Before night had fully fallen, they received word that their brother was going to arrive soon. He sent them a message because he wanted to inform them that an important guest was coming along with him. Mash asked Luna if he needed to do anything special, but she insisted that it would be fine. While his brother’s guest was of high status, Mash needed to realize that they were high up in society now. There were still several people above them, but they were no longer expected to show so much courtesy to anyone but the king. Other nobles who were above them would only require the smallest amount of deference.
Reluctantly, he had also asked about their parents. he was relieved to hear that they weren’t planning on moving to the capital, not wanting to leave their homes behind. They had been made nobles though and received better positions back home. He didn’t really have a place he would stay for extended periods of time and wouldn’t be able to receive letters like his siblings could. His sister had been angry that he hadn’t been sending any though. After being forced into promising to send at least one letter every month, he received a bag that was filled with blank letters and seal of their house.
Only when he received the seal, did he realize the status his family had received. Their house emblem was a shield, with a full moon at its center. From the top of the moon sprouted an enormous tree, though it lacked any leaves, each branch was shown clearly. The shield was black, and the moon and the tree were a silvery white, making them pop out from the seal. When used with wax the colors wouldn’t show but the image was still designed beautifully. That was only one part of becoming a noble, the other being their new last name.
His sister had been the one to come up with the name, his brother only having received the title after she arrived. He had been rejecting it previously, but his sister wanted to receive one, so he conceded. The name they had decided upon was Stellumbra. It meant the stars of the night, or something along those lines. It was primarily named for Luna, despite Arthur being the head of the house. At first, Mash had thought about rejecting the name, wanting to earn one for himself, or perhaps not wanting to become a noble of the kingdom. However, his sister pushed him to receive it, saying that it would make sure everyone knew that they were family. He didn’t argue, happy to have that connection with his siblings.
He still needed to meet with a member of the royal family and swear an oath before he could receive the name in truth. Although, his sister suggested that it wouldn’t take long for him to meet with one. His friends teased him about becoming a noble. He joined in the humor though, acting as posh as he could and talking arrogantly with Luna and Red.
They had been talking aimlessly for a while, until they heard the main door open, signaling Arthur’s arrival. The house had a formal entrance hall, with large paintings of the kingdom sprawled along each of the walls. The paintings were enormous and revealed a perspective from a high point in the city, one was clearly an image from the castle itself. In the center of the room hung a chandelier, with multicolored light crystals glowing in a pattern.
They had made their way to the chamber, eager to see who his brother’s guest was. Surprised to see two people, Mash moved closer to Luna.
“Who are they?”
Luna had refused to tell him earlier, but he hoped that she would now. Both guests were women, and both were beautiful. Furthermore, they both had dark brown hair and eyes. One was taller than the other by a head, and she stood slightly closer to Arthur. She wore an elaborate green dress, that covered most of her body. She also had a thick fur coat on, the season still being a little chilly at nights. The other wore more casual clothes and lacked the same grace as the elder. She had a more traditional workers jacket, and a hat that seemed a little too big for her head. Her hair poked out the sides of the hat, in a seemingly unruly pattern while the elder's was tied neatly into a long braid.
“Greetings to the seventeenth princess, Amara, and the nineteenth princess, Niviss.”
His sister didn’t need to answer, the butler introducing them while bowing deeply. Well, his sister was right, He did meet the royal family quickly. Mash looked to his friends, they looked shocked but less than he expected of them. He was surprised himself but had an inkling of this happening from the rumors he heard earlier. Arthur did indeed have a princess beside him, two in fact. Luna started approaching them, and Mash followed alongside her. Without having any idea of what to do, he figured he could just copy Luna’s movements. That thought died, when Luna went and hugged both princesses, so he settled for an awkward half bow. It didn’t seem to bother them, the older one approaching him.
“You must be the famous younger brother who I’ve heard so much about. Level forty and only fourteen years old, truly an impressive feat.”
As she approached him, he realized that she was as tall as he was. Princess Amara didn’t seem bothered by his strange appearance or was able to maintain her poise very well. Her voice was deeper than he expected, sounding surprisingly like the jewelry shop owner. That made him remember Luna’s present, and he was about to grab it for her, but was stopped by the younger princess.
“What class gave you those changes? I know adventurers become weirder, but you are especially monsterific. Can I touch your scales?”
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The younger sister was not at all scared, speaking without any reservation. Freezing up, he couldn’t figure out how to respond to her, but he didn’t need to either. The princess was already touching the scales by his eyes, despite not having received permission. He tried to not let her actions bother him, replying to both by introducing himself.
“I’m Mash, but it seems like you already knew that. As for the class, I got it after eating the flesh of a dragon.”
He hoped that it would get a scare out of them, but the younger only seemed to grow more interested. The older grew a little pale, and whispered something to his brother, though Arthur didn’t know the story yet. He hadn’t told either of his siblings about it, having forgotten to mention the strange fruit that he ate.
“How did it taste, and where did you find it?
Awe and jealously filled Niviss’s response, as she pressed Mash for the details. She wasn’t the only one though, his siblings looking just as curious to hear this portion of the story. Before he could get started on his story though, the head butler suggested that they move to the living room. As they made their way there, he pulled out Luna’s present trying to think up a design for it. At first, he thought about another sculpture, but didn’t think she would like it as much.
Luna wasn’t wearing any jewelry either, so he didn’t think she would like that either. Unable to figure it out on his own, he decided to just ask her.
“Hmm, I don’t know. The gem is beautiful, but I can’t think of anything.”
She was holding the gem carefully, moving around her palm and looking like the white light moved within it. It really did resemble the sky, and she seemed entranced by the gem.
“Why not add it to something she already has?”
Niviss was still hanging around Mash, watching him curiously. She had asked him about his storage space when she couldn’t see an item on him. Giving her a quick explanation hadn’t been enough, and she was prodding him for more information. She was fourteen, only a little younger than Mash himself, and she was eager to hear about how to acquire new classes. Her suggestion was a good one.
“Why not make it into something to hold a mirror?”
Red spoke up, pulling out her own pocket mirror so that he could see what she meant. It was a good idea, but his sister grabbed something slightly different. It was a clock, but small enough so that it could fit into a pocket or purse. He had never seen something like it before. She casually handed it to him, saying that there were perks to being famous. He made a case for it, using the gem as a centerpiece to the front of the case. Now when she opened it, the gem would illuminate the clock so that she could see it at night.
With the present out of the way, they made their way to the living space, and he told them the story of their first dungeon run. The others of his party adding in details whenever they saw fit. Jill was particularly excited to share about her class, and the fact that she was a space mage now. Both princesses had asked them for details occasionally, especially when it came to their classes and skills. They talked for a while, until night was fully under way. At which point, Luna told them it was time to heal Mash.
They made their way to the backyard. It was wide and open, a garden laid out along the outside, but the middle was empty giving them a lot of room to move around. As soon as Luna stepped outside, her appearance changed, and he stared in wonder as she seemed to become a different person. Her hair shone like the moon did, and her eyes became white crescents, reflecting the shape of the moon. Her skin seemed to become clearer and whiter until she seemed to be carved from stone. Sounding smug, she spoke while turning to face Mash.
“Well, what do you think?”
“This really isn’t fair.”
He grumbled the words, seeing the difference between her changes and his own. He was scary at all times of the day, and her class made her prettier once she stepped into the night. She started laughing as they made their way to the center of the garden. Once there, he found himself being ordered about like a child.
“Okay take of your shirt and lay down in the center.”
Her sister’s voice hadn’t changed in the slightest, and he followed her instructions. Only after taking off his shirt, did he remember that the others might care. They didn’t seem bothered by the gesture, instead they froze staring at the alterations across his body. His mana scars and scales were a lot bigger along his body, and he even had a few real scars now. Those only happened when he was forced to heal himself with hibernation, like after the fight with the strange bird creature. He also had the wooden patch in his side, which did look a little abnormal. His sister’s face was covered in concern and anger, obviously realizing that Mash hadn’t told them the full story. Even Red, Jill, and Luke seemed surprised. They had heard about his fights once they separated but hadn’t seen the scars yet.
They would probably have another discussion later, for now his sister told him to lay down and stay still. He followed her instructions watching as her hair continued to grow brighter. He wondered if it would stop, or if the light became blinding at some point. She kneeled by him, holding her hands out over him. Chanting quietly, her eyes stared glowing fiercely.
The world around them seemed to darken, the only light coming from her. It was as if the moon itself dared not approach Luna in this moment. He watched as tiny specks of light erupted around her, resembling the very stars in the night sky. It continued to grow spreading beyond the limits of the garden, further than the limits of his vision. It was like he had become the center of the universe, the stars swirling about him as his wounds healed.
Rather than heal, the wooden patch around his side seemed to dissolve into nothing, clean undamaged skin left in its wake. The same happened around his neck, and he felt no pain or discomfort during the process. Instead, he was filled with a strange warmth, as if he had just drunk a warm bowl of soup. It spread out throughout him, healing him from the inside out, seeming to do more than just tend to his wounds. He watched as his real scars vanished, leaving his body with only the scales and mana scars from before. Then the stars winked out, and they were left in utter darkness before the moonlight could recover the space that his sister had stolen from it. It was deathly silent, not a single person saying anything, until Luna slapped him on the chest.
“Good as new.”