Chapter 798: Legend of the Moon
Princess Ran has rather unusual green hair. Its length is semi-long, I suppose. I heard from Tetes, who also has green-toned hair, that such colors sometimes appear in those with a strong aptitude for magic. Actually, it’s a fairly common color among the elves of the Northern Forest.
“……Is Princess Ran good at magic?”
When I muttered this under my breath, Princess Ran glanced around and sank into the bath, looking slightly embarrassed.
“I wouldn’t say I’m skilled enough to boast about it here……”
“……A, Ah—”
Here. Meaning this space, filled mostly with dragons like Maia and Emma. Of course she couldn’t say that……or rather, even among elves, few could proudly claim to be better than dragons.
“No, I wasn’t talking about relative skill. I mean, at the general level within human society”
“If you put it that way……well, I suppose I could be considered somewhat capable. But only with simple things like this”
Princess Ran gently lifted her hand from the water and slowly extended it toward the evening sky. Faint specks of light formed in the fading sky, and from them, a fantastical blue light spread out as if slowly overflowing. It was a gentle, mystical glow that would make you believe she’d plucked the first star from the heavens.
“It feels kind of special……”
“It’s just light magic. ……It’s merely a spell arranged by the court mages to suit one worthy of inheriting the Azure Light”
“Well……umm, about that Azure Light thing, I’d like to know what it actually is, you know?”
I voiced the question I’d been wondering about for a while. Just as the princess hesitated, Fiona—who had been explaining the conversation to Tetes—said something, glared at me, and pointed.
“……?”
“Ah, emm……if you want to have a serious conversation with Ran-sama, stop that indecent behavior”
Neia informed me. ……I’d been touching Neia’s breasts out of habit, since they were close at hand.
“Wait, Neia, do you even understand what you’re saying? It’s Southern language”
“Eh? Well, yeah……I learned it recently.”
“Learned it……?”
Hold on a second. Tetes speaking it makes sense since she’s an intelligence officer, but Neia really only had a few days to be exposed to Southern language, right……? And the only people she’s spoken it with are this princess and Fiona. The princess speaks Northwest Language to us, so she’d have very few chances to hear it. Even if someone among our group taught her, it’s way too fast.
“Eh? Something?”
“……Normally, that’s abnormal……how can you understand it like it’s normal after just two or three days?”
Beatrice pipes up for me, who’s speechless. Neia looks like she doesn’t understand what the problem is……but I guess this will just be brushed off as 「She’s a quick learner」. And then, Fiona, who’s been ignored, shouts something loudly again. Well, given the situation, I get it. Don’t try to have a serious conversation while still touching my boobs. Right. I agree completely, so I obediently remove my hands from her breasts. Instead, I pull Neia closer by her shoulder and pull her beside me—but please forgive me for acting as translator. Though, under the surface, I’m stroking her side to waist to assert my possessiveness. Fiona still tries to snap at me, but Emma restrains her. I’ll leave that to her.
“……Emm, the blue light… You’re talking about Bluelight, right?”
Princess Ran interjected, trying to smooth things over.
“Bluelight is a term related to the Moonlight Myth in the homeland of Sant Gardo……it also represents the role our royal family has taken upon ourselves. Blue signifies dawn. According to legend, in ancient times, when the crimson moon sank and a blue moon rose shining brightly, a new era began”
“……Emm, is that separate from the myth Saint Gardo is creating now?”
Saint Gardo is currently in the process of creating its own religious scriptures, its own myths. Is the Moonlight Myth just another recent fabrication by someone, or is it a separate tradition? It doesn’t really matter either way, but it piqued my curiosity.
“There is an indigenous legend underlying it. At the turning point of an era, the moon shone an impossible color……that’s all it really is, just that”
“Umm”
The moon turned an odd color. That’s all. It’s almost surprising they passed down just that story, really.
“I can sort of see where you’re coming from”
Tetes had stuck his head in.
“What?”
“If you strip away the religious elements that existed before Saint Gardo, it boils down to that. ……The moon, or rather, the sky can change color. When the flow of 『Qi』 is extremely abnormal”
“Is that so?”
Princess Ran looked surprised. ……Could it be she didn’t actually believe that moonlight myth herself?
“When the flow of 『Qi』 is abnormal, historical events do tend to occur more frequently. ……When there are crop failures or monsters rampaging, people become desperate. Wars and revolutions happen precisely during such times”
“Is that how it is……”
“Indeed, during the catastrophe that struck the Northern Six Kingdoms three hundred years ago, multiple records mention the sky turning blood-red even before evening. If the sky turned that color amidst a tragedy where monsters ravaged the entire country, it would feel like the end of the world, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, yeah……”
The sky turns red in broad daylight. The world’s colors change. It’s not hard to imagine, but witnessing such a scene firsthand, I can understand how the will to survive would simply wither away.
“I suspect that before the founding of Saint Gardo, whatever caused that phenomenon was also associated with some kind of spirit worship, or perhaps a concept akin to a personal deity. Preserving that would surely have been inconvenient for Saint Gardo’s faith, so it vanished……or was erased, during the stage of rewriting the myths”
“……Perhaps. In any case, the blue light……Bluelight originates from one such moonlight faith, a favorable color signifying dawn, meaning the beginning. Therefore, since its rise, the Saint Gardo royal house has compiled the sacred texts into two lineages, blue and purple, appointing members of the younger generation of royalty as the respective editors-in-chief”
“……Editor-in-chief? I don’t quite understand, but isn’t that a huge responsibility?”
“Well, yes……since actual compilation requires approval from each editorial committee, it’s also a ceremonial position”
Princess Ran smiled awkwardly.
“Since the prime-aged generation handles actual governance and military affairs, some call scripture compilation an honorary position to avoid leaving unsuitable royals without duties. ……That aspect can’t be denied either”
At that point, Fiona interjected.
“Princess Ran. Even if your opponent is a dragon rider, you shouldn’t indulge in such pathetic modesty. ……Rumors travel far and wide”
……As usual, I couldn’t understand directly, so I turned to Neia, who whispered the translation.
“It’s fine, Fiona. ……This is a foreign elf forest, guarded by dragons. No spy with hellishly sharp ears could possibly infiltrate”
“But—”
Princess Ran cut off the Southern dialect conversation there and seemed to decide to ignore Fiona.
“……Anyway, that’s why I bear the title Bluelight. ……Of course, many believe, like Fiona, that I myself, as the bearer of the sacred text, will profoundly alter history. ……Looking back at past history, there have been those blessed with such opportunities”
“Honestly……it just sounds like a lot of trouble”
“I suppose so”
Princess Ran smiled vaguely. Bearer of the Sacred Scriptures……the protagonist of history, huh. Growing up under that kind of pressure from childhood……it’s a world far removed from mine. Yet, in reality, she is currently the one closest to possessing the 「Power to move history」.
“Then, you must desperately want a deep connection with my master, right?”
Emma murmured quietly. ……The scenario of Princess Ran offering her body to me was, after all, a convenient development for them. Regardless of the trigger, she—with only her frail body and a bumbling knight—would draw near the 「Dragon’s Power」 that moves history. They would bring things to a point where they could declare it had happened. If that occurred, positions within Saint Gardo would shift dramatically. Whether it would make her happier than being dismissed as a 「Helpless little girl」 now, I couldn’t say. But Princess Ran would gain an opportunity to seize something within the expanding kingdom. Whether sacrificing her virginity for that was a foolish bargain……I couldn’t say for certain yet.
“Anyway, I understand the situation. Not everything, but enough”
And then.
“But for now, I have no intention of making a move on Princess Ran. I’m not that desperate for women to step in knowing I’ll be used”
With the aftermath of our journey and battles so far still unresolved, I have no desire to take on any more troubles. I was simply driven by the single-minded desire to provide healing. I have no intention of getting involved in national-level troubles as an afterthought.
“…………”
Princess Ran looked away slightly, sighed vaguely, then looked at me again.
“Fiona is here, so that’s enough for now. ……I hope we can talk again sometime”
……Umm. It felt like she hadn’t given up, or like there was still something else. For now, I just wanted her to focus on getting healthy.