Chapter 16: Welcome to Moonlight (3)

Alright, this was getting out of hand. He's far too close to my very liking.

Even Ana and Alex were starting to freak out at the absurdity of this scenario. Of course, they tried to act with the hopes of defending me, but for some reason, they struggled to move from their spot.

While Ana was completely immobilized, Alex proved to possess the more willpower out of the siblings as he struggled but barely broke free and screamed in frustration to warn me of their unusual condition.

"D-damn it, he paralyzed us with one of his Illusions!!"

Tsk and the kid even had the balls to involved others in this messed-up crisis of ours.

I suppose it has fallen up to me to stop the Headmaster's induced state of madness.

While Master was looking terrified as hell, she still had some courage to impart me with a piece of valuable advice.

She assured me that any type of Illusion magic won't affect me directly since she's more than capable enough of dispelling it on my behalf from my mind. Any foreign magic invading my mind can be purged completely by her magic.

Although the same can't be said about my body since she has limited jurisdiction over it. To explain it more simply, Master and I share only my consciousness, and nothing else.

Left with no other option, I decided to-

"What the fuck!!! Stay away from me you chibi creep!!!!"

With my insanity on the brink of breakdown, I pushed Gray with all my might induced by the intensity of my understandable panic.

My fucking chastity was on the line here, and I refused to be tainted by a fucking predator wearing a child's flesh!!!

Now I understood Master's extremely terrified expression and shared it as well.

Thankfully, the Headmaster appeared to have realized how unbecoming and insane he was when the impact of my push forced me to snap him out from his crazed obsessive state.

Rubbing his head in pain, he said-

"Fuck... Not again. I really should listen to my wife's advice more often."

He then quickly dispelled the Illusion that was gripping the Dragon siblings, causing the both of them to pant in exhaustion.

Facing us three, Gray scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled nervously.

"Ah... my apologies, Mr. Bruce and company. It seems that I was rather caught by my own excitement, ahaha. I sincerely hope that you'll forgive me for how unruly I truly was."

Unruly? Fucking understatement of the lifetime!!

More like crazy, obsessed, bat-fucking pervert!!!

"What the hell was that for acting like a deranged animal in heat, you chibi bastard!!??"

The Headmaster, to his credit, was unfazed by my reasonable anger and simply bow his head down apologetically.

"As I said, I deeply ask for your forgiveness, children. It's just that when I knew that the Goddess was inside your mind, my excitement took over and I lost all reason like a wild animal, ahaha. So let me ask you again, this time, with reason on my side, Is our Goddess... I mean, is Vivian Algrande truly inside your mind?"

I merely nodded absentmindedly, still dumbfounded by how crazy he was a moment ago.

Wait, how did he know of Master being inside me beforehand?

Master instantly clarified my confusion by explaining how the Headmaster attempted to read my mind during the entrance exam. Of course, his efforts were all in vain due to Vivian purging his not-so-good intents. Thus, also explaining why I'm resistant to the chibi's Illusions.

Grayford grinned widely and was pleased by my answer.

"So, the Goddess has truly returned!!! To be with us once more to enlighten us with her immense wisdom and glory!! How blessed we the Mages of the Moon are truly!!!"

Wow, this guy sure is a compulsive freak. How did Master even garner his zeal in the first place?

Said Master twitched her face in utter annoyance as I hear her grumbling about how ridiculous this circumstance was for us, most particularly for her.

It looked like she appeared to have calmed down and her fear was replaced by pure irritation instead with the passing away of the storm.

"God-fucking-dammit, Leia!! What have you been teaching them during my years of absence? *Sigh* And here I thought that 500... 500 fucking years would be more than enough to mellow the lot of those Lunaria Mages, but it appears that I have a miscalculated. Who would have thought their devotion over me still shined brightly like their divine moonlight, even after such a pretty long time?"

Hmm, as implied by Master's remarks, there must be more to the Headmaster's obsession than it meets the eye.

And who is this Leia?

I'm probably going to regret this, but curiosity got the better of me and I decided to ask a question about this weird dilemma that we're in.

"Why do you call Vivian Algrande a Goddess? Is there a story behind it?"

The Headmaster happily obliged my inquiry and told us to take a seat once more since the tale would take a significant amount of our time.

He told us about the brief history of the Lunarias, where they were afflicted by the Dark God Malfistus's curse known as the Lunar's End.

How the Moon Goddess Luna asked for Vivian's aid in collecting certain rare ingredients throughout the entire land, with the final ingredient being at the dark realm of Wrakrosis; The Heart of the Two-Headed Hellcat of Wrath.

How Grayford's ancestor, Leia Aeona Lunaria, and other few members of the Lunaria House aided Vivian in infiltrating the inner palace in search of said final ingredient.

How Vivian and Leia battled against the legendary Hellcat and finished it off with their combined spell power of the Lunaria's most prized magic; Lunar's Punishment.

How Leia and her fellow Mages of the Moon suffered great tragedy at the hands of her own spell. Even when they all knew of the spell's fatal effects, they still chose to cast it nonetheless.

And lastly, how they managed to escape on the verge of their lives thanks to Vivian assuming the Ancient Dragon form and carried every of the injured Lunaria Mages on her back.

I was instantly immersed by the story being woven by the Headmaster. Heck, even the Dragon siblings shared my sentiments and listened attentively as well.

It's as if the Headmaster's perverted transgressions were all forgotten thanks to this wonderful tale of his.

When I confirmed the Headmaster's story with Vivian, she told me that all of it was true.

"Wow, Master, I know that you are amazing, but I didn't know that you were that AMAZING. Surviving a Dark realm and battling with a legendary beast? That's so freaking cool!!"

"I'm just that awesome, my dear student, tehee."

Ignoring that last remark through sheer willpower alone, I returned my attention back to the Headmaster.

"So, you are saying that you are just that thrilled in meeting the savior of your clan?"

Gray nodded in agreement with a smile.

"Of course. Mistress Algrande has freed us from the curse that has been plaguing my ancestors for ages. Without her honorable and selfless undertakings, the Lunaria House won't most likely live long enough to this day. Hence, I'm... we're eternally grateful for her efforts as the Head of the Lunaria House here in the Wessoria Kingdom apart from my job here as the Headmaster of this academy."

Well, if that was the case, then perhaps I could understand the Headmaster's reaction about all of this, no matter how bizarre it was.

Still, the exaggeration of Gray's excitement was definitely unnecessary and caused a lot of trouble for us four, including Master inside my mind.

I better tread lightly and watch myself around that chibi bastard for being a certified pervert!!

Vivian agreed with my statement without reservation.

"Yup, you better follow your own advice, Ken. The Lunarias, kind and honorable folks they are, are also an eccentric bunch who would revere me at the same league as their Goddess. So, yes, you better watch your balls whenever you found yourself with a Lunaria, especially when the two of you are alone."

There's no disagreement right there, not after what I have witnessed this very day.

"Got it."

As soon as the craziness of the whole thing was finally resolved, it's time that we get to business here.

"Is that all you wish to talk about, to merely confirm of my Master's presence inside me?"

"Not really. I also wished to have a nice discussion with you, to be honest. Tell me, do you believe that everything happens for a reason?"

"Why do you ask?"

Strange, I'm not sure where that sudden question came from, so I decided to clarify.

The Headmaster then elaborated with another lesson from history.

"The last great war with Asmodeus, while it undeniably plummeted the land in a state of utter warfare, also was a major factor on our road to peace and friendship with the Demon race slowly over the course of 500 years. Through the aftermath of the war, we have accomplished a better understanding with one another. They also eventually realized the consequences of their horrible actions and decided to make amends with us all. Because of the war, we Humans came on top of it, stronger than ever before, and our history, as bloody as it was, molded us into the dominant beings that we are today."

"Y-you can't be serious!!!???"

It was Ana who screamed as she seemed to be in disagreement, expressing her heartful disdain about the matter. Her eyes burned with immense fury and her Dragonfire threatened to ignite as caused by her rage.

"Even if we Dragons delight ourselves in the heat of battle, war is an entirely different matter that we completely abhor!!! Many of my kinsmen perished under the pretense of your so-called reason, more specifically, by the hands of those warmongering Dragonslayers employed by Asmodeus himself!!!"

Alex sighed and shook his head, sharing the beliefs of his sister. Being the calm sibling of the two, he shared his opinion with incredible composure. Although, one could still decipher the rage behind his tone, a clear sign of restraint that can only be achieved by someone like him.

"Ana is right. Our father told us that war is something that should not be taken for granted as it has cost the suffering of many, most especially the ones who want nothing to do with it. While you certainly make a point, I can't say that I'm in complete agreement with you."

"Hmm... I see."

The Headmaster then faced me once more, his calculative eyes seemingly piercing my very soul.

"What say you, Mr. Bruce? You've been awfully quiet about this? As the Magus of Infinity, your words possessed considerable weight and we would like to hear your opinion as well."

"Yeah, mongrel, knock some sense into this fucking child's face!!!"

So, they are asking me!? I may be the Magus of Infinity, but I'm still a simple farm boy at heart. Like hell do I know anything about the intricacies of reason and war, or whatever!!

I intentionally remained quiet as to not instigate any further arguments and discussions about this whole philosophical debate. I suppose being the passive party only served to place me in a tighter spot.

And Grandpa would be disappointed for my grave inaction.

I suddenly remembered his words during one training session when I was younger.

As quoted by him: "All that is necessary for evil to achieve is for good men to do nothing."

While I would not go so far as to say that the Headmaster and the Dragon siblings are evil, the quotation essentially meant being passive does nothing in solving the issue and would serve to even worsen it.

Thus, it's time that I deliver my viewpoint of the matter.

"Reason? Like I give a crap."

They were instantly caught off-guard by what I have asserted, as evident by the widening of their eyes.

Of course, I never said that my opinion is going to be all philosophical and intelligent. As I said earlier, farm boy right here!!!

Master simply snickered from my mind, remarkably amused at what I have just said.