Silence

That voice... it was back again...

Li Yue frowned and lightly pressed her temples as if to alleviate her headache. She slowly stood up, made a gesture to signal her apology, and was led to the restroom by a waiter.

“This young lady's name is Li Yue, is it not?” Movella asked with a shallow smile.

“Ah... sorry, I haven't made a formal introduction yet. I am Clo, a traveler.” Clo smiled apologetically.

“I simply happened to hear you calling each other by name while you were chatting. That name is quite rare within the Royal Court.” Movella smiled, not saying anything further.

“We met during our travels. She said she gave that name to herself.” Clo clinked her glass with Movella's, their conversation remaining polite and guarded.

“She does not seem to be in the best of health. Was she born frail, or did she contract some disease? Or perhaps it was a later trauma?” Movella picked up a silver pitcher filled with sauce and lightly drizzled it over the roasted pigeon, helping herself while also serving Li Yue and Clo.

“It is the result of some magical backlash and costs. I believe she will recover before long,” Clo said with a bitter smile.

“Is that so...” Movella’s gaze darkened. “Hematomania... perhaps?”

“What did you say?” Clo raised an eyebrow. Amidst the loud orchestral music, she could not hear Movella's whisper clearly.

“Ah... I was just asking if you were thirsty. This wine is so mellow, and after tasting such a rich main course, I was afraid...” Movella smiled thinly and did not continue, merely clinking glasses with Clo once more.

Splash... Li Yue cupped some cool water and splashed it onto her face. The icy sensation brought back a sliver of her sanity, but it was clearly far from enough. She had not fed the monster inside her body, so it had begun to feast upon her mind.

Li Yue stumbled back to her seat, refusing the waiter's assistance. Her mood was visibly terrible. She picked up a pigeon leg with her fork and stuffed it into her mouth. As she chewed, her mind wandered, and she did not notice that she had chewed the entire hard leg bone into bone paste.

Coming back to her senses, she looked up only to find Movella staring straight at her. A flash of surprise seemed to cross the woman's eyes. Li Yue pursed her lips, trying to think of something to say.

“I might be a bit calcium deficient... um... but my strong bite more than makes up for it.” Li Yue tried to fabricate a decent excuse, though she ultimately failed to find a suitable reason for her act of chewing through bone.

Her bite was still that powerful, and her teeth remained that sharp. Biting through bone felt no different to her than Clo chewing on potato chips. If she were to bite into a living creature, she probably wouldn't need much brute force to easily tear away a large chunk of flesh. At that thought, Li Yue’s mind drifted again for a moment.

“I was looking at your eyes. They really are... very beautiful... like blood crystals... like rubies...” Movella waved her hand dismissively and looked seriously into Li Yue’s eyes. “They remind me of a wine brewed within the Royal Court. It is a vivid red wine with an extremely powerful visual impact. Its flavor and aftertaste are both incredibly unique.”

“Wine? Bright red?” Li Yue wondered. She truly did not know if there were any fruits in this world with entirely red flesh and juice. A special variety of grape, perhaps?

Just then, a commotion on the stage pulled her attention back. She focused on the platform, where a crystal coffin was being slowly carried up. The dishes they were enjoying were also being cleared away one by one. Movella wiped her mouth, composed herself, and tucked away the natural smile she usually wore.

They all stood up together. The strains of a Requiem began to play in waves. The audience both on and off the stage stood in silent tribute, their eyes slightly closed, seemingly mourning the loss of the great musician.

Li Yue stared at the coffin before her. Her gaze gradually darkened, and a complex emotion appeared in her blood-colored eyes, tinged with surprise and confusion.

Principal Vickers, dressed in a greyish-white robe, lay peacefully inside the crystal coffin. He looked as if he were listening to his students' music just as he had in the past. This had once been his proudest work—the only one. In his entire life, he had never composed a single piece that he was completely satisfied with; only toward his students had he always been lenient.

“This corpse... is very strange.” Li Yue frowned slightly. Countless lives had ended by her hand; she knew better than anyone what a truly dead corpse, one that wasn't faking, should look like.

His soul should have completely left his body, and the flesh should have lost every last trace of vitality, leaving no possibility of rebirth. Only the gods... even when their bodies were completely destroyed and their souls shattered, they could still survive in a bizarre state.

Jormungandr knew they must have signed some bizarre contract, but Li Yue did not understand.

Li Yue looked at the corpse that had completely lost its vitality, her eyes filled with doubt.

Why... was his soul... still slightly... remaining within his own body? However, it seemed... to be completely shattered. What remained inside... were merely a few scraps.

How strange...

She looked at everyone within her sight, but she saw nothing. Everyone simply had their eyes closed, and no one knew what they were thinking.