#002 Episode. Is it me? (2)
Three days had passed since Evan sent the letter to the Holy Maiden.
No reply came.
‘Did it even arrive properly?’
In truth, there was no way of knowing if the letter had arrived correctly.
This was an era where the internet hadn’t developed yet.
Not a time when you could send tens of thousands of characters with just one click.
‘Though they said it wouldn’t take more than a day, I can’t really trust that…’
What if the letter got lost or disappeared along the way? That would be that.
‘The content is basically incomprehensible to anyone but the Holy Maiden anyway, so even if it gets exposed, it shouldn’t matter…’
Still, the real issue was whether it had arrived at all.
The best method would be to ask, right?
But…
It was just a little, teeny-tiny bit scary.
Absolutely not a lot, just a smidge.
‘Hmmph… Should I have Dolphe check on it?’
The problem lay with the delivery service.
There was a chance Dolphe might die if something went wrong during delivery.
If that happened, Evan would lose a good friend.
Evan was cautious and full of worry, traits fitting for a gentleman.
Even after reincarnation, these characteristics hadn’t changed.
They were instincts etched into his very soul.
Occasionally, though, the macho side of Evan would surface.
When his pride was hurt.
Like right now.
‘If only I were a bit braver, I could charm the Holy Maiden, huh? And then… well, charm everyone else too, creating a harem like that!’
My face isn’t that ugly, right?
Crap, is it?
‘…Anyway, if I don’t get a reply in a week, I’ll just send another letter.’
…Could she have read it and ignored it?
Nah, probably not.
With a slight shake of his head, Evan turned away from those thoughts.
On the messy desk sat a vial filled with emerald liquid, freshly completed moments ago.
[Aura Vessel Restoration Potion]
An intuitive name.
Had Evan not been of the Alkarte Ducal Family’s bloodline, obtaining the rare materials required to make this expensive potion would’ve been impossible.
“Hmph.”
Evan let out a sinister chuckle.
With this, he could secure his second main ally.
“Dolphe!”
“Yes, Master!”
Dolphe, who had been tidying up the blanket, responded spiritedly as Evan extended his hand.
“Could you give me some stationery and a pen?”
“Yes! Who do you plan to write to today?”
“I intend to send one to Sir Arthur Modrith.”
A pause.
Dolphe’s hand stopped mid-motion, delivering the stationery, reacting as if he’d seen a ghost.
His trembling hand hid the stationery before asking again.
“W-who?”
“Sir Arthur Modrith…”
“Aaaaaaaaah! No way!”
Dolphe erupted in protest.
“To the Knight of the Full Moon, Sir Arthur Modrith…! My lord, this is a major disaster!”
The Knight of the Full Moon, Arthur Modrith.
He was the sole Holy Knight of the Full Moon Sect…
“Don’t you know how infamous he is? The rumors about him being a mad Holy Knight are widespread!”
A Holy Knight obsessed with strength and bloodlust.
Whenever he saw a strong opponent, his eyes would glaze over as he challenged them to duels. If victorious, he’d decapitate them and collect their heads.
That was Arthur Modrith.
‘Ugh! Like I didn’t already know that? I’m still shivering!’
Of course, Evan also knew about him.
Better than Dolphe, in fact.
Especially since he had encountered him directly through a game.
But, there was nothing he could do.
‘He’s the easiest-to-approach main supporter among them all…’
More precisely,
‘He has fewer side effects.’
Arthur may be crazy, but he’s a man of pure heart and honor.
Once he recognizes someone as an ally, he won’t harm them no matter what happens.
‘And relations between the Full Moon Sect and the Sun Temple aren’t bad either.’
The Full Moon Sect worships the god of the moon, making them direct opposites of the Sun Temple.
However, due to their smaller size?
Their relationship wasn’t particularly strained.
The same went for the relationship between the Holy Maiden ‘Adrianna’ of the Sun Temple and the Knight ‘Arthur’ of the Full Moon Sect.
They’ve teamed up multiple times to defeat enemies.
‘Phew. Calm down, Evan.’
You can do this!
Now is the time to boldly move forward like a real man.
“…This is necessary. Please don’t stop me.”
D-d-d-dudududududu.
Evan’s trembling hands.
He quickly hid them behind his back.
Dolphe’s gaze briefly lingered on Evan’s hands.
Tears welled up in his eyes instantly.
“M-master…”
‘What exactly is he misunderstanding?’
While it’s true Evan’s body isn’t in great condition, thinking of him as terminally ill is problematic.
He’s gotten past that stage, hasn’t he?
This is just because he’s slightly, very slightly scared…
“Let me smooth things over with some nice words in the letter…”
“No, simply sending it will suffice. Anyway, the Moon Temple doesn’t usually refuse letters…”
There’s no universal phrase that boosts affection.
Instead, there’s a universal line that forces people to read letters.
-It’s not time yet.
Although Evan didn’t fully understand the exact meaning of the words he wrote to the Holy Maiden, writing that “it’s not time yet” was enough.
For Arthur, it definitely caught his attention.
“Please deliver this.”
“Yes…”
Dolphe wiped away his tears and answered enthusiastically.
“I’ll be right back!”
“Yes, thank you.”
Click.
Dolphe disappeared like the wind.
Evan leaned back against the chair.
“Phew. Maybe I should try making the next potion?”
After all, there were still plenty of main supporters left.
Making potions wasn’t that difficult.
The problems always lied in ‘material acquisition’ and ‘potion creation’.
But who was Evan?
An alchemist.
One of the exceedingly rare alchemists on the continent.
Also a direct descendant of the Alkarte Ducal Family.
One of the few ducal families in the empire.
Deeply intertwined with the underworld, their wealth overflowed.
‘Come to think of it, rumors about me haven’t been circulating lately, have they?’
Given their deep ties to the underworld, each child in the family had earned nicknames or aliases.
Evan had one too.
Embarrassing to say, though.
Ugh!
What useless distractions.
‘I should drop by the library before starting.’
Might as well take a stroll.
Evan slowly stood up.
A golem he had pre-made approached him.
Evan infused mana into the golem by touching it.
[Refinement].
Contrary to popular belief, alchemists weren’t limited to potion-making. In reality, using mana, they could [understand], [break down], and [reconstruct] any object or material.
The refinement array drawn on the golem glowed.
Sssssrrrrrr…
The golem shrank and elongated, transforming into a staff shape.
‘Back when I started, it took me a whole week just to do this.’
If he were truly a genius, he could have finished it in a day.
A regrettable point.
Tap tap.
Evan tapped the ground with his obsidian staff made from the golem.
Satisfied with the nod of approval, Evan exited the room.
Kiiik.
The golem stuck to Evan’s back like glue.
Not even the servants were allowed to approach.
The security measures within the mansion were excessively thorough and strict.
But Evan didn’t mind much.
You never know, assassins might suddenly appear, right?
Just then.
“Oh, Brother?”
‘Ah.’
That irritating voice.
Evan suppressed the urge to frown.
“…What is it?”
“What’s strange about your younger brother greeting you?”
Behind Evan stood a boy who somewhat resembled him.
Theodore Alkarte.
Evan’s half-brother, a year younger, and one of the favored youngest members of the Alkarte Ducal Family.
He recently became a knight officially, they said.
His Aura Vessel had opened too, they said…
‘Isn’t he overpowered for an extra?’
Surprisingly, apart from Evan and the Duke, there were no significant figures in this ducal family.
Most were marked with red tags—meaning NPCs that could be killed.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Even compared to Evan, who bore the title of ‘Boss’, Theodore seemed neglected.
“…What is it?”
“Geez. You’re still using that disgusting honorific? Shouldn’t you revert to your original personality already?”
“…This is my original personality.”
But he didn’t create unnecessary conflicts.
Avoiding dangerous situations altogether—that’s what a true man would do, right?
“Brother, I heard you sent a letter to the temple recently? Why are you always doing such weird things?”
Dud!
Theodore tried to place his hand on Evan’s shoulder but was stopped by the golem.
The staff Evan held also moved to intervene but paused.
“Eeek!”
Apparently offended, Theodore’s face reddened.
“It’s embarrassing for our family’s secrets to keep showing up outside, isn’t it? Get it, Brother?”
Then Theodore spat in front of him, trying to intimidate.
‘Ugh, I’m getting angry.’
Being disrespected like this wasn’t something new; after enduring it multiple times, it was bound to boil over.
Should he just retaliate?
Then he noticed Theodore’s thick arms.
‘At this distance, even a reincarnated person is just a normal human.’
Evan tried his best to smile kindly.
But then—
‘Oh crap. My face cramped up.’
His face stiffened unnaturally.
A chronic ailment of Evan’s.
Facial cramps that weren’t limited to any specific part of the body.
Especially prone to happening on his face.
To the point where others might misinterpret it.
Seeing Evan’s rigid face, Theodore’s eyes flickered slightly.
Lowering his hand, Theodore spoke irritably.
“Don’t show your face in front of me, Brother. I might really do something drastic next time. Tch!”
The childish threat faded as Theodore stomped off.
‘I’ll get revenge later, for real.’
…Of course, not personally, but through the golem.
It wasn’t out of fear, it was just more efficient this way.
Why? Hmm.
That evening.
A letter arrived at the Full Moon Sect.
Arthur, holding the letter, sat on the veranda where a cool breeze blew and the moonlight shone brightly, sipping wine.
Clunk.
Glug glug.
He poured the wine from the white bottle into the empty glass.
The rippling surface of the wine reflected both Arthur’s face and the Holy Maiden’s.
“It’s been a while, Arthur.”
“It’s been a while.”
Arthur spoke indifferently after finishing his glass.
“What brings the Holy Maiden of the Sun Temple here?”
“What business do I have coming here? To meet a ‘comrade’ with whom I share a common cause.”
“We are not comrades. We merely share a slightly similar path.”
“Hmm. Isn’t that practically the same thing?”
The Holy Maiden, Adrianna, naturally refilled the empty glass and asked.
“So, how’s your great cause progressing?”
“It’s not a great cause but a minor one. Merely my personal goal.”
Arthur looked at the moon reflected in the wine as he spoke.
“I just want to cut down that moon as a small purpose for my power.”
“That’s minor? Truly, a goal fitting the name of a mad Holy Knight.”
The Holy Knight obsessed with power.
More accurately,
The Knight of Reverse Moon who wished to slash the moon and bring it crashing down.
The only Holy Knight of the Full Moon Sect, yet one who desired the moon’s downfall.
Arthur’s ultimate goal revealed only in DLC.
“The wine tastes decent.”
Glug!
Arthur drank the entire glass without responding.
The Holy Maiden, who had poured a small amount of wine into her own glass in front of him, glanced at the letter.
“And this letter…?”
“I received it today. A potion to repair my Aura Vessel was included.”
“…!”
The Holy Maiden was astonished.
A potion that could repair an Aura Vessel?
Surely Arthur was strong.
After all, he could tear apart a troll’s neck and body with sheer physical strength alone.
Yet he couldn’t handle aura.
Because his Aura Vessel was damaged.
He was weaker now than in his prime.
And yet, repairing the Aura Vessel?
That meant…
‘Is the monster from his prime returning?’
Just from a single potion?
Who could have created such a potion?
‘…Could it be?’
Suddenly, the Holy Maiden recalled the letter and potion she had received three days ago.
Hadn’t she also received a potion that could slightly heal her illness?
Sent by the same person?
“…”
Arthur calmly looked down at the letter.
The potion capable of repairing the Aura Vessel was surprising enough.
But what was even more shocking was—
-It’s not time yet.
These words.
‘How did they know about my plans?’
The Knight who slashed the moon.
But now wasn’t the time.
That was correct.
However, Arthur had a reason to act hastily.
The priestess of the Full Moon Sect.
Arthur’s only blood relative and younger sister.
Her remaining time kept dwindling.
Approximately 5 to 6 years left.
It was inevitable for his heart to grow increasingly restless.
And that single letter had reminded him.
It wasn’t time yet.
‘…Right. It’s not time yet.’
Arthur regained his composure.
To cut down the moon, he needed to grow stronger.
The top priority was restoring his Aura Vessel.
‘No idea how they figured it out, but I owe them now.’
Arthur’s stiff lips relaxed.
The second son of the Alkarte family—
‘Worth meeting once.’
Meanwhile,
The Holy Maiden was secretly reading Arthur’s letter.
Specifically, the ‘words’ written on the stationery.
‘Not yet?’
What did that mean?
It wasn’t hard to see.
They were written prominently, as if expecting someone to read them.
Almost like predicting someone would see them.
‘Could they have anticipated my arrival?’
Creepy!
Goosebumps ran down her arms.
‘…Yeah. There’s no other reason to write such words so openly on the stationery.’
So, did Evan Alkarte foresee that she would come here?
‘Since when has he been observing me? What’s his intention?’
As various speculations spread in different directions, no answers emerged.
After a brief moment of thought, the Holy Maiden’s gaze settled.
‘…Alright. For now, I’ll play along until I figure it out.’
Having lived her entire life wearing a mask, a few more years wouldn’t make a difference.
“I need to send a present.”
“Me too.”
The Holy Maiden extended her wine glass as she spoke.
“Let’s do it together. Seems we’ve been targeted by the same person.”
“…Targeted by the same person.”
Glug glug.
“That’s interesting. Care to share the story?”
The next morning.
As Evan was busy dealing with the golems set as his guard, he doubted his ears.
“…Theodore ran away from home?”
“Yes…”
“…Claiming repentance?”
The youngest member of the Ducal Family.
Theodore had run away, citing repentance as the reason.
