Chapter 313
Escape From Crescent Moon Manor
When Eivass woke up again, he felt an unprecedented weakness.
This was not a hallucination.
Eivass quickly determined that this situation was due to severe anemia. However, he felt no wounds or pain on his body, only a light, dizzying sensation.
It was like embracing a lover and feeling the euphoria and comfort of breathing in the aroma of their hair.
He calmed his mind for a moment, then opened his eyes, preparing to assess his situation.
He… or rather, she, noticed that she was currently in a neat and cramped room.
Beneath her were neatly made sheets and a soft, thick blanket. The wooden room had no decorations or entertainment items. Besides the single bed, there was only a small desk.
On the desk sat a potted green plant, three or four books held by a bookend, and a water cup.
But the first bad thing happened.
She noticed that there were no spare clothes in the room.
Her feet were bare, and she was only wearing a thin white nightgown… After leaving the blanket, she felt a distinct, chilling cold.
As she rolled over and got up, Eivass noticed a heavy metal collar around her neck.
Since there was no mirror in the room, she couldn’t confirm her appearance or the specific appearance of the collar. She pulled a strand of her hair, which was draped behind her, to the front, confirming that she should have black hair.
Soon, the host’s ethereal and pleasant voice, as gentle as a bedtime story, drifted softly to her ears:
“You wake up from the afterglow of the sunset, feeling weaker than yesterday.
“You just had a dream, dreaming of your beautiful past as a Viscount’s daughter.
“Under the combined attack of the Alchemy Association and the Art Association, the Empire’s Demon Scholars are facing unprecedented persecution. Murders are frequent, and it’s becoming almost impossible to handle. The conflicts between Extraordinarys have become completely public, with large numbers of Nobles being forcibly stripped of their lands and titles, and their property and wives and daughters being plundered by Extraordinarys.
“You were sold to the Child of the Moon by your father in exchange for protection for the family. And now you are a Blood Slave, designated number 14, raised by ‘Crescent Moon Manor.’
“With day-to-day ‘feeding,’ your body becomes weaker and weaker. If only one Master were to be supplied, there might be a possibility of survival. But if you continue to work at the Manor, you will soon die here.
“So, there are only two paths before you—figure out a way to escape ‘Crescent Moon Manor,’ or be bought from the Manor by a Master who loves you at an extremely high price. The latter is almost impossible.
“But with only one person, nothing can be done. So, the nine of you gathered together, planning to escape this place together.
“—However, considering the lack of shoes, food, and survival tools. The possibility of escaping through the dense forest over mountains and rivers is slim. Furthermore, even if you return to the Empire’s territory, you might be killed or captured by others.
“So, among the nine of you, there is at least one informant with ulterior motives.
“If someone were to inform a certain Child of the Moon about this jailbreak and gain their trust, the Child of the Moon might report it to the Manor. If all the escapees are successfully captured, the Manor will give one or two of you as a gift, which is another way to escape Crescent Moon Manor.
“—And you are one of the informers.”
[Necessary Mission—]
[Before the sun rises again, be outside Crescent Moon Manor, in a safe location, and with no pursuers (Points: None)]
[Bonus Mission—]
[Find Companions: First, find all companions (Points: 500)]
[Maintain Secrecy: Until the end, do not be discovered by anyone in your true identity (Points: 500)]
[Informant’s Useless Slaughter: Kill other companions (Points: 200 per person)]
[Informant’s False Disguise: Successfully hide your identity as an informant from your companions (Points: 500)]
[Successful Plan: Escape Crescent Moon Manor through the secret tunnel (Points: 1000)]
[Instinct of Betrayal: Sabotage the jailbreak plan (Points: 1000)]
[Enchanting Aura: Be successfully adopted by someone (Points: 1000)]
[Master-Slaying Talent: Murder your Master (Points: 2000)]
As the mission list popped up, Eivass glanced at it.
The killing intent was slightly less intense than during the last New Moon Ritual, but the malice had not dissipated.
It was just that killing had been replaced by deception and betrayal…
However…
Eivass looked at the missions again, double-checking the requirements.
—Neither “jailbreak” nor “informing” explicitly appeared on the mission list.
Even the informant’s “Instinct of Betrayal” mission only required sabotaging the jailbreak plan, not forcing one to be an informant.
In other words, their actions were not forcibly constrained. Jailbreaking and informing were merely “suggested missions.”
…This meant that even an informant could choose not to inform at all. The victory conditions were not tied to their identity.
Similarly, others could choose to inform… which would also interfere with others’ missions to find informants.
As a symmetrical mission to “Informant’s False Disguise,” there must be a “Kill the Informant” mission on the other side. Eivass, as an informant, could also instigate others to inform… If he were caught and killed, his identity would be hidden.
However…
In this mission, everyone’s gender was reversed.
And it had a special victory condition: not to be discovered by anyone in one’s identity—not even by companions. This meant that those who formed teams, including Eivass and Lily, could not confirm each other’s identities.
—But not being able to confirm identity didn’t mean one couldn’t figure it out oneself.
In other words, they needed a means of confirmation that was “understood” without being explicitly stated.
Did Eivass and Lily have such a means?
They actually did.
Their attire upon entering was reversed, but at that time, it seemed that besides the Miss from the Path of Love, no one else noticed this.
In other words, others would assume Alistair was a Miss. Then he should currently be male; similarly, if they thought Grey was a Mister, then he would now be a Madam.
Then Eivass could completely swap identities with Lily—
He was now “Grey.”
As long as he could see another man who appeared to be “Alain” in the crowd, that person would be Lily. This way, they wouldn’t need to confirm their identities and could be sure the other was their teammate.
…I hope she can figure it out.
Eivass thought.
She walked to the window and, with difficulty, pushed it open—just doing such a simple thing made her gasp for breath.
Outside the window, the radiance of the sunset permeated the air with a golden-red glow. Looking out, one could see rolling hills covered in lush green, which was refreshing.
But this made her heart sink.
Although she knew she was in the deep mountains… wasn’t this too deep?
She reached out her hand, using the light to look at her own hands.
But just doing this caused her fingertips to tremble uncontrollably. It was the weakness caused by anemia.
Judging by the slenderness of her fingers, she appeared to be young, about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her skin was fair, her hands were not calloused, and there were no wounds on her arms.
Her fingernails were almost bloodless, turning a pale blue and losing their luster. Her palms also lacked any color, her fingertips were visibly shriveled, and her palms were full of fine lines.
…With such a weak body, how could she escape?
Just then, her room door was suddenly opened.
It was a man in black, wearing a rabbit mask and dressed as a servant.
With his hands behind his back, he said calmly:
“It’s time for dinner, Number 14. The guests have been waiting for a long time. Follow me.”
“…Yes.”
The slender girl instantly entered her role-playing state, nodding slightly with a hint of timidity.
Last night I had a fever of 37.6 degrees Celsius. I woke up after sleeping for six hours… Now the temperature has dropped to 36.8, but I still feel weak. I’ve taken azithromycin and feel a little better, but not completely comfortable yet. However, at least I probably don’t need to go to the hospital.
There will still be a second chapter. I’ll have lunch and rest for a while before writing… It will probably be released after three or four o’clock.
Brothers, if you want to support the author and help me grow my cat, please set up automatic subscriptions. Don’t let the cat die, please (tearful eyes).
