Soaking in a hot spring while snow fell and you gazed out at the sea was pure bliss.

  The moon hung in the sky like a drawn bow, veiled in thin clouds.

  The water was a little too hot, but the snowflakes landing on your shoulders felt wonderful.

  Because the sea was so close, the spring carried a faint salty taste.

  It was a rare luxury to bathe slowly without worrying about prying eyes.

  Back at Duke Pantios’s mansion they hadn’t even let her use the bath—she’d only been able to wipe herself down with a damp cloth.

  “You’ll poison yourself if you stay in too long,” came Lunaflare’s voice.

  She set her nightgown on the edge of the spring and slipped one foot into the water.

  Even though she was twice Denaris’s age, her body didn’t look it at all.

  “Beautiful view, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  It truly was.

  The moonlight outlined Lunaflare’s toned, naked form like a seductive spirit. Her hair—normally braided like writhing snakes—was now loose, the long waves cascading over her skin and stirring the imagination.

  For that alone, Denaris had to thank the “straight-bangs goddess.”

  He felt his cheeks grow warm.

  “I came here once, long ago. It was around this same season.”

  The distant sound of waves reached them.

  “I was wondering whether mages were nothing more than tools of war, whether there was any other way to live. I wandered here on a whim… but the sunset from this spot was so breathtaking that all those worries suddenly felt pointless.”

  “So that’s why you stopped going to war?”

  “Exactly. That’s when I created Moon Shadow. I gathered people who couldn’t fit into normal society, people who didn’t match any standard, and decided to see what we could accomplish together. The academy was the perfect place for it.”

  “You’ve been talking about yourself a lot more lately, Aunt.”

  Lunaflare gave a soft huff of laughter through her nose.

  “I told you my sister came, didn’t I?”

  Denaris nodded.

  “I realized I’ve lived entirely for myself. After she told me to have a child, I started thinking about my own parents—what they must have felt when they raised me and then gave me away as an adopted daughter.”

  “Did you figure it out?”

  “Of course not. And the person I wanted to ask is already gone. I never got the chance. All my sister told me was that Mother had always worried about me.”

  Lunaflare dipped her hair into the water and combed it with her fingers.

  “You’ll make a wonderful mother, Aunt.”

  “…I hope so.”

  She gave a wry smile.

  “Don’t stay in too long.”

  With that, Lunaflare rose from the spring, rinsed the salt off with fresh water, dried herself with her nightgown, and returned to her room.

  From behind a rock, Bastet poked her head out.

  ‘Have you managed to use magic yet?’

  She must have been watching the training on the road.

  ‘Yeah, I get how it works now.’

  Lunaflare’s training method was nothing but meditation.

  Sit, close your eyes, warm the air around you.

  Once it was warm, cool it.

  Repeat.

  She simply wanted Denaris to be able to do what she did every day.

  But this time he had tried something different.

  He used the laws of nature.

  Hydrogen and oxygen in the air combine and explode.

  So he pictured one small sphere and one twice as big, then imagined them colliding.

  The result was a deafening bang and a shockwave that knocked him flat.

  Bastet was right—he really should keep Einstein’s theories sealed away.

  He’d end up becoming Oppenheimer.

  Next he pictured positive and negative charges.

  Instant dielectric breakdown—lightning.

  It was… surprisingly easy.

  ‘Not bad. You’ve recovered two out of three.’

  “Maybe thanks to you, Bastet.”

  He scratched under the cat’s chin.

  “By the way, why are you even on the surface? Don’t you have work?”

  ‘I suspect this is my work.’

  “Watching me?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  ‘Watching humans. Sekhmet, who is said to be like me, was born from the right eye of the sun god. So was Wadjet. Watching is our duty. From as close as possible.’

  “It’s not set in stone, then.”

  ‘Correct. There is no divine decree saying “do this the moment you are born.” But everyone has a role. Take Ra—he has it the worst. He must illuminate the earth every single day without rest.’

  “You got the easy job, huh?”

  ‘Indeed. No boredom here. Now get out—you’re bright red.’

  She pointed at a large tub of fresh water with her paw.

  Denaris nodded, stepped out of the spring, and poured the water over his head just like Lunaflare had.

  “Cold!!”

  Looking closer, a thin layer of ice had formed on top.

  Bastet narrowed her eyes in amusement.

  ◇

  Denaris’s group reached Reva just as the sun began to set.

  They had been delayed at the Pantios duchy, but the extra rest for both horses and people left them surprisingly light on their feet.

  Normally this season the town would be packed with hot-spring visitors, but the unrest since the new year—plus the military patrols on high alert—had left the streets nearly empty.

  Even the best inn on the hill, “Wave-Watching Pavilion,” had rooms available, so all twenty of them ended up staying at the luxury establishment.

  The rooms were built in tiers down the southeastern slope, each with its own open-air bath. The selling point was soaking while gazing at the sea.

  Lunaflare had chosen the place precisely so Denaris could enjoy the bath without worry.

  Hot springs bubbled up everywhere in town; in winter the whole place was wrapped in steam, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

  The moment they entered their room, dinner was already laid out.

  Denaris called only Felix into the women’s room so they could share information while they ate.

  Downstairs in the men’s quarters, Felix’s subordinates had already started drinking.

  Grilled fish, steamed fish, turban-shell hot-pot, abalone steamed in sake, boiled shrimp—plate after plate of seafood.

  Apparently the culture of eating raw fish didn’t exist here.

  Denaris set a piece of grilled fish on a plate for Bastet.

  “Fedra, any information on the archer?”

  “Yes. The military examined the arrow used to kill Bato Sera. The fletching was made from crow feathers—the same kind used to kill the princess.”

  Fedra was one of Lunaflare’s subordinates who had joined them in Reva.

  She had striking chestnut-brown hair with large waves, held back by a simple clasp. Her large eyes and straight nose gave her a beautiful, refined face.

  “Crows, huh,” Felix muttered.

  “You know him?” Lunaflare asked.

  “Yes. Former captain of the army’s bow unit—name’s Titus. His skill is top-class, but he enjoys killing. He deliberately uses crow feathers to leave his signature. After leaving the military he’s been doing dirty work exclusively.”

  “I see,” Lunaflare said.

  “An arrow that killed Bato Sera right under the noses of a hundred-man search team. He must be excellent at hiding.”

  Leda nodded.

  “Think you can catch him in your net?”

  “Probably no problem.”

  “What about his hiding place? Any leads?”

  “The military still hasn’t located him. It may take time, but the high plateaus in the central-western part of the Targa Peninsula are geographically difficult to search. If he’s anywhere nearby, that’s the most likely spot.”

  There were sheer cliffs and rocky highlands deep in the mountains of central Targa. Beyond them lay the sea—impossible for search parties to pursue.

  “Is there any way to reach the top of those cliffs?”

  “Local fishermen say there are sea caves on the western cliffs carved by waves. They flood at high tide and aren’t really paths, but there seems to be a route along the rock face from the sea side.”

  “No other possibilities at the moment?”

  “No new intelligence.”

  Liera spoke up. “There are several rumors about a man named Titus.”

  All eyes turned to the other close aide. Lunaflare nodded for her to continue.

  “First, there are several bandit hideouts around the capital, and one of the plateaus on the peninsula is among them. Titus apparently uses the bandits as his hands and feet. According to military reports, every trace of the princess’s attack was wiped clean. Also, the man seems to be a drifter from the northern forest region. His real name appears to be Elmund Bernolt.”

  “Northern origin explains that bow skill,” Lunaflare said.

  The northern part of the Kingdom of Aristera contained the Deep Forest. Even the area around the moon temple in the northern Alias domain technically belonged to it.

  In winter the entire region was buried in snow, untouched primeval coniferous forest.

  Ancient hunting tribes lived there, extremely hostile to outsiders. Almost no one who entered their territory ever returned.

  “Then first, the four of you scout the area around the cliffs. I’ll stay here a while. Watch out for the military.”

  With that, she said she had business and left the room.

  ◇

  The men who had drunk and partied the night before showed up the next morning looking miserable, clearly hungover.

  “Are they going to be okay?” Denaris asked Felix.

  “My apologies…”

  Maybe dumping ice water on them would wake them up.

  “Never mind. I want you and your men to harass the military search parties and create confusion for a while.”

  “Just the five women going?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be fine. My magic’s back.”

  “Understood.”

  Everyone mounted up and split off in different directions.

  The western cliffs were breathtaking.

  Exposed strata were pounded relentlessly by waves, sending spray high into the air.

  Tall rock pillars—remnants of the cliff face—rose straight from the sea.

  Whether the ground had split and collapsed or been thrust upward, the raw power of nature was on full display.

  Fedra pointed.

  A straight line ran along the water’s edge.

  It was a corridor carved into the rock by the waves.

  That was their route.

  It was a considerable distance.

  Suddenly Bastet leapt off the horse and disappeared into the bushes along the cliff.

  Nya-nya-nya.

  ‘Over here.’

  Denaris followed the cat. Leda and the others exchanged glances and reluctantly trailed after them.

  They walked for what felt like forever, following Bastet’s voice.

  She stopped in front of a crack in the rock face and rubbed against the wall.

  It was just wide enough for a person.

  They crouched and slipped inside. The passage immediately turned right. Farther in it opened up enough to stand and walk normally.

  Denaris stepped back out, wrapped rope around a handy branch, soaked it in linseed oil, and lit it with a tiny spark.

  Torch in hand, he beckoned the others and went back inside.

  The inner cavern looked man-made.

  The path had occasional steep slopes, but nothing dangerous if they watched their footing.

  They moved silently, lighting the floor and ceiling with the torch.

  Bastet led the way, ears perked.

  She must have heard something.

  The footsteps had vanished.

  Suddenly someone tapped Denaris’s shoulder. Fedra pointed downward with her index finger, then opened her palm wide.

  Five people below.

  He nodded and looked ahead.

  The passage turned left just ahead.

  Light leaked out. Faint voices.

  Peeking around the corner, they saw a wide chamber with a bonfire. Several men were laughing and talking.

  They couldn’t see everyone.

  Fedra signaled: four in front, one in back.

  Denaris decided to detonate a small sphere over the bonfire and a larger one farther back.

  The instant the fire column erupted, the bigger explosion detonated.

  All four men in front were blown away.

  They rushed inside. Denaris headed straight for the man in the rear.

  The man in back was fat and had been hurled by the blast.

  Probably concussed. Denaris flipped him face-down, bound his arms, stuffed a cloth in his mouth, and pulled a burlap sack over his head.

  The four in front were already unconscious.

  After tying them up, they searched the cave.

  The inner chamber was quite large, but only a few items were stored there. It didn’t look like they used the whole space.

  There were even cots—clearly another exit existed somewhere.

  “Over here,” Fedra called.

  They found a large pool of seawater with a small single-masted cutter floating in it.

  Probably seawater that had flowed in at high tide.

  The boat was moored to the rocks.

  Inside the cabin were several hemp sacks—all filled with gold.

  At least three hundred gold coins.

  They were fully prepared to flee.

  On the couch lay a single black crow feather.

  A northerner skilled at sailing was unusual, but there was no doubt he had used this place.

  “Can anyone sail this?” Denaris asked.

  “I’ll do it,” Liera said.

  “Tide’s coming in soon. Better to interrogate him somewhere safer,” Leda added.

  “Then Fiona and I will retrieve the horses and head back to Reva,” Fedra said.

  Everyone nodded.

  They loaded the unconscious man into the cabin, and the two women headed back the way they had come.

  The water level was rising. They boarded.

  Fedra worked quickly.

  She raised the sail, caught the wind, and the boat began to move.

  If they could slip out cleanly and catch the offshore current, they’d be lucky.

  The cavern seemed to connect to the rock corridor outside—they should be able to exit that way.

  Carefully avoiding rocks, they navigated between the massive stone pillars.

  “Let’s head straight for Reva,” Denaris said.

  Fedra turned the bow southeast.

  Thank you so much for reading! ??

  If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a rating or a review!

  Your feedback is greatly appreciated and really encourages both the original author and the translator to keep bringing more chapters.

  You can also read the original Japanese version here:

  See you in the next chapter!