Chapter 392

392 – Jungle Island, Ideope’s Tears #4

It had been a little over a month since parting ways with Luna.

Because we had never been apart for this long since meeting, I wondered what I should say to her and how I should greet her properly.

But as soon as I saw her face directly, the joy of reuniting overcame me, and I raised both my hands high and shouted.

“Lunaaaa!”

Even among the many girls who resembled Luna, her presence stood out distinctly.

She shone so brightly that it dimmed the light of the other girls, exuding a strong presence like a cherry in the center of a cake.

And it seemed that Luna noticed me as well, widening her eyes.

“Hassan! It’s really Hassan! sh*t!”

That reaction was unmistakably Luna’s.

“Didn’t Paranoi come with you? I specifically told her to stick close to you, Hassan!”

I had been worried that Luna might be hurt or unwell in some way, but seeing her now, she looked just the same as usual. This reassured me greatly that she had been doing fine.

And standing beside her was Doris.

“That brat… He’s finally chased me all the way here! Doris has done nothing wrong! Pink-haired Kore, everyone, run away! That brat is a bad person who tries to steal Kores!”

Doris trembled and ran off somewhere into the wooden houses.

The long-awaited reunion with Luna.

I thought about running up to her and pulling her into a hug right away.

But then, around forty households of villagers began gathering, asking curiously, “What’s going on?” “I don’t know, what happened?” Because of this, I decided to postpone our embrace until later.

After all, showing affection in front of so many onlookers would be embarrassing.

Apparently, Luna felt the same way because she soon cleared her throat as if to act nonchalant.

“Hassan.”

And just as she opened her mouth again to say something to me—

Clang.

The sound of thick, heavy objects colliding with a clear and melodic ring could be heard.

The pink-haired people who had gathered around us fell silent, lowered their heads, and made way as something—or rather, someone—appeared from among them.

It was a woman with skin so pale it had turned bluish. She was wearing something that was either clothing or jewelry, barely covering the essential parts, which left her dangerously exposed.

“There. Everyone, be quiet.”

Though her body was slim and muscular, which made her appear quite young, she adorned her face with a fearsome mask made of human skulls and animal bones.

Her neck, arms, and wrists were covered in golden jewelry inlaid with gems, clinking softly as she moved.

It was immediately clear to me that this was the most important person in the village.

Indeed, when this woman appeared, even Luna, who generally seemed carefree, began to fidget uncomfortably as if bitten by a mosquito.

Swish.

Even Elfride, who stood nearby, raised her staff as if sensing some sort of hostile intent.

Zzzt, Zzzt.

Ever since the skull-masked woman appeared, the air had become so tense that even I found myself frowning slightly.

“So.”

A grating, metallic voice issued from beneath the skull mask, distinctly feminine.

“Black-haired one, you must be Hassan, the man.”

The tone was quite authoritative.

I instantly realized she was the elder of the island Luna had often spoken about.

Though called an elder, she was more akin to a chief or queen.

“And the one with white hair next to him is a woman with a special soul, it seems. In our Ideope, the color white resembling the moon is auspicious. You would be considered an honored guest.”

The elder seemed to approve of Elfride.

Luna had also shown interest in Elfride’s beautiful hair the first time they met.

“Black and white. Strange companions, indeed.”

But Elfride did nothing more than narrow her brow toward the elder and pointed her staff at her.

“Hmm.”

Though Elfride said nothing, it was obvious from her demeanor that she was quite irritated, perhaps bordering on severe annoyance.

What exactly was it that had upset her?

The elder, however, seemed completely unfazed by this.

“I am the elder of Crescent Moon Island, the Nox Child Tribe. As part of becoming an elder, I have left behind my name. This mask means that. You may simply address me as Elder.”

Then the Elder turned her back on us.

“Follow me. Since we have honored guests, it is only right that we properly entertain you. Though, due to poor harvests, there won’t be much to offer.”

*

The elder’s house was the largest building located at the center of the Ideope village.

The sturdy pillars and towering ceilings suggested it was much more robustly built than the thatched roofs and wooden planks one might expect from jungle dwellings.

The hearth and various jewels and ornaments inside clearly indicated the residence of someone with authority.

“Sit on the mat there.”

Complying with the elder’s instruction, Elfride and I awkwardly plopped down on mats made of coarse straw. Though they were rough and scratchy, they were manageable compared to sitting directly on the jungle floor.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Elfride glanced around and muttered under her breath while the Elder briefly left to prepare for our arrival.

“There are some incredibly old and worn magical artifacts here. They seem primitive, almost bordering on superstition.”

Through her eyes, she could see totems standing like scarecrows, mysterious animal taxidermies of unknown purpose, and strange hexahedral dice.

Though I lack knowledge in artifact appraisal, I agree that this place does resemble an old antique shop.

At that moment, a voice came from within.

Luna, what are you doing? Why aren’t you serving the guests?

Yes, yes!

What now? Had I misheard my own ears? Luna using honorifics?

In the entire world, Luna was the only one who was consistently disrespectful to everyone, no matter their age or status. She had never used honorifics.

I had always thought that Luna simply didn’t understand the concept.

Isn’t the white plate supposed to be on the left and the red tea on the right? It’s to create a harmonious balance!

I-I’m sorry!

Clearly shaken to her core, it seemed that her behavior toward others was indeed just her usual rudeness.

You are so clumsy and inept. How can you possibly take over this mask, or this Crescent Moon Island?

…

Hurry up and leave.

Soon a stern chastising voice was heard alongside the soft thuds of bare feet on the floor.

Luna, carrying a plate or something, came from around the corridor.

Clank, clank, clunk.

However, the cups and saucers in her hands, along with the fruits within, began to make an unstable sound as they shook.

“Aaaah!”

In the end, Luna fell right in front of Elfride and me.

Zwoosh.

And the hot tea that had been placed on top splashed all over my face.

“Ow! It’s hot!”

I jumped up suddenly, but it wasn’t really that hot—more lukewarm. Upon licking my lips, I found the bitterness and slight sweetness pleasant. At least my skin was spared.

Elfride, however, sighed deeply, “I keep getting wet today. What is with these two…?”

“…”

Upon seeing the fallen cups and plates, Luna trembled like a frightened animal.

“This is bad! The Elder will scold me!”

Just then, the Elder thundered in a loud voice.

“Luna! Luna Noxdotty! How can you not even perform the simple task of serving tea to guests?”

“Hiiik!”

“If you wish to inherit my mask, such clumsiness will not suffice! What are you doing there? Quickly attend to the guests and mop up the mess! I’ll prepare the tea again!”

“Yes, yes…!”

Luna quickly began to wipe my face with a dry towel. Only when the Elder’s footsteps faded did Luna seem to relax and sigh.

“Phew. Well, that’s that. It’s really tough. Anyway, Hassan. Nice to see you! I’ve missed you!”

And with tears welling up in her eyes, she looked quite pitiful. Meanwhile, Elfride dabbed the moisture from her forehead while muttering.

“You should wipe me, too, if you’re wiping him.”

“Yeah! But what a waste! Those were expensive leaves. Though I did knock them over intentionally…”

And with that, Luna grabbed the towel and began roughly wiping Elfride’s face, even licking her forehead and cheeks with her tongue.

“Slurp, slurp!”

“What the hell are you doing?”

Elfride pushed Luna’s abdomen, causing Luna to clumsily fall back onto the ground.

“Hiiiiik!”

The commotion even startled Elfride, who defensively stuttered out excuses to me.

“I, I didn’t push that hard! She’s framing me! This girl is trying to accuse me of hitting her hard…”

“It’s fine, Elfride. People do sometimes lick faces. Why did you push her so hard?”

“I didn’t push hard, I tell you!”

“Hmmmm…”

Of course, I know Elfride didn’t push hard. But once down, Luna just couldn’t get back up.

Luna and I have spent quite a bit of time together, and I knew exactly what was wrong with her.

“Ah, Luna, you’re hungry, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes…”

Luna appeared as though she hadn’t eaten in days, obviously very weak. It was probably this weakness that made her seem so unsteady earlier with carrying the tray.

“I haven’t eaten for three days. Couldn’t drink a single drop of water… couldn’t sleep… I might really d*e like this!”

At this, Elfride, who had regained her composure, asked,

“And what’s this nonsense about deliberately knocking over the tray? Didn’t you splash us with tea intentionally?”

“It wasn’t about splashing you. I did it on purpose because if I keep making mistakes and errors, the Elder will let me go…”

What? What did she mean?

I asked her.

“On purpose? Mistakes? What does that even mean? I told you I’d be back within a month, but I didn’t return in time. What’s going here?”

At this, Luna finally broke down in tears.

“I don’t know! They want me to be the successor of Crescent Moon Island! All I wanted was to learn some techniques passed down by the Elders, but to do that, I have to become Elder myself. And if I stay here…”

As Luna blurted out her grievances, I quietly picked up a piece of white pear from the floor and fed it to her.

“It’s delicious. The pear is delicious…”

Luna’s mouth acted like a blender, quickly devouring the pear as if she had been starving for days.

“I’ll get in trouble if they find out I’ve eaten something!”

However, Luna immediately panicked after realizing she had eaten something.

“But it’s delicious. If you’re not going to eat it, I will. Just keep it a secret… please.”

Seeing her scramble to pick up and eat the pears that had fallen on the wooden floor, I was moved to the point where tears welled in my eyes.

“They’re nice autumn pears…”

Even the usually harsh fire witch, Elfride, showed compassion and offered a piece of pear from her lap to Luna.

“This one is less messy. Eat this, girl. How do you plan to act with dignity if you keep picking things off the floor?”

“Th-Thank you. You’re a kind elf!”

“Hmph, what? Ack! Hey, that’s my finger!”

“Sorry, I couldn’t tell—it was white like the pear. Anyway, I smell something nice now. It’s the smell of tea. I’m so thirsty…!”

“Hot Hassan, this girl is trying to lick me again! Stop her! Do something! She’s stronger now, heavier maybe!?”

Regardless, it was clear that Luna feared and respected the Elder, that she felt bound to the island and was suffering because of it.

I asked her.

“Luna, could you explain the situation in more detail? Also, I have something I need your help with.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a piece of the recipe I had cherished.

Seeing it, Luna’s dazed eyes widened dramatically.

“W-What is that?”

“It’s said to be the ingredients and methods for making Nectar. Maybe you, Luna…”

Before I could finish, Luna stood up and raised her hands high.

“sh*t! Incredible! Incredible! With this, I can finally leave this boring island! I knew you were the only one who would understand my predicament, Hassan!”

Luna tightly hugged my neck.

The familiar refreshing menthol scent wafted from her.

Only then did I fully feel the warmth of our reunion, soothing my heart.

Until someone’s booming voice interrupted.

“Noxdotty! How dare an aspiring Elder of the island be embracing a man so improperly!”

---