The celebration lasted for three days. During it, the common people rested from their hard labor. The wealthy and government classes held small parties in their private clubs and other gatherings. The nobles, however, had different arrangements. They invited others to their mansions and imitated the royal palace's traditions.
On the first day, they watched literary works, which included theatrical plays, poetry recitations, and the display of various artworks. On the second day, they attended grand performances such as battles, duels, or even confrontations with certain beasts. On the final day, those whom the king had recognized for their deeds during the year were honored. These people were personally invited by King Jord Joul.
When the Second Princess, Jina Joul, explained these matters, she focused especially on Kin Light and Shion Lan, since they had never attended such an event before.
After a short while, the king appeared surrounded by his retinue. On his right and left stood the heads of the Six Great Families. Naturally, the First Queen and the Second Queen were also present. Everyone bowed.
"Your Majesty."
The king gestured for them to stand and then began a long speech about the kingdom's history, which had lasted for more than five centuries. He mentioned the names of the families that had contributed to the kingdom's rise and honored the families who had lost their heroes.
Then he said,
"Let us begin the five hundred and twentieth celebration this year!"
Everyone returned to their carriages and quickly headed toward a grand theater. The seats were divided into tiers and rows, and the seating depended on the invitation card each person had received. Each guest moved to their assigned seat.
When it was Shion's turn to present his card, the organizer was stunned for a moment before bowing respectfully.
"Follow me, Lord Lan!"
Shion Lan, Pearl Jewel, and Redo Grant followed him up the stairs until they reached a balcony overlooking the entire theater. From there they had a clear view of the stage, and they could hear the performers perfectly thanks to sound-transmitting magic circles.
Pearl and Redo sat beside Shion. They noticed some additional magic circles, and with a simple touch from Pearl, the image of the stage became larger and clearer.
The place was truly magnificent.
Shion noticed a small booklet. He flipped through it briefly and found a summary of the play that would be performed that day. His attention lingered on a few details before his eyes stopped at two names:
"Moon Sorceress Lily"
"First Queen Celisia Joul."
He decided to watch the performance carefully.
Kin Light and Nell Stroman were sitting in their seats and had received the same booklet.
"What is it, Lily?"
Kin suddenly felt a surge of anger. Then he heard Lily's voice shouting furiously.
"Lies! They twisted everything! That ### Celisia!"
Kin asked in confusion,
"What happened here?!"
Lily pointed to a specific phrase in the booklet:
"Moon Knight."
Kin froze for a moment.
"What about him?"
"He was my lover. But that #### stole him from me through her magic. When he broke free from her control with my help, she accused us of treason. To protect me, he used a forbidden technique that turned him into an empty vessel that killed without distinction. He caused massacres everywhere—he almost killed me as well. But what angered me most was that that #### killed him and claimed I had only been blinded by love. She said I was given a lighter punishment because of that. But in that moment, all I wanted was to kill her!"
Kin then asked,
"But why didn't you object when I joined the Second Princess, who inherited the queen's legacy?"
Lily replied,
"Because an heir can be different from the one who left the inheritance. I think Shion is the best proof of that."
Kin nodded. Shion, who carried the inheritance of the stars, was not a mad lunatic like that man Shiu Won Lan. He was far gentler.
Lily continued,
"But the real reason I didn't object is because I wanted to get closer and closer to that ####. If she tries to make that princess walk the same path, I will destroy her once and for all. But if the Second Princess is like her…"
She looked at Kin seriously and said,
"Then you will have to kill her."
"..."
Fortunately, this conversation happened through telepathy. Otherwise Ken would have been executed for such words.
Kin broke into a sweat from the conversation.
The play began.
The curtains rose, revealing carefully painted scenery behind the stage.
A tall and handsome young man appeared. He raised his sword and declared:
"I am the one people call the Moon Knight."
In another balcony, the Second Princess Jina Joul sat with her companions.
When she saw the beginning of the play, Celisia appeared within her mind and said angrily,
"How dare the theater troupe bring this idiot to play the Moon Knight?!"
Jina asked awkwardly,
"Why? What was the Moon Knight like?"
Celisia sighed.
"He was the person I loved most in my life. But once he went on an exploration trip with Lily, the Moon Sorceress. There they discovered the inheritance of the Moon Art, which required two people—one man and one woman. Lily decided to exploit that and bind him to herself, since the Moon Knight was the dream of every girl in our time."
Jina asked suspiciously,
"That's strange. You called him the Moon Duelist, and the actor said Moon Duelist too. Don't you even know his real name?"
Celisia fell silent, sadness appearing in her voice.
"Because his name was erased from our minds so that we would never remember it."
Jina was shocked.
"How can a name be erased? And why?!"
Celisia replied,
"Keep watching until the fifth scene. I will explain everything during the intermission."
The play told the story of the Moon Knight, who had once been a villager. At that time Lily was with him, and they were childhood friends who grew up together. The Moon Knight became famous for his beauty and handsome appearance, and many women were captivated by him.
Eventually the two set out on an exploration journey. Both of them were at the Fourth Level.
This ended the first scene.
The background changed to begin the second scene.
They stood by a river beneath a waterfall at night. Under the dark sky and the shining full moon, the moon's reflection glimmered on the river. The Moon Knight looked at Lily and confessed his love in a romantic moment.
But suddenly the waterfall split in half, revealing a hidden passage. The two cautiously entered it.
The second scene ended.
The third scene revealed a dark cave illuminated by a small floating moon the size of a palm. Beneath it lay two graves.
Before the Moon Knight and Lily could react, an ancient spirit rose from one of the graves. It introduced itself as the guardian of the inheritance and explained its conditions.
For the inheritance to be completed, a man and a woman had to stand by the river under a full moon.
Exactly as they had done.
Lily received Moon Magic, while the Moon Knight received Moon Duelism.
The spirit smiled at them before disappearing beside the grave of its beloved.
Then the cave began to collapse.
The third scene ended.
The background changed again to reveal a battlefield.
This was the fourth scene, where the Moon Knight and Lily the Moon Sorceress displayed their abilities while suppressing rebels.
The combat was spectacular, and magical effects made the performance even more impressive. Energetic music played in the background, making the audience feel as if they were standing on the battlefield themselves.
After the battle ended, the Moon Duelist raised his head proudly.
The fourth scene ended.
The fifth scene appeared.
A walkway beside the river flowing through the kingdom appeared under soft lights.
The Moon Duelist walked arrogantly, unlike his usual self. Lily nudged him and asked why he had changed recently.
But he responded harshly and accused her of not even giving herself to him.
The Moon Sorceress was shocked.
Then the Moon Duelist declared that the one worthy of him was Princess Celisia Joul, and that a village girl like Lily did not deserve him at all.
The curtains fell, preparing for the next scenes.
After the fifth scene ended, the hall filled with curiosity and excitement.
Many gazes fell upon Kin Light—some friendly, others hostile—but he did not care.
"So, Lily… was the Moon Duelist really like that?"
"Of course not! He was kind until the end. Celisia interfered before he could separate from me and used magic on him. He was a victim. But this play shows the opposite!"
Lily was furious and wanted to kill everyone involved in what she considered a disgraceful performance.
Kin asked another question.
"Does the inheritance really require a man and a woman to be completed?"
"Yes."
"Then since I possess the inheritance… did a woman also receive the Moon inheritance?"
Lily replied angrily,
"I'll explain after this damned play ends!"
The princess asked the same question.
Celisia answered,
"The Moon Sorceress erased his name with forbidden magic. I didn't believe that she wanted him tied to her that much to destroy him but not to be with anyone else. She used a magic that erases the identity of a man. But the Moon Duelist had gone berserk at that time, and we had no chance to stop him, so we didn't object to her using forbidden magic again but to stop him this time. When his name was erased, he simply ceased to exist afterward."
"I understand," the princess said while watching the play resume.
The sixth scene appeared with the royal palace as its background.
Beside the throne sat the king's daughter, Princess Celisia Joul.
The Moon Duelist asked for the princess's hand in marriage. At the time he had already reached the Sixth Level, and the king was impressed by him.
Celisia hesitated slightly and asked about the Moon Sorceress, but he denied everything and claimed it was merely rumors.
After some conversation, the princess's heart softened toward him.
The sixth scene ended.
The seventh scene appeared.
The princess stood inside her room, her eyes glowing with golden light.
The Moon Duelist had secretly entered her room in what seemed like a romantic gesture. But the princess stopped him coldly when she looked at him with her new eyes.
She confronted him with several suspicious deeds he had committed.
The Duelist tried to evade her questions, but every lie he spoke was exposed by her gaze.
The princess began to cry, realizing she had been deceived.
Finally she decided to summon the royal guards to arrest him.
The Duelist fled.
The seventh scene ended.
The eighth scene began.
On a road somewhere in the kingdom stood Lily the Moon Sorceress.
The Duelist approached her and deceived her, claiming the princess had caused their separation.
Believing him, Lily helped him escape from the royal guards.
After nights of battles, the two managed to escape.
In the ninth scene, the Duelist and the Sorceress returned to the place where they had first received the inheritance.
Lily spoke about their memories sincerely, and the Moon Duelist also spoke with emotion.
But his heart had become corrupt.
He stabbed the witch from behind and decided to sacrifice her to gain greater power.
But because of the inheritance, Lily's strength merged with the Moon Duelist's power, raising her to the Eighth Level like him—but it was tainted.
The ninth background revealed the devastation and destruction caused by that man, along with the countless victims and heroes who died by his hand.
The dramatic atmosphere deeply affected the audience.
Then came the final scene.