Neither Rabbits nor N*zis on the Moon
“Please show me the way, please show me the way…”
Kurususarina took refuge in the cavern of the Great Spirit Tree, continuing her prayers.
In a space vast and domed, semi-underground at the massive base of the tree, everything—walls, floor, ceiling—was made of intricate roots of the Great Spirit Tree, bathed in a pale blue light.
In front of the altar at the center, with no one else around, Kurususarina prayed alone.
With each moment her body felt as if in a dream, Kurususarina heard a voice echoing within her like an echo.
“Defeat the Blood-stained Silver Calamity.”
— I already understand.
Each time she touched the will of her ancestors, Kurususarina felt a fatigue as if her life force was being drained, but she did not stop praying.
It wasn’t enough. She didn’t know what was lacking, but something was missing.
To guide this village, more was needed.
Deeper.
Deeper.
She tried to touch a consciousness beyond that of a human race, attempting to grasp something from there.
She thought she might die somewhere along the way.
Yet, Kurususarina did not stop praying.
This was a task worth risking her life for.
Although the form was different, the previous High Priestess, Salesaya, also sacrificed her life for the village. Having succeeded her and become the High Priestess herself, she would not hesitate to sacrifice her own life for the same cause.
To ignore the oracle and cling to immediate rewards would lead to the destruction of the village. At least, that’s what Kurususarina believed.
To avoid the future of demise. To fulfill her role as the High Priestess guiding everyone.
For that, she was willing to give anything.
Feeling the powerful flow of the land’s veins, Kurususarina expanded her senses within it.
Desperately regulating her ragged breath and supporting her shaky head, she squeezed out every drop of blood and every drop of magical power.
As she approached the boundary between life and death, Kurususarina could feel more clearly the great will residing in the land’s veins.
Soon, Kurususarina became unsure if she was hearing the voice of her ancestors’ great will and merging with it or if she was thinking for herself.
Blend with the great will and become attuned.
She gradually understood. The way her ancestors returned to the forest.
She accepted as natural the constraints imposed on them after merging with the earth’s veins, truly becoming a part of this world.
The “Projection” rarely appeared, and the prophecies were blunt to the point of being unhelpful, but it was unavoidable.
But now was an emergency. If the living did not fight, it became even more critical.
The order of this world. The balance of holy and evil. If one side tilted, a repulsive force would be born, pushing towards the other.
Now that the forces of evil approached the forest, the earth’s veins had become like a taut bow.
And Kurususarina was the key.
Just as they reached out to each other, the path was connected.
Ah, sighed Kurususarina in her heart.
— For the sake of the human world and the gods, let’s defeat the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”. Surely, this is why I became the High Priestess.
Not for the village, not for the forest, not for the ancestors.
For the human race. For the world. For the gods.
However, the semi-lost Kurususarina couldn’t question that. Wrapped in a sense of great fulfillment, she felt she was doing what she was supposed to do.
The vast cavern was filled with blinding light before she knew it.
*
There was movement in the Blue Army of the Khenis Empire…
Information from scouts informed them that the Gaisenfall Great Forest and the Dead Land of Ciel-Terra had started the “unspoken alliance” against the Blue Army.
On the north outer edge of the Gaisenfall Great Forest, work continued through the night.
Undead soldiers took cannons in and out of storage magic items, checking the seating when installed, confirming if the firing angle and rotation were possible.
If there were problems, instructions were given to the elven mages sent from the forest, and the shape of the terrain was changed by magic to build a stronghold.
Even though they had taken cannons from the Blue Army, there were not enough to place them all around the outer edge of the forest.
So, they moved according to the Blue Army’s movements, deploying cannons from storage magic items to defend against them. The strongholds were prepared in advance at key locations.
“Princess, anything strange coming out…?”
As René observed the work, a telepathic message from Everis reached her.
Since call marks needed vocalization, they weren’t sure where the message would be heard. Therefore, they communicated through telepathy.
René responded while sensing the surroundings, magical power, and emotional reactions.
The elven warriors, although fearful, did not show any hostility, and they continued to monitor the work of the undead. The mages building the stronghold were similar.
“So far, it seems fine. The ‘Projection’ hasn’t appeared, and there’s no strange movement on the elven side.”
“That’s good. Maybe it was too cautious to bring Mialanze along?”
Right next to René, under the new moon, Mialanze with glowing red eyes waited. In case of any strange movement from the elves, René brought her along as a means to suppress it peacefully. Although her combat capabilities were not highly expected, just scattering “Charming Evil Eye” was more than enough. If Mialanze could handle the charm, René wouldn’t need to transform into a vampire, ensuring she had a free hand.
That was the idea, but fortunately, it seemed that the precaution would not be necessary.
“The work is progressing smoothly. I think it will be finished by morning.”
“That’s good.”
“If the Blue Army attacks tomorrow, how do you think they’ll come?”
“Considering we have cannons set up, they probably expect that much. Maybe they’ll try some small-scale moves while keeping an eye on us. Well, we also want to see how effective the plan is.”
“But even if the cannons are effective, it won’t be the end, right? The Blue Army can just retreat to places out of reach of the forest.”
The Gaisenfall Great Forest served as an excellent source of magical power, and its trees formed robust walls. Moreover, it could almost entirely sustain itself with food, making it impervious to siege tactics. However, defense alone wouldn’t ensure victory. To fulfill the contract with Salesaya and ensure immediate safety, they needed to take the initiative.
“Repeated night attacks to wear them down might be the best option?”
“Well, yeah. Cannons are probably challenging to use at night, and regular armies have restricted movements. On the other hand, our forces are stronger at night, so we should take advantage of that. Anyway, let’s first survive tomorrow’s attack.”
Then Everis chuckled mischievously.
“I wouldn’t want to win too easily. That would make us less appreciated.”
“Indeed. Firing the cannons moderately will help us gain control of the village faster.”
While winning against the Blue Army was crucial, they planned to use the Gaisenfall Great Forest as a frontline base for some time. It was essential to politically subjugate the elves for this purpose. Utilizing the threat of the Blue Army seemed to be the most effective strategy. The ongoing construction of strongholds in the forest not only served to defend but also created a psychological impact by overcoming the significant initial resistance of bringing the undead into the forest.
How to proceed with control in the future would depend on circumstances, and both Everis and René were considering various cunning and sinister strategies.
“… By the way, tonight is a new moon.”
The conversation paused, and Everis casually mentioned the weather, as if it were an ordinary topic.
René also glanced up at the pitch-black night sky beyond the trees.
While they didn’t know the exact structure of this Pangaea world, the moon had phases similar to Earth, at least.
Tonight, being clear but with a new moon, the night was especially dark.
The undead, who perceived their surroundings through magic, and vampires like Mialanze had no issues with darkness. However, the elves carried lanterns filled with fireflies, illuminating their surroundings.
“How about it, Princess? Witches, being former humans, like moonlight bathing. Do you feel better during the new moon?”
“There’s not a noticeable difference. Oh, but right now, I do have a physical body, so perhaps… If you were in a spirit form, you might sense the difference more.”
“Certainly. Undead with spiritual bodies do tend to become more active during a new moon night.”
On the other side of the moon, invisible from the surface’s perspective, was the palace of the Evil God. Hence, the nights when the sun set and the moon shone were considered the time of malevolent beings.
Although the Great God gathered light from somewhere to illuminate the moon even during the night, that light, like the ebbing and flowing waves, varied in intensity and became entirely useless on the night of the new moon.
On the night of the new moon, the good human tribes securely closed their doors, cast spells, and waited for dawn, rejecting the Evil One. Evil beings roamed freely in the darkness, often conducting sinister rituals.
And then…
“…Huh?”
The surroundings suddenly brightened.
As if a crack had formed, light rifts were engraved on the ground.
In an instant, the light intensified, dazzling everyone present.
René felt a nausea-like sensation.
A discomforting pressure, as if wrapped in coiled wires, stole her freedom, causing a tingling numbness.
—This is the same light bow that the “Projection” used… No! It looks similar, but there’s something much more unpleasant about it…!?
Despite gathering information about the forest and the land veins from Salesaya, this was an unexpected development that René had not anticipated.
It seemed like magic, but René instinctively knew that this was not magic.
Defensive and escape measures prepared for an attack were useless.
It was beyond the realm of magic, something…
“Princess!!”
Alongside Mialanze’s scream, René was engulfed in the light.
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