Chapter 2: Me? (2)

Three days had passed since sending the letter to the Saintess.

No reply had come.

Did it even arrive properly?

In truth, there was no way to know if the letter had reached its destination.

This was an era without advanced internet.

Not a time when you could send tens of thousands of words with a single click.

They said it wouldn’t even take a day, but I can’t fully trust that.

What if the letter got lost, misplaced, or went missing en route? That would be the end of it.

The phrase is meaningless to anyone but the Saintess, so exposure isn’t a problem…

The issue was whether it had arrived.

The best way would be to ask directly, but…

It was just a little, very slightly, scary.

Not a lot, just a tiny bit.

Tch. Should I just send Dolph to find out?

The problem was the delivery service he’d entrusted.

If things went wrong, Dolph, sent to deliver it, might end up dead.

If that happened, Evan would lose a good friend.

As befitting an ordinary man, Evan was timid and full of worries.

A trait that hadn’t changed even after possession.

An instinct etched into his very soul.

As a man, sometimes the bold Evan would surface.

When his pride was hurt.

Like right now.

If I had just a bit more courage, I could’ve charmed the Saintess, huh? Just charm everyone and—bam!—become a harem protagonist.

His face wasn’t that bad-looking.

Or was it?

…Well, if there’s no reply even after a week, I’ll just send another.

…It’s not like she read it and ignored it, right?

No way, right?

Evan brushed off the creeping memory and turned his head.

On the cluttered desk.

A bottle containing a freshly made green liquid sat.

[Aura Hole Restoration Potion]

A straightforward name.

If Evan weren’t a direct descendant of the Alkart ducal family, the ingredients for this costly potion would’ve been nearly impossible to obtain.

“Heh heh.”

Evan let out a sinister chuckle.

With this single item, he could make the second main ally his.

“Dolph.”

“Yes! Young Master!”

Dolph, who was tidying the bedding, answered energetically.

Evan extended his hand.

“Could you fetch me some stationery and a fountain pen?”

“Yes! Who are you sending it to today?”

“To Sir Arthur Modriter.”

Flinch.

Dolph’s hand, holding the stationery, froze.

He reacted as if he’d seen a ghost.

Hiding the stationery with trembling hands, Dolph asked again.

“To… to whom?”

“Sir Arthur Modriter…”

“Noooo! You can’t!”

Dolph threw a fit, vehemently objecting.

“Sending it to Sir Arthur Modriter, the Knight of the Full Moon…! Young Master, this is really bad!”

The Knight of the Full Moon, Arthur Modriter.

The sole paladin of the Full Moon Church and…

“You know his infamous reputation! The rumors about the mad paladin!”

A paladin obsessed with strength and blood.

A maniac who challenges any strong opponent to a duel and, if victorious, beheads them to claim their head as a trophy.

That was Arthur Modriter.

Ugh! Who doesn’t know that? I’m trembling just thinking about it.

Of course, Evan knew.

He probably knew better than Dolph.

He’d experienced Arthur firsthand in the game.

But there was no choice.

He’s the main ally with the easiest walkthrough difficulty…

More precisely:

The one with the least side effects.

Arthur was a maniac, but he was a man of purity and loyalty.

Once he acknowledged someone as an ally, he would never harm them, no matter what.

The Full Moon Church and the Sun Church aren’t on bad terms either.

The Full Moon Church, as its name suggests, worships the god of the moon.

The opposite of the Sun Church.

But perhaps because of its smaller scale?

The two churches got along reasonably well.

The relationship between the Sun’s Saintess, Adrianna, and the Full Moon’s Knight, Arthur, was similar.

They had teamed up to defeat enemies a few times.

Phew, calm down, Evan.

You can do this!

Now was the time to step up like a man.

“It’s necessary. Don’t try to stop me.”

Tremble, tremble.

Evan’s hand was shaking uncontrollably.

He quickly hid it behind his back.

Dolph’s gaze lingered briefly on Evan’s hand.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Young Master…”

What is he misunderstanding now?

Sure, Evan’s health was poor, but assuming he was terminally ill was a problem.

He’d already moved past that stage, hadn’t he?

This was just a little, very slightly, because he was scared…

“I’ll make sure to word the letter nicely and…”

“No, just sending it will do. The Moon Temple doesn’t usually reject letters—”

There wasn’t a universal favorability phrase like the one for the Saintess.

Instead, there was a universal line that guaranteed Arthur would read the letter.

– It’s not yet time.

Like the phrase used for the Saintess, Evan didn’t know exactly what it meant.

He just wrote that it wasn’t yet time.

For Arthur, it was guaranteed to draw attention.

“Send this.”

“Yes…”

Dolph wiped his tears and answered with forced cheer.

“I’ll be back quick!”

“Yes, please.”

Whoosh.

Dolph disappeared like the wind.

Evan leaned back in his chair.

Phew. Shall I make the next potion?

There were still many main allies left.

Making potions wasn’t that hard.

The problem was always ‘material procurement’ and ‘potion creation.’

But who was Evan?

An alchemist.

A rare alchemist on the continent.

And a direct descendant of the Alkart ducal family.

One of the few ducal families in the empire.

Deeply tied to the underworld, swimming in money.

…Come to think of it, there haven’t been any rumors about me lately, right?

Being so tied to the underworld, the family’s children were often called by nicknames or aliases.

Evan had one too.

It was embarrassing to say out loud.

Ugh!

Enough pointless thoughts.

I should stop by the study before making more.

Might as well take a walk.

Evan slowly stood up.

A pre-made golem approached him.

He touched the golem, infusing it with mana.

[Transmutation].

Unlike the common perception that alchemists only made potions, the reality was a bit different.

Using mana, they could [Understand], [Decompose], and [Reconstruct] any object or material.

The transmutation circle drawn on the golem glowed.

Sssss—

The golem shrank and elongated, transforming into a staff.

It took me a whole week to do this at first.

If he were truly a genius, he could’ve done it in a day.

A pity.

Tap tap.

Evan tapped the obsidian staff, made from the golem, on the ground.

Nodding in satisfaction, he left the room.

Creak—

The golem clung to Evan’s back.

It was so protective that not even the servants were allowed near.

For security within the mansion, it was excessively thorough.

But Evan didn’t think much of it.

You never know, right? An assassin could come flying in.

That’s when it happened.

“Oh, big brother?”

Ugh.

An unwelcome voice.

Evan suppressed a grimace.

“…What is it?”

“What’s weird about a little brother greeting his big brother?”

The one calling Evan from behind was a boy who bore a slight resemblance to him.

Theodor Alkart.

Evan’s half-brother, a year younger, and the somewhat beloved youngest of the Alkart ducal family.

He’d recently become an official knight, hadn’t he?

They said he’d even awakened his Aura Hole—

For an extra, isn’t his talent a bit excessive?

Surprisingly, in this ducal family, aside from Evan and the duke, there were no significant figures.

At most, they had red name tags.

Meaning NPCs that could be killed.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Even compared to Evan, who at least had the title of ‘boss,’ they were treated worse.

“…What is it?”

“Ugh. Still using that disgusting polite speech? Why not go back to your old personality?”

“My personality has always been like this.”

But he didn’t start fights.

Avoiding dangerous situations altogether.

Wasn’t that the mark of a true man?

“I heard you sent a letter to the temple, big brother? Why do you keep doing weird things?”

Thud!

Theodor tried to put a hand on Evan’s shoulder but was blocked by the golem.

The staff in his hand twitched but stopped.

“Tch…!”

Theodor’s face twisted in displeasure, as if his pride had been wounded.

“Our family’s shame shouldn’t keep showing his face outside. Know your place, big brother.”

Unable to touch Evan, Theodor spat on the ground in front of him with a ptew.

Ugh, that pisses me off.

Being ignored once or twice was fine, but multiple times? It was bound to make him angry.

Should he just go for it?

Then his eyes caught Theodor’s thick forearms.

At this distance, even a possessor is just a normal person.

Evan tried to muster his best friendly smile.

Then, he flinched.

…Damn it. My face cramped up.

His face stiffened.

It was Evan’s chronic issue.

He was prone to cramps.

And not just in one part of his body.

Especially his face.

Enough to cause misunderstandings.

Seeing Evan’s frozen face, Theodor’s eyes wavered slightly.

Lowering his hand, Theodor spoke with clear irritation.

“Don’t show your face around me, big brother. Next time, I might really do something. Tch!”

With a childish threat, Theodor stomped off with heavy thuds.

I’ll get my revenge later.

…Through the golem, of course.

It wasn’t because he was scared.

It was just more efficient that way.

Right. Sure.

***

That evening.

A letter arrived at the Full Moon Church.

Arthur, holding the letter, sat on a porch where a cool breeze blew and moonlight streamed in, tilting a glass of liquor.

Clink.

Pour—

He poured liquor from a white bottle into an empty glass.

On the shimmering surface of the glass, Arthur’s face and the Saintess’s face were faintly reflected at an angle.

“It’s been a while, Arthur.”

“It has.”

Draining his glass, Arthur spoke in a flat tone.

“What brings the Saintess of the Sun here?”

“What brings me? I came to meet a ‘comrade’ preparing for a great cause.”

“We’re not comrades. Our paths just happen to align slightly.”

“Heh heh. Isn’t that the same thing?”

The Saintess, Adrianna, naturally poured more liquor into his empty glass and asked,

“So, how’s your great cause coming along?”

“It’s not a great cause, just a small one. It’s only my goal.”

Looking at the moon reflected in his drink, Arthur said,

“Just a small desire to cut down that moon for my strength.”

“Calling that small… Truly a goal befitting the name of a madman.”

A paladin obsessed with strength.

More precisely:

The Knight of the Reversed Moon, who sought to cut down the moon and make it fall.

The sole paladin of the Full Moon Church, yet one who desired the moon’s downfall.

A goal revealed only in the DLC.

“The liquor tastes good.”

Gulp!

Arthur downed the drink in one go instead of answering.

The Saintess, pouring a small amount into her own glass, glanced at the letter.

“That letter…?”

“Received it today. It came with a potion that can fix my Aura Hole.”

“…!”

The Saintess was shocked.

A potion that could fix an Aura Hole?

Arthur was undoubtedly strong.

His physical prowess alone could tear a troll’s head from its body.

But he couldn’t wield aura.

His Aura Hole was damaged.

He was far weaker than in his prime.

And now, fixing his Aura Hole?

That meant…

The monster from his prime is coming back?

With just one potion?

Who could make such a thing?

Could it be?

In that moment, the Saintess recalled the letter and potion she’d received three days ago.

Hadn’t she also received a potion that could, even slightly, cure her illness?

Was it sent by the same person?

Arthur looked at the letter impassively.

The potion that could fix his Aura Hole was surprising enough.

But what was even more striking—

– It’s not yet time.

This phrase.

How does he know my plan?

A knight who would cut down the moon.

But it wasn’t yet time.

That was correct.

Yet Arthur had a reason to be impatient.

The priestess of the Full Moon Church.

His only kin, his younger sister.

Her remaining time was steadily dwindling.

Roughly five to six years left.

It was inevitable that he’d grow impatient.

And a single letter had reminded him.

It wasn’t yet time.

Yes. It’s not yet time.

Arthur regained his composure.

To cut down the moon, he needed to grow stronger.

The top priority was restoring his Aura Hole.

I don’t know how they found out, but I owe them.

Arthur’s stern lips softened.

The second son of the Alkart family.

Worth meeting in person.

Meanwhile.

The Saintess, pretending not to care, was looking at Arthur’s letter.

Specifically, at the ‘phrase’ written on it.

‘It’s not yet time’?

What did that mean?

It wasn’t hard to read.

It was written boldly, as if meant to be seen.

Did they know I’d come here?

Shudder!

A chill ran down her spine.

Yes. There’s no other reason to write such a phrase so blatantly on the envelope.

Did that mean Evan Alkart had predicted she’d come here?

Since when has he been watching me? For what purpose?

Her thoughts branched in multiple directions, but no answers emerged.

In that brief moment.

The Saintess’s eyes, after a quick calculation, grew calm.

Fine. Until I figure it out, I’ll have to play along.

She had lived her whole life behind a mask.

Wearing it for a few more years wouldn’t change anything.

“I should send a gift.”

“Me too.”

The Saintess extended her glass and said,

“Let’s do it together. It seems we’ve been targeted by the same person.”

“Targeted by the same person.”

Pour—

“That sounds interesting. Care to talk more?”

***

The next morning.

As Evan dismissed the golem he’d set up for protection, he doubted his ears.

“…Theodor ran away from home?”

“Yes…”

“He said he’s going to repent? Suddenly?”

The youngest of the ducal family.

Theodor had run away from home, citing repentance.