Chapter 322
Miss Beyad Begins to Feel Confused
Miss Beyad, the Child of the Moon, stared at the Shadow Demon for a long time, her gaze occasionally drifting to Eivass.
“…Forget it.”
Finally, Miss Beyad sighed. It was as if she had given up on something, or perhaps come to terms with something. While feeling regret, her entire being also relaxed.
“Is there anything you need me to do?”
Miss Beyad no longer looked at Number 14 and said coldly, “Speak.” She tidied her slightly disheveled hair and picked up her glasses from the ground, putting them on.
Just as the Shadow Demon had commented to Eivass before—despite following the Path of Love, Miss Beyad possessed exceptionally strong rationality and humanity. This was not speculation, nor was it blind confidence in the personality shaped by her past experiences. It was because the Shadow Demon had already encountered her in another history.
—At that time, the Shadow Demon might have also met “Number 14.” They might have engaged in fierce battles, or perhaps eventually reached a reconciliation, or even briefly become friends or comrades. That’s why the Shadow Demon understood her so well.
But in the end, the Shadow Demon consumed her, reclaiming the appearance that once belonged to her and was stolen by death. Centuries flew by in the blink of an eye, and the Shadow Demon had let go of her hatred. She had completely transcended her past, letting go—or perhaps resolving—the resentment she harbored when she became a demon.
If Miss Beyad, the Child of the Moon, represented the “past,” then the Shadow Demon who let go of everything was the “future.” With time as their twin mirrors, the two gazed at each other across an unreachable distance. This was a miracle only possible in the Dream Realm.
In response to Miss Beyad’s question, the Shadow Demon merely let out a light chuckle and collapsed, dissolving into a black snake. It coiled around Eivass’s fingers, inch by inch, first entering through her sleeve and then emerging from her collar. The Shadow Demon gently circled Eivass’s neck—like a collar, or perhaps a noose. It then stood erect on Eivass’s shoulder, its scarlet eyes fixed on Miss Beyad.
“That’s something you’ll have to ask my Master. After all, I am merely his shadow,” the Shadow Demon replied.
Eivass simply looked up and asked, “I have a question first… About the Children of the Moon responsible for guarding the manor, what is their approximate energy level?”
“You want to make a move?”
Miss Beyad was incredibly intelligent. With just one sentence from Eivass, she immediately guessed what they intended to do. But she wasn’t flustered or surprised. She didn’t try to stop them, merely considering their seemingly unreasonable request with a serious expression.
“Even if the person you want to kill is within Crescent Moon Manor, I strongly advise against acting now. It’s not just because they are powerful—there are currently double-digit numbers of Fifth Tier individuals within Crescent Moon Manor, possibly more than in the Imperial Palace. And only half of them are Children of the Moon; the rest are guests they invited… The entire upper echelon of the Empire is indulging in pleasure in some corner of this manor. They might even be next door.”
Miss Beyad crossed her arms and said sarcastically, “Some are with Blood Slaves, while others are with Children of the Moon… This is also part of the service, and some even find someone they take a liking to. Of course, it’s not impossible for people to come here to discuss important matters. In short, if anyone discovers that something has happened here, things will immediately become troublesome.”
“My personal recommendation is to wait until the latter half of the night. It’s only just gotten dark. Humans won’t be able to stay here for too long; they might have other engagements tomorrow. Most of them will leave before ten o’clock, and the rest will likely leave around one or two in the morning. By four or five in the early morning, when this wild banquet finally ends and you’re off work to grab a late-night snack, those Children of the Moon who came to play will have almost all left. At that point, what remains will basically be people from Crescent Moon Manor.”
“By then, there will probably be at most one or two Fifth Tier individuals left in the manor, perhaps none. The rest will be newborns below the Fourth Tier… No matter who you intend to make a move against, as long as I occupy the ritual chamber used for requesting reinforcements and issuing alarms, no disturbance will be caused.”
She glanced at the Shadow Demon. “And for the remaining people… you should be able to handle them yourselves, right?”
“Then I’ll trouble you,” Eivass said with a cute smile.
Miss Beyad simply scoffed. Now that she had calmed down and looked back, she didn’t know why she had lost her composure earlier… This little girl, who could contract a Shadow Demon at just the First Tier, must be the problem. But it seemed now that, in the end, she was just a little girl.
“Let me remind you, no matter who you intend to make a move against. It’s best to know when to stop. The Shadow Demon is not invincible; not to mention, you can’t unleash its full power. You’ll be in great difficulty if you encounter even one Fifth Tier individual. I can’t protect you forever… unless you’re willing to come with me.”
As if bewitched, she added this last sentence. Eivass slowly played with the black snake, her posture exuding a mysterious allure. She looked up, smiling charmingly, revealing a foxy, cunning grin.
“—Then what if I want to kill everyone here, big sister?”
“…What?”
“If I want to kill everyone here, will you help me?” Eivass repeated.
“…Including those Blood Slaves?”
“Of course. I mean everyone—we can wait until dawn to act, but I want no one left behind. Oh, or I could leave one or two… but I’ll choose them myself later.” Eivass said with a smile, but on her pure and lovely face, there was a palpable killing intent that rushed over, causing Miss Beyad to instinctively hold her breath.
—Is she crazy? This was Miss Beyad’s first thought.
…Or is she inherently evil? But if so…
She looked hesitantly at the Shadow Demon, who had turned into a black snake.
She doesn’t think there’s a problem…? Miss Beyad mused. She didn’t know what Number 14 was planning, but she trusted “herself.” The Shadow Demon, possessing the same skills and even true Soul Shards, was closer to the real Miss Beyad than the “impersonator” she was now. As for herself, apart from her professional level on the Path of Love increasing, her resonance with other paths had been suppressed to the lowest degree, and even her profession as a Ritualist had regressed by two full Energy Levels. She had lost the transcendent heart that belonged to Miss Beyad. And “Miss Beyad” would never act with such unreasoning madness. Therefore, this must have a reason.
“…Then what will I gain?”
Miss Beyad suppressed her shock and asked the dangerous and strangely charming girl coldly. In truth, she had already agreed in her heart, but subconsciously wanted to see if she could extract a little more benefit. To this day, it was etched into her bones, becoming her instinct.
And the slender, black-haired, blue-eyed girl, who looked like a doll, tilted her head and showed a innocent, harmless smile. She moved her knees and slowly shuffled to the bedside. She spread her hands wide, as if giving a speech or perhaps asking for a hug.
“Be my Master, can you?” Her voice was very soft, like a seductive whisper: “You can have me…”
Miss Beyad felt her heart pound violently again. Her pupils instantly turned scarlet once more—the path impulse from the Path of Love almost made Miss Beyad lose her reason.
—Be rational, Miss Beyad! Do not succumb to the path impulse—
Miss Beyad fiercely clenched her right hand, her sharp nails piercing her palm. Only then did she manage to regain a semblance of sanity.
“Are you trying to tempt me into losing control!” Miss Beyad demanded loudly, her voice trembling slightly. “Are you really human? I think you’re a succubus!”
Number 14 was clearly not like this before—it was precisely because the Shadow Demon was watching her that she suddenly became so aggressive. She was doing this on purpose, to make her lose control. That way, the Shadow Demon could mock her!
If no one were watching, Miss Beyad could occasionally succumb to temptation. Children of the Moon would “fall” if they completely indulged their desires. Each time they fell, they would drift further away from their “original form,” and their residual humanity would decrease. Miss Beyad had always been ashamed of falling, but sometimes she truly couldn’t help it—this was a call from the very origin of her path.
But this time, the one witnessing everything was not even “someone else,” but her true self—a true “self” that was more orthodox and more powerful than she was! She was extremely concerned about appearances. She absolutely could not lose face in front of “herself.”
“Who knows,” Eivass said with a smile as she leaned closer, taking Miss Beyad’s hands and intertwining their fingers. She playfully whispered into Miss Beyad’s ear with a chuckle, “It’s still a long way to five o’clock, big sister… But these nails are too long.”
She then withdrew her right hand, cupped Miss Beyad’s right hand, and gently licked the blood from her palm before sucking on it.
“—The blood of a Child of the Moon tastes no different from human blood.”
Miss Beyad gasped sharply and recoiled from Eivass’s hands as if shocked by electricity. Whether it was an illusion or not, she thought she saw the corners of the black snake’s mouth lift in a dismissive scoff.
“…What do you want now?” Even Miss Beyad’s voice softened. “Just say it, you little succubus…”
Number 14 said with a pout, “Accompany me to help find the secret tunnel, my Master. I heard that Crescent Moon Manor has a secret tunnel that leads directly outside.”
“…I do know about that secret tunnel, but you have no need to leave through it. If you want to leave, I can take you directly,” Miss Beyad said, frowning deeply.
“We just need to go out through the secret tunnel first to confirm it’s passable. After that, we’ll come back and seal it.” Eivass returned to her calm state, her tone cold and filled with malice. “When dawn comes, we’ll be killing people, Miss Beyad. I don’t want anyone to escape from inside.”
Miss Beyad felt a sense of dizziness. This girl… was full of lies. She was so young, yet a natural-born vixen… Her emotions and tone shifted constantly. She considered herself good at reading people, but she still couldn’t figure out what Number 14 was really up to. She had completely spun Miss Beyad around.
—Which of her words was a lie? Which part was acting? What was her true objective?
…And, that sentence… about wanting her to be her Master, was it genuine? Even knowing it was most likely a joke, Miss Beyad couldn’t help but have such a thought flicker in her mind.
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