One Moon, One Moon (1)

“This is strange, I tell you…”

Yona mumbled, holding up a spoon.

On the spoon was a fairly large chunk of meat, with red stew broth dripping down, but mixed with meat juices, making the broth somewhat thick and sticky.

“What is?”

Alec, sitting across from her, asked Yona as he dipped bread into the stew broth and ate it.

They needed to quickly eat breakfast and prepare to leave, but instead of eating, Yona was staring at the stew, which made Alec think she looked strange.

“When I ordered this, there was hardly any meat, just lots of bell peppers and carrots, you know? I was so frustrated picking those out to eat. It was half eating, half picking out stuff.”

Alec almost burst out laughing at Yona, who was still staring at the spoon and muttering.

Of course it would be like that.

Most of the vegetables in the stew, including bell peppers and carrots, were picked out by Alec himself and moved to his own bowl, and most of the meat floating to the top as he stirred the pot was ladled into Yona’s bowl, so it was only natural.

Yona wouldn’t have known since she was making sandwiches while Alec was serving the stew.

“I must look like I eat meat well. That’s why they put a lot of meat in, right?”

“Is that really it? I eat meat well too. They shouldn’t serve food differently based on how people look. That’s how businesses go bankrupt.”

Alec could only smile at Yona, who was glaring at the kitchen with a frown.

He didn’t know what to say.

After finishing their meal and leaving the inn, the weather was bright and clear.

The sky was high and blue, with fluffy white clouds floating here and there, and the risen sun was brightly illuminating the ground.

Amidst this, wagons loaded with various construction materials kept rushing towards the Mage’s Tower. Leaving that scene behind, Yona and Alec headed to the general store.

“So we need to buy a sleeping bag, and salt too. What was that thing Kaiyak mentioned? That salt chunk.”

“Rock salt.”

“Ah, right. Rock salt. And also…”

Yona was writing down each item they needed to buy on a piece of parchment spread out on a flat shelf, pen in hand.

Alec quietly looked down at her for a moment before suddenly asking.

“Why are you writing all that down? Can’t you just go there and say, ‘Give me everything we need’?”

“Hey now. This baldy’s changed after getting a taste of money.”

Yona straightened her back and grinned at Alec.

“You might be fine since you have a lot of money, but I’m a penniless beggar now. Someone who has to start over from scratch. So I can’t overspend. Got it? To buy only what’s necessary like this, to avoid impulse purchases, you need to prepare. Understand?”

“Oh my, is that so? How does it feel to have blown all those gold coins you scraped together so desperately?”

While Alec asked with a smile, Yona’s face scrunched up.

120 gold coins.

Although about 10 gold coins were still left, this was truly emergency funds.

She hadn’t touched those grimy gold coins she had when leaving Evian.

Thanks to meeting that benefactor named Ceres, she had earned an enormous amount of gold coins, but Yona had blown it all.

“I didn’t blow it. It’s not like I blew it. Now I know why it failed, so I just need to solve that. Got it?”

“Let’s say that’s the case.”

“What do you mean ‘let’s say’.”

Yona frowned and poked Alec’s side, while Alec made an exaggerated gesture, saying “Ow—” as if in pain.

Alec was so happy he could barely contain himself at the fact that Yona was still here like this.

This meant he had bought time.

Until the tattoos engraved on both of Yona’s arms, those tattoos, were resolved, he was determined to win Yona’s heart no matter what.

He vowed again and again to make her completely forget the thought of returning to being a man.

“…Um.”

“Hm?”

Alec, who had been making this vow, looked at Yona again at her small voice.

For some reason, Yona was fiddling with her left hand and slightly lowering her head.

“Did you call me? What is it?”

Yona, who couldn’t quite meet Alec’s eyes, hesitated for a moment before smiling brightly.

“So this time, you pay. Baldy.”

“…Oh boy.”

Well, he thought it would turn out like this anyway.

It was fine.

*

As soon as the church-affiliated ship entered the port, a gangway was set up for disembarkation.

“This is quite different from when we left.”

“Of course it would be.”

Bigrind carefully stepped onto the gangway, holding Rudvik’s outstretched hand, and disembarked from the ship.

Despite having clearly moved south compared to Kapatia Port, winter is winter, and the weather was unbearably cold.

The fierce wind characteristic of the sea pierced through the holy robe, causing her body to shiver from the chill.

“Please come down quickly. It seems many people have already come to greet us.”

At Rudvik’s words, Bigrind looked down as she was descending the gangway.

That plump figure.

The first person she saw was Bishop Phoebe of the Evian diocese.

“The bishop’s figure is still the same. And that goatee must be Baron Cartein, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Rudvik waved to Phoebe and Cartein with one hand while supporting Bigrind with the other as they slowly descended the gangway.

In front of the welcoming party, which was undoubtedly from the cathedral, stood Bishop Phoebe and Baron Cartein, who greeted the two.

“Well, welcome. Hero, and Saint. You must have had a tiring journey.”

“With the Celestial Deity watching over us, there was no hardship to speak of. Bishop Phoebe, Baron Cartein.”

Thanks to Bigrind’s thorough coaching inside the ship, Rudvik gave a splendid greeting to Cartein and Phoebe with a seemingly dignified posture.

Both Phoebe and Cartein inwardly exclaimed “Oh—”, impressed that the hero, who had been half a ruffian when leaving this place, had become quite presentable after visiting the church territory.

“Under the protection of the Celestial Deity, and thanks to your concerns, we have returned safely. I hope there were no issues here?”

Following Rudvik, Bigrind also greeted them with a graceful demeanor, and Phoebe and Cartein welcomed the two with kind smiles.

“There was nothing worth mentioning. The weather is cold. Please, let’s go. We have prepared a carriage.”

Rudvik and Bigrind walked along the procession route that had been prepared in advance.

Amidst the welcoming party from the cathedral, as well as most of the people who had staked their livelihoods on this small port coming out to greet them enthusiastically, Rudvik and Bigrind were busy waving their hands left and right and smiling.

At the end of the procession route, they arrived at a white carriage, and the four people, including Phoebe and Cartein, boarded it.

As soon as the door closed, warmth enveloped them.

The feeling of their frozen bodies slowly thawing was incomparably good, and holding a warm teacup in their hands finally made their mood brighten considerably.

“You’re heading straight to Evian, right?”

“Yes. If you’re tired, we could stay here—”

“No, it’s fine. The Saint would probably prefer to rest in Evian as soon as possible rather than here. Isn’t that right, Saint?”

As Rudvik smiled readily, Bigrind inwardly nodded.

Since Evian was her hometown, she had mentioned in passing that she wouldn’t feel rested unless it was there, and it seems Rudvik remembered that.

Bigrind thought he remembered even such trivial things, but somehow, it didn’t feel bad.

“So you’ll start the investigation from here.”

As the carriage headed towards Evian, Rudvik briefly explained to Phoebe and Cartein about the hero’s journey that was about to begin.

Evian is where the demon first appeared.

Evian is where not one, but two demons appeared.

And then Kapatia is where the next demon appeared.

As Rudvik explained that the demon’s name was Berbaria, Phoebe and Cartein kept sighing.

“So, in Evian, we intend to investigate the starting point of the current situation… it might be speculation, but we’ll start with that part of the investigation.”

“I see. That seems reasonable. But… Saint.”

Rudvik spoke, and Bigrind, who had been occasionally filling in missing points, turned her gaze to Phoebe.

Phoebe asked her with a smile full of slyness.

“Is His Holiness the Pope in good health?”

“Yes, His Holiness Pope Arczel IV is in very good health.”

“Is that so. Well, this truly shows the Celestial Deity’s care.”

But Rudvik saw it.

The emotion that flashed across Phoebe’s eyes for a moment.

An emotion that could clearly be called disappointment.

Why would Phoebe be disappointed at the news that Arczel IV was healthy?

Rudvik was completely unfamiliar with the inner workings of the church, but he mentally drew a caution mark next to Phoebe’s name in his mind.

The reason was that he felt something wasn’t quite right.

The journey from the port to Evian didn’t take very long.

Moreover, while not as luxurious as Ceres’ carriage, the church’s carriage was still a high-class one that guaranteed a very comfortable and peaceful journey, so it was certainly more comfortable for Rudvik and Bigrind than when they were on the ship.

That night.

The carriage had stopped and they were camping, with church knights setting up camp and strictly guarding the area around the carriage.

Looking down at the torchlight scattered here and there, Rudvik, who was sitting on top of the carriage, suddenly heard the carriage roof rattling and quickly grabbed the handle to lift it.

Surprised by the sudden opening of the roof, a red twin-tailed head flinched before peeking out.

“Isn’t it the Saint? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Somehow, I couldn’t fall asleep.”

Bigrind climbed up the rope ladder onto the carriage roof.

The white holy robe still seemed awkward, making her movements uncomfortable, so Rudvik silently extended his hand, and as soon as Bigrind took it, he pulled her up.

“Our Saint needs to eat a lot. Since you’re in your growing years, you need to eat a lot to grow tall, don’t you?”

“Don’t tease me.”

Bigrind, with a reddened face, carefully sat down next to Rudvik while adjusting her robe.

“Why are you here at this hour instead of sleeping, Hero?”

At those words, Rudvik looked up at the sky.

The bright moonlight covered the world in a piercingly blue light, and although black night clouds occasionally obscured the moon, the moon soon escaped the clouds and continued to scatter its light.

“…I was looking at the moon.”

“The moon?”

“Yes. The moon.”

“Why the moon…?”

“I really like the moon.”

While she had seen many people who disliked the moon, those who liked it were rare.

To Bigrind’s words as Rudvik became one of those rare people, Rudvik briefly met her eyes and grinned.

“I was originally an adventurer, and I’m not from a very good family. So, you could say I’m like a small star shining in that night sky.”

“How can you say such things?”

“Isn’t it true? I’m not a noble, nor an outstanding knight, so how could I shine? I may have some martial skills, but not to that extent, so I’d say I’m like a small starlight.”

“Is that so?”

“Someone like me gained the name of a hero and obtained the power of a hero. So I’d say I’m like the moon. An existence that can’t match those who shine like the sun, that kind of existence like the moon.”

“……”

Bigrind didn’t know how to respond.

So she could only keep her mouth shut.

“Even so, the moon still illuminates the world. Even with obstacles like those clouds, the moon still shines. It’s the moon that finally shines its light after breaking through the clouds. It might not shine like the sun, but isn’t it enough light to burn away the darkness?”

“Is that so?”

“Still, the moon must be lonely floating alone. That’s why I’m thinking of trying harder.”

“Trying?”

“Yes. Because I think it wouldn’t be lonely if there was another moon next to the moon.”

Bigrind couldn’t say anything.

She wanted to say that would be really nice, but those words couldn’t leave her mouth.