Chapter 78: The Thirteenth Moon Blade
I was awoken by my stomach.
The moment I opened my eyes in bed, the first thing I heard was my belly growling… It was as empty as a forgotten treasure chest, and let me tell you, it felt pretty awful.
Then it hit me—I was back in my comfy white bed.
Rubbing my messy black hair, I threw off the covers and sat up, staring blankly at my pale little feet.
Last night… I remembered Carlos and the others talking about heretics, and after a while, I found it pretty boring. So I leaned back in my chair, daydreaming about what yummy treats the lady would make for me when I got home. I wanted to eat a ton… And everything after that? Total blackout.
I had fallen asleep and pretty much drifted into… I turned to look out the window.
The dawn had broken, gently illuminating the sky with a soft glow that pierced through the clouds. The once-black feathers of a raven outside were now sporting a silvery sheen. And there was a goat cheese perched on the stone ledge outside, nodding off like it had a long night at a party.
I had slept until sunrise.
So, let me get this straight: aside from that bag of snacks from Carlos yesterday, I hadn’t eaten anything at all…
This was serious!
I quickly scrambled out of bed, rummaging through the wardrobe till I found a dress to throw on. I haphazardly splashed some water on my face in the washroom and, while fixing my hair, galloped like a mini horse towards the dining room in my little boots, making a “thud thud thud” sound.
At that moment, I felt like I could eat an entire cow.
With a “creak,” I pushed open the dining room door. It was eerily quiet; neither the lady nor the maid was around, let alone the duke or Lafael. I must’ve woken up too early.
I raised a finger and silently cheered, “First!”
Then I dashed out of the dining room into the kitchen next door. Sure enough, I found the lady busy chatting with the chef in a tall hat about something, and I could smell something delicious cooking from a distance.
Unconsciously, I started waddling towards the stew pot, but the lady turned around at the sound of my footsteps, looking shocked.
“Pepé! What are you doing here?”
I rubbed my belly and replied, “I’m hungry.”
My little feet kept shuffling, my dark eyes darting around. I spotted a few plump red fruits on the counter and immediately grabbed one, ready to shove it into my mouth, but the lady was faster.
“Oh, you little thief!” she exclaimed, snatching the fruit away from me. “That’s a Saliva Fruit; we’re slicing it to enhance the flavor later. You can’t just eat it like that!”
I pouted.
“But there are so many! I just wanted to… taste it.”
The lady shot me a scornful glance.
“Taste it? You think you can just take a bite without choking on it?”
She looked around as if trying to find something I could eat right away, and the chef quickly handed over two thumb-sized pastries.
“Lady, let’s give this to the Miss; she looks absolutely starved.”
The lady took the pastries and extended her hand towards me.
“Here. Eat this first.”
I scrunched my forehead.
“It’s too little…”
The chef burst into laughter.
“Miss, today’s breakfast is fantastic! Just have these for now; don’t fill up too much~”
“…Okay.”
I shoved both pastries into my mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed. Honestly, it felt like I hadn’t eaten anything at all.
I gazed back up at the lady, and before I could say anything, she knew exactly what I wanted and began to push me out.
“Go on, go on, sit at the table and wait; breakfast will be ready soon.”
“…Oh.”
Seeing that I wouldn’t get to just munch freely, I obediently listened to the lady and plopped down at the dining table.
Then I started counting on my fingers.
“One Captain Gray, two Captain Grays…”
By the time I got to three hundred and twenty Captain Grays, the duke and Lafael strolled into the dining room.
“Oh, sleepyhead’s finally up!” The moment he saw me, the duke burst out laughing. “Hahaha, you’re starving, huh? You must’ve had a lovely sleep last night.”
My cheeks turned warm, and I lowered my head. “I didn’t…”
“Good morning, Pepé,” Lafael greeted me.
“…Morning.”
The duke came over and ruffled my hair.
“Pepé, how about you join me on a trip to the Central Workshop later?”
“Hmm?”
I cocked my head in confusion.
Central Workshop? Ever since I arrived at Winter City, I had taken one look at that place out of curiosity and decided it was too dirty for my taste. The duke definitely remembered that, as he had kept me away from it since. It was surprising to hear him mention it today, and the thought suddenly lit a fire in my mind.
The duke noticed the spark in my eyes and smiled slightly.
“Your weapon is ready.”
“Really? That’s amazing!”
I was practically bubbling with excitement!
Two months had passed, and my weapon was finally completed. I could hardly contain myself.
“Father, I heard from Mother that Pepé’s weapon is the thirteenth Moon Blade from the workshop?”
Lafael sat down at the table, looking at the duke across from him.
“Ah, yes, we nearly used up the last Moon Crystal. Back when you and Pasifal didn’t want it, it was just sitting there. Now it’s gone!”
“I can’t handle those fancy weapons; a steel sword feels the best. As for Pasifal… he probably doesn’t even want to use a weapon at all, right?”
“Yep, so he’s been sticking around the Central Workshop.”
Indeed, Pasifal had been holed up in the workshop for quite some time, and I hadn’t seen him at Shanter Castle in ages.
The duke and lady had him living and studying with Pagos to improve his skills, and the duke visited daily to teach him. It seemed like Pasifal was truly dedicated to it, reportedly making great progress.
The three of us hardly waited at the table before breakfast was ready.
Probably because Lafael was home, the breakfast spread was more lavish than a king’s feast. Once it hit the table, I dove in like a whirlwind.
I was absolutely starving, and I ended up eating more than the combined total of everyone else. The lady didn’t even scold me for my messy eating style this time. Eventually, they all put down their utensils one by one, watching me with amused smiles as my face heated up and my pace slowed.
But I still managed to clean the whole table!
After a quick tidy-up, I hopped into the war chariot with the duke heading towards the Central Workshop.
We arrived at that familiar place, and I scrambled straight to the forge, passing the storeroom until I ran into the strongman, Pagos.
“Ha! Pepé! I heard you had quite the battle last night, leaving those palace softies in shambles, right?”
Pagos still looked tipsy, and when he opened his mouth, the alcohol fumes hit me like a wall. I grimaced.
And then I noticed Pasifal behind him.
It was hard to believe the guy could change so much in such a short time.
Pasifal now looked like a completely different person. Gone was the pale, clean face from two months ago, replaced by a slightly tanned complexion. He was wearing a sleeveless top, showing off his bulging biceps, with veins popping out like they were auditioning for a soap opera.
When he spotted us, he broke into a delighted grin.
“Dad, Pepé! You guys are here!”
Then he flexed his arms, striking a muscle pose.
“Look at my muscles! Pretty impressive, right?”
…Forget everything I just thought. He was still the same goofy idiot.
“Pasifal, go grab the things.”
“…Okay.”
