The New Moon Goddess Festival (Part 6)

[Some Time Earlier]

As Rima rushed north while Luna headed south, the raging mist suddenly vanished on its own. Relieved, both of them assumed that the other had already resolved the problem. However, not long after, Luna and Rima spotted a flock of wyverns flying above the forest, followed by a flare shooting up into the sky.

That's... an S.O.S. signal?!
Luna and Rima realised it at the same time.

They immediately rushed toward the source of the flare. When they arrived, they saw the wyverns unleashing Wind Blades downward—straight toward Al, Kyle, and Putih. Without hesitation, Luna and Rima intercepted the attacks simultaneously from different directions.

[Present Time]

"You really came at the perfect moment," Al said as he let out a relieved breath.

"Thank goodness you're safe," Rima replied.

After confirming that Al and Kyle were unharmed, Luna and Rima turned their attention to the wyverns circling in the sky.

Seeing their attacks deflected, the wyverns launched another barrage of Wind Blades. Once again, the slashes were stopped cold by a wall of energy.

"Our turn now. Let's go, Lun!" Rima said, glancing back with a smile.

Luna nodded.

Rima's left hand clasped Luna's right. With her free hand raised toward the sky, a massive blue magic circle formed above them.

"ICE NEEDLES!"
They shouted in unison.

From the magic circle, hundreds of spear-length ice needles burst forth, gleaming beneath sunlight that had finally begun to pierce the clouds. With a sharp hiss, they tore through the air and rained down upon the panicking wyverns.

Realising their opponents were far from ordinary, hesitation spread among the wyverns. One by one, they chose to retreat and fled into the distance.

Luna and Rima did not pursue. They descended to the ground.

"Luna... Lady Rima... thank you," Al said.

"I'm glad you're safe," Luna replied, then turned her gaze toward the white bird standing nearby.
"What kind of creature is that...?" she murmured.

Al and Kyle explained everything that had happened.

"..."

An Arctic Garuda?! Why would a creature like that be here...?
Luna was stunned.

Luna and Rima fell silent, alternating their gazes between the bird. The forest grew quiet, filled only with the sound of the wind, until Al hesitantly broke the silence.

"Um... Luna..."

"Ah!" Luna snapped back. "Yes?"

"Do you... have any medicine to restore mana?" Al asked with an awkward smile.
"I mean... could you give some to that bird?"

Luna paused, looking at the Arctic Garuda.

"..."

"Wait a moment," Luna said.

She reached into space, distorting the air. A moment later, she pulled out a golden fruit resembling a dragon fruit.

"This..." Luna said, offering it forward.

As Al reached out, Rima immediately interrupted.

"Lun? That is...?" Rima asked in shock.

"Yes. A Yggdrasil Fruit," Luna answered.

"You're seriously going to give that to a wild creature?" Rima raised her voice.

"Why not? If it eats this, it'll recover completely."

"That fruit is priceless! It only bears fruit once every hundred years!"

WHAT?! Once every hundred years?!
Luna froze in shock.

"Haaah... don't look so surprised. You have plenty of them in your storage, don't you?" Rima said with a snort.

But I really didn't know...
Back when this was still a game, monsters dropped these. Now that the world is real, everything is completely different.
Luna sank into thought.

"..."

"Um... Luna, Lady Rima..." Al spoke timidly.

"WHAT?" Luna and Rima answered simultaneously.

Al stiffened instantly. Seeing that, Luna gave in.

"Haaah... fine. I won't use it."

She returned the golden fruit to her storage and replaced it with a blue potion, handing it to Al.

"Um... could you give it to her yourself?" Al asked with a stiff smile.

At that moment, the Arctic Garuda chirped and stepped closer. Al felt his heart pound, but he didn't move.

The Garuda snapped the icy crown from its head and placed it before Al.

"That looks like a token of gratitude," Rima remarked with a sly smile.

With trembling hands, Al picked up the ice crown. A piercing cold seeped into his palm, making his heart race. He quickly stepped back and returned the potion to Luna.

Luna let out a soft snort and approached the Garuda. Because of the height difference, she used magic to float in the air and poured the potion into its beak.

A bluish aura enveloped the Arctic Garuda. It cried out loudly and spread its wings, startling everyone—Luna included, who instinctively stepped back.

The Garuda lowered its body. From beneath its still-injured white feathers, a snow-white egg with soft blue patterns rolled gently toward Luna. It emitted a cool, gentle aura, pulsing as if patiently waiting for life to begin.

"For me?" Luna asked in surprise.
"You want me to take care of your child?"

"QWAK!"

The Garuda nodded.

Luna crouched down and picked up the egg. After she stood again, the Arctic Garuda let out a low cry, then beat its wings and flew off toward the northern sky.

"Hey... I'm not a babysitter," Luna muttered, letting out a long sigh.

"Hahaha, looks like it entrusted its child to you," Rima laughed lightly.

For a moment, silence fell. Everyone watched the Garuda's back until it disappeared into the distance.

"You did well, both of you. You resolved the storm," Luna said.

"Heh... thanks," Al replied, scratching the back of his head.
"But we survived because you arrived in time. Thank you."

"Yes, Lady Rima, Lady Luna," Kyle added.

"Enough. We'll continue this at home. They must be waiting," Rima said.

With a snap of her fingers, a golden magic circle formed beneath their feet. Light enveloped everyone, and they vanished into particles of radiance.

[Back at the Cabin]

A golden magic circle appeared in the backyard of Luna's home, revealing five figures.

"Ah~ finally back," Al groaned.

"Yeah... finally," Kyle agreed.

Suddenly—

"MOM!"

Daisy ran out and threw herself into Luna's arms.

"Lady Daisy! Careful!" Lusserina cried out.

"Whoa!" Luna exclaimed, then smiled.

"Sorry for making you worry," Luna said gently, stroking Daisy's head.

Daisy shook her head softly, her eyes glistening.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back!" Daisy replied with a smile.

[Inside the Cabin]

Inside the cabin, everyone gathered around the dining table. The one thing they all had in common was that their attention was fixed on a white egg with blue patterns, resting inside an incubation box.

"That egg is huge," Phina said.

"Mm, really huge!" Lynn added.

Curiosity filled everyone's eyes, including Daisy, who rested her chin on her hands atop the table. Meanwhile, Elise was still upset with Al and Kyle for leaving them behind. Shortly after returning, Rima teleported to the kingdom to report what had happened.

"All right, all right, stop fighting. Since the storm has passed, how about we continue enjoying the festival?" Luna suggested with a smile.

Hearing that, everyone's spirits lifted once again. While waiting for Rima, they prepared themselves.

An hour later, Rima returned.

"I'm back," she announced.

"Welcome back, Rim. How did the meeting go?" Luna asked.

"I told them about the cause of the storm. But don't worry—I didn't mention the details, so you don't have to worry about the ice crown or the egg," Rima replied with a sly smile.

She really knows what I'm thinking. Is this some kind of twin intuition? Luna thought.
"Oh, right. What about the festival?" she added.

"The festival will resume in two days. Fortunately, the storm didn't damage any buildings or small stalls—only heavy snow piled up on rooftops and streets. Right now, the kingdom and the Adventurers' Guild are working together to clear the roads," Rima explained.

"Then we should help as well," Luna said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. After getting ready, they headed for the capital by horse-drawn carriage.

[At the Capital]

An hour later, Luna's group finally arrived at the capital gate—about thirty minutes later than planned. Along the way, thick snow had piled up and blocked the carriage's path, forcing them to stop several times.

Because of that, everyone worked together to clear the snow, Daisy included. Carrying a small shovel and a tiny bucket, Daisy helped clear the road. The sight warmed everyone's hearts.

At the capital gate, piles of snow lined the roadside, seemingly just cleared by the townsfolk.

Luna's group headed toward the workshop to check on Bartasz. As they entered the capital, they saw citizens and merchants busily cleaning up collapsed tent debris left behind by the storm. A few minutes later, they arrived at the workshop.

Many people had gathered in front of it, but Luna couldn't see Bartasz anywhere.

Could he be in the back? Luna thought.

They went around to the back of the workshop and found Bartasz with several others, cleaning the yard. Noticing their arrival, Bartasz turned around and approached them.

"I'm glad you're all right," Luna said with a relieved sigh.

"Mom! What do you mean—was something supposed to happen to me?" Bartasz replied in confusion.

"Haha, she was worried something might have happened to you because of the storm," Rima said teasingly.

"Hey!" Luna protested, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Rima only laughed at her embarrassed sister.

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine," Bartasz said.
"So, what brings you here?"

"Besides checking on you, there's something we'd like to discuss," Luna replied.

"I see... then let's find somewhere more comfortable to talk," Bartasz said, leading the way.

He brought them into a simple room furnished with a few sofas, a glass table, wooden tables and chairs, and a cabinet.

"Please, have a seat," Bartasz said.

"..."

"So, what is it, Mom?" Bartasz asked.

Luna handed him a blue crystal ice crown.

"This... what is this?" Bartasz asked in shock.

Luna explained the origin of the ice crown. After she finished, Bartasz fell silent, lost in thought.

"..."

"I never imagined it came from the creature that caused the storm," Bartasz said.

"I want you to make a sword from this ice crown," Luna added.

"A sword?" Bartasz exclaimed.
"Are you learning swordsmanship now, Mom?"

"Not for me," Luna answered calmly.
"It's for Al."

"I see... but I'll only be able to work on it after the festival. Is that all right?"

"That's fine," Al replied.

"Is there anything else I can help with, Mom?" Bartasz asked.

"No. We just wanted to make sure you were all right and talk about the ice crown," Luna said.

"Where are you heading next?" Bartasz asked.

"We're going to look around the capital and check on your sibling as well," Luna replied.

"Thank you again for coming," Bartasz said with a smile.

"All right, since that's settled, let's move on to the next place," Rima said.

With that, Luna's group left Bartasz's workshop and headed toward the Nuzantra Magic Academy.

[Nuzantra Magic Academy]

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the academy. Not a single student was in sight—only a few teachers and staff remained on duty.

After asking about Rania's whereabouts, they were directed to the headmistress's office.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in!" a woman's voice called from inside.

They entered the room. Inside, an elven woman was working at her desk. The moment she saw who had arrived, her face lit up with excitement, as if she had found a hidden treasure.

"MOM!" Rania shouted.

Rania rushed toward Luna, trying to hug her—but Luna dodged.

THUD!

Rania fell to the floor.

"Mom, why did you dodge? Don't you want to hug your beloved daughter?" Rania pouted.

"Don't exaggerate," Luna said with a long sigh.
"And besides, we're not alone. Remember—you're the headmistress."

As if suddenly reminded, Rania straightened up and corrected her posture.

"Ahem, my apologies. Please have a seat. I'll be right back," she said.

"..."

A few minutes later, Rania returned carrying a tray filled with bread and snacks. Behind her, a woman followed with a teapot and several cups.

"Hey, Daisy, were you okay during the storm last night?" Rania asked.

Daisy nodded.
"Sister Elise stayed with me, so I wasn't scared."

"Oh? So you didn't sleep with Mom?" Rania asked.

"Mm..." Daisy shook her head.

"Good girl," Rania said with a smile.
"I know this might be pointless to ask, but... Mom, are you all right?"

Luna let out a long breath before answering.
"I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me."

Luna's smile made a chill run down Rania's spine.

"I-I was joking, Mom... joking. Of course, I was really worried about you," Rania said with a strained smile.

Luna sighed softly again.

"How about you? Are you doing all right? And Erik?" Luna asked.

"Erik and I are both fine," Rania replied.
"He's currently working with the other staff to clear the remaining snow from last night's storm."

"That's good to hear," Luna said.
"We wanted to visit your older sibling as well, but I imagine they're busy."

"You're right, Mom," Rania answered.
"My sibling is currently working with the kingdom and the Adventurers' Guild, clearing snow throughout the capital."

"I see... then we'll visit another time," Luna said.

"..."

[Afterward]

After talking for a while longer, Luna's group decided to return as the sky began to turn orange. They said their farewells to Rania and headed back to Lake Dewata.

• • •

After two days of cleaning up the aftermath of the storm, the final day of the festival finally arrived.

Clear skies and warm sunlight woke Luna that morning. After the earlier interruption during the festival with Daisy, she decided to enjoy this day to the fullest.

After waking up, Luna went down to the first floor for breakfast. As usual, Abi was cleaning, Lusserina was cooking, and Rima was enjoying a warm drink.

"Good morning, Abi, Lu," Luna greeted.
"Good morning to you, too, Rim."

"Good morning, Madam!" Abi and Lusserina replied.

"Good morning, Lun!" Rima said with a sly smile.
"Ready for today?"

"Of course," Luna replied.
"I want to make beautiful memories—not just with Daisy, but with everyone."

Soon after, Daisy and the others joined them at the table. When the food was ready, they enjoyed breakfast together, wrapped in a warm and peaceful atmosphere.