Chapter 2:
Chapter 2 — Felis Lunae et Lepus | The Moon Cat and a rabbit
Lunaris vitae
(Wars and conflicts over land were commonplace.)
(That era came to be known as Aetas Discordiae—the Age of Discordia.)
(Amidst that chaos, a single man rose, driven by the desire to change the world itself.)
(He crossed countless lands in search of a path…until at last, he stood before the god of this world—Aeonaris.)
(His challenge ended in defeat.Yet death did not claim him.)(Instead, the god Aeonaris perceived the man’s unwavering resolve and chose to grant his wish—at the cost of a portion of his power and lifespan.)
(He named the new world Vitaris—a world divided by the lands of each race.)
Utopia — the land of peace
Aeternum — the boundary that separates Dystopia and Utopia
(Furthermore, Aeonaris created the Twelve Representatives of the Zodiac,also known as The Zodiac.)
(Chosen by the god himself,they stand as guardians of the world of Vitaris…bearing its weight, sustaining its existence.)
The sound of pages closing echoed softly through the room.
Mihoshi, having finished reading the journal Stellan left behind, gently set it down.
“…Finally finished. Though honestly… there’s way less written here than I expected.”
He glanced at the thick book in his hands.“For something this big, not even half of it’s filled…Well, whatever. Maybe I’ll go for a walk.”
Having found both answers—and a goal to pursue—Mihoshi left the room.He paused by a window, gazing out at the forest beyond.
His thoughts drifted to his original body…what had become of it,and to Daisuke—wondering what his friend might be doing now.
The following day, Mihoshi decided to set out for Nightfang, just as Stellan had instructed.
“…This should be enough.”
He checked his belongings one last time.“Magic grimoire… map… Star Journal… cloak…and a sword.It’s old, but better than nothing.”
With a small nod, he took his first step beyond the castle.
“Now that I think about it…Why would Stellan build a castle in the middle of a barren forest like this anyway?”
He glanced around.
“Even the nearest village is ridiculously far away… seriously.”
He sighed.“At this pace… it’ll take at least two or three days to reach that village.”
“…Damn it.”
Then, a thought struck him.
“If only I could use flight magic…Wait— I am a Dhampir. Half-vampire, at least. I should have some kind of speed-enhancement spell.”He pulled out his magic notebook while walking and flipped through the pages.
“Alright… hmm… hmm… ah—!”
Before he could finish—A strange rabbit-like creature shot past him at blinding speed.As it ran, it turned its head to glance at him.
“Huh? A rabbit?”
Then, from behind him—???:“Mewwww! Waaait for meee!”
A beast-eared girl sprinted past him, chasing the rabbit.“…Wait for you? What does that—”
He turned toward the direction she had come from——and froze.
“…A goblin pack!?”
Without hesitation, Mihoshi spun around and ran after them.Then—he remembered.
“Wait— I can use magic!”
[Crivis!]“…And one more!”
Mihoshi stretched out his hand as a magic circle flared to life.
[Sangries!]
Blood droplets converged within the circle, forming razor-edged crimson blades.—but only half of the remaining goblins fell.
“…Come on… only half?”
The beast-eared girl and the rabbit—Mew—stopped running and stared at him in awe.“That old guy’s incredible, Mew!The goblin mage is down!Let’s help him!”
Mihoshi prepared to cast another spell—Then—
“Huh?”
The remaining goblins were suddenly struck down.Something invisible pierced and slashed through them, one by one.
When the last goblin collapsed, the girl revealed herself—standing right before him.
“Invisibility magic…?”
She and the rabbit walked over.“Thank you, mister!I thought we’d have to keep running until sunset!”She laughed brightly.
“…You’ve got magic like that, yet you ran?You could’ve handled them easily just by staying invisible.”“There was a goblin mage mixed in with them.Even if I went invisible, it could still detect me.But since you took it out earlier, I was free to jump in.”
“Ooooh, I see—Wait a second.”
He stared at her.“…Did you just call me mister?”
“I’m not that old, you know! I’m only— well, let’s just say I’m not that old to get called by that!”
“Ah— sorry! I didn’t mean it like that!”She laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.The strange rabbit hopped onto the girl’s head.
“Lunette, that was rude.You shouldn’t call him ‘mister’ like that.”
After chatting for a bit, Mihoshi finally asked her name.
The girl was Lunette, and the rabbit was a spirit named Mew.Curious as to why a child like her was wandering in such a deep forest, Mihoshi asked—
“…You didn’t get lost, did you?”
“Well— you see…This forest is huge. Getting lost isn’t that strange, right? Hahaha…”Her excuse sounded reasonable—
But Mihoshi remembered this place was kilometers away from the nearest village.
Still, despite his doubts, he offered to escort her.
And coincidentally—The village Lunette lived inwas the very destination Mihoshi had been heading toward.
That night, Mihoshi and Lunette worked together to hunt wild animals for food.The forest grew quiet as the sun disappeared beyond the treetops, replaced by the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the leaves.
As they moved through the shadows, Mihoshi casually asked Lunette about her innate magic—and about the strange rabbit that never left her side.
Lunette answered without hesitation.
Her innate magic was Moonlight Magic, and the invisibility she used earlier was a spell called [Illusio] As for the odd-looking rabbit, it was—as she had mentioned before—a spirit named Mew.
She had been together with Mew since she was a child—no, longer than that.
“In fact,” Lunette added softly, “Mew has been with my family since before I was even born.”
But the moment she said that, her expression faltered.The brightness in her eyes dimmed ever so slightly, as if a shadow had passed over her heart.
Mihoshi noticed immediately.
“Hmm? Lunette… is something wrong?”
“Ah—um, no. It’s nothing,” she replied quickly, forcing a smile.“I think I’ll head back to the campfire first. I’m… a little tired.”Mihoshi stood still, watching Lunette walk back toward the campfire, her shoulders slumped just enough to reveal her unease.When she was out of sight, he turned to Mew.
“Did I say something I shouldn’t have…?”
Mew shook its head slowly, its long ears drooping slightly.“No. Something just came to mind, that’s all. I’ll go check on her.”
The spirit hopped off quietly, leaving Mihoshi alone with the rustling forest.Though questions lingered in his mind, Mihoshi chose not to pursue them—for now.He returned to hunting, deciding it was better to give Lunette some time to herself.
The days passed, and before long, the three of them arrived at Lunette’s home village.
Ferra Village—the settlement of the Wildcat Tribe.
“Mooom! I’m hoooome~!”
The sudden shift in her mood caught Mihoshi off guard.Lunette’s mother turned around.
And the instant Lunette saw her expression—calm on the surface, yet unmistakably furious beneath—it was as if all the color drained from her face.“Uh… (;;;・_・)”
“Oh my~ Welcome back, dear,” her mother said sweetly.“Did you enjoy your little adventure?”“Ah…”
An oppressive aura filled the air.Mihoshi swallowed.
(Yeah… staying any longer here is probably a bad idea.)
“Um, I think I’ll excuse myself now.”
“I’ll go with him,” Mew added immediately.The two of them slipped quietly out of the house.
Lunette’s voice echoed from behind.
And just like that, Lunette was left to face her mother’s lecture alone.After leaving Lunette’s home, Mihoshi wandered through the village, browsing small stalls and purchasing a few necessities.He also sold some minor treasures he had taken from stellan's castle.
“Huh? Aren’t you staying with Lunette?” Mihoshi asked.
“I’ve seen that scene more times than I can count. Besides, sticking around to watch that kind of situation would feel… a bit awkward.”“She gets lost often?” Mihoshi tilted his head.“But honestly… that didn’t look like someone who was just lost. What’s really going on?”
Mew was silent for a moment.“…It’s about her father.”
Mihoshi slowed his steps.“…What do you mean?”
Mew’s voice carried a quiet weight, hinting that this was far from a simple story.It began years ago—when Lunette was only eight years old.
Her father was a renowned treasure hunter.
To Lunette, he was a hero beyond words, someone she admired so deeply that she never stopped talking about becoming just like him someday.
Then came the day he accepted a job in the capital.A mission to retrieve a valuable artifact.
He never returned.
Days turned into weeks.Weeks into months.
By the time Lunette turned twelve, rumors finally reached the village.Her father was dead.
“When Lunette heard that,” Mew said quietly, “she refused to believe it. Stubbornly. Even I found it hard to accept.”
“I see… but what does that have to do with her leaving the village?”
Mihoshi walked through the bustling streets, the murmurs of villagers blending into the background.
“So that’s it…” he thought.She’s chasing after nothing more than her father’s shadow.“Lunette wants to go to the capital to search for him herself,” Mew continued.“That’s why she needs money—to buy a city pass, and to survive once she gets there. The job she did today was part of that.”
Mihoshi stopped in front of a blacksmith’s shop and exchanged his old sword for a new one.“A city pass? I thought anyone could enter the capital freely.”
“That was thirty years ago. The rules changed after demons infiltrated the capital by disguising themselves as humans. Since then, a pass has been mandatory.”“So even with Aeonaris creating borders… demons still manage to cross over, huh…”
Mew nodded.“After she turned thirteen, Lunette started following her father’s path seriously. Almost every day, she checked the request board for work she could handle. Anything that paid.”
“And her mother didn’t stop her?”“Of course she did. That’s why I said I’ve seen this many times. Lady Luna begged her to stop searching—afraid Lunette would disappear just like her father. But she never listened.”
Mew let out a small, weary smile.Mew gave a crooked smile, its ears twitching slightly.
“If Lady Luna were to lose someone she loves again—just like when she lost her husband… I don’t think her cooking would ever taste the same.”Mihoshi sighed quietly, gripping the hilt of his new sword.
The story lingered heavily in his chest.
After wandering around the village for a while, Mihoshi returned Lunette's home and walked Mew back with him.
The rabbit spirit lightly leapt down from Mihoshi’s shoulder.
“By the way,” Mihoshi said, recalling their earlier conversation, “what you mentioned about the request board… You said she checks it almost every day. Does that mean she’s been taking on jobs like today regularly?”
“Well, not exactly,” Mew replied as he padded toward the house. “She only started taking jobs like that about a year ago—when she turned fifteen. It’s been almost a full year since then.
Still… like I said before, that also means the number of times Lunette’s been punished by Luna for sneaking out has piled up quite a bit.”
With that, Mew slipped inside the house.
Mihoshi continued walking, searching for a place to stay for the night.
As his feet carried him forward, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
What should I do from here…?
Should I help that kid?
His true objective was to reach Nightfang as soon as possible—to complete the trial Stellan had left behind.
And yet, the thought of leaving behind a mother who lived every day worried for her daughter… afraid of losing her the same way she had lost her husband—made Mihoshi hesitate.
Before long, he arrived at an inn.
The moment he entered his room, he dropped his bag, tossed his cloak aside, and threw himself onto the bed.
“Ahhh… finally,” he muttered, sinking into the mattress.
“No matter what anyone says, a bed is still the best. Way better than sleeping on grass.
Honestly, even when I used Canum to summon a guard dog while camping, I could never fully relax…”
He exhaled, then sat up. “All right.”
Mihoshi pulled a map from his bag, spread it across the table, and carefully searched for the location of Nightfang.
But—
“…Just as I thought,” he muttered. “No matter how I look at it, it’s not here.”
He checked again. And again.
Nothing changed.
“There’s a place with a similar name, but its location doesn’t match what Stellan described at all… What does this even mean?”
With a sigh, Mihoshi folded the map and flopped back onto the bed.
“Could it be that the location doesn’t show up on maps at all? …No, that’d be strange.
Stellan gave me a destination—meaning it has to exist somewhere. If this map doesn’t have it, maybe another one does.”
He stared at the ceiling, frustration bubbling up.
“Seriously… if you’re going to hand someone a goal, at least explain it properly, Stellan. Somewhere near the border you say—like that helps.
That border stretches for hundreds of kilometers, you know? Don’t tell me you actually expect me to wander along the entire thing until I accidentally trip over Nightfang.”
Grumbling like an irritated child, Mihoshi got up again and returned to the table, map in hand.
“If there’s no information about Nightfang in this village… then I guess there’s only one option left.”
He folded the map with resolve.
“…Next destination—
the capital city, Concordia.”
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