How many nights had Claud lain on the streets, wondering if there was a piece of wisdom and knowledge that would allow him to bring back the dead, gain eternal life and go back in time? How many times had he stared at the Blue Moon, hoping and hoping for a skill that would fulfil his desires? How many times had he stared at his Presence Nullification, which had evolved when he sat at a corner, forgotten and abandoned by the world?

Raising his head, he looked at the shimmering blue sphere directly, letting the sight burn his eyes.

Lily tugged at his sleeve a moment later, but the Blue Moon’s radiance simply weakened. A vast air of sorrow emanated through the throne room, and a single sound that Claud couldn’t quite described entered his ears. A searing pressure encased his mind, but the pressure melted swiftly under his mana, and what seemed like an apology for incoming pain unravelled itself.

A groan escaped Lily’s lips, but the light of comprehension danced in her eyes. The Blue Moon of Wisdom paused a moment later, and the infinite radiance weakened even further.

“As per your order,” Claud continued, “we have presented ourselves for your viewing pleasure, O Blue Moon.”

“We are but interlopers, friends to some who are stationed here,” Lily added, her voice a measured cadence. “We are thankful for your tolerance and generosity for allowing us residence in your place of power thus far.”

Another sound rippled through the room, but the searing pain was now far more muted. At the same time, Claud caught far more details this time round — it would seem that the Moon had toned down the amount of information stuffed into that one syllable.

He paused as his brain unravelled the information, the veins in his temple pulsating the whole time. In short, the Blue Moon was simply asking them to render basic defence if the camp happened to be under attack while they were here. At the same time, they were allowed to do missions if they really wanted to, but unlike the others, there was no quota and other things that came with conscription.

“…This is quite some special treatment,” Claud muttered under his breath. “May I ask why?”

The Blue Moon released another syllable, and Claud understood a moment later.

“It’s because we’re not conscripted…” Lily made a noise in her throat. “Interesting!”

“Can we ask some things about the Fourth Godsfall?” Claud asked, thinking about the questions that Lesser Half couldn’t answer. “Like, for instance, the goal of this Godsfall, and the role of…”

The Blue Moon’s light faded for a moment, and a profound rejection responded to his words.

“At least…the Trial of Aeons?” Claud asked, testing his luck.

The Blue Moon’s answer remained the same, and Claud nodded once. In the end, all the divinities were still as tight-lipped as ever, even though everyone seemed to know that this represented the era in which new divinities…

He shook his head. This clearly wasn’t the case for the Fourth Godsfall, though. It was a battle royale between three sides or something, and the prize was one’s life and qualifications.

Under the light of the Blue Moon, Claud felt that his thoughts were clearer and faster, but this wasn’t the time to be thinking too hard about things now. Unfortunately, only one white moon hung in the sky now, so this was really a rare opportunity that—

Claud paused. “My apologies, O Blue Moon. I will be straightforward here. For what reason have you called us here? Or is it only for the information you have relayed so far?”

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The Blue Moon uttered another syllable, and Claud gritted his teeth. A strange look appeared on Lily’s face as he parsed the information whirling in his mind, and the two of them exchanged glances.

“Yes, we can understand you fairly well,” Lily replied. “But…normally, social gatherings to learn more about humans have food and other refreshments, right?”

She really said it! Claud hid a smile. Of course, Lily was making comparisons between Lesser Half and the Blue Moon, but it would have been very funny if Plota actually knew what was going on in her head right now.

And very dangerous, naturally. Either way, however, it would seem that the Blue Moon and Lesser Half were quite similar in how they wanted to learn more about humans and their customs…but was there an actual reason behind the whole thing?

Or was it a fancy?

Of course, voicing this out in front of the personification of wisdom was obviously not a good idea. The idea about who the two of them were comparing Plota to would just be a stone’s throw away, and if the Blue Moon acted on its guesses…

Rubbing his nose, Claud looked up to see the Blue Moon giving off an air of deep contemplation. It was odd, though. The being that was wisdom personified didn’t know about human customs and other things like that?

“Knowledge and wisdom are separate, it seems,” Claud muttered.

The Blue Moon paused, emanated a ripple of amusement, and then made another sound. This time, Plota asked about the types of refreshments that humans preferred, but before Claud could recommend sausages and stews, Lily had replied with her own choices.

“Desserts, naturally!” Lily bobbed her head happily. “Cakes! More cakes! Cookies!”

“Actually, I think savoury foods are better,” Claud replied. “It’s more filling, right? Sweetness might be an issue here.”

“Nuh-uh. Sweets are the best when it comes to making people relax. This place looks scary enough. You don’t need to pull out savoury foods to make the whole thing seem even more like a grand banquet where everyone has to watch their mouth. How’s that a social gathering?” Lily replied.

“But—” Claud caught himself before he could bring out the example of Lesser Half.

Lily grinned at him, a knowing light in her eyes, and then said, “Social gatherings for nobles are generally centred around refreshments. The same should hold true for mana-users and people in general. Besides, sweet things are more expensive than savoury ones.”

“That’s the real reason, isn’t it?” Claud muttered.

Lily winked at him, before turning back to Plota. “That’s what I think anyway, O Blue Moon.”

Claud had no idea how Lily was so carefree, but when he thought about it again, Lily had probably gotten used to conversing with divinities after a few meetings with Lesser Half. Still, he couldn’t help but think that she was being a bit too carefree about the whole thing, especially since the Blue Moon and the Lesser Half were separate beings. It definitely wasn’t wise to treat both of them the same way…right?

Or did Lily act based on the idea that the Blue Moon’s personality was likely to be similar to that of Lesser Half’s, since they both wanted to learn the same thing?

It was an interesting thought, and Claud made a mental note to ask her about it afterwards. Nonetheless, he still needed to keep his guard up; this was the Blue Moon he was talking about.

Friendly or not, he had to be careful.

Fortunately, the Blue Moon now had lots to think about, and with a syllable that simultaneously transmitted its thanks and its permission for them to leave, a weird symbol appeared in front of them once more, before unfolding and turning the world around them into a blur.

“Wait, we didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye…”

As the scenery changed, Claud looked at Lily, before rubbing her head a few times in appreciation of her bravery. Talking that boldly to the Blue Moon and suggesting that it should pull out some refreshments when talking to humans demanded a level of courage that Claud was never going to pull out unless his life or Lily’s was at risk.

“Hmm?” Lily caught his hand. “Why are you patting my head?”

“Just to show my appreciation for your bravery,” Claud replied truthfully. “Phew. You sure are daring. Telling the Blue Moon to pack some cakes and drinks…”

“Did you not suggest sausages?” Lily asked.

“I did, but you were the one who started the whole food thing…” Claud laughed. “You’re braver than me, at least!”

“Hehe.” Lily’s smile faded. “Still, that wasn’t very helpful, was it? In the end, we didn’t learn anything useful either. I wish we knew more about the Trial of Aeons and how this whole Godsfall thing was going to turn out, but everyone insists on being annoyingly secretive about this. Can’t they tell us?”

“Maybe they don’t have enough Authority to,” Claud replied. “Or maybe we don’t have enough Authority to listen.”

A cold shiver ran down his spine as those words left his mouth, and he pondered slightly.

For some reason, he had the feeling that this might just be a lot closer to the truth than he thought.

“What’s wrong?” Lily asked.

“No, nothing.” Claud paused. “Let’s go back, shall we? The others must be anxious.”