A few days after leaving Daruane, we arrived in the town of Rintes to spend the night.
We were eating dinner in the tavern attached to the inn where we were staying when Carol's face lit up with delight after taking a sip of the fruit wine that my sister had recommended.
"Mmm, this is so good~"
"See? Told you. The owner here is a huge booze lover, and every drink he picks is top-notch."
My sister nodded proudly as she watched Carol's happy expression.
The reason my sister knew so much about this town—even though it was quite a ways from Tsutrail—was because the local lord sponsored the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky. She'd visited several times on clan business.
(Huh, she's right. This fruit wine really is delicious.)
It was sweet and went down incredibly easily. We spent the evening chatting happily while enjoying the tasty food and drinks.
"Wow, really? So once you get higher up as an explorer, you end up working outside Tsutrail a lot more?"
Log looked surprised as he listened to my sister's stories.
"Yeah, pretty much. Once your name gets known, people all over start recognizing it. Luna, back when you were in the Hero Party, you must've been pretty busy, right?"
My sister turned to Luna.
"That's true. After all, we were the Hero Party. We kept getting dragged into noble power struggles and all sorts of other messes whenever we were invited somewhere."
Luna gave a wry smile as she nodded.
Right now everyone was united because of the war, so we hadn't gotten pulled into those kinds of problems. But once the war ended and we pushed deeper into the Great Labyrinth, we might end up getting involved in stuff like that too…
I really didn't like the sound of that.
"Ugh, just hearing about noble power struggles makes me sick…"
Carol seemed to feel the same way I did and looked thoroughly fed up.
"But it's not all bad, you know?"
"Hmm? Like what?"
"The best part is getting support from so many people. Complete strangers will cheer you on and say things like 'Keep pushing through the floors!' It gives you a surprising amount of energy and really boosts your motivation."
"Yeah, that's true. Support like that is nothing to sneeze at. I can't even count how many times I've thought that."
My sister kept nodding enthusiastically in agreement with Luna.
We had only just reached the lower floors and joined the ranks of high-ranking explorers, so we still had a long way to go.
Someday I wanted to be able to talk about things like this with my sister and get just as excited.
That night, I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night.
"…Luna?"
I rolled over and noticed that the bed where Luna should have been sleeping was empty. When I looked out the window, I spotted her outside.
I slipped out quietly so I wouldn't wake the others.
"Sophie? What are you doing up so late?"
Luna looked surprised when she noticed me approaching.
"I just woke up a little while ago… and then I saw you weren't in bed."
"I see. Sorry for making you worry."
"It's okay… Were you looking at the moon?"
I sat down beside her and asked.
"…Yes. I was just thinking about some things."
"Thinking?"
"Yeah… This might sound strange, but have you ever had the feeling that you've forgotten something really important?"
"Huh? Something important…?"
Luna's unexpected question left me blinking in confusion.
"Yes. I keep feeling like I've forgotten something. I don't know what it is, but whenever the thought crosses my mind, my chest tightens."
"Hmm… Sorry, I don't think I've felt anything like that."
"…I see. Maybe I'm just feeling a little sentimental. Don't worry about it."
Luna smiled gently, clearly trying to reassure me.
"Is something bothering you?"
"No, it's nothing that dramatic."
"If there is something, you can tell me! You're always helping me out, Luna. I might not be much help, but I want to do whatever I can for you!"
"…Thank you. In that case, I'll take you up on that and talk a little. But it's really not a worry or anything like that. I was just thinking that the Festival of Gratitude is coming up soon."
"Festival of Gratitude…? …Oh…"
Hearing that word made me realize Luna was remembering what had happened around this time last year.
The Festival of Gratitude was a celebration held in Tsutrail from late May to early June.
Because of what happened during last year's festival, the Hero Party Golden Dawn had effectively disbanded, and Luna had transferred to the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky.
"Around this time last year, the atmosphere in Golden Dawn was at its worst. I tried my best to do something about it, but nothing worked. On the very first day of the festival, my in-laws were arrested for child abduction, and the Flockhart Company they ran became impossible to keep afloat. After that, as you know, Oliver and the others suddenly went berserk and the party fell apart."
I already knew the story of how Luna had joined the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky and then our party.
She always spoke about that time so calmly that I had assumed she was completely over it.
But when I really thought about it, there was no way something like that could be so easily brushed aside.
Until recently I had kept my distance from my own family, but after reconciling with my brother I had slowly started to feel attached to the Claudel household again.
If I imagined Luna's experience happening to me, it would mean discovering that my family had been involved in crimes behind my back, losing the entire household as a result, and then having Log and Carol go on selfish rampages, get arrested, and suddenly have my entire place in the world ripped away from me for no good reason.
"During the festival, I lost every place I belonged. That's when Orun reached out to me. He gave me a new home in the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky and let me meet all of you wonderful companions."
"Luna…"
"At that moment, I made up my mind. I would follow Orun. …Sophie, did you notice the change in Orun on the day we left Daruane?"
"Huh? A change…?"
Luna's sudden question left me with a big question mark floating over my head.
Orun had seemed exactly like his usual self that day, as far as I could remember…
"Yes. That day, Orun had the expression of someone who had made a major decision. I don't know what it was about, but if he's planning something big, I intend to support him with everything I have."
I hadn't noticed at all.
It was a little frustrating that Luna had picked up on it when I hadn't, even though I thought I was always watching Orun so closely.
So Luna feels the same way about Orun after all…
"…Sorry for rambling on about nothing in particular. Thanks to talking with you, I feel a bit more sorted out inside. Thank you for listening."
"I really didn't do anything except listen, and I couldn't think of anything smart to say… but if it helped clear your mind even a little, I'm glad!"
Orun's change, huh.
Next time I see him, I'll have to pay closer attention.