Chapter 26: The Lion’s Promise, Returning the Stars to the Sky

"Blaze!"

When Blaze saw a Nun wearing an eerily pale scream mask waving at him and running over with a hearty laugh, for a brief moment, even his Armor couldn’t absorb his sudden fright.

"AHH—"

Blaze screamed on instinct, but because he had turned off [Translation], to the Nun, it just sounded like he was letting out a Wild Beast’s roar at the sky.

Many people pushed open their windows, irritably searching for the Wild Beast that had disturbed their peace.

A blurry figure appeared in the window on the second floor of the tavern, staring down at the two of them with an unreadable gaze.

"Shh—you don’t need to greet me so loudly." The Nun lifted her mask, revealing her pretty face, and flashed him a playful smile. "Could it be that underneath your Armor, you’re actually a Werewolf?"

"Merushi?"

"Oh? You can talk now? Then am I the first person to hear your voice?" Merushi smiled happily, casually reaching out to hug Blaze’s arm without any hesitation.

"...You’re the first." If he limited it to female Foreigners, she was indeed the first.

Blaze looked left and right nervously. His embarrassing scream just now had caused quite a commotion; the city’s Knight Order might come over to investigate. "Mer, Merushi, can we go somewhere a little more hidden first?"

"OK!"

Blaze and Merushi arrived at the city walls of Balkan City. This was usually where Guards patrolled and stood watch. As long as Foreigners accepted the patrol quest, no Guards would spawn here—and Foreigners generally avoided such a boring, time-consuming quest that required aimlessly walking back and forth. Therefore, if they wanted to find a quiet place where they wouldn’t be disturbed, this was the most suitable spot.

"I’m sorry, Merushi. I draw a lot of attention looking like this. If other Foreigners spot me, it’ll cause a commotion," Blaze murmured apologetically to Merushi, who was holding the Guard spear obtained from accepting the quest.

"Just call me Nun. And don’t worry about it, I draw a lot of attention myself too." Merushi pointed her thumb at herself. "I might not look it, but I’m actually quite famous.

"I have a million followers on X!"

"Is that so?" Although Blaze had never heard of X, he figured it was some sort of social platform used by Foreigners. A million certainly sounded like a lot—it was over ten times the population of Balkan City.

"Oh, right! Please take this!" As if remembering something, the Nun took a branch out of her inventory and solemnly handed it to Blaze.

"This is..."

[Falcon Perch]

[The fastest-flying bird in this world will briefly stop here to rest. Take this opportunity to retrieve the message tube attached to the Peregrine Falcon’s leg.]

The Peregrine Falcon was the fastest-flying bird in this world; once tamed, it could be used for communication. However, taming one was incredibly difficult, and it required a specialized branch item for the Peregrine Falcon to perch on. Even among Foreigners, it was considered an Advanced communication item. More common alternatives were white doves or sparrows, and there was always a chance those birds would be eaten.

"With this, I can communicate with you via text anytime! Though I’ll be the only one who can initiate the conversation!" Merushi scratched the back of her head and chuckled.

Somewhat moved, Blaze accepted the branch. He also unilaterally lined up a new job for the currently drunk and fast-asleep chicken.

Standing in one spot for too long would invite a scolding from the supervising City Guards, so they decided to take a stroll along the walkway. Blaze noticed that Merushi hadn’t sought him out for any specific purpose; she simply wanted to chat and get to know him.

With her hands clasped behind her back, the young girl kicked her legs up high, taking exaggerated strides. Her eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.

"When is your birthday? There’s no need to mention your age—I’m definitely older than you."

"August 12th."

"Ah~ So you’re a Leo guy." Merushi clapped her hands together.

"A Leo guy..." Blaze’s eye twitched. He had been a bit allergic to lions lately.

[The Great Stars], one of those Traitors, was the Nemean Lion. He had finally managed to stop dwelling on it, only for it to rear its ugly head again—and as fate would have it, there was a karmic connection between them.

"I-I have absolutely nothing to do with the Nemean Lion!"

"Ahaha~ Not that kind of Lion! It’s a zodiac sign, an animal made of stars." Amused by Blaze’s embarrassment, Merushi raised a hand and pointed at the sky.

"Our world has twelve giant zodiac constellations, corresponding to the twelve months. The time you’re born dictates your zodiac sign.

"And where I’m from, there’s a saying that people born under different zodiac signs have distinct personalities based on them."

Blaze listened quietly. The girl chattered endlessly, telling him about the traits of different zodiac signs and their compatibility with one another. Along the way, she would occasionally react to his country-bumpkin-like surprise and question his remarks. Much like a blind person who had never seen Light before desperately drinking in every blade of grass and tree upon briefly regaining their Sight, she cheerfully strained her voice to tell Blaze about her world’s unbelievable wonders.

The night was long, but when chatting with her, time never seemed to be enough. Dawn broke, the beautiful stars gradually faded, and the girl’s radiance dimmed along with them.

"Perhaps there are wonderful things residing in the stars, but stars can no longer be seen in Minecraft."

He didn’t want to see her dim like that. He wanted her to stay joyful forever, so he impulsively made a promise.

"Nun! One day! I will bring the stars back to the sky!"

Merushi seemed taken aback by his words. She stared at him blankly, taking a very long time before finally snapping back to reality. She laughed, wiping the corners of her eyes. She bent her Waist and arched her back, amused as if someone had just offered to pluck the stars from the sky to give her as a gift.

Herbie had said that Foreigners had no tears. But Blaze saw the crystalline drops between her fingers and heard the most beautiful laughter in the world.

"HAH—man, this body is great. Not only can it produce a voice, but I can also laugh for as long as I want without worrying about catching a cramp." Merushi leaned against the city wall and exhaled deeply.

"Then I’ll leave it to you, Leo guy."

"O-Oh! Leave it to me, um..." Blaze wanted to play along and mimic her tone, but awkwardly realized he knew nothing about the concepts she had been talking about.

"March 2nd. I’m a March Pisces girl!"

Blaze didn’t know what the Pisces constellation was, but he believed it definitely represented Kindness and beauty.

Taking advantage of the lingering darkness of the night, Blaze followed a small path back to the Dionysus Tavern. Strangely, Herbie wasn’t inside.

"Where did she go?"

"If you’re looking for Herbie, she went to prepare for recruiting Foreigners to wipe out the Goblin Tribe."

A cold, crisp voice rang out. Blaze looked up to see an elegant woman leaning against the staircase leading to the second floor, gazing down at him.

"Audrey?"

"That child. I know of her," Audrey said with downcast eyes, letting out a soft sigh that carried an indescribable mix of envy and something else.

"She’s like a singer who finds immense bliss simply by being able to make a sound."