Gekka no Utahime to Magi no Ou Vol 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 2  - The Moonflower Princess

She was fleeing.

Running away, further and further—she continued to run.

From what sort of place was she trying to run away from? Even leaving those

she suddenly realised.

for her to flee.

Part 1

As he stopped the chant, the light from the amber inserted onto the

laboratory and its mountains of books and doc.u.ments, was pa.s.sed on to the

Because of the trouble at the grounds of the performing arts festival, Lyle had

'medical treatment' that had to be done for her, it would have been

After placing her on the sofa, Lyle breathed the into the amber. As

recovered.

Maria, who had watched the entire process from start to end, thanked him.

ident.i.ty, she was still astonished by the rate the girl recovered with the light

"...... She really is no human, is she."

lifeforce. Without a doubt, she's a Phantasm."

also exist. —So? What are you going to do with her?"

enquire about her circ.u.mstances."

"I'll see you off till the main gate." 

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"...... Lyle. Was it because of the mage half of you that you saved her?"

that it was the right thing to do. Helping her, that is. Seeing her being

"And then you stepped in", said Maria with an amazed expression while

take action before thinking, eh. After all, sensibility isn't your strong suit."

Even though he himself thought so, Lyle could not change himself so easily.

optimistic, he would be able to live up to Maria's expectations—

was there.... ?"

"Nope, not at all."

head, humming.

horse carriage that had been on standby,

Said Maria as she waved her hand, and Lyle waved his hand in return, bidding

Milla who was seated at the coachman's position cracked her whip, and the

Part 2

no longer be seen,

Tearing at her hair, Maria rolled around in the interior of the pa.s.senger

"Lyle and that girl! Lyle and that girl are alone together! Lyle and that

"—If you are going to be that worried about it Milady, would it not be better

Milla responded with a business-like calmness to her master's abrupt and

"But, but......... I don't want him to think that I'm an overly clingy woman!"

beautiful, was she not?"

put such great effort into becoming a splendid woman! Paying attention to

Look! This chest! This chest of mine! In order to make Lyle happy, I worked

with a bra on at night to maintain its shape...... And yet he hasn't made a

Lyle like flat cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeests!?"

liking large b.r.e.a.s.t.s is high."

Milla nodded her head vigorously from coachman's seat through the

in a panicked state.

stop himself from ogling it."

Maria slowly sat down.

smile,

In the smallest of voices.

master was still a 'girl'. If that was not cute, than what was? If she would be

throw himself at her.

"Ah, however...... it is possible that he might have an interest in a totally

"A-And what is that?"

Maria gulped in antic.i.p.ation, waiting for the answer of Milla, who had

"——————lolita."

been struck by lightning. 

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lolitaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

sunflower, closed the compartment window. 

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"......."

atmosphere in the room had completely changed.

illuminating the girl who was rising up from the sofa. The moonlight seemed

shoulder.

turned into a surreal fairytale-like setting.

will-o'-the-wisp.

A clear voice leaked out from the girl's small lips. Though she was confused

calm.

"....... You were the one who provided me with magical power, were you

With a small nod, the girl gently got off the sofa. Her silken dress fluttered,

"......... I apologise for not introducing myself sooner. My name is

. I am a descendant of the 'Nosferatu'

1

gases (wikipedia). Blut is German for blood. You'll understand the significance of this name

who resided east of Ilsestein, and one of the 'Nebulablut'...... Would you

"—It's Lyle. Lyle Waldstein."

Vampire, Nachzehrer2

beings with diverse and powerful abilities, as prominent proof of their might.

«Nosferatu», were especially well-known even among the other Phantasms,

And she—Lunaria, seemed like she belonged to one of the considerably high

To the «Nosferatu», the 'Community Name' bore a special meaning. She who

the strength of her lineage, was, so to speak, something like a princess.

content with having that kind of social status? Though the questions he had

to do so.

floor. Her pale silver hair spread out on the floor, revealing her white slender

"...... Though I am but a novice, I will serve you as far as this body allows.

"Wa—?"

conduct of a slave, thought Lyle as his mind went into a panic.

2

Night'.

 Methuselah, according to the Hebrew Bible, was the oldest person to have lived. The

"R-Raise your head! Why are you—?"

Lifting her head, Lunaria turned her gla.s.s-like eyes towards him.

"Owner, you say......"

of keeping me as a 'Servant'?"

Lyle's thoughts were thrown into such a disarray that he became speechless.

to use humans as 'Servants', the fact that the opposite could happen would

"And so, what would you have me do? The provisioning of a catalyst? Taking

"...... A— , u— ..... mgh............."

words. It was partially due to astonishment, but mainly it was because of the

manage was,

"A lullaby?"

her movement was almost like she were a puppet that had its strings cut.

while feeling good by listening to a gentle and peaceful lullaby." 

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"It's not an order. I'm just asking a favour of you. You don't have to do it if

Lyle cleared the books from a corner of the room, creating a s.p.a.ce large

Using his overcoat as a replacement for the blanket, and a dictionary for the

"There's a blanket on the other side of the sofa, go ahead and use it."

floor.

She started her song.

singing voice, Lyle's tired consciousness slowly faded away.

Vaguely, he saw the figure of a girl who was lost within the deep fog.

Calling out to the girl within the fog, Lyle fell asleep to the sound of the

Part 4

Looking at the sleeping youth's face, Lunaria absent-mindedly thought.

and even the shoddy magic at the performance had caused her great

She was not afraid. To begin with, her survival had been a mistake.

understanding that it was her end. Why did this youth endanger himself to

Lunaria shook her head. Whatever it was was inconsequential.

dress and wrapped herself in it.

The blanket had a smell that was different from its material.

problem with the blanket. Whether it was a old rag or whatnot, there was no

Just like any other night since she had come to the world of humans, Lunaria

Part 5

The young man on the leather-covered sofa looked up at the ceiling

The combination of both strength and beauty in that body, could be a sample

Next to the young man, was sprawled a half-naked woman wrapped in bed

The young man looked at the body of the woman which stripped away a

"...... Hah."

room was knocked upon.

While touching the long sword that was leaning against the back of the sofa,

"—I apologise for troubling you at this time, Lord Vilhelm."

unnaturally cut forelocks, bowed his head.

performing arts festival.

close favourably earlier. So, are you all enjoying the night?"

the 'pleasure quarters' of the royal capital—in other words, a high cla.s.s

"—It is thanks to Lord Vilhelm that we are able to enjoy ourselves tonight.....

that. It is necessary for us to retaliate."

"Lyle Waldstein."

"For a commoner like him that has enrolled into the school as a scholarship

off like that, we have damaged Lord Vilhelm's reputation."

"Then, what about Maria Highline?"

Stroking his cheek, Vilhelm smiled seemingly happily.

can't be helped that she's the only daughter of the Highline Foundation's

A fervor filled his eyes, and Vilhelm nodded his head.

try whatever you've been thinking of. I'll be looking forward to it, and

"—Got it!"

Scholarship students of Vergenheim, which was run by the royal inst.i.tutions,

Teaching that eyesore of a lad who was in that status his social position—the

"...... Base humans like that are easy to deal with."

—That would be sufficient. Vilhelm swirled his gla.s.s filled with wine around.

the foundation for me, that would save me some effort."

As he was smiling and sipping the wine, the woman lying sprawled called out

Replying with a "It's nothing" while smiling, Vilhelm stroked her hair as

It was child's play for Vilhelm to give pleasure to a woman. And not just

different way, they wanted to have their worth recognised by someone else.

"....... How much are you worth? Lyle Waldstein, «Disciple of the Last Hexe»,

With a faint smile, the young Margrave finished the rest of his wine. 

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The first thing Lyle did when he woke up was to turn his line of sight toward

There was a substantial bulge in the blanket on the sofa in the middle of the

the gap in the curtains.

Lyle murmured with a complicated expression on his face and left the

hence he headed towards the washroom in the corridor.

staircase that was connected to the corridor,

"It's cool! I'm all dolled up and I won't give up. I have what a woman needs,

The copper haired person turned about, and the figure of Maria appeared.

eyes were faint signs of eye bags.

"However, Master Lyle is at that age, isn't he? A mistake or two is—"

y'know? F-For me to have made a mistake now.....!"

"Please calm yourself down, Milady. Here here, it'll be alright."

and Maria lifted her half-crying face. 

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"Yes. Milady, you are the one who knows Lyle best. If Milady does not trust

"....... That, that's right. Thank you, Milla. That's right. There's no problem at

Clenching her fist, Maria's determination was renewed. However, she was

Moving rapidly down the corridor, Maria energetically threw open the door

"Good morning! Ly—le......."

On the sofa that Lyle always slept on was a girl with pale silver hair.

and delicate body that had not a single st.i.tch of clothing on it.

The girl might be weak in the mornings, as she bowed her head seemingly

Maria then closed the door, speechless.

"Milady!?"

of blood. It looked like her spirit and soul were being sucked out of her body.

"Wow, interestin—No, no, how pitiful....." 

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Just then, Lyle returned from washing his face. Rushing over to his collapsed

not respond at all.

"I wonder what it could have been? She did not get enough sleep last night,

"Maria did not get enough sleep? That's unusual, she always seems to fall

"...... That's right."

Part 7

Dragging out a table and chairs from the nooks in the mountains of books,

the meal, Maria who had pretty much returned to her usual self, asked.

Lyle turned his gaze towards Lunaria who was in the interior of the room,

"—Lunaria."

Lyle grimaced.

would not listen.

up in a troupe of itinerant performers?"

"Picked up?"

ended her explanation.

Maria added, frowning, to Lyle who was scratching his neck.

in while on a tour in the east. No one knew anything about her, not even her

looks and voice." 

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"Yesterday, after leaving the academy, I changed my mind and paid a visit to

to clean up the mess, I ended up being her guarantor on paper. And because

'picked up'. That was all I got and, as you might expect, I was rather shocked."

Lunaria, the target of everyone's stares, as expected, answered in an

"That is the entire story. I am but a vagrant la.s.s—nothing more, nothing

"That doesn't really tell us much...."

Lunaria declared to the perplexed Lyle, as though it were somebody else's

"Please feel free to sell me to a slave market or even a brothel. You will be

This time round, Lyle was rendered fully speechless.

degree of self-abandonment was so serious it would not be odd to think that

"...... I don't like this at all."

imposing stance before Lunaria, she lashed out verbally without attempting

"Although it's a little embarra.s.sing to hear this coming from someone as

lightly? There are those who have no choice but to sell their body in order to

"...... What do you mean?"

whatever it is. A soulless corpse has no right to make light of the people who

"... Then, please give me the appropriate treatment as a corpse would

Lunaria did not even show the slightest bit of resistance.

An existence that ought to disappear.......?

to one who had given up on everything, but,

"... Hmph."

"—And? What are you going to do with it?"

"An object cannot be referred to as a human. That's why, calling it 'it' will

It was rare for Maria to become this resentful. Usually, she was not so

"You're her guarantor on paper, aren't you? She's a girl after all, you should

"I-don't-wanna-do-it. If you leave her to me, I'll go 'please dispose of this for

"Looks like I really have to do it...... Even so, a vagrant with no background

"Hm, isn't that fine? You could just use her like a pack mule."

anyway."

aren't you? You have various privileges and rights conferred upon you.

Royal Library—You also had a private laboratory provided, along with the

"The privileges extended that far?"

but it seemed that there had been some new additions since his

"To be precise, although it is a category of the teaching staff guidelines, it's

laboratory. Of course, the wages are paid by the owner of the laboratory,

can just provide the bare minimum of a roof and meals, give her some rags

"Rags......"

expressionless.

"See. Just work her to the bones as much as you want."

"You're heading back already?"

want later."

"I got it. This is something I started, so I should be the one to see it through

"Well then, see you later."

Part 8

womaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

Milla, at the coachman's position, could only muster an amazed expression at

"If you dislike it that much, then wouldn't it be better to simply forcibly make

"Grrrrrrrrrr........ if that actually worked then I'd have done it a long time

Although Maria was groaning and crying out loud, she forced herself to calm

"..... But, that was a good stimulus. That laboratory shut-in, Lyle was rather

He had obtained the position of a scholarship student in Vergenheim

serious during lessons, but everything taught in those were already like

Lyle had learnt a ma.s.sive amount of knowledge from «The Last Hexe». While

recluse. 

77 

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had called a 'genuine genius', is an even more haphazard person than that.

second ."

insecurity. The cool-headed mentor who was used to swaying others, was

"If possible, I'd like Lyle to be the one leading this civilisation of Steam

funds and environment have to be prepared—as well as stimulus. For that,

Lyle is someone who cannot ignore a person in trouble."

However, Milady, I have just one concern."

"Giving Master Lyle motivation is one thing, but a youth poking his nose into

from the romance genre? His motivation could very well turn towards

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! If

Uu-Uugggh! LYLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Milla nodded her head as though relieved, and quietly closed the

Part 9

Lunaria had changed into her plain clothes. Maria had brought them there

that got lost there were often described as being 'stranded'.

was showing her around. Some were reading, others seemed to be bored,

them simultaneously. Some of the guys were stunned and it seemed as

Well....... I guess that's how it is.

Her clothes clearly showed the amount of time she had spent as a vagrant

silver hair had not lost its l.u.s.tre. With the air of a daughter of a fallen n.o.ble

It was inevitable that she would captivate them.

Although Lyle was pointing out and explaining the various landmarks of

indicate whether or not she understood.

Wearing a complicated expression, they continued walking, and the bonfire

origin of the name 'SpringfireFestival', was a flame that burns through winter

"Yo, good morning, Lyle. How was last night? Were you able to enjoy yourself

Hazel who was watching over the bonfire just like yesterday, froze in place

next to Lyle.

"Ah, she's called Lunaria—"

Crying out while overcome with emotion, Hazel nimbly knelt down in front of

"—O beautiful maiden, your beautiful visage is like a fleeting dream,

unceasingly inside my chest..... Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier.

surprised, but—Lady Lunaria, please marry me!"

hand, seemingly full of emotion.

a mere student. However, Lady Lunaria, if you would stay by my side, no

able to make it through together! Will you grant me this courage to brave

It was almost like a line out of a comedy, but the person in question had a

And, Lunaria who had been confessed to, replied thus,

She had said something shocking in an indifferent manner.

His smile twisted, Hazel turned around to face Lyle. 

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"'What', you ask..."

Master Lyle. That is why I cannot be with you."

Stepping backwards unsteadily, Hazel then looked up at the sky in a kneeling

"OO-OOOOOHHH! OH, THE G.o.dS! Why hast thou bestowed upon that one

even laying his hands on delicate and slender flat chests...... OO-OOOOOOOOOOHHH!

"Um, Hazel..... ?"

Crying buckets of tears, Hazel glared at Lyle.

Before he could even ask what that was about, Hazel had run away while

"..... Did you hear that?"

"...... A scholarship student forming a harem inside his laboratory..... s.h.i.t, I'm

".........."

cold sweat. 

82

"Did I say something wrong?"

"I do not think that I have been mistaken in saying that I am serving Master

"You're seriously saying that, eh...... ? Well, it's Hazel, he'll probably forget

He had thought of something because of what Hazel had said earlier, and Lyle

"I know it's rude of me to be asking a girl this, but Lunaria, how old are you?"

many «Elves» that had lived for over a thousand years. And furthermore,

Lunaria's appearance was that of a human in her early teenage years, but it

have to rethink how he should address her.

"Sixteen!? The same age as I am?"

Appearances could be deceiving, but after being told the answer that she was

She might have been a Phantasm, but there should not be a great difference

were more innocent and curious.

In a hollow, echo-like voice, Lunaria asked the rendered mute Lyle.

He frowned at this doll-like person, and her lack of both emotion and

Thinking that, Lyle felt rage welling up inside him.

totally wrong, he strongly believed. She believed that she had ought to

not possibly tolerate.

Semi-forcibly taking Lunaria's hand in his own, Lyle changed direction and

"........ Master Lyle?"

all over the place."

Lyle. 

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Vergenheim Academy, which was located at the outskirts, had tram routes

To the group of people who were staying in the overcrowded dormitory, the

was free of charge.

some empty seats. When they boarded the tram, it was not so crowded, but

sound of the whistle that marked the tram's departure seemed as though it

Lyle's destination was the shopping street near the remains of the old outer

during this period of the Springfire Festival, with throngs of sightseers and

government district's.

boutique.

"Of all the stores that sell female clothing that I know of, this one has the

"That is not what I meant..... why a boutique?"

normally that's what you would think."

The salesgirl he was acquainted with greeted him. Seeing that the girl next to

smile of complicity. 

85

"Please don't suspect me of those weird things, and pick something nice out

After he glared at her, the salesgirl went 'scary, scary' with a smile, and

—Over ten minutes later.

Whether the newly debuted Lunaria's appearance was strange or unusual, he

she wore the first time Lyle had seen her. A pure-white blouse, a black jacket

breast was a st.i.tched red ribbon ornament.

was her gentling swaying pale silver hair, and her white, snow-like skin. And

"Um..... Master Lyle...."

selling the mansion that I used to live in, and because of that I've got some

She seemed as though she had wanted to say something like 'these clothes

"......If you say so, Master Lyle."

silence, much like a dress-up doll.

Realising that he had lost the first round, Lyle renewed his determination and

Bringing along Lunaria, whose appearance had been settled, Lyle set off for

Part 11

While savouring the bitter taste of coffee for the first time at a cafe, Lunaria

—What on earth could be this young magus' motive be in dragging me

At the moment, the youth who had hired her—Lyle Waldstein, was throwing

spoon.

same time, was treating her very well indeed.

just a normal student.

Though it seemed that this youth had saved her out of goodwill, that sort of

It was just like that Maria girl said, she was as good as a 'corpse'.

Thus, it did not matter what she was given. Clothes, rags, they were all the

"Is it good?"

anything, given the amount of sugar he had added in.

"Is that so? That's good to hear." 

88

no special motive behind it. This youth was surely someone who helped

However, a corpse could not be saved by that. In the first place, there was no

If only he would use me as a 'consumable good' as soon as possible....

realise that. She did not care however she was treated.

Leaving some small change on the table, Lyle got up.

I do not care. Be it out of ill will or goodwill, I do not care.

"Ah..........................."

grabbed from behind either. 

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"Hm?Lunaria?"

immediately, he could not see a single trace of that conspicuous appearance

While he was scratching his chin thinking of what to do, a crudely-dressed

"Are you the one called 'Lyle'?"

The boy thrust out a letter at him.

expression hardened and he looked back at the boy.

"Some c.o.c.ky 'n' really well-dressed guy, that you coulda told was a n.o.ble

From just that, he understood the situation. Lyle held up the many strands of

its l.u.s.ter dulled, and he exhaled a breath in rage.

The boy curtly nodded his head, and headed off with Lyle.

human activity, it used to be a haunt for the lower cla.s.s citizens.

focused on this area which had a low price for the land. However, deeper

The place that Lyle was brought to, was a gloomy back street like that.

"Maybe I should."

"I'm not always like this. Ah, that's right. I'll pa.s.s you this first."

"Probably after this, the demand for you as a messenger will drop, so I'll pay

"........You realise I'm their accomplice in all this trouble they are putting you

"That's a problem between me and them, it's got nothing to do with you.

know much about this sort of thing, but it's easy to guess what they're

Gazing intently at the silver coin in Lyle's palm, the boy then took it without a

And then finally, they arrived at a gapingly wide plot of vacant land that was

for materials.

at the sight of Lyle.

well-dressed'.

The youth who seemed like he was in control glowered at Lyle. A faint

advantage of Lunaria before he saved her—GerimSchwatten.

Nodding arrogantly at the boy who had brought Lyle there, Gerim tossed him

"......Didn't we agree on two silver coins?"

lost."

admiration. Seeming somewhat embarra.s.sed, the boy said, 'see ya' to Lyle,

After the boy departed, it was natural that they would block all the exits.

"How would I know? Unfortunately, I'm not as bright as you think I am."

Gerim said scornfully. The others around too, shifted their attention to him

"The fact that a commoner the likes of you could become a scholarship

is known and you are liked by some of the teachers."

interviews, and saying that he pa.s.sed his exams only due to Erllua's name—

".......I didn't use my master's name—" 

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anything before us n.o.bles!"

He had not done anything to rub him the wrong way. It was

n.o.bles were simply too prideful...... it was that simple a matter.

Lyle had been overwhelmed in the mental battle, sneered at him.

Erllua Azoth, that highly praised genius, must have left you something as well,

?"

"I don't know what it is, but you must have gained something from the

that by yourself. Isn't that right, «Disciple of the Last Hexe»?"

The young n.o.bles frowned.

At the very least, his position as a scholarship student was something he had

Yes—with the knowledge and wisdom imparted to him from Erllua.

they had even looked down on Erllua. That could not be condoned.

".........I couldn't have done all that by myself? Doesn't that sound like you

a girl alone and had to group up to do so?"

"Now you've done it!"

scattered timber and metal rods, they glared at Lyle with clear intention for

".......Do you understand the reason we have brought you to this stinking,

hoodlums and ruffians. No matter what you say, eh? —Do us a favour, don't

share."

Lunaria had an unimpressed expression and was not doing anything to resist.

"........Will you hear me out on something?"

"Let Lunaria go right now. If you let her go right now and swear not to have

The young n.o.bles had their jaws agape for a moment, and then broke out in

"Haha, are you a dimwit? You are the one who's going to be in pain!"

at Lyle—but it pa.s.sed through only air.

"—The human field of vision only covers two hundred degrees horizontally."

the voice coming from the right of his back.

. Just a word

As the youth turned immediately to face his back,

Lyle grabbed his wrist, and swept him off his feet. With just that, Lyle readily

"The centre of gravity, the trunk, the posture, the limits of mobility—in this

Placing his knee on a certain point on the back, Lyle had completely sealed

The sound of the lumber falling out from the youth's hand and onto the

The surrounding youths—even Lunaria—were wide-eyed in amazement at

"I apologise for not living up to your expectations, but I did use to get caught

In any case, he had been dragged back and forth by his tomboyish childhood

times. It was due to that, that he was well versed in how the human body

"Grr...... You......"

1

to say is that the field of vision that is adaptable to changes in vision is less than the

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptual_adaptation 

95

all at once, it would not go well.

him overcome a foe with surprise.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

youth's neck.

".........In the human body, there are places known as the 'nerve plexus'

He said in a monotone, as though giving a lecture, and then Lyle twisted his

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

pressing on is one of the vital points of that."

And screams of deathly agony filled the back street.

to torment him. If you refuse, I'll make you all taste the same pain he did."

though a switch had been flipped in him.

The atmosphere of the kind, softhearted honours student had vanished, and

looking at 'numbers' written on a paper. The simple tranquillity of

Gerim and the others were a.s.sailed by realistic delusions as they were being

And the person in question, Lyle, was also very conscious of his own self.

not have let that pa.s.s so easily, by just simply thinking that 'we are the

their shallow and superficial thoughts, their baseness—it was easier than

Calmly a.n.a.lysing their inner thoughts, Lyle then grew disgusted with himself.

hated himself for it. It was like he were scorning the souls of humans.

slackened.

"So, what will you do? Don't you think he would appreciate it if you would

He repeated himself once more, his words and tone dangerous yet

said.

"D-d.a.m.nable b.a.s.t.a.r.d.....!"

ma.s.s from his purse—a small revolver that was giving off a black l.u.s.tre.

Lyle sighed dejectedly at Gerim who was pointing his muzzle at him while

Part 13

If it were before she had regained her magical power, that would not have

taking candy from a baby.

In that manner, Lunaria had been brought there. And the ones who had done

festival before.

prefer to be loved by us, rather than being kept by that boring brat?"

were torn off and she were pushed down onto the ground, she would not

And so, when that youth had turned up, foolishly and naively,

softhearted person....

If he were to experience pain, perhaps he would finally be able to realise

one of them, and requested for an exchange of hostages. His way of doing it

And each time they heard the scream of their comrade as though on the

"Y-You little b.a.s.t.a.r.d.....!" 

99

out of his purse. And what he had taken out, the ma.s.s of metal that gave off

"You little........ Don't screw around with me!"

but rather faced Gerim head on with a look of pity.

brawl..... But if you bring that out, it would be in the category of an incident.

trouble?"

Gerim replied, his spittle flying, to Lyle who seemed to be warning him. "Oi,

lowered the gun.

you own the place...... looking down on us!"

it's not because you