Death's Revelation

“I went to see Melina first. She said I've changed a lot...” Li Yue gave a helpless smile. By all rights, her heart should have been the heaviest, yet she seemed the most relaxed. Perhaps the closer one gets to the truth, the further one moves from fear?

“What do you think? How have I changed?” Li Yue chuckled, taking a small sip of her wine. Her expression was subtle.

“Change is relative to a frame of reference. People change every single moment.” Helen smiled, then gave a friendly nod to Clo. She couldn't sense any magical aura from Clo, but her intuition told her that the girl was an incredibly powerful magic user.

“Is this... the person you mentioned... your lover?” Helen chose her words carefully as she refilled Clo’s glass with grape juice.

“It’s her. Let me introduce you. This is Helen, a noble from the Cuckoo faction of the Royal Court.”

“Hello. I am Clo, a professor from Karl Romon Academy.”

“At least a Great Mage? That is truly excellent news for us.” Helen accepted the drink a servant brought her. She gripped the glass, her expression turning slightly solemn.

“I want a noble identity. How are the negotiations with your family head going?” Li Yue lowered her voice. Clo waved her wand, and a soundproof barrier instantly enveloped them.

“Money, artifacts, or anything else—we aren't lacking in material wealth.” Li Yue glanced at Clo. She herself had no money; she instinctively looked at Clo because, regardless of the situation, Clo had been the one paying for everything lately.

“To be honest, we aren't troubled by material things either. The pressure from the Specter Church has been steadily increasing, especially after those two recent incidents.” Helen shrugged.

“The family head doesn't know your identity. He only knows you are a Great Mage proficient in blood magic.” Helen paused. “If I told him you were His... incarnation, it might be much easier to convince him.”

“No need... Regardless of how you look at it, I am not Him yet. It’s better that fewer people know.” Li Yue paused. She was worried that if such things became common knowledge among mortals, it might accelerate the appearance of the ‘Black Goat.’

“What conditions did the family head set?” Li Yue took another sip of wine.

“At this critical juncture... to assassinate the Cardinal Archbishop of Limbo.” Helen paused, knowing the condition seemed a bit too difficult.

“Anything else?” Li Yue tilted her head. She exchanged a look with Clo and saw a flicker of concern in the girl's eyes.

“No... that's it.” Helen swallowed hard, suddenly feeling her throat go dry.

“Assassinating a single Great Mage? That's all?” Li Yue breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the strange looks from Clo and Helen, she tilted her head again.

“An archbishop residing in his own cathedral, especially in a region as vital as Limbo—his strength is likely incredibly close to the Calamity rank.” Helen shrugged. “If you can accomplish this, you could even succeed as the head of our faction.”

“Fortunately, their sect recently held a sudden assembly of all their archbishops. He will be returning to Limbo tomorrow. Through our internal sources, we have a general idea of his return route...”

“That makes things much easier. Then again, assassinating your family head would be quite simple too, though since he’s my believer, doing that wouldn't be very... humane? No, I should say, ‘divine.’” Li Yue rested her head on her hand, eating yogurt ice cream from a small plate.

“Has he not considered the consequences of failure? For instance, if a ‘Death’ magic user is discovered attempting to assassinate their church personnel?” Clo frowned.

“If it fails, they will discover that this rumored magic user isn't a member of their church. Miss Li Yue’s magic is significantly different from the Specter Church’s magic; her style is very much that of the Royal Court.” Helen narrowed her eyes. “The people accompanying him aren't all from the church; there are also some centrists from the Royal Court. If a Great Mage using Royal Court magic appears... it would likely shake their stance.”

“That way, the conspiracy theories about the ‘sect of Death’ they’ve been pushing will fall apart.” Helen looked at Li Yue. Seeing no trace of nervousness in her eyes made Helen a little afraid. “Moreover, with such a Royal Court magic user appearing, everyone's attention will shift toward the old King. They are all terrified of what hidden cards that King might still have.”

“There is no possibility of failure.” Li Yue stuck out her tongue. The aftertaste of the wine was a bit bitter after drinking a lot. It wasn't the kind of bitterness she liked, but she didn't exactly hate it either. She just took a piece of black bread to clear the taste from her mouth.

“The family head hopes you can do it as cleanly as possible. If you truly succeed, you will be the next head of the house...” Helen paused. Her own hope was for the archbishop to die silently, go missing, or... but that was perhaps too much to ask.

“So the hot potato has been passed to me?” Li Yue gave a thin smile. “Indeed. If I don't show up, you all would probably be the first to be purged. He’s the family head; there's no way he could escape.”

“I’ve left myself a way out in Yakutsk. When the time comes, I’ll just fake my death and disappear.” Helen smiled faintly.

“And the others? Are they really staking everything on one throw?” Li Yue said dismissively. “I haven't even returned their things yet. They aren't allowed to die before that.”

“The soul I asked you to investigate—what did you find?” Li Yue hadn't forgotten the soul of that believer. She sighed; she still couldn't understand that level of faith.

“It’s being kept in the cathedral in Limbo, but I don't know exactly where.”

“Good. I have a rough plan.” Li Yue smiled slightly. Her presence suddenly vanished completely—even from Clo’s perception. Yet in the next instant, that presence reappeared in the hallway to the side.

“Is there... anything I can do to help?” Clo frowned.

“Just remember to come and get me. Your magic will be very useful.” Li Yue smiled.

Li Yue gave a faint smile and showed Clo the Key to the Gates of the Underworld in her hand. She had just been drifting on the boundary between life and death; her body had gone to the Underworld while the projection in reality continued to walk freely in the secular world.

“Clo, pay the bill.” Li Yue stretched. “I’m a bit sleepy. I’m going home for a nap.”

She walked out and hailed a carriage on the bustling street. She narrowed her eyes, feeling the madness within her continuing to swell. She exhaled a breath of turbid air. The smiling expression vanished from her face instantly, replaced by her usual indifference and even a hint of annoyance.