A few days had passed since the Moon Festival Disaster.
Aldwolf stared at the pile of paperwork stacked on his table in a messy heap. Work has undoubtedly piled up since he was busy helping with the aftermath of the incident. The restless days of hassle had left him with no energy to continue with work, causing him to space out at his desk.
He eventually picked out a form on the very top of the pile and started working on it.
"Progress report: Cleaning up after the Moon Festival Disaster…" Aldwolf mumbled to himself as he filled out details of the form.
In short, Tristania was a hair away from chaos caused by the destruction all over the city. While Lunaria had certainly contributed to part of the damage, the main cause was the devils' plan with rigging the bandits to explode all over town. By some miracle, the percentage of damage caused was not as big as one would have expected when comparing the number of bandits to the damage Tristania had suffered. Laevia and a few other court magicians were credited for their contribution to minimalizing the damage with barriers put up at the last second.
"Upon further examination… structure of the soil was shaken… sinkholes expected in a few areas… requires stabilization," Aldwolf wrote on the report. "South-eastern wall partially repaired… the town on the east requires more support… what else? Ah, progress on the devil search leads to multiple dead ends…"
As Aldwolf had written, the unfortunate truth was that the devils had escaped. Since the scene where the fighting happened was rampaged by Lunaria in her dragonkin form, no one was able to approach the area until after Reginsleif had managed to 'tame' his daughter. By the time Aldwolf and high-levelled fighters got there, it was already too late.
However, it wasn't like they came out with a complete loss. They managed to scavenge the body of a dead devil a few kilometres away from the site. Upon inspection, it likely got caught in one of Lunaria's attack and didn't manage to escape in time. The authenticity of the body was quickly confirmed by the authorities involved using identification methods available for devils, such as checking the spinal connection of their tail and their spine. Aldwolf, naturally, was involved since he was not only the headmaster of the school, but also a confidante for Ethan.
Things had begun settling enough recently for Aldwolf to return to completing paperwork. For the past few days, his presence was required physically to help with relocation of citizens affected. A lot of people had been affected by the devils' attack, so much so that several drastic measures had to be taken. A declaration of emergency, for example, was made by Ethan. Proposals to ratify legislations on border control and entry were made, increasing Tristania's patrol, putting the guards on high security were the few most important ones among the dozens more minor changes.
Speaking of which, the last day of the Moon Festival was essentially cancelled because of the incident. This was not too much of a concern to the people of Tristania since they were all too focused on helping with the reconstruction of their ruined city. Nobles, in particular, helped out through donation or supporting the locals with their business or providing temporary shelters and food. One could argue there was a political reason for this, namely that it would help improve their image or help with elections on governing certain areas of the city. Still, every little help counted, and no one could really complain with the generosity they experienced.
Schools were among the few affected buildings from the attack. The students were placed on temporary leave from attending classes without a specified period. This was to act as a measure to prevent there being harm to students in the case of future attacks and for those who were affected by the damage. Like the others, Kaze and the rest obeyed the order and stayed in their shared house. The only difference this time was the absence of a core member of their group.
Everyone was made aware of Lunaria's sudden leave from Lunatea. She had told Sera and Rena about this before the dragonkin group left Tristania, which was then notified to the rest of the group. Unsurprisingly, everyone felt shocked from this piece of news, but it was something they had expected. After such a big incident, it would be strange if Lunaria was not gone to prevent there being more danger to her.
None of them managed to talk or meet with Lunaria after they last saw her rampaging in her dragonkin form. Even with the last few hours before they departed, no one was allowed to see Lunaria. Kaze, for example, was one of the more extreme members of the group who insisted on meeting with Lunaria. The dragonkin guards had to restrain Kaze to prevent him from forcing his way into the private room of the Rentaria family at the palace.
For the past few days, other than volunteering to help with cleaning up the mess outside, there was hardly any lively interaction between the few. Everyone felt concerned for Lunaria's wellbeing. Whether or not she would even return to Tristania was unknown to them, needless to say her health.
"Man… I'm beat," Shoko sighed, collapsing into her seat at the dining table.
"Good work today," Rena offered her friend a light pat on the head. "We needed some help with transferring food back and forth between the Central District."
"Today's food is made by who again?" Mitsui asked with a small smirk. "Looks like barf."
"It's called 'stew', and it's made by me," Yuuji rebutted in a passive-aggressive tone at his cousin. "If you don't like it, don't eat it. At least try it before judging it."
"Taught to you by Mia, I believe," Sera tried to ease Yuuji's annoyance by replying politely. "Unless you learnt from the Queen?"
"Sort of… I incorporated a little more spice in it since Mia can't handle spicy food," Yuuji explained. "But since everyone here is rather flexible, I tried making a vegetable stock to go along with the stew."
"Vegetable stock does bring out the spicy aroma differently than cooking it with meat," Albert agreed with this before taking a spoonful. "Mitsui-san, I think you should be more kind with Yuuji…"
"I mean, I can't handle spicy food too, but this is just right," Chris grinned after tasting the meal. "Stew, huh? Irene, maybe you can ask Yuuji for the recipe."
"Ae you that scared of my cooking?" Irene pouted at her boyfriend. "Just so you know, tomorrow's my shift."
"Ah, I don't mean it that way… I just meant that you could learn it if you are keen on cooking," Chris stammered, feeling worried for himself. "Maybe it can give you new ideas and such."
As a funny argument broke at the table, Kaze was left to his own accords. Sitting next to an empty chair with spoon in hand, an empty feeling overcame him once again. The usual chatty dragonkin who would be next to him right now had became a part of his school life within the first few months, so much so that it felt unnatural to be unable to hear her voice for such a long time.
Sera's gaze shifted to Kaze as the others continued chatting between themselves. With a slightly worried look on her face, she was worried about Kaze in particular. Having been friends with both Kaze and Lunaria, she could tell that he was missing Lunaria more than he admitted. Since getting restrained by the guards and Lunaria's sudden departure, Kaze looked a little out of it at times. The others got by better than he did, despite it not looking as obvious overall.
Sera wasn't the only one who noticed this change. Practically everyone noticed it for it wasn't that hard to spot when someone has a problem but weren't vocal about it. When it came to Kaze, who was wrapped in the middle of most of the fiesta a week ago, of course he would be the one affected the most. The centipede incident helped him improve his relationship with Lunaria and everyone else unintentionally, but it was really Lunaria's shift of attention and the way she treated him that mattered.
As Lunaria's friend for decades now, Sera felt she was entitled to think of Lunaria as a special individual. This was the first time in a while since Lunaria got 'obsessed' over something, or rather, someone. Being a genius who excelled at her own field of expertise, Lunaria overcame the odds stacked against her during her excruciating past, which Sera, Rena and Shoko knew all too well. It took a while for her to recover from the post-trauma of it, which deteriorated her natural complexation and emotion as an aftereffect.
When she met Kaze, who was no one as special compared to herself, Lunaria somehow recovered part of her past self that she lost. Sera did not know what happened between her friend and Kaze, nor was she going to question it out of respect for personal privacy, but she did remember the words that Lunaria once told her a few weeks ago.
'He is someone different.'
Lunaria spoke with such a soft and calm tone that it sent shivers down Sera's spine. It was the method of talking that did not feel forced, unlike her usual self when interacting formally. Other than with Sera herself, Rena and Shoko, this was one of the only times when she had seen Lunaria smiling so naturally.
It would be hard to tell the difference with how Lunaria was on a daily basis compared with Lunaria being Lunaria. The two overlapped so much due to Lunaria's role as the crown princess of Aravel, a nation with a complex history and difficult present. When faced with the adversities of her past, Sera was glad that Lunaria was able to find peace in someone other than herself.
When dinner was over, Sera headed over to the porch. From there, she was able to watch Kaze swinging his sword. With an apple in hand, Sera began contemplating about the recent issues yet again while watching Kaze.
The reason why Kaze was practising even after dinner was due to the Moon Festival Disaster. Unlike the rest, Kaze felt responsible that he was unable to protect Lunaria. The others weren't physically there when Lunaria got taken or attacked, Kaze was. Perhaps combined with the centipede attack, it made Kaze realize that his previous mindset of taking training as a means to strengthen himself wasn't enough. He needed strength to protect those he cared about, such as Lunaria who treated him so well.
Growing up from the countryside, Kaze must have had a rather different life than most of them here. Sera and Rena grew up in Yvel, the elven forest where they served as royal guards. Shoko was trained to fight and assassinate by her group in Ile, the land where mass plains were suitable for the foxkins to live. Yuuji, Mitsui, Chris, Irene and Albert all came from Tristania, making Kaze the odd one out. He must not have had many who cared for him or experienced life the way they did in the city. Especially considering that he was an orphan and did not talk much about his childhood other than frequent mentions of his grandfather, Sera felt slight pity for Kaze.
Without realizing it, she had been watching for half an hour already. Rena and Shoko both stood by her side, each watching Kaze with difficult expressions on their faces.
"Sera, Shoko…" Rena muttered, keeping her eyes on Kaze. "Was it a mistake to have come to Tristania?"
"You know that whatever the case, it was Lunaria herself who chose this," Sera shook her head. "We only chose to accompany her."
"Then we must have done a poor job when we promised Reginsleif-oji that we would take care of his daughter," Shoko snorted softly. "How pathetic."
"Is Kaze feeling better?" Sera asked the two in a timid manner. "I don't know how I should feel about his recent behaviour."
"He's going to have to learn about dealing with loss in this sense," Rena answered for her friend. "Are you feeling bad for him?"
"Yes… As much as I knew that whatever happened was not anyone's fault, it really stumps me knowing that Kaze has experienced two events that normally would not occur," Sera admitted. "The two differed in situation but remained similar in terms of danger. He encountered two life-and-death events in such a short span, of which both had Lunaria injured. When you think about how close the two have been recently, it must be heart-wrenching for him."
They remained silent after Sera's remark. The night gust that blew past them as they watched Kaze did little to dispel the uneasiness they had. All they had on their minds were only thoughts involving the uncertain future with Lunaria.
- - - - - -
Ethan slipped into bed next to his wife, letting out a loud sigh of relief upon hitting the soft fabric of his pillow.
"Good work today, dear," Kathy snuggled her husband from the side. "How's work?"
"Oh, I've had better days," Ethan chuckled lightly, giving his wife a kiss. "The estimated loss is more than hundreds of thousands… I'm glad we had excess gold in the treasury to help compensate for damages."
"Let's talk about something less depressing before bed then," Kathy smiled. "How's things going with Aldwolf?"
"Oh, he helped out a ton," Ethan's expression brightened upon the mention of his colleague's name. "I feel bad for burdening him with some of the work, but we truly need his help. With his experience, I can tell he does a great job."
"You did promise to treat him to lunch or something, didn't you?" Kathy giggled upon imagining the agony on Aldwolf's face when dealing with all the paperwork.
"Something like that. Oh right, about the devil's carcass," Ethan suddenly remembered something. "Our experts have disclosed the report of the post-mortem today."
"Not to the public, I hope," Kathy shivered. "What was reported?"
"Mm, we will be keeping this from the public, of course," Ethan had a serious look on his face when saying so. "Apart from it being half-destroyed and certain parts unsalvageable, I am terrified by the damage done… The power of a dragon, that is."
"It tore up the town, for god's sake. What did you think it would do to a living being, even if it was a devil?" Kathy sighed. "Of course the injuries inflicted would be THAT serious."
"No, you don't understand," Ethan grimaced. "It's… beyond anything I have personally seen or experienced. That might and raw power was enough to demolish an entire nation if Reginsleif-dono didn't intervene."
"Reginsleif-san and Laevia-san must have known at one point or another that this would happen the moment Lunaria turned into a dragon, hence the immediate actions taken," Laevia comforted her husband. "You saw the way they react immediately after we heard that roar."
"Yes," Ethan nodded slowly. "I don't know what to say other than being glad that the royal family of Aravel was present when this crisis took place."
Reaching over to stroke Kathy's face, Ethan gave her a light kiss.
"Kathy… what should we do?" He asked her softly. "I'm worried this event would jeopardize the relation we have with Aravel. It has only been less than a century since 'that' happened… I don't want to be the one to ruin our chance with reconnecting with them."
"… Get some sleep," Kathy simply said as she reciprocated the kiss. "We have another long day tomorrow."
Using magic to dispel magic from the light crystals around the bedroom, Kathy rolled over to the other side. Ethan was left thinking by himself silently in the darkness while staring at the ceiling until the drowsiness of sleep took over.
The next morning, a rather surprising guest showed up at the palace.
Ethan was just getting into sorting out his business for the day when there came a knock on the door.
"Enter," Ethan said out loud.
Light footsteps resounded as the person walked into the room. Based on the tempo of the steps, Ethan could tell that this was no ordinary person coming to meet him. It had a rhythm to it, as if it was someone trained to march as a soldier.
He didn't think too much about it and lifted his head to properly greet whoever it was, assuming it was his general or an advisor. After all, he had been meeting with so many people over the past few days that he had gotten tired of it.
"Yes, who is it- hiik??" Ethan's bored tone turned to fear as he literally jumped to attention.
The person who showed up was Sakuya, one of the dragonkin guard captains. Ethan recognised her from before as she was the one escorting the royal family around and in charge of the rest of the dragonkin guards with her sister, Shiina.
"Sir Ethan, I hope I did not disturb you," Sakuya spoke first without being fazed by Ethan's surprised look. "I would like to apologise for this sudden visit without notice."
"N-N-No, a visit from the nation of Aravel is much more important than whatever on hand currently," Ethan stammered, trying to get a grip on himself. "Um, I assume that a message needed delivered?"
"Yes. Reginsleif-sama has ordered for me to pass on a letter to you," Sakuya nodded and handed out a letter with both hands.
Ethan accepted it instantly and opened it. Behind was the crest of Aravel's insignia embedded in the seal of the letter, representing the great importance that the letter bore.
"I shall take my leave then," Sakuya bowed, not waiting for Ethan's response. "You may respond as you see fit after examining the contents of the letter."
With that said, Sakuya left the room to head back to Aravel, leaving Ethan in a state of panic as he tried to comprehend the contents of the letter in a hurry.
Minutes later, a royal messenger was deployed to where Yuuji was with a replicated copy of the letter to be delivered.
When word got out that he had received a letter from Aravel by his father, everyone in the house immediately gathered to hear the contents of the letter. After all, this was the first time in days since they heard about anything dragonkin-related.
"Alright, I shall began reading it now," Yuuji cleared his throat, facing his friends who were all gathered silently at the dining room table.
" 'Greetings, Sir Ethan. I hope this letter finds its way to you without much trouble. First off, allow me to apologise for the event that took place last week. It was tragic what had happened to your nation and its citizens, for this was unforeseen and nobody is to be blamed…' Oh, I think this portion was meant for my father. Hold on, let me see… ah, here we go: 'Please pass on the following message to your son and my daughter's friends. With regards.'
'Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. This is Lunaria writing the second half of this letter. I have requested my father to deliver it on my behalf. I understand that there are many things left unanswered, especially the decision to leave without notice. For this, it would be inconvenient, as well as inappropriate to explain in words. I believe that it would only be justifiable that it be explained personally to all of you, hence…'
"… you are all invited to Aravel," Yuuji gasped softly at the end of his sentence. "Wait, wait! There's more. 'I have included 8 body passes that will authenticate your entries so that you would be escorted into the palace. A carriage will arrive to pick everyone tomorrow. See you all soon.' "
"Tomorrow???"
"Wait, where are the passes?"
"We get to go to Aravel?!"
Immediately, everyone exploded into a frenzy of excitement. Not only were they able to visit Lunaria so soon, but they also get to enter the nation of Aravel. This was certainly not what they expected when receiving a letter from Lunaria, since they only expected a short notice explaining her absence. It was a very rare opportunity that everyone was willing to take. This was perfect, especially considering that school was delayed until further notice.
"I will be returning to the palace for planning with my parents," Yuuji told everyone in a shaky voice. "This is unbelievable."
"Same," Mitsui nodded, a silly grin across her face. "Yuuji, I'm going to need help from you if my parents don't permit this."
"I'm leaving too," Albert sprinted out the door with his spear. "Don't leave without me tomorrow!"
It was certainly hilarious seeing the usually mild Albert acting so disproportionately. However, everyone was too hyped at this point to bother about anything unnecessary.
In the midst of the chaos, Sera caught sight of Kaze secretly wiping away a tear, causing her to react by smiling happily for him.
They were going to meet Lunaria in the homeland of dragonkins: Aravel.