Another world, Celeste

Chapter Eighteen

Bane takes me out of my trance by nudging at my arm. I close my eyes, dispel the magic and conceal my mana. While the lingering effect of the area magic 'Serenity' fades off, lingering near the lifeless body of the monster is a spirit in the form of a young woman and unlike Auntie El, this spirit's incorporeal form is shimmering in crimson red. The spirit gazes at the monster's face then turn to look at me with an expression of gratitude. I stand up and walk towards Roy and the others. Lord Sol is currently examining the hole where I uprooted the charred tree stump while Luna is leaning against Roy for support.

"That spirit had been taking care of the tree where the monster sealed itself," says Luna with an exhausted face.

"I see."

Roy asks, "By the way Iris, what was that magic you did?"

"Oh, its -"

As I'm about to answer Roy's question, the monster's body starts to gleam in the same colour as its red coat and turns into a cluster of beautiful red sparkles. The other spirits instantly surround the red clusters and continue soaring upwards in circles, guiding it until it reaches the heights of the sky and ultimately the clusters of red sparkles fade away.

"The goddess has bestowed the monster a place amongst the stars," Luna whispers in astonishment.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"It does not matter if you are a man, woman, elf, dwarf, monster or magical beast. Towards the end of one's life, should their soul be deemed worthy of the goddess' benevolence, their body will disappear into balls of lights and makes their final journey towards the goddess' realm where they are watching over us as our guardians."

Following Luna's explanation, Roy adds, "It's a miraculous and rare occurrence that humans treat it as a myth. The existing old nobility probably still believes in that sort of things."

"Then, do old kings and queens live up there too, at the goddess' realm?"

I gaze up at the clear blue sky.

"Nay." Lord Sol answers. "Possessing a royal lineage does not entitle a person to be immediately cherished by the goddess. Even a low-born commoner with a magnanimous nature could also receive such miraculousness, or so I heard."

Guardians, huh. Is it like being given the role of angels or are they simply reborn as stars that light up the darkness of this world? Either way, people need the existence of hope to overcome the trials of life.

"Because in the end, we're all people trying our best in living," I mutter.

"That's right."

What's left of the monster is only a piece of its core; a round translucent crimson stone. This is my first time seeing a monster core looking like an expensive piece of a ruby jewel (actually it's my first time ever seeing a monster core), it looks too fragile and precious that I'm reluctant to even stand near it. Roy whistles when he takes a good look at it.

"It sure left behind something troublesome again. If you put it up on auction, every noble and royal will want it to elevate their house's worth. It would be enjoyable to see which noble houses would be pitted against the royals." Roy casually says with a touch of dark humour.

"Nothing of such will happens." Lord Sol deny the suggestion and continue saying, "Stop talking nonsense, Roy. It sounds like you actually do want to create skirmishes for those bothersome people."

Scary. Lord Sol speaks with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

Roy shakes his head in a panic while saying his defence, "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

"Why do you keep saying things that invite troubles? You don't even want to associate yourself with them, right?"

Luna comments with a sigh.

"Of course not! The old man will hit me half to death if I cause trouble with those people."

Roy responds loudly at first then mutter the second part quietly but enough for us to hear. He shudders at the thought of it.

Lord Sol holds the monster core in his palm and says, "For now, the core will be put in the vault."

Luna responds, "I understand. Will you be leaving right away, my lord?"

"No. I will depart tomorrow."

Then, Lord Sol goes to speak with the spirits separately, including the spirit in crimson red. I can't make out what Lord Sol is saying since his back is to me, but I can see the spirits' expressions. Judging from their beaming smiles and the way their incorporeal body immediately fades and vanish, it must be important.

"Now then, go with Roy and dispel the isolation barrier. When you're done, I want you to go home and sleep. The guards and keepers are capable of handling things on their own without you for a day."

Lord Sol direct his words to Luna who claims to still have enough energy to work when she's clearly on the brink of passing out.

When Luna is about to protest further, Lord Sol forcefully says, "Go home and sleep. Take Roy with you."

"Yes, my lord."

Luna eventually gives in under Lord Sol's stern expression.

"Why did you mention my name two times? It sounds like you want to get rid of me that badly."

Roy eyes Lord Sol with suspicion.

"I am."

Lord Sol admits it quickly. He's not even denying it.

"Wow," I mouthed.Roy blinks with a blank face. Not expecting to hear that response. Luna takes that chance and tugs Roy's arm with the remaining energy she has left towards the direction of the isolation barrier.