Book 1 Chapter 1004
1004.
“Wow! That looks delicious!”
Rena silently watched Luna's back as Luna dragged her around various places in Seirun.
Luna, who had bought two ice creams sold by the Lumen students, tilted her head.
“It looks delicious, but what exactly is this?”
“It’s ice cream.”
“Cold food?”
“Yes.”
“Hoo. Hoo. Eating something like this in such cold weather. Have the people of the future gone mad?”
“Usually, even if magic makes the weather mild, elves living in the cold north don't really eat things like this. It must be because they're Lumen students that they thought of selling something like this.”
As Rena said, selling ice cream in the north is an idea an elf would never conceive.
“Hmm. The north used to be a warm region, you know.”
Luna smiled faintly and took a bite of ice cream.
“Mmm! This is delicious!”
Then she handed the ice cream she was holding in her other hand to Rena.
“This big sister is specially buying this for you.”
“…It’s my money, though.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Thank you for the food.”
Feeling that she might get scolded, Rena hastily took the ice cream.
Then she looked at Luna's back as Luna walked ahead, humming.
She didn't know why Luna was in a child's form, but Luna's appearance now was, at best, similar to her own age.
“Lady Luna.”
“Why do you call?”
“Lady Luna, do you know about your future?”
“Yeah. They say I save the world, right?”
Luna made a face as if she couldn't believe it.
“And I die in the process.”
“……”
“When I looked into it roughly, it didn't seem like it would have been a very happy life.”
The records Luna saw of herself didn't detail what kind of life she lived.
Only Luna's actions and accomplishments were written.
But even just by looking at that, Luna could tell what kind of life she would experience in the future.
A world on the verge of destruction.
And herself, struggling to prevent that destruction.
‘I don't know why I dedicated myself so much to the world, though.’
Luna licked her ice cream, wondering inwardly.
Did she have such an attachment to the world? No, she didn't.
She didn't hate or resent it, but there wasn't anything worth struggling so hard for either.
Up until coming to Valharrun.
No, even after coming, Luna's life wasn't smooth.
‘What made my future self work so hard?’
While Luna was feeling such doubts.
Rena carefully asked.
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Of what?”
“There will be so many difficult things ahead, you know.”
Rena's eyes lowered slightly.
“Everyone in this era praises Lady Luna.”
“Yeah, I know. That's why it's amazing.”
“Aren’t you scared of the fact that you have to live up to those expectations?”
“Hmm.”
Knowing the future isn't always a good thing.
As Rena said, Luna's future life won't be smooth.
She'll have to endure all the terrible and difficult things.
To feel proud, "I've done such great things!", she still has to achieve all those great feats herself in the future.
From that perspective, people's praise was enough to become a burden.
At Rena's words, Luna shrugged.
“I haven’t thought deeply about it?”
“Pardon?”
“Whether I'll return to where I originally came from with these memories or not, I don't know.”
Luna let out a small laugh.
“What the heck, I'll just give it a try.”
“……”
“And if I really can't do it, then I can just give up.”
Luna shoved the rest of the ice cream into her mouth.
“I just have to work as hard as I can, right? What does it matter what others say?”
Words so carefree they might seem thoughtless in a way.
But in fact, those words were the correct answer.
“As expected, Lady Luna is Lady Luna.”
“Huh?”
Rena burst into laughter.
The Luna before her was the Luna from a time Rena didn't know.
But she was utterly Luna-like.
She didn't care about what others thought.
The Luna Rena knew wanted to become a great archmage.
She was an elf who dreamed of being praised by people and becoming a being who could bring light to the world, and she achieved that dream.
But Rena knew.
Even if she didn't become the person she wanted to be, Luna would never have been disappointed or discouraged.
‘Because she knew that the fact she tried wouldn't change, and the fruits she gained in the process wouldn't disappear. She was that kind of person.’
Recalling the kind voice that had told her Luna's story, Rena smiled brightly.
As Luna tilted her head at the sight.
“Oh no!”
A surprised voice was heard.
Luna and Rena turned their heads.
“Huh? Eiran unnie. Are they kids you know?”
After the performance, during break time.
Eiran and Chelsea, who were looking around to briefly enjoy the festival, discovered Luna and Rena.
Seeing the two, Rena made a gasp! expression.
And she tried to hastily escape, but Luna grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.
Eiran knew that the Luna from the past had come to the present era.
Because of that, she hesitated for a moment, then whispered about Luna's identity into Chelsea's ear.
Hearing Eiran's words, Chelsea's eyes widened.
“Hello.”
Luna smiled faintly, waved, then pulled Rena along.
“Did you do something wrong? Why are you trying to run away?”
“You! When I saw you in the Northwest Sea, you were human, but why are you in an elf's form now?”
At that moment, Eiran, who recognized Rena, quickly approached and grabbed Rena's wrist.
“Huh?”
For a moment, Eiran tilted her head.
“Is this the suspicious child Eiran unnie said she saw? She's still just a kid. But…”
Chelsea stroked her chin and carefully looked at Rena's face.
Then she tilted her head.
“Doesn't she seem a bit thin?”
“Yeah, she does. She looks a bit frail.”
“Ah, no! I eat well and live well!”
At Chelsea and Eiran's words, Rena showed a strong, inexplicable reaction.
As Eiran and Chelsea made puzzled expressions at her reaction.
“It seems you two know about me too, then?”
Luna smiled sweetly.
Then she patted Rena's shoulder and said.
“Even if she's suspicious, she's probably not a bad kid.”
“Why do you think that?”
As Chelsea asked, tilting her head, Luna smiled faintly.
“She's from the future, you see.”
“What?!”
“F-future?”
Chelsea and Eiran made horrified expressions.
“Yup.”
Hearing that, Chelsea made a serious expression.
‘According to Eiran unnie, Lady Luna right now is Luna from her childhood, right?’
She recalled the information she had just heard from Eiran.
But even if she's Luna from her childhood, Luna is still Luna.
‘Leo oppa once said he had visited a parallel world.’
And it was Chloe who laid the foundation for the magical theory to travel between those parallel worlds.
‘There's no law saying there can't be magic to travel through time.’
Like a true mage, she quickly deduced.
“Lady Luna, why do you think this child is from the future? Is it simply because she claims to be from the future?”
“No. Hmm… How should I put it? I can see the waves of magic in my eyes.”
“Waves of magic?”
“Yeah. Only I can see them, probably?”
Considering Luna's talent, it wasn't strange that Chelsea couldn't see them.
“So, the waves are different only for this child?”
“Yeah. You two don't see any color. But for people like me and Seirun, who came from the past to the present era, it's red. In this child's case, I see blue waves.”
“Hmm… Magic has mana as its source, so it must be affected by that. The fact that a characteristic invisible to those living in the current time is visible to people from different time periods… means that the current time period is the baseline. And if the waves change according to that baseline… is Lady Seirun's red wave perhaps deeper?”
“Oh? That’s right. Since I came from further in the past. You're smart, aren't you?”
“Hmm… Lady Luna in the future didn't mention such waves. Hmm… Well, indeed. The younger you are, the more vivid your senses are.”
Chelsea also used to feel the subtle flow of wind better when she was young and first learning magic than she does now.
Agreeing with Luna's words, Chelsea looked at Eiran, who was examining Rena with curious eyes.
“Ah, so that's why you called Miss Iliana ‘Grandma’.”
At that, Chelsea burst into laughter.
“Pfft. She must have gone ballistic hearing that. Do the same next time you see her.”
“Yes, Grandma.”
“No… not to me.”
Looking at Chelsea, who was narrowing her brows, Rena said.
“But you are a Grandma.”
“Do you know me?”
“Because you're famous?”
“What is that? That vague answer.”
“Don't be too hard on her, Chelsea. She's from the future, you know.”
Eiran smiled gently and patted Rena's head.
“Aren't you happy, actually? Having a child call us ‘Grandma’ means we've won. Right?”
“Hmm… Perhaps?”
“I've noticed this since earlier, but you tend to give ambiguous answers. Is it some kind of rule?”
As Luna asked, sounding intrigued, Rena rolled her eyes.
“Perhaps?”
“Interesting.”
Luna's lips curled up.
“Wouldn't it be important not to cause trouble? What's your name?”
“It's Rena.”
“Miss Rena. Shall I buy you something delicious?”
“Th-that's… fine. Gra-grandma… No. Lady Eiran.”
“It's okay not to refuse.”
“It's really fine, Gra-… Lady Eiran.”
Rena politely refused, sweating coldly.
“Anyway, to think I'd live long enough to meet someone from the future.”
Chelsea made an expression of wonder.
At that moment.
The atmosphere inside Seirun grew noisy, and the crowd began to part left and right.
“What is it? What are they doing?”
As Chelsea tilted her head, an answer came from behind.
“It’s a parade before the beauty pageant.”
The owner of the cheerful voice was Elena.
“A beauty pageant parade?”
“Yeah. It'll be quite an interesting spectacle.”
[Ladies and gentlemen! The beauty pageant to choose the most beautiful! Introducing its participants! I am Runba Tess from Lumen, in charge of commentary! This year's graduating class! A retiring commentator!]
Runba's cheerful voice, serving as the emcee, echoed.
[Alright! Then, for the final commentary… Staaaartt……]
Runba's once energetic voice gradually lost its strength.
[Ugh… Ugh! I don't want to graduate… I don't want to go out into society… I want to remain a student forever…]
A gloomy, tearful voice was heard.
At that moment.
[I could fail you for bringing shame to the school right now, you know?]
When Harlin's chilly voice was heard from behind, Runba cheerfully shouted.
[…I will proceed!]
With that, festive music rang out, and a huge carriage carrying the participants appeared.
“They do things like that too.”
Eiran exclaimed in admiration.
“Yeah. But who are these kids here? Especially this one looks a bit sassy, doesn't she?”
Elena, who had been tilting her head while looking at Luna and Rena, finally pointed at Rena and asked.
Looking at Elena, Rena said.
“So you've been a wicked witch since you were young?”
“Hoo? That's a new type of provocation, isn't it?”
Elena's lips curved into a smile, but her eyes weren't smiling.
At that moment.
“Gasp! Young Master Leo?!”
Eiran, who was watching the parade, was startled.
“Huh? Leo oppa is out there too?”
Chelsea looked around at the participants in a fluster.
Elena chuckled and clapped her hands, looking at Leo standing among the participants.
At that moment.
“Mother?!”
Rena's horrified cry burst out.
At her words, Elena, Chelsea, and Eiran's gazes turned to Rena.
“Mother?”
“What are you saying?”
Chelsea, who didn't know Leo was disguised, and Elena, who didn't know Rena was from the future, made puzzled expressions.
But Eiran, who was aware of both facts, gaped.
Eiran, looking alternately at Leo and Rena, realized a certain fact.
‘White hair and red eyes…’
“Huh?”
At the dumbfounded Eiran's exclamation, Elena and Chelsea's puzzled gazes turned to Eiran.
A moment later.
“Whoa?!”
This time, Eiran let out a shocked exclamation.