Dear Miss Clo,
The process went smoothly, and the sinners were very cooperative. I completed the commission quickly and earned a decent income. That young lady asked for my address, saying she wanted to find an opportunity to thank me in person.
Everything has been well lately. My mental state is good, though I tend to tire easily. I am currently writing this letter at my desk, wearing my bathrobe. There are still a few matters at hand, but once they are finished, I might be able to rest comfortably for a couple of days.
The snow here is beautiful, especially at night. It is a pity it was cloudy a few days ago. The weather remains cold, but I rarely go out, so it is of little consequence.
Everything here is fine. Do not worry about me.
...
Li Yue stood in the snow, using a wall as a desk to finish writing the letter. She summoned Little Clo and placed the letter in her hands. Several corpses lay scattered around her feet. One of them had a letter on it which she had already opened and read; it was a letter from the Big Boss.
The content was nothing more than a demand for them to deliver the "goods" quickly, and it included an address. The factory she had destroyed did not seem to have caught the man's attention yet. This was likely because the Big Boss had just distributed supplies to them before she arrived, and the delivery date had not yet come, so there was little regular contact.
The location on the letter matched what the leader from that day had said. It was a brothel. It seemed the man had not lied. She just had not expected that the lair of a Big Boss who controlled so many black market industries would be right there, making it so easy for her to find.
There were two possibilities: either he was in league with the authorities, or he was extremely powerful himself.
Li Yue gave a cold snort and walked toward the outskirts. She moved with numbness and a hint of exhaustion, though the red eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes masked it well.
The noise from the roadside caught her attention. She forced her wandering mind to focus. She planned to take a short nap and then go settle this industry once and for all.
Two young men and an old man were fighting over a can of corn. Li Yue glanced at them and continued on her way.
Wait, why did those two look familiar?
She looked closer and suddenly remembered. They were among the men who had aimed bolt action rifles at her that day.
So they did not turn themselves in. Why not stay safely in prison? She had clearly warned them.
The old man clutched the can to his chest, feeling the immense strength of the men before him. Tears flowed down his wrinkled face, freezing into ice on his cheeks.
But he still refused to let go.
Suddenly, he felt the resistance vanish. His momentum carried him backward, and he fell onto his backside in the snow. Two headless corpses knelt before him. His legs went weak with terror. Within his field of vision, he could only see the young girl walking away with calm indifference.
Only after a long while did strength finally return to his legs. He scrambled and crawled away from that den of trouble.
I should go back and sleep for three hours.
Forget it. I will sleep after the job is done.
She hailed a carriage by the road. Inside the cabin, she napped for half an hour. When she woke, a building emitting a faint purple light appeared before her.
She took out a silver coin, handed it to the driver, and stepped out.
...
It was a bright and sunny noon. Clo sat in her room studying magic, her brow furrowed as if she had encountered a difficult problem. She had not bothered to communicate with the outside world for some time, even though matters constantly sought her out.
Suddenly, a figure walked to her side and gently set down a letter. Her brow smoothed as she read the letter, but then it gradually furrowed again.
She examined the projection beside her. There were fresh red bloodstains on the pants, shirt, coat, scarf, cheeks, and even the hat.
There was even a trace of red blood on the corner of her smiling mouth, making her look somewhat terrifying.
Everything is well? Staying at home? Wearing a bathrobe? Rarely going out?
And a girl even asked for her address? I do not even know where she lives. Does this look like everything is normal?
No, I have to go there and check the situation.
But... there is an entire ocean between us. How am I supposed to get there?
She thought for a moment and remembered a magic spell she rarely used.
She crouched down and began to draw a magic circle on the floor. With light blue strokes, she drew one magic rune after another. A massive formation was soon completed within her room.
Knock, knock. A knock sounded at the door.
Clo opened the door impatiently. The man at the door was smiling.
"I have to inspect the Forbidden Forest today. Can you manage the association's affairs for me?"
"No, I am busy." She slammed the door shut. Before she could sit down, the knocking returned.
"Hello, regarding this afternoon's lecture at the Institute of Time..."
"No time." She slammed the door again.
"That mental mage from the Hand of the Soul has invited you to watch the decadal meteor shower tonight..."
"Is he crazy? I did not even go to the once in ten thousand years one last time. I told him not to look for me again." Clo closed the door, wondering if she should lock it and cast a soundproofing spell.
Just then, the knocking returned at an inopportune moment.
"Do you still plan to inspect the Time Casket today? I see the students there are very hopeful for your visit." A woman wearing glasses stood at the door, her expression as calm as ever.
Having her thoughts interrupted again, Clo completely bristled like an angry cat.
"If anyone else disturbs me today, I will let them experience the weight of a thousand years of time!" Clo gritted her teeth. "Unless the Royal Court or those mages are attacking and the academy is about to fall, do not disturb me."
The door was slammed shut again. Several layers of golden chains wrapped around it, emitting a powerful aura that seemed to isolate the space. If one tried to knock, their fist would never actually land on the wooden door.
The woman with glasses tried to touch the door but found that even she could not do it. She could only withdraw her hand in surprise and tell the outsiders that Clo had reached a critical stage in her research.
What is she in such a rush for? Could the reason still be the person who wrote that letter...?
Clo sat in the center of the magic circle. A light blue glow enveloped her, and her form soon entered a state between illusion and reality.
...
"Hello, Miss. Please show your membership card." Several men in suits stood on either side of the counter. Various drinks were lined up behind them; it seemed these two were the bartenders.
"Can I apply for one now?"
A man nearby quickly looked over. He was standing in front of a door. Through his gaze, Li Yue saw waves of hostility. He walked toward Li Yue, and behind the door he had left, a scene of singing and dancing was revealed.
He cracked his knuckles and rotated his neck, making popping sounds.
A magic user... A mage who specializes in melee combat?
With a light wave of Li Yue's hand, the people at the counter were instantly sliced into fragments. The martial artist seemed unable to dodge in time, and several hideous wounds appeared on his chest. He tried to scream, but in the next instant, Li Yue sliced through his vocal cords.
Then he too became a pile of shredded meat. It all happened so fast that the people inside had not yet realized that the god of death had arrived.
"Everyone!" A rather portly man stepped onto the stage. "The brothers from the Adventurer's Association told us our cargo might be gone. I just checked, and it is indeed gone!"
The crowd erupted. The noisy dance hall instantly fell silent. Li Yue walked in slowly, and no one noticed her at that moment.
"The Big Boss is very angry and has ordered me to post a bounty." The fat man glanced toward the second floor. "If anyone can make this Noah a dead man, they will receive five hundred gold coins!"
The crowd grew restless. That price was enough to buy a house on the edge of the central district of the inner ring.
"Then how much is she worth alive?" A dissonant voice rang out from the crowd. People followed the sound to look at the young lady who did not know her place. Some even chuckled softly.
The fat man gave a cold snort, seemingly too lazy to respond. He looked at the bounty notice in his hand: white hair and red eyes. He suddenly realized something and slowly shifted his gaze to the girl who had just spoken.
"It is her!!!" The fat man pointed his finger, but found he could not lift his hand. The sky seemed to be spinning, and he was falling at high speed.
Li Yue looked at the headless corpse before her, distinguishing between customers and operators among the crowd. She soon found that the latter seemed to be the ones wearing uniforms.
These customers were not good people either, but would killing them all trigger a social investigation?
Forget it. As long as I do not leave evidence.
Her eyes turned blood red. Behind her, a Blood Moon rose, and solidified crimson moonlight flowed down from the sky, drenching the pitch black ground. She spared only the innocent girls and some male attendants who had been kidnapped.
That boss... is actually not here...
Within the blood red moonlight, living beings began to dissolve silently. Li Yue walked through the crimson light. She gripped a richly dressed man by the throat with one hand. He had been on the second floor but was forcibly affected by the power of the Blood Moon. He seemed to be an official.
"I am telling you, I am a member of the Council! You have no right to kill me!"
"Then do you know where the Big Boss is?" Li Yue smiled, seemingly not threatened at all. "If you do not speak, I will snap your fingers one by one, tear off your skin, pull out your teeth, gouge out your eyes, rip out your tongue, and then throw you onto the street."
"...I... I can tell you about the man from the Adventurer's Association! He should know a lot!"
"How annoying. One lead after another. Fine, I will reward you with ten more seconds of life."
A few minutes later, Li Yue walked out of the brothel. Before leaving, she tossed a box of antidotes onto the ground and left on her own. She hailed a carriage by the road, reflecting on everything from the past few days. It felt so surreal.
How many people have I killed these past few days?
I have lost count... I am so tired.
She took a hot bath, washing away the grime from her body and rinsing away most of her exhaustion. She changed into her bathrobe, lay on the bed, slowly closed her eyes, and drifted into a quiet sleep.
...
An illusory figure appeared inside a relatively warm little house. She looked around curiously. Outside was a dead silence of misty white snow, the only color being the rusty red of iron.
The house was dark and quiet. The owner seemed to rarely move about the house. Even the sofa in the living room only had marks from being sat on once a few days ago. Other items appeared to have gone unused for a very long time.
She walked slowly toward the second floor. The door to the innermost room was ajar. With a mix of excitement and worry, she walked straight in with small but quick steps.
A young girl who had clearly just bathed was lying on the bed, her breathing steady and long. She seemed to have entered the land of dreams.
She reached out a finger and gently touched the girl's cool but soft cheek. All the irritability of the past few days vanished at that moment, or rather, it was completely healed.
With a faint smile, Clo withdrew her hand, only to find the girl's blood red eyes staring straight at her. Several powerful spells grazed past her neck in a narrow miss.
Li Yue sat up, her eyes filled with shock. She looked at the girl before her, feeling a sense of unreality. She did not know why she always had these unprovoked feelings for Clo, as if they had experienced a long time together and left behind countless beautiful memories.
She reached out her hand, finally feeling the pain in her heart lessen significantly. She did not know why she missed Clo so much, to the point that she did not even dare to touch her when she saw her. Her hand hung in the air until Clo gently caught it and placed it against her own cheek.
A faint warmth, a sensation between illusion and reality, made her feel that none of this was real, yet it was so authentic.
"Long time no see. Did you miss me?" Clo let go of Li Yue's hand and sat on the edge of the bed, gently embracing Li Yue's body. She could feel Li Yue's frame trembling violently, as if strongly resisting this warmth.
"It is okay, it is okay... No matter what you become, I will hold you tight."
Li Yue's body gradually calmed down, and the blood red vision before her eyes began to fade. Her logic and humanity seemed to return a great deal at this moment. Her trembling hands reached back to embrace Clo, greedily soaking in the tenderness and warmth.
"If it is painful, stop and rest for a while. Look at yourself again. Though I also hope so much that I could just keep holding you, and we could escape our fates together."
Clo spoke gently. The girl in her arms could not hold out against the onslaught of exhaustion; after a brief moment of clarity, she fell asleep again. Clo gently stroked her head, her form gradually becoming more illusory.
Even if you truly commit monstrous crimes one day, I will stand behind you. You do not need to feel guilty toward me... After all, I said I would love you for a lifetime. It is just a pity you have forgotten it all...
She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the girl's lips, then her figure vanished into the air.
Rate on N.U.
