"The Moonlight Witch?"
Alice's voice echoed softly beside him.
Kurose Akira fixed his gaze on the woman inside the crystal ball. She wore a white mask that concealed her face entirely—so thoroughly that even her eyes were hidden. Long, crystalline-blue hair flowed down like a waterfall, faint specks of light shimmering within it, as if moonbeams themselves had been woven into each strand.
Though her true appearance was impossible to discern, Alice recognized her instantly.
This was the Moonlight Witch.
And yet, what puzzled Kurose Akira was that this woman did not seem to be the Moonlight Witch herself.
Her voice continued to reverberate within the tent:
"You… have come seeking a prophecy?"
Only then did Kurose Akira realize that the image within the crystal ball was merely a remnant—an echo the Moonlight Witch had left behind.
"Are you here to undergo the Moon Ritual?"
Just as Kurose Akira was sinking into thought, a young girl—no more than twelve or thirteen years old—walked into the tent.
Her eyes were clear and luminous, as though they could see straight through a person's heart. Tilting her head with curiosity, she asked again,
"Are you here for the Moon Ritual?"
"Yes."
Kurose Akira turned toward her and nodded.
"That's wonderful~! My Moonlight Shop is finally open~!"
The girl skipped over happily. When she noticed tears lingering at the corners of Alice's eyes, her expression immediately softened with concern.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"I–I'm fine…"
Alice gently wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head.
"Don't be sad~ Here, I'll give you a little present!"
The girl placed a crescent-moon-shaped ornament into Alice's hand, her face lit with a sweet, comforting smile.
"This is a Little Crescent blessed by the High Priestess. It will protect you!"
"Thank you~"
Under the girl's gentle reassurance, Alice finally smiled.
She stared intently at the small crescent in her palm, sensing a faint trace of the Moonlight Witch's presence within it.
"That's better~ You look so pretty when you smile~"
Seeing Alice smile, the girl beamed as well. She then walked over to the crystal ball and turned her attention to Kurose Akira, her tone growing more serious.
"Are you the one who wants to undergo the Moon Ritual? I can sense something… unpleasant inside your body."
"Yes."
Kurose Akira nodded, his voice low.
"I've been cursed. I'm hoping the Moon Ritual can help suppress it."
As he spoke, he took a silver coin from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Thank you for your generosity."
The girl accepted the coin happily and gave a small bow. Then she looked back at him and instructed,
"Please extend your hand toward the crystal ball—but keep some distance. This crystal contains the power of the High Priestess. It will guide you."
"The High Priestess…"
Kurose Akira's eyes narrowed slightly at those words.
Could it be that the Moonlight Witch was actually the High Priestess of the Moon God Empire?
With that thought in mind, he extended his hand toward the crystal ball, stopping at a distance of about five centimeters.
At once, he noticed something strange.
A faint white light began to flicker at his fingertips.
The image of the masked woman inside the crystal ball slowly faded away, replaced by a brilliant, immaculate crescent moon.
The crescent radiated dazzling white light—so intense that Kurose Akira instinctively closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he found himself standing in an endless expanse of darkness.
There was nothing around him.
Nothing at all.
"Where… is this?"
Confusion filled his mind—and he soon realized that he couldn't move his body at all.
A few seconds later, a gentle beam of moonlight poured down from above, enveloping him completely.
Bathed in its glow, Kurose Akira felt his body grow lighter and lighter, as though he were floating within a dream.
He slowly closed his eyes, allowing the moonlight to cradle him—
Soft, warm, intimate—
Like the tender kisses of the gentle older girl who used to live next door when he was a child, brushing affectionately over every inch of his skin…
[Receiving the Blessing of Moonlight…]
[Moon Ritual Complete! Blood Curse Suppressed!]
He didn't know how much time passed.
When Kurose Akira finally opened his eyes again, the world snapped back into focus.
He was still standing inside the tent.
Ivsha and the others were watching him quietly, waiting for the result of the ritual.
"Master, how do you feel?"
Alice asked anxiously.
"Pretty good."
Kurose Akira looked down at his hands. With the curse suppressed by the Moon Ritual, his entire body felt refreshed. The thirst for blood—once so oppressive—had vanished completely.
"How long did the ritual last?"
He immediately turned to Ivsha.
"About two hours," she replied.
"Two hours, huh…"
Kurose Akira nodded, then turned toward the girl and said sincerely,
"Thank you for the Moon Ritual."
"This is simply my duty, my guest."
The girl smiled, then added,
"Oh, right—my guest. I also have a few little trinkets here that might help with your curse. Would you like to take a look?"
As she spoke, she laid out a variety of magical items for Kurose Akira to choose from…
...
A few minutes later, everyone stepped out of the tent.
"Looking forward to your next visit~!"
In addition to the Moon Ritual, Kurose Akira purchased several Moonlight Bracelets, each of which increased mana by 10 points. He planned to give one to every guild member.
But compared to the items, what concerned him more was Alice.
He glanced at her. Her emotions were clearly complicated.
She had seen the Moonlight Witch again—the one who created her—only to learn that the Witch might actually be the High Priestess of the Moon God Empire.
The Moon God High Priestess held a position of supreme authority within the empire, even higher than the king. She was the sole individual capable of communing directly with the gods.
In the Sun Faith Kingdom, her status would be equivalent to that of a Pope—though there were still key differences.
Because the Moon God High Priestess could never leave the Moonlight Altar.
As for why, that was beyond Kurose Akira's knowledge.
"Don't worry, Alice."
Kurose Akira gently stroked her head and said softly,
"We'll definitely meet the Moonlight Witch again."
"Mhm~ Master, I believe you!"
Alice smiled brightly, her faith in him unwavering.
"Let's head back."
"Mm-hmm!"
Just as Kurose Akira prepared to activate the teleportation array and return to the guild, a group of masked soldiers from the Moon God Empire passed by him, catching his attention.
But in the next moment, they disappeared from sight.
White light flashed—
And Kurose Akira returned to the guild.
The guild hall was empty. Lucia and the others hadn't yet returned from their mission.
He checked the time.
It was exactly when the dragon egg was about to hatch.
"Come on. Let's go welcome our new member."
He said to Ivsha and Alice.
"A new member?"
Alice's face lit up with curiosity.
"Yes."
Kurose Akira smiled and led them toward an unused room.
Inside, a massive red dragon egg lay quietly at the center, radiating intense heat and brilliant crimson light.
"Is that the dragon egg from before?"
Ivsha asked curiously.
"Yes."
Kurose Akira nodded.
"But… wasn't that egg lifeless back then?"
Ivsha was astonished. She clearly remembered that the egg had shown no signs of life at all.
And yet now…
"Mr. Kurose Akira~"
A voice sounded suddenly behind him.
The red dragon mother had appeared without a sound.
"Thank you for your hard work~ There are only two minutes left. She'll break out of the shell soon."
Kurose Akira gently stroked Nata's hair. Ever since she sensed signs of life within the egg, she had remained here, waiting without rest for the hatching.
"That's wonderful! Just two more minutes—my child is finally going to be born!"
Nata's face glowed like spring sunlight, her eyes brimming with maternal love as she awaited the arrival of her offspring.
As they spoke, the dragon egg began to move.
It trembled slightly.
Crack—
A crisp sound echoed through the room, instantly tightening the air.
Everyone's gaze locked onto the egg.
Under their watchful eyes, a thin ....a delicate crack—quietly spread across the top of the dragon egg.