Free Web NovelChapter 169: Chapter 169: Beneath the Same Moon
Ellegaard slept deeply on Mitsuki’s back.
Or rather, she was half hanging off him. Her arms were wrapped around the Ashen Kid’s neck while her legs barely dragged behind his body. The elf muttered incomprehensible things in her sleep, and the strong smell of alcohol followed her like a cursed aura.
"She weighs more than she looks," Mitsuki commented.
Jeanne walked beside him with her hands behind her head. The light armor she wore faintly reflected the moonlight as they moved through the increasingly empty streets of Luxar.
"That’s because she has too many bad intentions piled up in her soul."
"Do bad intentions weigh something?"
"Of course. Look at Marco. That man must weigh as much as three dragons."
Mitsuki let out a small tired sigh.
"Poor Marco."
"Poor? He started yelling about the monarchy the second he got drunk."
"Well... you provoked him too."
Jeanne smiled with complete calmness.
"Yeah. But it was fun."
Mitsuki glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"Your definition of fun is terrifying."
The princess let out a small laugh. The sound was soft and relaxed, completely different from the chaos from a few minutes ago.
The city was much quieter now. A few taverns were still open, but most merchants had already closed their businesses. The warm lights from the windows partially illuminated the stone streets, and the night breeze moved some of the banners hanging between buildings.
In the distance, drunken conversations and muffled laughter could still be heard.
"Anyway," Mitsuki said, "breaking Marco’s sword was excessive."
"Why? It was a very low-quality sword. I’m surprised it lasted that long when you were in Axorhibis."
"Marco is an S-Rank adventurer. He’s not as weak as you think."
"And I’m a genius."
"That doesn’t answer anything, Jeanne."
"Then the answer is yes. It was excessive."
Mitsuki slowly shook his head.
Ellegaard muttered something in her sleep and moved one of her elf ears.
"Is she insulting people even while asleep?" Jeanne asked.
"I’m not sure. I think she tried to insult me just now."
"That means she already feels safe around you."
"How heartwarming."
[ The skill "Sarcasm" has activated. ]
The irony in Mitsuki’s voice made Jeanne laugh again.
They continued walking.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Only the sound of Mitsuki’s footsteps against the stone and the faint metallic noise of Jeanne’s armor moving with each step could be heard.
The moon shone above them.
Mitsuki raised his gaze slightly.
’Not long ago, I was trapped in Axorhibis surrounded by monsters and ash.’
Now he was walking through a peaceful city while carrying a drunk elf alongside a troublesome princess.
The difference between both situations was absurd.
"What are you thinking about?" Jeanne asked.
"That my life became really weird."
"That’s what happens when you hang around us."
"I don’t think I can blame everything on you. Rosemarie also appeared out of nowhere."
Jeanne raised an eyebrow.
"Oh... Rosie."
There was a brief pause.
"She seems to get along well with you," Jeanne commented.
"I guess."
"’I guess?’"
"I don’t know how to explain it. She’s strange, but really cute."
"That’s true."
"But not in a bad way. She’s just... different from everyone else."
Jeanne looked ahead while walking.
The relaxed expression on her face softened slightly.
"Rosie has always been like that. It’s hard to understand what she’s thinking."
"She seems really calm."
"She is. Too calm."
The princess raised her eyes toward the sky.
"When I first met her, I thought she was a very distant girl, but later I realized she was also pretty lonely."
Mitsuki remembered the conversation about the Land of Shadows, Hati, and the death of Rosemarie’s family.
’She really was alone.’
"Are you friends?" he asked.
Jeanne nodded.
"More or less. Rosie isn’t very good at interacting with people, but she’s a good girl."
"Except with Ellegaard."
"Oh, they’re just incompatible. Ellegaard hates anyone who makes her feel inferior."
"I see..."
"Do you feel inferior to Rosie?" Jeanne asked with an amused smile.
"Not really. I just think she’s someone very mysterious."
"Yeah. That too."
The princess let out another soft laugh.
Ellegaard shifted again on Mitsuki’s back. This time, she barely opened her eyes. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Tick..."
"I’m here," Mitsuki replied.
"I’m gonna turn you into a frog..."
"I know."
"And then I’m gonna kick you..."
"I know that too."
The elf seemed satisfied with that answer and fell asleep again almost instantly.
Jeanne watched the scene with amusement.
"You two get along surprisingly well."
"I’m not so sure about that."
"Come on. Ellie only constantly threatens people she likes."
"That’s a terrible way to show affection."
"Isn’t it?"
The conversation continued peacefully as they crossed another alley illuminated by magical lamps.
A black cat rested atop a nearby barrel and watched the group pass without moving. A few dry leaves rolled across the cobblestone street, pushed by the night wind. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Mitsuki spoke again.
"By the way... thank you."
Jeanne looked at him.
"Hm?"
"For coming to find me back then."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You mean when you were alone after Nemoria?"
"Yeah."
Jeanne’s smile faded a little.
Mitsuki kept walking while he spoke.
"I don’t think I would’ve cared about being alone at that moment because of my emotional state, but... I think it still would’ve been bad."
The princess remained silent for a few seconds.
"Well," she finally said, "I promised I’d help you."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why help me so much?"
Jeanne watched him for a moment.
The light from a nearby lamp partially illuminated her golden eyes.
"Because you’re a good person."
Mitsuki looked away.
"I don’t think so."
"I do."
"I’m the Herald of the Unnameable"
"And you’re still a good person."
"I’ve killed a lot of creatures, you know? Good people don’t kill."
"That was to survive."
"They were still deaths."
Jeanne remained calm.
"I don’t think someone who worries that much about it is a bad person."
Mitsuki did not respond.
The wind softly blew between them.
Those words did not make him feel better because he truly could not feel much at that moment, but even so, something inside him shifted slightly.
Maybe a small crack was healing.
Maybe not.
"Besides," Jeanne added, "if you were truly evil, you probably would’ve already tried to destroy Luxar or something."
"Give me enough time and you’ll see what I’m capable of."
She burst into laughter.
"See? You even make jokes."
"I think that’s concerning too."
The princess walked a little closer to him as they continued forward.
"Listen, Mitsuki. You don’t have to carry everything on your own."
"Right now, I am literally carrying a drunk elf."
"You know what I mean."
Yes, he did.
But even so, it was difficult.
Ever since he arrived in this world, the feeling of danger had never truly disappeared. There was always another enemy, another mystery, another threat waiting ahead.
And now there were also the cracks in his soul.
That was the most troublesome part.
"How are your nightly sessions going?" Jeanne asked.
"Hm?"
"The ones where you repair your soul."
Mitsuki stayed silent for a few seconds before answering.
"They’re going well... I guess."
"That sounded suspicious."
"It’s just that... strange things have been happening lately."
Jeanne looked at him carefully.
"What kind of things?"
Mitsuki hesitated slightly.
The distant sound of a nighttime bell echoed somewhere through the city.
"I’m not sure," he finally replied. "When I try to close the cracks using mana... sometimes I see things."
The princess frowned slightly.
"Illusions?"
"Not exactly."
He remembered that shadow, that voice. The feeling of watching himself from somewhere deep and dark.
"It’s hard to explain," he murmured. "Like something inside me is slowly waking up."
Jeanne remained silent. For the first time during the entire walk, the atmosphere became slightly heavier.
"Does this have something to do with the Mystery of Ash?" she asked.
"I don’t know."
And that was the worst part. Not understanding what was happening inside his own soul was an unpleasant feeling. Even if, thanks to his current state, he could not feel fear normally.
"Did you tell Ellegaard?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I wanted to understand it better first."
Jeanne sighed.
"That sounds dangerous."
"My whole life has been dangerous ever since I arrived here."
"Don’t use that as an excuse."
Mitsuki let out a small snort through his nose. He supposed she was right.
Soon, the inn appeared before them.
The establishment’s warm lights illuminated the entrance while the muffled sound of calm conversations escaped from inside.
"Finally," Mitsuki said. "I feel like my back no longer exists."
"Want me to carry Ellie for a while?"
"We’re already here."
Jeanne opened the inn’s door.
The warmth inside hit Mitsuki’s face the moment they entered. The smell of food, old wood, and a burning fireplace filled the air.
Lulú raised her gaze from behind the counter.
"I see you survived."
"Barely," Mitsuki replied.
Jeanne cheerfully waved while they climbed the stairs.
Ellegaard was still completely asleep.
When they reached the room, Mitsuki carefully laid the elf down on the bed. She adjusted herself beneath the blankets almost instinctively and hugged a pillow while muttering something about kicking someone.
"Good night to you too," Mitsuki said.
Jeanne let out a soft laugh.
"Rest well, Mitsuki."
"Yeah. You too."
The princess left the room, gently closing the door behind her.
Silence returned.
Mitsuki remained still for a few seconds before sighing and letting himself fall onto his own bed.
The accumulated exhaustion weighed heavily on his body.
He stared at the wooden ceiling.
The room’s shadows shifted faintly because of the moonlight entering through the window.
And then he thought about it again.
The cracks.
That voice.
That uncomfortable feeling that something was watching him from inside his own soul.
’Morgan Le Fay Pendragon... he had a system, and the Shadow was with him.’
He slowly closed his eyes. But even then, the feeling remained there, hidden deep within his mind.
