Luna

+++

The forces that had surrounded Cocachoatl were dismissed.

Though their sudden mobilization and dismissal came without explanation, there were no complaints. From the outset, this had comprised only a small core of absolutely trusted subordinates to follow blindly.

However, after witnessing Luna, Bryhildr, Dokkogamuyong, Heineken, and Elroar appeared pensive.

‘…The Reaper’s daughter.’

Truly a monster.

Like Doyun before meeting her, they too had thought Luna should be slain – too dangerous an existence.

Yet none voiced this opinion. Not a single word.

This decision came from none other than the venerable Enoch himself. Undoubtedly, he possessed profound insight they could not fathom.

Moreover, this judgment came from one who feared the Reaper above all else. Surely there were deep reasons behind it.

To them, Enoch was an object of unconditional trust.

Upon returning to the estate, Doyun took Luna to his room.

A constant flow of warm water filled the bathtub.

“Get in.”

“…”

Staring intently at Doyun, Luna stepped into the hot water while still wearing her ragged slave attire.

Even as he bathed her, Doyun remained vigilantly on guard.

Though merely a frail child, a lingering trauma from the Reaper made him wary.

Using his trait, Doyun viewed Luna’s status window.

[Status Window]

Name: Luna Thanatos

Race: Half-Dark Elf/Human

Affiliation: –

Talent: Genius

Stats:

Strength – Lv 1

Agility – Lv 3

Vitality – Lv 1

Endurance – Lv 1

Mana – Lv 3

Innate Traits:

[Thanatos]

[Shadow Goddess]

[Everywhere and Nowhere]

[Genius]

Acquired Traits:

[Mana Deficiency]

[Growth Disorder]

[Affection Deficit]

Skills:

[Concealment Lv 1 Rate S]

[Death Compulsion Lv 1 Rate S]

[Arcane Lv 1 Rate A]

‘Indeed…’

Even at second glance… she was a true monster.

Two S-Rate skills – Doyun had never witnessed such a status window beyond his own. Her innate traits were likewise unprecedented.

Moreover, the [Genius] trait was blatantly listed – even Bryhildr lacked such a trait.

However, the acquired [Mana Deficiency] and [Growth Disorder] seemed to be suppressing her.

‘Separated from the Reaper during her growth phase.’

Like Tiamat and Tia, demonic races required constant mana exposure from their parents during their developmental stages.

As Doyun bathed her, he examined Luna’s body.

The underdeveloped, scrawny physique of a girl appearing barely 7 years old was severely malnourished and scarred.

Ordinarily, high-ranking demonesses would rarely bear such scars – her stunted growth had diminished her healing abilities, leaving even minor scratches unhealed.

He recalled Tiamat’s advice.

‘Like Tia, exposing her to my mana could trigger rapid growth.’

Receiving mana to resume normal development would erase these scars.

Currently, Luna was merely a delicate child.

‘Then the overwhelming presence I sensed in Cocachoatl, and the concealment that eluded my senses…’

She likely only possessed those S and A-Rate skills innately but could not properly utilize them, hence her capture by humans.

So those abilities she had displayed were merely unconscious manifestations of her talent? Evading my senses in this state?

‘…’

Perhaps slaying her was indeed correct.

“…How old are you?”

“I don’t know.”

Her first spoken words.

An emotionless, cold, and dry voice.

Yet quite lovely nonetheless.

“Recount your earliest memories in chronological order.”

Surprisingly, Luna obediently followed Doyun’s request.

Mostly mundane childhood recollections.

However, one seemed noteworthy.

“…You witnessed the current Dark Lord’s birth?”

“Yes.”

Then… you were born before my death?

“The Dark Lord was born by tearing through a corpse’s belly.”

Doyun flinched at the grotesque yet emotionlessly delivered words incongruous from a child’s lips.

‘…Was the Dark Lord impregnated while battling me?’

That Dark Lords could reproduce through pregnancy was also new information.

In any case, this meant Luna was at least 70, potentially over 100 years old.

‘She was separated from the Reaper far earlier than expected.’

Doyun continued probing Luna’s past memories.

“Mother told me to live.”

“…Live?”

The Reaper had enabled Luna’s escape from the Dark Lord’s Domain.

‘The only ones capable of harming the Reaper were myself at my peak and the Dark Lord.’

In other words, the Dark Lord had assaulted the Reaper.

‘Why?’

The answer was not difficult to surmise.

The Reaper would have claimed the Dark Lord’s mantle had the Great Dark Lord not existed. Moreover, the Great Dark Lord had been preparing a successor even before battling Enoch.

The Dark Lord’s office was not hereditary – the most wicked existence simply became the next Dark Lord.

From the perspective of inheriting that mantle, the Reaper obstructed passing it to her newborn daughter.

The former Great Dark Lord had eliminated the Reaper.

In other words, the Reaper was dead.

‘Then the 40 other Reapers…’

He recalled Baird’s account of the Warlord Resurrection Project.

Perhaps they were candidates birthed as part of that project to succeed the Reaper.

‘Do they possess talents comparable to Luna’s?’

Doyun shook his head – talent was not so easily replicated.

Not all children of heroes became heroes themselves. Otherwise, the Dark Lord would have sired 40 heirs as well.

Talent was fate itself, a celestial blessing bestowed only upon the chosen few like the current Dark Lord and Luna.

‘Though the Reaper’s bloodline was likely not entirely extinguished.’

While unlikely to equal Luna, each of those 40 was undoubtedly a formidable monster in their own right.

‘…No. Wait.’

Doyun noticed an inconsistency.

Luna claimed to be over 70 years old.

“…Are you the firstborn?”

“I’m the youngest.”

Meaning the Reaper’s 41st child.

However, Doyun knew that dark elves had a 3-year reproductive cycle.

The Reaper had last appeared around 100 years ago. So to have birthed 41 children, including Luna, within 30 years was impossible.

‘…Those 40 are not her siblings?’

If not, how were they born with the Thanatos surname?

But that was not the only peculiarity.

Turning Luna’s chin, Doyun slowly rotated her head to face him.

Complying docilely with his guidance, Luna met Doyun’s gaze.

Beneath her impassive countenance, her faintly glimmering golden irises.

“…”

Enoch was not the only one on the continent with golden mana.

While her mana’s hue could potentially be coincidental… for the Reaper’s blood to manifest so prominently yet coincidentally differ from the Reaper’s own golden shade?

‘And…’

This indescribable feeling he experienced whenever regarding this child.

‘…’

…Doyun abandoned that line of thought. It was an implausible notion.

After her bath, Doyun provided Luna with one of his lighter outfits.

“Put this on.”

“…”

Silently observing, she donned Doyun’s oversized attire over her malnourished frame.

The hem reached below her knees, sleeves extending well past her hands. Her dusky skin starkly contrasted the pristine fabric.

Doyun could sense an inexplicable sense of comfort emanating from Luna as she impassively regarded the baggy sleeves.

Why she felt comforted, or how he could perceive her emotions, was unfathomable. Yet he did not wish to dwell on it.

Shortly after – or rather, in the dead of night – a nutritious meal was brought to his room.

“Eat.”

Doyun watched her eat.

Unexpectedly, Luna did not merely consume the food, but savored each morsel like a connoisseur. Her dexterous fork and knife handling hinted at a certain refinement.

Quite a mystery, considering her likely feral upbringing in the Blight.

Observing her small, smacking lips and cheeks, Doyun found himself unconsciously speaking.

“What kind of life would you like?”

He startled himself.

Why had he asked such a thing?

This time, Luna’s unexpected response after staring intently at Doyun was:

“I want to be with you.”

“…Suit yourself.”

“…”

“…”

Her fork and knife resumed their motions.

As the meal neared its end, Doyun spoke again.

“I will slay the Dark Lord.”

He was still uttering words he could not comprehend the reason for himself.

“Choose. Grow into an assassin like your mother, holding a blade to the Dark Lord’s neck. Or simply seek freedom.”

Doyun hoped she would choose the former, as freedom essentially meant death.

Unless kept by his side under surveillance, the Reaper’s daughter could not be allowed to live.

He did not wish to slay Luna.

“…”

Lowering her utensils, Luna gazed up at him once more.

“What would you prefer?”

Startled by her unanticipated counterquestion, Doyun fell silent, simply regarding Luna as she stared back at him intently.

‘Again…’

Doyun sensed that connection, a kind of bond, between them.

It was not an unpleasant sensation.

Having read his mind, Luna responded,

“I want to stay with you.”

“…Suit yourself.”

Neither Luna’s answer nor Doyun’s had changed from before.

Luna resumed eating.

As if making excuses to himself amid his deliberation, Doyun inwardly reiterated,

‘…Right. Her talent is too precious to discard.’

That was why he would spare her – to utilize her capabilities.

Nothing more.

“…”

Clink. Clack.

The delicate sounds of utensils and faint moonlight filled the silent room.

Thus, the night of Operation Reaper Subjugation quietly passed with the fateful encounter between the two.

+++

“…”

Tia glared at the little girl before her.

Daddy’s clothes. Daddy’s room scent.

“Who are you?”

“…”

“I asked who you are!”

Tia growled at Luna.

“Tia?”

Startled by Tia’s uncharacteristically sharp reaction, Doyun scooped her up.

Now appearing around 12 years old after her recent growth spurt, Tia still clung tightly to Doyun as if his embrace was most comfortable.

“Kkhk.”

Then, while out of Doyun’s line of sight, she flashed Luna a mischievous, impish grin.

Tia nuzzled her still-chubby cheeks against Doyun’s face, unusually affectionate today in his view.

“…”

“Luna?”

Unable to see Tia’s expression, Doyun turned to call Luna’s name, having sensed an inexplicable hint of jealousy or some negative emotion from her.

‘…Was it my imagination?’

Yes, that emotionless child had no reason to feel that way so suddenly. Doyun dismissed it as inconsequential.

Today, Tia would learn shadow magic from Tiamat, who had advised including Luna as well based on her recommendation.

For some reason, however, Tia seemed rather displeased about this.

“Daddy! Look at this, look!”

Tia proudly showcased the double magic circle shadow construct hovering over her tiny palm.

“I did great, didn’t I?!”

“Yes, you did very well.”

“Hehee!”

Delighted by the praise, she snuggled into Doyun’s embrace, rubbing her face against his.

Then she flashed that impish smirk at Luna once more.

However, Luna soon mirrored the feat, creating an identical double magic circle over her own palm.

“Eh, eh…?”

“Oho.”

Tia’s reaction was consternation, while Tiamat expressed admiration.

Though the same double circle construct, Luna’s mana weaving was far more robust than Tia’s.

Despite being the daughter of the famed Dragon Lord Matriarch in shadow magic, Tia could not match Luna, who carried the Reaper’s bloodline.

Doyun too silently raised an impressed eyebrow upon witnessing it.

Both Luna and Tia glimpsed his reaction.

“…”

“D, Daddy! Look at mine too, look!”

While Luna quietly dispelled her construct, Tia flustered and clung more tightly to Doyun.

Shortly after, using the telepathy spell she had recently learned, Tia addressed Luna – cleverly avoiding spoken words due to Doyun’s keen senses.

[Daddy belongs to me.]

“…”

[Stop trying to seduce him and just leave, you ugly freak.]

Had Doyun heard, he would have been aghast at the vocabulary a child should not know.

Yet Tia’s outward demeanor remained that of an exuberant, innocent girl excited by her new magic.

Overhearing Tia’s telepathy, Tiamat inwardly chuckled. It seemed a healthy competitive dynamic was developing.

However, Luna did not react further to Tia’s continued provocations, too preoccupied to care.

‘…Daddy?’

An unfamiliar word.

Strangely, it kept echoing through Luna’s mind.

“Daddy, look at this! Look! I’m making a triple circle… eh, eh…? Wh, Why is it…”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, Tia. You were faster than usual with the double circle today.”

Luna observed the affectionate pair clinging to each other.

The magic circle dissipated quietly from her seemingly dazed palm.

‘…Daddy.’

A pleasant word.

Ever since their first encounter, it encapsulated the indescribable feeling she had towards this man.

‘Daddy.’

Truly a wonderful word.