Chapter 183 - Misgivings (13)

Looking at Luna was like seeing a delicately crafted glass sculpture. She was a beautiful and highly refined creation, but it seemed as if she would shatter completely if someone nudged her.

I wasn’t sure how Luna herself felt, but that was my impression watching her from the sidelines.

The real reason I came here like this was because I was worried. I didn't want to see her get hurt and fall back into darkness. Of course, it was unlikely to happen from just one sparring evaluation, but human emotions didn't always work as expected.

After being quiet for a moment, Luna spoke, "You can... come in."

"...Huh?"

"The children told me. They say no one will see us."

"..."

Still, just in case, I checked the surroundings once more before entering the waiting tent.

Unlike others, Luna wasn't checking equipment or warming up. She was simply sitting quietly in front of a mirror, brushing her hair.

She looked at my reflection in the mirror once and said, "Thanks... for cheering me on."

If I had been with the Art Club seniors, I would have had to cheer for Senior Fabella. If I wanted to be friendly with everyone, it would make sense to be with the seniors, but I didn't want that. I was closer to Luna than that Fabella person, and I wanted to invest my emotions in only a few people.

"Is there anything you need my help with?"

"Yes, oh, no."

Luna seemed flustered, not able to fix her gaze on one spot. 

Was that a yes or a no?

"What's wrong?"

"...Can you... tie my hair?"

I was a bit surprised. I did know how to tie hair. When we were young, Lisa and I took care of each other and learned many things, so I couldn't help but know how to tie hair.

"..."

Luna's voice trembled slightly.

"I’ve always had tied it before matches... but there's no maid here..."

Because her hair was so long, she needed someone else's help. Being from a noble family, she probably never had to tie it herself.

Some women consider their hair more sensitive than their body, I wonder if it was okay.

I approached Luna's back and said, "Do you have a tie?"

Luna looked around the table and mirror area, then said with difficulty, "It's... gone."

"Hmm... is it okay if it's not a hair tie?"

"...Y-yes."

Luna was flustered and couldn't fix her gaze on one spot.

I took out the white handkerchief I usually carry from my pocket. Then I gathered Luna's blonde hair with my hands and tied it with the handkerchief. After that, I tied it in a ribbon knot so that it wouldn't look like a handkerchief.

I never thought I'd use this hair-tying skill again in my life. When we were young and couldn't afford accessories, I used to tie Lisa's hair like this.

The white handkerchief ribbon looked great with silver hair. Of course, I'd never see that again.

Now that I look at it, it seemed to suit blonde hair quite well too.

Luna seemed quite embarrassed, pressing her knees with both hands and bowing her head deeply.

"It's done. How is it?"

Luna timidly turned her head slightly to check the hair tie.

Then she carefully asked in a small voice, "It's pretty... Where did you learn this?"

"I learned it from the nuns when I was young."

"Damian... did you live in a temple?"

"Yes."

Perhaps due to her cautious nature, she didn't ask more about the past.

Luna hesitated for a moment before asking another question, "...Do you also tie the hair of that girl... Trisha?"

"I've never tied Trisha's hair. This is the first time I've done this in years."

At that, Luna lifted her head slightly, as if gaining some confidence. A very faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

"Luna."

"...Yes."

"I don't think you'll lose, but if it gets tough, untie the handkerchief and wave it as a white flag."

She covered her mouth with her hand and laughed silently. Seeing that made me feel like I had gotten a little closer to Luna.

"Okay... I'll remember that."

"Don't get hurt."

***

Luna stood waiting in the arena before her opponent. A few minutes later, her opponent, Fabella, also entered the arena. Fabella was the very woman she had met in front of the Guardian Tree.

However, the atmosphere she gave off was different from when they met at the Guardian Tree. Now she looked no different from the students commonly seen at Eternia. Though her appearance was the same, it felt as if a different person was standing in the arena.

And Fabella had her hair tied up just like Luna.

Luna felt a strange sense of déjà vu looking at her. The strange thing was that Fabella seemed to feel the same emotion looking at Luna.

Luna detected a hint of agitation in Fabella's eyes.

This wasn't nervousness before a match or fear of a top-ranked junior. It was more intense than that.

Fabella opened her mouth faintly, as if talking to herself, "What... is that?"

Fabella's gaze was unfocused, so it was unclear exactly what she was referring to.

But the magnitude of her agitation was apparent even without keen senses.

"You... why do you have that..."

Fabella's voice trembled.

A cold wind blew. Despite the warm late spring weather, air like early winter brushed Luna's nape.

Soon after, the spectator seats began to buzz. Luna wasn't the only one who felt the chill. Everyone sharing this space sensed the unseasonable temperature change.

Dark clouds were gathering in the sky.

While Luna was looking up at the sky, the instructor rang the bell signaling the start of the match.

***

Zenia was still looking up at the sky even after the bell signaling the start of the match had rung. Club President Haley tapped her shoulder and said, "What are you looking at so intently?"

"This is strange. This shouldn't be possible."

"What? It's just rain clouds, isn't it?"

"No. Those... aren't just rain clouds."

"Then what are they?"

"Snow clouds," Zenia said, still not taking her eyes off the sky.

"What’s wrong with snow clouds?"

"Eternia is a place where it's not supposed to snow. It's a place made so that winter can't come through ancient magic..."

Zenia was uncharacteristically serious, but Haley, not having deep knowledge of magic, couldn't understand what this meant.

Haley, not sensing the gravity of the situation, suddenly realized the change when she saw her breath visible in the air.

"Huh...?"

Soon after, sleet began to fall from the sky one by one.

This was snow rarely seen in Eternia except in special cases.

The spectators were so distracted by the falling snow that they couldn't focus on the match.

Only when Luna manifested a pack of wolf-sized spirits around her did they turn their attention back to the arena.

"This is no time to be distracted."

Haley poked Zenia repeatedly to focus her attention.

These were wind wolves, one of Luna's main spirits. Each individual consumed magic power that ordinary magicians couldn't sustain for even thirty minutes, but Luna, for some unknown reason, could easily summon them even in daily life.

While some students nearing graduation at Eternia occasionally contracted with high-level spirits, there was no one as young as Luna who could handle so many.

Some students even exclaimed in admiration, seeing high-level spirits for the first time.

"Zenia, they're both your juniors from the Magic Department, right? Do you think Fabella can hold out?"

In fact, she was a member even Haley and Zenia would find difficult to deal with. She wasn't very sociable and didn't prefer to stand out. They were just seniors and juniors who cooperated without getting too close.

They knew she had a fiancé, but no one knew the face or name of this fiancé. They didn't know what he did or where he lived. Fabella was a girl devoted to her role.

Due to the lack of interaction, they couldn't accurately gauge Fabella's true capabilities.

Luna didn't seem to want to drag things out.

The wolves began to surround Fabella like prey. As the wolves started running in a circle around her, the air currents stirred, instantly creating a whirlwind.

Zenia clicked her tongue and said, "Luna, that little one is going easy on her."

"Really?"

"Yes, to deal with spirits, you need to either overwhelm them with magical pressure, use the same type of spirit, or attack the contractor's main body. How could Fabella do any of that? Magical pressure is out of the question unless you're an archmage, she can't handle spirits, and attacking the main body is not easy with spirit guards. The outcome is obvious, so it seems she's just trying to render her unable to resist and end it quickly."

"Hmm..."

As they were watching quietly, Haley sneezed.

"A-choo!!!"

The chill had intensified to mid-winter levels without her realizing.

A strong frost wind blew, pelting snow fragments against their cheeks rather than the top of their heads. Haley, who was wearing thin clothes that exposed her shoulders and armpits, wrapped her arms around herself and said, "This is crazy, what's going on? Is this that Luna girl's ability?"

Zenia immediately denied it.

"No way. If she could break through ancient magic like that, she should be a professor."

Fabella was trapped in a whirlwind that had risen, carrying dirt and dust from the ground, making her invisible.

Would it end like this with her unable to do anything?

A moment later, Fabella slowly revealed herself. Contrary to everyone's concerns, Fabella hadn't suffered any injuries.

Rather, like some kind of ghost, she slowly walked out of the whirlwind, unaffected by the wind.

The students in the spectator seats all began to murmur.

"What? How did she do that?"

"How did she endure that? Is she hiding some top-tier artifact?"

Zenia looked up at the sky. The dark clouds had thickened, making it as dark as early evening despite it being daytime.

The wind was getting fiercer, feeling as if they were in the north, about to freeze to the bone.

It was then that the students seemed to sense something amiss and became greatly agitated. Some even began leaving the spectator seats.

Zenia sensed it. Something was definitely going wrong.

Kugugugugugu—

Soon after, strange phenomena began to occur one after another. The pillars supporting the circular spectator seats made bizarre sounds as if they were about to collapse.

And Fabella's counterattack began.