The Night the Moon Dances - 1
To the people of the Empire, the moon was a presence more precious than anything else. There was even a legend that the one who received the moon's power at the Empire's founding became its first Emperor — after all, the very artifact that began my regressions bore the name Moonstone.
The full moon above all was revered as the most noble and sacred of moons, and the Empire would hold a festival in its honor. That festival was called the Full Moon Festival. Held in summer, beneath the clearest sky of the year, it honored the moon while blessing the Empire's birth — one could well have called it a national founding day.
And so the festival began across the whole Empire. Naturally, that included this town not far from the capital; even as the sky slowly darkened, the lights of the streets only burned brighter.
"The Full Moon Festival begins today, Young Master. I hear you'll be attending."
"That's right. I've never gone before. About time I did."
Avoiding my father's eye was only the surface excuse. What I wanted from this festival was something else entirely.
In my regressions, information had always been what mattered most. Early on I'd floundered, knowing nothing, but at some point I'd begun gathering what I could and collecting the causes of my deaths. That information had carried through to the present. Assassinations, deaths arranged by another's hand — as long as a death came from outside, it was something I could rule out on my own. Of course, much had changed in this cycle, but that didn't mean everything I'd gathered so far was mere scrap paper.
"By the way, it seems His Grace the Duke has taken quite a liking to you of late, Young Master."
"He has his reasons. I've done something worth the trouble."
I'd found a way to gain something from Adele, and I'd managed to sever my ties with Violet cleanly. Compared to the indecisive fool I'd been before my regressions... I figured I'd earned the right to call myself a reformed man. Thanks to that, my movements had grown freer — which was why I believed the connection I'd formed with the Saintess this cycle owed entirely to having overhauled my own thinking. If only I'd been like this from the very start. Then I wouldn't be toiling like this now.
"I'm leaving the moment the festival starts. If anyone asks, tell them I'm out."
"As you wish, Young Master."
Renald bowed and withdrew, and my gaze drifted to the streets far away. Flames blazed bright in alleys that were always dark, and the crowds buzzed with anticipation for the festival about to begin. A city filled with nothing but light. Being so close to the capital, its scale was considerable — the streets were packed so densely there wasn't a gap to be found.
It wasn't for nothing the capital bore the nickname City of Light. Day or night, it was a name earned by casting its lone, lofty radiance across this vast continent. The city that embodied the light of the full moon always blazed brilliantly enough to drown out the stars. When that pale light descended to meet the city's glow, and a curtain of light draped itself over everything — on this day when shadows lost their way and scattered to the winds, only then could it truly be called the Full Moon Festival, the festival of light.
"Jay will come here too."
To be precise, he was a man who had always lived in hiding — but at this festival, he would be found dead. Naturally, preventing that was my goal. He professed to be an alchemist by trade, but in truth Jay possessed information-gathering abilities that even the guilds of this Empire couldn't match — so much so that I regretted not discovering him until so late.
Perhaps the reason I'd pulled myself together and was living like this now was that I'd found hope in the existence of Jay — hope that he might be the one to end my regressions. Of course, I died even after that. But that was hardly a reason to leave him to his death. And so, if I had to name my task at this Full Moon Festival, it would be saving that man called Jay.
I couldn't even enjoy a festival like this, plain and simple. Rather than basking in the light, I slipped into the shadows, making a habit of secret patrols no one knew of — a bitter smile crept over me at the thought that this was what my life had become. ...Even in a city this bright, at this very moment, someone was teetering on the edge of death. Bright enough to sweep away the very shadows — and yet darkness still existed. Was what I felt now something close to turmoil? Watching the full moon grow brighter by the minute, I let out a quiet sigh. I only wished the night would hold off, even a little longer.
Yuria was off assisting our father in hosting the Full Moon Festival. She knew I was attending, so even if I vanished from the ducal mansion, she likely wouldn't say a word. Which meant that even wandering alone at this hour, no one would suspect me. Then the only thing left to prepare was a weapon for self-defense, wasn't it? Getting one from the ducal mansion was out of the question; picking something up as I wandered would be more than enough.
I considered throwing a robe over myself, but it seemed far too conspicuous, so I tossed it aside. I'd simply dress like everyone else. Since I rarely went out, not many people knew my face.
The moment I stepped out of the ducal mansion, a sultry heat pressed against my skin. The festival would begin in mere minutes — the moment the cloud-veiled full moon fully revealed itself, the fireworks would burst. Only then, one could say, would the curtain truly rise on the festival.
'A big crowd works in my favor.'
Running into someone I knew along the way would be a problem. As far as I remembered, neither Adrian nor Adele had ever attended this festival — but Yuria would begin patrolling the surroundings partway through. If she then happened upon someone's death... my plans would come undone. And so my plan was to hide well among the crowds and make my way to my target. I had plenty of time for now. I'd saved him over and over before — I only had to move the way I always did.
Doom... doom-doom—
Drums thundered, and trumpeters marched the streets blowing their horns. Flames conjured by magic blazed in every color, each becoming a star, becoming a river of galaxies that embroidered the pitch-black sky. But those lights must never outshine the moon. The Full Moon Festival existed to cast only a humble glow, offering its gratitude to the full moon that had birthed the Empire.
I thought of how many times I'd seen this very scene. Long ago I'd watched it with wide, shining eyes; now it was merely a tedious festival I'd endured hundreds of times. What was done, what incidents and accidents occurred — I remembered it all, after all.
Walking these streets, I always crossed paths with the same people. As I twisted my body aside, a small child darted desperately through the gap. At some point, this kid had begun colliding with me every single time. And if I set my foot down here, beneath it would be the hunk of meat someone had dropped. It was always drenched in blood — once, someone had seen the blood on my shoe and suspected me of being Jay's killer. Memories that had all become fond nostalgia now. Though I suppose the interrogation that followed doesn't quite qualify as nostalgia.
I'd seen it all so often I was sick of it. The lovers whispering beside me, the man staggering drunk. I'd seen them countless times. So nothing stirred. Perhaps my emotions had simply withered and crusted over.
Someone might well think me a strange man. Walking through the very heart of a festival, searching for a weapon shop with nothing but a blank face. And yet the fact that I remained so unbothered sometimes sent a chill through me. I had laughed, yes — but when was the last time I'd truly cried? Judging by how I couldn't even remember, I doubted I'd find it without going back at least a few dozen more cycles.
Even amid such thoughts, my steps never stopped. It was a road I knew so well I could walk it without looking, even steeped in my own musings. Once, I'd walked it with my eyes closed, following memory alone, and arrived without brushing against a single soul. Lengthening my stride, then shortening it, sidestepping a jutting stone.
Just as I resigned myself to the notion that everything would be exactly the same, someone collided with me head-on and knocked me back.
"Ah... forgive me. I was lost in thought for a moment—"
Before I could finish the apology, a familiar voice reached my ear.
"There you are. I've been searching everywhere for you."
And at the face before me, my mouth hung open, dumbfounded.
By my memory, this was not a person I should have been seeing at this Full Moon Festival. Why was she here — a woman who by now should have been buried in her own duties, sparing not even a glance for the capital?
Her white hair, so like moonlight, billowed in the air. Draped in her usual fur-trimmed mantle stood the one and only ruler of the North. Adele flashed a grin at me — like a beast of prey eyeing its quarry. On that noble face, unmarred by a single scar, hung a remarkably wicked smile.
Did she have business with me? Just as the question flashed through my mind, something surfaced unbidden — and a chill crawled up my spine.
"I distinctly remember telling you to come to the North. What on earth gave you the gall to ignore my orders? You're merely a son of a ducal house, are you not? I didn't take you for House Taylor itself."
"...If I said I had my circumstances, would you believe me?"
"No. But if you told me yourself, I just might."
So that was the problem. It seemed I had underestimated the woman called Adele. Among the rumors I'd heard... there was one that called her a 'hound' — once she sank her teeth in, she never let go.
So was I, right now, bitten by that hound?
I kept my expression composed as I regarded her, but the truth was, I was rather rattled. Why was Adele here? She had never once attended the Full Moon Festival. The memories I knew tangled together — and my eyes narrowed all the while.
"Then tell me — why have you come here?"
"Because I wanted to. Well — and one more reason on top of that."
Having said so, she smiled faintly at last and slid her face toward mine. Close enough that our breaths mingled. She seized the back of my neck and pulled me forward — abruptly our eyes locked, each reflecting the other, and at the sight Adele smiled a small smile.
"If I said I came to see you — what would you say to that?"
The face of that woman smiling so bewitchingly was, for all her fearsome reputation, simply beautiful. Skin white as fresh snow, lips red in contrast. Her clothes marked her unmistakably as the guardian of the North, but her face alone might well have been called a saint's. And that woman was smiling playfully. Having stood dazed for a moment, I came to my senses and answered quietly.
"...As if. Let go of me."
"What a dull reaction. I was hoping you'd at least blush."
Perhaps she hadn't meant it seriously either — she gave a short laugh and drew back. Then, tilting her head at an angle, she looked me over and spoke.
"Enjoying the festival all alone? Has our young Lord Taylor truly such wretched luck with women?"
"It hasn't been long since my engagement was broken off. What would people think, seeing me with another woman?"
"That you're a man of considerable talent, I'd imagine. Isn't it stranger to make a fuss about that?"
"You're free to think so. In any case, I'll be going now. There's something I must do..."
It was, admittedly, an attitude unbefitting a noble. Not that I disliked it — but how should I put it. Perhaps it was that the mercenary captain Adele felt more familiar than the Grand Duke. She had led a mercenary band before taking the title, after all — it was only natural.
I was just about to slip away and see to my task when Adele caught me.
"I never said you could go."
"...I have my own busy affairs."
"If you were truly busy, you wouldn't have come this far. Yuria Taylor belongs on the opposite side from here, and the ducal mansion lies a long way off. What could you possibly be so busy with?"
So she hadn't simply stumbled into the seat of Grand Duke. Having dismantled my excuse in a single stroke, Adele continued.
"By the way — do you know much about the Full Moon Festival?"
"Quite well. I've watched it any number of times."
"How convenient. Unfortunately, I know little of this festival."
"Is that so? I thought as much. You've always kept to the North."
"My life has always been devoured by work and war. So today, I came all this way to take a rest of my own."
She answered with a smile as easy as ever. But why was she telling me this? So I nodded and gave a suitably vague reply — and out of nowhere, Adele held out her hand. Palm up, as though inviting me to lay my hand upon it.
"...What is this?"
"I told you, didn't I? I know little of festivals. And you, remarkably, know them well. Do you intend to leave a lady unescorted? I'm a little disappointed."
"You're asking me... to escort you, the Grand Duke?"
At that, Adele nodded and waved her hand once. My arm's getting tired — take it already. At that impatient urging, a laugh escaped me in spite of myself. A scoff, to be precise. Utterly dumbfounded, I dragged a hand down my face and asked again.
"...Didn't I just tell you I was busy and had to go?"
"I know. Still, you can manage showing me around a festival, can't you? No?"
"And if I simply walk away? Will you head back to the North?"
"No."
Was she planning to kill me or something? I tensed inwardly, but Adele was merely rolling her eyes about, pondering her answer. A stretch of time passed, and then Adele, having put on a remarkably grave expression, opened her mouth.
"I'd be hurt."
Terribly.
She added this, waving her hand again. Swaying gently, like a leaf trembling in the wind — I stared at that waving hand. No sword drawn, no threat made. Just 'I'd be hurt.' It nearly made me doubt whether this was truly the Adele Egret I knew.
But I couldn't just stand there. Her face, pressing for an answer, was slowly beginning to crumple. I watched that swaying hand a moment longer — and at last, when I took her hand in mine, Adele smiled a small smile.
"Good. Then shall we go enjoy this Full Moon Festival, or whatever it's called?"
What on earth was this? Even as I stood there inwardly dumbfounded, I gauged the time. There was still time until dawn. So... a little while wouldn't hurt.
I felt like a nanny handling a child. The fact that she was some three years my senior — if that was a problem, then perhaps that was the problem.