. Tell the third-year students who can fight to join the knights!" *glance*

"Understood." *glance*

"Wait a moment! It's not certain that the cult of the evil god will come to the capital, is it...?"

"Haha, Aul. You're clever beyond your years, but you lack decisiveness. If we prepare and it turns out to be a mistake, we'll just be called foolish. But if we don't prepare and it's too late, that would be disastrous."

"!!"

Indeed. The scale of the situation is so large that I hesitated, but the king is right.

"Of course, we'll need your full cooperation! By royal command, Aul and his subordinates will be on patrol. ...You want to save your other subordinate, don't you?"

"...Understood. I'll do everything in my power to fulfill the royal command... and I expect a good reward...!"

I don't know what Luna was thinking when she went with the cult of the evil god. The letter didn't say much about it. But I will save Luna!

---

SIDE: Luna

Dad, Mom, Moulan... I'll definitely save you, so please wait for me!

I'll update this bit by bit.

I'd be happy if you could rate and bookmark it.

Moulan: Luna's younger sister