Vol 3 Chapter 3 – Childhood – Spring at Age Twelve ・Part 8

Cheering up a sulking child is incredibly difficult.

I dragged my utterly exhausted body and sat down beside the stables attached to the inn.

It wasn’t that I was worn out from my duties as a servant—feeding the horses or hauling luggage from the carriage. A body honed by years of farming should be robust enough not to tire from such tasks.

It was merely mental fatigue… and Eliza had sulked again.

This inn, the one we reached after bypassing several closer options, was the very establishment designated by Agrippina de Staal. It’s clearly aimed at the upper class—the room rate involved several silver coins changing hands, and even the separately charged meals were dealt with in silver coins as if by right. It’s obvious that we commoners are in a completely different league.

Then, during dinner, Eliza threw a tantrum—simply because, given my status as her attendant, I had avoided sitting at the proper table.

She had simply skipped the meal because it looked too greasy and unappetizing—perhaps because she was raised in a household of bland flavors both in her past life and this one—but apparently, she didn’t like it one bit.

It was rather challenging trying to comfort Eliza while watching her devour food that didn’t suit her palate. Besides, her table manners are quite poor; while it’s fine today with no other guests around, it wouldn’t do to inconvenience others next time.

And now, having finally put Eliza to bed in our room at the inn, I was at last free. We had been allotted two rooms, and with Agrippina de Staal resting in the adjacent room, there was no need to worry about disturbing anyone—but I just couldn’t bring myself to sleep.

“Sigh… I’m exhausted.”

I began muttering to myself—something I hadn’t done since living alone in my previous life, when I’d grumble as though sharing the company of an invisible neighbor. In this life, with someone always around, I hardly ever get the chance.

It’s true that I love Eliza, but some things are simply hard to bear. I hope she’ll gradually settle down, yet if this continues, it’ll be really tough. Agrippina seems to have decided on something this evening and has started offering some support; if that wins her over, things should turn out well for both of us. After all, if a student and teacher don’t get along, studies are bound to suffer.

I looked up at the sky, trying to steel myself—and then, as if the shock from earlier had left my eyes glitching, I noticed something strange.

There are two moons.

Two moons hung in the sky with a gap between them. One was the familiar, gently glowing, soft white moon. The other… was black, bearing an ominous hue.

They mirrored each other—the more full the white moon was, the more the black moon waned.

What is that… exactly? Could this be the answer to that old mage’s question, “How many moons are there?”

There was an inexplicable allure that captivated me… Ah, yes, it was an enchanting moon. It possessed a mysterious beauty—like a hole in the sky, a cavern that had swallowed everything, a dam breach concealing overwhelming force—that made you want to keep watching.

“You’d better not stare too intently.”

A small, bell-like voice reached my ears—the sweet voice of an adorable girl, coming from near my shoulder.

It shouldn’t be possible—Margit’s skilled 《Presence Detection》 would never fail to pick up on such things.

Then, bursting forward, a strange girl entered my vision, pivoting on the planted foot that had borne the full force of her advance.

She was a tanned maiden unlike any I’d seen around here. She was about my age and stature, but what stood out was her long hair, draped over her like moonlight.

What the heck—why do I always seem to attract loli-types?

But I didn’t really have the luxury to crack a joke.

Because, let’s face it, she clearly looked dangerous. On a creepy moonlit night like this, if you’re gazing at an eerie moon and an entity that comments on it appears—one that can slip past even my finely tuned senses like a seasoned hunter—it’s definitely not normal.

She’s absolutely no ordinary being.

“…Don’t get hurt, even though I took the trouble to warn you.”

Seeing me lower my stance into a combat-ready posture, the girl’s dignified yet adorable face drooped ever so slightly.

“Hey, cut that out—while your hair-twirling is delightfully girlish, you’re clearly seeing things you shouldn’t, so stop it.”

“…Who might you be?”

I asked without breaking my stance. There was no malice in her greeting, yet in this world even actions taken without ill intent can easily get one killed—especially for a child as unfinished as I am.

And then, as a mage newly awakened, I sensed it—the sheer wavelength of the vast power she concealed. No, she herself was that overflowing power.

“I? I am Fairy Arlv. Dark Fairy Svart Arlv. Pleased to meet you, my dear.”

“Fairy…?”

When she introduced herself, her name perfectly matched her appearance, and it immediately resonated with me. Despite her youth, her sensuously alluring form, her dark brown skin softly glowing under the night, hair that seemed fashioned from a shard of the white moon, and above all, her large pigeon-blood eyes exuded an overwhelming presence that no mere human could rival.

“If I startled you, I do apologize. I simply couldn’t help it when I saw your lovely blonde hair, you know?”

With that, her sorrowful expression melted into a smile as she stepped out from the darkness. Emerging from the shadow of the stables cast by the moon, her eerie beauty grew even more pronounced under the moonlight.

“Hair…?”

“Yes, all fairies love blonde hair and blue eyes, you know? Especially yours—it’s so soft and smells sweet, even though you’re a boy.”

Her sudden step forward was so natural that I barely registered either her departure or her landing. Although my eyes clearly registered that the distance between us had closed, my brain couldn’t quite process it—I found myself in a hazy, blurred state.

I never even realized she had come close enough for her hand to brush against my cheek—a range at which I could have easily been cut by the small working dagger strapped to the back of my waist—until her touch grazed my cheek.

“…!?”

“Come on—shall we dance? After all, the moon is beautiful, my dear.”

The hand that caressed my cheek was chillingly cold—I know all too well how cold Margit’s touch can be—and I couldn’t help but surrender as those well-shaped fingers gently stroked my cheek and tenderly brushed my hair.

Or… am I secretly not trying to stop it?

“Now, will you take my hand? And… would you tell me your name?”

Leaning in close so that her lips nearly touched my exposed ear beneath my tousled hair, she whispered. I unconsciously parted my lips…

“Enough already.”

A fierce gust of wind hit me, and I came back to my senses. When I turned around, I saw a rip in the air—like an old, torn piece of cloth—and there, at its edge, sat Agrippina de Staal in her nightwear, languidly.

Her silver hair, which she had carefully braided during the day, now flowed freely, and her thin, alluring silk nightgown made her look like a painting under the mesmerizing moonlight.

“This child is my attendant—you must not let anyone take him away.”

A menacing cluster of black orbs gently circled around her—likely magical constructs prepared for battle. With my limited knowledge, I could only think, “Whoa, that’s amazing,” but judging by the tingling magical energy on my skin, they were by no means benign.

“Oh my… what a tasteless long‐lived one on such a precious night.”

For a while, only the sound of the atmosphere sizzling with magical energy echoed through the night, and I, caught between such immense forces, felt terribly uncomfortable—as if my heart were being constricted.

Could I possibly make a hasty retreat and get out of here?

Before I could even decide what to do, she departed—her unsteady gait leaving something behind in my hair.

“I’ve lost interest… Let’s meet again on a night when the moon is beautiful.”

Her laughter was all that remained as the fairy melted away into the darkness. After she vanished, only silence lingered.

“Seriously… even if you have talent, doing this on the very day you suddenly gain sight is too much. Give me a break, will you?”

With a call devoid of any dignity—“Get up!”—Agrippina de Staal descended from that rip in space. (On closer inspection, she was barefoot, with her feet barely touching the ground.) She ruffled her hair in an exasperated manner.

“Ah… thank you?”

I, still struggling to fathom what was happening, found my tone inevitably rising—was I, perhaps, being helped?

“Humans are a favorite of the fairies, so be careful. If you’re taken away by them, you’ll be in deep trouble.”

“Deep trouble…?”

When I asked timidly, the answer that came back sent shivers down my spine—apparently, I’d end up dancing for eternity on a hill of endless night with that fairy.

This is seriously messed up! Are all the loli-types gathering around me cursed to turn into something extreme?!

“Most humans can’t see fairies, you know. Even if they possess the mage’s ‘eyes,’ most of the time—because of their mindset—they simply can’t see them. So when a fairy finds someone they can see and talk to, they gleefully clamor for interaction.”

What’s with that behavior—like an RPG mob enemy picking a fight just because our eyes met? I mean, am I being regarded as a target by the entire human race…?

“And above all, blonde hair…and blue eyes too…”

Sure, when we first met the fairy, she had mentioned her love for blonde hair and blue eyes in connection with Eliza, but I never imagined it would be to this extreme. Being abducted and confined is no laughing matter.

“Well, I’ll teach you exactly how to get along with fairies—so now, go to sleep. On a night when the hidden moon’s influence is still strong, it’s no time for an inexperienced mage to be wandering about.”

“Hidden Moon…?”

“It’s the black moon floating in the sky. That, my dear, is the Moon’s Shadow. If the moon shines by reflecting sunlight, then that is the formless magical power reflected by the moon, coalescing into a hollow shape—a paradoxical, imaginary moon.”

Darker than the midnight sky and suspended like an empty cavern, that was the true nature of the Hidden Moon.

It’s known by various names—Hidden Moon, Hollow Moon, Imaginary Matter—but even the most seasoned mages who delve into its mysteries don’t fully understand it. What is certain is that, in contrast to the moon that floats in the sky as a satellite, the Hidden Moon waxes and wanes oppositely; when the satellite moon is full, magical power surges, and when it wanes, it diminishes. It is said to float as the twin of the moon—a fundamental element of magic.

“Now, go to sleep already. Before you wake up and the princess starts crying because she notices her knight isn’t in bed. Well, I’m too sleepy, so I’m off to bed…”

With a nonchalant remark like “good night,” Agrippina de Staal turned her back on us and toppled away—diving headfirst into a gap in the floor like an open mouth, and then vanishing. Judging by her movement, she was undoubtedly heading for her bed.

“…How nice, that is.”

Muttering in an escapist tone, I suddenly remembered something had been stuck in my hair. Gently reaching in and pulling it out, I discovered it was a single flower.

It was a rose with deep, almost blackish-purple petals that bloomed delicately, its bud just beginning to open. Its posture, with a slight blush along the edges, was both beautiful and eerie—almost like a mirror image of that very girl.

Once again, I’d been saddled with a fated item. This is definitely one of those things that will come back to bite me if I ever throw it away…

I couldn’t help but exhale a heavy, gloomy sigh as I thought about all my various red flags.

【Tips】 For fairies, flowers hold deep significance. One of the meanings of a black rose is “You are mine,” although in the Triple Empire the cultural concept of flower language has not yet been established.

The next day, our group postponed our journey and stayed at the inn.

All of this was due to the unstable early-spring weather—a time when spring thunder and torrential rains fell in abundance. With poor visibility and horses unwilling to move, Agrippina canceled our departure.

She then summoned Eliza to her own room.

It was the commencement of the first lecture.

Eliza, seated at a writing desk, maintained an unmistakably sulky expression as she cast dubious glances at the teacher standing nearby. Having been separated from her brother, her mood wasn’t merely off—it had plummeted past the point of no return.

“Now then, let me tell you a simple story—a tale to get you motivated.”

Unbothered by her sulky attitude, Agrippina launched into her tale in a sonorous, almost song-like manner.

“You can see fairies, can’t you?”

“Fairies…?”

“Yes—fairies, or rather, spirits. The lizards lurking in the fireplace to guard the embers, the young girls and old men hidden away in the house, even the black dogs running through the garden… neighbors that only you can see, yet who are incredibly kind to you.”

“Isn’t that so?” she asked, and for the first time Eliza nodded sincerely.

“Friends.”

“Ah, yes—friends. And you, Eliza, you love your older brother, don’t you?”

This was an obvious question, and she nodded repeatedly without hesitation. But when she remembered that her brother wasn’t beside her, she nearly burst into tears. Being away from home left her unbearably lonely, and being separated from her beloved brother left her at a loss as to what to do.

“It seems that just as you love your older brother, your friend also loves him.”

“Huh!?”

“Have you seen a child with jet-black and white hair?”

After a few seconds of hesitation, Eliza answered honestly. For some reason, ignoring this question from a woman she disliked felt like it might result in a fatal loss for her.

“…I know. Sometimes, you can be so mean—saying things like, ‘Don’t stay up too late.’ But you know… sometimes, when the bathroom at night is scary, they even follow you.”

Eliza was well aware of the dark fairies. They might not be the very same individual each time, but they do exist all over the world.

“Yesterday, I don’t know if it was that one, but a child with jet-black and pure white hair came to invite your older brother—saying, ‘Let’s go play somewhere far away.’”

Encouraging the anxious Eliza with a thin smile, Agrippina goaded her.

“No!!”

Agrippina sprang up—almost forcefully—as Eliza reached out to grab her. With a deft step, the teacher sidestepped the grasping disciple. Looking down at the child, who nearly toppled over from her own momentum, she made no move to stop her from breaking into tears.

“That’s right—you don’t like it… but you know, your older brother might be taken away from you.”

“No…! No…! Not my Eliza’s big brother!!”

Her shout was so intense I worried my throat might split. If even her brother were taken away, then Eliza would be left with no one at all—and that thought was so frightening, so anxiety-inducing, so utterly unbearable.

“Then, I’ll teach you how to ensure he isn’t taken away.”

Calmly circling in front of the tearful, protesting Eliza, Agrippina spoke in a gentle voice—words as thick and sweet as honey, yet laced with a subtle venom.

“Really…!?”

“Yes, really. If you listen carefully and study well, your older brother will never be taken away.”

Those words seeped into her heart like a potent toxin.

“Because you’ll become strong enough to protect him.”

Eliza fell silent, her tears ceasing, overwhelmed by the gentle yet fiendishly calculated promise.

After all, her older brother has always been stronger than she is. Erich has always come to her aid—in times of fear, hardship, suffering, and sorrow; even now, he left home just to be with her.

But if I could protect such a brother…

Just thinking of it made my chest and stomach warm. She might not understand the origin of that feeling, but after all, a frog’s child is still a frog—even if it possesses a human shell, a fairy remains a fairy.

“Now, take my hand. Stand up, and let’s study hard—for your brother’s sake, all right?”

Glancing repeatedly between the outstretched hand and the smiling elder, the half-fairy finally chose to take the hand and stand up. She believed that by doing so, something wonderful and delightful would surely come her way.

Believing this would at least ease her sulking and crying a little, the teacher recommended a chair to her disciple while wearing an almost wicked smile that would make onlookers exclaim, “Wow…” Surely, this would forge a strong relationship in which the disciple would help further the teacher’s objectives.

Whether it takes five years or ten, if I can, with careful effort, become a mage capable of repelling fairies, that would be ideal.

Well, in the end, my attendant might end up suffering terribly—but that’s a matter for the future, and one of an older brother’s responsibilities. I’m sure, probably, that it will work out. I even convinced myself—with a theory so utterly appalling—that it’s a necessary expense to make future instruction easier.

In the room next door, Erich, who had been quietly absorbed in his magical tome, tilted his head as if he’d caught a cold from a series of mysterious chills and sneezes.