Chapter : 18
I looked back on my short life.
“Whether it was my previous life or after transmigration, nothing that impressive really happened.”
Am I going back to reality now?
Or is this not the ending yet, so I can’t return right away?
Ah, I don’t know. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve watched more Sirinu.
No—this isn’t the time to be thinking about that.
Now I’ll have to cook my own meals and do my own laundry again…
No, no. This really isn’t the time for thoughts like that.
I’d grown attached to everyone in my own way… and now I’m leaving without even saying goodbye.
“…But usually, does it take this long to think before you die? This is my first time experiencing a life-flashing-before-your-eyes moment, so I can’t really tell.”
Come to think of it, something felt strange.
For someone who’d been stepped on by a monster, I didn’t feel any particular pain—and the Grim Reaper wasn’t calling my name either.
I slightly opened my eyes and looked around.
Everyone who had been standing ready to fight the monster was staring in my direction.
The monster that had been looming over Luri and me was lying far away, collapsed.
What was going on?
When I turned my head to look around, it was as if a paused screen had suddenly resumed—people began rushing about frantically.
Sirinu stepped on the monster as it tried to rise, climbed up its body, and plunged his sword straight into its chest.
“Kieeeek!”
The monster writhed while letting out a grotesque scream, then dissolved into smoke and vanished.
I didn’t know what had happened exactly, but this was my chance.
I looked down at Luri in my arms. Her eyes were closed, her body limp.
“Luri!”
Startled, I hurriedly placed my hand under her nose.
Thankfully, I could feel a faint breath.
Carefully, I laid Luri down and cleared away the pile of stones.
“Selene! Are you okay?”
“Lady Selene!”
“Please help move this!”
Arkas and Noel rushed over to help, and the rubble was cleared away in no time.
“Arkas! Please carry Luri quickly. Lord Noel! Is there a doctor here?”
“Yes. This way.”
Noel answered immediately and led the way. I hurried after him.
“Other than a few abrasions, there are no serious injuries. She should regain consciousness after some rest.”
“Ah… thank you so much…”
I bowed deeply to the doctor.
I felt like my soul had been shaken loose from how frightened I’d been.
Hearing that there were no major injuries was a huge relief.
Thinking I should finally sit down and rest, I looked around—when a nurse who had been tidying up spoke to me.
“Miss, are you all right?”
“Huh?”
The nurse carefully pointed at my hand. When I turned my palm over, I saw that the skin was scraped and bleeding.
I hadn’t felt it at all until now, but once the tension faded, the pain rushed in all at once.
“Ow…”
As I groaned, Arkas and Noel hurried over with startled expressions.
“Selene! What’s wrong?”
“Oh my goodness—Doctor, please come here!”
Each of them grabbed one of my hands, looking as though the world were falling apart.
It was only a slight sting, which made me feel embarrassed.
“Ah—it doesn’t hurt that much.”
When I tried to pull my hand away, Noel frowned and spoke sternly.
“No. Injuring your hands can be very inconvenient.”
“Selene, if you don’t treat it properly, it might hurt more later. Let’s show it to the doctor.”
Arkas spoke as though soothing a small child.
Having suddenly become the accident-prone troublemaker everyone worried over, I awkwardly showed my hand to the doctor.
After barely managing to talk them out of wrapping it in bandages, I left the infirmary, leaving the still-sleeping Luri behind.
“You’ll probably want an explanation about what happened today.”
Noel said calmly.
To be honest, the moment I left the infirmary, all my strength drained away and I wanted to go straight home.
But since something like this could happen again, it seemed better to listen.
I nodded and quietly followed Noel.
Inside the conference room sat the emperor and several people I didn’t recognize.
I bowed politely and sat down in the chair Arkas pulled out for me.
Once I was seated, a man sitting near the emperor spoke.
“As everyone knows, the imperial palace is protected by the power of magic stones. Yet something like this still happened.”
The emperor nodded heavily and looked toward Noel. Noel flipped through the documents in front of him and spoke.
“There have been reports that the light emitted by the magic stones has grown significantly dimmer compared to before.”
As Noel finished speaking, the room fell into somber silence.
Various discussions followed, but none of it really registered with me.
Everything that had happened felt unreal.
Nearly dying must have been more shocking than I realized—I was still in a daze.
It was hard to follow the conversation.
“We will find a solution and ensure that something like this never happens again.”
So in the end, they didn’t actually know why this had happened.
I sank into thought. The word “magic stone” kept coming up in the discussion.
I was certain I’d heard it before.
“Magic stone… magic stone… ah!”
A memory surfaced from when I’d obtained it at the Transmigration Hotel.
“This is just an ordinary moonstone.”
“But this is a magic stone.”
“It has protective abilities…”
A moonstone. A magic stone with protective powers.
“Could it be…?”
Maybe the reason the monsters had never been able to directly harm me was because of this magic-stone bracelet.
While I was lost in thought, the topic shifted to Arkas.
“Count Wedon, how was the Demon King’s seal?”
It seemed Arkas’s recent absence had been due to patrolling the place where the Demon King was sealed.
“I didn’t find anything unusual. I’ve instructed them to take the box out during the day so it can receive sunlight daily, so it should be fine for the time being.”
“Moonstone… the moon? Come to think of it, the guidebook mentioned something related to the moon too.”
I’d read the plot countless times—there was no way I was wrong.
I tilted my head.
“If the magic stone is a moonstone, then it must be related to the moon… If it provides protection, wouldn’t moonlight be better than sunlight?”
Well, surely the experts would figure it out.
I finished thinking and lifted my head.
Everyone was staring at me.
“…Huh?”
“Selene, what do you mean by that?”
Arkas asked in a hushed voice.
Did I just say that out loud?
Why was my mouth acting on its own when I usually kept it shut?
I must have been exhausted beyond reason.
“Oh? That’s quite a plausible opinion.”
A stern-looking man said while gazing at me.
“No… I just said it by mistake. I’m sorry.”
“There are prophecies related to the moon, so it does make sense.”
When Noel backed me up, the emperor looked at me with a pleased smile.
“Impressive knowledge.”
Honestly, isn’t it stranger that no one had thought of this sooner…?
I smiled awkwardly and scratched my head.
Before I knew it, the conversation had shifted entirely to me.
“So. We heard you helped subdue the monster earlier. How did you do it?”
“Pardon?”
“I received a report from the knights. They said the monster was blown away when it was struck by Lady Wedon’s hand.”
I wanted to know what had happened too.
When I just blinked in confusion, someone else spoke.
“Wasn’t it said that only those with special bloodlines, like Duke Reflix, could defend against such things?”
Sirinu, who had entered the room and taken a seat at the far end, spoke indifferently.
“It should be impossible.”
Is that really such a big deal?
I started to feel uneasy.
If this went wrong, my plan to live quietly would be ruined.
“Ugh… it won’t even come off.”
Under the table, I tried to remove my bracelet.
I’d tried many times at home, but it had never budged.
“If Lady Wedon possesses a special ability, then please use it for the sake of the Empire.”
Looking around, everyone was watching me with hopeful expressions.
“I was joking before, but if you wish to stay in the palace, you may do so as long as you like. If there’s anything else you want, I will grant it.”
Everyone waited for my answer.
Every single person in the room was looking at me.
I wanted to run away.
At worst, this was just a novel world. No matter what happened, didn’t I still have a place to return to?
Should I just say I don’t know anything?
“Miss… thank you…”
As those thoughts crossed my mind, Luri appeared in my thoughts.
Her pale face, collapsed and limp.
The way she’d smiled brightly, excited to visit the palace for the first time in her pretty dress.
The gentle faces of those who had kindly helped me when I was clumsy and unfamiliar with everything.
To be honest, I’d always thought the Demon King and monsters were someone else’s problem.
Even when I encountered them, I told myself it was just a novel—that as long as I stayed in my room, everything would be fine.
That the people of this world would take care of it themselves.
People who’d lost their families to the Demon King were just part of the setting—just lines of text I’d read—so I never took it seriously.
But seeing someone close to me get hurt made it feel real.
“To me, it’s just a novel… but to them, this is real life.”
I looked around at the people staring at me with desperate expressions.
I let out a small breath—and opened my mouth.
