The Secret of the Full Moon
"When you hear the words Ten-Year War, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Anyone care to share?"
"The Fakhner Mine, Professor!"
"The Toros royal family!"
"The Kingdom of Denarid!"
The moment Professor Rothius finished his question, answers came flying from every corner of the room. And Bayul slowly began to feel uneasy.
"Well, well. You all know your history. Yes — the Ten-Year War began over the Fakhner Mine, owned by the Toros dynasty of the Kingdom of Denarid. In Imperial Year 782, King Helek of Denarid died suddenly, and the kingdom found itself in crisis. There was no heir to succeed the throne. So, first question — how did King Helek come to die at the young age of twenty-eight?"
"Wasn't it a bear bite he took while hunting? The wound went bad and he died."
"That's what everyone believed at first. But General Ohara, the king's closest confidant, left these words behind before he died: the king's death had been foretold."
"Foretold? Do you mean he was assassinated, Professor?"
"That's what scholars assume. There are several theories, but poisoning followed by murder is the prevailing one. Now, second question. Who killed King Helek, and why?"
A hush fell over the room, and Professor Rothius frowned.
"Hmm. Half the answer was already given at the start of the lesson."
"…Because of the Fakhner Mine!"
"Exactly! The Fakhner Mine owned by the Toros dynasty is also called the Golden Mine. Its sheer scale goes without saying — veins of the highest-grade ore lie buried there, and everyone coveted the place. That's how the war between neighboring kingdoms began over claiming it. The first to step forward was King Andora, who asserted his right to the throne by virtue of being King Helek's sixth cousin. Then Laverya, Calsedon, and a whole string of other kingdoms started meddling. In-laws, nephews-in-law, distant cousins — the justifications were endlessly creative. Since most of the nations of that era were bound together by dynastic marriages, the claims weren't entirely baseless."
"So which of them killed King Helek?"
"The first to fall under suspicion was the Kingdom of Andora. They pounced the instant news of King Helek's death arrived, as if they'd been waiting for it. But the true culprit was someone else."
Professor Rothius paused for dramatic effect before continuing.
"The Dwyer Empire. The very reason our own Polska Empire was dragged into the Ten-Year War — the original instigator of it all. The Dwyer Empire had coveted the Kingdom of Denarid for ages. The strategic advantage of its location, yes, but above all its absurd wealth of resources. And so Crown Prince Royan of Dwyer devised a scheme: assassinate King Helek and swallow the kingdom whole. His method — a secret negotiation with the Kingdom of Andora."
"A secret negotiation?"
"Andora's king would be aided, materially and militarily, to ensure his safe succession to the Denarid throne. In exchange, he would hand over half the stakes in the Fakhner Mine. For King Andora, it was a deal he couldn't refuse. He'd acquire the prize jewel of Denarid without lifting much of a finger. The meddling of all those other kingdoms made things messy, but King Andora was confident. He believed in the power of the Dwyer Empire."
"But even if Dwyer was a nation of mercenaries, was it really powerful enough to decide the fate of an entire kingdom's throne?"
"Oh, more than enough. These days the Dwyer Empire is little more than a paper tiger, but back then its reputation was colossal. The might of tens of thousands of mercenaries rallied around the Mercenary King Barachel was staggering. They say nothing — not so much as a blade of grass — grew properly where they swept through. The moment those brutes appeared, everyone scrambled to get out of the way. So then, shall we move on to the third question? Why did we end up entangled in Dwyer's war of usurpation against Denarid?"
"Because after Denarid, we'd have been next on the list."
Aidan's hearty voice rang out across the silent room.
"Aidan, elaborate for us, would you?"
"The Mercenary King Barachel was a man of boundless ambition. He stole land and built his kingdom through countless wars of conquest. The moment that Fakhner gold flowed into his coffers, it would have become war funds. Funds to strike at our Polska Empire. Aiding the Kingdom of Denarid was a choice we couldn't afford to avoid."
"Precisely right. Dwyer set its sights on the Fakhner Mine because of us from the very beginning. To King Barachel, who dreamed of conquering the continent and ruling over it all, we were the single greatest obstacle. And sure enough, once the war broke out, our empire found itself in danger after danger. The strength of the mercenary host led by Barachel was truly overwhelming."
For a moment, Professor Rothius's gaze swung around and landed squarely on Bayul.
Was it coincidence? No. Bayul could more or less guess what was about to come out of the man's mouth.
"But we had him. I trust you all know which name I'm about to say?"
Know it? He was currently experiencing the strange sensation of attending class alongside that man's son.
Freshly curious gazes clustered around Bayul, as if his very existence were a marvel. Thanks to that, Bayul found himself flustered, not knowing where to direct his eyes. Whether or not the professor sensed his distress, Rothius said with a smile,
"Rather amusing, isn't it? Having to teach his achievements to his own son."
No, Professor. Not amusing in the slightest.
Bayul very nearly shouted exactly that.
"Duke Randert! There are countless ways to speak of him. Knight of the Stars, Lord of the Moon, the Living Legend, the One Who Ended the Ten-Year War — the list is inexhaustible. The Battle of Lennox, where he brought down the Mercenary King Barachel, can be called the final period at the end of the Ten-Year War. Without him and his knight order, none of us could be sitting here studying in peace. Fourth question: what is the name of the knight order that, together with Duke Randert, led the Battle of Lennox to victory?"
"The Knights of Dawn!"
"The Dark Knights!"
"The Knights of Blood!"
"Wrong! All of you, wrong. Those are merely nicknames — the official name is something else entirely."
"Could it be the Iron Blood Knights?"
"Hmm… the Knights of Shadow?"
"Hm? Does no one actually know?"
Professor Rothius's expression twisted at the string of wrong answers breaking all expectations.
"Ahem. Shall I ask Bayul, then? Don't tell me even you, his own son, don't know it."
Of course I know it. How could I not? But somehow, I don't want to say it.
"Bayul?"
Eli, seated beside him, stared at him strangely — and just then, as if sensing what Bayul was feeling, someone stepped in and answered for him.
"The Full Moon Knight Order."
"Oh, Lanasa! You knew it."
Professor Rothius beamed brighter than ever and gave a thumbs up.
"A top student through and through!"
True to her nickname, the Ice Goddess, Lanasa showed no reaction whatsoever. She simply kept her eyes forward. As if all of it were old news to her, Professor Rothius spread his hands with his trademark smile.
"Now then, on to the fifth question! What is the secret surrounding Duke Randert and the Full Moon Knight Order?"
"A secret, Professor?"
A secret?
What secret could his father possibly be hiding? No one in the room was more startled than Bayul.
"Why is everyone so surprised? I assumed you all knew at least this much."
"Do you mean the Duke's unaging appearance, perhaps?"
"Bah, that's hardly a secret. Duke Randert has reached the realm of the Sword Meister. Once you attain that realm, your body is said to return to its strongest state — in other words, youth — and then ages only very, very slowly. So it isn't that the Duke doesn't age. Rather, think of it as the pace simply being far slower than for ordinary people like us."
"Is there anyone else on the continent like His Grace?"
"Not that we know of, but the continent is vast and eccentrics are many. One never knows where the next one might pop up."
"Wait — is it hereditary by any chance?"
"What did you say?"
The author of that absurd question was, of course, Aidan.
"I just think it'd be nice if Bayul took after His Grace too."
"Aidan."
"Sorry if that embarrassed you."
The moment Bayul scowled, Aidan immediately tucked his tail and apologized. But his wish that Bayul resembled his father had been completely sincere.
"Let's return to the original question. Does no one truly know the secret of Duke Randert and the Full Moon Knight Order?"
A secret about Father that even I don't know — what on earth could it be?
More than anyone, Bayul was dying to find out. No matter how he racked his brain, nothing came to him.
"Night."
Then she spoke up once more.
Lanasa del Bostridge.
"Nights when the moon is out. A full moon would be even better."
Nights when the moon is out? A full moon?
Bayul couldn't immediately grasp what she meant.
"Duke Randert and his knights are stronger at night than in daylight. Especially in battle under a full moon — they have never once been defeated."
"Yes, that's it exactly. They are stronger by night than by day. Knight of the Stars, Lord of the Moon, Knights of Dawn — all of these titles share a common thread: they are bound to the night."
So it's true.
Bayul had never once thought about it. He had simply accepted his father as an immensely powerful man, never assigning any deeper meaning to the titles.
"No one has ever discovered why Duke Randert grows stronger after the sun sets. A vampire theory briefly made the rounds, but that was just a joke — everyone remains in the dark. In truth, almost nothing is known about the Duke. He's the hero of the empire whose name every person knows, yet he so fiercely guards his private life that mere speculation runs rampant, and everything else remains shrouded in veils. The Full Moon Knight Order is much the same. The members' origins, their education methods, their training regimens — all classified. Only one thing is known for certain: he personally selected and trained every single member, and each one of them is a master of terrifying skill. In a word, you might say he clings to mystique a bit too much."
As far as Bayul knew, his father was absolutely not someone who would do such a thing intentionally. It had to be a misunderstanding. His father simply hated drawing attention to himself.
"So, Bayul. Could you enlighten us a little?"
"…I beg your pardon?"
At the completely unexpected question, a shrill voice escaped Bayul before he could stop it.
"I'm saying tell us if you know anything. Don't tell me you actually support your father's mystique strategy? Please say no."
"Th-that's not it."
"Right? You don't, do you?"
"…No, I don't, but I don't really know anything either, so I wouldn't be much help…"
Cold sweat broke out on him all at once. He'd anticipated the topic of the Ten-Year War coming up, but he hadn't expected it to be aimed at him this directly. Under the flood of attention and questions, a pounding headache and weariness rushed in, and all Bayul wanted was to go back to his dormitory and rest.
―Having a hard time? Oh dear, you've got a fever.
Innocent had somehow appeared without him noticing, perched on his desk and gazing at him with worried eyes. Since class was in session and he couldn't speak aloud, Bayul answered with a faint smile, meaning to say he was fine.
―You are not fine. I can feel everything, you know.
Innocent reached out and pressed her hand to Bayul's forehead. A cool energy flowed into him, and for a moment he felt noticeably better.
―How's that? A little better now?
"Thank you, Innocent."
Professor Rothius's attention had conveniently drifted elsewhere. In the tiniest of whispers, Bayul conveyed his gratitude.
I'm so glad you're here.
Barely days ago, he had fainted at the sight of a spirit — and now he was finding comfort in one. So it was true: you never could predict the ways of the world.
Before he knew it, Bayul found himself recalling the previous weekend — the day he had first met Innocent.