68 – Bloody entrance ceremony (3)

Lyria remembered Luna. It was because he had stayed overnight at Luna’s mansion in Rigbed.

However, the aristocratic and lofty beauty that Lilia saw at that time had faded somewhat.

She was still as beautiful as a doll, but her pale skin felt pale now, and her silky-soft blond hair was lifeless and frizzy.

It wasn’t just the face that changed.

As if he had run barefoot on the gravel field, his feet were covered with dried blood scabs, and his entire left arm was bandaged, but the bleeding was so severe that it was stained red with blood.

Like refugees who fled during the war, their condition was not good.

He said he was leaving soon, but he couldn’t just serve herbal tea and send it back.

Herbs and potions are piled up in the warehouse of Silverin’s mansion. It was all prepared for Damian, but there wouldn’t be any trouble treating Silverin’s guest.

“Please wait.”

Lilia sat Luna in the drawing room and brought healing potions and herbs before checking her business.

Then he carefully asked Luna.

“Can I see your wounds?”

Luna pondered for a moment, but soon let go of her guard and nodded.

Lillia slowly cut off the bandage tied to Luna’s arm.

Lilia, who directly confirmed the wound, was silently sorry.

It was a mess as if it had been cut with a knife.

what the hell happened

Scars can be erased, but it will take a long time.

There seemed to be little difference in age with Lillia. A girl of that age would be so upset that even a single scar left on her body would wet her pillow with tears all night long. Even if you wear pretty clothes, you will ruin your appearance, and you will worry about whether it will become an obstacle when you go to a married house.

However, Luna was aloof as if she had let go of everything. The thought of leaving so many scars on this pretty body made Lilia’s stomach ache.

Lyria disinfected Luna’s wounds and carefully applied the potion.

Luna couldn’t stand the silence and spoke reluctantly.

“I want to see Professor Silverin.”

“I know that. But…the professor isn’t here.”

At that moment, Luna’s hand trembled.

Lyria asked with a concerned expression.

“I… are you okay?”

“When are you coming back?”

“He left for Saints not too long ago. It will take several months.”

“…”

Now, the person in charge of this mansion was Damien. However, Damian also had to be away many times because of his studies, and Silverin prepared a manual for when guests came and gave it to Lilia.

“Still, Silverin-sama gave me instructions in case a guest comes. Excuse me, may I ask for your name again?”

“Is it Luna? It’s Luna Reilless.”

Lillia put down the potion for a while and headed to the drawing room bookshelf. Then he laid several tightly arranged books in front of him.

Soon after, the sound of the lock being unlocked was heard, and Lilia whimpered and pushed the bookshelf aside.

And there was a small safe in the wall that appeared after the bookcase was pushed out.

Lillia opened the safe and fanned the stack of letters inside.

And after rolling her eyes for a while, she took out a letter and said.

“Here it is. Luna Reilless. This is a letter from Sylveryn-sama.”

***

Luna closed her eyes tightly.

In Luna’s memory, Silverin’s mansion was the most tranquil place. A place that even spirits who freely roam the world, ignoring the rules of the human world, cannot dare approach. It was always a fortress protected by powerful ancient magic.

However, she could also see a black figure in the living room of Silverin’s mansion. Something strange, never experienced before, consumed Luna’s mind and sometimes even took control of her body.

Even on the way out of Silverin’s mansion, I could see a black figure. It was standing in the shadow where light could not reach, watching Luna. As time passed, the shape of the black silhouette began to resemble Luna.

No matter where you go, you can’t avoid it.

Luna bit her lip hard.

Silverine couldn’t know everything. Neither the guardian tree with strong divine power nor Silverin’s mansion, which was protected by ancient magic, did not affect the black shape in any way.

Luna opened Silverin’s letter. There is only one message written on it.

‘Find rest in the Guardian Tree of Eternia.’

My footsteps became heavy. After that incident, the only emotion left in the Guardian Tree of Eternia was fear. Even if everything is resolved cleanly in the future, I will not be able to go back to the guardian tree, but I have to find rest there.

What was Silverin looking at? Could she have expected this to happen?

And as if it had read the cracks in Luna’s heart, the black shape whispered to Luna.

[No one can save you.]

***

Most of the rooms in Thorn Garden Dormitory were vacant, and most of them were not even equipped with basic furniture. I took a room on the first floor closest to the front door and took a break there. The room I was placed in was a large room with a single bookshelf.

There were about a dozen books on the bookshelf, but all of them were cookbooks such as ‘Breakfast of the Empire’ and ‘Meals that turned Gargamel, a young country boy into a legendary great mercenary’.

Tricia’s handprints in soot and flour were left on some of the books.

Since I have time left, I rummaged through the book for a while and copied a cooking recipe that I could use. He also wrote a letter to Silverin.

At Whitdruff Hall, meals and side dishes were provided, but Thorn Garden was a little different. For ingredients, if you tell Plantera in the garden, he will bring you what you want, but there is no maid, so you have to cook for yourself.

I had to improve my cooking skills to stay here. She and Trisha’s cooking skills were terrible to share meals alternately. With his culinary skills, I wonder what he was enduring while eating here.

Since you were born in a precious place, you must have lived your whole life accepting only what others gave you.

I guess I’ll have to move around again. Plantera will bring all the ingredients, so cooking won’t be a problem for me, and I can make the furniture myself.

I left the room. As I was about to open the dorm gate and leave, Trisha heard the sound from upstairs and ran out.

“Where!”

“To go to Whitdruff House.”

“During the night? I’ll give you my blanket!”

I sleep well even on the bare floor. I didn’t go because there was no bedding. Stitch didn’t work in the labyrinth, so he had to go outside to get the letter.

“It’s not because of that.”

“To prepare for the entrance ceremony? Did you know that tomorrow’s Masters Class entrance ceremony will be held in the Forbidden Forest?”

“…what?”

“Maybe there was a letter in the Whitdruff Mansion, but didn’t you see it? The Forbidden Forest in the Labyrinth.”

Good news. Moving into the dormitory was such a fuss, and I was worried about what kind of commotion would happen at the entrance ceremony.

“Yes. I’ll remember it. See you tomorrow.”

Trisha shouted into my back as I left.

“I’m bored, so come back quickly!”

***

Again, the memory was erased.

Luna looked around. She was standing in the hallway of Whitdruff Hall.

I barely suppressed the creeping fear.

It seemed that he was moving somewhere. She stopped at the end of the hallway on the third floor.

Faint moonlight streams through the window at the end of the hallway. And in her hand was a dagger again.

The whole body’s strength was released, and the dagger fell smoothly.

“Stop it. Please… stop it.”

Now I am afraid of myself. At this rate, I really didn’t know what I was going to do. A fear of the unknown weighed on her.

Luna took out Silverin’s letter from her arms. However, the letter was stained with blood and I could not read any letters.

I couldn’t stand it any longer. With all her strength, she came down the stairs and ran out of the dormitory.

And ran towards the guardian tree of Eternia. Even though she was out of breath, she didn’t stop.

Upon arriving at the Guardian Tree, Luna sat with her head on the root of the tree.

There was still no rest there. The black figure surrounded the guardian tree and greeted her as if it had waited.

They gained strength and joy the more Luna was sad and suffering.

“What should I do…how…”

[Do you think there will be rest?]

[Think back to your childhood. Your life is cursed.]

[Even the professor gave up on you and left.]

[This is your destiny. accept]

The black shapes laughed at Luna, taunted her, and cursed her. I brought out the memories she wanted to erase, amplified her frustration and helplessness, and urged her to give up everything.

Tears dripped down. Her mind couldn’t handle all this pain. It was so painful that I would rather die.

Luna lay there and sobbed for a long time. And she prayed earnestly to the guardian tree.

“Please, please give me rest.”

The clouds lifted and the moonlight illuminated the guardian tree. Luna slowly raised her head. For a brief moment, it seemed that the Guardian Tree had listened to her request and made the world quiet.

I wondered if I was mistaken for a moment. However, it was not an illusion.

The voices of the black figures began to fade one by one. As if being washed away by gentle waves, something was pushing in and erasing them. I couldn’t understand what was going on.

The world around Luna became completely silent. As the world became completely silent, the senses that had been dormant were awakened.

The guardian tree in the moonlight looked beautiful. The sound of the trees rustling in the wind was light.

The sound of grasshoppers. The cool, clear night air. earthy smell. It was close enough to touch the skin, but things that had been forgotten for a long time began to come in. A pleasant sensation surged through my body, as if electricity were going through it.

And footsteps were heard in the deep darkness of the forest. Startled, Luna turned her head in that direction and was alert.

Someone was watching Luna. But I didn’t feel any hostility.

The owner of the footsteps also cautiously approached the guardian tree, wary of Luna.

Soon after, a man wearing a mask appeared in the moonlight.