Unexpected Variable

The dawn gilded the ancient stone streets of the City of Glory with a soft, pale gold light.

The air still held the cool dampness of night dew, mingled with the warm, savory aromas of toasted bread and frying bacon wafting from various households.

At the corner of a narrow commercial street, a fruit stall sheltered by a simple canvas awning had just opened for business.

The dark-skinned owner was briskly organizing freshly picked apples, pears, and berries into neat categories, humming a tuneless little melody to himself.

At that moment, a figure silently came to a halt before his stall.

The owner instinctively looked up, preparing to offer a professional greeting. "What can I get fo—"

The rest of the words caught in his throat.

His eyes widened instantly, and his mouth hung slightly open, as if he were witnessing a sight that absolutely did not belong in this noisy, mundane marketplace.

Standing before his stall was a young girl with bare feet.

Her ankles were slender and fair, her feet small and delicate. Though she stepped directly onto the morning's cold stone pavement, they remained untainted by a single speck of dust.

Moving upward, she wore a simple black dress that reached her ankles. Above that was a cascade of waist-length black hair, so dark it seemed to absorb the light.

And then, there was her face.

The owner's meager vocabulary was completely exhausted in an instant.

He felt as if his heart had been seized by an invisible hand, his very breath coming to a standstill.

It was a shock that transcended mere beauty or prettiness; it was something almost otherworldly and eerie.

The girl's features were as exquisite as a masterpiece carved by a great artist who had poured their soul into every detail. Every line was perfect, coming together in a breathtaking harmony.

Most striking of all were those violet eyes, currently looking at him—or rather, at the vibrant fruit on his stall—with a hint of faint laziness.

Time seemed to freeze for several seconds.

The clamor of the street, the cries of neighboring vendors, and even the cool morning breeze seemed to retreat from this small stall.

The girl tilted her head slightly, her black tresses sliding over her shoulder with the movement.

"Hello there~ Could I... have an apple, please?"

The owner snapped back to his senses, his face flushing deep red. He scrambled about, stammering, "O-Of course! N-No problem! J-Just a moment!"

As if he had been given a sacred mission, he didn't even bother to sort through them properly. He practically lunged at the pile of bright red apples, using both hands to search quickly and carefully.

Finally, he picked up a large apple with the most even color, wiped it meticulously with his cleanest cloth, and then, with slightly trembling hands, presented it to the girl with profound respect.

"H-Here! This is the best one! I g-guarantee it's sweet!"

"Thank you~"

The girl took the apple, her violet eyes curving into crescents as she gave him a faint smile that was enough to make anyone's heart flutter.

Then, she lowered her head and opened her rosy lips, taking a gentle, small bite of the bright red apple.

Crunch.

The crisp sound was subtle but clear.

White teeth sank into the succulent red flesh, and a bit of clear juice seeped along her perfect lip line, shimmering in the morning light like crystalline dew.

She chewed slowly, her violet eyes narrowing slightly as if savoring the taste.

A moment later, she looked up at the owner, who was already staring blankly. Her smile deepened, a look that was pure and innocent, yet possessed a certain bewitching magic.

"Mmm~ It really is delicious~"

Her tone was one of simple satisfaction and praise.

The owner was completely stunned, staring unblinkingly at the girl's juice-stained lips and her innocent yet seductive expression as she enjoyed the treat.

His mind went blank. Concepts like doing business or collecting money were tossed to the far reaches of his mind.

He felt that having this girl eat one of his apples was the most boast-worthy thing that had happened today—no, in his entire life!

The black-haired girl didn't seem to know that buying things required money either. She simply took another small bite of the apple and turned to leave, her black skirt swaying gently around her ankles.

Soon, her figure merged into the growing crowd and disappeared.

The fruit stall owner remained there, arms still outstretched, staring blankly in the direction she had gone. His gaze was dazed, a foolish smile lingering on his face as if his soul had drifted away with her.

"Hey! Old John! What are you daydreaming for!"

After an unknown amount of time, a gruff voice boomed in his ear, accompanied by the heavy slap of a hand on his shoulder.

Old John jolted, snapping back to reality.

He turned to see the owner of the neighboring grocery store, a middle-aged man with a thick beard, looking at him with a puzzled frown.

"What time do you think it is? The sun's already high! The street is getting crowded, and you're just standing here like a wooden post. You're not doing business? You don't want your apples?"

Old John blinked, still seemingly savoring that dreamlike moment.

He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind, but an excited expression involuntarily crept onto his face.

He grabbed the grocery store owner's arm, his voice trembling with excitement.

"O-Old Pete! Y-You didn't see it! What a pity! If only you'd come a bit earlier!"

"See what? A ghost?"

Old Pete, the grocery store owner, found this incomprehensible and pulled his arm back.

"Far rarer than a ghost!"

Old John gestured wildly, trying to describe it.

"Just now! Just a moment ago! A... a girl of indescribable beauty! She visited my stall! My God, I've never seen anyone so beautiful in my life! No, I couldn't even have imagined it! Truly! Even the most famous courtesans on Lantern Street... not even one of her toes... no, not even a single strand of her hair could compare!"

As an ordinary small merchant who had done business on this street for over a decade, Old John naturally had no chance to encounter true noble ladies.

In his limited experience and knowledge, the stunning courtesans of Lantern Street, who knew how to entice men, were the peak of beauty he could imagine.

But just now, that standard had been ruthlessly shattered.

Old Pete was taken aback for a moment, but then his eyes lit up with intense interest.

Men were always particularly sensitive to such topics.

"Really?! That much of an exaggeration? Quick, tell me, what did the girl look like? How tall was she? What was she wearing?"

"She..."

Old John opened his mouth, and the excited expression on his face suddenly froze.

He frowned, trying hard to recall and sketch that girl's clear features in his mind...

However, it was all a blur.

The harder he tried to think, the more that originally profound impression dissipated like mist under the sun.

From the contours of her face to the details of her figure, and even the style of her hair... it all became hazy, as if viewed through frosted glass.

"I... I..."

Old John's face turned red, and he scratched his head in frustration.

"I-I can't remember! I remembered it so clearly just a second ago! B-But now... it's like a fog has settled over it... I can't recall her specific appearance at all! B-But she really was very, very beautiful! I swear!"

The expectation and interest on Old Pete's face quickly turned into disdain and impatience.

He curled his lip and brushed off Old John's hand.

"Tch! If you're going to make up a story, at least make it believable. 'So beautiful you can't remember'? Do you take me for a three-year-old? If you don't want to say, then don't, but who are you trying to fool with this nonsense? You're wasting my time!"

"No! I'm not lying! What I'm saying is true!"

Old John hopped around in frustration, pointing at the sky to swear his honesty.

"She even bought an apple! She took a bite and said it was delicious! All of that is true!"

"Oh? And did you collect the money for the apple?" Old Pete asked coldly, crossing his arms.

"Uh..." Old John was suddenly speechless, his face turning even redder. "...I f-forgot."

"Heh."

Old Pete let out an unabashed sneer and turned to walk away, shaking his head as he went.

"I think you had too much to drink last night and haven't sobered up yet. Fine, fine, just clean up your stall and get to work. Stop daydreaming here. A peerless beauty visiting your crappy fruit stall? You can find anything in your dreams!"

"Hey! Old Pete! Don't go! Let me explain! I'm really not lying!"

Old John shouted after him in exasperation, but the other man didn't look back, clearly not believing a single word.

The bickering of two ordinary vendors was like a small pebble thrown into a lake, creating only a minor ripple before being swallowed by the increasingly noisy morning clamor of the City of Glory, unnoticed by anyone.

...

Deep in a quiet alleyway cluttered with a few miscellaneous items, not far from the fruit stall.

Melina, the black-haired and barefoot girl, was leaning casually against a wall.

The bright red, enticing apple in her hand was now reduced to a bare core.

Tossing the core aside, Melina raised her arms and gave a long, lazy stretch. The fabric of her black dress tightened with her movement, outlining the graceful and alluring curves of her body.

She tilted her head back slightly, her violet eyes looking toward the narrow strip of sky cut by the buildings flanking the alley.

"Well then..."

She spoke softly, her voice exceptionally clear in the silent alley, carrying a nonchalant tone.

"What is the situation... over at the graveyard now?"

Almost as her words fell, a figure entirely shrouded in a deep grey linen robe appeared like a ghost three paces behind her.

The newcomer kept their head slightly bowed in a respectful posture. Their voice sounded somewhat muffled through the hood.

"Reporting to the Divine Maiden, our people have confirmed repeatedly that all undead creatures in the old graveyard on the outskirts of the City of Glory were completely annihilated before evening."

Melina listened quietly, her face showing no surprise. She simply nodded slightly, a flicker of playful regret crossing her violet eyes.

"I see... Efficiency was a bit faster than expected. So, Huang Quan... she really did die there after all? What a pity. Though she was a bit stubborn, she was quite convenient to use."

Her tone was as if she were discussing a piece of porcelain that had been accidentally shattered.

However, the grey-robed figure behind her trembled almost imperceptibly. After a moment of silence, they replied with a voice tinged with uncertainty and trepidation.

"No... regarding that point, Divine Maiden, I... cannot confirm it for the time being."

"Oh?"

Melina finally turned her head slightly, her violet eyes glancing sideways at the grey-robed figure. An expression of surprise appeared on her perfect face for the first time.

Her voice remained soft, but it carried an undetectable hint of scrutiny.

"What is the meaning of that? Whether she is alive or dead, there should be a clear result. 'Cannot confirm'... is not an answer I like."

The grey-robed figure bowed their head even lower, almost burying it in their chest, their voice carrying suppressed tension.

"It... It is like this, Divine Maiden. We utilized all our informants and cross-checked every piece of intelligence from yesterday noon to evening. The final confirmed result is..."

He took a deep breath, as if reporting news he found hard to believe himself.

"Until the entire incident concluded, there was no record of Huang Quan's appearance. No one witnessed, encountered, or fought her. It is as if... she never appeared at that graveyard at all."

Melina narrowed her eyes slightly.

The grey-robed figure continued the report, speaking faster.

"The only somewhat valuable information is that a student named Greg Sass defeated an Undead Knight alone in the catacombs. But according to the descriptions of other students who arrived later, they saw no one else besides the Undead Knight. Furthermore, I believe that even if a mere student were lucky enough to defeat an Undead Knight, he could absolutely never defeat Huang Quan!"

Finally, the grey-robed figure added with some uncertainty.

"So I suspect... could Huang Quan have... discovered our plan and left early?"

A brief silence fell over the alley.

Only the faint sounds of the marketplace on the distant main street could be heard.

Melina stood there quietly, her bare feet on the cold, damp stone, her black hair swaying without a breeze.

Her face, beautiful to the point of being eerie, was calm, but complex light and shadow seemed to flicker rapidly deep within her violet eyes.

"Given Huang Quan's personality and abilities, it is impossible for her to have detected my intentions in advance and fled. She is also not clever enough to stage a perfect fake death to escape."

"In that case, the only explanation is... that in this plan, there appeared... an unexpected variable that even I did not foresee."

At that thought, her gaze refocused on a certain point in the void. Her rosy lips slowly curled into an arc that would make anyone's heart race inexplicably.

After a moment of silence, she turned around completely to face the tense, barely breathing grey-robed figure.

The surprise on her face had vanished, replaced by a deeper, gentle smile.

Her violet eyes were like the finest gems, shimmering with light as she watched him quietly.

In a voice that seemed to carry magic, she asked leisurely,

"Could you tell me in detail..."

"Just who..."

"Is this person named Greg Sass?"