The Moonlit Debates and the Khan's Silent Wisdom
**"You must never give in to the whims of the steppe women. You see, they have very strong wills. If you yield once, it never ends. You have to speak firmly when you have something to say."**
**"I see."**
**Orolbai did not disagree with Rahan's words, perhaps out of his middle-aged composure.**
**He only nodded while listening, thinking that Rahan had been persuaded. Rahan's eyes, which had looked so tired, now burned with an unusual fire.**
**"I only said what I meant. I won't cook. I won't clean."**
**"What did you just say?"**
**"Well, there's nothing much to say. You're understanding me, after all."**
**"Really? Hmm..."**
**'If he were the one handling the household, he could clean, too.'**
**Asmur had already returned from the hunt and couldn't clean, anyway.**
**But Rahan, perhaps thinking differently, declared that he would just rest whenever he felt like it.**
**"Asmur doesn't say anything about it?"**
**"I came all the way to the steppe, so I should be the one enjoying it over there."**
**'Is that how it works.'**
**Vesta thought this way when Orolbai asked.**
**"...You came all the way to the steppe?"**
**"Yes, what did you say?"**
**Orolbai started to answer but fell silent again.**
**"No, no, it could be that way."**
**Even as he spoke, Orolbai didn't seem to truly agree with Rahan.**
**"Of course Asmur would be the one to take care of things..."**
**Orolbai stopped mid-sentence.**
**He suddenly widened his eyes and stood up. He looked as if he was in a hurry.**
**"The host is calling. I must go for a moment."**
**Seeing him leap up at his wife's call, he truly was a family man.**
**Rahan found the sight somewhat unpleasant and showed a strange expression.**
**"That won't do. I can't just say I'm not going..."**
**"Here?"**
**Rahan jolted. The dramatic reaction startled even Vesta standing beside him.**
**"......"**
**Vesta lowered his eyes slightly.**
**What was there to say?**
**It was Asmur.**
**"Y-yes."**
**Rahan stammered.**
**"What were you doing?"**
**"Eh? Ah. I bathed. That's it."**
**"Bathed?"**
**"Y-yes, bathed. While bathing, I talked a little with the person who just came."**
**"Hmm, really?"**
**Rahan looked at Vesta with earnest eyes.**
**This man who had said everything and left was overreacting too much.**
**But since they were both men, Vesta decided to offer a helping hand.**
**"Yes. I was also happy to see another man my age after a long time. Before I knew it, time had flown by while we chatted."**
**"I see."**
**Asmur nodded at Vesta's words. Rahan visibly relaxed.**
**"Then I should go home now. It's past curfew."**
**"Eh, curfew? Has it passed?"**
**"The sun has long set."**
**"I didn't know. Oh dear, I should go home."**
**"Greet Vesta-nim first and hurry inside."**
**"...All right."**
**"You weren't supposed to wander around at night. It's dangerous. Come, let's go together."**
**"All right."**
**Asmur greeted Vesta, then took Rahan's hand and headed outside.**
**"!"**
**Vesta couldn't help but turn away from Rahan's deer-like gaze.**
**"He's gone."**
**"Orolbai-nim."**
**Orolbai returned to his seat.**
**"Truly unfortunate for the friend."**
**It was obvious he had left because he couldn't bear to watch Asmur leave him behind. He had fled to avoid awkwardness.**
**The insight of a man raising many children.**
**"Even if it was because he was newlyweds, Asmur couldn't let go of him."**
**Orolbai shook his head.**
**Vesta felt a pure admiration for the sight.**
**"Orolbai-nim."**
**"Yes."**
**"Did Rahan really come to the steppe 'on foot'?"**
**"......"**
**"By his own feet?"**
**"The night has grown cool."**
**The answer carried many meanings.**
**Vesta reached his conclusion.**
**"Rahan had been dreaming."**
**"Even so, talking must have eased some of his resentments."**
**Vesta decided to revise his assessment of Rahan.**
**From a bad-tempered peer,**
**to a friend who could at least listen to someone's grievances.**
**'No, when I think about it, he isn't so different from me...'**
**Vesta stopped his thoughts there.**
**He stopped.**
**Anything more was dangerous.**
**"...Asmur is an outstanding warrior. An outstanding huntress, too."**
**To honor his friend, Orolbai began speaking without being asked.**
**It didn't seem like much comfort to Rahan.**
**"Because he's a hunter, he pursues a single goal to the end. He doesn't let it go and doesn't release it."**
**"Ah, so..."**
**Orolbai was skilled at speaking indirectly.**
**"Still, he takes good care of his own. This must be for Rahan's protection."**
**"He mentioned curfew."**
**Orolbai slowly nodded.**
**A certain loneliness emanated from him.**
**"Vesta-nim."**
**"Yes."**
**"I was also free once."**
**A shadow fell over Orolbai.**
**What could he say?**
**Altaia.**
**Orolbai truly was an experienced man. Without another word, he simply stood up quietly.**
**"...I'll go. The children should be sleeping by now."**
**Orolbai left to put the children to bed.**
**All the men around him had left, and Vesta was left alone.**
**"...The night has grown cool."**
**It was the spring on the steppe.**
**—**
**Under the moonlight.**
**Ahor thought.**
**What was that woman standing in the moonlight made of?**
**White skin, long legs, eyes rarely seen in gold, and the power hidden within.**
**What material had been used to create such a being?**
**"Ahor."**
**"Yes, Khan."**
**"What do you think?"**
**The question had no subject, but Ahor couldn't have failed to understand.**
**"It's Vesta-nim's words, isn't it?"**
**"Yes. That curly-haired child."**
**The Khan made a hand gesture as if tracing a certain flow.**
**"What is your thought?"**
**"I found it interesting."**
**"Interesting?"**
**"He didn't seem like an Imperial person. He thinks of centaurs as people, and he's open to nomadic life..."**
**"He's a quick learner."**
**Ahor agreed. It wasn't just fast adaptation; he accepted thoughts themselves quickly.**
**"I was also surprised by his swordsmanship. Did the Khan already know?"**
**"No."**
**"...I thought you did."**
**"I don't. Not about that child."**
**The Khan smiled as he said so.**
**"Doesn't it seem veiled?"**
**"It does."**
**"Some secret?"**
**"If I ask, won't you answer?"**
**"Ahor, I am... that secret."**
**The Khan shifted his gaze farther and spoke.**
**"I don't want to know it unnecessarily, nor too late."**
**-Why is that?**
**Ahor felt a brief but strong urge to ask that.**
**A moment.**
**But even a moment made the Khan seem strange to him.**
**-It's delusion, Ahor.**
**Ahor controlled herself.**
**The Khan looked at the moon calmly and said.**
**"The heart is sly."**
**She called Ahor again.**
**"Yes. That's how it seems. Just as you said."**
**"...He does look rather special. The Khan would be curious."**
**The Khan answered Ahor's words.**
**"It's not just special—it's extraordinary, isn't it?"**
**"Extraordinary, you say."**
**Ahor might have felt that way. She had never seen a person like Vesta.**
**Bia had also found something different in Vesta.**
**"Lately, I feel a certain expectation."**
**"For what?"**
**"Change."**
**The Khan didn't clarify the source or the object of the change.**
**So the word "change" was Ahor's alone to interpret.**
**Ahor recalled several things but couldn't easily conclude.**
**"Ahor."**
**"Yes, Khan."**
**"You will guide them well."**
**"It goes without saying."**
**Even without being asked, Ahor had resolved to do her best.**
**"To me, they seem like quite good friends."**
**"I wouldn't know."**
**Ahor was a woman who thought too rigidly. She couldn't treat people kindly, nor could she make them kind.**
**Because of that nature, she had never built ordinary friendships with men.**
**If one were to pick the person in the guard most likely to become close, it would be Ahor herself or Asmur.**
**Ushun had once said something similar.**
**[Asmur has a cold feeling, and the captain has a rigid feeling. They're different.]**
**[It's your body that's rigid.]**
**[Still, the captain is better than Asmur. She's just without any charm.]**
**"To me, they seem like they will suit each other well."**
**"I don't know how I feel about it."**
**"Believe my words. Or else..."**
**After listening to Ahor, the Khan answered.**
**"If my intuition says so?"**
**"......?"**
**Leaving Ahor unable to answer immediately,**
**the Khan chuckled.**
**"You must never yield to the whims of the steppe women. You see, they have very strong wills. If you yield once, it never ends. You have to speak firmly when you have something to say."**
**"I see."**
**Orolbai did not disagree with Rahan's words, perhaps out of his middle-aged composure.**
**He only nodded while listening, thinking that Rahan had been persuaded. Rahan's eyes, which had looked so tired, now burned with an unusual fire.**
**"I only said what I meant. I won't cook. I won't clean."**
**"What did you just say?"**
**"Well, there's nothing much to say. You're understanding me, after all."**
**"Really? Hmm..."**
**'If he were the one handling the household, he could clean, too.'**
**Asmur had already returned from the hunt and couldn't clean, anyway.**
**But Rahan, perhaps thinking differently, declared that he would just rest whenever he felt like it.**
**"Asmur doesn't say anything about it?"**
**"I came all the way to the steppe, so I should be the one enjoying it over there."**
**'Is that how it works.'**
**Vesta thought this way when Orolbai asked.**
**"...You came all the way to the steppe?"**
**"Yes, what did you say?"**
**Orolbai started to answer but fell silent again.**
**"No, no, it could be that way."**
**Even as he spoke, Orolbai didn't seem to truly agree with Rahan.**
**"Of course Asmur would be the one to take care of things..."**
**Orolbai stopped mid-sentence.**
**He suddenly widened his eyes and stood up. He looked as if he was in a hurry.**
**"The host is calling. I must go for a moment."**
**Seeing him leap up at his wife's call, he truly was a family man.**
**Rahan found the sight somewhat unpleasant and showed a strange expression.**
**"That won't do. I can't just say I'm not going..."**
**"Here?"**
**Rahan jolted. The dramatic reaction startled even Vesta standing beside him.**
**"......"**
**Vesta lowered his eyes slightly.**
**What was there to say?**
**It was Asmur.**
**"Y-yes."**
**Rahan stammered.**
**"What were you doing?"**
**"Eh? Ah. I bathed. That's it."**
**"Bathed?"**
**"Y-yes, bathed. While bathing, I talked a little with the person who just came."**
**"Hmm, really?"**
**Rahan looked at Vesta with earnest eyes.**
**This man who had said everything and left was overreacting too much.**
**But since they were both men, Vesta decided to offer a helping hand.**
**"Yes. I was also happy to see another man my age after a long time. Time flew by while we chatted."**
**"I see."**
**Asmur nodded at Vesta's words. Rahan visibly relaxed.**
**"Then I should go home now. It's past curfew."**
**"Eh, curfew? Has it passed?"**
**"The sun has long set."**
**"I didn't know. Oh dear, I should go home."**
**"Greet Vesta-nim first and hurry inside."**
**"...All right."**
**"You weren't supposed to wander around at night. It's dangerous. Come, let's go together."**
**"All right."**
**Asmur greeted Vesta, then took Rahan's hand and headed outside.**
**"!"**
**Vesta couldn't help but turn away from Rahan's deer-like gaze.**
**"He's gone."**
**"Orolbai-nim."**
**Orolbai returned to his seat.**
**"Truly unfortunate for the friend."**
**It was obvious he had left because he couldn't bear to watch Asmur leave him behind. He had fled to avoid awkwardness.**
**The insight of a man raising many children.**
**"Even if it was because he was newlyweds, Asmur couldn't let go of him."**
**Orolbai shook his head.**
**Vesta felt a pure admiration for the sight.**
**"Orolbai-nim."**
**"Yes."**
**"Did Rahan really come to the steppe 'on foot'?"**
**"......"**
**"By his own feet?"**
**"The night has grown cool."**
**The answer carried many meanings.**
**Vesta reached his conclusion.**
**"Rahan had been dreaming."**
**"Even so, talking must have eased some of his resentments."**
**Vesta decided to revise his assessment of Rahan.**
**From a bad-tempered peer,**
**to a friend who could at least listen to someone's grievances.**
**'No, when I think about it, he isn't so different from me...'**
**Vesta stopped his thoughts there.**
**He stopped.**
**Anything more was dangerous.**
**"...Asmur is an outstanding warrior. An outstanding huntress, too."**
**To honor his friend, Orolbai began speaking without being asked.**
**It didn't seem like much comfort to Rahan.**
**"Because he's a hunter, he pursues a single goal to the end. He doesn't let it go and doesn't release it."**
**"Ah, so..."**
**Orolbai was skilled at speaking indirectly.**
**"Still, he takes good care of his own. This must be for Rahan's protection."**
**"He mentioned curfew."**
**Orolbai slowly nodded.**
**A certain loneliness emanated from him.**
**"Vesta-nim."**
**"Yes."**
**"I was also free once."**
**A shadow fell over Orolbai.**
**What could he say?**
**Altaia.**
**Orolbai truly was an experienced man. Without another word, he simply stood up quietly.**
**"...I'll go. The children should be sleeping by now."**
**Orolbai left to put the children to bed.**
**All the men around him had left, and Vesta was left alone.**
**"...The night has grown cool."**
**It was the spring on the steppe.**
**—**
**Under the moonlight.**
**Ahor thought.**
**What was that woman standing in the moonlight made of?**
**White skin, long legs, eyes rarely seen in gold, and the power hidden within.**
**What material had been used to create such a being?**
**"Ahor."**
**"Yes, Khan."**
**"What do you think?"**
**The question had no subject, but Ahor couldn't have failed to understand.**
**"It's Vesta-nim's words, isn't it?"**
**"Yes. That curly-haired child."**
**The Khan made a hand gesture as if tracing a certain flow.**
**"What is your thought?"**
**"I found it interesting."**
**"Interesting?"**
**"He didn't seem like an Imperial person. He thinks of centaurs as people, and he's open to nomadic life..."**
**"He's a quick learner."**
**Ahor agreed. It wasn't just fast adaptation; he accepted thoughts themselves quickly.**
**"I was also surprised by his swordsmanship. Did the Khan already know?"**
**"No."**
**"...I thought you did."**
**"I don't. Not about that child."**
**The Khan smiled as he said so.**
**"Doesn't it seem veiled?"**
**"It does."**
**"Some secret?"**
**"If I ask, won't you answer?"**
**"Ahor, I am... that secret."**
**The Khan shifted his gaze farther and spoke.**
**"I don't want to know it unnecessarily, nor too late."**
**-Why is that?**
**Ahor felt a brief but strong urge to ask that.**
**A moment.**
**But even a moment made the Khan seem strange to him.**
**-It's delusion, Ahor.**
**Ahor controlled herself.**
**The Khan looked at the moon calmly and said.**
**"The heart is sly."**
**She called Ahor again.**
**"Yes. That's how it seems. Just as you said."**
**"...He does look rather special. The Khan would be curious."**
**The Khan answered Ahor's words.**
**"It's not just special—it's extraordinary, isn't it?"**
**"Extraordinary, you say."**
**Ahor might have felt that way. She had never seen a person like Vesta.**
**Bia had also found something different in Vesta.**
**"Lately, I feel a certain expectation."**
**"For what?"**
**"Change."**
**The Khan didn't clarify the source or the object of the change.**
**So the word "change" was Ahor's alone to interpret.**
**Ahor recalled several things but couldn't easily conclude.**
**"Ahor."**
**"Yes, Khan."**
**"You will guide them well."**
**"It goes without saying."**
**Even without being asked, Ahor had resolved to do her best.**
**"To me, they seem like quite good friends."**
**"I wouldn't know."**
**Ahor was a woman who thought too rigidly. She couldn't treat people kindly, nor could she make them kind.**
**Because of that nature, she had never built ordinary friendships with men.**
**If one were to pick the person in the guard most likely to become close, it would be Ahor herself or Asmur.**
**Ushun had once said something similar.**
**[Asmur has a cold feeling, and the captain has a rigid feeling. They're different.]**
**[It's your body that's rigid.]**
**[Still, the captain is better than Asmur. She's just without any charm.]**
**"To me, they seem like they will suit each other well."**
**"I don't know how I feel about it."**
**"Believe my words. Or else..."**
**After listening to Ahor, the Khan answered.**
**"If my intuition says so?"**
**"......?"**
**Leaving Ahor unable to answer immediately,**
**the Khan chuckled.**