Chapter 45: Does it make you feel more powerful

The tavern continues to thrive.

“Hey, pretty Fox Mask! A cold beer here!”
“Over here! Are you still not here yet? Lunari-chan! We were here first! Serve us!”
“No! This gentleman…! Lucky Lunari-chan takes our order first! We’re giving a bigger tip!”
“Kyahaha! Lucky Lunari-chan. So true!”
“That’s right! Strangely, whenever I get a drink from that beautiful lady, my luck improves.”
“Yeah! I noticed that too.”

Is it really thanks to the lucky mask?

I don’t know if the mask Lunari Evergrace is wearing actually brings good luck…

But day by day, more and more customers are asking for Lunari.

“Coming right up.”

Lunari smiled with her eyes as she served customers here and there.

Her charm is evident.

Even with the mask slightly askew…

Her looks and figure are…well, enough to make one call her “Big Sis.”

Inside, she’s a cannibalistic beastkin thinking about when to devour humans…

But still, as a villainous heroine, Lunari’s Malice Gauge is down to 50%.

At this level, it seems like it’s time for the next event.

“Sigh, hey. Are you sure it’s okay to be so relaxed?”
“Hmm, why?”

Han snorted at my question.

“‘Hmm, why? Hmm, why?’ Don’t you know? Look at this!”

He slammed a newspaper down, and I checked it out of curiosity.

“…?”
“You’ve become a huge star!”
“…!”

W-What?

A headline plastered across the front page:

“A Guild Association Established in Luminous Garden! Black Hound Creates the Ultimate Guild Association!”

“…What is this?”

A Guild Association was established without my knowledge?

In Luminous Garden…could it be Belladriel…?

No, if I think about it…

Belladriel wouldn’t do that.

If a saint acted like that, others would try to stop her…

Then who?

“You’re truly amazing. Establishing a Guild Association in such a holy city? As expected of the Black Hound…you’re quite the money-grubber.”

“Yes? Ah…well…”

…This is so unfair!

I never even thought of establishing a guild there.

Then why suddenly…a guild in my name?

“Truly the worst of villains. How could you threaten a Count to do this?”
“…Yes?”

Threaten a Count?

I stared at Han, confused by his words.

Han sighed briefly and continued,

“How did you threaten the Count? Countess Seraphina Fires, despite her business acumen…I can’t believe you’d use her like this…Did you use others like this as well, besides me?”

Wait,…damn it…

This is ridiculous. I carefully read the newspaper article.

“As you can see from the article, Countess Seraphina said the Black Hound created this facility to help those in need. And it even mentions charitable acts…Thanks to her good image and business skills, branches are popping up everywhere…As expected of someone acknowledged by the Emperor…”

Is this all a coincidence?

The article said exactly what Han had told me.

I don’t know when Seraphina came here, but…

She established a Guild Association in my name…

And named it “Black Hound” after me.

This “Black Hound” charges high fees but…

Helps those in need…

Provides relief to struggling villages…

And so on.

And all of this is attributed to “Isabel Leonhardt.”

The Black Hound.

But the strange thing is, why would Seraphina do this?

She should be ruling her own territory as a benevolent lord…

“You’re an unpredictable fellow. Sigh, you must be raking in the profits. You’re so popular, there are a lot of rumors about you, right? Like how the Black Hound is amassing wealth to rule the world. Or how you actually threatened and manipulated Seraphina. I hear all sorts of things.”

I desperately want to go to Luminous Garden right now…

But it’s not the right time.

I have no choice but to accept it for now.

Anyway, having a positive image isn’t bad.

Though the rumors are unavoidable…

I’m used to being a villain anyway…

“Haha…I see. Good for you. Isn’t it great that business is booming?”
“As expected of the Black Hound. Sigh…”
“Isabel!”

Lunari quietly approached me.

“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, I was just reading the newspaper.”
“Newspaper…?”

Lunari tilted her head and asked,

“What’s a newspaper?”
“Ah, a newspaper…delivers good news and bad news to people.”
“Hmm…Good news, bad news. I see. Hmm…”

Lunari stroked her chin, twitching her ears.

“Lunari, you shouldn’t twitch your ears.”
“Ah, ah…Heh, right. I forgot.”

The promise we made.

She can’t reveal her beastkin traits outside.

The headband makes her ears look like animal ear ornaments, but…

If her ears move, it’ll be obvious, so I warned her.

“Be careful. Ah, by the way, Isabel…are you going out again today?”
“Ah, yes, I have to.”

The next event is approaching.

I smiled and stood up.

“Where are you going?”
“To give Lunari some social studies lessons.”
“Seriously, in the middle of all this busyness…”

Han crossed his arms and turned away, looking displeased.

“I’ll be back. I have to do some advertising for the tavern too.”

The uniform makes it obvious which tavern we’re from.

And since Lunari is so beautiful, walking around outside is also a form of advertising.

I’m not wrong.

Perhaps sensing this, Han grumbled and waved his hand dismissively.

“…Sigh, just go, quickly.”
“We’ll be back.”

♥

There’s a legend in Mysticgrove.

When a beastkin visits this village and passes through this place, they become a divine being who saves the world.

…This legend applies to Lunari Evergrace.

The salvation that awaits.

I was climbing the stairs for the event where Lunari becomes a divine being.

“…Oh, where is this?”
“It’s a shrine dedicated to a sacred tree in this village.”

A giant tree.

This tree never withers…

And its vitality is as strong as a rock.

Behind the tree is a shrine…

And white pillars line the path.

“It’s amazing…Humans can build things like this?”

Lunari murmured, observing the surroundings, captivated by the majestic sight.

I smiled at her and replied,

“Haha, right? It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“Sniff…There’s no human scent. This place…feels like nature…”
“…Lunari?”

She walked ahead, as if drawn by something.

Perhaps she instinctively sensed…

The event that awaits her.

I leisurely followed her.

A warm breeze blew…

And the warm sunlight shone down on us welcomingly.

Lunari tried to enter the shrine without hesitation.

“W-Wait, Lunari! That place…”

Just as I was about to stop her…

She opened the door and stepped inside.

Surprised by her sudden action, I followed her in.

“Lunari…You shouldn’t be here without permission…”
“…Isabel.”
“Yes?”
“…Don’t you hear something?”

Something…?

All I hear is the wind…

Lunari murmured, facing the empty air,

“…Someone is whispering.”
“Whispering…?”

Could it be…is the tree spirit already talking to her?

In “Lilith Tycoon,” it’s established that I can’t hear any voices…

Just in case, I asked Lunari,

“Lunari? Who are you talking to?”
“I don’t know…It says it’s a tree spirit.”

I was right.

A tree spirit.

It seems to be the spirit of the giant tree enshrined in the shrine.

A spirit that only speaks to chosen beastkin.

It’s like a ghost, but not a malevolent one.

However…

It’s a bit creepy seeing Lunari talking to herself like this in such a peaceful place.

“…Yes. That’s right. I’m Lunari Evergrace. That human gave me my name.”

Lunari continued the conversation, twitching her ears.

“Heh, a good name…? Thank you for the compliment. Yes, yes…”

I don’t know what they’re talking about, but the spirit seems to be complimenting her name.

My naming sense is so good that even a spirit acknowledges it…?

Tchhaha! That’s funny.

“The human next to me…is Isabel. Yes, yes.”

She suddenly smiled with her eyes and stroked her chin.

“Well…emergency rations?”

She glanced at me.

I pretended to be shocked by the words “emergency rations.”

“Lunari! Emergency rations!? I’m your master! Your caretaker!”

Lunari started laughing playfully at my words.

“…Heheh. See? That’s the kind of person he is. Yes…? Ah, he seems like a good human. Yes, yes.”

She continued talking, looking straight ahead.

Then Lunari narrowed her eyes, seemingly intrigued.

“Heh…? Interesting. Give me that power too.”
“Lunari? Power? What kind of power?”
“…Yes, it says it will give me something amazing.”

An amazing power…

Is it really going to give her that?

A staff that can be summoned whenever needed.

“Kouhei.”

A staff passed down only to beastkin who have achieved enlightenment.

This staff possesses the sacred power to control and purify nature.

Is that staff about to appear?

“Yes, I understand. I’ll keep my promise.”

Lunari nodded softly and raised her hand in the air.

Then…

A warm, sunlight-like light enveloped us.

I instinctively shielded my eyes with my arm, exclaiming, “Ugh!”

The momentary blinding discomfort soon faded.

“Isabel, Isabel. Look at this.”
“Wh-What…?”

Even her outfit had changed.

A revealing outfit resembling a shrine maiden’s attire.

Did her outfit change as well, along with the staff?

I didn’t know this was a hidden CG.

Two hidden CGs exclusive to Lunari.

In real-world currency, these CGs would cost a fortune to pull from gacha!

One of them appeared before my eyes.

“Lunari, the Shrine Maiden, Seduces You” Ver.

Just like in the scene, Lunari gazed at me with alluring eyes.

Her ample bosom prominently displayed.

“Heh, what…Isabel. Are you alright?”
“Ah, no…It’s nothing…”
“Whatever it is, I feel invigorated.”

I see…

I feel invigorated down there too…

Ah, never mind.

Anyway, looking at the awakened Lunari, I quietly checked the decrease in her Malice Gauge.

[Lunari Evergrace’s remaining Malice Gauge: 40%]

“Heheh. Isabel, why are you staring at me like that? Is something wrong with my appearance?”

Lunari tilted her head and looked up at me.

(Dark Version)