NOVEL WEB Chapter 23 - The Way of Bloodmoon
< Chapter 23: The Way of Bloodmoon >
The eastern border of the Kingdom of Gragor was traditionally guarded by the Count of Bloodmoon.
To the south, it was surrounded by the mystical region known as the Maze of Verdure, and to the east, it bordered the forest called the Verdant Grove.
In reality, it was the fiefdom of a frontier count, granted to a noble pushed out of power as a substitute for death.
Most nobles simply awaited their deaths here, neglecting their fiefdoms.
However, Bloodmoon was different.
Though they had lost power and been driven to the frontier, they were once a bloodline that ruled the kingdom.
Why they relinquished the throne was something that lowly commoners were not meant to know.
They merely understood that Bloodmoon was different from other nobles.
A peasant asked,
“Why do you risk your life for the likes of us?”
At that moment, a knight of Bloodmoon replied,
“You too must fight with your life on the line.”
The land of Bloodmoon is ours to protect together.
If you do so, you will become sons and daughters of Bloodmoon.
…
Ricardo, who grew up hearing those words, once dismissed it all as mere rumors.
The fact that royal blood flowed in Bloodmoon,
And the chivalry they upheld.
He thought it might just be past glory.
But today, he faced the glory of Bloodmoon directly and stood in that place.
“Huff, huff.”
Ricardo clenched his trembling hands and looked ahead.
In front of the pile of monster corpses stacked like a mountain, stood a huge beast and a small girl beside it.
“Grrr.”
A beast that made one’s knees weak just by its presence.
But when he realized the beast was an ally, and confirmed its divine aura with his own eyes,
Oddly enough, Ricardo found himself relying on it like a strong comrade.
Flash! The small hero standing beside the beast raised her hand.
In the staff she held, a holy radiance still flickered faintly.
Ricardo and the soldiers’ gazes turned towards that radiance.
The small hero who received their attention shouted vigorously.
“We…! We won!!”
“……!”
With her declaration, a flush of excitement spread across the faces of the soldiers who had been panting heavily.
Some mourned their fallen comrades, while others shouted in frustration, as if venting their grief.
But those who were expressing such sorrow,
“Roar!!”
Stopped in their tracks and looked at the beast that roared ferociously.
Why was it causing such a commotion?
Yet, Ricardo somehow felt that the beast was trying to say something.
Looking at the beast’s dignified posture, someone let out a chuckle.
Seeing the somewhat arrogant face of the beast, a word came to mind.
“We won.”
“Ha…!”
The small laugh soon spread into a loud cheer.
Their mourning for their comrades transformed into a wave of pride for their heroic sacrifices.
Ricardo finally understood.
He realized what this rising emotion and overwhelming feeling in his heart were.
They had won, stepping over the deaths of their comrades.
How should they accept their comrades’ deaths?
There was no definite answer.
The small girl shouted in the way of Bloodmoon.
“They are the heroes of Bloodmoon!”
Bloodmoon does not mourn.
They simply never forget.
Thus, next time as well.
“You too are the heroes of Bloodmoon!”
She had no doubt that they would lay down their lives for this land.
“We are the sons and daughters of Bloodmoon! The people of Bloodmoon, bound by the blood of the battlefield!”
Be proud.
Shout out the victory cry.
For now, the flag of Bloodmoon has been raised again.
“We!! We won!!”
“We won!!”
“Grrr!!”
That day, Ricardo understood clearly what the creed of Bloodmoon was.
* * *
“Grr.”
I returned to my usual form and blankly stared at the Count’s castle.
After finally disposing of the monster corpses, they were now gathering and cremating the bodies of their comrades.
Feeling awkward amidst the solemn atmosphere, I decided to leave.
Honestly, the medieval sentiment was unfamiliar to me, a modern person.
In Lia’s case, I expected her to join us resolutely, not to awaken like that.
But then again,
‘I kind of understand.’
To fight and protect with one’s life on the line.
It’s a statement that makes any man’s heart race. Especially since I had shared the battlefield with them, I felt it even more deeply.
I didn’t want to ruin their heightened emotions.
So, let’s leave them alone for a moment!
“Grr!”
I should check out my awesome rewards!
“Level Up!”
“Level Up!”
…
“Level Up!”
Whoa, sweet!
Wow! My level increased by six.
Looking at just the level, one might think it didn’t rise much.
After all, I hunted level 30 mobs and a level 40 named monster, and only gained six levels?
Why is that? I found the answer upon thinking about it.
The experience point requirement had increased!
It meant that leveling up in a storm like before wouldn’t be easy anymore.
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I was feeling the reason for the increased experience requirement with my whole body.
The difference in power I felt from my paws was vastly different from before.
The harder it was to grow, the greater the reward.
This must be the difference between a cub and an adult.
When I clenched my paws, I could clearly feel the strength.
Maybe now I could hunt a crude gargoyle by myself, even without Lia’s buffs?
A beast that can hunt level 30 monsters at level 7?
Yep, that’s me. Indeed, tiger blood is overpowered!
“Grrr!”
Of course, it wasn’t just about the simple level up.
With the feeling of opening a chicken and biting into the drumstick first, I bit into the gargoyle meat.
What skill would it give me?
I was drooling in anticipation!
“Chomp chomp!”
Crunch, crunch! Oh, damn! This tastes awful!
Why do all monsters taste so bad? Is it like the saying that medicine good for you is bitter?
With tears in my eyes, I chewed and swallowed the gargoyle stone.
I had to eat it, though.
Because,
「Through continuous predation, you have acquired [Metallization Lv.1!」
I had discovered a hint of metallization from that guy!
“The Razor Claws react to ‘Metallization’! You have acquired [Steel Claws Lv.1]!”
What?!
The effect of metallization was astounding.
Crunch, crunch! The gargoyle, which had been tough to chew, now went down easily with just a chomp, chomp!
This was honestly an unexpected change.
Clang!
I extended my claws and crossed my hands while shouting. I am now Wolverine Tiger!!
“Grrr!”
“…Lu, Lu-deus, what are you doing?”
Huh? When I turned around, I saw Lia looking at me with her lips twitching. Embarrassed, I pretended to calmly consume the remaining imp and gargoyle meat. I was flustered, to say the least.
Just then, a middle-aged man who had come with Lia called out to me.
“Are you Lu-deus?”
He was Lia’s father, the Count of Bloodmoon.
“You seem to understand what I’m saying.”
The Count nodded and spoke to me.
“Could you spare a moment?”
***
I learned later that the Count of Bloodmoon and the head knight Albert had left the castle to deal with the goblins.
Moreover, the defensive forces were naturally deployed to the outer edges where they touched the forest.
But then, a portal had suddenly appeared in the sky above the Count’s castle.
In short, it was a dastardly surprise attack that took advantage of the main force’s absence.
That despicable demon! Robbing an empty house!
But more importantly, what?
‘A portal?!’
“Fer!”
「The ‘Exiled Prince’ says this is the work of the demon’s power!」
At Eryllion’s words, Lia nodded.
“…Portals are magic that currently exist only as a theory even in the Magic Tower.”
“Grr?”
She continued to explain that long-distance teleportation or mass teleportation was something only a dragon could manage.
Humans couldn’t observe spaces beyond their line of sight with their willpower alone.
“Spatial movement through photonization, so-called Blink, is extremely dangerous magic. If there’s a discrepancy because the caster’s perception can’t keep up…”
Lia passionately explained about magic.
I felt like I totally understood! Yeah, that kind of feeling.
It meant I didn’t understand a word she said.
Damn it, should I give up my dream of becoming a magic tiger?
“Ahem.”
Fortunately, Lia’s enthusiastic explanation was interrupted by the Count of Bloodmoon.
“Thus, I recognize and commend you for saving my daughter and the castle in this time of crisis.”
“…Grr?”
“Fer.”
I realized then that something was off.
When I looked back at Eryllion with a sense of disbelief, he smiled elegantly with that annoyingly regal face typical of royalty.
I was slightly confused by his behavior, which seemed so natural to him.
‘No way. Are all the people here like this?’
Probably not.
At that moment, I had no choice but to acknowledge Bloodmoon’s unwavering conviction.
Even if they were of a different race, there were no exceptions.
Thud.
When the count stood before us, Knight Raymond approached and presented a sword engraved with the Bloodmoon symbol.
With a swish, the count drew the sword and, using it, ceremonially touched both my shoulders and Eryllion’s, speaking.
“I, Count of Bloodmoon, bestow the honorary knighthood to Lu-deus, and grant Eryllion the emblem of Bloodmoon.”
The count smiled warmly at us as he spoke.
“From this moment, you are brothers who have shared blood with Bloodmoon.”
“Grr!”
“Fer.”
Following Eryllion’s lead, I hastily bowed my head to the count.
Wait, are they knighting a monster?
Is this really okay?
Brothers who have shared blood.
I still didn’t understand what that meant.
I hadn’t had enough time to comprehend their proud convictions or chivalry.
Honestly, as a selfish individual, if someone asked me to lay down my life for Bloodmoon, I would naturally respond with, “No, thanks.”
“Grr.”
Did they know that and still do this for me? Perhaps it was their way of repaying the favor for saving their daughter, in a human manner.
Well, even so…
“A bard is spreading stories about you.”
“The achievements of ‘Lu-deus, the Hero of Bloodmoon’ have been inscribed on the continent.”
It didn’t feel too bad.
“Grr!”
But aren’t they giving me a fiefdom? I’m a knight, after all.
***
Unfortunately! Honorary knights do not receive lands, and honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested.
Instead, I decided to trust the Count of Bloodmoon and have a more constructive conversation with him.
“…Are you asking me to believe that now?”
“Count. But fairies do not lie.”
“Grr.”
“Fer.”
The private conversation between the count, Albert, and me.
I had just informed the count that Lia was a ‘member of the hero’s party.’
“A guide for the hero…? Our Lia?”
“…I apologize, but this explains the monster attack to some extent.”
…
“Very well, I understand. Once again, I thank you for your efforts.”
“Grr.”
The count looked bewildered, but his eyes were still vividly alive.
At least, it meant he wasn’t scared of something like a demon.
A few days later,
Albert, the captain of the knights, came to see me.
“Lu-deus. Come with me for a moment.”
“Grr.”
Since I was enjoying a literally luxurious life in the VIP room provided by the count, I followed him without much thought.
As I had dreamed before, just by growling “Grr!” I enjoyed the privilege of having meat brought to me.
‘Is this what it’s like to be a noble?’
How about that! Look at the well-fed belly of a noble tiger!
Rolling around, I followed Albert, but the place he was taking me to seemed suspicious beyond measure.
Eventually, I arrived at the training ground and lay down comfortably, glaring at Albert.
“You said you were leaving to find the altar, right?”
“Grr.”
“…The count wishes for you to stay with the young lady.”
“Grr?”
“He wants to send the young lady to accompany you on your adventure.”
I calmly organized Albert’s words in my mind.
After the chaos of the shadow chase, the ‘mark’ engraved on Lia’s neck had disappeared.
But the mark left on my egg hadn’t vanished.
In other words, the Demon King had pulled another petty trick.
It meant he had decided to isolate me, thinking it would be disastrous to stay with this beast.
But now they wanted to send Lia to me?
Why on earth?
“…So I must have at least minimal insurance. I cannot leave the young lady in danger.”
“Grr?”
With a chilling sound, Albert drew a wooden sword.
Wait, why does a wooden sword make that sound?
Whoosh!
Albert soon covered the wooden sword with a faint aura and took a combat stance.
“I’ll give you one free move.”
“Grrr!”
No. What kind of development is this?
Did I order too much meat?
Hmph, but you think you can beat this adamantium (not really) tiger with a mere wooden sword?
“Growl…”
I released my miniaturization and stretched my body, bones cracking.
“Oh?”
Albert, who had been playful with the fluffy version of me, now nodded with a calm smile, seeing my significantly changed form.
“Indeed! This is how it should be!”
Seeing the madness in his eyes, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
【Albert of Unyielding Belief Lv.??】
-Characteristics: [Aura], [Indomitable], [Swordsman], [Leader]
Why can’t I see his level yet?
But it’s still too early to give up.
Though I didn’t have twelve ships, I had a way to catch Albert off guard.
“Growl!”