Chapter 22. New Moon Night
"What are you saying to a child...?"
Zion Laurel, who stood by the door, mumbled in disbelief.
Evie Ariate, startled like a cat caught in mischief, turned around with her eyes dropping in guilt.
Seeing that pitiful expression, Zion could only sigh.
The soundproofing in this house was terrible.
Besides, Zion was already half-awake when the little one knocked on the door earlier.
He had been pretending to ignore it due to sleepiness, but the voice from the next room fully roused him.
“Are you really a saintessess, Nuna?”
"Not yet… We were joking earlier, you know?"
The ntion of a saintess made Zion doubt his ears.
He had hurriedly dressed and co out, only to be further astonished by the conversation he overheard next.
“No, I really dislike him.”
Ultimately, Zion, exasperated, spoke up, causing Evie Ariate to look nervously again.
"Teacher!"
A child got up from the carpet and ran over as Zion glared at Evie, forcing Zion to relax his expression slightly.
"Here, take this."
The child rummaged through their pocket and abruptly offered sothing.
In the small hand was a pebble-sized crystal.
Zion imdiately recognized it and sighed again, firmly shaking his head.
"You should keep this. Your mom worked hard to get it for you."
"You don't have a mom to give you things like this, so I'm giving you mine."
"No, take it back."
When the child stubbornly insisted with a rebellious comnt, Zion held the child's cheeks with one hand while speaking sternly like a teacher.
"Take this, lock yourself up at ho, cover the windows, and don't move until tomorrow morning."
"Tsk."
"Tsk?"
"Alright, let's safely get through this new moon and et again."
The child shook off the teacher's hand and nodded at Evie before scampering off.
The child had co in a flurry and left the sa way, leaving behind an awkward silence.
Zion was the first to look at Evie.
Seated and speaking with the child, Evie finally rose from her knees and spoke.
"They must really like the Count. What they handed you was a salt from Manyanya, wasn't it?"
As Evie ntioned, the child had brought salt from Manyanya, a fragnt of the crystals that Evie had once hid in a salt storage room.
"Why ask when you know?"
In contrast to Evie's friendly approach, Zion's voice was curt.
Partly because he was still drowsy, but mostly due to the absurdity of the situation.
"Well, the child is just being kind. That salt must be scarce in Vis."
"It's very precious. It might be easily stored in Thienda, but not here."
What is known as Manyanya's salt is purified seawater by purifiers.
In Vis, it's worth a lot since it can ward off Noche's Curse.
The morning is the enemy of the night.
Hence, Noche's Curse recoiled at the salt imbued with Manyanya's blessing.
This was why the curse could not approach Thienda.
Manyanya Tower was covered with salt crystals, and each storage room was filled with them.
Thus, in Thienda, they did not even consider the new moon, but it was different in Vis.
In Vis, people paid all they had to buy salt or hid quietly in the dark, waiting for dawn to avoid monthly disasters.
Yet, if misfortune struck, it was deadly.
"It would be great if it were more accessible in Vis."
Evie Ariate cautiously said, causing Zion to laugh cynically.
An empty and irresponsible sentint indeed.
Manyanya's salt being expensive is a product of Manyanya Tower and the Marquis Montera joining hands.
The Tower distributed salt solely to Marquuis Montera, who then calculated how much the commoners of Vis could pay with their lives at stake, driving the price up as much as possible.
It was all the result of this greedy weighing, yet Evie Ariate, the purifying mage of the Tower, talks about it like it was soone else’s issue, with a kind voice.
Naturally, Zion knew Evie had no role in this.
But, he still disliked the selfish and cowardly Thienda and couldn't view Evie Ariate, striving to join them, favorably.
Especially when she continued to make light remarks.
"Let alone the salt, were you planning to spread rumors about being a saintessess?"
"No, I wasn't."
She lied so easily.
So Zion sighed as he spoke.
"You shouldn't, because you're not a saintessess yet and you won't ever beco one."
Evie's expression froze at Zion’s warning, making him feel even more upset.
Evie Ariate always wore that expression.
As if staring with those hurt eyes would sohow resolve everything.
"If you intended to threaten , you'd better reconsider."
"Threaten...?"
Evie Ariate was startled at the question.
This reaction exasperated Zion again.
Last night, Evie had attempted to leverage Zion's situation, talking about the preciousness of ordinary life.
When Zion asked if she was threatening him, she had confidently acknowledged it wasn't far from the truth.
This was just a few hours ago.
Now, hearing Evie claim she was a saintess seed a bizarre whim to Zion.
Hence, he rose imdiately to warn her, only to see Evie Ariate wide-eyed in surprise like a startled rabbit.
"Even if it's not a threat, revenge isn't wise. Even if you're frustrated, revealing what you’ve seen won't convince anyone in Vis or Thienda, and you won't be able to prove it."
Evie's eyes widened even more at Zion’s continued words.
Zion thought she indeed had an innocent-looking face.
Lies from such a face might easily fool willing believers.
Zion, too, felt a whirl of emotions, swiftly concluding his words.
"If you still want to try, be sure to calculate thoroughly first. Whether it's effective or not, you should be ready to clean up afterward."
After saying this, Zion turned away.
Evie, left alone, stood still for a long mont.
---
Evie descended from the second floor with an oddly blank face.
She entered her room and sat quietly on the bed.
Diez knew well when Evie fell into such states.
He waited silently until Evie finally lifted her head.
"Butler."
Evie's voice barely audible, whispered to Diez.
Then, almost on the verge of tears, she whispered.
"I think I've found a way."
Evie, saying so, embraced Diez tightly.
She gazed at the reluctant Butler with eyes sparkling like stars.
Diez, seeing her, let out a faint laugh.
Diez also knew well when Evie's eyes turned like this.
It was a look of conviction Evie Ariate only showed after concocting particularly elaborate sches.
---
By afternoon, the village grew increasingly restless.
The n checked the surroundings for any animal carcasses.
Livestock that cried loudly had already been sent to the mountains.
The empty barns made people cluck their tongues, hoping it wouldn't end too badly this ti.
The greatest concern was for households with infants.
Parents went underground with their babies to prevent cries from escaping, covering them with thick carpets.
Windows were boarded up, and chimneys blocked thoroughly. Still not relieved, people lined potential weapons by the entrance.
In the afternoon preparing for disaster, Mrs. Marso's two-story house was notably more chaotic.
This was because the entire village seed to have flocked there.
"What's happening outside?"
Zion asked Mrs. Marso, who ca up to close a window.
"Oh, that's because the couple in the first-floor room is distributing Manyanya's salt to the villagers."
Evie Ariate?
"They're giving a handful to each household. But, where on earth did they get so much...?"
At Mrs. Marso’s words, Zion glanced out the window again.
He spotted Evie Ariate and her Butler standing among the people.
Zion imdiately felt a headache seeing them.
Mrs. Marso clucked her tongue worriedly.
"If that's sothing fake she’s handing out, it could be a disaster..."
Contrary to such concern, Evie Ariate's salt was likely genuine.
Coming to Vis during the new moon, they would have brought plenty from the Tower for safety.
But to be distributing it so generously to the people looked like blatant provocation to Zion.
Despite being warned against unnecessary actions, Evie Ariate was disregarding him in this manner.
Moreover, distributing salt in Vis was the exclusive right of the Marquis Montera.
No matter how renowned a purifying mage Evie was in Manyanya's Tower, her actions would draw repercussions.
'What is she planning?'
Zion still couldn't grasp Evie Ariate's way of thinking.
His judgnt that she was an absolute fool only solidified.
---
Eventually, night fell.
As darkness slowly descended, the village grew eerily quiet as if empty.
So ti after the pitch dark enveloped the sky, pale shapes appeared in the gloom.
Those watching from inside their hos covered their mouths at the sight of the eerie, bone-like forms.
It was Noche's Curse.
The curse, resembling a translucent veil with several large bones connected, had a bizarre shape.
Villagers held their breath, counting them.
Three curses had entered the village.
Yet, the villagers couldn't find comfort in the seemingly small number.
The curses, hovering without touching the ground, wandered around ominously.
Then, sothing caught the curse's attention, it shoved the bony extremities through the gap of a door, only to flinch and retreat.
Witnesses cheered for this.
The salt distributed by a woman earlier in the day had been genuine, keeping the curses from entering any ho and leaving them wandering outside.
That was until a child wailed from one house.
The curses sward instantly to the house, scratching at the door with their bony claws as if attempting to enter.
However, montarily, as if struck by lightning, all three curses convulsed and scurried away.
Blue smoke billowed from the door they had flocked to.
It was the smoke produced by Manyanya's salt burning to ward off Noche's Curse.
The village was filled with Manyanya's blessing.
The hatred of the fallen dragon couldn't withstand its noble resolve.
Denied a al, the curses quietly disappeared into the dark night, unsated.
As the curses vanished without cries or screams, Diez, who had been observing, spoke.
"It won't be long before the Marquis Montera hears of this."
"I hope so."
Lounging serenely on the bed, Evie chuckled.
Earlier that morning, Zion Laurel's abrupt hostility had bewildered her.
But carefully listening to his words, Evie felt a surge of certainty.
She was certain of repaying the arrogant, shaless man who twisted others' lives and threatened consequences if touched.
Thus, Evie waited eagerly for dawn to break.
But the only threat on a new moon night wasn't just the wandering curse.
She had thought it was a relatively peaceful new moon.
Yet, as dawn approached on the darkest night, a savage noise shattered that fragile tranquillity, shaking the mountain.
The thunderous roar was a cry.
Startled by the piercing sound, those who had nodded off rose in terror.
They searched frantically for the curse.
Thankfully, it was quickly found.
In the distance, the mountain was moving.
To be more precise, a curse had found the livestock chained to the mountain and was raising its decaying body triumphantly after its feast.
---
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