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Chapter 6
Who Was Murdered?
Hah, the Blue Moon Knights?
On the surface, the emperor’s sarcastic remark seemed directed at Himena, who was kneeling before him. But Kaelian knew better.
That sarcasm was aimed straight at him.
Emperor Xenos!
Kaelian’s expression grew colder as he glared at the emperor.
The territory he had been granted by the emperor lay in the northern part of the Granelfis continent—Acticos, a cold, barren land. It was originally inhabited by the Niger tribe, a small people who had long served the legendary Black Dragon.
Though the land was poor, the tribe mined magic stones blessed by the dragon and sold them, living without much hardship. But when the Duke of Torricos—the most prosperous duchy in the east—heard that vast deposits of magic stones lay beneath Acticos, he schemed to drive the Niger tribe out and claim the land.
He secretly hired black mages, who created demonic beasts to attack his own citizens. He then framed the Niger tribe, accusing them of coveting fertile lands, and sent troops to brutally massacre them.
When he built mines in Acticos to extract the magic stones, the legendary Black Dragon that had slumbered there for centuries awoke. Enraged, the dragon turned the duchy into a sea of fire.
The Duke of Torricos gathered the bravest knights from across the continent and formed an allied order. After a fierce battle in the great central forest, Elion, they finally succeeded in killing the dragon.
But the moment it died, the stones imbued with its breath turned into ordinary rock. The magnificent life-filled forest of Elion, drenched with the cursed blood of the dying dragon, began to twist into something grotesque.
With no magic stones gained and his politics in shambles, the duke withdrew from useless Acticos, invaded the southern Duchy of Notos, absorbed it, and renamed his state the Kedem Empire. Thus, he became Emperor Xenos Torricos Kedem.
Over the following decade, Elion—the once beautiful and mysterious forest—transformed into Kataraetz, a dark wood teeming with demonic beasts that slaughtered humans mercilessly.
Emperor Xenos once again gathered knights to subdue the beasts. Among them appeared a group of warriors who belonged to no nation.
Their young red-eyed commander, wielding a black sword, cut down the monsters with a crimson aura that seemed to stain even the moonlight. He became famous as the “Swordsman of the Red Moon,” and mercenaries and knights across the land rallied under him.
That man was Kaelian Thermos.
As their power grew, Emperor Xenos swiftly invited him to the capital, bestowed upon him the title of marquis, and granted him the barren Acticos territory, pressuring him to pledge loyalty.
It was then that his mercenary band, under their newly ennobled commander, came to be called the Knights of the Red Moon.
Kaelian raised no complaint. He built a castle in Acticos, welcomed his men, and accepted settlers who began to gather.
Then, unexpectedly, magic stones began to appear there once again.
The exact amount was unknown, but rumors spread that it was enough to support the growing population—certainly substantial.
Too late, the emperor regretted granting Acticos, but he could do nothing and satisfied himself with increasing taxes.
Yet now Kaelian not only commanded a mighty order famed across the continent, but also possessed wealth from the stones, governed well, and was praised by his people. That made the emperor uneasy.
Worse, though Kaelian bowed formally, his stiff and cold demeanor increasingly pricked the emperor like a thorn.
And now, in front of everyone, the emperor revealed his true feelings—mocking the Red Moon Knights under the guise of the “Blue Moon Knights.”
“Answer me, young lady. Has your house secretly been forming a Blue Moon Order without my knowledge? When you wield a sword, does blue aura emerge?”
Kaelian was about to step forward, unable to bear it any longer—when Himena’s loud laughter cut through.
“Hahaha! Not a Blue Moon, Your Majesty… a Blue Mold!”
“What—what was that? Mold?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. After I injured my head and recovered, I realized how precious health is. So I began practicing swordsmanship. And to train with me, I gathered knights to strengthen their bodies and skills. Thus was born the Order of the Blue Mold!”
Himena jumped up, nudged Lois—kneeling behind her—with her foot, and whispered,
“Hey, what are you doing, Lois? Get up and follow along!”
“Eh? Y-Yes, my lady…”
“We are the Blue—!”
“M-Mold!”
Snap! Salute!
Caught off guard, Lois even raised a clumsy salute beside her.
“Eh?”
The emperor blinked in disbelief. Himena lowered her hand, smiling easily.
“Your Majesty, for now it is only me and this fellow here. But whether Blue Moon or Blue Mold, if they are knights of Kedem, all stand beneath Your Majesty’s feet. For your safety and the peace of the empire, I am ready to dedicate this body anytime. Simply call upon us, and we shall come!”
Her shameless flattery, exalting the emperor’s authority, finally drew a booming laugh from him.
“Hahaha! Lady Himena, you’ve become quite the different person. Very well! This autumn’s monster-subjugation tournament—I will surely invite your Blue Mold Knights. Sharpen your skills and give us a great show! Hahaha!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The nobles laughed along with the emperor, and the hall warmed again.
As Himena yielded her place to the next noble and withdrew, she brushed past Kaelian.
“Don’t let it bother you. Petty sarcasm from a small-minded man isn’t worth it.”
She tapped his shoulder lightly and walked away. Kaelian stared after her, startled.
“Captain, what nonsense did she spout this time?”
Weil came up, frowning in distaste.
“…Nothing. It’s nearly my turn. Go prepare the empress’s gift.”
Fortunately, the emperor, his mood lifted, didn’t provoke Kaelian further as he offered congratulations and a gift to the empress.
Once the nobles’ gift-giving ended, the banquet began in earnest with music.
“My lady, mold? Blue Mold? Since when was I part of this weird Mold Order, eh?”
“Here, Lois, drink this! The champagne’s delicious!”
She shoved a glass at Lois, silencing his protest while quenching her own burning throat.
“So… when exactly will you give that public explanation?”
“Well, I was going to slip it in naturally if someone talked to me…”
But not knowing who was a count or a marquis, she couldn’t take the initiative. She waited for someone to approach—but now that the feast had begun, the nobles avoided her, whispering and steering clear of the so-called “Blue Mold.”
Damn it. If only I could finish this explanation thing and escape this madhouse of a party…
Frustrated, she downed champagne after champagne until she urgently needed the restroom. She slipped out to the powder room.
Kaelian, watching her, quietly set his glass down and followed. Just then—
“Marquis, do you remember me?”
Noble ladies suddenly swarmed him, eager to greet him.
“Ah, yes… hello.”
“I’m holding a birthday party next week. May I send you an invitation?”
“I’d like to invite you as well, my lord.”
“Me too, Marquis.”
“Uh, I… well…”
Unused to women approaching him first—or even exchanging names—Kaelian froze.
Why all of a sudden?
As they giggled and withdrew, they each dropped a handkerchief embroidered with their initials.
“Sigh… that makes twelve already.”
Weil, standing by, picked them up with a sigh.
“Explain this irritating situation.”
Kaelian frowned. Weil answered drily.
“They think the barrier has broken.”
“Barrier? Speak clearly.”
“Lady Himena’s been chasing you openly all this time, glaring at anyone who came near. After the staircase incident, they assume your relationship is over. Today’s awkward reunion confirms it. Since this is your first official appearance since then, all the women who’ve been waiting their chance are flooding in. It’s not just her family who’d want the Red Moon under their wing.”
“So she’s been… shielding me from these annoying women?”
“Well, on the surface… yes.”
“Damn…”
Kaelian’s cold expression wavered with confusion.
“Looks like the two of them really broke off, don’t you think?”
“It was always one-sided from her anyway. But head injury or not, how could she change so much?”
“I know, right? Blue Mold? Hoho. She must have gone mad.”
Himena, trapped inside the powder room after the noble ladies barged in, sank down to the floor as their gossip dragged on.
Sigh… what am I even doing? I showed up alive and in one piece. Isn’t that explanation enough? Or should I just walk out and tell these girls directly? They’d probably spread it themselves…
As she hesitated, a certain word pricked her ears.
“A murder in broad daylight—just horrific, isn’t it?”
“I know! And they still haven’t caught the culprit.”
“That writer who died… her novels were so good. Now we’ll never know the ending!”
“Right? The male lead was just about to confess too…”
Bang!
“Kyaa!”
“Oh my goodness!”
Himena suddenly burst from the inner room, making the girls shriek.
“What did you just say? Someone… was murdered?”
