Lucilius left Ophiuchus with Mavis trailing behind. Maids and butlers bowed as he passed and flinched whenever Mavis hissed, which was done on purpose by the animal. It was furious and frustrated at its owner's weird mien.
'I know you're mad about it,' Lucilius said as they exited Ophiuchus, heading towards Orion. 'But you can't blame her for being attacked and losing her memories.'
Mavis hissed louder.
'I didn't want to believe that she really lost her memories either,' he added. 'I was almost invincible with her around.'
Lucilius crossed his arms against his chest, deep in thought. 2 years back while his team went hunting, Luna disappeared for a long time and showed up at midnight with a small cobra wrapped around her arm. Knights accompanying him tried to help her remove it but she got on her knees in front of him and requested to have the animal as her pet.
He had never seen Luna that assertive before so he allowed it, despite knowing that it came from the Sealed Island, which indicated how dangerous the cobra is. But the thing grew up with Luna and was recently fond of him. He didn't mind the company and the creature proved to be useful during battles to intimidate opponents.
Luna was always seen taking a walk with Mavis or watching the sunset with it in her little garden provided. Lucilius understood how precious the animal was to her but the event earlier confused him.
'Your Majesty,' a butler's voice brought Lucilius back. He then realized he was already back at his palace, about to enter his room. 'Your bath is ready.'
He nodded and dismissed the butler.
***
[ Luna ]
I touched my thin face as I gazed at myself in the mirror. I looked like someone who hadn't eaten for some days; I looked sick. I had green eyes, light blonde hair with highlights of pastel pink and purple. I was wearing a light blue night dress that I found in the closet before I went for a bath. It turned out that Luna was highly favoured by Lucilius; having her own manor and all.
I wonder if I should continue to act recklessly in front of him. I thought back to the time in the Great Hall, when Lucilius stabbed me in the waist. At that moment, did I really want to die? Didn't I tremble, afraid of dying?
Sighing, I turned away from the mirror and headed for the bed. I crawled into the blanket and was about to lie down when something dropped onto the pillow I was going to use.
I frowned and leaned closer. 'Blood?' I murmured then subconsciously touched the philtrum area. My fingers instantly felt something watery; I figured it wasn't snot because it wasn't of a thick texture. When I looked at my palm, it was bloodied.
I blinked in wonderment. Was the weather too hot?
I touched the bridge of my nose and the bleeding immediately stopped. I couldn't find any tissue or napkin so I rushed to the bathroom to wash the blood off. Afterwards, I wiped my face with a clean face towel and exhaled sharply, settling down in front of the dressing table, where there was a chair.
It was time to gather my thoughts and think about what to do. Earlier while Elias was defending me with his magic barrier, he told Lucilius that not a single shadow could pass Luna without being noticed so why was Luna attacked in the first place? If it wasn't an accident, it could be assassins. But Elias specifically mentioned no assassins were brave enough to attempt because of how powerful Luna was.
I put my elbow on the table and placed my chin on my palm.
Which means, the assassins could have found something that could weaken me. Or they probably used something to lure me away to a secluded area. But the latter sounded impossible since Luna was powerful enough to fend herself off a group of attackers.
And Elias. He was never mentioned in the novel. There was only one magician in Sirius and that was Luna. So why has he appeared and who is he exactly?
Healing. Luna couldn't exhibit her healing power to Lucilius because she didn't have Elias to defend her during her execution. Thus, Elias is a prominent character in the twist of the novel.
The flow of the story wasn't clear for the villain part. Lucilius only appeared in some chapters and a lot during the last fight. Heck, I didn't even know Luna had a pet snake.
Also, I've been wondering but, what is my purpose for ending up here as Luna the greatest magician?
It would make sense if I were reborn as Lucilius and perhaps stop myself from attacking Alshain where Leonhardt and Sophie is, or it'd be nice if I were reborn as Sophie and do the kind of things heroines do to save Leonhardt; maybe I could find out Lucilius's weakness, or strengthen Alshain's forces so there'd be less casualties. The usual female lead drills.
So then, what is my purpose? I have no obligation to save anyone and I have no problem with dying again.
***
I scratched my head in confusion. The pathway was supposed to lead me to Elias's room but when I opened the door, it was a completely different setting. But I kept walking because I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. The interior looked so grand, like a preserved castle I have visited overseas in my world.
Just then, there was a maid passing by and she bowed her head as she noticed me. But I strode to her and grabbed her arm. 'I'm sorry, I got lost. Could you tell me where this is?' I asked politely.
She looked surprised but bowed her head once more before replying, 'Miss Magician, you're currently in Orion.'
Orion? Lucilius mentioned it once and he said Mavis would be residing in it…!
'H-how do I get out of here?' I quickly asked, gripping her sleeve tight out of desperation.
She immediately pointed to the path behind her. 'That's the closest exit,' she replied.
I looked behind me. 'But I came from there.'
'You can exit there as well,' she said.
I bit my lower lip. 'I'll take the quickest route, then,' I said.
She nodded. 'Just ahead, you will find a split pathway. If you take the left one, you can leave through the garden linked to your residence,' she said.
I bowed my head out of courtesy and she was flustered. 'Thank you,' I grinned, released her from my grip and ran to where she had pointed.
***
Leia didn't move from her spot even when the fearsome magician left her sight. She was utterly dumbfounded by the exchanged communication she had with Luna Eir Seraphinus, the official Magician of the country.
What more, the magician was acting weird. Leia has always been on the night shift and she has never seen Luna going in but has always seen her going out. She knew teleportation was as easy as breathing for the formidable sorceress but the Luna she saw just now was like a completely different person.
Got lost? Was that a joke or a test that the magician put on?
Seeing Luna walking in front of her asking for directions just didn't sit right with her. She immediately knew something was wrong. Perhaps the magician was possessed by an evil spirit from the Sealed Island.
Leia shivered and rubbed her arms. What a crazy night she had.
***
I arrived at the garden. But which way would lead to my residence? I acknowledged my bad sense of direction and just strode through the given path. On either side, there were countless beds of flowers coated with a huge range of colours. I could recognize some common ones: roses, orchids, baby's breaths, tulips, primroses and others.
At first, I was surprised that flowers of different climates could grow together but then realized it must have been magic keeping the flowers nice and healthy.
The garden would be a perfect place for modern youths to take pictures and upload them but in this world, there's only one thing to do, which is to treasure the beauty of them.
I stopped by a row of primroses and knelt to touch them, admiring their delicacy and colour under the moonlight. For a moment, I was lost in my thoughts, fingers playing with the petal, dazed.
Until suddenly I heard a rustle.
I stiffened and my eyes searched for the area.
'Luna…'
I thought I heard a voice whisper in my head but it was impossible unless I was crazy so I immediately stood and frowned, eyes still looking for anyone or anything.
And then I saw it.
Head raised, split tongue slipping in and out, sharp eyes.
Shit.
'M-Mavis,' I uttered in panic.
'Don't run…'
Is that Mavis speaking to me in my head!? Snakes can talk to humans in their head?
'Don't run, please…'
Or is it just Luna's body having the ability to understand it? Kind of like Harry Potter.
Mavis slithered forward, towards me.
'Stop!' I yelled, putting up my two hands, trying to avoid eye-contact. 'D-d-don't move, please!'
Mavis dropped its snout a little and halted in its tracks, as if it understood me.
I tried to control my breathing. Relax, this thing is a friend of mine before. 'I'm not fully…' I trailed off, finding a suitable word to describe how much I hate snakes. 'Recovered yet so you can't get close!'
Mavis tilted its head.
I'm going to puke. I can't stand snakes. Back in my world, whenever there was a snake-skin bag on display, I'd feel like throwing up on the spot. The image would haunt me for days.
I took a step back. I don't want to vomit or pass out here. 'Please stay with Lucilius in the meantime, I can't go to you right now, please understand,' I said.
'No…'
It sounded faint and whimpery.
'You said you would never abandon me.'
'I-If we get close, I will die!' I added it as a measure of desperation. 'I really can't!'
'Luna… are you leaving me?'
I didn't reply. There was a long moment of silence until Mavis lowered its head completely and slithered away from me, disappearing in the flowers.
***
Mavis's male-like voice kept repeating itself in my head like a broken record. It sounded depressed and dolorous as if a good friend had betrayed it and I know it's somewhat true. Mavis, an animal found by accident, getting close to its owner like best friends and then suddenly one day the friend just turned away.
I sighed. I wanted to let it know that I'm just scared of snakes but I figured it would just make things worse.
I leaned against my seat. After the meeting with Mavis, I just continued forward and found a white wooden roofed tea house, or what people usually call a gazebo. Fatigued, I sat down on one of the seats and buried my head in my arms, which rested against the table.
The night dragged; I didn't know what the time was and it was getting cold.
Perhaps I should just take a nap here before continuing my journey back to my manor. Lucilius doesn't seem like someone who would walk in the garden to admire nature so he wouldn't find me any time soon.
Yep, I'm just going to… rest…