A Moment of Peace

On a tranquil afternoon, a light drizzle fell. Having finished her classes for the day, Li Yue decided to help out at the cafe. She arrived feeling a bit damp.

A few raindrops had been blown onto her by the wind. Because she had been walking in a hurry, the velvet surfaces of her boots were soaked, which in turn dampened her fleece-lined black stockings. Although she rarely sweated, the stockings still carried a faint, warm scent of rainwater mixed with a hint of perspiration.

She was forced to change out of her black stockings, hiding her exposed, snow-white legs beneath her long skirt, leaving only a hint of her ankles visible. However, the temperature these days wasn't particularly low. While an ordinary person might still feel a chill with bare legs, for Li Yue, whose god's remains were gradually unsealing, the sensation of cold was beginning to drift away from her once more.

“Sister Li Yue, you've looked like you're in such a bad mood lately,” Xiao Lin said casually while wiping a table. Her words were sincere and direct, lacking the careful consideration Clo usually employed.

“Maybe I've just been a bit anxious lately. Um... anxious about the exams... probably...” Li Yue thought about it, but even she didn't find the answer she gave convincing. Xiao Lin would also be participating in this exam, as would Zijing, the girl who had seen through the fact that Li Yue had killed many people at a single glance.

“Have you thought about how you'll handle things when the time comes, Xiao Lin?” Li Yue searched for a topic. Her hands slowed down; it wasn't mealtime yet, so they were busy with cleaning and had the leisure to chat.

The rain outside continued to drizzle, but there would likely be quite a few customers today. It was Wednesday, and Clo had a routine meeting that would keep her away until evening. Since she didn't need to prepare dinner, Li Yue would come to help on this day as well as on weekends.

Many people came just to see Li Yue, to admire the young lady rumored to come from the Royal Court's nobility. she looked like a beauty who had stepped right out of the illustrations of a Royal Court history book—captivating yet inviolable.

“Sister Zijing said she'd find a way to protect me. She said she'll come find me once the exam starts.” Xiao Lin looked quite happy as she glanced toward Zijing several times. Sensing Li Yue's somewhat surprised gaze, the purple-haired girl shyly turned her head away.

“I'm just afraid you'll get bullied and end up in the hospital. Then I wouldn't have a colleague to work with anymore,” Zijing muttered, her voice stiff as she tried to explain away her motives.

I didn't expect this girl to be so kind. To take along someone she needs to protect during such an important exam... I originally thought she was the type who enjoyed watching trouble from the sidelines and only looked out for herself.

Li Yue smiled, feeling her mood lighten significantly. She didn't dare to travel with others now, but if she could, she would still lend a hand when help was needed.

“I heard you were caught up in that fire in the Forest in the City the other day,” Zijing said, her tone carrying a hint of respect and caution as she chatted with Li Yue.

“I sustained some injuries, but they healed quickly. My magic can treat most wounds, provided I pay a small price,” Li Yue replied nonchalantly. “I wonder what happened afterward.”

The aftermath involved the Holy Knights making trouble for Li Yue. However, after the Church tried to forcibly intervene and was severely suppressed by Clo, they finally quieted down. It was unclear whether they had weighed the risks or were plotting something else.

“The official report said the terrorist attack was carried out by a student organization whose members studied death, destruction, and soul magic...” Zijing fell silent for a moment. “It's absolute nonsense. The members of the Hand of the Secular were just ordinary students who discussed those types of magic.”

“‘Hand of the Secular’... so they actually had a proper name,” Li Yue mused quietly.

“The Church arrested many of those students. It's said they are still privately detaining several who succumbed to their magic while researching,” Zijing said. Her eyes happened to meet Li Yue's, and she shrank back slightly, her neck retracting in fear.

“Speaking of which, how did you tell that I've killed many people that day?” Li Yue asked indifferently. She didn't bother to hide her past; slaughter didn't seem like a particularly strange thing to her, and most of the time, she felt her past killings were justified by her conscience.

“It's your eyes, and that unique aura about you. Only magic users who have killed many people have that feeling.” Zijing hunched her shoulders. She had once met a magic user at the association who had participated in the East Continent war. Even in daily life, a heavy aura of slaughter always followed him.

That spine-chilling sensation was exactly the same as the feeling she got when she first saw Li Yue. It was just that Li Yue was much more restrained, appearing far more peaceful.

“Is that so... It seems many things can't be hidden. You know, I came here from across the sea.” Li Yue smiled. She no longer hid her detached nature, and this sincere smile completely released the killing intent she had been suppressing.

“Fate never goes as one wishes. It is often through countless pains, through layers of contradiction and hardship, that a person is made to grow,” Li Yue said after a moment of thought, her words coming out unexpectedly. Perhaps in saying all this, she wasn't repenting for anything; she was merely expressing her own fear. “And for me, these processes are usually forced.”

What is called growth was not maturity or becoming more resilient; she was simply being forced to move toward Him. The more she grew, the more He occupied her, and the less of Li Yue remained. Fortunately, even Jormungandr seemed to harbor a few complicated feelings toward Clo.

It was likely love. Though it felt complex, and the emotions mixed within it often pushed her to the brink of madness, she could still sense a few traces of complicated affection inside.

“Um... I hope that in the days to come, you can have a little less clamorous slaughter.” Zijing thought for a while, unsure of what to say. She only remembered someone telling her that all slaughter is noisy.

“Thank you. You aren't the first person to say that.” Li Yue turned around and tightened her apron strings. “The customers are about to arrive. Chat time is over; let's get to work.”