After a brief discussion about what gift to present to the Great Moon, the meeting resumed as normal.

Of course, there were moments when Deus abruptly brought up the Great Moon, or Seolrang blurted, “I’ll be the gift!” and threw things off for a moment.

Even so, the meeting—more orderly than usual—began to wind down just before dawn.

As everyone prepared to give their closing remarks,

[Seolrang]

[Huh?]

Deus suddenly called out to Seolrang.

[By the way, what’s with your ears?]

Seolrang had been pressing her ears shut with her hands.

And not just once or twice.

Throughout the meeting, whenever she had a chance, she would press her ears intermittently. Deus found the habit baffling.

As everyone’s gaze turned toward her, Seolrang let out an “Ah!” and broke into a bright smile.

[It’s what the Great Moon did for me!]

[...The Great Moon did that for you?]

[Yes! Like this, like this!]

Though no one had asked, Seolrang began recounting the recent events in the Colony one by one.

[That’s how it happened!]

When her story ended, the others reacted in their own ways.

[...To think the Great Moon showed such a genuinely concerned expression...]

[That’s remarkable.]

Deus and Radan looked envious, perhaps because they were used to Alon’s usual expressionlessness.

Even a fleeting display of emotion from the Great Moon toward Seolrang carried great meaning for them.

[...]

Even Rine, who had spent several days in the Colony, looked at Seolrang with a subtly envious, sulky expression.

However,

[Of course, Seolrang. The Great Moon cares for ‘us.’ It’s only natural to be concerned when one of us, like you, is in danger, right?]

Only Yutia maintained her usual serene smile—calm, with no hint of emotional fluctuation.

Seolrang stared at Yutia for a moment, then suddenly shrugged triumphantly, as if she’d realized something.

[But I’ve seen the Great Moon smile!]

[...The Great Moon smiled?]

[Yes!]

When Deus asked hesitantly, Seolrang nodded vigorously.

Even Yutia’s lips twitched slightly at that.

[...That must’ve been because the Great Moon was worried about you.]

Still, Yutia didn’t lose her smile.

[Nope! The Great Moon just smiled while we were chatting!]

Thud—

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Yutia’s mouth closed tightly.

Seolrang, even more triumphant now, shrugged again.

[You haven’t seen the Great Moon smile, have you, Yutia?]

Declaring victory, Seolrang flashed a V-sign.

Hidan, who had been silently observing, wore a strange expression.

It was true that the Moons often acted like children whenever the Great Moon came up, but even so, Seolrang’s taunt was... childish, to say the least.

‘...There’s no way the Red Moon would lose her composure over something so trivial—’

With that confidence, Hidan turned his gaze to Yutia—and promptly found his mouth hanging open.

The unchanged smile Yutia had worn just moments ago

was now visibly twisted for anyone to see.

In other words, it was undeniable that Seolrang’s words had scratched her pride.

Hidan quickly averted his gaze.

[Right!? So I’m the first to see the Great Moon’s smile, huh?]

Seolrang, drunk on her “victory,” kept chattering gleefully, completely oblivious to the shift in mood.

But only for a while.

[Hmm! When the Great Moon pressed my ears like this...]

After a few minutes of boasting, even Seolrang began to trail off, glancing around nervously.

[...]

Because Yutia wasn’t smiling anymore.

The moment Seolrang realized she’d gotten far too carried away,

[Hmm, I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave now. The meeting seems to be over anyway, so I’ll step out first.]

Radan, who had a knack for reading the room, came up with an implausible pre-dawn errand and vanished from the screen.

[...I have the same. I have a knightly meeting scheduled next...]

Likewise, Deus immediately escaped the meeting.

As Hidan wondered whether there was any excuse better than a pre-dawn meeting,

[...I’ll be going too. I’ve got work to do.]

[...Huh?]

Rine, who had been glaring at Seolrang with mild dissatisfaction, also left.

Only then did Seolrang realize something was wrong.

And soon—

[Eek...]

Seeing the sneer forming at the corner of Yutia’s lips, Seolrang unconsciously let go of her ears.

Her freed ears instinctively folded back.

Glancing around in a panic, Seolrang began backing away.

[I-I should get going too!]

She fled.

And then, the last two remaining in the meeting were Hidan and... a thoroughly upset Yutia.

When Hidan cautiously lifted his head, he realized he had missed his chance to leave.

‘What should I do?’

Hidan started to feel like he couldn’t breathe.

Surely the other Moons had fled because they understood. They all knew how terrifying the Red Moon could be when even slightly angered.

Of course, she wouldn’t mercilessly harm an ally, but her anger alone was enough to inspire fear.

Worried her displaced wrath might turn toward him, Hidan nervously edged out of the screen and held his breath.

The next moment—

[Hah...]

What reached his ears wasn’t an angry voice, but a small sigh from Yutia.

Now safely out of frame, Hidan cautiously peeked at the still-lit screen.

Yutia was there, cheeks slightly puffed out.

‘Puffed cheeks...?’

Her faintly sulky expression, tinged with a light blush,

didn’t suit her at all.

[I’m the one who thinks about him the most...]

She murmured softly—almost like a complaint—then ended the communication.

“...???”

Hidan was left dumbfounded by the fresh, unfamiliar side of the Red Moon he had just witnessed.

Then he realized it.

She’d let her guard down, thinking the communication had ended because he’d stepped out of the frame.

It didn’t fit the Red Moon’s image, but paradoxically, it was the first time she had felt like a distinct, individual “her.”

As if he’d seen a mirage, Hidan stared into the air for a moment.

‘I should forget this.’

He broke into a cold sweat as he assessed the situation.

If, by any chance, the Red Moon found out...

That would be the end of him.

So—

‘I need to erase this completely from my memory.’

He made a firm resolution.

*****

It had been about two months since Alon met with the Greenwood Trading Company.

As the ball approached, Alon began to hear developments that aligned with the storylines he remembered from the original work.

“...With this, it’s essentially complete.”

“That’s right.”

Facing Penia, Alon dispelled the newly perfected magic they had just fine-tuned.

“Thanks. If it weren’t for your help, it would’ve taken much longer.”

“Oh, no need to mention it.”

Despite her modest words, Penia’s shoulders lifted slightly.

Her body language screamed, Did you see that? That’s how amazing I am!

Hiding a faint smirk behind his neutral expression, Alon asked, “When is the next conference?”

“Ah, well... about three months from now, I think?”

“Then let’s go together to that conference. Since you kept your promise, I’ll keep mine.”

“Thank you so much!”

Penia bowed deeply, as if she’d just been handed a priceless treasure.

After glancing at his hands for a moment, Alon sat down.

“By the way, is there any point in further combinations now?”

“Hmm~ Based on our research so far, it seems like making a better formula would require a bit more experimentation...”

Penia’s face tightened, as if she feared Alon might actually want to continue.

Seeing right through her, Alon lightly shook his head.

“Don’t worry. I’m not so shameless that I’d keep everything to myself.”

“Ah, yes...?”

‘Doesn’t he lack shame already?’

Penia kept the thought to herself.

“Still, your magic is quite unusual, Marquis,” she said.

“In what way?”

“...Its potency. The magic’s foundational structure and molecular arrangement are the same, but somehow its power keeps increasing.”

“...You can tell that clearly?”

Penia hesitated before answering.

“Hmm, it’s negligible day by day, but compared to two months ago, there’s a noticeable difference.”

“I see.”

Alon nodded without thinking.

Of course, he hadn’t been secretly training at night or testing new arrangements. His painfully small mana reserves didn’t allow for that kind of indulgence.

So if his power seemed to be increasing, it was probably tied to his divinity.

...Though he had no idea exactly where the increase was coming from.

As Alon mulled that over, Penia spoke again.

“Um...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“If it’s alright, could you give me a hint about the reason behind this phenomenon?”

Her eyes flicked nervously, but her curiosity clearly outweighed her fear.

Realizing he couldn’t reveal the connection to divinity, Alon considered for a moment.

Then he said, “...I’ll tell you next time.”

“Really? Thank you so much!”

Brushing the question aside, Alon left the office—now essentially Penia’s research lab.

‘Now that my mana is replenished, it’s time to move.’

He pulled the artifact, ‘Footsteps of the Past,’ from his inner pocket and checked its condition.

Once jet-black, it had turned blue, a sign it was finally ready to be used.

‘...It took a lot of effort to fill it with mana. Not that I’ll use it yet.’

Even while running magic experiments, he had diligently infused the artifact with mana until it became functional.

Remembering the effort, he reviewed his schedule.

‘First, attend the ball. Then head to Lartania, use ‘Footsteps of the Past’ to meet Kylrus, and after that, retrieve the artifact from the ruins.’

Without much rest, Alon left the Marquisate as planned.

*****

A few weeks later, when Alon and his group arrived at Terea—where the ball was being held—in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario,

“Greetings, Cardinal Yutia.”

“Yes, it’s been a while, Chosen.”

Cardinal Yutia and Chosen Eliban exchanged greetings.

A hidden, profound smile lingered on their faces.