As night slowly descended, Li Yue walked along the moonlit path, her heart filled with unease. She glanced up at the bright moon from time to time, terrified that the next time she turned her head, she would see a blood-red moon instead.
Phrases describing the Blood Moon from the files instinctively surfaced in her mind, accompanied by the terrifying images recorded through magic imprints.
“When we arrived at the scene, the crimson moon hung high in the sky. Its radiance outshone the midday sun, heralding the arrival of night—no, the premature arrival of the end of the world.”
“Our magic suffered unavoidable suppression. Ordinary people without magic power began to show symptoms of flesh mutations. The blood demons grew frenzied; at first, they remained motionless as if on standby, but after a time, they launched suicidal, mad attacks against us.”
“The Blood Moon set on the second night for reasons unknown. All mutated blood demons have been eradicated.”
“A significant portion of the city's residents were forcibly evacuated, but there were still casualties.”
“Following is the casualty list. Since both the captain and vice-captain died in battle, this list is being written by me, Roland.”
“........”
Li Yue did not know what kind of emotions Roland had felt while writing down the names of people he had once cherished on that list of the fallen. Reading it now, she only felt waves of heartache.
She organized her thoughts and quickened her pace on the way home.
Two days passed quickly. Li Yue enjoyed a rare period of idleness. A gentleman from the second floor had invited her for a few games of cards; through this, she realized that everyone had been looking for opportunities to interact with her. Despite only a few brief encounters, Li Yue felt a deep sense of warmth.
The people here were perhaps all friends who had faced life and death together. They were warm, respectful, and occasionally made off-color jokes before being scolded by Kelly or someone else.
Li Yue could imagine that in earlier years, during a relatively peaceful era, Roland must have experienced an extremely happy time, with dreams and a career to fight for, and friends to whom he could entrust his back...
But the Blood Moon had destroyed everything. The fallen demon hunters filled a page of the death toll. And the thick stack of pages that followed... she wondered whose family member, whose parent, or whose child each one was.
Therefore, a similar tragedy must never be allowed to happen again.
In the early morning, Li Yue changed into the black dress she had prepared. The fabric reached down to her calves, complemented by a black dress hat, a veil, and gloves.
It wasn't as grand or ostentatious as Li Yue had imagined. There was only a simple carriage blended into the sea of people passing by. If Li Yue hadn't been so striking standing by the roadside, she and Caesar might have missed each other.
The man was being unusually low-key for once.
“I told the coachman that if there were too many people, he should drive slowly until he saw a white-haired lady on the curb,” Caesar joked. He was wearing a full black suit. As Li Yue stepped into the carriage, she felt a momentary awkwardness seeing them both dressed like this, but fortunately, Caesar was a master at handling silence.
“You're being remarkably low-key for once,” Li Yue said, adjusting her outfit.
“This is a major event in the magic world, after all. Secular figures like us should show adequate respect.” Caesar smiled, showing Li Yue his bare hands. The hands that were usually covered in rings now only wore a pair of black gloves.
Li Yue looked at the crowds still laughing around them; it seemed no one realized that an important and respectable figure was being buried today.
Today seemed as ordinary as any other day of life.
“Who exactly passed away to make things so... secretive yet solemn?” Li Yue looked out the window with a sidelong glance. A Joker in a costume was performing acrobatics on the street.
“I'll tell you when we arrive.” Caesar adjusted his silver monocle, crossed his hands under his chin, and stared directly at Li Yue as she gazed blankly out the window.
“You've changed quite a bit over the past few days,” Caesar said with a smile, picking up a cherry from the fruit plate and popping it into his mouth.
“It's because of magic,” Li Yue said, glancing at him and wondering if he had seen her fangs when she spoke.
“Is that so? It seems your strength has increased. Congratulations.”
Li Yue didn't speak, only nodding. She was already considering whether she should learn some magic to conceal her appearance.
Holy Cross Cathedral was the largest church in Parvati. Every Sunday, large crowds of believers and citizens came to receive blessings and praise the Lord.
After experiencing so much, Li Yue's skepticism toward these religions was only growing. However, today, there were no ordinary citizens nearby. The square in this area was nearly empty, with only a few carriages scattered about.
Just like last time, Caesar walked in front, and Li Yue followed behind him.
In the cathedral hall, a coffin was placed where the priest usually gave lectures. An elderly man lay inside, surrounded by pure white flowers. The entire hall was eerily quiet.
“Take these.” Caesar handed Li Yue a few white flowers. Li Yue followed him to offer the flowers and stood before the coffin in silence for several dozen seconds. Afterward, they retreated and found seats in the hall.
Li Yue recognized many people here; some were figures she had seen at the banquet that day—the mayor, the finance minister, and numerous nobles.
In the silent crowd, Li Yue saw William sitting with his head held high. His expression was stern, devoid of grief or sadness, carrying only the gravity and solemnity of one facing a great enemy.
From a position slightly further away, Li Yue felt a sharp gaze.
You shouldn't have come here.
Li Yue’s body gave a slight shudder.
She followed the gaze and saw Roland, whose eyes held a hint of surprise. He was frowning, his eyes filled with sorrow, urgency, and deep concern.
She saw various expressions on the faces of others; some even carried undisguised fear.
What is this exactly?
Li Yue turned her head, slowly looking at Caesar, the question practically written in her blood-red eyes.
“The Great Sage of Parvati has passed away. Or rather, the Great Mage who protected Parvati for over a century is no longer here.” Caesar lowered his voice, his expression equally grave.
“Won't the Mages' Association send another Great Mage to garrison here?” Li Yue whispered.
“His estimated time of passing was still four or five years away. The mage dispatched by the Mages' Association was supposed to take over the year after next. But now, an accident has occurred.”
Li Yue was stunned. No wonder. Without absolute power, the scales of authority were liberated. Before the next magic user arrived, a purge of the administration here was bound to begin.
And in these struggles, a magic user was surely a necessary pillar of support.
She stared at the ground in silence for a long time. No wonder Kelly had told her to run. Even if Kelly hadn't known about the Great Mage's death, as the specialist managing demon hunter records, her sense for such danger was very keen.
The white flowers beside the coffin grew in number as nearly all high-society figures attended. The Pope stood to one side, reading the eulogy with solemn grief. Once the Pope finished speaking, William also took the stage to speak on behalf of the entire nobility.
“Dearly beloved, at this sorrowful moment, we gather here to mourn our beloved Great Mage, the protector of Parvati, Dr. Endel.”
He cleared his throat.
“Dr. Endel’s life was a magnificent one. His departure brings us immense grief, but we also know that his spirit will remain with us. At this time, let us collectively remember Mr. Endel’s kindness, and let us inherit his spirit and continue forward!”
Thunderous applause erupted in the silent hall. Caesar remained silent, repeating a phrase from William’s eulogy under his breath.
“Inherit his spirit...”
Li Yue clapped her small hands gently twice. She watched the stage expressionlessly as Dr. Endel’s coffin was solemnly closed. She followed the crowd, witnessing Endel’s body being buried. She wasn't sure what this meant, but she knew that a great tide of the era was coming, and a reshuffling of the power classes was about to begin.
That night, Li Yue took the return carriage back to the small building. To her surprise, she saw Roland again, leaning against the counter and lighting a cigarette, looking much more relaxed.
“I don't want to get involved in the power struggle. I firmly refused William's invitation. I’m taking a neutral stance; I think that's probably what William wanted anyway.” Roland extinguished his cigarette, looking quite tired.
“William has always kept me at a distance, and I suspect that Endel’s premature death might be related to him.” Roland looked at Li Yue, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
“If it's just a power struggle, I won't participate.” Li Yue paused. “But if the investigation needs my help, I will do my absolute best.”
“If we can get an investigation order from Count Caesar—even if it's a secret investigation—it would be legitimate.” Roland sighed. “After being busy for so long, we’re back at the starting point...”
“Could Caesar also be related to this incident?” Li Yue suddenly asked. Although Caesar had always seemed like a good person, Li Yue also suspected him regarding the St. Victoria incident.
In the files she had consulted, the demon hunter team's report on that orphanage stated it was an orphanage donated by a rising noble power. But William belonged to the old nobility; he could hardly be called 'rising.'
“Caesar, huh? It's not impossible, but investigating him would be very difficult. This might only be something you can do.” Roland sighed. “I didn't expect to drag you into this in the end. If possible, try to get a bit closer to him.”
“By the way, you must be careful and not be careless. During one arrest operation, I saw his combat skills.” Roland rubbed the hilt of his sword. “It's not that he's incredibly strong, but his physical movements have the style of the Royal Court's military, even with deliberate concealment... He might be from the Royal Court or another region, and there's a high probability he's also a magic user.”
“How do you know so much about the Royal Court?”
“A former colleague of mine escaped from the Royal Court’s control, but he died in the Blood Moon a few years ago.”
Roland didn't seem to have much grief left. His tired eyes looked into Li Yue's blood-red eyes; Li Yue felt as if everything about her was seen through in that moment.
“I heard about what you did. You've made great progress. It seems you've found your magic; no need to tell me where it came from.” Roland handed Li Yue a music sheet. “In my view, magic has no distinction between good and evil. Whether it's the legendary blood magic of the Royal Court or the Five Great Magics of the academy system, it's all the same.”
“They can all be used to kill living beings. What matters is the user. The essence of magic is always the same. Even the most subtle Blues has a ‘Death Movement’ that can destroy the listener.” Roland patted Li Yue’s head. “This sheet music is for you. I wrote it when I had some free time. The melody might be a bit sad; I hope you don't dislike it.”
The gentle and warm sensation on her head finally caused the strings of Li Yue’s heart, which had been tight for so long, to slowly relax. Her body trembled slightly before she felt a long-lost sense of relief.
“You can learn both the piano and the violin. I hope you can learn an instrument in the future; magic users should learn things very quickly.”
Roland continued, and Li Yue felt a layer of mist rising in her eyes. She felt as if she hadn't been touched by someone like this in a very long time.
“There's more sadness in your eyes. You're still young; if there are sad things, you should vent them. If you don't want to learn, that's fine too—I have a recorded version.”
Roland handed Li Yue a small box.
“This contains a recording of me playing the piano. However, listening to your own playing is different from listening to someone else's. After all, in this world, the only one who truly understands you is yourself.” Roland smiled.
Li Yue turned her head away, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. She solemnly placed Roland's sheet music and the music box into the deepest part of her ring.
The blood-red color in her eyes slowly faded, and the pain in her heart seemed to lessen as well.
Rate on N.U.
