Moon of the Murdered Singer, 1067 AR

  ***

  “So…”

  Hifumi stared at Seika and Miori, who sat across from her at a large table. Marionettes served them breakfast, which turned out to be freshly baked bread with several cuts of meat and cheese. Every time they placed down a plate, they bowed and took their leave again. Some of them wore suits, some of them wore maid dresses.

  Madam Bille must be very lonely… or bored.

  Seika gave Hifumi an awkward smile as she felt her author’s annoyance with something she did. She had an inkling why.

  “You told me you don’t have a girlfriend, Seika!” Hifumi complained. Turns out Seika didn’t have a clue at all what Hifumi was miffed about.

  Miori smirked and puffed out her chest, putting her hand on it as she gave the author a smug little look.

  “Well, she’s only been my girlfriend for a few hours now! But she’s my girlfriend nonetheless!”

  Uh-oh.

  Seika raised her good hand in a calming gesture as the atmosphere between the two of them turned somewhat ominous, but then Hifumi beamed Miori a wide smile.

  “Really?! I want to hear everything! Who confessed? And, in the middle of fighting that green thing? With Seika being injured all over? That sounds like an inspiring story to feed my next three books!”

  Even Miori seemed taken aback by the author’s interest in their confession and blushed a little.

  “I see everyone is up. Good morning.”

  The gentle voice came from the door and Madame Bille entered the room. She cleared her throat and immediately turned towards Seika.

  “With Lethe’s death I remembered my own blunder. I was caught, tortured, and had my mind probed by her, then I was made to forget that she caught wind of the theft of her flowers. I beg for your forgiveness, Seika.”

  The aristocrat bowed deeply before her.

  “It’s my fault that the situation deteriorated like this. That you now carry scars.”

  Seika felt a little overwhelmed by the sudden apology, then she shook her head, making eye contact with the woman in front of her.

  “Madame Bille… no, Nicola. Don’t apologize.”

  She got up and smiled, walking towards the aristocrat and putting her good hand on her shoulder.

  “You made it possible for us to beat her in the first place. You made it possible that things are back the way they should be.”

  “After I created that monster.” Madame Bille added quietly.

  Seika shook her head again, letting out a little sigh.

  “The manifestation of guilt you kept in your dungeon showed me what happened. You were despairing, and something… evil used your despair against you. You couldn’t have known what would happen after.”

  There was no response for now. Madame Bille simply closed her eyes and nodded, then she walked over to the table and sat down. Hifumi changed seats to be right next to the woman.

  “So, you control all the marionettes that attack Tokyo? To guide Magical Girls? What for?”

  Madame Bille raised an eyebrow at the young woman next to her before she answered her question.

  “There are many things out there that are beyond the current capabilities of your Magical Girls. I’m providing them with training, so that they may grow.”

  “By the way, where is Momo?” Seika now managed to ask. The idol was suspiciously absent.

  “After I told young Momo that all of Lethe’s stolen memories were returned, she took a dimensional key and ran like the wind to join her beloved in your world.”

  Madame Bille smiled and brought a teacup to her lips, almost as if to hide her expression.

  “I can’t say that I blame her.”

  “Here. A gift.”

  After their breakfast, Madame Bille produced two keys, handing the first to Hifumi, then the last to Miori.

  “It will allow you to come and go to this city whenever you please. You’re always welcome. Just remember to stay in the light of a mana lamp when night falls.”

  Hifumi looked at her key with wide eyes and looked up to Nicola with an even wider smile.

  “I’ll come by a lot! This place is inspiring!”

  She earned a warm expression from Madame Bille for her comment, then Miori spoke up.

  “There’s one more thing… before she died, Lethe changed. She didn’t look like a monster anymore, and she very clearly asked me to tell you… that it’s not your fault. That she was content and led her happiest possible life.”

  Miori observed Madame Bille’s reaction to that information. The aristocratic woman lowered her gaze and seemed to mull those words over, then she looked Miori in the eyes, responding with a small, sad smile.

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  ***

  With that they walked towards the gate of the castle, ready to say goodbye to their host. It was now that Miori heard her partner speak up again for the first time since their battle.

  “It’s been a while, Miori. I wanted to let you know that I… am fully myself again.”

  You remember?

  “I do. Like everyone does. And I am sorry, Miori. I forgot, but that’s no excuse for my behavior. For my threats against Seika. My words about humans in general.”

  Don’t worry about it. I should have been patient, but instead I used you like a tool and made you resent humans. It’s good to have you back… partner.

  Miori smiled as she kept walking. Everything was again as it should be, and she was finally free.

  Seika and Miori decided to walk through the town together. The last time Seika was here, it was to trade with Madame Bille, after all. She wanted to take the time to appreciate the town in all its isekai glory.

  The path down to the marketplace led them through the forests of the mountain, with a path hacked wide enough that they could watch the city grow closer with every step through the gaps in the treetops.

  “She built all of this for the woman she loved...” Miori appeared moved as they reached the marketplace, with Romy’s statue forming the centerpiece.

  “She looks kind of…” the voice came from behind the couple. Hifumi accompanied them on their way out of the castle and now she ran up to the pure white statue, striking the same pose.

  “Doesn’t she kind of look like me?”

  Hifumi indeed looked just like the statue. Seika didn’t notice before, thanks to knowing the colors of Romy’s appearance. If you took away the differences in hair color, eye color and lipstick, the young author possessed the exact same features as the long dead woman.

  “She does, doesn’t she?” Miori pondered for a while. After Hifumi’s show of support for their relationship during breakfast, Miori was fast to befriend the younger girl, not even minding her presence during their first date in the strange, otherworldly town.

  “Who is she, then?” Hifumi turned around and stepped back from the statue, admiring it in its entirety.

  Seika stepped forward, to the girl’s side, gently putting her good hand on her shoulder.

  “This is Romy. You remember the green woman you saw in the office?”

  Hifumi nodded.

  “Romy used to be Madame Bille’s lover. But she was murdered. As Madame Bille cursed her murderer…”

  ***

  Seika finished her explanation, and Hifumi looked a little dejected.

  “She’s been alone for a thousand years?”

  “It appears so… but now that she finally achieved her goal of undoing her curse, maybe she can find someone to be happy with.” Seika answered, giving Hifumi a reassuring smile. The girl looked at her with a ponderous expression. She pulled the dimensional key out of her pocket and turned it in her hand for a little while, then she looked like she made up her mind about something and put it back.

  “I think I’ll leave you two to your date. Seika, Miori… please have a great time together!”

  She sprinted back towards the mountain path, turning around to give the two of them a little wave before she passed the marionettes standing guard. Madame Bille appeared to have instructed them to let her special guests pass no matter what.

  “She’s a good girl.” Miori commented with a smile as she stepped next to Seika, grabbing her hand and giving it a little squeeze.

  “The best! If only she could resist writing porn when she sends me her drafts.” Seika let out a little sigh, accompanied by Miori giggling as she leaned in and gave Seika a kiss on her scar. It felt a little weird, but also oddly intimate.

  “I’m still not used to having this on my face… I don’t know how to explain it and the trashed office to my boss, either.”

  Miori leaned in, caressing the scar with her fingers once more.

  “Well, tell him a half truth. You were caught in a sudden attack by interdimensional beings and saved by the Magical Girl Minerva Crimson who healed your wounds to the best of her abilities!”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Seika smiled, nodding and leaning in for a quick kiss.

  “You’re right… but for now…!”

  She looked down the marketplace and grinned.

  “Let’s go on a date in the city! We won’t get a chance like this very often!”

  ***

  “Interesting creatures… what are they called?” Miori stared at the plump lizard things with duck feet. Seika pondered and looked at the person running the stall. Their first stop was the market stalls in town, Seika’s own first impression of the place.

  “What, never seen an elwetritsch? They’re our staple meat.” The woman answered.

  “El-what now?” Miori didn’t seem any less confused than before.

  “They taste like chicken.” Seika chimed in and Miori gave her a horrified look.

  “You ate them, Senpai…?”

  “Yes! Once the scales are gone you can’t even tell the difference.”

  Miori scrunched up her face and squinted at the creatures in their cages.

  “On second look, yeah, they do look like they’d have good meat. It’s just a little unsettling how… weird they look.”

  Seika grinned and patted Miori’s back.

  “Too bad we don’t have the local currency, or we could try some, hm?”

  “I… don’t think I am quite ready for that yet.” Miori admitted with a little smile.

  ***

  “I wonder what would happen if I transformed while I’m bandaged?”

  Seika inspected her bandaged arm in its sling as she walked down the streets with Miori.

  “You shouldn’t. Not while you’re injured,” Miori said with a sigh.

  “You should listen to your girlfriend,” Minerva agreed, causing Seika to raise an eyebrow.

  “What would you even do after transforming?” Miori asked.

  “I… wanted to carry you and fly over the city. I wanted to have a proper look,” Seika admitted sheepishly.

  “Well, in that case…”

  Miori didn’t even hesitate – she transformed right next to Seika and picked her up, holding her in a princess carry. Bellona gave Seika a warm smile as she ascended into the sky, stopping about two hundred meters up so the two of them could admire the scenery below. They could see the castle, with its mountainous path. From this angle Seika could even see the shape of the sleeping giant forming a second, smaller mountain next to the one carrying the castle.

  Their position allowed them to see past the hills and mountains surrounding the landscape. They could see the field of flowers covering the ruins of the forgotten king’s castle, they could see the river ending in a vast ocean, and they could make out distant cities on the horizon. Romystedt was a port to the world, with various ships approaching from the ocean for the sole purpose of trading with it.

  “Do you think Romy would have liked what Madame Bille dedicated to her memory?” Bellona asked quietly.

  Seika pondered her question and nodded.

  “From what I’ve seen, she would have loved it.”

  Seika reminisced a little, then she spotted something odd.

  “There’s a lot of tents in front of the gates. And a lot of people. I wonder what’s going on over there?”

  “One way to find out!” Bellona declared and descended towards what turned out to be a festival.

  “Per decree of the Madame, this day shall be a yearly holiday! The Day of Rejoining, on which her beloved Romy became whole again! Enjoy the festivities! Enjoy meat and ale! Today all of it is free! Try the stalls! Prizes await you!”

  Miori and Seika heard the criers of the festival. Laughter was all around them, as was the sound of music. Harps and drums and flutes played the local folk songs in slightly sloppy harmony, possibly performed by residents who only practiced music as a hobby rather than a profession.

  They almost got separated by the pushing crowd but pressed on towards one of the stalls.

  “You there! The pretty women in foreign garb!”

  The man manning the stall greeted them with a wide grin. He had multiple metallic beer mugs stacked to form various pyramids and held out balls.

  “Want to try for the grand prize? A giant stuffed bear awaits!”

  Seika looked at the prize and pondered. It was a bit rougher around the edges than similar stuffed toys in her world, but it gave the bear a slightly rugged charm. She looked at Miori, her girlfriend, and got her head full of romantic delusions.

  “Alright then, I’ll take the challenge! With my handicap and everything!” Seika declared with a grin. The man nodded and handed her the ball.

  “Today everything is free, but that means that games like these are one attempt per person, so make your three throws count!”

  Seika felt the ball in her hand and turned her face away from Miori as some beads of sweat ran down her forehead.

  I talked a big game but I’m right-handed!

  “Take your position, Seika. I’ll guide you.”

  Eh?

  ***

  Seika positioned herself behind the counter and lifted her left hand behind her head.

  “It’s ten in total, so try to aim for the connection between the third mugs from the left on both the lower two rows… they carry most of the structure.”

  Seika nodded and took aim.

  “A little more left. Relax your arm a little more… good. Now try it!”

  Seika tossed her first ball, but it only knocked against the outer side of the tower.

  “Right. Now adjust your throw a little to the right and you should hit it.”

  Seika nodded and adjusted, just as she was told.

  Clang! With a loud sound seven of the mugs fell to the ground, only leaving a mini pyramid of three mugs standing.

  “Last ball!” the showman announced, and Seika took aim again.

  “Should I take over?”

  Minerva’s question went ignored as Seika concentrated and tossed her final ball...

  ***

  “You showoff!” Miori beamed happily as she hugged the stuffed bear close to her body, keeping her blue eyes on Seika as they continued to walk through the festival.

  “Now be honest, did you cheat by having Minerva take control?”

  “I had her give me advice, but the throws were all me!” Seika announced proudly.

  “I think I’m allowed to compensate that much for using my left hand.”

  “Hmm… I’ll allow it!” Miori said with a giggle.

  They suddenly had to separate and dodge to opposite sides of the alley as the sound of loud grunting passed between Miori’s legs and two dozen men followed.

  “I’ll be the one to catch it!”

  “I won’t let it get away!”

  “Slippery little- argh!”

  Miori blinked as she watched all those men trying to catch an unusually shiny looking pig.

  “What in the –”

  “Another one of the games.” A woman said as she passed by with a hearty laugh. She was a young adult, with straight auburn hair and an alluring hourglass figure, the kind of maiden who had to be very popular in her town.

  “They grease a pig up nice and slippery and let it loose and whoever catches it, properly catches it, gets a prize.”

  “They’re fighting like hell over this pig. Must be one good prize.”

  The woman nodded and winked Seika’s way.

  “It’s a kiss from me!”

  ***

  They reached what appeared to be an arena. An area was cordoned off in a circular shape with a rope, and one of Madame Bille’s marionettes stood in the middle, dressed in a rather fancy vest with matching pants and wearing a feathered hat. One of its arms was behind its back and in the other it held a dulled, flexible-looking rapier replica, probably a practice weapon.

  A sign in front of the cordoned-off area detailed that people were free to challenge the wooden man and if they managed to land a hit, they would win a prize. Seika looked around.

  “Not many people seem to be taking the challenge,” she remarked.

  “Ah, yeah… the woodmen share the Madame’s skills. This one is holding back, but still, he’s beyond most people, save for our most seasoned soldiers,” a nearby man remarked with a little chuckle.

  Miori exchanged a look with Seika and grinned, before she shoved her stuffed bear against Seika’s chest to make her hold it, then she simply transformed into Bellona, stepping into the ring.

  “This is allowed, yes?” the goddess asked as she summoned a rapier to her side. Her unusual display attracted a crowd, with people looking on in awe as the armored Magical Girl challenged the marionette.

  The marionette looked her up and down before answering in its tinny voice.

  “You are an exception to the ban on Deogemma within the Madame’s city. It is allowed. However, I will not hold back against a being of your prowess.”

  “That’s fine with me!” Bellona declared.

  ***

  The two took their stances, rapiers pointed at each other. As the fight started, they stepped around each other in a circle, with the rapier’s blades prodding and rubbing against each other as the two looked for an opening.

  Bellona kept her eyes on the marionette’s chest, to recognize any and all changes in posture that would signal a sudden attack, but in the end she was the one who went for it.

  She went for a lunge, thrusting her blade forwards with some pressure against the marionette’s blade to attempt and trap it against her rapier’s guard.

  The marionette retaliated by raising its own blade to catch the lunge and counter-thrust, but Bellona anticipated this move. She caught the raised tip of the rapier against her guard and stepped towards the marionette, rolling her guard to the side and keeping the rapier’s tip away from her. Once she was out of reach of the point, she slid the blade off her guard and struck the marionette with a slash.

  The exchange of blows only lasted a single second. The crowd gasped, and the marionette slowly turned its head towards where Bellona’s rapier rested against its chest.

  “Hm. Very well,” the marionette confirmed. “You have struck me. You are the winner.”

  The gathered crowd let out a murmur and then hesitant applause as Bellona let her rapier vanish again and undid her transformation, standing there as Miori with a rather smug grin.

  “Well, what do I win?”

  ***

  Miori let out a little sigh as she held the stuffed bear and wore her recent prize, the very same feather hat which the marionette wore earlier. Apparently, it was the newest fashion and expensive, but it didn’t go with Miori’s lolita dress at all. She quickly put the hat on Seika’s head.

  “There, that’s better. My rugged, scarred girlfriend with a fancy hat!”

  Seika grinned awkwardly.

  “That fight was a bit anticlimactic.”

  “Bellona says that’s just how most sword fights go. It’s never wide and easy to follow swings for an audience, it’s a race to be the first who pokes the other person.”

  As they kept walking, they heard laughter and more music – now from a large tent erected in the middle of the festival. Judging by the people’s mood and the large tankards each and every one of them held, this was the beer tent, the hastily erected makeshift tavern for the festival.

  “Want to go grab a drink?” Seika asked Miori with a wink before pulling her towards the bar.

  The tent was bustling with activity, and despite it being the middle of the day, the mood was festive. They passed by a few people they met before, notably the woman with auburn hair who stood in a corner and shared a deep, almost way too naughty kiss with a man who had suspiciously greasy hands.

  “I guess someone managed to grab that pig. And she doesn’t mind at all that he did.” Seika said with a grin.

  Seika and Miori sat down at the bar and got served two mugs full of what appeared to be ale.

  “On the house today, by the grace of the Madame!”

  They exchanged looks again, then a slightly drunk elven woman appeared from behind them, putting her arms around both their shoulders. She reeked of alcohol.

  “New here? And you two look like a couple, ahaha! Picked the perfect day to drop by! Enjoy the drinks and the hospitality both!”

  The elf now gave them a wicked grin as she whispered a little quieter.

  “Now… are you pretties interested in spicing up your love life tonight with an elf’s five hundred years of experience?”

  Seika raised an eyebrow and looked at Miori who shook her head and let out a quiet laugh.

  “We haven’t gotten around to that between the two of us yet! Maybe another time!” the blonde squeezed out between her laughter.

  “Awh! A fresh couple, I see! Don’t want to intrude any further, then!”

  The drunk woman gave both of them a quick pat on the shoulders before she walked away in a snake line to do the same with other human women in the bar, and one couple actually looked interested.

  Seika and Miori exchanged looks again, then they both let out a stifled laugh.

  “Maybe another time?” Seika prodded Miori.

  “I’ve had some time playing with the thought… mostly because of Ayame’s insistence how fun a threesome between a couple and their friend would be,” Miori added with a wide smile, holding direct eye contact.

  “Is that so? There are new sides to her that I don’t know yet. I should really do some catching up with her when I go back.” Seika admitted as she brought her mug to her lips. Doing it left-handed was a little bit awkward, however.

  “Well, but for now I’d like to spend our time with just the two of us anyway.” Miori added before she joined Seika and the two enjoyed the drinks together.

  “Senpai… I don’t think I ever told you how I fell in love with you!”

  Miori became more talkative after the first few sips and Seika was all ears.

  “Wasn’t it after I hugged you? After I punched that robber who slapped you?”

  Miori shook her head and smiled.

  “It was when you, as Minerva Crimson, held me as the first girl you ever saved.”

  Seika blinked, and then, after a while longer, it dawned on her, finally. The girl’s hair sure looked bright, and her eyes were a clear blue color. She never made the connection on her own.

  “Wait – you’re… how? What are the odds…?”

  Miori grinned, extending a finger and running it along Seika’s lips.

  “Fated lovers indeed, just as Madame Bille said.”

  Seika laughed, ordering a second mug of ale for herself.

  “Eight years’ worth of dating came back into our heads and there’s still so many things to learn about each other!”

  ***

  Seika and Miori let loose, getting some well-earned respite after their nine-year-long struggle against Lethe. Way too much time was stolen from them, but they were determined to make every single day of their shared future count to make up for it. For now, they raised their mugs, celebrated with strangers, and enjoyed the first date they went on as proper lovers.

  Hours passed since they went to the festival, and Seika was in a bit of trouble. Currently she found herself pinned against a wall in a side alley, with a very drunk Miori keeping her there. She barely got any time to catch her breath between all the deep kisses the lolita pushed on her lips, probing her beloved senpai’s tongue with her own.

  When I thought that we should make our time count, I still wanted to go a bit slower than this!

  Miori turned out to be a bit of a lightweight. Quite ironic, considering that her very job was serving alcohol and monitoring the state of her customers to make sure none got too drunk. Right now, her face had a permanent blush, and her eyes looked clouded over, and with all this she also lost her inhibitions.

  “Senpai…” Miori dragged that last syllable as she looked in her beloved’s eyes. One of her hands wandered under Seika’s skirt and she gasped as she felt her fingers on a rather private region.

  “You’re my girlfriend now…”

  Miori said those words grinning ear from ear, as if she still couldn’t believe it. Hard to blame her for that.

  “Soooo….” Miori continued, and Seika gulped. She had an idea what her lover was going to say.

  “…when the hell are we going to have sex?”