My sister’s distrust stems from resignation born of experience. Sensitive to the emotions of others, Plona came to understand the situation.
Wasn’t it Aria, who claimed she could coexist with humans before escaping the Luminous Kingdom?
Plona had never doubted that this was false information. Rather, she had no questions at all, believing that her sister would surely have thought that way.
But Aria had changed so much.
What had she gone through that she could see Plona desperately hanging on without even drawing her sword and think it was natural to distrust her?
No matter how much Plona tried, she couldn’t know the path Aria had walked.
But she understood this instinctively: that Aria too had suffered, struggled, and reached this point after despair, that she hadn’t been fated to fall from the beginning, as the people of the Luminous Kingdom had said.
Or perhaps she just wanted to believe that. But regardless of which, the conclusion was clear.
I still cannot betray my sister. I don’t want to be the one to stab the final knife into her heart after betraying her trust.
And most importantly… even after she changed like this, I can’t treat her the same way I treated other vampires.
Well, let’s talk first. If we talk, I’ll be able to understand her.
Plona fervently hoped so.
But suddenly, the intruders crushed that hope.
“Mission accomplished. We will now proceed with the extermination of the Progenitor.”
“Wha? Who are you?”
I don’t know you guys. It’s a vacation; why is there a mission?
But soon Plona recognized who they were.
A plain, undecorated emblem. Their movement and magical equipment concealed so well that even Plona couldn’t sense them.
The Inquisition’s execution unit.
The dark side of the Luminous Church, which knights or priests usually wouldn’t encounter except under special circumstances. A shadow of the Luminous Kingdom that ordinary people didn’t even know existed.
The implications of such individuals tracking her and making such misleading statements at this timing were overwhelming.
There was much to think about, but more than that, Plona was concerned about whether Aria would react.
“What is this…? Sis, no! It’s a misunderstanding! I don’t know anything!!”
What if she misunderstands?
What if she hates me?
What if she thinks I was in cahoots with those people and is disappointed?
Plona trembled with fear. A flurry of ominous thoughts filled her mind for a brief moment before dissipating.
However, reality was far more brutal than expected.
“Sis, please…”
In the end, Aria wasn’t disappointed. Her calm and cold gaze was enough to express her emotions.
It was natural that she wouldn’t be disappointed.
She had never expected anything from the start.
She had never expected that Plona, a human, would become an ally.
From the very beginning, she had considered Plona an enemy.
Plona’s hands and feet began to tremble.
She had to make some excuses, but her heart felt like it was being torn apart, and she could hardly breathe.
The chilling gaze was terrifying.
If she had called her a traitor, Plona would have knelt and cried, pleading for understanding. But that cold gaze, which seemed to convey that she had never expected or cared for her, felt like it was draining the warmth of cherished memories, leaving her terrified.
But neither Aria nor the Church’s trackers allowed Plona the time to gather her thoughts.
A life-and-death struggle began, and the trackers’ swords brutally hacked at Aria.
“No! Stop! Don’t do it!!”
When Plona came to her senses, she was screaming.
If this went on, Aria would die.
I have to help.
…But who do I help?
The Church’s teachings, her duty as humanity’s protector, and Aria’s changed appearance shackled Plona’s mind.
– It’s already too late. The sister you longed for is already dead.
“No, that’s not true.”
In her mind, Knight Plona Moonlight was thrusting the girl who wished for family into a corner. The girl instinctively denied it, merely repeating “that’s not true” without being able to properly refute.
As Plona hesitated, the battle intensified. But the nature of the battle was slightly different than Plona had expected.
“Unique Magic! I’ll use my Unique Magic!!”
“Raise the danger level!”
Blood Magic. The Unique Magic of the Progenitor of Vampires handling blood.
No one but the first Progenitor had ever wielded it throughout history, and the details were unknown, but it wasn’t a capability a Progenitor who hadn’t even been born for a year could handle.
No, if we were to consider common sense, holding off three trackers from the Church was itself absurd.
Though their specialties differed, the execution unit of the Inquisition were warriors with combat power equivalent to junior knights. It was impossible to withstand them at this level, and Aria’s growth rate had far exceeded the Church’s expectations.
In other words, it meant she had consumed an unusually large number of humans, more than the Church imagined. Plona found herself in a position where she could neither be happy nor sad.
The exchanges became increasingly taut.
Eventually, Aria successfully struck an opening.
‘I’m glad… but I have no right to say that.’
After all, she hadn’t helped either side. A bystander had no right to discuss the outcome.
Plona stared blankly at Aria breaking through the encirclement.
If I can think of being glad in this situation, then I must be valuing my sister more than the mission of a knight.
I don’t know. My reasoning and emotions are so erratic that I lack confidence in my own judgment.
But as she was about to let her guard down, a situation demanding an immediate decision arose unexpectedly.
“No!!!”
Was it due to her injury, or was it the backlash from wildly using unfamiliar Unique Magic?
The moment she saw Aria suddenly stagger and the members of the Church were about to deliver the final blow, Plona screamed and instinctively rushed into the fray.
This wasn’t a conclusion reached after deep consideration.
It was an impulsive and instinctive action. But perhaps that’s why it was the closest to her true feelings.
“It’s an act of betrayal against humanity. I don’t suppose you know what it means for a knight to protect the Progenitor of Vampires?”
I do know. Knight Plona couldn’t possibly not know.
But this time, she couldn’t retreat.
She knew that continuing with this would lead to irreversible consequences, but the thought that Aria might really die made Plona unable to remain a bystander.
“You’ll regret this.”
“I… I’ve already been sick of regret.”
This day would eventually lead to regret. No, I might regret it in just an hour.
But one thing was clear: if Plona withdrew now, Aria would die, and then Plona would live the rest of her life regretting this day.
Some say life is a series of choices, but that’s an overestimation of human capability.
Focusing on the outcome, life is not a series of choices but a continuum of regrets. No matter what choice one makes at countless crossroads in life, people cannot avoid the results of regret.
Some might retort. If every choice leads to regret, then is the act of choosing itself meaningless?
It might seem that way. A single human’s frail boat against the tide of immense destiny is painfully insignificant.
Yet still, Plona Moonlight chooses.
Not to avoid regret but rather to bear something worthy of regret.
Because it helps the orphanage.
Because it helps people.
Because it’s something I have to do.
She momentarily lets go of the expectations and duties that ensnare her now.
Though she may not have the right to choose a regret-free ending, she can choose the pain she must bear.
If it’s going to be a life of regret anyway, in this moment, she’ll follow her heart.
Plona chose the path that would lead to regret.
“I… want to save my sister.”
The girl, who had always lived with reason and restraint, was prioritizing her feelings for the first time that day, setting aside everything she had carried.
And the price for the first deviation of a girl who had dedicated nearly six years solely to humans was exorbitantly heavy.
“By the order of Cardinal Benelian Lior, the decision by the field commander of the Inquisition execution unit, Knight Plona Moonlight is hereby excommunicated. Moreover, having committed the grave sin of siding with the Progenitor of Vampires, she is now deemed an enemy and sentenced to execution.”
The declaration of excommunication. A severe punishment tantamount to social death for a human in the Luminous Kingdom.
Actually, considering the execution order, it was almost equivalent to a death sentence in reality.
The die had been cast, and she couldn’t afford to lose either of the two rabbits.
Now, no matter what the outcome might be, saving Aria was the only choice for Plona.
Plona swung her sword.
The number of Church trackers swelled from three to six, yet it wasn’t overwhelmingly disadvantageous. But a variable appeared from an unexpected place.
“I… can’t betray her.”
At some point, Plona realized her sword was only pushing the enemies away and not delivering fatal blows.
It wasn’t a matter of skill.
Although Plona specialized in large-scale battles against vampires and beastmen, and the Church’s execution unit was designed to deal with other humans, Plona’s gifted talent in combat wasn’t negligible enough to tip the scales with such a trivial advantage.
“This can’t be happening.”
Plona bit her lip. The decisive factor wasn’t numerical inferiority or lack of skill.
It was the difference in experience.
Plona had never killed a fellow human.
That was only natural. Knights rarely strike at fellow humans unless absolutely necessary.
Plona had never encountered a fearless human brave enough to challenge a knight personally, much less in public settings.
Even if she understood with her mind that the Church was the enemy and she had to strike them down, the lesson instilled deep within her unconscious, to protect humanity, bred hesitation.
No matter how talented Plona was, it was impossible to overwhelm six veterans in human combat with a sword filled with hesitation.
But once again, the urgency of the situation overtook her mental preparations.
Suddenly, Aria abandoned defense and charged at the enemy.
I have to protect her.
Moving faster than her thoughts, Plona’s body acted.
Clang!! Plona’s sword knocked aside the enemy’s blade aimed for Aria’s heart.
That was fine. But the next moment, her body froze at the sight of splattered blood.
“Sis?”
Plona uttered in disbelief.
Aria had thrust her hand through the heart of one of the Church’s trackers and, without hesitation, plunged her fangs into his neck, drinking his blood.
Killing a human and feeding on their blood.
The instinctive fear and revulsion felt by prey from a predator.
This was different from the time Aria had fled before confirming it within the walls of Pahera.
Plona witnessed her once-kind sister, now unhesitantly killing and drinking from a human, and the shock of reality she had desperately tried to ignore swept over her.
“Plona!!”
Aria’s cry brought Plona back to reality.
But paying attention had Cost her dearly.
“Sis!!!”
Aria was in danger. By the time she regained her senses, she had already thrown herself between Aria and the trackers.
Plona’s sword severed one enemy’s neck, while another tracker’s sword pierced her abdomen.
Through the wound in her stomach, she felt something hot flowing into her body.
Ah, sister. At last, you finally called my name correctly.
I’m sorry for hesitating. But having seen this… I guess I really can’t give up on you.
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