The New Moon Goddess Festival (Part 4)

The fierce wind continued to hiss outside, rattling the house windows. Although the temperature inside remained warm, the atmosphere grew somewhat tense due to Rima’s statement.

“You mean someone is behind it?” Luna asked, surprised.

“I don’t know who or what is causing it either, but one thing’s for sure, this is no ordinary storm,” Rima said with a serious face.

Hearing this, everyone fell silent instantly. Soon, the silence was broken by Al’s question.

“So what do we do now? Are we going to search for the cause inside this storm?” Al asked grimly.

“But searching in weather like this is tantamount to suicide,” Kyle replied.

“Kyle is right... Ordinary people can’t last long in conditions like this. You need resistance to cold weather to be able to penetrate it,” Rima added.

Cold resistance, huh...—Luna sank into her thoughts.

“...”

“Wait a moment,” Luna said, then got up from the dining table.

Everyone in the room was confused by her action. Shortly after, Luna returned and placed something on the dining table.

THUD!

Lying on the table were several items, including several fur gloves, fur cloaks, winter fur boots, and some accessories, from earrings and necklaces to rings.

“This...” Rima’s words trailed off.

“Yes... These are cold-resistant items that I have,” Luna replied with a smile.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to go out into this storm...?” Rima asked, her brow furrowed.

“Of course. We can’t wait for this storm to subside; who knows when that will be? And what if it’s someone with malicious intent? Surely we can’t just sit idle without doing anything, right?” Luna said. “Besides, I can’t let anyone ruin my moment of enjoying this festival with Daisy,” Luna added with a sly smile.

Sigh—Rima let out a long breath. “Alright then, I’m coming too.”

“I’m in!” “Please allow me too!” said Al and Kyle with serious faces.

“Please allow me to join as well, Ma’am,” Abiyasa chimed in.

“No, you stay here,” Luna answered.

“But why, Ma’am?” Abiyasa asked, his face filled with disappointment.

“If everyone goes, who will protect Daisy and the others?” Luna asked.

“Ah...”

Hearing Luna’s question made Abiyasa seem to realize something, and he could only bow his head.

“I know your intentions are good, but since Rima and I are going out, I want you and Lusserina to guard this house and everyone in it,” Luna answered with a small smile.

“Alright, Ma’am! I apologize,” Abiyasa replied softly.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Luna replied while patting Abiyasa’s shoulder.

Soon, Rima, Al, and Kyle were ready to head out. Luna then quickly prepared as well.

“So... what’s the plan?” Rima chimed in.

“Since we know nothing, we obviously have to search the entire area manually. For that, I’ll divide us into three groups, each heading in a different direction. First, Rima, you will go south and southeast from here. Second, Al and Kyle, you will be accompanied by Putih as both a guide and a guard. You will go east from here. And lastly, I will go north and northeast. If you encounter a situation you cannot handle, escape following Putih’s guidance back here, understood?” Luna explained.

“YES, MA’AM!” Al and Kyle answered firmly.

“Ma’am, Miss, Sir Al, and Sir Kyle, please return safely,” Lusserina said.

“Yes, thank you, Lu. Please look after Daisy and the others, okay?” Luna replied.

“We’ll be going now,” Rima added.

With that, Luna, Rima, Al, and Kyle began stepping out of the house, braving the heavy snowstorm.

❄️ Into the Blizzard

WHOOOSH!! GRRR!! BRRR!!

Only the roar of the storm could be heard in Al and Kyle’s ears a few minutes after leaving the cabin. The cold snow pierced their skin like needles. Every exhaled breath instantly turned into thick fog.

The two walked east from the cabin. Visibility didn’t even exceed 5 meters. They walked very carefully, with Putih leading the way, followed by Al and Kyle.

“Ughh...! The storm is too strong, making it hard to see our surroundings,” Al complained.

“True... that’s why we mustn’t stray far, especially from Putih. Because we need his instincts and sense of smell,” Kyle said.

“It’s times like these that we need Lynn’s tracking skills,” Al lamented.

“But thankfully, Miss Luna lent us her magic bag. This makes the journey much lighter and easier,” Kyle said.

The three continued their journey with extreme caution.

🕰️ Earlier — inside the cabin

“Since it’s decided, let’s get ready,” Luna said.

“In that case, I’ll go to the palace briefly to inform the royal side,” Rima said.

Rima stood on the wooden floor before a golden magic circle appeared beneath her feet. The circle then shone brightly. Its light began enveloping Rima’s body before she vanished into nothingness, becoming particles of light.

Al and Kyle also returned to their rooms and brought two large backpacks to the first floor. While deciding what to bring, they heard someone coming down the stairs. It was Luna.

“Oh? Why are you carrying such big bags? It looks like you’re going away for several days,” Luna chimed in.

“Since we don’t know what to expect, we decided to bring everything we can for survival,” Al replied.

“But wouldn’t carrying such large bags hinder your movement?” Luna asked.

“Well... what else can we do?” Al lamented, then let out a long sigh.

“Wait a moment,” Luna said before going back up the stairs to the second floor, leaving a confused Al and Kyle.

• • •

Soon, Luna returned.

“Here,” Luna said while extending her hand, holding a small brown leather bag measuring about 30x30 cm.

“What’s this...?” Al asked, confused.

“This is the old magic bag that I no longer use. Although its capacity is only 100 kilograms, it’s still useful. With this, you won’t need to carry such large bags anymore,” Luna replied.

Hearing Luna’s answer instantly filled Al and Kyle’s faces with joy.

“Are you serious?!” Al exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes, this is for you,” Luna answered.

In an instant, Al took the small bag from Luna’s hand.

“Wow!! Thank you so much, Lun!” Al exclaimed.

“Thank you very much, Miss Luna!” Kyle added with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

It’s a good thing I didn’t throw away my old belongings. This will surely benefit Al and the others,—Luna thought to herself.

“However, remember to be careful not to flaunt it in public. It could attract greedy and evil eyes,” Luna added.

“Of course! We’ll be careful in public,” Al replied.

❄️ Back to Al and Kyle

Three hours had passed since departing from the cabin. Now, Al and Kyle had entered the forest area. With Putih as their guide, the three walked around Fairy Lake towards the northeast before continuing east. However, the storm grew stronger the further east they went.

“Ughh, the storm is getting stronger,” Al said.

“It seems we’re heading in the right direction,” Kyle replied.

❄️ Two hours later

Two hours later, the view began to clear and widen. If visibility was previously limited to just 5 meters, it has now increased to 10 meters. Their steps halted when Putih stopped walking and growled softly, as if wanting to show something.

Grrr!

“What is it, Putih?” Al asked.

Putih shook his head, pointing forward as if something was there.

Seeing this, Al and Kyle instantly drew their swords and shields. Al and Kyle strolled from behind, following Putih, who was in front.

After a few steps, there was a faint black silhouette in the mist ahead of them. Al’s hand immediately tightened its grip on his sword while Kyle firmly grasped his shield. As they got closer, the previously faint black silhouette now grew larger.

Its body is huge?!—Al was shocked. Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

This also made Kyle’s body tense up further. Both were already in fighting stances, ready to battle at any moment. But in contrast to Putih, who just walked normally as if sensing no danger from the large black silhouette ahead of them.

When the view became clear, Al and Kyle were shocked by what they saw before them.

🕊️ Flashback — One day earlier

In a northern sky, a large snow-white bird was flying above the horizon. Its body was about 6 meters long with a wingspan of 12 meters. Its body was white as snow, on its head was a crest like a blue crown, and its long tail was also blue. Its body shimmered with rainbow-colored light. Initially, this bird flew peacefully in the sky. But when passing through a mountainous area, that peaceful day was now gone.

A group of wyverns came attacking in huge numbers. Some attacked with their claws and fangs. Others attacked with wind magic.

Knowing it was under attack, the white bird naturally fought back. An aerial battle was inevitable. The white bird countered the wyverns’ attacks with ice magic. Although the wyverns outnumbered it, many of them fell and crashed to the ground due to the white bird’s attacks.

The battle lasted for several hours from dusk until the sky darkened. After several hours of fighting, both sides began to feel fatigue. Attacks from both sides grew weaker. Because of this exhaustion, the white bird couldn’t withstand the combined attack from the wyverns and finally fell too. Its body plummeted to the ground as if pulled by gravity.

CRASH!!

Its body finally collided with the ground. Knowing their opponent had fallen, the wyverns began pursuing to deliver their final attack. In this critical moment, the white bird then unleashed its last defensive move.

A blue magic circle appeared beneath its body, then glowed and seemed to be absorbed into it. Its body emitted a blue aura light that then shot into the sky.

Black clouds suddenly appeared in the previously clear sky after the blue light was emitted. An ice snowstorm suddenly appeared with the bird at its center. The ice storm began raging for several kilometers. Thick fog also followed wherever the ice snowstorm occurred. The wyverns that were previously about to attack now found it difficult to fly in the sky due to the storm. Some fell, while others began fleeing for their lives. Meanwhile, the white bird just lay on a pile of snow, weak and helpless, as if waiting for its death.

❄️ Back to the Present

As the view cleared, the prominent black figure lying before them had arms that also served as wings, and its entire body was covered in dark greenish-blue scales.

“This...” Al murmured.

“A wyvern?!” Kyle murmured.

“But it seems to have stopped breathing,” Al added.

Before they recovered from their shock, they heard a growl from Putih not far away. The two then moved several meters towards Putih only to find another wyvern’s body lying on a pile of snow.

Putih howled again, looking in various directions. Realizing this, Al and Kyle also followed where Putih was howling and found numerous wyvern bodies scattered everywhere. This sight instantly sent shivers down Al and Kyle’s entire bodies.

“There are so many of them...” Al said, his face slightly pale.

“They must be one flock,” Kyle replied.

“Aren’t they disaster creatures because they always come in groups?” Al wondered, confused.

“True. The records in the adventurer’s guild say the same,” Kyle answered.

“But they’re all lifeless...” Al added.

“I can’t even imagine what kind of creature could defeat a flock of wyverns...” Kyle replied.