Chapter 875 – 875. God’S Atlantis
“The Moon Hunter (False) designates you as prey.”
“All monsters in the Moon Hunting Grounds are hostile to you.”
Things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse.
I met Seira’s eyes. She also seemed bewildered, having seen the system message.
“……”
We just stared at each other, frozen. But nothing else happened. It was quiet around us. The monsters didn’t suddenly go crazy and attack. That was because there were no monsters nearby.
My hand, which had stopped, moved again. I grasped Seira’s breast. Her hardened nipple poked my palm.
“K-Kyung. Shouldn’t we stop here? It seems the Divine Seat is displeased with our actions… Hnn.”
I pinched her nipple between my thumb and forefinger and twisted it back and forth. It was nice to see her trembling and reacting so sensitively.
“It’s okay. Nothing’s happening. Let’s just enjoy it since it’s come to this.”
That’s when it happened.
I felt something flying from the sky in my senses. It was quite fast. I was horrified and pulled Seira into my arms, dodging to the side.
Thwack!
An arrow pierced the spot where I had been. I looked up at the sky with wary eyes. There was no one around, and if someone was skilled enough to deceive my senses, they wouldn’t shoot an arrow as a warning like this. The culprit was the Moon Hunter (False).
I slipped my fingers into Seira’s panties.
“Ah…!”
Seira flinched. And another arrow aimed at me from the sky.
“…Kyung. It would be better to restrain yourself here. If you go any further, it seems you’ll be in danger.”
Seira pushed me away with a serious expression and calmly straightened her disheveled clothes.
“I guess I have no choice. But… a kiss or two should be okay, right?”
“Uhm…”
We kissed. It goes without saying, but my kiss was sticky and gooey. Our tongues intertwined once and then separated. A sticky strand of saliva stretched between our lips before breaking.
I took a fancy step to the side. Another arrow pierced the spot where I had been.
“It would be better to turn back.”
Seira said, touching her lips. She didn’t look too happy. If the opponent hadn’t been a Divine Seat, she might have unleashed a furious tirade.
I stared intently at her hand. It was the fair and delicate hand of a noble lady, so fragile it seemed she couldn’t even hold a utensil properly.
‘In my memory, Seira’s hands weren’t this pretty.’
Her hands, which wielded a greatsword larger than herself during training, were covered in calluses and small wounds. I remember Seira herself being very proud of those wounds. But her hands now didn’t have a single wound, not even a callus.
‘She must have used magic and potions to heal them.’
I chuckled. Why did she erase the glorious wounds and calluses she was so proud of? The reason was obvious. It was to look pretty for me.
“Seira. Your hands have become pretty.”
Seira’s face turned even redder than when we kissed. She flusteredly waved her hands in the air.
“T-This is just because I started taking care of myself after my official debut into society. As a princess of Arpiss, I can’t be looked down upon by others… It doesn’t, doesn’t mean anything.”
“Okay. Shall we hold hands and go?”
I grinned and took Seira’s hand. Before the flustered Seira could react, an arrow flew from the sky. I clicked my tongue and let go of Seira’s hand.
It seems that the damn old maid doesn’t even allow us to hold hands in a wholesome way.
“…Is she always like that?”
I muttered with a hint of annoyance. Seira flinched, as if she had heard me, but soon pretended not to, realizing I was talking to the Divine Seat.
“The Lord of the Heavens sighs.”
“The Lord of the Heavens sponsors 1,000 AP.”
“She wasn’t always like that. She hated men, but she was kind and firm. She became like this because she’s been a virgin for so long. I wish she knew the taste of a man.”
I, too, wanted to teach the Moon Hunter the taste of a man. But there was no suitable way. The Moon Hunter was clearly on the moon, not in this space.
‘There’s no way to get to the moon. And even if I did, it wouldn’t be the Divine Seat herself, but her prestige.’
I returned to where Elena and the knight were with Seira. The knight was standing there, tense. It was no wonder she was tense, being alone with the Empire’s strongest. It was like a company president and an employee being together.
Elena, sitting at the base of a tree, smiled mischievously as soon as she saw us.
“You’re back earlier than I thought. It seems what I expected didn’t happen.”
“…Elena. What do you mean by that?”
Seira retorted as if she had been insulted. She was surprisingly good at acting, but she couldn’t hide her slightly flushed face.
“What are you thinking? I’m talking about the monster attack.”
“……”
Seira turned her head away.
As we prepared to walk through the forest again, Elena was looking in a different direction than me.
“Yujin. This way.”
“Your Grace. Did you perhaps notice something?”
“I used magic while you were flirting with Seira. This side could have been discovered too, but… I judged it was better than wandering aimlessly through the forest. Thanks to that, I found some suspicious guys.”
I looked at Elena, then glanced at Seira. It was a question of whether it was okay to be with Seira. Elena erased her playful expression and looked at Seira seriously.
“Seira. I’ve received information that there are impure groups targeting the Third Prince. It’s our goal to stop them.”
“…The Third Prince? Why aren’t you informing the Imperial Family of that important information and moving on your own?”
“Can you trust the Imperial Family?”
“……”
Seira closed her mouth. Who would benefit the most if the Third Prince died? It didn’t take much thought to reach that answer.
Of course, she had no idea that it was the Third Prince’s own scheme. Elena didn’t bother mentioning the truth. She must have decided there was no need to.
“Seira. Make your choice. I’ve decided that the Crown Prince shouldn’t ascend to the throne, and I’m going to bring him down. What about you?”
“I…”
“We’re not children anymore. Don’t say you can’t make a decision because you’re not the Duke of Arpiss. Saying the Arpiss Dukedom has nothing to do with it won’t work. You’re a princess of the Arpiss Dukedom.”
Seira bit her lip. She looked around. I wasn’t in a position to help her, and the knight bowed her head as if to respect Seira’s decision.
“…I think the same. The Crown Prince is very self-righteous. If he becomes emperor, he’ll try to wield the empire as he pleases.”
“I knew you’d think that way.”
Elena smiled.
“…Elena. You mentioned the Arpiss Dukedom, but don’t forget that there’s a difference between my opinion and my father’s.”
Elena’s smile changed. It became more arrogant. In a way, it was a smile that seemed playful.
“It’s the same. I’ve already confirmed the Duke of Arpiss’s intentions.”
There was no need to ask Seira in the first place. If the Duke of Arpiss had decided, Seira had to follow.
“…That damn bitch…”
A curse word came out of Seira’s mouth. She realized she had blurted it out and glanced at me, startled. I smiled and pretended not to notice. It’s common for childhood friends to curse at each other. Even if they’re high-ranking nobles.
“…Ahem. Elena. Playing with people is a bad habit of yours.”
“I didn’t intend to play with you. My real purpose was to confirm your true feelings. Now, let’s move.”
***
As we made our way through the forest, obstacles appeared. They were monsters. Due to the Moon Hunter’s anger, the monsters in this area were hostile to me and Seira. Normally, monsters should know the difference in power and run away, but these monsters fearlessly charged at us.
“Is this all? It’s not as big a deal as I worried.”
Seira gripped her greatsword and swung it. The wind pressure alone was enough to blow away the monsters and the surrounding area.
“You still fight so recklessly, Seira.”
“You’re the one who fights slyly.”
Elena and Seira bickered. I didn’t particularly interfere between them. That was their own kind of friendship.
Crackling.
I unleashed lightning from my hand. The steel-horned deer that was charging at me was electrocuted and fell to the ground.
“The Moon Hunter (False) glares at you and grinds her teeth.”
Every time I used lightning, the Moon Hunter’s message appeared. It seemed the Moon Hunter hated me using lightning.
I took a step back.
Whoosh.
Thwack!
An arrow that flew from the sky pierced the ground where I had been standing. The Moon Hunter especially hated me. She seemed desperate to kill me, shooting arrows every time I let my guard down.
“The Lord of the Heavens sponsors 1,000 AP.
“Don’t use lightning. She hates lightning.”
“It’s because of the Divine Seat.”
“The Lord of the Heavens is embarrassed.”
“I’m not complimenting you.”
I belatedly felt something was off. Even if the Lord of the Heavens had tried to attack the Moon Hunter and failed, it didn’t make sense for him to be so submissive. The Lord of the Heavens was a Divine Seat representing a myth. His status was far higher than the Moon Hunter’s.
I sensed that there was something else going on.
“What exactly did you do?”
“The Lord of the Heavens closes his eyes.”
It seemed he had no intention of telling me.
“You’re being hated by the Moon Hunter.”
Elena said.
“You’re right. I’m being hated. That’s why I’m worried. Is there no way?”
“There isn’t. As far as I know, the Moon Hunter hates men to the point of loathing them. The only time the Moon Hunter is merciful is towards virgins.”
The Moon Hunter was like a unicorn.
Then, I suddenly realized that Elena and the knight hadn’t been disturbed at all. As my and Seira’s companions, it wouldn’t be strange if the Moon Hunter’s anger was directed at them too. But the fact that they were fine meant…
‘It must be because Elena and the knight are virgins.’
I hadn’t confirmed it directly, but I was sure of it.
“There they are.”
Elena said in a low voice. Thanks to her magic, we were able to find the enemies before it got dark.
We held our breaths and watched the spot Elena was pointing to. There were about ten people gathered. Considering that the hunting competition was an individual event, it was strange. Moreover, they were all wearing masks, covering their faces. They looked very suspicious.
“…Elena. Are you going to just watch?”
Seira tightened her grip on her greatsword. She was exuding a murderous aura. She looked ready to jump out and slaughter the enemies at any moment.
“I’m watching. They’re suspicious, but I’m not sure they’re terrorists targeting the Third Prince. And there might be other accomplices.”
Elena explained, making excuses. In reality, she just wanted the Third Prince’s scheme to succeed. Capturing them and finding out their identities could be done later.
As the sun began to set, the suspicious individuals checked their equipment.
‘It’s a relief that the Moon Hunter isn’t shooting arrows. It seems like it’s okay if I don’t use lightning, as the Lord of the Heavens said. And…’
I glanced at Seira. Coincidentally, Seira was looking at me, so our eyes met. We both looked away. If we did anything like skinship here, the Moon Hunter would shoot an arrow. Then our location would be exposed.
“The enemies are moving. Let’s follow them carefully.”
Seira got up very carefully. Elena poked Seira’s neck with her finger, making her tense.
“!!”
Seira, startled, glared at Elena with wide eyes.
“Hehe. You don’t have to be so nervous. I’m concealing our presence with magic.”
“I, I know that.”
I could guarantee that Seira didn’t know. Because I didn’t know Elena was using magic either.
“Night has fallen in the Moon Hunting Grounds.”
“The power of the moon is increasing.”
“All monsters in the Moon Hunting Grounds are becoming stronger and more ferocious.”
A notification window popped up.
The group paused for a moment, but I wasn’t flustered at all. I already knew this fact from the original work.
‘It’ll be a bit more troublesome because of the Moon Hunter’s anger.’
The notification window wasn’t over yet.
“The current rankings for the hunting competition, from 1st to 5th place, will now be revealed.
1st place. Gidin Yustia
2nd place. Ojam Stinger
3rd place. Seira Arpiss
4th place. Sung Yujin
5th place. Kang Myungjin”
